Great value, well built titanium frame, light yet strong, good to excellent components. This bike is light and agile enough that with its lockout fork and 700c wheels, you can slap on 40mm road tires and ride the pavement. Or you could get a set of off-road rims and you'd have the versatility of 2 bikes.

Stock seat post too short and it slips in the frame. Clamp isn't up to snuff. Grips are spongy, cheap. Assembly quality from the factory was poor - not enough grease in the b-b or the headset, and no anti-sieze on the b-b. This is not good. People have commented about the FS b-b being weak - maybe it is the lack of lubrication?

After owning a stable of bikes, we moved to a condo and I had to downsize. 3 bikes became 2 - an Airborne Valkyrie Ti road bike and a Cove Stiffee hard tail. Both were great bikes, but I kept thinking that it would be great to have one bike that could do everything, including carry a set of full fenders without having my toes catch the front fender. The 29er formula is it. 700c wheels give you easier rolling and lots of city tire choices; and the hard tail frame has lots of room for full fenders (Planet Bike Cascadia II-29) that are wide enough to shield the rider from almost all spray from the wheels.

The locking front fork allows me to avoid wasted energy on long climbs, which is great because I live on the side of a mountain. And the Avid disk brakes give me sure, powerful stops when it rains, even on steep hills with wet rims. This bike is light, feels very smooth and comfortable, and it handles well and feels quite agile. It's not as toss-able as my Airborne road bike, but it's a lot more agile than my Cove Stiffee hard tail. It feels like an excellent compromise.

It also feels strong on single track. I originally bought my Cove Stiffee because my previous mountain bikes felt flimsy in the rough stuff. My Rocky Mountain Hammer flexed too much, and my Kona Cinder Cone was even more spaghetti-like. The Moto feels strong without feeling stiff or uncomfortable.

I love the Shimano XTR components, the brakes have been good so far, and the Vuelta wheels are well tensioned. But the seat post is a little loose - it slips in the frame.

The geometry barely fits me. I'm 5'8-3/4" and have a 30" inseam. The small (15.5") frame barely has enough stand-over height for me. The cockpit length is about right, but the seat post was about 2" too short. I replaced it. The bars are wide enough (several other reviewers complained about narrow bars - I think BikesDirect must have fixed this), and I've been impressed with the Skye saddle so far - even better than my Selle Italia Ti, which was my choice over 5 other saddles I've tried.

I'm giving it 5 for value (I'd give it 6 if I could - BikesDirect sold it to me for half price). I'm giving it 4 hot peppers overall because it isn't perfect with the seat tube and clamp problems, but I'd have given it a 4-1/2 if that was possible.

Similar Products Used:

Cove Stiffee FR, Kona Cinder Cone, Rocky Mountain Hammer

Value, Climbing ability, weight, warranty from motobecane.

Non UST rims, Seatpost clamp, grips

Ordered from BikesDirect, at the door in 4 days. Very well set up after rotors/wheels put on. Only 2 barrel turns for the rear derailleur needed.
Great geometry. I ordered the XO 2 X 10 - gearing is perfect. This review is from the initial ride, will update if any more negatives. Mine came with 660 mm ritcheys, but I prefer more sweep, so that is individual taste. Foam grips and skinny seatpost Clamp changed. Mine also came with elixer 9 brakes. Not broken in , but damn good. Love the actuaction adjustment dial on these brakes.No bleeding needed.
Climbs like a goat, at least for the power my skinny legs can produce, and decsends well too. Flat out hauls on the flats and wants another gear, which is possible. I have a steel frame 29er, and this bike had the same nice mannerisms as far as reducing the trail chatter. Tires ? SB 8's work great here in the hard pack desert. First ride was on the 24 hour trail n. of Tucson AZ. Tires are very subjective, so I will leave it at that. For an XC hardtail has more bang for the buck than anything out there, IMO - especially for a Ti frame which is really put together well. Per motobecane a 100 yr. warranty? Crazy.
I am 5' 10" and the 19 incher fit me perfect. If I was taller the 350 mm ritchey seatpost wouldn't do the job, I would need a 400 mm. But no worries there. I have longer arms too, so opted for the longer top tube.
Bottom line - if you want a XC hardtail that is light, responsive, and a great value you can't go wrong for the money.

