Fanton VS,VS,VS,VS,VS,VS,VS,VS,
I feel really bad about the neglect of my blog since early summer. I have not been on the Motobecane since June. I am moving the Las Vegas and all my stuff is actually getting unpacked today. Thank you for continuing to visit my blog. I got a recent question about my opinion on the bike after one season. For the record I did NOT get a chance to race this bike and I only got about 150miles on it. I can say this though. The bike will take what you dish out. I took the Fantom team down to Moab Utah and that place is hard on bikes.
A reader just posted a question if I would take this bike over the a Trek EX 8. With a little research MY fantom team and this Trek are the same price ($2300-$2400) and I will guess equal weight. The Trek does have the new modern rear suspension design benefit over the Fantom but my bike specs kill the Trek. Here is the bottom line. PRICE what are you getting for the money. MY large fantom weights 26.5 pounds for 2400 bucks. I have the best parts on the market and the bike performs just fine as a cross country bike. When I went to Moab I took my Giant XO. This bike has 5 inches of travel like my Motobecane but the suspension technology on my Giant is awesome. The bike rides like on a cloud. Always soft and never a harsh hit from an obstacle. But the Giant that I put together retailed for $4200. The Motobecane Fantom uses an older style 4 bar with the pivot on the seat stay. This makes the axel path not as smooth and a harsher hit over obstacles. But it works. Its not as smooth as my Giant or a Blur but it works and its cheap. The question is what are you willing to pay for for what you want to do?
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FINISHED BIKE WEIGHT 26.8 LG TOTAL COST $2353.99
A Blog Devoted to the Testing and Analizing of Cycling Products
WHAT AVERAGE JOE BIKER IS ALL ABOUT
If we can pay less and get just as much I think anyone will do it. But sadly in most cases you get what you pay for. Then there is the Motobecane Fantom Team. With cross country bikes reaching $8800 (Specialized S Works Epic), $5700 (Santa Cruz Blur XC), $7,100 (Trek EX 9.9), and $6,999 (Cannondale Scalpel Team) these days I was intrigued by Motobecane's Fantom Team from BikesDirect.com. I wanted to see if this almost full XTR full suspension mountain bike costing $1899 with a claimed weight of 24.4 pounds (medium) can hold up to its designs. Can I ride and race this bike for at least a year and be happy that I spent $4000 + less? That is what I intend to find out all while documenting my experiences. I put forth the cash and bought the bike full price, pulled the bike out of the box, and put it together just like many of you will. After a short break in period I will take the bike completely apart and rebuild it like and new bike should. Thanks for joining my adventure!!
FINISHED BIKE WEIGHT 26.8 LG TOTAL COST $2353.99
2 comments:
Thanks a bunch for the quick reply on this. To be fair to the Fantom, I think it's actually a couple pounds lighter than an EX8 too. It seems like switching out tires on both of the bikes is super common, not to mention grips, so the "mandatory" changes may be sort of apples to apples. It's unclear to me if the Vuelta's on the Fantom can be run tubeless however. One of your previous posts highlighting similar, "older" style rear suspensions being used on Kona bikes, etc. along with this should put people at ease about the Fantom. Good luck with your move!
Average Joe,
This is an awesome resource for motobecane mtb buyers. I just pre-ordered a fantom team, partly due to your review. The only thing I'm worried about is the older rear triangle design. Still, it must downhill better than any hardtail, wouldn't you think? I mean, how much better are the new designs, in the context of comfort and speed?
Thanks again for your analysis.
CLC
Missoula, MT
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