Motobecane Debuts New Fly Team Ti 29er XTR 11 Speed Edition & Teases Fantom XTR

Great spec and undeniable value, but they are aesthetically 5 years behind the industry. The new XTR certainly doesn’t help the looks either….

DT sticker is crooked on the ti frame. They not only save on their direct-to-consumer business model, but by not hiring a competent designer, as r0b0t says. Plenty of riders buy Motos to strip the parts and sell the frame on Ebay – the deals are that good.

Charlie – I hear you, but it’s not really that much worse than guys like lightspeed:

http://www.litespeed.com/bike.asp?content=Pinhoti-2015

I think swoopy carbon has spoiled us…

I have a 2008(9?) version of this bike.

R0b0t is right, the graphics are exactly the same as my 5 year old bike. But really, aesthetics are a silly thing to care about.

I wouldn’t say the Ti frame is as good as any, I would say its a good value for what you get but there is room for improvement. Mine has a seat tube that is slightly over-sized, at least at the top, its supposed to be 27.2, but seatposts slip right in. This has cause a carbon seatpost to break on me (DURING A RACE!) at the seat collar since I had to over-tighten and crank down on it to get the seatpost to hold, which pinched the carbon and caused a failure. I have since put a Thomson post in it, but the only way it hold position is if I also use carbon prep as my seatpost grease, which helps lock it in place.

Also, the frame is a little flexy, but this is to be expected from an ultra-light frame.

So, could be better quality, but I still consider it a good value. Great for a racer on a budget.

I owned and thrashed an MB Ti frame (17.5″) for 2.5 years here in the brutal Sonoran desert trails of Phoenix. I weigh 220 soakin wet and can attest that this frame is not flexy at all. I remember it for it’s magical Ti characteristics. Ti just has this feel that no other material has. It’s hard to explain/describe. I bombed this frame down National trail on a weekly basis. I even ran a 2.4″ Schwalbe tire in the back without issue. I really pushed the limits of the frame when I built it up as a 18 lbs rigid single speed.

Most of my friends laughed and said that Taiwan Ti is crap and I should’ve bought some the more expensive frame like a Lynskey or Litespeed. If this is what crap rides like I will take another.

I only sold the frame because, like everyone else, I fell enamored with carbon. Carbon is OK. It just doesn’t have that extra something that Ti has.

I regret selling that frame and search ebay and Craigslist to this day for a replacement MB Ti frame that isn’t dented and abused.

@Roy – Wrong country…pretty sure at this price point these are produced in China.

Speedy, yeah, you are probably right! I know on Alibaba there are Ti factories in China and Taiwan, and many offer custom geo, IF I can put a name to the MB maker which seems to be a well tried set of tubes and the ability to do custom, that would be cool. I have not read about these being breaking a lot over the years, so this factory must have decent alloys and MBs parent company would not risk buying from the bottom of the barrel over there.

http://oraeng.imb2b.com/sell/ Taiwan.

Have Motobecane Ti road bike, love it, no other bike can touch it in price. Where they do go cheap on these bikes is the wheels.

@Roy: ORA Engineering (Taiwan)

Thanks Doug and MTP!

I have read numerous negative comments here and elsewhere against Bikesdirect and this bike in particular.
Nearly all have never touched one. Those who actually know what they are like give them excellent reviews. Just do a search.
If the worst shot you can throw is dated decals that speaks volumes to me, again this person has not ridden the product which I’m is more important than the decals but you can make that call.
No, this bike is not made in China unlike those crappy top end Pinnerelos, Specialized and countless other top end carbon frames, this frame is manufactured by Ora engineering in Taiwan. The number of… Sorry… imbeciles who still think made in China is crap never ceases to amaze. Do they make crap? Sure, and so did we with cars for nearly 2 decades. American cars were international jokes, lemons. Amazingly enough both the US and China can produce quality. The fact is China produces more high end carbon fiber than any country.
Is my Fly Ti the best? Absolutely, for the money nothing even comes close. The best money no object, duh, of course not! I would prefer it over Lynsky’s budget frame any day. This has shaped, butted tubing while Lynsky offers straight gauge. I have read more complaints with Lynsky warranty than Bikesdirect ditto frame failures.
Now, if you are one of those well off, support your local bike shop guys who don’t mind giving away hundreds of dollars to support a business that’s your prerogative but no business has paid particular care about my finances as a consumer. I am silly enough to think capitalism and the free market worked by the consumer seeking the best deal while the business seeks the bottom line by providing that deal. Bikesdirect delivers.

I have to concur and give Motobecane and Bikes Direct a big thumbs up. I have been enjoying my ti framed Bullet fat bike for the last 3 months, riding on the local trails and mostly the beach. One of the smartest purchases I ever made. Just ask my lovely wife. The frame has a big “made in Taiwan” sticker on the steering head. Just so all the bike snobs know that it was not made in China. The frame is a work of art. If you find a better deal, buy it. And let me know. Happy trails! Ray