Submitted by
Sidewinder
a Racer
from San Diego, CA Date Reviewed: September 20, 2003
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$700.00
Purchased At:
Bicycle Discovery
Strengths:
Great value - I can't find any other race ready hardtail with such good parts and frame under a $1000. This bike is very light even for a hardtail - 21 lbs.. The frame is rigid, light and seems to be strong. I abuse it sometimes and hit on rocks. Put a dent on a chainstay about half a year ago and another one on a seat tube about a month ago and the frame is still fine. The Motobecane's M-wing parts: handlebar, stem, seatpost and seat perform fine and are pretty light. The seat isn't very comfortable for long rides and some riders might want to replace it. Also even so this seat has titanium rails the seat shell is plastic, which makes the seat weaker (once I put a great amount of pressure on the seat while falling off a wall, and the titanium tube sprang out of its plastic pocket; I couldn;t put it back in, but the guys at the shop replaced it for free under warranty; very nice people working at this shop). Avid Single DIgit 7 brakes and levers, Truvativ crancks and lx/xt/xtr components are great components for this price and perform fine under all the abuse from riding and racing. I didn't have any problems with the RST air fork - it didn't leek air or blow caps at me (but I've heard that happen to a couple of people) and I have nothing to complain about (you have to remember that I didn't have a lot of experience riding different forks, so can't really compare to other great forks, but this fork can be made smoothe with change in air pressure and rebound is adjustable - that's enough for me; also the beer caps fit very nicely on top of forks caps ;) ).
Weaknesses:
Alloy spoke nipples are very easy to strip which makes adjusting spoke tension impossible and the wheels are prebuild at the factory pretty badly so I decided to rebuild them with brass nipples. The Wellgo M7 clipless pedals are somewhat hard to clip into compared to other brands like Shimano. I got used to them with time. The tires are Kenda Klimax Lite 1.95: they are the lightest tires at 345 grams each but lack in traction. For some they are a drawback, but I like them because they help greatly in climbing. In downhills ofcourse they are bad and I have to slow down considerably because of lack of traction. Also they are very bad on wet concrete - I had to slide on the road alongside my bike once because of that. But light weight is still superior to me - an XC racer. I might change my mind in the future. The headset plastic dirt seal keeps falling out at the bottom of the headset. It's not that important if you run the "Lizard Skin" protector or a piece of inner tube around the bottom part of the headset to protect it from dirt and water. Also interestingly the Truvativ bottom bracket developed a very little play after a year of abuse (it's not the crancks, I regreased them and tightened all the way), it's not noticeable on the trail but you can feel it with your fingers by moving cranks side to side.
Similar Products Used:
Never had any other professional mountain bikes, but ridden different bikes of my friends a little bit.
Bike Setup:
Original components: RST air fork, kenda klimax lite tires, stem/bar/seatpost/seat M-wing, truvativ stylo team crancks and bottom bracket, avid single digit 7 v-brakes and levers, shimano LX/XT/XTR components;
Bottom Line:
This is a great light XC hardtail for the money. It has great frame (lifetime warranty included) and tons of great components that you'll find on bikes that cost 2 times as much. The alloy spoke nipples and badly built wheels are the biggest problem which however can be solved by professionally rebuilding the wheels with brass nipples. Tires sacrifice light weight for traction. RST fork and M-wing components work fine and do their job. I like it a lot, have a lot of fun riding this bike and would recommend it to anyone getting into XC racing with a little budget. Some advice: don't forget to protect the right chainstay from the chain by wrapping plumber's tape or something similar around it (the plastic sticker by shimano won't do the job at protecting the paint) and put small pieces of electrical tape at the places were plastic housing rubs on the frame (for me it was near the headtube, near rear derailleur and near the seattube), so it won't rub through the paint.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
