Just received my new bike today.

I don't really understand why so many people hate the Motobecane brand (Bikesdirect.com), especially the trust fund babies. If anyone of you is interested in getting into road biking, BD has some pretty good best bang for the buck bikes.

The frame is monocoque carbon fiber with carbon fiber fork, the bike weighs approx. 16.5-17lbs. This will be my own contribution to the Aids Lifecycle. I was going to use my MB but found the weight and gearing to be inadequate :-(

http://vpkb.onlinestoragesolution.com/IF/IMG_6167.jpg
http://vpkb.onlinestoragesolution.com/IF/IMG_6168.jpg

AWESOME! I haven't ridden one in ages, and if you could see my waistline you'd agree with me (along with the doctors) that I could benefit from riding one. If some people here didn't treat bicycle riders like targets, I might ride to work. I'd need a small engine to go up a few hills.

Plus, it'd triple or quadruple my normal twenty minute commute to work.

Motobecane used to be a high end bike back in the 60's. Then they went worldwide and outsourced their manufacturing, with the resultant drop in quality. Everybody on your block had a Motobecane racing bike in the 70's, but they were junk. The company fell on hard times and stopped sponsoring race teams. Now they're back, in an era where every manufacturer outsources their manufacturing, but the perception lingers.

Plus they're French. A lot of people in this world don't like the French. They could make the best built bike in the world and people would still hate them. I remember when I was racing back in the 80's and everybody had to have a Colnago (Italian). They were seen as the "best". I can't tell you how many Colnago frames we had to straighten on the jig, right out of the box. Their manufacturing was horrible. These frames are collectors items today. People still love them even if they're bent. :confused: Back then I raced for Fuji for four years and Basso for two. The difference in quality of those frames versus the Colnago was staggering.

I guess there's NO offroading with those tires!:rolleyes:

Who is the leader in derailleur manufacturing on these high end bikes?:)

Same as always, Shimano and Campagnolo.

SRAM also just released a high-end road component group. The lower end is called 'Rival' and the higher end 'Force'. They also will be releasing the 'Red' uber-high end group soon also. Some of my teammates use this and really like it.

-craigger.

The big 3 are Campagnolo, Shimano and Sram. Campy Record, Shimano Dura Ace and Sram Force are the higher end components; Sram having the best price.

Mike at BD is trying to revive the Motobecane name, he said he has some good plans.

Motobecane used to be a high end bike back in the 60's. Then they went worldwide and outsourced their manufacturing, with the resultant drop in quality. Everybody on your block had a Motobecane racing bike in the 70's, but they were junk. The company fell on hard times and stopped sponsoring race teams. Now they're back, in an era where every manufacturer outsources their manufacturing, but the perception lingers.

Plus they're French. A lot of people in this world don't like the French. They could make the best built bike in the world and people would still hate them. I remember when I was racing back in the 80's and everybody had to have a Colnago (Italian). They were seen as the "best". I can't tell you how many Colnago frames we had to straighten on the jig, right out of the box. Their manufacturing was horrible. These frames are collectors items today. People still love them even if they're bent. :confused: Back then I raced for Fuji for four years and Basso for two. The difference in quality of those frames versus the Colnago was staggering.

I didn't know that you were a rider. I used to ride a lot back in the 80's and had a Fuji for a while myself. My main bikes for the majority of my riding days were a custom tailored Schwinn Paramount and an Eddy Merckx fixed gear.

I haven't ridden seriously in years but I still have my Simoncini hanging on the wall in my garage that I really should take down and ride every once in a while.

As a side note, someone broke into my house and stole the Paramount which had full Super Record and my Eddy Merckyx but but didn't touch anything else. I'd like to pound the crap out of the person who stole my bikes. :mad: I still slow down everytime I see a canary yellow road bike with black trim going down the street to see if it is my bike. :mad:

PS. What you said was spot on about Motobecane

This is a very nice bike. Can you tell me the model of the bike you just got? I would be very interested in knowing more about this bike.

If I remember right, Simonici was a pretty rare custom frame, very nicely made. I still have my custom Ted Wojcik time trial bike hanging up gathering dust. I sold everything else although I still have some vintage parts.

I raced for six years at catagory 2 USCF. My first team was sponsored by Fuji on which I raced for four years. After the fourth year I got tired of the politics on that team and joined a team out of Boston that was sponsored by Basso. I was the leader of that team but they weren't as strong as the first. Both teams gave me frames, wheels, tires, clothing, etc., but no stipend, although I could keep all my winnings without splitting. I raced with pros and national champions every week, like Davis Phinney, Chris Carmichael, and Tony Chastain.

I never made it to the nationals in any event although I qualified for both the time trial and the criterium most years. I couldn't climb worth a damn but I was a pretty good sprinter, and I set the record at a local time trial course in Needham that was never broken as long as I was racing.

In my fith year I had a very nasty accident at a training race in Newton when a backmarker pulled in front of me while I was out front in a full tilt sprint for cash. I could not avoid him as I was going about 40mph and he about 10mph. I went over the bars and landed hard right on the top of my head. Back then we wore leather helmets, so I ended up knocked out cold having siezures for 20 minutes. I woke up with an EMT holding me down because I was struggling to get back up and get back on my bike to win the money that fool took away from me. I had a CAT scan and they said everything was fine but I was never the same since. The following year I blacked out in a criterium and crashed into the crowd, and after that race I hung up my cleats for good.

