[willworkforbeer]

Hi all,
I have been lurking for a while, trying to decide what I needed as far as a bike. I have narrowed it down to several options, but one I have not seen a lot on is the Motobecane; specifically the 500HT and 600HT.
They seem to have decent components on them, and new ones are very reasonable on ebay.
Anybody got any thoughts on them? Any known weak points? (I have gone through the reviews)
Here are the specs listed on the site:

Shimano Deore 24 Speed TriggerShift RapidFire levers, 7005 Aluminum TrailTuned frame with replaceable derailleur hanger and 2x H2O bosses, RockShox Judy J1 Adjustable Suspension fork, FR/RR Tektro IO Disc Brakes, Alex Adventurer 6061T6 Black Anodized Aluminum Double Wall rims with Machined Sidewalls, Stainless Spokes 36fr/36r, M-Wings Disc hubs, TruVativ IsoFlow aluminum Crankset, M-Wings Aluminum LowRize Bar, Stem and Micro-adjustable Aluminum Seatpost,WTB Grips, WTB Velociraptor 2.1 Blackwall tires.

Other bikes up for consideration are some of the Ibex and Gary Fisher hardtail models.
Most of my riding will be trails, no huge drops or monster downhills (pretty flat in this area)

Thanks,
Damon

 

[Call_me_Clyde]

Nice choices

If you're trying to stay under $450, the 500T and 600T are nice choices. Unlesss you're ready to spend $600 or so, you're probably not going to see anything with a substabntially better spec than either of these two bikes. If you can go to $600, then the Ibex Alpine 650 @ $569 has enough of an upgrade in the fork and disc brakes alone to make it worth the extra $$ IMO.

Bob

 

[taikuodo]

Weakpoints = the Judy TT fork, worthless. On the 600HT.

Did you already check out the Forge Sawback 5xx?
It has Deore instead of Deore LX as a rear derailler, but better fork and disc brakes.

IMO, I could live with Alivio drivetrain, shifting isn't a must for me.

 

[JimC.]

Achilles heel is

the rear dérailleur hanger. If you bend or break it, how are you going to ride your bike?

If you must buy off the INTERNET, choose a firm that can supply key parts in a hurry. Or be prepared to wait and wait until that crucial part arrives, if it comes at all.

Just my .02, good luck, Jim

 

[JmZ]

Or just prepare and purchase one or two when buying the bike.

Local shops don't always keep spare mech hangers in stock either, often those need to be ordered too.

Just something to keep in mind.

JmZ

 

[willworkforbeer]

Clyde,
I have not ruled out the Alpine yet, still looking and gathering info.
$569 is not out of my price range.

taikuodo,
yep, I checked out the Forge, looks like a pretty decent bike, but have been waiting to see some reviews after it has been abused for a while.

JimC,
I would prefer to buy locally, but the local shops (so far) have not been able to get anywhere close to the package on the 500HT at anywhere near the same price. I would even pay more for the same stuff locally just to keep the shops in business, but there is a limit to that also.
I am not too worried about parts; if I break something, I can always make a replacement if it is impossible to get. There is not a lot you can't do with a mill and a lathe.

Damon

 

[taikuodo]

Ps.
http://www.rscycle.com/s.nl/it.A/id.7858/.f?sc=11&category=108
Almost the same specs as the 500HT except is SRAM, at least you get better looking decals and paintjob.

I don't know what frame size you are, but some of the Schwinns on ebay look better than the motobecanes.

http://cgi.ebay.com/New-Schwinn-MES...6QQihZ009QQcategoryZ98083QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

[willworkforbeer]

taikuodo,
I had not looked at Iron Horse; that looks like pretty decent bike except for the front derailleur.
How does the SRAM stuff compare to Shimano? What would be the same level of quality as the Deore?
Thanks,
Damon

 

[taikuodo]

SX5 would be about deore. Sx4 is mabye alivio..

Lots of people like SRAM stuff better because it uses a different shifting technology though, and say it is a lot less troublesome to dial in perfectly/ less maintainence.

PS. front deraillers are really cheap, you can get a used XT for about 10 bucks on ebay.

 

[Becane73]

I wouldn't trust the spec on the new 2007 Motobecanes HT's as it looks like they haven't updated them yet. (It looks like they have updated the specs on the Phantom bikes though)

Until they do I would take a look at the Forge, Iron Horse and yes even Ibex (cringe )

I wouldn't worry too much about Forge bikes, I hear their frames are made by Giant and if you look at them closely I hear they're identical to the Iron Horse Warrior Comp. But take a look around.

Now a days you will even see Treks (4300 and 4500) Gary Fisher Wahoo and other major brands at bargain prices, hurray for competition. Just remember you might get a good deal with the bargain brands, but you sacrifice a little when it comes to name recognition, resale value, and aftermarket service.

 

[Becane73]

Weakpoints = the Judy TT fork, worthless. On the 600HT.

Did you already check out the Forge Sawback 5xx?
It has Deore instead of Deore LX as a rear derailler, but better fork and disc brakes.

IMO, I could live with Alivio drivetrain, shifting isn't a must for me.

