Submitted by
Astro766
a Cross Country Rider
from Jacksonville, FL
Date Reviewed: December 2, 2009
Strengths: Absolute top strength is the component set that comes stock. Frame is solid, welds are strong and clean. Pretty decent fork for a low end bike and wheelset is average. WTB SpeedV saddle is pretty good and fairly light. Can't beat the value. Very durable bike set up.
Weaknesses: Number one weakness is the pedals. Pedals are total crap: binding mechanism is weak and cumbersome, neoprene on platform side has ZERO grip when even slightly damp or muddy. I think any other clipless pedal would be an upgrade to these. Overall the bike is a little heavy from the wheels, cassette and fork. Truvativ crankset is also a bit heavy but feels pretty solid for what I do. I will probably upgrade crankset when the right deal comes my way but no rush to do so.
Bottom Line:
Great bike for the value and a great place to start ramping up your off-road cycling.. You CAN NOT find another bike with this component family for less than $1000. Geometry is great for me after replacing the stem with the proper length (I'm 5'8" with short legs and longer torso). Super smooth and reliable drivetrain with proper maintenance. Needed a little adjustment to fit my liking but otherwise was perfectly assembled. First upgrades should be pedals, better (read lighter) fork, wheels and hubs to reduce overall weight. Second upgrades should be cassette/chain and then possibly lighter crankset. Leave the shifters and Derailleurs and start building from there. Oh yeah, probably want to get some clamp on grips, these seem to twist a bit in the technical stuff.
I have ridden this bike through 6 mile sprints, 40+ mile endurance rides, technical rocks & roots, small drops (less than 4 feet), quick ups and downs and fast descents all at a B+ or A riding level. It has been nothing but joy everytime I get on this bike. Has stood up to several crashes, roll overs and tree smashes needing only minor adjustment to get the shifters back in line. Bottom line... go get one!
Similar Products Used: Trek, GT, Canondale, Gary Fisher, Scott, Felt.
Bike Setup: Basic XC/All Mountain
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Submitted by
GoalSetter40s
a Weekend Warrior
from Spartanburg, SC
Date Reviewed: October 28, 2009
Strengths: Excellent price for the high end components that come with it. Bike is very light and frame is very strong. Geometry is perfect for bike path, trails and riding around the neighborhood. The downward sloping top tube makes it easier for shorter riders to keep their balance when stopping. Seat tube is very adjustable for tall people.
Weaknesses: None that I have found
Bottom Line:
You can't beat this bike for value; I've shopped around for many, many hours. Its rock-solid, light, ultra smooth shifting and the Avid Juicy 3 Hydraulic Disc breaks in both front and rear give you excellent stopping power and control. The folks at Motobecane deserve two thumbs up for offering a bike such as this that competes with similar bikes costing about $500.00 more.
Similar Products Used: Giant Rincon, Specialized Hardrock Pro.
Bike Setup: Stock, except water bottle cage.
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Submitted by
MTB Man 14
a Racer
from Taylor Mill KY
Date Reviewed: September 3, 2009
Strengths: The Rock Shox Tora 302 U-turn Fork, Juicy 3 brakes, Deore XT rear derailleur, Deore LX front derailleur, WTB grips and saddle, forget it. EVERYTHING
Weaknesses: none so far
Bottom Line:
The bike is stellar so far. The fork is the best part. by just turning a knob the travel cahnges. The poplock actually works and so does the rebound unlike the poplock and rebound on the dart 3. comming from the dart 3, this fork is amazing. The derailleurs are crisp and fast. Every change is smooth except from 3-4 which is a little rough but i havent even tuned it yet. I've probably only ridden it 6 miles but ive done 5ft drops and the bike holds up great. All I did was put air in the tires, attach the front brake caliper to the fork, put the front wheel on and put the handle bars into the stem. No adjusting or anything was needed for me. I would definatly buy this bike. No regrets at all and I am hard to please.
Similar Products Used: Specialized Rockhopper Disc.
Bike Setup: Stock
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Submitted by
crabclaw
a Weekend Warrior
from cleveland ohio
Date Reviewed: June 12, 2009
Strengths: i bought this after searching aroundonline and at LBSs
i was nervice about the whole "mailorder" thing.I can not be happier with this bike.it was ez to assemble and lets face it you can just check reviews of the individual componants to know you're getting your moneys worth.
