# Motobecane Vent Noir - Good, Bad, and a few questions



## proudfoot (Sep 10, 2008)

I just received my Vent Noir recently, and I'll be the first to say that its an excellent bike for the price. It weighs below 20lbs, and, is pretty decent. Assembly was fairly simple, I had someone else help met. 

It's fast, and handles pretty well, I replaced the pedals with Forte Campus variants.

It however, has a few issues - I'll appreciate any help in solving these. The first one is that, on the right brifter, during installation, the shifter cable wasn't fully installed at the factory, it didn't hook into the notch on the inside of the brifter. We managed to install hook the end into the notch, but, also, the wire seems to have strands coming off of it. It seems to work fine for now, but I'm not too sure if the wire will need replacement in the future. I'm not too sure how this reflects on Motobecane quality control.

Second negative about this bike is probably the sheer amount of decals, while they do a great job of advertising the bike, they are also a great target for thieves. The XRP wheelset, while surprisingly nimble and in nearly perfect true, has decals which seemto be impossible to remove. I'd be happy to take suggestions on this part.

Third issue I'm having is that, when my hands are on the hoods, I have a hard time stopping the bike. My hands are small, and I have issues with getting enough leverage on the levers while on the hoods. I have no issues in the drops. The biomax handlebars are very nice, by the way, and a superb touch on a bike of this price.

Fourth issue I'm having is that the front shifter takes multiple shifts to move a chainring - I'm not sure if this is intentional, or not, In general, it takes two taps to move one chain ring. Is this improper assembly, tuning, or something I'm doing wrong?

I'd love the help of anyone in this forum about how to deal with these particular issues. And, while my post might seem negative, I am very surprised with the quality of this bike for price. It's so much more efficent and fun to ride then the hybrid bike I am used to.


----------



## hrumpole (Jun 17, 2008)

Getting decals off depends on the adhesive. Acetone will generally dissolve the glue, but not sure about the effect on the paint. It shouldn't affect it at all, but try a -very- small drop somewhere on the bike to see if it smudges. Or just place electric tape over it. That'll ugly it up in a hurry.

The ability to stop has to do with brake adjustment, which can be tricky. I'd recommend an LBS.

Front shifter problem sounds like you need to tune it up. Check out park tool website for starters, and there are also videos on you tube. (Plan B is LBS for all of these issues, and if you have a good one it's worth the aggravation that it saves).


----------



## ukbloke (Sep 1, 2007)

I would change out that shifter cable as soon as you can. It can be a real pain to get those strands out of the shifter mechanism if/when it breaks. Also you don't want to lose your ability to shift during a big ride. At least you don't have to remove the bar tape for this fix.

You should be able to tune up the brakes so that they bite with less pressure. You might find that upgrading brake pads to Koolstops gives you more stopping power for less pressure. You could also try moving the positions of the levers on the bars slightly to get a better fit for your hands.

The multiple shifts on the front chain-ring sounds like the trimming feature. You should be able to shift two stops in one go by pushing the lever all the way, and that's what you do for a normal shift. The intermediate positions are used to adjust the derailleur slightly to reduce chain rub when required. It may be that this feature isn't working quite right if the limit and tension adjustments are not right.


----------



## proudfoot (Sep 10, 2008)

Ah - I see why the front derailleur took multiple shifts - I wasn't pushing the lever all the way, only part way until it clicks.

I don't think it's an issue with the brakes - I can stop very easily when I'm in the drops, but I have issues when my hands are in the hoods. I have small hands, and have issues applying a substantial amount of force to the levers in the hoods. Though - I'll see about the coolstops.


----------



## proudfoot (Sep 10, 2008)

A few more things I noticed - the front derailleur has two little screws sticking out of it - which are obviously not all the way in. Are these screws trim screws or something that should be all the way in?

They are also partially stripped

The front derailleur - however, does work fine, I just have to push the shift lever all the way and it'll jump a ring fine.

Also - the rear brake cable doesn't have the little crimp on nub at the end like the front one does, the end seems to be coming apart. I cut the part that came apart off, and then added a bead of solder onto the end to hold it in place. That should fix it.


----------



## ukbloke (Sep 1, 2007)

These are the limit screws and set the extent to which the front derailleur will travel. It is important to set them right so stop the chain from being thrown off the chain-rings, while still allowing proper shifting. See the parktool.com web-site for instructions on adjusting them. Incorrect adjustment might not show up straight away, but can be really annoying when it happens on the ride and can ding up your frame or crank-set.

The screws should not be stripped on a new bike. If they are, complain to bikesdirect and make sure that the threads on the derailleur itself are OK. You might want to visit an LBS for proper adjustment.


----------



## proudfoot (Sep 10, 2008)

They aren't completely stripped - I can turn them fine with a screwdriver - just that, you have to push inwards more then necessary. Using those trim screws, I've adjust the from derailleur to be much smoother then before - I simply centered the chain when it's on the chainring to the derailleur. 

I'll send off an email to bikesdirect asking for new screws and a shifter cable to replace the right shifter..


----------



## Long deKlein (Jul 31, 2008)

Based on your questions, it appears that you're new either to bikes in general or wrenching in particular. I highly recommend checking out the Park Tools website for repair tips. You might also want to get a copy of the Park repair book, or at least make a trip to the local library and read up a bit--it will save you a lot of time and grief!


----------



## rogerstg (Aug 1, 2007)

proudfoot said:


> They aren't completely stripped - I can turn them fine with a screwdriver - just that, you have to push inwards more then necessary.


It sounds like they are not at all stripped. You may have just messed up the screw head by tightening against the stop. AFAIK they are not replacable.


----------



## Peanya (Jun 12, 2008)

new brakes don't stop well until they're broken in. Just ride your bike more. I do recommend taking it to a local shop and let them tune it for you.


----------



## proudfoot (Sep 10, 2008)

Nope - I haven't tightened them against the stop. While I'm new to wrenching - not new to mechanical things in general.

I contacted bikesdirect asking for a new cable and screws, if the screws aren't replaceable, it's no big deal. And, by stripped, I don't mean the threads - I mean the heads of the screws.

I hope to at least get a replacement cable for the right dérailleur though.

I also got the decals off the wheelset by using a razor blade, and sacrificing a nail


----------



## 20sMotoSpirit (May 27, 2007)

Listen, I would break down and take the bike in for a PRO BUILD!!! if its relativly new, I would pay the $60-80 for a build... Bike shops know if you need new stuff, or if things need to be replaced.

Tuneups at a shop cost 75 and a bike build is about 80... just spend the money... the bike will last A LOT LONGER!!!


----------