Judy TT were once a high end shock but are discontinued..
They list the fork as J1 which is totally different.
The J1 is also discontinued replaced by the Dart series.

The specs on the 500HT and 600HT are out dated.

 

[taikuodo]

Well, the Judy TT is for some reason the butt of all fork jokes on this forum lol. High end mabye in year 2000 or so..

 

[willworkforbeer]

So, the J1 is a decent fork?

 

[iCrashed]

Reviews on the Forge

Clyde,
I have not ruled out the Alpine yet, still looking and gathering info.
$569 is not out of my price range.

taikuodo,
yep, I checked out the Forge, looks like a pretty decent bike, but have been waiting to see some reviews after it has been abused for a while.

JimC,
I would prefer to buy locally, but the local shops (so far) have not been able to get anywhere close to the package on the 500HT at anywhere near the same price. I would even pay more for the same stuff locally just to keep the shops in business, but there is a limit to that also.
I am not too worried about parts; if I break something, I can always make a replacement if it is impossible to get. There is not a lot you can't do with a mill and a lathe.

Damon

Of there was a category to review it i definitley would. It is a steal of a bike. More specifically, it rides well and came well adjusted. The fork needed some adjusting but all in all it is quite plush for a fork in that price range although a bit heavy at 4.5 lbs. If you spend the extra $$$ and upgrade the fork which you can sell $75 for on ebay and buy a decent used one for $150, youll have yourself a very respectable bike. I love the geometry btw.

 

[Becane73]

So, the J1 is a decent fork?

The J1 is a good entry level fork.

The only gripe I have with it, and it's the same with most entry level forks is:

It's heavy 5 lbs or so.
It doesn't have any features, especially lock out.

I think as far as entry level forks go, the Manitou Axel is a better fork just because it's lighter.

 

[taikuodo]

I don't get why people in the other thread said that the Manitou Axel was a worse fork than the Rockshox Dart 1.

The dart is over a pound heavier! ???

 

[deepetexas]

where do you see these?

Hi all,
I have been lurking for a while, trying to decide what I needed as far as a bike. I have narrowed it down to several options, but one I have not seen a lot on is the Motobecane; specifically the 500HT and 600HT.
They seem to have decent components on them, and new ones are very reasonable on ebay.
Anybody got any thoughts on them? Any known weak points? (I have gone through the reviews)
Here are the specs listed on the site:

Shimano Deore 24 Speed TriggerShift RapidFire levers, 7005 Aluminum TrailTuned frame with replaceable derailleur hanger and 2x H2O bosses, RockShox Judy J1 Adjustable Suspension fork, FR/RR Tektro IO Disc Brakes, Alex Adventurer 6061T6 Black Anodized Aluminum Double Wall rims with Machined Sidewalls, Stainless Spokes 36fr/36r, M-Wings Disc hubs, TruVativ IsoFlow aluminum Crankset, M-Wings Aluminum LowRize Bar, Stem and Micro-adjustable Aluminum Seatpost,WTB Grips, WTB Velociraptor 2.1 Blackwall tires.

Other bikes up for consideration are some of the Ibex and Gary Fisher hardtail models.
Most of my riding will be trails, no huge drops or monster downhills (pretty flat in this area)

Thanks,
Damon

Damon
Where do you see these bikes? And are they from Taiwan or China?
I see links on Ibex and Iron Horse; but these maybe out for me
ed

 

[willworkforbeer]

Not sure where they are from - not from the USA for sure.
Check ebay; that is where I found the best deal on the new bikes.
The website for the manufacturer is motobecane.com, but the specs on some of the pages are not totally up to date.
I bought one of the 500HTs yesterday; we will see how it turns out.
Damon

 

[deepetexas]

I am emailing for info

Not sure where they are from - not from the USA for sure.
Check ebay; that is where I found the best deal on the new bikes.
The website for the manufacturer is motobecane.com, but the specs on some of the pages are not totally up to date.
I bought one of the 500HTs yesterday; we will see how it turns out.
Damon

Thanks

I am emailing motobecane for info on the 500HT and 600HT
I found out thru some emails that Ibex Alpine and Iron Horse Warrior are made in China
and dealers have told me and I believe that higher grade bikes are made in Taiwan

once I find out about all this I'll post it
and I hope to hear about your bike too

still freezing here; so no hurry

 

[willworkforbeer]

Freezing here too.
Even if I had it right now I would not be riding.

I am not sure what to say about the taiwan vs china thing; I would agree that a lot of things coming from china are crap. However, I would take the dealer comments on china with a grain of salt - they are trying to sell you something.

There are a lot of companies that are getting stuff made over there that comes out pretty good though. If the people are trained and the parts properly specifed and tested, it should work out fine, but you have to watch what is going on and not let any shortcuts creep in, or quality suffers and you get a "made in china" black eye. It also helps that a lot of the items manufactured in china are not designed over there.

Having zero experience with mountain bikes though, I assumed most modern manufactured frames were strong enough for what I needed, and tried to concentrate on the components that would either let me enjoy the bike or make me hate it. Not top of the line components, don't need that, but decent, durable parts. Maybe this was a bad assumption and I will be crying later this year - we will see.

Damon