# 2011 Motobecane LeChampion Ti Heat



## MichaelR (Mar 29, 2011)

I was at my LBS and was looking at a Cannondale Synapse Aluminum 5 with 105 components. It fit the budget and was a good riding bike. However, I have several friends who all ride Ti bikes, a couple Litespeeds and a couple Moots and they convinced me over and over again to look at Ti bikes instead of Aluminum or carbon. So after having a couple friends purchase bikes from Bikes Direct I thought I would also give it a shot. At it's price point this bike is only a couple hundred dollars over what the Cannondale is selling for. I decided I would then ride both back to back and see which one worked best for fit and comfort and stick with that bike. In the case of the Bikes Direct bike if I didn't like it or the fit/comfort wasn't right I would send it back and be out $80 for shipping both ways and consider it a worth while learning experience.

I just received the bike yesterday and immediately it went to my LBS for setup. All of the employees were very impressed with the frame as well as the components. In addition the LBS has been very supportive of my desire to compare the Bikes Direct bike to the Cannondale. They will have the Motobecane setup and ready to go by friday afternoon and I'll be able to compare the two and figure out where I'm going from there.

So far with this experience I've found that my LBS cares more about what's going to be the right bike for me. That speaks volumes about them. On the other side of the street the bike I've received from Bikes Direct showed up in what appears to be perfect health (I'll know fully when the LBS is done with it) and it was a no fuss transaction the entire time. I think this can be a happy medium between online purchasing and local support. 

As soon as I've had a chance to ride them back to back and made my decision I'll update everyone. Regardless of which bike I choose I'll post pictures of the Bikes Direct bike as another data point for everyone's decisions.

Michael


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## R1000 (Mar 15, 2005)

thanks for this right up... 

I recently took delivery of a bike from BD and i have to say i'm very very happy with it.

Sounds like you have an AWESOME LBS... consider yourself luck for that one.

My fear is that I think you may end up really like the Moto... But I guess it's not a bad thing.

Pics when you get it


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## Garilia (Feb 15, 2011)

That's a great bike shop, and it's precisely the way bike shops should be operating and dealing with the internet. The more people that ride bikes that fit, and the nicer they are to people, the more likely people will be to spend more money at that shop on parts, accessories, and service. Looking forward to your thoughts on these two bikes. I don't want an all-carbon bike, so I'm looking at the Cannondale CAAD 10 3 Ultegra, and the Le Champion SL Ti.


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## Ed-B (May 18, 2010)

I'd be interested to know how this all went down...

My own LeChampion Ti Heat was delivered yesterday. I had it in the workstand for awhile yesterday, making a few changes, and completing the assembly to my satisfaction. What a nice bike! Very good workmanship, a smart component spec, and it's a really good looking machine, too.

I had a nice 25 mile shake-down ride this afternoon, and I really like the way it performs. I think the geometry is just about perfect for this kind of bike. The frame rides a lot like a good steel racing bike - like a tight spring. The front end feels solid; firm but not harsh. The bike rides and handles very well. It's a very lively bike, and the front end is quick. It'll go hands-off just fine, but you need to pay attention, it's delicately balanced and will change direction instantly. Yes, I think "lively" is the best way to describe it. It's fun to ride.

Even with the stock 23mm Rubino tires on our rough Maine roads, the bike is reasonably comfortable. On a top quality 25mm tire like the Vittoria Corsa Evo, or perhaps the Schwalbe Ultremo I think it would be quite smooth. 

This is my first experience with a Sram drivetrain, and I think this Rival stuff is great! It was easy to finish the drivetrain setup for this new bike. I've been riding 5600 and 6600 series Shimano STI drivetrains for a couple of years, and I find the Sram Rival components to be a little simpler to operate, actually. Although I'm not quite intuitive with SRAM yet - I did try to shift the rear brake lever on one occasion, I do think the single lever mechanism is simply easier. The tactile feedback is positive - you know when it's at that first click, and the next tap is equally acknowledged. 

So, that's my take. I think it's a very nice bike.

