Mountain Bikes And Parts

If you don't mind the chrome color, the Motobecane 700 HT is an awesome bike. With Shimano Deore front and rear (XT) deraillurs, shifting is going to be very smooth. It also has 27 speeds, which comes in handy when you need an extra gear for steep hills. RockShox Dart II forks will absorb many bumps, and provide a lockout option for long stretches or flat trails or hiss climing. Double
Wall rims add extra strengh when jumping.

If you do purchase this bike, one thing to keep in mind, as with all mail order bikes is that you will have to do the assembly and maintenance yourself, which a local bike store will provide for free if you purchase your bike from them. Of course, you will have to pay an extra $200 - $400 for the same calibur bike, so that is something you will have to keep in mind as well.

One of the weaknesses of this bike is the seat, so you may need to invest a few dollars into a new one. You may also have problems with the seat post. You may also find the rear deraillur a bit tricky to fine tune, which a local bike store will do for you at a small cost. In any case, the Motobecane 700 HT is a very solid bike for the money, and fiding a comparable bike for the same amount of money at your local bike store will be extremely difficult...

The Motobecane 600 HT is a great bike for under $500. You can get one from BikesDirect.com, and they won't charge you shipping, or sales tax for that matter in 49 states.

The Motobecane 600 HT is similar to the 500 HT in many respects, but there are some minor differences. The first thing you will notice is that the 600 HT has RockShox Dart 2 forks, which are very rare to find on a bike for less than $600 at your local bike store.

The other difference is in the shifting - the Motobecane 600 HT comes with an Alivio front derailleur (one step above the Altus) and a Shimano Deore XT rear derailleur. You will also notice a difference in the shifters.

The Motobecane 600 HT also comes with a better wheelset and brakes than the 500 HT. It does cost $110 more, so if it is in your budget, it is a relatively small price to pay for the upgrades you get. Either way, you are going to get a fun bike to ride on the trails, and you won't find it too hard to keep up with the guys on $800 bikes!

If you are reading this, you are probably asking yourself whether or not you should buy a Motobecane 500 HT. Well, if all you have is $320 to spend and you are looking for the best bike for the money, the the answer is a definate yes!

The Motobecane 500 HT is a great bike for money. At only $320, it has the specs of a $500 to $700 bike at your local bike store. Of course, as with all mail order bikes, you are going to have to do all of the maintenance yourself, which can be a drawback if you are not very mechanically inclined, but you can learn how to maintain your bike for free with online videos at places like youtube.com.

The Motobecane 500 HT is one of the few selling bikes under $600 that you can get with Lockout forks. These forks alone sell for as much as $96 online, so considering you get a WHOLE BIKE for only a few hundred dollars more shows you how much value you get in this bike.

The Motobecane 500 HT is equipped with a Shimano Deore rear derailure, which will make shifting a breeze. The front derailure is nothing to brag about, but you can find new Shimano Deore front derailurs on eBay for as little as $10, so upgrading it will not break the bank.

Overall, the Motobecane 500 HT is an awesome bike for the money. Are there better bikes out there? Sure, but many people are paying DOUBLE the price at their local bike store for the same quality bike, or THREE TIMES the money for a bike that isn't a whole lot better. Bottom line is if you want a good quality bike on a shoe string budget, the Motobecane 500 HT is one of your best bets.

At $309, the Motobecane 400 HT is hard to beat compared to other mountain bikes in this price range. For starters, it is a 24 speed, and comes with Shimano Acera shifting that is nothing spectacular, but will get the job done for entry level mountain bikers. Additionally, it comes with disk brakes, which is very hard to find in this price range. The RST Capa forks with 80 mm of travel will smoothen out rides on the trails.

If you do decide to purchase a Motobecane 400 HT, it is important to keep in mind that you will need to maintain it yourself. This is something you can usually get for free when you buy a mountain bike at your local bike store, but you would have to pay an extra $100 to $200 for the same quality bike.

At some point after your Motobecane 400 HT has some wear on it, you may want to upgrade some of the components, such as the derailurs and the forks. This can be done relatively inexpensively on eBay. For example, Shimano Deore front derailurs are selling for as low as $10. You can also find great deals on other parts, such as Rock Shox forks.

Overall, the Motobecane 400 HT is a great entry level bike that you can get at a very reasonable price. If you are looking for something a little more advanced, you can pick up a Motobecane 500 HT for only a few dollars more, which will give you better shifting and a better fork.

The Motobecane 300 HT is the most basic model you can get in the HT line of bikes. The MSRP is listed at $499, but you can purchase this model for $259, which is a very difficult price to match at your local bike store for an entry level bike.

The components on the Motobecane 300 HT are nothing fancy. You get tektro V-brakes Shimano Altus and Acera derailurs, with an RST Fork with 80 mm of travel. You will not get disc brakes, so if this is something important to you, it is recommened that you consider at the very minimum a Motobecane 400 HT.

Unlike the higher priced Motobecane HT models, one of the differences you will notice with the Motobecane 300 HT is that it has larger front sprockets. The advantage of this is that you can go faster, which is a benefit on flat trails or if you are going to do a lot of street riding. On the other hand, when you are on a steep hill and are climbing, it might be hard for you to keep up with your buddies!

Overall, the Motobecane 300 HT is a great bike for the money if you are on a tight budget. One thing to keep in mind is that you will have to do any maintenence yourself on this bike.  However, this bike is much better than something you could find in a department store, and is just as good or better than some of the lower end models at sporting goods stores.