PLEASE NOTE THE PRICE DIFFERANCES IN SOME OF THE REVIEWS ABOVE some are for the "fantom trail"=$595 and the "Fantom Comp"=$795 both are free shipping and tax free! DAMN!
customer service;let me explain that i'm basicly a total dick when it comes to people who do a bad customer service job =i'm hard to please. bikesdirect.com did an excellent job i had a small problem with a fork seal,they sent it out in about 3 days(fork seal is more rockshox fault then bikesdirect IMO)but after that the bike has been perfect.
also i'm about 230lbs so a bike needs to be sturdy...this one is.
p.s. the frames are gerranteed for life and are quite light
Weaknesses: i,along with others switched the pedals because they are set up for clips.if you don't like them just sell em on ebay they come in there own box.
Bottom Line:
I liked this bike and company so much i bought my wife the "fantom trail" a week later,she also loves hers
i think either model would make you very happy.i bought the "comp" mostley for the beefier tora shock and its longer travel.i think i would be completely happy on the "trail" model whilke saving the $200 differance between the two models.
trust me ,if you need a quality bike that will last you
just buy one of these!!
Submitted by
Greg
a Cross Country Rider
from Canada
Date Reviewed: June 10, 2009
Strengths: components, fork, weight, for the price it's unbeatable
Weaknesses: Loose the pedals, and chain that come with the bike they're garbage, chain broke 3'rd time I rode the bike, pedals are small and slippery, unless you want to use the clipons
Bottom Line:
bike is very light and responsive, great for climbing, the shock is very adjustable and has great travel as well as a lockout function (yet to be used ;-), the components are excellent, it's worth taking it to a bike shop to get it tuned, tires have a very aggressive tread pattern great for mud, the hydraulic brakes are simply amazing great modulation, very good for the technical stuff, get it you will not be disappointed,
Bike Setup: mostly stock, shimano cn-7701 chain, wellgo MG1 pedals
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Submitted by
Alex
a Weekend Warrior
from Ontario, Canada
Date Reviewed: October 28, 2008
Strengths: Great solid frame, great components for price. No bike for this price has an XT drivetrain and Avid hydraulic brakes
Weaknesses: Must be tuned up before riding. Broke derailleur hanger in 3 rides
Bottom Line:
No bike compares to this price with these components. When I received my bike I found 2 major scratches on the fork. I emailed Bikesdirect and they instantly refunded $50.
Submitted by
Henry_8A
a Weekend Warrior
from Los Lunas NM USA
Date Reviewed: October 26, 2008
Strengths: the 2008 fantom trail is a solid light frame out the box was 28.5 lbs you got good components for the price. its lighter the other expensive bikes that are around 1000 to 2000.
i put my bike to work the day i recieved it the installation was easy and the braked work good. its a true mountain bike for a very good price i would recomend it to
anyone that wants a bang for your buck.ive put 150 miles and
had the bike for almost 2 months and had no problems.
Weaknesses: the pedals are not bad but no my style of pedals, the seat post sweaks a lot and the richie rizer bar is to heavy and make me feel like im floating the front end so o got a straight handle bars that are lighter,the rockshox dart 3 leaks oil but bikesdirect are sending me a new fork to replace the problem
Bottom Line:
the weekness that i found don't make it a bad bike its really user prefrence.
every bike you ride will have something you don't like because we always want better but overall its a good bike
Favorite Trail: Otero canyon Sedro peak or any trail that has a good challenge
Duration Product Used: 3 months
Price Paid:
$595.00
Purchased At: www.bikesdirect.com
Similar Products Used: i tested treks ironhorse gt
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Submitted by
kirkv95
a Cross Country Rider
from Omaha, NE U.S.A.
Date Reviewed: October 21, 2008
Strengths: Components, weight, cost
Weaknesses: None yet
Bottom Line:
This bike is fast going up hill and down. The price is unbelievable. I checked out all the bike shops in town and could not find anything comparable to it for the price. ordered it from bikesdirect and was riding it five days later. I could not be any happier with it. I totally love it.
