It’s been some time since I’ve wanted a bike REALLY bad. Being part of the world of Media for Mountain Biking we’re exposed to so many different and wonderful bikes with all the bells and whistles. Heck some of them costs more than the value of my car…yah..sad isn’t it. But as the title says, it happens once in a while. I’ve been Single Speeding for about a year now and I simply love it.

I’ve often said to the guys around me that 29ers are cool, but if they were simply lighter I’d ride them more. Then I realized that there these bikes called Cyclocross…hmm novel idea. I thought the idea of Cross bikes are pretty awesome because it mixes the speed and stuff of road biking, but on dirt! So I for the longest time I’ve been wanting a single speed cyclocross bike…and guess what? BikesDirect has one called the Fantom Cross Uno for $399.99!

So this bike that you see before you is the bike that caught my attention…yes more so than the bikes with super duper suspension or carbon parts…

Popularity: 7% [?]

Though the specs on the site doesn’t match the bike…what we have is spec’d WAY better…For example the bike has FSA cranks, Rockshox SID fork and Vuelta Wheels.

As mentioned on their site:

Specifications:

Sub-23 Pounds. Shimano XT 27 Speed, LX Shifters / FR Derailleur
Kinesium 6000 Series Double-butted Aluminum frame, RockShox Pilot SL LongTravel Suspension Fork External Adjust, Avid SD5 Brakes and Levers, M-Wings Team Issue Wheelset (Alex XT16 Double Wall rims with Machined Sidewalls, Stainless Double Butted Spokes 32fr/32r, Alloy Nipples), Stylo FireX SL Cranks/Splined BB, M-Wings Team Issue 6061 Aluminum 160g Bar, 147g Stem and 270g Seatpost,Kenda Klimax Lite Kevlar Tires.

Product Tested: Motobecane Fly Pro

Price: MSRP of $1895 but have been known to be sold for as little as $895…with a SID fork!

About Me: I’m 195lbs of pure man. I love bikes. I ride all sorts of bike,s fixied gear, All-Mountain, Tandem and recently BMX

Testing Grounds: Fullerton Loop, Powder Canyon, Yuma Proving Grounds in Yuma, Az.

First Impressions: This bike is super fast! Anyone that gets on this bike will quickly see that the Motobecane Flypro is a very quick and nimble bike and reacts to any little direction you give it. For a 23lbs bike, this bike does feel solid. Climbing on it is out of this world. I’ve ridden the same trails with the Fly Pro and another bike, and I have yet to experience a bike in my stable of 15 bicycles, that could climb as well as the Motobecane.

Strengths: 23lbs…need I say more? Components are very impressive with brands like Shimano LX, FSA, Ritchey and Vuelta adorning the frame. The proper combination of parts and purpose made this bike a great tool for any cross country rider and racer. Stopping power provided by the Avid SD5’s makes you forget all about disc brakes.

With it’s light weight, I was able to really sail on this bike. I know its weird but it almost felt like I was riding this bike with the same efficiency as a road bike. Yes it is basically a XC bike, but the truth is, the bike can handle rougher terrain. There were parts of the trail at the Yuma Proving Grounds where it was nothing but rocks. The Motobecane was able to not only take the abuse but to also weather anything the trail had to offer.

The rear Shimano XT and LX shifters made this bike very accurate when it came to shifting. Since I’ve received the bike a few months ago, I tuned it once and haven’t had a need to tune yet. What I also liked about how it shifted, the pods have bi-directional shifting. So for example, if you needed to down shift your rear derailluer you can either pull the trigger with your index finder or push it with your thumb. This goes the same way on the front shifter. This was perfect if you are suddenly coming up on a climb and need to change gears right away.

One more thing to enjoy about this bike is the ability to feel the power you are putting into it. What I mean by that is this, for each pedal stroke you get, you feel it connect to the ground. When I’m in sprinting mode or just plain out going fast, you can feel the bike lunge forward.

Weaknesses: Ok there was only 1…yes that’s right, just 1 thing I did not like about this bike. The Kenda Klimax Lite Kevlar Tires tires it came with did not suit my needs.

Check out this picture, the tread pattern for these tires are great for dry conditions. But when we tried them on the trails out here, I was slipping and sliding everywhere. The tires just had a hard time connecting on the trails that I was riding on. Don’t get me wrong these tires are great for racing and Dirt Rag Magazine even gave it a pretty good review. But for me, it came down to personal preference and after 3 rides on them, I had to switch to a set of Kenda Koyote - 26″ x 1.95″

Summary: This bike is a must. I totally recommend it for any cross country rider. It’s light and strong…how many bikes can do both of those at the same time? You’re either too light and you gotta take it easy or your so strong and the bike weighs like a tank. But Motobecane seems to have figured out an explosive combination of the right components, and the perfect frame to offer a very affordable race ready bike. So again, if you were to ask me, “would you recommend it?� I’d yes right away!

For more information about the Fly Pro, please contact Motobecane

Popularity: 9% [?]