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New Motobecanes - first impressions?

133K views 586 replies 85 participants last post by  mr-epic-3 
#1 ·
Although their new "HAL" bikes are pre-order and nobody has actually seen one or ridden one yet, I have to admit that this is a lot of bike for the price. At $2000, the HAL6 Pro really has some legit componentry. The frame is clearly another Kinesis design, and with the patent expiration on the linkage, the knucklebox rear suspension should be top-notch.

Not too high on the colors they chose for the Pro, that would have been great in flat black.

Save Up to 60% Off 27.5 Six Inch Travel All Mountain Shimano DynaSys, 2016 Motobecane HAL6 PRO Edition 27.5 / 650B Full Suspension Mountain Bikes Shimano Deore XT / XTR 20 Speed Shimano XT Hydraulic Disc Brakes Rockshox Pike 160mm Forks | Shimano Dyn
 
#74 ·
I purchased a small Motobecane fantom elite 29er last year and was unable to get my seatpost down as far as I would've liked. It was hitting on the water bottle stops, so I ended up ordering a dropper that worked with me.
I'm not sure about the depth that this post will go, 400mm doesn't sound like it's too long, but it could be for my height. I'm going to have to wait, measure, and then ride without a dropper for multiple days while I wait for the new one to get here. YUCK!
 
#77 ·
Although their new "HAL" bikes are pre-order and nobody has actually seen one or ridden one yet, I have to admit that this is a lot of bike for the price. At $2000, the HAL6 Pro really has some legit componentry. The frame is clearly another Kinesis design, and with the patent expiration on the linkage, the knucklebox rear suspension should be top-notch.
Why is the HAL6 Pro $500 less than the comparably-equipped 6by6 Team? Is there a weight difference in the frames? There isn't much difference between the two, spec-wise.
 
#89 ·
Was going to pull the trigger on a Mission Pro (at a discount), but the Hal6 Pro looks very impressive. I'm going to guess they're right about the same weight too. I'm going to hold off until some first impressions come in from you that ordered already. For the money, I haven't seen a better deal out there.
 
#96 ·
A few people at my work thought the stealth was clearly cooler looking, but felt the exposed wire version of the reverb should not pose any problem at all as long as it was installed in a smart way. (cables neatly tied)

I initially ordered the $1600 Comp but then upgraded to the pro. Several of my friends have bikes with pikes and I've rode on one - while I haven't rode on a Revelation fork, I was worried it wouldn't be as smooth as the pike. I also did some comparison on what I get for the extra $400. These numbers below maybe off slightly, but represents kind of what I thought the key differences would be when looking at last years' parts at decent discounts.

component: Comp vs. Pro

Fork: Rev $700 vs Pike $900
shock: mon $400 vs Mon+ $500
Brakes: SLX $150 vs XT $240
rear der: XT $60 vs XTR $140
Comp = ~$1310 vs Pro = ~$1780

clearly Bikesdirect is probably getting better pricing than this, but I figured the $400 upcharge was probably worth at least ~$470 more value than the comp. I'd be interested to know if anyone else had done similar comparisons and if my math was close, or way off.
 
#97 ·
don't forget about the upgraded rear cassette and front derailleur! For me, and I think for most choosing the pro, it's all about the pike. I considered getting the expert and then switching out the pike right away but after looking on eBay it looked like the swap out would cost me about $300 after selling the revelation, paying fees on ebay, etc. not to mention my time. Then when you realize that the pro has a top spec rear shock, better brakes, better front and rear derailleur, it just overwhelmingly pointed to the pro. The last consideration were the colors. Although the black on the expert is cool, the big white decals look terrible and the green pro just called my name. Why am I starting to feel like these bikes will not be shipped by Friday? Does that ever happen that they go past the deadline?
 
#98 ·
Why am I starting to feel like these bikes will not be shipped by Friday? Does that ever happen that they go past the deadline?
I am hedging my expectations and assuming they might ship Friday. This is labor day weekend after all - so that could very easily turn into Tuesday or Wednesday.

I had actually asked them if they would make me a pro in matte black and they politely declined. :)
 
#99 ·
Hal 6 shipping!

Well I answered my own question. Just got a response from BD. Read below.

Yes, according to my CEO and warehouse manager, the container is scheduled to arrive tomorrow so they should start shipping by Friday latest :)
We will email everyone as soon as we get confirmation from the warehouse.
Thanks and have a great day!
 
#100 ·
Well I answered my own question. Just got a response from BD. Read below.

Yes, according to my CEO and warehouse manager, the container is scheduled to arrive tomorrow so they should start shipping by Friday latest :)
We will email everyone as soon as we get confirmation from the warehouse.
Thanks and have a great day!
Yes!!! That is the best news ever. Thank you for checking with them! I didn't want to bother them, but sure am happy you did.
 
#101 ·
Great news! I was already in the acceptance phase that they weren't going to ship as scheduled. Man, you all have me thinking I should upgrade to the pro for the Pike. What kind of stuff are you all riding, and what is the reason for wanting the Pike? I ride mostly front range trails in Colorado, and weighing only 145lbs I figured the 32mm revelation would be plenty tough enough compared to the 35mm Pike. Thoughts?
 
#113 ·
I've got an XL dark silver pro coming for me and a L mantis green coming for my son.

Since my Ti Moto 275 that I purchased from BD back in March shipped via UPS from Houston Tx, I expect that the Hal bikes will ship from there also. That info might help you guys estimate shipment transit times for your bikes.

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk
 
#118 ·
Just receive an email from BD.

The freight company has told us that the HAL shipment has been cleared by customs this morning and we are doing everything we can to get the container delivered to our warehouse by Friday the 27th. If we can get the container Friday, we'll ship as many bikes as we can that day.

If the freight company cannot allocate a truck to deliver to our distribution warehouse on Friday then it will be Tuesday or Wednesday due to the Memorial Day Holiday on Monday."
 
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