Bike Setup: Stock + Selle Flite saddle, Monkeyite HB and Sette carbon seatpost.
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Submitted by
d c
a Cross Country Rider
from boise, Idaho, USA
Date Reviewed: May 17, 2008
Strengths: price is ridiculous, everything comparable is double the cost. very light, rides super smooth. i love everything about this bike. my only complaint is that i didn't have more money to buy the motobecane fly.
Weaknesses: still looking...
Bottom Line:
you won't find a bike even close to the value of this one near it's price tag. if you can get passed not having a "name brand" frame, then you'll love this bike. if you're even considering this bike, BUY IT!
Similar Products Used: Stumpjumper comp, Tassajara disc
Bike Setup: mostly stock, xt front derailleur, sette bar ends
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Submitted by
Scott Hollister
a Weekend Warrior
from Syracuse, New York
Date Reviewed: March 14, 2008
Strengths: Low price, quality components, Light weight (28 lbs for my 18"), Stops on a dime.
Weaknesses: Pedals (Have Zuzu Sun Ringles on the way). Seat post clamp - upgrading to quick release.
Bottom Line:
Did a lot of research on MTN bikes before going with this bike. I couldn't find a similar bike at bike shops for any less than a grand. Was hesitant about mail ordering, but it arrived in great condition and setup was easy (took me about 1 hour- I work on motorcycles and Xerox copiers). If your not mechanically inclined you may want to have a LBS set it up. The money you save on not paying sales tax by mail ordering will cover a bike shop fee. This bike is light years ahead of the crap that I have been riding. Can't wait to see how much time this bike will cut in the summer races I compete in. Positive experience dealing with Bikes Direct - they responded quickly to my e-mail questions.
Submitted by
Kenny Davis
a Weekend Warrior
from Moore, OK
Date Reviewed: November 24, 2007
Strengths: Strong Frame, Light, Nice component set for price.
Weaknesses: Chain, Pedals, Dart 3 fork is too stiff in cold weather.
Bottom Line:
I love this bike. I have the "08 fantom trail" model. I have not ridden any other name brand bikes so I'm not sure how to compare it. However I also have a schwinn MTB that I didn't realized was such junk until I bought this bike. I can't get enough riding in with my new bike. I love the disk brakes. Very good control. I feel like I can be much tougher with this bike, and it won't break. It is very fast. I bought some slicks for riding on the road. Takes a few minutes to change the tires. You would'nt believe the difference. You can fly on this bike on the road or put the knobbies back on and climb the steepest of dirt trails. I have become very brave with this bike because it handles really well. Anyway if you are thinking about buying this bike you can't go wrong, unless you're a hardcore jumper or freerider then you need full suspension. Other than that you are getting super bang for your buck. If I were in need of another bike for any reason, my first choice would be a Motobecane. Awesome bike, Awesome price.
Strengths: Extremely responsive and easy to ride. Tried a couple of 'tricks' as soon as I got it and it handles as if I've been riding it for years. Feels very natural.
Weaknesses: None so far.
Bottom Line:
I did some research before I bought this one. If you need to be really convinced before ordering it just go to your nearest store and see what you get for the same money. You'll be scared. I'm not kiddin'. I ordered mine as soon as I came home:) It arrived in about a week and though UPS have obviously not been quite gentle with it there was absolutely nothing wrong with the bike. Not a scratch. Assembly was a breeze. Never needed the manuals or the videos (available online). It took me an hour, but most of the time I was actually enjoying my new bike and just taking my time to perfect it. This is definitely a great bike. Keep up the good work Motobecane/Bikesdirect! I'll be soon buying one for my wife.
Bike Setup: The exact model of mine is 'Fantom Trail'! The way it came. I haven't changed anything yet.
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Submitted by
Rob Ochsen
a Cross Country Rider
from Dingmans Ferry, PA
Date Reviewed: September 5, 2007
Strengths: Awesome bike! Nothing compares to this bike in it's pricerange. Quality components & frame. Excellent climbing,braking and handling.
Weaknesses: Pedals. More of a preference than a weakness.I prefer platform pedals.
Bottom Line:
Buy one and you will love it! I ride mine at least twice a week. I'm so pleased with this brand that I'm thinking of buying one of the racing hardtails also.