Here's a photoset on my Flickr account for your viewing entertainment:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/sets/72157626338944381/


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## MichaelR (Mar 29, 2011)

Jumping right to the heart of it to remove all suspense I ended up going with the Motobecane vs. the Cannondale and here are some pictures of it for everyone wanting to drool and justify why they need one!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mrector23/sets/72157626470394934/with/5607725150/

So Saturday afternoon I wandered into the LBS to ride the Cannondale and Motobecane. I started on the Motobecane and rode a quick 2 1/2 mile loop, going over some rough road and climbing a small hill. One of the things I noticed almost instantly was how smooth the bike was on the rough and while up out of the saddle. In addition I almost instantly fell in love with the short presses of the SRAM shifting. I was almost dissapointed that I was going to go back and test ride the Cannondale.

However, test ride the Cannondale I did and it too was a truly great bike. As far as the ride comfort goes, it was every bit as comfortable as the Motobecane. The Shimano shifting was amazingly smooth, but after having just used the SRAM it wasn't as pleasent to use.

If I hadn't been tempted by several friends to try a titanium bike, I would have been equally as happy with the Cannondale as the Motobecane. I never would have known the difference between Shimano and SRAM. That being said if Cannondale had an aluminum bike with SRAM for less money than the Motobecane I probably would have gone with Cannondale instead.


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## Garilia (Feb 15, 2011)

MichaelR said:


> That being said if Cannondale had an aluminum bike with SRAM for less money than the Motobecane I probably would have gone with Cannondale instead.


Never would happen, the Synapse 105 has an msrp of $1389, the Windsor Knight from bikesdirect has an aluminum frame, carbon fork just like the Synapse, and sells for $899.

It seems that the bikes sold at bikesdirect that have SRAM components are mostly on the carbon and ti frames. They do have Apex on a Motobecane Super Strada at $899.

I think you made a great choice with the Ti Heat.


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## MichaelR (Mar 29, 2011)

Checking in after 5 months and 1500 miles. 

This bike still hums along just as nicely as the day I bought it. Everything is staying well in tune and true and I couldn't ask for a better purchase.

The only speed bump in the road was when I jumped a bit hard on a climb and tweaked the deraileur hanger. I ordered a new one and 3 days later I was back on and ready to go. 

I'd highly recommend this bike and bikes direct response time to anyone looking for something in this price range!

Michael


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## moonstation2000 (Sep 5, 2008)

Out of curiousity, what is the price range? And do you know the weight?


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## MichaelR (Mar 29, 2011)

I paid $1600 for mine which appears to be the current going price. As far as weight goes, the 56cm which I got with the 105 pedals came in right at 18lbs.

In the $1600ish range from a LBS you can get something in aluminum with 105/rival components or something in carbon with tiagra/apex stuff. Mostly I wanted the TI for the ride which is amazing and for the SRAM rival bits.


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## wfo922 (Mar 17, 2011)

I took delivery of a moto lechamp ti heat a few weeks back and have been totally impressed. Its a deal that almost seems to good to be true.

Does anyone have a good idea on how to remove the lechampion decal off of TT? I'm curious if there is a method that won't harm the finish.


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## martywoodman (Jan 10, 2010)

*Photo of my Ti Heat*

Here's mine. One year old and 2,000 miles. I also have a Windsor Wellington 3.0 which is my commuter. Last Saturday I did a sub-5 hour century on this, average speed 21.1 mph. I drafted 4 tandems and a triplet! Love my moto!


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## usando (Nov 3, 2011)

*Motobecane LeChampion Ti Remove Decals*

I have the SL. Haven't ridden it yet but I have to say it looks gorgeous. 

I have read numerous posts about people wanting to remove decals. It is titanium and a shame to hide it. I removed the top tube decal because I didn't like the name LeChampion or the font. I kept the Motobecane because it matched my white/black theme and the font is decent looking.

Removing decals is really easy to do with acetone. 
- soak a paper towel with acetone. 
- wrap it around the frame where the decal is. 
- wrap that with plastic wrap so that the acetone doesn't dry up. 
- let it soak for 10 min at least. longer the better. 
- unwrap and wipe. decals will bubble and come off very easily. 

I had to repeat a few times to get it all off plus rub the stubborn bits off.


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## marcalans (Aug 13, 2011)

*Decal Warranty Issue??*

I think I read on either the BD or Motobecane site that removing decals voids the frame warranty, so you might want to check.

Yes -- here it is on the Motobecane site:

_*WARRANTY DETAILS*_
_This warranty is void in its entirety by any modification of the frame, fork, components, *removal of decals* or any signs of bending/denting thereof. Bent or dented components, frame or fork would indicate abuse beyond the design of the bicycle_


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