Thursday, March 22, 2012

Replacing the Motobecane

Last year I got a screaming deal on this Motobecane Outcast 29er single speed on eBay. This bike was a great way to dip my toe in the 29er waters. Over the last year I've been was slowly upgrading the parts to a semi-respectable ride:

 Motobecane Outcast 29er

I have ridden the thing pretty hard, including the Colorado trail trip last fall. It came with a couple parts that needed replacing, such as the terrible Rock Shox Dart 3 fork, and heavy, however strong, wheel set. It also has a real old XT 8 speed group from my Dad's cruiser. I have been pleased with it, but always on the lookout for a nicer frame. Recently, that frame came to me!

 Spot Longboard 9 

The beauty is that it came with components but needs a fork and a wheel set, which is what was upgraded on the Motobecane. And since I am a pack rat and kept the original parts to the Motobecane, I am able to rebuild it and someone else can shred on it.  Here have a pointless graphic:
I wish I were really organized enough even to have a box that says "old Parts"

Weight wasn't a reason to build this bike up, but here are the numbers:
Motobecane orig build: 28.8
Motobecane upgraded build: 27.5
Spot: 26.5

 Making progress...

And the final result:

 All finished!



I am really pleased with how this bike turned out. The white, creme and baby blue look nice together. What's left is minor tweaking, tightening and adjusting. Keep an eye out for a first ride report and anyone looking for an entry level 29er, give me a shout!

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