Motobecane 2009 Fantom Comp Review

After losing my hybrid bike, I needed another bike to tow my pedicab around. I decided on a mountain bike this time since they are the only bikes that come with low enough gearing for towing around a pedicab and since I never had a mountain bike before.

I didn't want to spend a lot of money, so I took a chance and ordered from BikesDirect.com. If you do a Google search on Bikes Direct, you will see that there has been a lot said about them. A lot of it is negative, but some positive too. What I can say is that I'm fairly pleased with what I got. The bike was as advertised and they shipped the next day. I got my bike 2 days after ordering it. It comes via UPS Ground and was well packed. Most of the bike was assembled, but I did need to go to a bike shop because it came with hydraulic disc brakes not installed, which I know nothing about. Basically, I had to unpack everything, put the front wheel in, install the pedals, attach the handlebars to the stem, and install the seat post, and I was ready to ride.

Since this is my first mountain bike, I really can't say how it compares with other mountain bikes. Compared with the road or hybrid bikes I usually ride, it is a lot heavier (30 lbs) and slower. I would only ride this on real dirt trails like the greenbelt in Austin. Even the hike and bike trail is overkill for this bike. But it was fun riding up steep, rocky, trails on this thing with the 22x32 gearing and big, fat 26" wheels. That gear will be handy for as even the 22x28 gearing I had on my hybrid was often not low enough when weighed down with 3 guys in my pedicab.

What I can say is that BikesDirect is legit. I got my bike as advertised in 2 days and it was assembled and packed fairly well. You might need to take it to a bike shop to have them finish the assembly and they may not be happy about it (the shop I took it to wasn't), but you will get a great deal especially if you need a new bike fast like I did and don't have time to shop around looking for something on sale at a bike shop.