Similar Products Used:

Access, Voodoo

light, beautiful (once I removed the gaudy top tube decal), great climbing geo

not a Yelli Screamy

I did not buy the built bike from BD, but rather the frame and fork. I sold the Rock shock and rode it with a Niner steel fork for my first year. It was light and climbed wonderfully, but my brain did get rattled some. Bought an F29 terra logic 100 and then I almost stopped riding my full suss Rip9. 70% of the time I reached for the Ti hardtail. It is efficient and direct. The geometry really hooks up on the ascents. It would still be my #1 ride had I not discovered the Yelli Screamy.

The price, most of components and the titanium frame. Did I mention the price.

The seat post is too short. The grips are too spongy. The afterburner crankset is not playing nice with the front derailleur. Bottom bracket and the seatpost squeaks, but I think that's just nature of flexy titanium meeting hard aluminum. Bottom bracket had to be re-greased and tightened.

I was about to blow 3000 on a Supefly when I came across this bike. After exhaustive research I pulled a trigger, although I was bit apprehensive about buying online. Got the bike shipped fast and well packed. No problems out of the box, had local LBS put it together. Bikes Direct people have great customer service.
I mostly ride cross and trail, although there a lot of rocky trails here in AZ. With tubeless setup, a bit flex in the frame, properly set front shock and some technique I manage on rocky trail mountain riding just fine.
I am so glad I chose 30 speed over 20, because with 30 this bike really gives you possibilities, from steep, technical climbs to just paved road riding. It's really a flyer !

Bang for your buck is superior
Race ready out of the box
Light and responsive

Remote lockout would have been a great touch--but for the price there are none.

I trained and raced on this bike very hard in the Ontario and Canada Cup XC as well as 8 hr and three day stage events--pounded the crap out of it at race pace and it never faltered at all. I did change out the fork and wheels to my preference, whih only made the bike better and lighter. There is no better deal out there for the money--if you find one buy it and tell me too! The bike is a little shorter on the top tube compared to some other brands that I have tried--but a little tweeking fixes that easily. It is great for a rider who is aggresive and loves to go fast!!!!

Similar Products Used:

FUJI pro Carbon, Specialized 29ers, KHS Team, Specialized hardtails and Rocky Mountain Hardtails

Price obviously, XO components, overall build quality, Service after the sale!

None thus far!

This was not my first purchase from BD. Bought ny SO''s GT road bike after hers was stolen and realized that BD delivered a quality product at substantial savings over my LBS. But this Ti29er was actually my second choice. I bought a carbon BAMF "Bleep"kicker 29 from GiantNerd. Nice bike with X7/X9 components, however it has a flawed design resulting in the rear brake rotor having less than a credit card's width between it and the seat stay! I ended up sending the bike back and ate the $75.00 ProBuild and $50.00 return fee and it was less, much less than a pleasant experience.

By contrast, when my Ti had a problem with the XO shifter, BD got rit on it with SRAM and had a new shipped to me USPS Priority Mail within days of me calling them. Excellent saervice after the sale!!

As to the bike itself, I'm lovi'n' it. This bike replaced a pretty nice Scott alum. hardtail and the 29er difference out there is amazing not to mention that at 23 - 24 lbs., it's a pleasure to drive and lots of fun to boot. Last ride out, I traversed a gravel railroad bed in search of some out of the way trails. While a bit nerve racking doing a couple miles over gravel stone in sweltering heat, it handled it well. Never could have done that on the Scott 26, no way!

I've changed out the grips for Ergon GP-1's and will probably go for a littlle wider carbon bar. Other than that, the build on this bike for the money is amazing. I have a high end carbon road bike from Velo Vie that I love and so can appreciate a quality bike build and this is all of that. Those naysayers about mailorder bikes haven't a clue or are so, because they work at a LBS. Which btw, my mechanic who has been with my LBS for over 10 years and moonlights on the side, he re installed the XO shifter and set it up for mealong with a thorough going over of the bike was impressed and asked me where I got the bike. When I told him and the price, he was blown away! He said they only specail ordered Ti and the comparable Ti from his workplace would be thou$and$ more! Said it was a GREAT buy!

