Motobecane Fantom 29 vs. Motobecane Fantom 29 Pro SL

I was asked to see how the Fantom 29 would compare to the Fantom Pro SL. So here it is....

Of course the Pro SL is nicer with higher end components but is it a better value?

The major differences between the two bikes are the fork, brakes, crankset and shifters.

The 29 has Avid BB-5 Brakes vs the Pro with Avid Juicy 7 Hydraulic Brakes. The Juicy Brakes are about $180 more.

The 29 has RockShox Dart 3 Fork at $125 vs RockShox 29er Reba SL WITH Mission Control damping and PopLoc Adjust, 100mm travel, Adjustable Rebound at $500 for the Pro SL.

The Fantom 29 has TruVativ 5D 22/32/44T Crankset at $70 vs TruVativ FireX 22/32/44T at $140 for the Pro SL.

The Fantom 29 has Shimano Deore Mega-9 shifters vs the Shimano XT on the Pro SL for about $100 more.

I also received some comments from i2ambler with additional value:

The rear derailleur on the Fantom Pro SL is an XTR not an XT. This is a difference of about $100. The Fantom 29 uses FX28 rims, where the Fantom29 Pro SL uses Trail29 LaserDisc. The FX28 rims are $30 each (60 for the pair) where the Laserdiscs are $50 each - $100 for the pair.

The 29 has a SpeedV seat at $30 where the Pro SL has the Rocket v at $50. The Tires are Kenda Smallblock 8 instead of Motoraptor tires a difference of about $60.

Conclusion:The Pro has $945 more in parts. It costs $995.95 on bikesdirect. Its Relative Value Factor is 1.55 and therefore is the best value of the bikes I evaluated so far. I did not want to spend a lot of money. So I am still satisfied with my Fantom 29 purchase.

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 SL: 996, 945, 1.55
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

18 Month Review- 534.2 Miles

Well I have been riding the Fantom 29 for 1 1/2 years now. Since the 15 month review I only had a flat front tire due to thorns on the Thun Trail. The bike continues to perform well.

I have noticed that I have not been riding the Fantom 29 as much as last year. It has been due to the rain we have been getting here. I usually mountain bike ride on Sunday mornings and road bike ride most other days. It seems there has been a lot of rain on Sunday mornings or late Saturday night to make the trails too muddy.

Below is a summary of the 1 1/2 years. It looks like I should also do the 50 ride maintenance. I should have time in September.

Repairs
March 15, 2008 Loose Bottle cage holder
March 22, 2008 31.8 miles Flat Tire
March 23, 2008 Chainstay nicks
August 02, 2008 Bent Derailleur Hanger
August 11, 2008 203.6 miles Flat Tire
October 05 2008 285 miles Flat Rear Tire
June 27, 2009 494.5 miles Flat Front Tire

Maintenance
Normal chain lube after every 2 to 3 rides
Adjusted brakes to compensate for wear a couple of times
25 ride PM on September 06, 2008

Riding Statistics
Number of Rides: 52
Mileage : 544.2
Average mileage: 10.5 miles per ride
Longest Ride: 35.2 miles Blue Marsh Lake

494.5 Miles Flat Front Tire!

Today I took a ride on the Thun Trail from Birdsboro to Pottstown, then back to Birdsboro. The ride was 17 miles. This is the same ride I took on May 24, 2008 and on June 13, 2008 .
I got a flat tire about 4.3 miles into the ride.











I had just passed over the Schuylkill River when I noticed that my front tire was going flat.

I carry everything I need to change a flat. I have a spare tube, tire levers, CO2 inflator and a multi tool. However, In my over 3500 road and trail miles, I have yet to change a flat in the field. I was a little nervous using the CO2 inflator since I had not done that before and I only had one 16g cartridge.

Oh, one thing I was missing-- mosquito repellent. They were terrible!

I flipped the bike over and removed the front wheel.

Using the tire levers, I removed one side of the tire. Then removed the tube.

I checked for the cause of the flat and found 2 sharp thorns. Later at home I confirmed that it was a thorn puncture flat by the location of the hole.

I replaced the tube with a Slime SmartTube.

My inflator has a CO2 cartridge stored in it. I turned the cartridge to the proper orientation, then screwed on the valve top.

I then unscrewed the presta valve on the tire to allow the CO2 to enter. Then I slide the inflator on the presta valve. Then I lifted the handle and pulled the trigger.

The tire inflated properly. Later when I got home I checked the pressure and it was about 20 psi. I topped the tire off to 35 psi.

I then put the wheel back on and was on my way.

