# Recent bd experience, and 2009 motobecane mini review



## Rchcreations (Dec 3, 2010)

Well, I bought a 2009 motobecane record, from sportymama on eBay, I figured it was prob worth the gamble for $400.

Well, really quality is poor, welds, alignment, hubs, bottom bracket, chainrings, all are crap.

The listing said it came with fsa cranks, it came with truvative (with stamped steel chainrings that look huffy quality)

I called and complained, they said the would give me $50 for the cranks, if I want to just keep it as is, which I agreed too, now they want pictures (to prove what they already admitted?). I assume this is just a stalling tactic.

They don't answer the phone... We will see what happens...


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## bikesdirect (Sep 9, 2006)

Rchcreations said:


> Well, I bought a 2009 motobecane record, from sportymama on eBay, I figured it was prob worth the gamble for $400.
> 
> Well, really quality is poor, welds, alignment, hubs, bottom bracket, chainrings, all are crap.
> 
> ...



Thanks for your order

I will say; I have never seen a record with bad welds
and Sram would be interested to see their cranks are 'huffy quality'
So I would love to get your backs

Please PM me and I will be happy to arrange to have it picked up
and get you a full refund

Thanks again

Mike


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## Rchcreations (Dec 3, 2010)

I received the $50 refund they promised, which I will use for upgrades, for $400 the bike was an ok deal, not great, I will post pics of the ugly (I said crap not bad) I will keep the bike, but would have felt better getting the promised parts ( even if they were no better, there would be no question )



bikesdirect said:


> Thanks for your order
> 
> I will say; I have never seen a record with bad welds
> and Sram would be interested to see their cranks are 'huffy quality'
> ...


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## kabex (Nov 21, 2010)

So you actually got a decent deal (you decided to keep it after all, reinstating its good value) but still managed to say that everything on the bike was crap? 

I see.


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## Rchcreations (Dec 3, 2010)

kabex said:


> So you actually got a decent deal (you decided to keep it after all, reinstating its good value) but still managed to say that everything on the bike was crap?
> 
> I see.


Was it worth the price? Barely... Was it what was promised? No...


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## old_fuji (Mar 16, 2009)

Wait, is sportymama an ebay account for BikesDirect? This is totally my opinion here, but it seems like if you buy a bike from someone NOT affiliated with BD off of Ebay, then BD owes you absolutely nothing, and they're going above and beyond by working with you on this.


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## Mike Overly (Sep 28, 2005)

Original Post:


Rchcreations said:


> Well, I bought a 2009 motobecane record, from sportymama on eBay, I figured it was prob worth the gamble for $400.
> 
> Well, really quality is poor, welds, alignment, hubs, bottom bracket, chainrings, all are crap.
> 
> ...


Post Three Hours Later:



Rchcreations said:


> I received the $50 refund they promised, which I will use for upgrades, for $400 the bike was an ok deal, not great, I will post pics of the ugly (I said crap not bad) I will keep the bike, but would have felt better getting the promised parts ( even if they were no better, there would be no question )


Do I understand that BD went from stalling you by requiring pictures to crediting you $50 within the three-hour span of those posts?


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## Mike Overly (Sep 28, 2005)

old_fuji said:


> Wait, is sportymama an ebay account for BikesDirect? This is totally my opinion here, but it seems like if you buy a bike from someone NOT affiliated with BD off of Ebay, then BD owes you absolutely nothing, and they're going above and beyond by working with you on this.


sportymama is a BD operative. Maybe a wife ... daughter ... maybe Mike himself ... but "sporty" and (presumably) a "mama."


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## old_fuji (Mar 16, 2009)

Mike Overly said:


> sportymama is a BD operative. Maybe a wife ... daughter ... maybe Mike himself ... but "sporty" and (presumably) a "mama."


I looked on ebay and couldn't find the username listed anywhere, so I was wondering about that.


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## Dave Hickey (Jan 27, 2002)

Mike Overly said:


> sportymama is a BD operative. Maybe a wife ... daughter ... maybe Mike himself ... but "sporty" and (presumably) a "mama."



I believe it's Mike's sister in law


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## johnny dollar (Jul 21, 2010)

This has got to be the worst 'review' of a bike yet. 

This was a review, right?

You describes what you would consider to be "...crap not bad" based on appearance (not riding). 
And then you kept it?



Rhcreations said:


> Was it worth the price? Barely... Was it what was promised? No...


If this is how I felt about the bike I just bought, I'd return it.


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## bikesdirect (Sep 9, 2006)

Dave Hickey said:


> I believe it's Mike's sister in law



Actually my wife; and I think you know she has a bit of bike experience
I think she nor you feel that Kinesis is in the habit of making 'crap'


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## bikesdirect (Sep 9, 2006)

johnny dollar said:


> This has got to be the worst 'review' of a bike yet.
> 
> This was a review, right?
> 
> ...