I'll come back and update me experience later thus year after I've had an opportunity to really beat on this bike some more. ;-)

In summary if you are someone here wondering, thinking about whether or not you should take a chance on this bike, wondering if you will be disappointed and have been warned by the naysayers not to buy mailorder from BD let me put those questions and hesitation to rest. Like so many others who have posted here, you will be more than pleased and satisfied with this Ti 29 and will have saved thousands of dollars off a comparable purchase in Carbon never mind a Ti bike, literally thousands!

Similar Products Used:

Scott 26 Alum. hardtail, Gary Fisher alum. cross.

Overall value, I like the Small Block 8 for the dry hardpack and embedded rock roads in Ecuador. THe wheels have held up nicely, still going strong after 30+ rides. I got the bike with a swapped in 110mm stem which seems good. 130 is too long. The handlebars are narrow but I like 'em. Brakes are smooth and powerful. The XO shifting is excellent but not as smooth as XTR. The 21" frame is sturdy and smooth. I don't find it flexy at all.

The FSA cranks are fine but the Mega Exo bottom bracket started grinding after 4 months. The plug comes loose as well. I got a mechanic to put some grease in and now it is a smoother grind. I am going to replace the bb in July when I return home to the USA. The seat that came with the bike is a joke, it is a really light piece of junk. The inner tubes are superlight too but I like to have a thicker pair inside until I go tubeless.

I am a 6'3"road biker with little MB experience. Now I live in Ecuador and mountaing biking is all the rage here. I love to climb on my road bike so I decided to go with the 21" 29er. I found one on Ebay. It was practically new so I got a good deal for $1650. I ride the bike 3 times a week. Needs a seatpost clamp that I don't need to use an allen wrench to adjust. The Small Block 8's are fast. I wore out a pair and changed to IRC mythos 29er XC's. Mistake... I slowed way down and guys I was beating the week before were keeping up with me. The big knob tires do better in the mud but the rainy season is almost over and the SB8's work well for the conditions. I am going to get another pair of the SB8's soon. THe bike climbs up fire roads really well. I raced 4 miles uphill with a much more experiened rider using a 19lb full carbon trek with 26" wheels. My bike is at least 6lbs heavier and after a 15 battle the Fly Team motored ahead and I left the $6K trek in the dust. The wheels have held up fine, no issues in the first 6 months. I want to buy a 2nd wheelset and go tubeless. Overall I love the bike. Great value and good introductry ride for an experienced roadie. I have trouble descending but that is mainly a skill issue and I'm getting better. At 6'3" I need to drop the seat and get low. Overall I do non-technical XC riding. The frame is good but I don't have much to compare it to. My last MB was an 87 Bridgestone. The Ti is comfy, not at all like the pounding you might get from Alum. The frame doesn't feel whippy at all. Smooth overall. So, in summary, great bike at a great deal. Good luck finding one. If you can afford it go for the Fly Team XX or XTR version. The higher quality parts would be worth it. I want to get another bike from BD. Probably the Cafe city bike.

Similar Products Used:

none, first MB in 23 years

BD Purchase Experience – No problems or complaints. Delivery was fast (less than a week) and I found everything to be in perfect condition when I unpacked the box. The value is well documented—I couldn’t find anything similar for the same price.

Frame Quality – I’m not sure how the Fly Team welds/finish compares to Moots, Seven, Lynskey et al, but it looks good to me. The frame hasn’t broken after a year of hard riding and I expect that it will hold up for many years. I did remove the stickers from the downtube and toptube—a simple and quick process with a little bit of Jasco paint stripper. Nothing against Motobecane, I just thought the stickers were ugly and I like the look of a clean/uncluttered titanium frame—I did leave the Moto badge on the head tube.

Fork – The Reba fork has performed really well. Getting it dialed for my weight and riding was easy—a good “set it and forget it” piece of gear. Lockout is nice since most of my rides involve a few road miles to get the trails.
Drivetrain Parts – I have the 2x10 XTR group and love it. XTR shifting is still flawless after a year of regular use/abuse in PNW conditions. The FSA 386 crankset works fine, but has the annoying issue of coming loose after a couple of rides (primarily the end cap). This happens despite regularly checking and tightening bolts to the recommended torque. When the chainrings and BB are ready for replacement I will probably just upgrade to a Shimano 2x10 crankset.

