The above bike is a 2009 Kona Hei Hei Supreme. Sorry the picture is so small. Now this is a nice bike with a Scandium frame, full XTR, and Crossmax SLR wheels. Kona chose to put their pivot on the seat stay to avoid having to pay Specialized a bunch of money. This suspension design should ride very similar to the Fantom Team. The big difference is the price. This bike retails for $6499 and my Motobecane was $2353. The Kona might be a pound or so lighter but a $4146 is a BIG difference.
This next bike is a Scott Spark Limited retailing for for $12,419. I used to work at a shop that sold a few of these and they are awesome. These bikes weight about 21-22 pounds. I rode a full XTR version of one of these and it was nice. Once again though, look where the gold rear pivot is on the frame. The bottom of the seat stay. This frame would have a similar ride to the Fantom Team.My point to showing these two bikes is to show that the frame design of the Motobecane is old but there are plenty of companies still using it. The $12,000 dollar Scott above uses bushings instead of bearings to save weight which you will be replacing at least once a year. But lets be honest, if you buy a $12,000 mountain bike you probably are not worried about bushings prices.
I heard the Fantom Team called a parts dump. This means that the frame is cheap with nice parts. This is a incorrect assumption. Stay tuned to my Blog and I prove you all wrong.
I heard the Fantom Team called a parts dump. This means that the frame is cheap with nice parts. This is a incorrect assumption. Stay tuned to my Blog and I prove you all wrong.
3 comments:
Hi. This is really valuable information for those of us seriously considering the Fantom Team...Thank You. I was wondering if you could help me pick a frame size. With my cycling shoes on, I'm 6'0" with a 34" inseam. It seems I am borderline Med. or Large, but the Oct. 2003 Bicycling review of a Med. 18" Fantom Team said they had to swap the 350mm seatpost for a 410mm to accommodate a 5'8" rider, which makes me think I need a large. I currently ride a 17" Schwinn Homegrown with 29" stand-over and 22.25" top tube. I need the seat pretty high and back but I'm used to that.
Also, have you had any air loss problems with the Monarch 4.2 rear shock?
Thanks,
Jason
Hey thanks for the nice compliments. This blog has been pretty fun. You definitely need a large bike. I am 6'2 w/ a 34 inseam and am at the top end of a large. The big concern with bike fit is stem length/ top tube length. You had your seat slammed back probably because you top tube was too short. If the stem is too long the bike will handle slow. If the stem is too short the front end will come up on steep climbs. I ride a 120mm stem which is what most large bikes come with. The best thing you could do is get your fit measurements which you will have the rest of your life and be able to apply to any bike in the future. Colorado Cyclist.com has a nice step by step do-it-yourself bike fit guide. Good bike shops have a Serotta Bike Fit System they can do for you costing you about $50.00but will give you the measurements. Try it out and let me know what happens. The better educated a cyclist is on how they fit on a bike the better their overall experience will be. As far as the shock goes it been just fine. I will report any problems with the bike as I come across them. Take Care.
on your pictures, your rear shock suspension on your motobecane is set farthest from the seatpost; isn't this for a 3" travel? You said you had set it 5" front and 5" for rear
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