jake shafer
a Cross Country Rider
from dallas tx usa Date Reviewed: February 24, 2003
Favorite Trail:
anywhere
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$995.00
Purchased At:
cylce spectrum in lewisville
Strengths:
the whole bike
Weaknesses:
tires and stem
Similar Products Used:
no one else
Bike Setup:
i have submitted before but i have put michelin comp s in front and xls in rear plus thomson stem and post with easton bars and a superman sticker
Bottom Line:
bottom line is that it rocks. i just saw the fly team in the new issue of mountain biking and i was blown away my fly will be going to my girlfriend because i'm getting a fly team... i free ride, road ride and what ever else i can get away with but the fly just surprised me on my what you can call racing(i dont believe in racing for the money or pride but just racing) but when it comes to my single track riding and around town there is no other..i'm getting just wet thinking about the team and the guy at the shop said i have to order now or they will be sold out so get it quick because if the fly was that great imagine the team issue.oooohhhhhh. email me if you what to know about the ride... plissken74 out of here
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Chris H
a Cross Country Rider
from Greer, SC, 29650 Date Reviewed: January 13, 2003
Favorite Trail:
any at Pisga
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$995.00
Purchased At:
bikesdirect.com
Strengths:
Weight, Price, frame strength
Weaknesses:
seat, tires
Bike Setup:
stock + panaracer fire XC & WTB Laser V Stealth seat
Bottom Line:
After using this bike for almost a year, it has held up very well. If you buy the bike, get new tires and a new seat as soon as possible. I would also recoment getting a lizard skins cover for the rear of the fram to prevent the chain from eating into the frame over time. The frame is as solid as a rock, I weigh 175, and do 5-6 feet drops around campus with no problems on the frame. (no worries about folding it) I have bent wheels a little bit several times though... only 4 chills for overall due to seat and tires.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
will mcdowell
a Cross Country Rider
from highland village tx usa Date Reviewed: January 7, 2003
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$995.00
Purchased At:
cycle spectrum
Strengths:
frame frame frame also cranks,rims, brakes, drivetrain
Weaknesses:
tires. the guy at the shop changed them out with some michelin wildgripper hot tires at purchase
Similar Products Used:
gt zaskar and trek???
Bike Setup:
thompson stem and post, easton carbon bars,egg beaters,wtb grips and superman sticker
Bottom Line:
bottom line???? this bike rules!!! and no i do not work for them... it climbs it out performs my buddys bikes at 1/2 the price. the upgrades i did was just because i'm used to them. the service is outstanding i get a flat and as the guy at the shop said i pay for the tube but he wants it for the night to tune it up i could do that myself but he will do it for free except for parts...my next road bike will be a motobecane and if i go for full suspension same. who cares about names, motobecane has a customer for life. thanks cycle spectrum for a great bike
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Brett Muxen
a Weekend Warrior
from Phoenix, AZ. 85301 Date Reviewed: December 13, 2002
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$1000.00
Purchased At:
cycle spectrum
Strengths:
Value, Lightness
Weaknesses:
Not sure, but the RST fork I think is not functioning. I fill up both sides to 50 to 70lbs and the right holds and the left immediately goes to 0.
Similar Products Used:
GT Backwoods, but this is first "nice" MTB
Bike Setup:
All stock except temp platform pedals and gel seat ( I just had ACL surgery and cant get down and dirty yet ).
Bottom Line:
Very nice bike and I plan to keep it for a long long time.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Shannon
a Racer
from Dallas Date Reviewed: September 21, 2002
Favorite Trail:
Cedar Hill
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$995.00
Purchased At:
Cycle Spectrum
Strengths:
Very Light. Very Fast. Great Components. XTR/LX Handles like a dream Love the narrow rear tire, replaced the front with a bontrager.
Weaknesses:
was not impressed with the forks. Replaced them with Rock Shox Duke Race. Seat is a board, replaced it.
Similar Products Used:
Previous bike was a stumpjumper M4.