Wheelset – Initially I thought the Vuelta Team SL wheels were suspect, but I have been pleasantly surprised. After a year of regular use on all kinds of trails/terrain they are holding up great—still perfectly true and bearings are super smooth. I like the Kenda Small Blocks as a summer/dry conditions tire and all-around performance was better than expected.

Brakes – No complaints or issues with the Avid Elixir CR brakes. Good stoppers.

Cockpit – Only the seatpost remains, but this was anticipated before I bought the bike. As others have noted, the handlebar is ridiculously short—replaced after one ride with 685mm flat bar. I’m 6’ tall and the 120mm stem on a large frame was too much reach for me—replaced after one ride with 100mm. The saddle was OK for short rides, but when I started doing longer rides I found that it didn’t agree with my bottom after about 2 hours. My only real gripe in this department is the handlebar.

The Ride – I like it a lot. I’ve had all kinds of mountain bikes over the years, but this is my first extended experience with titanium. It definitely has the responsive yet compliant feel that people associate with titanium. I would not characterize this bike as “nimble” in tight/twisty terrain, but it gets the job done just fine. I ride this bike on any/all trails and rarely wish that I had rear suspension or feel too beat up. I’m more of a XC/trail rider and most of my favorite rides include lots of climbing and moderately technical single track so I really appreciate the balance between efficiency and comfort that a titanium hard tail offers. The Fly Team 29er could easily be my only mountain bike.

The frame may flex a little more than the super strong expert rider would like.

Bought the frame/fork from bikeisland.com and built the bike with the parts I wanted on a pretty tight budget. I wanted the full XO or XTR version of the bike but neither was available in my size and I was also unsure of the wheels it came with and definitely didn't want the small block 8s (sidewall is way too flimsy). When I built the bike (large frame) I was hoping it would weigh 24 lbs. and it weighed in at 23.8. I plan to upgrade to an XTR crank soon which will shave a little more weight off.
Got killer deals on almost all parts from bikerbob.com in Ohio. I believe I spent $2400 total but already had nice pedals, bottle cages & seat. Very good deal.

This is an outstanding frame! I have waited 1 year to post this review to get a full objective understanding of the bike in several types of terrain.
I have raced it and ridden an average of 3x per week on rides that are usually 1.5-2 hrs. and 16-24 mi. from extremely rocky mnt. trails to loose dirt/sandy rolling hills.
Handling is top notch and I am able to really push speed and keep momentum on this bike in every type of terrain. It climbs extremely well and acceleration is very good too. With 19 psi in the tires this bike rides smoother and more predictably than my full suspension 26er and is way more efficient. The smooth ride is probably also due to the fact that the Ti frame has a good amount of flex to it. Coming off of a f/s bike I really pay attention to keeping the bike light over rocks and roots but I've always found that easy to do and it's a no-brainer now. Braking is unbelievably good on this bike too and I can brake extremely hard and almost never skid the rear wheel.

Similar Products Used:

this is my 1st 29er hardtail

Price, weight, price, shifters/derailleurs, price, brakes, forks.

Saddle, tires, grips.

I have to say that I was a bit apprehensive about buying this bike as I was a shop mechanic for many years and "hate" mail order deals. That said, this bike has been fabulous and has quickly become my favorite bike ever. I raced it all last cross season with a carbon rigid fork, cross tires, and the narrow stock Ritchey bars and absolutely loved it. The stock Vuelta wheels are better than I thought--light and hubs are still running smooth after a full Fall and Winter of riding/racing. I have ridden it in mtb form with Reba RL fork, low rise carbon bars, and Racing Ralph tires, in four cross country races and numerous training rides. After a short adjustment to the 29er wheel size, I feel perfectly at home on any tight single track, and I love how smooth the bike rolls over smaller cattery terrain. I have even taken it on the famous Downieville downhill and cleared all the rocky technical sections without a problem. The bike is a great deal right out of the box, and provides an awesome platform for future upgrades. I love the fact that I can use it as a serious cyclocross race machine and in 15 minutes have it ready for cross country mountain biking. With the decals removed, the bike is sexy enough to sit in the living room without my wife complaining and I get compliments on it on almost every ride.

Similar Products Used:

Many 26" hardtails over the years