I agree
and I wish he would return it

Both Sram and Kinesis would love to see what this poster is calling crap


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## Rchcreations (Dec 3, 2010)

Well here are a couple weld pics, while they are prob ok structuraly, they are far from pretty, and btw, I am a tig welder by trade, so I feel I have a right to say the welds are crap...

Photo of downtube/headtube showing void where start and end overlap

Photo of rear brake boss showing void where weld ended 

This is the top of the downtube/head tube weld, showing the general lack of consistency of the welds (most look like this)


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## Rchcreations (Dec 3, 2010)

Mike Overly said:


> Original Post:
> 
> 
> Post Three Hours Later:
> ...


Yes, it appears that my refund was issued at exactly the same time that mike replied here, time stamp in my paypal, and his post here was within seconds... I think posting here is why I got the promised refund...


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## Rchcreations (Dec 3, 2010)

johnny dollar said:


> This has got to be the worst 'review' of a bike yet.
> 
> This was a review, right?
> 
> ...


The review is coming, I just posted pics of welds, showing why I think they are crappy (ok for a $400 bike, but not a $1000 one bd pretends it is. Working on a post with pics about the alignment now.


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## Rchcreations (Dec 3, 2010)

This pic shows that the back wheel (which is true after a bit of work) is perfectly centered in the brake boss (sorry for phone pics)
Centered in brakes

This pic shows the bottom bracket, wheel is off to one side, because one chainstay is a wee bit longer then the other (it is worse then pic shows)
Offset wheel at bb


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## Rchcreations (Dec 3, 2010)

bikesdirect said:


> I agree
> and I wish he would return it
> 
> Both Sram and Kinesis would love to see what this poster is calling crap



I would return it for another, if I thought the next would be better, but would it be? See pics of welds, and alignment I posted...

That said, there are no $400 road bikes at my lbs, and I do think for $400+$40-$50=$390 I got a bike I can ride until I find a used frameset...


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## Rchcreations (Dec 3, 2010)

As for the crankset, I do not know if the "promised" FSA is any better, but none of the similarly equipped (sora/tiagra) road bikes at my lbs had stamped steel chainrings, with sharp burs that love to slice open fingers (I will use my $50 refund to replace these, as this was my main complaint, I cut my hands on them twice assembling the bike)

Stamped steel chainrings


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## orangeclymer (Aug 18, 2009)

Rchcreations said:


> Well here are a couple weld pics, while they are prob ok structuraly, they are far from pretty, and btw, I am a tig welder by trade, so I feel I have a right to say the welds are crap...
> 
> Photo of downtube/headtube showing void where start and end overlap
> 
> ...


pretty they are not.........


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## Rchcreations (Dec 3, 2010)

orangeclymer said:


> pretty they are not.........


None of the road bikes at my lbs had welds this ugly, that's for sure... Are they good? no.. good enough? I hope so... Again, I do feel this bike is worth the $390 it cost me, but had I bought it for the $600 they normally charge, I would have been much more unhappy. I feel they try to make it sound like a $1000 bike, sell it normally for $600 (Not a good deal at all!)

Fact is, it is a $400 bike, my lbs had zero $400 road bikes, but for $600 I could have bought a decent one there, that would not have these issues...

And, at least everyone knows I am not a shill ;-)
I will put together a real, in depth review, by tomorrow, with ride report, (must change the seat that caused extream pain after one lap around the block)


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## Rchcreations (Dec 3, 2010)

old_fuji said:


> I looked on ebay and couldn't find the username listed anywhere, so I was wondering about that.


Sorry, "sportymamabikes"


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## Local Hero (Jul 8, 2010)

Toothpaste welds aren't that big of a deal. 

The bike doesn't look too bad to me.


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## johnny dollar (Jul 21, 2010)

Seriously, if your issue with the welds is that they aren't shaved down and flush with the tubing instead of fat toothpaste welds, then you are going to be sorely disappointed with bikes in your price range.

Just because it looks "ugly" is not an indication of it's quality or strength, it's purely aesthetics.

Now, if the frame were misaligned to a significant degree, that's a whole other can of worms. You keep mentioning alignment, but what is off? How are you measuring alignment? Eye balling it?

What kind of frame were you expecting on a $400 complete bike?


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## orangeclymer (Aug 18, 2009)

Local Hero said:


> Toothpaste welds aren't that big of a deal.


maybe not to you but to the guy that spent the cabbage it is...............and it sure as hell would be to me as well.


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## Sebastionmerckx (Mar 6, 2008)

Those welds are very ugly but honestly, that's about what you get for $400.00. If you really are that displeased, send it back and just buy a nice used bike on eBay.


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## Rchcreations (Dec 3, 2010)

Sebastionmerckx said:


> Those welds are very ugly but honestly, that's about what you get for $400.00. If you really are that displeased, send it back and just buy a nice used bike on eBay.


I am just glad I did not pay their $600 normal price!

What I want, is my early 90s bridgestone, that some jerk stole last month... Never knew how nice it was, till I needed to replace it.