Bike Setup:
18' fly, Rock Shox Duke Race, Kore Lite 3 stem, Tioga Riser Bars, EggBeaters, Bontrager Front tire.
Bottom Line:
This bike is very very very fast and handles great. With Dukes on the front and new bars This bike is comparable to any stumpjumper and weight paralles any s-works. Buy this bike and you will not regret it.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Jacques
a Weekend Warrior
from Houston,TX,USA Date Reviewed: August 5, 2002
Favorite Trail:
Emma Long
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$995.00
Purchased At:
Cycle Spectrum
Strengths:
bang for the buck, insanely light, some high-end parts.
Weaknesses:
unbelievably crappy tires, some iffy house brand parts
Similar Products Used:
Gary Fisher Hoo-whatever
Bike Setup:
mostly stock: XTR in the rear, Truvativ Team Stylo cranks, Avid SD brakes, RST fork (more on that). Added Profile barends, Panaracer Fire XC tires
Bottom Line:
I love this bike. This is my first rig that is a notch above the $600-800 level bike and I believe that the value of this package is hard to beat. As with any bike in this range, it's got a handful of components you'd probably want to swap out sooner or later. Sooner if you're fashion-conscious, later if you just want to wait until they wear out.
This was the first aluminum bike I've owned and the overall harshness of the ride took a bit of getting used to. But that is more than made up for the speed/level of aggessiveness permitted by the low weight. Oh, yes, the weight. I told myself I wouldn't be one of those people seduced by the sexy low-weight of this thing on the sales floor but I caved. This bike just charges up climbs and puts a smile on my face every time I hoist it on my shoulder to carry it upstairs to my apartment. The guy at the shop told me that the number in the model name (Fly9357) refers to the weight, in grams, of the 18" model. Who knows, but possible.
A few negatives: Get rid of these tires immediately. Kenda Klimax? How about Kenda Piece of Krap? I realize that this bike was probably spec'd entirely for the weight but, c'mon. Very low profile tread and wafer-thin. Little better than slicks and punture easily (2nd time out on pavement). Cheapish (and ugly) seat. What good do titanium rails do you when the rest of the seat is poorly molded plastic crap. I put some Panaracers on this bike and a replacement-bin seat (more durable, less racey) after quickly breaking the original and I'm good to go.
There are some house brand components on here that seem fine. Bar/stem/seatpost. They, too, are super light and we'll see what the long-term durability is.
The RST fork is fine. Repeat, just fine. You can set the pre-load and it does the job. No more, no less. Those of you that need to be part of the Rockshox/manitou/Marzocchi club may have a problem getting past this.
To sum up, great bike for the money. Great buy for those that absolutely have to stay under a grand. It's cool enough to get some stares :) and it will send you zippin' down the trail with a huge smile on your face.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Matt
a Weekend Warrior
from Austin, TX, USA Date Reviewed: July 24, 2002
Favorite Trail:
Rocky Hill Ranch
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$900.00
Purchased At:
Cycle 360
Strengths:
Exceptional value, lightweight design, great fork
Weaknesses:
Stock tires useless, too few frame sizes, frame pretty thin
Stock bike with new tires (GEAX Beaumonts), longer handlebar stem (Titec), new pedals (Team Alium), new seat (from a Giant road bike)
Bottom Line:
I spent a couple of months looking at bikes around town and reading reviews. This was to be my first serious mountainbike purchase (Wal-mart specials don't count), so I didn't want to regret it. I borrowed friends' bikes and demoed bikes from shops.
I had pretty much decided on purchasing a Specialized Stumpjumper when I noticed this bike in some random shop I stopped at on the way home from work. The sales guy was showing me some Giant and K2 bikes when I pointed to the Motobecane. "Oh, we just got those in... I haven't even had a chance to ride it myself." Well, I looked the bike over, and really liked what I saw. The componentry was top-notch, the aesthetics of the bike were nice, and damn the price tag was hard to believe.