I was surprised at how many people passed by while I was fixing the flat and didn't even ask if I needed help.

On my way back from Pottstown I did reach 500 miles!

Right in front of this pretty building.

Back at Birdsboro.

I stopped for a cup of coffee at Turkey Hill.

15 Month Review- 472.7 Miles

I had the morning off so I took a ride to Marsh Creek State Park. It was a beautiful day with temperatures in the low 70s. I rode 11.7 miles.
This is also my 15 month review. I don't have much to report because the Fantom 29 has performed flawlessly. I have had absolutely no problems since my last review.

Enjoy the pics of Marsh Creek.

Motobecane Fantom 29 One Year Review

Evaluation
Frame: After getting a longer seat post and adjustable stem, the 17" frame fits me well. The black finish is holding up well- no scratches. The chainstay nicks were the only area that needed some attention.

Brakes: Excellent stopping power. Very easy to adjust for brake wear.

Shifting: Very smooth.

Drivetrain: The 22/32/44T crankset and 11-32T cassette provides a range of 20 to 116 gear inches. I usually ride in the middle chainring which provides 29 to 84 gear inches.

Tires: MotoRaptor 29x2.1 perform well in the trails that I ride. They provide excellent traction. The 29er wheels do well for climbing and rolling over obstacles.

Fork: The Dart 3 performs well. I rarely use the lockout, but it is a nice feature to have. I can ride downhill fairly fast and the fork absorbs the terrain well.

Maintenance: Overall very low. I have had 3 flats due to manufacturing tube defects. Not really Motobecane's fault, just cheap tubes. I will use tires with slime in the future.

Overall Ride: The Fantom 29 has proven to be an excellent addition to my fitness regime, providing an excellent off road riding workout.

Repairs

March 15, 2008 Loose Bottle cage holder

March 22, 2008 31.8 miles Flat Tire

March 23, 2008 Chainstay nicks

August 02, 2008 Bent Derailleur Hanger

August 11, 2008 203.6 miles Flat Tire

October 05 2008 285 miles Flat Rear Tire

Maintenance

Normal chain lube after every 2 to 3 rides

Adjusted brakes to compensate for wear a couple of times

25 ride PM on September 06, 2008

Riding Statistics

Number of Rides: 38

Mileage : 405.3

Average mileage: 10.7 miles per ride

Longest Ride: 35.2 miles Blue Marsh Lake

Number of Rides: Marsh Creek State Park: 16

Number of Rides Springton Manor Farms: 16

Number of Rides Thun Trail: 2 average : 23.7 miles

Number of Rides Blue Marsh Lake: 1 , 35.2 miles

Number of Rides French Creek State Park: 2, average: 8.7 miles

Number of Rides at Warwick Park: 1, 10.4 miles

One Year Blogging!

Well today is one year anniversary of this blog!

The reason I started this blog was to document my evaluation of the Motobecane Fantom 29. When I was looking to buy a mountain bike to vary my fitness regime, I saw that the Fantom 29 seemed like a good deal. However, there were not a lot of reviews. Most of the reviews were from people that did not have the Fantom 29, but rather complained about its quality or support since it was not purchased at a local bike shop.

Some blog statistics:

Number of Followers: (6) Patrick, Mike, Sam, Graceson, Bradley and 29erRider

Number of posts: 95

Number of Comments: 93 (some were me returning comments). I like comments please keep them coming.

Number of visits: 1615 (Since December 14 based on Sitemeter.com)

Countries of visitors: United States, Phillipines, Finland, France, Spain, Portugal, Austrialia, Venuezula, Dubai UAE, Germany, Brazil, Sweden, Mexico, Italy, Belguim, United Kingdom, Poland.

The Motobecane Fantom 29 performed extremely well and required little maintenance. Therefore most of my blog posts were more about my rides rather than the bike itself.

I have one year of posts that documented every ride I took on the Fantom 29. This should give the reader an idea of how the bike performs and what you can do with it. I will now change up the blog and only post when : 1.) I have a periodic review every 6 months, 2.) There is significant maintenance or 3.) When I ride in a new location that I have not reported on.So there should be fewer posts but I hope more informative.

Thanks for reading. Any comments or suggestions would be appreciated.

400 Miles on the Motobecane Fantom 29

Today I rode 9.5 miles at Marsh Creek State Park. The Fantom 29 performed flawlessly and has passed the 400 mile mark.

There was a light snow last night and everything was covered. It was a beautiful sight.

I took my usual route up to the quarry, then south along the struble trail, north along the Struble Trail then up the blue trail back to Chalfont Road.

This little guy continues to hang out on the trail to the Quarry.