Motobecane Fantom Cross Pro

Price Paid:  $999.00 at Bikes Direct

Model Year:
2007

Bike Setup:
Added egg beater pedals and a specialized seat. The rest is stock. You can't buy these components and put them on any comperable frame for less.

Summary:
Actually a 2009. This is my first roadbike since I was a teenager and my first new bike in a decade. I love this bike. I can't stay off of it on my days off and sneak in short rides whenever I can. Its light, fast and stable.

Strengths:
Strong bike, i'm 250+ and it takes all Tough, my pedal mashing and rough Oklahoma roads just fine. Full Ultegra components roll smooth and fast. Lightest bike i've ever owned. Weighed in about 22.4 pounds with eggbeater pedals.

Weaknesses:
stock tires and seat are junk. Burned through the tires in less than 300 miles. I'm sure this seat is used at interrogation facilities around the world.

Similar Products Used:
nothing i've ever had compares

Price Paid:  $999.00 at Bikes Direct

Model Year:
2007

Favorite Ride:
Beach ride

Bike Setup:
Stock as on BD
Smarty pedals

Summary:
First ride today on my new Fanton Cross Pro. This is my first real road bike since I was a kid, so I don't have much to compare it to other than my '97 Trek 930 single track mountain bike, but I will say that I am very impressed. Had some hesitations about buying on the net, but after visiting my LBS's in the area, I was kind of forced in that direction due to the lack of selection in my size and price range - 64cm frame, $1000 or less. The shops were totally cool about it and told me they'd support/service me no matter where I bought (plus since we bought my wife a bike there, they were still happy).

Bike arrived from Bikes Direct within 4 days (ordered on sunday, arrived on thursday). Box was in perfect condition as were the contents. I will say that the wheels were waaaaayyy in need of truing. Also the rear deraileur was way off too, so I just ended up leaving it to the local shop for the fine tuning. $47 later, I was off and riding. I would actually say the the wheels are still not perfectly true, but not knowing what is "acceptable" in terms of trueing, I really can't say for certain.

The 64cm frame seems fine although I think I might actually need to go with a 65 or 66 based on my 6 foot 6 inch frame and 36 inch inseam. I know that unless I build custom, I probably won't find this. The ride position still seems a bit off and I feel a bit too leaned over the bars as indicated by some numbness in my hands after 30 minutes or so of riding. I plan on consulting this forum and the LBS for suggestions on perhaps bumping up the bar position a bit.Otherwise, it really wasn't all that uncomfortable - probably just need to get used to that riding position. My ride consisted of nice smooth pavement, crappy pavement and packed dirt path. Bike soaked up all of them and after the ride thought it was actually more stable and comfortable than my MTB on the same route. Heard lots of negative reviews about the stock saddle on the Cross Pro, but although this one seemed to be on the stiff side, it really wasn't too bad.

The Shimano Ultegras were awesome. Nothing but silence as I rode along. Never had something I could manually trim as well which was really nice to prevent the slight rubbing in certain gear combinations. Originally planned on just getting a bike with the 105s but the price of the Cross Pro was too good to pass up. Similarly equipped rigs at the LBS were around $1900.

Ended up with Smarty pedals due to my water ski sized feet and what I would describe as "light" MTB shoes. Nice and comfortable to walk around in and no duck walking. I did notice some mild squeeking coming from one of the pedals towards the end of the ride. Couldn't tell if it was the shoe or pedal, but probably just needs to get more broken in.

Strengths:
Ultegra Group
Light
Handling - really responsive
Value - total deal compared to LBS and it was in my size!

Weaknesses:
Wheels really out of true
Brakes are poor - squeaky
Stock saddle could have been better given the pricepoint of the bike

Similar Products Used:
none

Price Paid:  $0.00

Model Year:
2007

Bike Setup:
Everything stock except the seat and brake pads.

Summary:
I've put about 3000 miles on the bike and its an an excellent all-purpose bike that does almost everything. I use it as my commuter, hauling the kids trailer, and charity rides.

Have had no quality issues with bike. The ultrega group has been rock solid, strong frame, and indestructible wheels.

Strengths:
Bang for the buck.
Ultrega Group for only $1K
Solid Frame

Weaknesses:
Seat is junk. I replaced it with Terry Fly.
Brake pads are junk. Replaced with some Kool-Stops

Similar Products Used:
2004 Giant TCR 2

Price Paid:  $1150.00 at bikesdirect.com

Model Year:
2007

Bike Setup:
Easy... I usually end up throwing at least one fit while assembling something...but not this time.

Summary:
2008 bike. 61 cm. I am 6'2" and I wouldn't want it any smaller. It is a great bike but I had a little trouble in shipping. A stem drop on the fork was damaged in shipping. Emailed BD and they sent me a new fork and all has been good since. I read in another review that the tires popped easily and that is right on. 2 of last 3 rides I had flats. Tires need immediate replacement. I had another saddle and used it since the stock saddle seemed pretty hard. Otherwise the bike is great. Smooth and solid. Great bike for the price [half of what a comparable bike would cost at LBS] and BD does a great job in having a shipped bike as ready to ride as possible out of the box. All I did [other than wait for new fork] was put on handle bars, hook up brakes, lube, pump, tires, and it was ready to roll. Slight derailleur adjustments only.

Strengths:
price, looks, quality components

Weaknesses:
needed patience after shipping damage, stock tires & saddle

Similar Products Used:
only a roadie ..Schwinn Fastback

Price Paid:  $1045.00 at bikesdirect

Model Year:
2007

Favorite Ride:
Beach Drive

Bike Setup:
Stock (see bikesdirect website) except:
-Specialized Avatar saddle
-stem extender
-Shimano M515 pedals

Summary:
(Actually, it's an '08 according to the bikesdirect website.). At this point, I'd say I've put about 200 miles on it.

I bought this bike for a couple of reasons, the main one being that the only time that I could find to exercise that I know can't be taken away is going to and from work. And I've discovered that I despise jogging for the most part.

Here's what I've found. My daily ride is 11 or more miles in city traffic, with about a mile of ascent and descent each way. It took a while to get the bike exactly right, such as adjusting the front and rear DRs so they would shift properly, and getting the stem height so that it was comfortable. My long rides on the weekends are about 30 miles (and likely to get longer as now I'm comfortable and feel like I could go for hours). The bike is light, fast, and responsive, and the wider tires do a great job absorbing the bumps on city streets. There is some minor rolling resistance from the (cross-specific) tires, which I'll probably eventually replace with touring or city models when they eventually wear out. I have read that off-roading is possible, but have yet to try it.

Strengths:
1. Value. With the demand out there for bikes right now, there are not a whole lot of discounts at the LBS. You do, however, have to take into account (1) the adjustments, if you can't do them yourself, and (2) the cost of a seat. Even then, it's a great deal. The ride is comparable (and the components are better) than the Specialized Tri Comp and the Entry level trek that I tried out.

2. Smooth ride. I like the bike. I'm no longer worried about (most) potholes and manhole covers; the bike just eats them up in a way that my other bike didn't. The bike is light and extremely responsive.

Weaknesses:
The seat. It's a poorly designed marital aid that mistakenly ended up on an assembly line. Only those with roughly 2cm between their sit bones need apply.

Similar Products Used:
-Fuji Cross Comp.
-Trek Cross Bike
-Specialized Cross Triple