I borrowed the bike that same day, and took it out on some trails. The fork on this thing was incredible (once I had gotten the pressure where I wanted it). The brakes, shifters, and derailleurs are absolutely flawless. The tires that come on the thing are ridiculous, though. I understand that Motobecane wanted to get the bike below 21 lbs., but to put tires on there that aren't much better than bare inner tubes is just foolish. Regardless, I was impressed with how the bike rode.
4 days later, I brought it back to the shop (Cycle360 in Austin, TX), and had them make some size adjustments. Unfortunately, the bike only comes in 16" and 18". I tended to take a 17"-17.5" frame on the other bikes I was looking at. I decided that I would be better off going with the 16" over the bigger frame. The angle of the front fork is relaxed enough that I could lengthen the handlebar stem without putting my center of gravity too far out. I raised the seat and moved it back a little, and the bike fit like a glove.
The only problem I've had is with the rims. The spoke anchors are not recessed. There are little metal rims at the end of each spoke. The stock wheels are built with some chincy thin rubber band to protect the tube. A condom would offer more protection. I got 2 flats from the tube being punctured by the spoke anchors. So, I brought the wheels in, and the shop replaced the rubber junk with some adhesive Velox cloth rim-tape. No problems since.
Overall, I think this bike is a value that is hard to beat. The few things I've changed have brought the weight up to the level of similar bikes, but the quality of the bike surpasses the competitors. I've enjoyed every minute on the bike, and would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a hardtail in that sweet $1000 price range.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Dave
a Cross Country Rider
from Allentown, PA Date Reviewed: July 7, 2002
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$995.00
Purchased At:
Bikesdirect.com
Strengths:
Lightweight, great component spec, great performance
Weaknesses:
bars suck, tires are a joke.They are as wide as some 1.75 conti slicks I have and as thick as a Trojan. They are just skinnier to be lighter.Kind of like a weight watcher dinner. The bars are cut down too much.Wheels seem pretty crappy. About the first time I rode near rocks I flatted the front.
Similar Products Used:
Have Trek Fuel 90 disc, had some kind of Trek hardtail
Wow! I'm impressed! I wanted a super light bike and the only ones out there were like Moots softails for $4-5K. Hardtails are fun for goofing around. They climb like crazy and force you to take a good line. This bike works well if you get rid of the tires and bars and set up the fork correctly.The fork feels quite plush and doesn't seem noodlely. There was a gouge under the downtube from shipping and a chip on the seat tube.Otherwise I'm diggin it!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Chris Harrigan
a Weekend Warrior
from Greer, SC, USA Date Reviewed: June 21, 2002
Crap tires, wheels not quite true. the front fork vibrates forewards and backwards when braking hard up front, i have never used a front fork before so i dont know if this is common or not. Its not that noticable, and i dont think it would really affect braking at all.
Similar Products Used:
cheap ass toys r us bike bought at age 12.
Bike Setup:
got rid of tires and bought two Panaracer Fire XC Pro ATB tires. With the stock tires i was slipping around WAY too much, but with the new tires all troubles are over. I put my little brothers VeloTech gel cushion on the saddle since it was a wee bit hard. Everything else is stock.
Bottom Line:
Last year I was planning on buying a Gary Fisher Hoo Kooie Koo (or whatever its called). I had a wreck and lost all that money, but this summer, after i had looked around the internet alot i found this bike, and im almost glad i got in that wreck. (except for the whole recking my car part....) If your thinking about getting a hard tale around the $600-$700 range, save up a bit more and get this, if your planning to buy a $1000-$2000 bike, get this and save youself alot of cash.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Christo
a Cross Country Rider
from Ft Walton Beach, FL Date Reviewed: June 3, 2002
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$995.00
Purchased At:
www.bikesdirect.com
Strengths:
Excellent value.
Weaknesses:
Poorly built wheels.
Similar Products Used:
Scores of other hardtails.
