Motobecane Mirage Pro Review
829
Member
1223 days
JamieM posted 16 weeks ago.
It seems like you've got a good start. I don't have any personal experience with Bikes Direct, but the general consensus is just what you said, good value for the cost. If you want to hear more about them, or have any issues with the bike I'd surf over to Bike Forums there is a lot of discussion in the road forums about Bikes Direct and Mike, who runs BD?, is a common presence over there. Again no personal experience, but I have seen him openly address concerns on the forum, and doing that publicly gains some respect in my book.
The problems you are having with the shifting sound like typical right out of the box stuff. The shifting is adjusted by tightening and loosening the cables, not the chain, just to clarify. As far as the basic adjustments check out Park Tool for more information and instruction than you'll ever need.
If you need specific advice, post a question. Trifuel is full of wonderful helpful people. Welcome to the community.
33
Member
207 days
charlie6460 posted 16 weeks ago.
Thanks for the response!
After looking at the link you included it, the proper term for what I did was make some minor changes to the adjusting barrel. …. I think. My lack of equipment terms is evident.
By the way I have been lurking on trifuel for months now. The info on the forum is AWESOME!!!!
Let me first start off by saying my knowledge of cycling is very limited when I started this quest (and still is).
Like many other suckers before me, I saw the Ironman World Championship at Kona on TV, and decided I too want to be an Ironman! I do realize this will take a few years to accomplish, but I decided to start my quest.
I have a very low-end entry level mountain bike, but to start to training I needed a road bike. I figured I should start with an entry level road bike that I might wreck. I went to my LBS (a new acronym I have recently picked up). I discovered that an entry level bike with all the necessary accessories to start will cost $800 - $1,000. My jaw hit the ground. I started searching on ebay, but I couldn’t really find anything I liked. Then I discovered bikesdirect.com. It was within my price range. After doing some searched on the Internet for reviews, I reluctantly decided to order from there. I say reluctantly because there are some positive and very strong negative reviews out there.
My plan was to order the 2008 Mirage Sport. The cost was about $400. At the very last minute I changed my mind and ordered the Mirage Pro (at the time was $550) for an additional $150. I thought the upgrade to Tiagra, clipless pedals and aero bars would be worth it. Please keep in mind as the time of ordering (and still) I was clueless about cycling equipment. I ordered the bike on a Sunday night, and it arrived on Wednesday.
I have the bike for a few months now. Here are my thoughts so far.
The clipless pedals:
They were not as much of an upgrade as I had thought. I have since found these pedals online for about $25. Bikesdirect.com advertises that they are worth $80. Since I had to buy shoes that was an extra $50 (cheapest road shoes I could find). Because I was fearful of how hard it would be to use the clipless pedals I also ordered toe clip pedals (if that is the correct term). That was an additional $25. By the way if you are new to this like me make sure you find out more about clipless pedals before using them. I initially had the cleats installed upside down and placed incorrectly on the shoe. After the first use on a trainer I was down for about a week due to a very sore knee.
The aero bars:
They were not as much of an upgrade as I had thought. They look cheap and I have found them online for about $50. Bikesdirect.com advertises that they are worth $110. I have also discovered to use aero bars correctly it would be best to have a new seat post that is set forward (probably the incorrect cycling term) instead of the typical set back for a road bike. The new seat post cost me $55. I haven’t received it yet, so I cannot say for sure how helpful it will be.
Tiagra upgrade:
Like I said at the last minute I changed my mind and went with the Mirage Pro instead of Mirage Sport. I can honestly say I didn’t read all of the components for the Mirage Pro. It wasn’t until I first looked at the bike did I realize that the only Tiagra component was the rear derailleur. Everything else is Sora. Again please keep in mind that even today I am still not sure of the difference. I went back to the website and under the components for the Mirage Pro this is correct. I probably would still have gone with the upgrade even if a took a closer look at the components.
Assembly:
I expected assembly to be much more difficult than it was. It took about 2 hours but that included watching the basic assembly video on the website and drinking beer at the same time.
Bike Fit:
I was clueless about this. Since assembly, I received some advice on raising the saddle to a point that seems to high, but it does feel better when I ride.
Wheels:
Wheels seem to be on the entry level side, but I have no problem with that.
Weight of the bike:
I need to lose weight, so until I take care of myself the weight of the bike is no concern to me.
The rest:
The bike seems to ride well. I did have some troubles with the bike shifting gears on its own. I tightened the chain and that seems to fix it. I have never been able to get the bike in the easiest gear (not sure of the appropriate cycling term here) for now I am just living with it. The chain will not stay on that gear. To be honest my biggest fear at this point is getting a flat and not knowing what to do. I plan on attending a “fixing a flat” clinic at my LBS soon.
Summary:
I don’t plan on competing in an Iron Man on this bike. If this sport sticks with me I will probably put some money into a better level bike. Even though there are some disappointments with the bike it seems to have great value for the money. If I don’t wreck it, I anticipate that I can use the bike all season which I plan on ending with an Olympic distance triathlon.