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Bikesdirect Motobecane Mulekick AL 2x11

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
OK, looking for some thoughts on this bike. Never ridden a road/gravel bike in my life and just want something I can whip out to ride roads/smooth paths when the trails are too muddy. Nothing special, just useable and decent.

I found this:
http://www.bikesdirect.com/products...cts/motobecane/disc-brake-roadbikes/mulekick-al-rx600-discbrake-roadbike-xx.htm

It looks OK, wanted the GRX for the lower gearing (43/30 11/34). I know very little about road bikes but given this is shimano groupset (600), through axles, AL frame, tapered HT, threaded BB, hyd disk, for 1199, it dont seem too bad. I think the geometry is somewhat relaxed too.

Cant find much about this bike on Google/Youtube and not sure about Bikes direct.

Any thoughts on either would be appreciated.

PS> I am 69 tall and 31 inseam, looking at the 53cm size.
 
#4 ·
That's a steep HT for gravel. This falls into the cyclocross/road category a little better. If you're okay with that then it's fine. I've owned BD bikes. Expect it to roll but for components like bars, stem, bb, headset, seat post, saddle, and wheels to be fine but maybe a bit cheesey or heavy. Their frames aren't things of beauty, but get the job done and I don't find them to be delicate.



Sent from my Moto G (5) Plus using Tapatalk
 
#5 ·
I think you can do better in the used market.

I've also bought their bikes before, no doubt they get the job done, but if that's your budget I think you can find better options.
 
Discussion starter · #8 ·
Pretty much expect some stuff like hubs, cockpit, etc isn't going to be the greatest. I'm cool with that. The BD Mulekick has the new 2X GRX groupset I am looking for - gearing on most other bikes is too much like pure road gearing. And cant find anything with this group set/hyd disk that comes close in price.

I have been looking in the used market, but where I live it is very sparse. Looked around for my MTB for like 4 months, gave up and just bought one new, but at least it was a left over model year at 40% off.

Actually, still on the fence about getting a second bike. I am OK with just using my MTB on roads, just that when in a group, cant keep up. A gravel bike would be better. Guess I have to decide how much I would really need a second bike. Thanks for all the input.
 
#11 ·
You could buy a gravel/CX wheelset and run it on your MTB on the road with anything from 28-42mm tires. It will look funny but would work. If you have boost hubs, I'm not sure that's come to the CX world yet, so perhaps you'd be looking at a set of MTB XC wheels with boost. But if you're riding on the road with guys who are riding road bikes, you might as well get a road-ish bike.
 
#12 ·
I do the same thing, I have 2 wheelsets one for mtbing and the other for leisure road/gravel. I don't roll with CX riders for the simple fact that I'm on an XC bike... I normally just switch over to build endurance for mtbing. I'm no where remotely serious about going full CX so, as of yet not even looking into a bike of that category. OP did mention he would use it mainly when he can't ride the trails so he might be trying to do something similar as me... which would be less expensive too... rather than go for another bike (but more maintenance on your mtbing with the switch/chain/cassette(s)).
 

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#13 ·
Funoutside said:
For a little less you can get the Salsa Journeyman drop bar. Sure, it's not GRX, but it comes with better size rims, 27.5x2.2 WTB Nanos. Could then upgrade to a GRX rear derailleur.
Click to expand...
OP has a MTB for riding trails. He wants something to ride on the roads with other people, apparently on road/gravel bikes. 27.5 x 2.2 tires doesn't fit with this.
 
#14 ·
Thinking about this more, you have a few options.
1. Second wheelset for your MTB as I suggested above.
2.. Just buy a used road bike for cheap, OK if it's 10 years old and aluminum. Just look for something with decently low gears, or that can be converted easily with a cassette change, and I personally would want clearance for 28mm tires at least. You can find a lot of bikes with standard 50/34 compact cranks, and if you get something that can accommodate an 11-32t cassette, that's pretty good for the road. If you decide you don't like drop bars and the road in general, then you sell it for a minimal loss. If you really like it, you can upgrade to something else, based on your new experience and knowledge.
3. The Motobecane you linked to looks pretty sweet, in my opinion. I don't see anything wrong with the frame/fork, and Ritchey alloy bars, stem, seatpost. Wheels are probably fine for your purposes. Everything else is the GRX group, which is sweet. It has road bike geometry, so what? I would just go over the frame geometry very thoroughly, maybe ride a couple of your friends' bikes to get a sense for fit. You seem to be in between the 53 and 55 cm frame sizes, and you want to think through the choice.

I have five bikes, and my lightest one is probably about 27 lbs. My pseudo road bike is a steel touring/gravel bike that probably weighs 29-30 lbs, and the wheels are heavy. So what. The road bike world these days is full of 17 lb bikes, and people get freaked out by anything over 20 lbs. I think some of the negativity above is due to the likely weight of the bike/wheels.
 
#16 ·
If he's not going for competition and it's more for leisure to pass the time and hang with friends then he doesn't need a super lightweight bike. If he wants the "possibility" to compete while still having that leisure time while not on trails then bruh... go nuts looking for a sick CX/Gravel setup. I agree with paramount... I personally at the moment don't see myself going for a road/gravel setup which is why I just went with a second wheelset. If I sell my daughter's Niner Air 9 then I might consider it, that or a FS 27.5 :p.
 
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