[SilentAssassin]

My Motobecane Ti Heat Review:

When I got the box it was in good condition from ups.

Everything seemed packed well enough so that damage would not happen in transit. Bike comes with the front wheel off, shifters off, handlebar off, and front brakes disconnected....

Now you got a separate box with all this other stuff, which includes shimano pedals, pedal adapters, and a bunch of manuals.

Sram Rival Cranks do look impressive, they have a gunmetal appearance to them:

Since my wheels didn't need truing, the only real tricky part was adjusting the Rear Derailleur. I was able to get it so that it is really smooth. Here is a good video that really helped me to adjust the RD and get it smooth. I'd say with youtube as a reference anybody can assemble a bike. You will need to get a chain removal tool to use this method. I bought a set of tools at performance on sale for $40, which includes the chain removal tool, and other stuff:
https://www.performancebike.com/bikes//Product_10052_10551_1030354_-1___

 

[FatTireFred]

lol..

 

[rcnute]

lol..

I'm dizzy with anticipation too.

 

[Christoph]

Sounds good. I'm considering buying this bike. How tall are you? What's your inseem? What size bike did you buy? I can't find any pictures with anyone actually on a le champ ti. Post lots of pics. Thanks.

 

[SilentAssassin]

I'm dizzy with anticipation too.

Uhhhhhh....updated so you can stop squirmiing now :thumbsup:

 

[SilentAssassin]

I will continue to update the first post. I went with a 56cm, height is 5'11. Just over 32" with lycra on.

 

[Lazy Spinner]

Geometry? BikesDirect has a link to the LeChampion Ti which tells me nothing.

If Mike from BD is out there, can you provide geometry information? ETT and HT length would be helpful.

 

[kiwisimon]

Geometry? BikesDirect has a link to the LeChampion Ti which tells me nothing.

If Mike from BD is out there, can you provide geometry information? ETT and HT length would be helpful.

its on the tab that says geometry sizing chart http://www.motobecane.com/rdti/lti.html#geo

 

[PlatyPius]

Let me guess....

"...assembly was easy. I only needed to tweak the shifting a little bit and true the front wheel. Anyone can assemble this bike if they are moderately mechanically inclined. Quality of the frame seems to be equal to that of (Fill in brand name here). I am very happy with my BD purchase. I am NOT a shill!"

Make sure you earn that discount/hand job for posting your favourable review...

 

[Lazy Spinner]

Sadly, that tab leads you to the LeChampion Ti not the Ti Heat. Plus, it doesn't show head tube length for that bike. Since the comparison models are the Specialized Roubaix and Trek Pilot then one assumes the head tube is longer for a more upright position, hence, an important part of the fit puzzle.

 

[kiwisimon]

Sadly, that tab leads you to the LeChampion Ti not the Ti Heat. Plus, it doesn't show head tube length for that bike. Since the comparison models are the Specialized Roubaix and Trek Pilot then one assumes the head tube is longer for a more upright position, hence, an important part of the fit puzzle.

You're right. Better to buy from a LBS that can fit you up.

 

[Marc]

Let me guess....

"...assembly was easy. I only needed to tweak the shifting a little bit and true the front wheel. Anyone can assemble this bike if they are moderately mechanically inclined. Quality of the frame seems to be equal to that of (Fill in brand name here). I am very happy with my BD purchase. I am NOT a shill!"

Make sure you earn that discount/hand job for posting your favourable review...

Platy, are you diversifying? You place now offers hand jobs while you wait?

 

[Lazy Spinner]

Agreed but once you know your fit parameters then you can help yourself if you know a few figures.

I love my LBS and I have spent many dollars there but why pay them over $3K for a Ti rain bike/commuter when this might do the trick for half the price? Why risk an S-Works Roubaix in Portland's rain? Why not get Chinese Ti with a better component set for less than a Roubaix Elite or Secteur?

At some point economics plays into the equation. I doubt the LBS can "make up the difference" with a 10% accessory discount and a few free cable adjustments. Two full tear down / build up overhauls for free each year? Free tires for life? That could sway me but it's not gonna' happen.

 

[Richard]

Is it laterally stiff but vertically compliant?

 

[SilentAssassin]

Let me guess....

"...assembly was easy. I only needed to tweak the shifting a little bit and true the front wheel. Anyone can assemble this bike if they are moderately mechanically inclined. Quality of the frame seems to be equal to that of (Fill in brand name here). I am very happy with my BD purchase. I am NOT a shill!"

Make sure you earn that discount/hand job for posting your favourable review...

