[BobHunter]

Greetings,

I am buying my first road bike which will be primarily used for daily commuting in the suburbs. Daily mileage will be about 23 miles. At like most commuters, there are going to be days where I will get caught in the rail. Secondary use for the bike will be the occasional weekend ride with cyclist buddies (aka hey lets go ride for 6+ hours because that wound be "fun")

At this point I cannot decide between the 2013 Motobecane Grand Record, 2013 Motobecane Fantom CX3, or the 2013 Gravity Liberty CXD . They each seem to have their pluses and minuses and I cannot tell which benefits are more important.

My past commuting experience last year was 3-months on a steel road bike from the 70's that i had bought off craigslist for $30. It was a wonderful bike. Anything will be an upgrade from this bike and I was pleased with it.

 

[Randy99CL]

Hi Bob
The Grand Record looks to have more aggressive (racing) geometry than the CX bikes. It isn't a touring bike and doesn't say whether it has rack or fender mounts. The handling is likely quicker and more responsive than the others.

A lot of riders (including me) are buying Cross (CX) bikes these days for a do-everything road and trail bike. They usually have rack and fender mounts and a more relaxed geometry that may soften the ride and make it more comfortable but they may not be as responsive (less twitchy, more stable) as the other. The bigger tires are usually more rugged and not as prone to flat on rough pavement or through picking up road debris.

One problem with BD is that some of their bikes have last years' components. Both of the bikes with Sora shifters picture the old ones instead of the much improved new series. The latest have two shift levers like the rest of the Shimano line and I don't like the shift "button" on the old ones.

And I love disc brakes but don't care for the 8-speed 2303 group on the Gravity.

Since you haven't written that you're an experienced rider I hope you are planning to take the bike to a dealer to get it fitted to you. Getting the bike that fits you is actually more important than the difference in components.
Have you given your local bike shop a shot at earning your business?

 

[BobHunter]

With my pretty much no experience I am indifferent to this year versus last year's model of component. Having ridden a 12' Trek Tricross with the older shifter and a 13' Trek Secteur Tripple with the new model I did prefer the older model.

At this point I am planning to take whichever bike i buy to a local shop for a complete rebuild. I even took the step of calling the shop to ensure they would work on a mail-order bike.

I did give the lbs a chance to win my business however they are only interested in selling Treks. This is despite their carrying other brands and my asking about other brands/models to check out.

 

[Randy99CL]

I did prefer the older model.
I did give the lbs a chance to win my business however they are only interested in selling Treks. This is despite their carrying other brands and my asking about other brands/models to check out.

Yes, it obviously comes down to personal preference.
I have small hands and can only reach the thumb buttons when I'm on the hoods. I prefer the newer 2-lever design because I can shift from the hoods or the drops.
I use the drops for fast descents and like having both the gears and brakes at my fingertips.

I can relate to your LBS situation; my dealer pushes Trek though he carries other lines.