JayC
02-23-2007, 04:51 PM
This is copied from BikeForums.Net so some of it may not make much sense but anyways :)
Presented for your approval is my Motobecane Immortal Force. Ive been tinkering with it a couple of weeks, adding and replacing parts and most importantly, riding it until I got it pretty much how I wanted it. Most of the parts were stripped off of my Pedal Force Fusion frame (Which is still for sale, BTW) and moved over here but I ended up having to change a few things around as some of the stuff didn't work so well on the frame.
Ive mentioned before in the Motobecane thread that I thought the sizing on this bike was kind of wonky. I ride a 56 in pretty much everything but their 56 was really small for me. Problem was, the next size up is a 59 which I'd think would be too big. I decided to just make the 56 work even tho they told me I could return it for the next size despite having already built it up.
The two things I ended up changing from what I had on the Pedal Force was the stem and seatpost. The seatpost got changed because I could not keep it from sliding down. I had the same problem with the seatpost when it was in the Pedal Force frame but a Salsa Lip Lock clamp fix it. I couldn't find a Lip Lock clamp in the right size for the Motobecane from so I sat down at the LBS with a micrometer and started mic'ing seatposts. I ended up using a Thomson seat post which has been great so far.
Next problem was the saddle to bar drop was a little too much because the headtube on the IF frame is REALLY short. Ended up putting a Thomson X4 stem on with 10 degree rise and that moved it up to a comfortable position for me.
Here's the buildup:
Frame - Motobecane Immortal Force
Fork - Motobecane
Group - SRAM Rival
Chain - Shimano Ultegra W/Connex link
Seatpost - Thomson
Stem - Thomson X4
Bars - FSA Wing Pro
Pedals - Look KEO Classics
Wheels - Ksyrium Elite
Tires - Michelin Pro Race 2
Seat - Terry Fly Ti
Cages - Elite Patao
Other odds and ends from purelycustom.com
Here's the photos:
http://meankidsracing.com/d/1639-2/Picture+009.jpg
http://meankidsracing.com/d/1642-2/Picture+010.jpg
http://meankidsracing.com/d/1648-2/Picture+012.jpg
http://meankidsracing.com/d/1651-2/Picture+013.jpg
http://meankidsracing.com/d/1654-2/Picture+014.jpg
http://meankidsracing.com/d/1657-2/Picture+015.jpg
http://meankidsracing.com/d/1660-2/Picture+016.jpg
This bike came in lighter than any bike Ive ever built, around 17.5#s. Not superlight but lighter than anything else Ive owned, especially considering I didn't really use any weight weenie components on it.
Another thing I'd like to comment on is the included fork. The fork was one of the reasons I bailed from the PF group buy. I had the ID14 fork on my Fusion originally and thought it stunk. It was very flexy and leaning into corners, several times I felt like the front was about to slide out from under me. Granted I could have just bought another fork with the group buy but I wanted to try something different so it gave me an excuse. The Motobecane fork is SOLID. I was thinking Id have to replace the fork with something I had laying around but after examining the fork and squeezing it, etc, I thought I'd roll the dice with it. It's a really stout fork and I'm glad I stayed with it.
For a "budget" buildup, I've been happy with this bike. The frame is really solid and for what you can buy them for on Ebay, it's a reasonable alternative to anyone that missed the Pedal Force group buy.
Presented for your approval is my Motobecane Immortal Force. Ive been tinkering with it a couple of weeks, adding and replacing parts and most importantly, riding it until I got it pretty much how I wanted it. Most of the parts were stripped off of my Pedal Force Fusion frame (Which is still for sale, BTW) and moved over here but I ended up having to change a few things around as some of the stuff didn't work so well on the frame.
Ive mentioned before in the Motobecane thread that I thought the sizing on this bike was kind of wonky. I ride a 56 in pretty much everything but their 56 was really small for me. Problem was, the next size up is a 59 which I'd think would be too big. I decided to just make the 56 work even tho they told me I could return it for the next size despite having already built it up.
The two things I ended up changing from what I had on the Pedal Force was the stem and seatpost. The seatpost got changed because I could not keep it from sliding down. I had the same problem with the seatpost when it was in the Pedal Force frame but a Salsa Lip Lock clamp fix it. I couldn't find a Lip Lock clamp in the right size for the Motobecane from so I sat down at the LBS with a micrometer and started mic'ing seatposts. I ended up using a Thomson seat post which has been great so far.
Next problem was the saddle to bar drop was a little too much because the headtube on the IF frame is REALLY short. Ended up putting a Thomson X4 stem on with 10 degree rise and that moved it up to a comfortable position for me.
Here's the buildup:
Frame - Motobecane Immortal Force
Fork - Motobecane
Group - SRAM Rival
Chain - Shimano Ultegra W/Connex link
Seatpost - Thomson
Stem - Thomson X4
Bars - FSA Wing Pro
Pedals - Look KEO Classics
Wheels - Ksyrium Elite
Tires - Michelin Pro Race 2
Seat - Terry Fly Ti
Cages - Elite Patao
Other odds and ends from purelycustom.com
Here's the photos:
http://meankidsracing.com/d/1639-2/Picture+009.jpg
http://meankidsracing.com/d/1642-2/Picture+010.jpg
http://meankidsracing.com/d/1648-2/Picture+012.jpg
http://meankidsracing.com/d/1651-2/Picture+013.jpg
http://meankidsracing.com/d/1654-2/Picture+014.jpg
http://meankidsracing.com/d/1657-2/Picture+015.jpg
http://meankidsracing.com/d/1660-2/Picture+016.jpg
This bike came in lighter than any bike Ive ever built, around 17.5#s. Not superlight but lighter than anything else Ive owned, especially considering I didn't really use any weight weenie components on it.
Another thing I'd like to comment on is the included fork. The fork was one of the reasons I bailed from the PF group buy. I had the ID14 fork on my Fusion originally and thought it stunk. It was very flexy and leaning into corners, several times I felt like the front was about to slide out from under me. Granted I could have just bought another fork with the group buy but I wanted to try something different so it gave me an excuse. The Motobecane fork is SOLID. I was thinking Id have to replace the fork with something I had laying around but after examining the fork and squeezing it, etc, I thought I'd roll the dice with it. It's a really stout fork and I'm glad I stayed with it.
For a "budget" buildup, I've been happy with this bike. The frame is really solid and for what you can buy them for on Ebay, it's a reasonable alternative to anyone that missed the Pedal Force group buy.