Motobecane

Three weeks ago I purchased a Motobecane Cafe Latte on E-bay. The list quoted is $899. I paid around $450 plus shipping.

Cost me $65 to have the bike shop assemble. The shop replaced the brake pads. Said that the ones on the bike were too large for the wheel rims. Another $40.

Even with the extra cost, this is a great entry road bike. Weighs in at 19 pounds, 24 gears and a flat bar design. So far I have 100 miles on the bike. It's great. Of course I upgraded from a 6 year old hybird that weighted about 28 pounds ......

Hope this helps.....

I've ridden older Motobecanes and loved them. The Café Noir is a bike I've been looking at to replace my worn-out commuter...my big problem is that they seem to be sold exclusively online, and I'd like to road-test a bike that's more than 700 bucks.

Started out riding on a Super Touring in the early 80's. Put thousands of miles on it with no problem ever.

I had a French Moto back in the late '70s... Loved it... Bought a Motobecane VentNoir last year and enjoyed the bike... I traveled a lot the last 12 months and did not ride it (as much as I would have liked. I switched out and upgraded some of the componentry (105/Tiagra/Truvativ mix). The seat and pedals, in particular, were horrific... Overall, I was VERY satisfied with the bike, particularly at the price point... I used my LBS for setup and maintenance and they liked the bike and could not believe the price I paid for it (about $750 for the bike with about $200 worth of upgrades...)

Last month my bike (along with an old REI mountain bike) was stolen and I intended to buy a new Moto, although I was looking at one of the higher end Motos... (as well as lower priced Ti bikes like the Habanero and (now defunct) LiteSpeed Arenberg.) Then I rode a friend's LiteSpeed Tuscany and figured that with the year end sales for the '03s plus the insurance money I could afford a Tuscany if I went on an austerity budget (back to cereal for dinner... figure that and the increased riding will get me back in fighting shape in no time...) Bought a Tuscany yesterday... Delivery next week... Set up by Columbus Day... Three days of fall riding... Yee Hah!!!!

Don't know what the moral of the story is except this... The Moto was a good to great value that helped get me excited about biking again after a decade of not riding... If it had not been stolen (by some discerning thief) I would have ridden it happily for a few more years, but ultimately would have upgraded... Good luck... I am a satisfied Moto Alum... and would strongly recommend them to anyone who asks and does not want to drop more than a grand on a good everyday bike...