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## Local Hero (Jul 8, 2010)

orangeclymer said:


> maybe not to you but to the guy that spent the cabbage it is...............and it sure as hell would be to me as well.


First off, I'm also a guy who spent the cabbage. 

I have an aluminum BD bike with similar welds. It's my Team Track and from my experience it's no big deal. In the past year I've ridden (raced on) Orbeas, Specialized, Lemonds, Cervelos, and a CF motobecane. Nothing gets compliments like that little aluminium track bike, even with the toothpaste welds. People love that bike. And I love riding it. It's zippy and responsive, despite the welds. 

Second, are the welds bigger than what bikes direct has on their website?

https://www.bikesdirect.com/products/motobecane/images/record_silver_x_2100.jpg
https://www.bikesdirect.com/products/motobecane/images/record_silver_x_gallery/images/IMG_2902.jpg


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## Rchcreations (Dec 3, 2010)

Local Hero said:


> First off, I'm also a guy who spent the cabbage.
> 
> I have an aluminum BD bike with similar welds. It's my Team Track and from my experience it's no big deal. In the past year I've ridden (raced on) Orbeas, Specialized, Lemonds, Cervelos, and a CF motobecane. Nothing gets compliments like that little aluminium track bike, even with the toothpaste welds. People love that bike. And I love riding it. It's zippy and responsive, despite the welds.
> 
> ...


They are not "bigger" but they should be that big, but if the welds on my frame were half as pretty as those you linked to, we would not be discussing it... Compare welds in pics I posted, to welds you posted.


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## chase196126 (Jan 4, 2008)

Rchcreations said:


> They are not "bigger" but they should be that big, but if the welds on my frame were half as pretty as those you linked to, we would not be discussing it... Compare welds in pics I posted, to welds you posted.



As said already, what did you expect from a $400 ebay bike? Bikes direct has nice stuff, but a bike that costs $400 is 99.9999% of the time NOT going to have the artisan quality welding of a Moots or a Seven. The Record frame is perfectly functional, so the welds are your personal issue. Assuming they dont fail they do what is intended and that is all that is required of them. I have seen Specialized, Felt, and other frames the cost more than the Record with welds just as big. Heres one shot of a Felt F75 https://www.bikesportmichigan.com/reviews/Felt_F75_2009/lg/09F7510.jpg

A $400 brand new bike is in all reality a budget bike and no more. You paid $400, what did you expect? You get what you pay for. Did you ever look up a review of the bike? Pictures other than the promo ones? If you didnt do your homework before a large buy that is once again your fault. 

And quit whining about BD "trying to pass off the bike" as a $1000 model. They sell that model for $400, so it is a $400 bike. They are making money on the sale. Plenty of companies (including many bike manufacturers) inflate prices on their online shops and then have "sales" at brick and mortar stores. Its to make the item look like a great deal to the customer. Its a common strategy and it is your issue if you have been so cloistered that you have never come across this before. 

The company has made the moves to appease you, what more do you want? If you honestly dont like the bike return it. Dont sit here and bash a company for not like an aesthetic feature of a bike that you are going to KEEP. There is a huge difference between a proper review of an item, especially a negative one, and the crap you are spewing now.

Your disrespect to BD is astounding to me. You come whining to a forum before the company has a chance to answer and you didnt even read their policies. Their site specifically states that their bikes spec is subject to change without notice. They CHOSE to help you out with the crank, they were not obligated in any way. Take a look at their FAQ. 
I know you bought the bike on ebay, but I doubt that they would change their policies to sell there.


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## Local Hero (Jul 8, 2010)

Rchcreations said:


> I am just glad I did not pay their $600 normal price!


Even for $600 it wouldn't be so bad. 

I paid $795 for my team track and it has similar welds. And I feel like I got a steal of a deal. 

How do I compare? 

I look at what the competition offers in that price range. The closest thing is a bike with the EXACT SAME FRAME and inferior components...for $500 more.


That said, I don't really like the "What do you expect for a $400 bike?" argument. If the bikes are "compare at $600" or "list at $600" then they should really be comparable to bikes at that price point. That said, I do not think you could beat the deal you got for even $600. I think the price point comparisons are legit, at least they have been with my experience. 

So let me ask you, can you find any bikes with a similar frame and components for $600? If so, do you have close ups of the welds?


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## mrdelprete (Jun 4, 2010)

bikesdirect said:


> Actually my wife; and I think you know she has a bit of bike experience
> I think she nor you feel that Kinesis is in the habit of making 'crap'



Hey Mike, 

I am losing weight and saving up for a bike this Spring (after I lose 40 more pounds it will be my reward). I was very nervous about the ebay portion of your sales until now! I will be around these forums a lot and can't wait to see/review the entry level steel your going to bust out this spring. People on other forums (i am usually on Bikeforums) tend to talk down on BD, but you seem to offer a great product and unconventional yet good customer service.
Matt


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## johnny dollar (Jul 21, 2010)

Yeah, those steel bikes look nice. Especially in Team Orange.


BTW, wasn't there supposed to be a review in this thread?


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