I have photos that I could scan in if I could get a scanner working, but seeing me in a skinsuit may be too much information :)

Shovelhd, sorry to hear about your accidents. Do you at least do recreational rides now?

Tony, the model is Immortal Force, they also have Immortal Pro for a little less but still a good bike. You can read more political posts about the bike/etailer here:

http://bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=180135&highlight=immortal+force

You guys know what's funny? Two months ago, I had zero knowledge about road bikes; now, I'm talking about them. Initally, I was going to get the Le Champion Force mode, all Sram Force with Rictchey WCS components for $1700 tax free and free shipping. Just to give you guys an idea of the deal on this bike, the Sram Groupset alone would cost you $1400 (current price), you guys figure the rest. I wanted this bike but learned that aluminum frame is not the most comfortable and stresses out on lenghty rides.

From what I've read, a lot of people would buy these bikes than transfer the components to a better frame later.

Guys, I'm not affiliated with BD in anyway, just giving helping info to my fellow ROC members.

Looks much nicer put together! I have a Trek Pilot 5.2 which fits very nicely in the back of the cab without having to mess with removing the front wheel, etc. It just turns sideways in the door opening. Happy cycling!

Shovelhd, sorry to hear about your accidents. Do you at least do recreational rides now?

I hack around sometimes, nothing serious.

Shovelhd, sorry to hear about your accidents. Do you at least do recreational rides now?

Crashing just goes hand in hand with road racing.

I hack around sometimes, nothing serious.

Since we are showing off our new bikes I thought I'd jump in. I picked this up about a month ago.

I've been racing triathlon for about 9 years, saying for the last 4 that I wanted to start road racing. I decided nothing was better motivation than picking up a new ride so I got my cat 5 license and pulled the trigger on the Cervelo I'd been drooling over.

wow, cat 5, TDF in the future?

I'm not anticipating to race, just charity and recreational rides.

Here's the latest upgrade.
http://vpkb.onlinestoragesolution.com/IF/_MG_6311.jpg

wow, cat 5, TDF in the future?

I couldn't quite read if you were joking or not but if not you should know a cat 5 is the lowest of the low in road racing. While racing cat 5 is not particularly competitive it is one scary deal with all the inexperience racing in the same space. In order to upgrade to a 4 you have to have 10 mass starts. After that upgrading is based on finishing in the top 5 (or 10 I can't remember) in a particular number of races for your cat. As you upgrade the competition gets harder but at least you can trust those riding around you a little bit more.

shovelhd who I saw posting on this thread would have been your TDF hope as cat 2. :)

And nice bottle cages.

Back when I was racing under USCF rules you had to be invited by the district rep to cat 2. There were no hard and fast metrics to move you up automatically.

Back when I was racing under USCF rules you had to be invited by the district rep to cat 2. There were no hard and fast metrics to move you up automatically.


And that might be how it still is today. I'm still learning the ins and outs of the road racing rules. All I really have been told is what it takes to go from 5 to 4 and 4 to 3.

And I'll be honest with you, I don't know squat about the rules for USA Cycling. It's a different organization.

oops, i'm a total roadie noob

i'm not planning to race, just recreational :-)

Here's my speed bike.

http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p230/Dan-ke/King-Zing.jpg

Here's my speed bike.

http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p230/Dan-ke/King-Zing.jpg


Very Nice.

I want those wheels. I saw them at my LBS today and they were $1200.00, colorado cyclist has them for $700.00 right now.

http://www.coloradocyclist.com/product/item/MAVCBXY3

Wow, its fun to see where bike and frame technology has gone. Fun to see high tech from the early 80's compared to today. I’ve kept up with the technology, but I still ride a bit of a vintage bike, way before “aero” and index shifters. This thread is timely because I’ve just been going through and scanning a few reels of old slides. The pictures are of an in process frameset that I built in the 80’s and still am riding. At the time, Suntour Superbe was the best component line I could afford, but it was a pretty good bang for you buck line. The bike also has the original Phil Wood hubs. At any rate this is how it used to be done, with lugs and silver solder These are Columbus SL tubes, Campy dropouts and Cinelli lugs bottom bracket and fork crown. It did give me quite a pause the first time I rode one of my frames down a mountain pass at about 50 mph. I was thinking how dumb is this, but time has showed them to be quite trustworthy down quite a number of mountain passes.

50mph!? I was descending @ 35mph and that was scary enough.

At the highest amateur classes, criterium speeds averaged 33-35mph. Average. On a road course, it was common to exceed 60mph in a pack going downhill, shoulder to shoulder, through switchbacks.

I never raced, but have been one of the many road warriors who have done the Markleeville Death ride and Davis double century... back when the flesh was much more willing. There are some rides where you spend the first 1/2 half of the day grinding up the mountain and the second half speeding down the mountain stiff and frozen to your bike and deff way over any safe speed. It is particularly insane because no matter how careful you are, there is plenty that is not in your complete control.

We have a local criterium http://www.catshill.org/ thats a blast to go watch. The "shoulder to shoulder" mentioned by shovelhd and the whir of the pack is quite an awesome thing to see. It sucks you in. The accidents are equally frightening.