Bike Setup:
Standard plus cane creek thudbuster.
Bottom Line:
First impressions last and when I opened the box I was very happy. Some of the best packing I've seen - everything was wrapped and zip tied together, so nothing was scratched or chafed (a big concern when mail ordering a bike). I weighed my 18" out of the box and it was as close to 21 pounds as I could tell.
I put a thudbuster on the bike and I love the ride. The front tire had to go (we have too much sand here in FL), but now with a fat front tire the bike handles as good as any other high end hard tail I've owned. I will post later on durability but everything is fine for now, the fork is also very nice. I like it better than the SID XC I used to have but I realize that is only personal taste.
The only bad thing was that the wheels are machine built and weren't very true. There was also a lot of spoke wind-up and the wheels aren't tensioned nearly high enough. The alum nipples are already starting to round over. I will get some brass nipples and rebuild them by hand...
Overall I am very impressed for $995. I would have been pleased even at twice that much.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
zach
a
from chapel hill, nc, usa Date Reviewed: June 1, 2002
Duration Product Used:
Tested or demo'ed only
Strengths:
HOW ON EARTH CAN YOU PUT SOOOOO MUCH VALUE into a bike under a grand????? I mean come on, truvativ stylo TEAM crank, XTR/XT? the only thing comparable in this price range is the giant se2..right...not even close. This thing is the lightest bike i have EVER seen and ridden, feels like you are flying. lifetime warranty, best component spec on the market per value.
Weaknesses:
The fork is RST, BUT, before you burn it, ride it for 30 minutes. It's AS plush if not more, than a zocchi. Sure RST has a bad rep, but for a fork that weighs 2.9lbs and isn't a noodle, i'd go with it.
Similar Products Used:
jamis dragon $2800msrp trek 8500 $2400 msrp, giant se1 $2100msrp. absolutely amazing that these hardtails are similiar in spec, and one is almost 3X the price of the fly9357! amazing.
Bottom Line:
goodness, a 20.9 lb RACE READY OUT OF THE BOX HARDTAIL, for a 1/3 of the price. that right there about sums it up. The only reason why someone wouldn't buy this is that it's only in like 10 shops over the country, and/or it doesn't have the word "cannondale" on it.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Aaron
a Cross Country Rider
from Waukesha, WI, USA Date Reviewed: May 28, 2002
Favorite Trail:
John Muir
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$995.00
Purchased At:
www.bikesdirect.com
Strengths:
Very light, solid components, great price.
Weaknesses:
Both wheels were out of true when purchased. Front was also out of round. Tires are very narrow.
Similar Products Used:
'97 Gary Fisher Hoo Koo E Koo
Bike Setup:
Stock.
Bottom Line:
Great bang for the buck. Never heard of this brand before, but took a chance and it paid off. Very light weight bike -- makes for a fast ride and climbs easily.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
singletrackmind
a Cross Country Rider
from Nevada Date Reviewed: March 29, 2002
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$990.00
Purchased At:
online
Strengths:
Strengths? Just look at this spec! XTR, Avid, Truvativ Stylo. It weighs 21.6 pounds with real tires, Chris King / 519 wheels, and Avid discs. Really climbs like a rocket. VALUE, VALUE, VALUE
Weaknesses:
Never heard of "M-Wing" before, but the stem and bar work fine and are light so they're staying on. I didnt trust the RST fork. I replaced it with a z2 X-fly the moment I bought the bike. The sucky LX shifters were replaced with XT. The stock Klimax tires are horrid performers. Obscure brand name if that really matters.
Mars Super (disc-only), Avid Mechanical, XT shifters, Maxxis Mobster 2.1 front Maxxis TT 1.9 rear, Chris King disc / 519 wheels. All else is stock.
