Bikes Direct congratulates Courtney Spratt for her recent participation in the Ironman World Championships in Kona. Looking for a grand way to celebrate her upcoming 40th birthday, Courtney entered the lottery on a whim and then promptly forgot she had done so. When she received the email—the one so few lottery entrants receive—saying that she had won a spot in the race, Courtney celebrated and then immediately began training. With the Bikes Direct staff eagerly tracking her progress, Courtney completed Ironman Kona on October 9, 2010, and then a few short weeks later, completed Ironman Florida on November 6, 2010.

Needless to say, a huge component of the race is the bike ride, and as a bike geek, Courtney turned to Bikes Direct to outfit her for the race. Fortunately, as one of Motobecane’s largest dealers, Bikes Direct had the opportunity to test a new Motobecane model, and Courtney was the first to ride it at Kona—talk about a debut! Given the popularity of Motobecane’s tri bikes, the Nemesis and Nemesis Pro, and feedback from Bikes Direct customers wanting an even higher level of componentry, Motobecane created the Motobecane Nemesis Team.

When Courtney first saw the Motobecane Nemesis Team in the Bikes Direct office, she says she immediately loved the bike. She says, “It’s not a shy color. It’s very outspoken in terms of component level and design style. But I received lost of compliments on the bike, especially in Ironman Florida, where everyone asked if I was a Gator fan.” Bikes Direct asked Courtney for post-race feedback on the bike, and she was happy to report that the Nemesis Team was very fast and extremely comfortable. It was comfortable enough to ride in aero position the entire time, and she says she could ride it all day, which she in fact has done several times, her longest ride clocking in at seven hours. Courtney reports that the Motobecane Nemesis Team is a vast improvement over other bikes she has ridden in previous races.

Bikes Direct will stock the Motobecane Nemesis Team in Team Orange. Featuring NACA and Kam-tail aero profiles and with an advanced lay-up, High Modulus Carbon Fiber Monocoque frame, the Motobecane Nemesis Team offered by Bikes Direct will turn the heads of both casual cyclists and hard-core bike aficionados alike. It will have an aero-section carbon fiber fork with a carbon steerer. Bikes Direct also reports that the Nemesis Team will feature a SRAM Red drivetrain, 53/39T, 11-23 OG1090 Powerdome. It will have a Zipp 404/808 wheelset, which both Courtney and Bikes Direct staffers say is “sick,” Zipp Vuka R2C shifters, Zipp Vuka aero bars, and an aero carbon seatpost.

Bikes Direct is excited to begin offering these ultra high-end bikes at prices lower than comparable models. Bikes Direct has become a fixture in the fixie, road bike, mountain bike and hybrid/comfort bike scenes, and is now ready to enter the elite competition field. Bikes Direct is excited to debut this amazing bicycle and eager to offer it to their customers. With an anticipated list price of $6500, Bikes Direct again offers an amazing bike at an unmatched price.

Bikes Direct hopes its customers will have as much fun on this bike as Courtney reports, and with equally as amazing results. With the spring triathlon season quickly sneaking up on us, Bikes Direct anticipates that its latest offering, the Motobecane Nemesis Team, will be a strong presence in races around the country. Bikes Direct offers all types on Tri bikes from beginner to Pro, as Bikes Direct feels each cyclist must start their own journey at a place that is comfortable. Sign up for the Bikes Direct newsletter to be the first to learn when the bike will be available for purchase, round the look off with a Motobecane jersey—available only through Bikes Direct—and start training!

About Bikes Direct

Bikes Direct continues to provide the same excellent cycling experience that riders around the world have come to expect from Motobecane. As a beginning, Bikes Direct can offer this brief history; Motobecane has been making bikes since 1923 and was named after the French word Moto for motorcycle and Becane for bike. Things went well for the company until 1981 when they were bankrupt and bought by Yamaha and became MBK. Now Motobecane USA is not related to the French company as they import bikes from Taiwan and China, these are the bikes you are interested in. Bikes Direct offers these Bikes Direct to the public at competitive price points and excellent quality.

According to Bikes Direct, Motobécane was a major manufacturer in the French bicycle industry. The frames on Motobécane’s mid-to-upper bikes were typically double-butted lugged steel made from Vitus or Reynolds 531 molybdenum/manganese steel tubing with Nervex lugs. Motobécane finished their frames in beautiful and high-quality paint, a practice not often followed in the French industry. Considered the second most prestigious French bicycle (after Peugeot, whose more durable design they emulated, but ahead of Gitane), Bikes Direct remembers Motobécane’s mid-range bikes as a good value; the company kept prices reasonable by matching high-quality frames with lower-priced, but higher-quality components from Japan, at a time when competitors were putting higher-priced, lower quality French components on mid-range bikes. Bikes Direct says that Motobécane bicycles included the Nomade, Mirage, Super Mirage, Super Touring, Grand Touring, Sprint, Jubilee, Grand Record, Le Champion, and Team Champion.

Bikes Direct now offers Motobecane models that use carbon on two of their ranges of bikes, the Race Carbon/AL and the Full Carbon ranges. From the Race Carbon they produce the Century Comp, Elite, Pro and Team and from the Full Carbon they have the Immortal Pro, Force and Spirit.

Race Carbon/AL from Bikes Direct

Bikes Direct says the Race Carbon /AL frames are a mixture of Alloy main frame tubes and carbon rear seat stays. The frames use different Alloy for the tubes on each of the frames and different equipment to assemble the bikes.
The Century Comp has Columbus Airplane tubes and Shimano 105 Triple group set.

The Century Elite has Shimano Ultegra Triple kit and the frame is made from 7005 double butted and carbon stays. Shimano Ultegra 30 speed and Kinesium SL and Carbon are used for the Century Pro.

Bikes Direct offers the top class Shimano Dura-Ace, and carbon FSA Cranks are used for the Century Team with Kineses 7005 AL main tubes and carbon stays. All have carbon forks.

The Full Carbon

Shimano Utegra mixed with 105 and FSA is fitted to the Immortal Pro high modulus carbon fiber monocoque frameset along with carbon forks American Classic wheels.

Bikes Direct knows the Immortal Force is very similar to the Pro except it is all Shimano Ultegra; all the other equipment and the frame is the same.

The Immortal Spirit Dura-Ace, FSA, American Classic wheels and Ritchey are all fitted to a monocoque carbon frame keeping the weight down to 16 pounds.

Bikes Direct makes sure that all the equipment is top class and you can’t fault any choice there. Looking at the Geometries of the frames there is beauty and they handle well.

In addition to the standard diamond frame bicycles, Motobécane produced mixte frame versions; the mixte frame Grand Touring had twin lateral stays in place of a top tube, extending from the head tube to the seat tube, while the Super Touring and Grand Jubilé had a single top tube sloping down towards the seat tube, but diverging into twin lateral stays just before the seat tube. Later mixte Grand Touring models also used this design. Motobécane also produced a tandem bicycle.

Bikes Direct says vintage French bicycles, including Motobécane, are often sought today for their value as a fixed gear conversion.

For more information about Motobecane contact Bikes Direct at BikesDirect.com.