http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=150393401098&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT What do you guys in the know think about this bike? Thanks for your input.
Lot of bottom bin parts on that bike. If you plan to ride aggressively on rough terrain, you'll have to plan on upgrading both ends of the suspension fairly quickly. The brakes are also going to require upgrading, though you could probably run with those rotors. The calipers, however, will give you nothing but trouble. Additionally, the ad states that the bike features Shimano XT components. However, the only XT part is the front derailleur. The rest is standard Deore or Truvativ stuff. It will work for awhile, but don't expect it to be as precise or robust as if it actually were fitted with XT components front-to-back. None of this matters if you're only going to use it as a paved path bike, or if you're just trying to get a feel for whether or not mtn. biking is for you. It's a decent introductory bike, but for serious trail riding you may want to look elsewhere as you'll probably end up putting as much money into upgrades as you would have if you'd invested more money into a better bike at the outset.
Thanks Nick! That is sort of what I expected to hear as one usually gets what they pay for. This is actually for my daughter (13) who has shown some interest in the sport but only has a cruiser now. My thoughts were to either get her something introductory or get her top shelf out of the gate. I did want to get her something light and sprung so that she could see the capabilities of the tech. Top shelf bikes and particularly ones that are sprung are high dollar--even used ones on flea bay. I thought this one was getting a little too high. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280432720342&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT There are a good number of Specialized, but just a few for women. I really like this one and vs. retail, it sounds like a good deal. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=180442036449&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT What do you think?
Well I definitely think it's a decent introductory ride. The brakes would be the only thing that might give you headaches right off the bat (figure ~$100 to upgrade to something better). The rest of the bike is serviceable, and will allow her to get a taste of trail riding and give her a good baseline for deciding whether to pursue the sport further or not. I based my previous comments on my own experience as a 6' 1", 195lb. rider. Those components will react MUCH differently to your 13 yr. old daughter! Whereas I blew out a DART 2 fork in under a month, she should be fine to ride that fork for multiple seasons if maintained properly. Should she choose to pursue mtn. biking further, I am a big proponent for choosing drivetrain / braking components over suspension. When I put together my latest bike last Summer, I had a limited budget and chose to build a hard tail with good Shimano components and a pretty hardcore suspension fork instead of building a full suspension bike with mediocre components. I haven't regretted that decision once. If I had a higher budget, I'd go full suspension, but the point is that it's always a good idea to choose quality components over more components. Back to your original post though - here's some good info on the Motobecane 700ds. Bike seems to get some good press in general, so it might be just the thing to get your daughter hooked: http://www.mtbr.com/cat/bikes/xc-suspensio/motobecane/700ds/PRD_364041_1526crx.aspx
Nick, thank you so much for the great input! It looks like that web site has a review for just about every bike under the sun. Looks like the moto has a great bang for the buck factor. I am going to look around a little more, but I think I am going to end up with the moto. It will give her a chance to try out the sport and it is up to the task for her size/abilities.
Under a grand... there is no "good" dual suspension bike. A Marin Alpine 29er hardtail is a bargin at under $800 If you can come up with an even $1000 the Sette XC (at Pricepoint.com) is a four-inch dual suspension XC/trail bike that has a good group on it. If I was looking to stay under a grand and buy new.. those would be my choices.
Damn, I wish I had a GRAND when I was bike shopping. I had just under 500, and I was looking at hardtail for less weight (though now I feel I should have saved a bit and gone soft). Regardless I ended up picking up an 08 Cannondale F7, I love that bike. Ill trade ya
Something else I forgot to mention..... Don't buy a bike with a low end groupo and componant list thinking "I'll just upgrade later.." It's never cheaper to buy componants than right now on your new bike... who gets a better deal.. Trek or Kona on SRAM and Shimano buying 5,000 each of something or your local bike shop or internet reseller buying maybe one or two or a few dozen? Food for thought......