Is a motobecane a good racing bike?

Answer 1

I assume you mean Motobecane BICYCLES, not some sort of motorcycle as the person above seems to think.

That being the case, Motobecane is a decent/moderate quality bike with an average quality frame. They are not normally a full bike shop brand, preferring to sell via internet/mail. This can be a problem, as you will normally only be sent a box full of frame and components. Unless you are a highly skilled mechanic, I don't recommend taking on a bike build on something that will require this type of precision.
Which leaves your other option... taking the boxed bike to your local bike shop for a full build. This can cost anywhere from $60 up to $150 depending on what all you are including with the build (water bottle cages, custom aero bars, different tires, etc...)
That also means that since you didn't buy the bike from a real shop, you won't have any type of free tune-up after the break in period, so after the first ~100 miles, when the cables stretch, and the rims settle, you will need to pay yet again, for a full tune up at the same local shop. When factoring in the additional costs usually associated with Motobecane, while they are a decent (not great) quality bike, you might be better off buying an actual shop brand (Trek, LeMond, Fisher, Giant, Cannondale[blech]) as any reputable shop will offer free build/setup (the can't sell you a bike in a box by law in most areas) as well as a free break in tune-up, and perhaps discounted accessories or clothing, etc...

We dealt with 2 VERY dissatisfied customers at my shop a couple years ago that had been very good customers and bought bikes from us in the past, but when they bought their Motobecane's and came to us to build them, they expected some sort of deal... well..... NO. They didn't buy the bikes from us, so we charged them full price for the build of the bikes which made them really mad!

Just some sage advice from a mechanic that had to be in the middle of all of that BS!

Answer 2

I bought an internet bike, and still use it. I like it OK. And that is just an OK. It cost me 600 so it was good for me. It has cost me a little more to get the accessories, but is still less than a bike shop bike. It has been a headache though. The long answer guy above has some good points. It comes down to what you want. I like my bike because it is my first decent bike, it cost less, it was new when I got it, but I have learned a lot about the components of the bike because I put it together and not a bike shop. If I had to do it all over again I still would have bought the same bike, but I would have paid the 50 bucks for my bike shop to put it together and then another 35 for the tune up.

Answer 3

I have a Motobecane Grand Sprint. It's okay, but it has more flex in the bottom-bracket than I am used to (I've only ridden steel bikes until now).

I would NOT recommend getting it with the FSA Crabon Cranks, I was somewhat disappointed with the amount of flex from the carbon-fiber cranks. Again, from a person who's ridden steel his whole life, it's quite a change to ride something with slightly more flex.

I got mine mail-order as well... wasn't very hard to put together. It was mostly assembled already... In fact, it looks like they assembled it completely, then took the handlebars, pedals, seatpost, and a few cables OFF. They then repacked it in the box and shipped it. Just be careful not to rip the star-nut off the steam/headset when you install the handlebar.

Anyway, good luck with your choice. If you aren't climbing hills a lot, I would go with a stiffer bike rather than a lighter one.

Answer 4

Motobecane is (was) a renowned French bicycle maker of years past. The name was recently bought by a manufacturing concern and has been making decent quality Chinese bikes with lots of content for the money. If you were getting it from Bikesdirect.com, they say it's 90% assembled.
http://www.bikesdirect.com/frequent.htm

Answer 5

Why ruin an original Motobecane that you can ride just about anywhere and convert to a fixed gear bike that will take all the joy out of bicycle riding? If you insist on ignoring my advise, see link below for information on fixed gear conversions. After the conversion and you are facing a screaming headwind with only one gear I hope you will understand why multiple gearing came about. No need to go backwards.

Answer 6

The moto is a lightweight easy flyer on the x track but for the money not bad. I would say that one of the best is Susuki or yamaha. These usually have a better wear and tear to them. The Motobecan is a more quicker bike in short runs, but weakens out when in long distance. They are easy to control and quick off the line, But has tendency to bog down near the end. Hope that helps you.....