Actually I have no way of comparing the bike to another Ti as the only bikes I've tested was a couple of specialized carbon bikes and a few cannondales at the LBS. They were all nice bikes but the price was a little out of my range. The welds do look good and the bike looks very good. Frame has a "made in Taiwan" sticker, so that's a +. I don't know if I'm moderately inclined. I've changed bearings, axles, radiators, fuel pumps, water pumps, fuel injectors, manifold, etc. on my cars, so how hard could assembling a bike be? It hasn't been that hard thus far. I've found some really good youtube videos on how to adjust the FD and RD and I think I have it dialed in. Do I think anyone can do this? I mean, it doesn't seem that hard to me at all. There is plenty of info on the internet to get it right. It isn't rocket science, but it could take someone longer to set it up if they've never done it before.

I've checked the wheels and there is actually no wobble on the aksiums, so I don't think it will need truing initially, maybe after the first ride? BB looks like it was greased up good, and I rechecked what was already tightened down, undid the bolts and all had grease on them, so that's kind of reassuring.

 

[SilentAssassin]

Is it laterally stiff but vertically compliant?

"Much of the commonplace B.S. that is talked about different frame materials relates to imagined differences in vertical stiffness. It will be said that one frame has a comfy ride and absorbs road shocks, while another is alleged to be harsh and make you feel every crack in the pavement. Virtually all of these "differences" are either the imaginary result of the placebo effect, or are caused by something other than the frame material choice.

Bumps are transmitted from the rear tire patch, through the tire, the wheel, the seatstays, the seatpost, the saddle frame, and the saddle top. All these parts deflect to a greater or lesser extent when you hit a bump, but not to an equal extent.

The greatest degree of flex is in the tire; probably the second greatest is the saddle itself. If you have a lot of seatpost sticking out of a small frame, there's noticeable flex in the seatpost. The shock-absorbing qualities of good-quality wheels are negligible...and now we get to the seat stays. The seat stays (the only part of this system that is actually part of the frame) are loaded in pure, in-line compression. In this direction, they are so stiff, even the lightest and thinnest ones, that they can contribute nothing worth mentioning to shock absorbency.

The only place that frame flex can be reasonably supposed to contribute anything at all to "suspension" is that, if you have a long exposed seatpost that doesn't run too deep into the seat tube, the bottom end of the seatpost may cause the top of the seat tube to bow very slightly. Even this compliance is only a fraction of the flex of the exposed length of the seatpost.

The frame feature that does have some effect on road shock at the rump is the design of the rear triangle. This is one of the reasons that touring bikes tend to have long chainstays -- they put the rider forward of the rear wheel. Short chainstays give a harsh ride for the same reason that you bounce more in the back of a bus than in the middle...if you're right on top of the wheel, all of the jolt goes straight up."

 

[Mdeth1313]

Agreed but once you know your fit parameters then you can help yourself if you know a few figures.

I love my LBS and I have spent many dollars there but why pay them over $3K for a Ti rain bike/commuter when this might do the trick for half the price? Why risk an S-Works Roubaix in Portland's rain? Why not get Chinese Ti with a better component set for less than a Roubaix Elite or Secteur?

At some point economics plays into the equation. I doubt the LBS can "make up the difference" with a 10% accessory discount and a few free cable adjustments. Two full tear down / build up overhauls for free each year? Free tires for life? That could sway me but it's not gonna' happen.

don't worry, they've just seen this over and over again w/ people who buy from bikesdirect.

ah, I just bought a scott addict sl frameset-- the LBS wanted $2900 (that's NOT including tax), I got it from the UK for $1682 shipped to me- and it took less time to get it from the UK than it would have from my LBS (5 days as opposed to 2 weeks).

 

[R1000]

don't worry, they've just seen this over and over again w/ people who buy from bikesdirect.

ah, I just bought a scott addict sl frameset-- the LBS wanted $2900 (that's NOT including tax), I got it from the UK for $1682 shipped to me- and it took less time to get it from the UK than it would have from my LBS (5 days as opposed to 2 weeks).

WOW.. thats pretty cool.. what website did you use?

And the OP, can't wait to see the bike built up. :thumbsup:

 

[smallmig]

I am just blown away by the fact that they pack the pedals and manuals in a separate box. Truly revolutionary. I wonder if all of the other bike makers know about this.BTW most of the bikesdirect products I have built have been bikes that the new proud owner thought they could successfully assemble. I mean how hard can it be?

 

[SilverStretch]

Heh...is there anything more dangerous than "moderately mechanically inclined"? That's exactly me - good enough to change the fluids on my car and fix stuff around the house, but also delusional enough about my own skills to just start tearing the furnace blower apart with reckless abandon, only to realize that I don't even understand what any of the parts even do. At one point, I was walking around the office with a fan limit control switch, basically asking random passers-by if they knew what it was. My house was about 90 degrees at the time. (Sigh.)

I'm having my Moto delivered (just today, in fact) to my LBS. I'd rather not have my "best guess" about some bearing come back to haunt me at 30mph. I figure that I'll learn the various jobs one procedure at a time, over time, rather than rushing through the whole thing in giddy anticipation and ending up rubber-side-up in a ditch an hour later!