No Ride this weekend as I finished up the bathroom renovation. Starting tomorrow I should be able to start my road bike riding in the mornings before I go to work.
So today instead I will compare some cousins.
Bikesdirect just came out with a series of new 29ers. They are the Windsor Cliff series. They have the Team at $950, the Pro at $750 and the Comp at $550. I thought I would compare the Comp to my Fantom 29.
Here are the specs:http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/windsor/windsor_cliff29comp.htm
Both have Avid BB5 Brakes but the Cliff has 160 mm rotors vs 185 mm rotors for the Fantom 29.
The Fantom 29 has WTB 29 x 2.1 with FX28 Rims with MotoRaptor Tires vs WTB SpeedDisc AM 29" and Maxxis Ignitor 29x2.1 (Foldable Bead) tires. Call it even
Both have RockShox Dart 3 Fork at $125 but the Fantom 29 has 100 mm travel vs 80 mm for the Cliff.
Both frames are aluminum.
The Fantom 29 has Shimano Deore Mega-9 Rapid Fire 27 speed trigger shift at $90 for pair vs SRAM X-5 at $50 for the Cliff.
The Fantom 29 has Shimano Deore XT long cage rear derailleur RD-M761 at $85 vs SRAM X-5 at $45 for the Cliff.
Both have the TruVativ 5D 22/32/44T Crankset at $70.
The Fantom 29 has Shimano Deore FD-M510 front derailleur $26 vs SRAM X-5 at $33 for the Cliff.
Conclusion:The difference in parts cost excluding the frame is that the Fantom 29 has $73 more in parts. Its Relative Value Factor is 0.953 so it is slightly less of a value than the Fantom 29. But if you want to spend a lttle less money, the Cliff 29 seems like a good deal.
The Fantom 29 has better shifters, rear derailleur and brakes (larger rotor).
As an on going recap here is a list of the bikes I reviewed. They are ranked by a Relative Value Factor (RVF) . The RVF is the price of the Fantom 29 + or - the value of the major parts difference (Delta) divided by the price of the bike.
Bike Price Delta RVF
Motobecane Fantom Pro: 796, 455, 1.32
Motobecane Fantom 29: 596, 0, 1.0
Windsor Cliff 29 Comp: 549, -73, 0.951
IBEX Section 29: 1034, 378, 0.942
Raleigh XXIX+G: 1100, 368, 0.876
Diamondback Overdrive : 600, -122, 0.790
Marin Alpine Trail 29er 667, -122, 0.711
Specialized Rockhopper Disc 29er: 760 ,-144 ,0.595
Cannondale 29er 4 Caffeine: 1059, -125, 0.445
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6 comments:
Correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems you do not account for differences in the frames themselves? I bet the Raleigh would give your bike a run for its money.
Interesting measure. What about an RVF for the straight Raleigh XXIX? I bought a 2007 version in February for $600. At that price, what is the RVF?
How does the Fantom series compare to the Windsor series from Bikesdirect
How about Niner or Surly Karate Monkey bikes? I am about to buy a 29er and see a lot of these out there (especially the Wissahickon crowd).
I'm a big believer in you get what you pay for and wonder about Motobecane frames. Why is I can't easily find weights of frames to compare?
Applaud your effort and system for the most part. You do need to compare frame quality and it would be great if you could develop an objective measure.
What about the Windsor Cliff 29er Team?...It looks like you get about a $400 parts upgrade over the Fantom Pro for $185 (from bikesdirect)
The reason people suggest buying from a local bike shop is to support your community. Keep your money local and your town will stay a healthy community. Buy online and mom/pop shops fall to strip malls wall mart hell.
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