The Order...

I placed the order for my new Motobecane Fantom Pro 29er this past Saturday and it is on its way. I've heard and read mixed things about Bikesdirect.com, where I bought the bike, but so far so good. I asked a few technical questions and some questions regarding my order and heard back from them with responsive, on point answers promptly.

Bikesdirect sent me the receipt instantly and the tracking information as soon as it was shipped via email. I read one complaint where a buyer from Bikesdirect thought he had been forced to pay through pay-pal. I initially thought the same, but upon review Paypal is just they way that they accept payment. The receipt makes it look like you paid through paypal on the buyer end, but if you choose credit card, which they make clear to you how to do, then it is no problem whatsoever. I even got cc awards points with my purchase. How great is that?!

I originally was thinking about buying the Moto Fantom 29er, but for the extra $200 for the Fantom Pro, you get a much improved Rock Shox Tora 318 solo air fork WITH REMOTE CONTROL LOCKOUT (which alone justifies the extra cost), an improved Truvativ crankset, hydrolic juicy 3 brakes, and better shifters (LX rather than Deore). Both models come with an XT rear derailleur, which I think is impressive for this price point. I also like the matte gray color that is offered with the Fantom Pro. Once I saw that color choice and the upgrades, the value of which far outpaces the additional couple of dollars, it was a no-brainer for me.

While I liked most of the bike's features, I already made moves to upgrade or modify the bike in a number of ways. I bought avid bb7 mechanical disc brakes with avid bb7 speed dial levers to replace the juicy 3 hydros and levers. I like the ease of use and consistency you get with mechanical disc brakes. Although I do a good bit of work on my own bikes, I don't want to get into having to bleed brakes and buy bleed kits etc etc. I also got a sette evo saddle to replace the wtb stock saddle. The stock saddle just looks big and bulky and heavy, although it received good reviews on mtbr.com. The Evo is light weight, made to take some punishment and is aesthetically pleasing. I typically use Fizik Ariones on all of my bikes, but I had to keep the costs down on this project (have to support the wife's Ugg habit somehow, erg!).

I also bought a pair of Shimano m520 pedals to replace the stock platform pedals. C'mon, you can't ride a bike like this with platform pedals guys. The m520's are a bit heavy, but I've been using an older model of them since I began biking and they are nothing but reliable, bomb proof and super easy to get in and out of. I'll take than any day over saving 100 grams and this is coming from a triathlete weight weenie.

I'm also going to convert this bike to a 1x9 right off the bat so I bought a BBG light weight bashguard 36t to replace the big ring and I purchased a n gear jump stop to keep the chain on the middle ring. We'll have to see how that all works.

My bike is supposed to come tomorrow with the rest of the parts in two days for the build and conversion. I plan to do the build and conversion on Friday night, assuming all the parts come in on time. It is supposed to be a beautiful week weather wise next week, so I'm hoping to have it ready to go by then.

I'll be sure to keep all of my readers in touch as I move through the process and of course add pictures.