Bottom Line:
This is the sleeper performance MTB of the year. No other bike offers this much stuff for the coin. Of course some of that is offset by all the gucci upmarket stuff I bought, but the fact is that this bike is race-ready straight out of the box for $990. Stiff rear end means great power transfer and balance. And the frame is built with attention to detail, with nice smooth welds and paint.
Only minuses are the LX shifters, Klimax tires, and p'haps the RST fork. Top model or not, there's a reason why you see RST on Wal-Mart bikes.
Ideal buyer: Someone with $1000 looking for a genuine top-shelf racing bike.
Unlikely buyer: Fashion plates attracted to big brandnames. Motobecane ain't exactly on everyone's radar. But with bikes like this, it should be.
--singletrackmind--
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Joe
a Cross Country Rider
from Atlantic Beach, FL, USA Date Reviewed: February 27, 2002
Duration Product Used:
Tested or demo'ed only
Price Paid:
$995.00
Purchased At:
Cycle Spectrum
Strengths:
This thing is LIGHT! 20.9 pounds! $995 fully built bike with lifetime warranty Solid Predictable handling Excellent power transfer Plush fork
Weaknesses:
You end up weighing more because you have an extra $1,000+ in your pocket. Tires a bit skinny but ridiculously easy to fix especially since you have all that extra $. Made me feel bad since I spent way more on my Cannondale that weighs 23.75 pounds... ;(
Similar Products Used:
Cannondale CAAD 2.8 pound HT frameset built up with full XTR, Thomson, Marzocchi Atom Bomb.
Bike Setup:
Stock set up as tested.
Bottom Line:
Predictable, race oriented handling but comfortable. Crazy price! Other bikes in this league are 2-3x more $. The other companies MUST be ripping us off.
This bike is amazingly light. I did not believe that it weighed less than 21 pounds until I picked it up and weighed it on a digital scale. It was exactly 20.9 pounds! Parts spec is extremely solid. LX shifters, fr. der., hubs with double butted spokes. Pro quality TruVativ Stylo SL Team crankset and BB and XTR rear derailleur. Brakes and levers are very nice Avid SD7 units. Seatpost adjustment and design is just like a thomson - sweet! Stem is "M-Wings Team Issue" but looks suspiciously like a Ritchey WCS Pro - probably the same thing. The bar is a nice bead blasted silver - 6061 aluminum. The frame has nice, clean, beefy welds, downtube gusset and has disc brake tabs and lifetime warranty something Cannondale no longer has. Low pressure dual air fork by RST. Aerosa BAS with 89mm of travel, magnesium lowers - VERY plush.
I rode this bike for about an hour. The fork set up very easily - no plastic parts unlike Rock Shox SID's. Fork was very progressive and felt like it had more travel than the 89mm. This bike has excellent power transfer - the downtube is nicely oversized and I felt no flex in the frame. Handling was precise - no slop or flop.
RST fork is very plush - much like a Marzocchi Atom Bomb coil/oil but with longer travel AND lighter. This bike resets the Value standard - any other bike needs to be downgraded to 2 or 3 chilis compared to this one!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
jack
a Cross Country Rider
from jacksonville, florida Date Reviewed: February 2, 2002
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$995.00
Strengths:
Lightest mountain bike I have ever seen. Incrediable performance; great shock and extremely eye catching. Price is unheard of for a light weight hardtail. The components are all high quality and work great. I really love the Avid brakes and the XTR.
Weaknesses:
Seat is very hard. Other than that the bike seems perfect.
Similar Products Used:
GT Aggressor
Bottom Line:
Best Value is a Hardtail available today. Performane off road is fantastic ~ the super light weight makes is Fun and Fast. On road it is also great - the weight is road bike level; so if I ever wanted to use it for long distance road - I could just put on slicks.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
What's New
»
BEST OF MTBR - Check out the highest rated bikes, parts, & gear!
»
LED BIKE LIGHT SHOOTOUT 3 - We test all the newest products and latest light and battery technology in this comprehensive guide»
$ 995.00
Overall Rating:
