georges1
Retro Guru
Good Morning
I have ridden when a Motobecane RockfighterMTB when I was a teenager but it wasn't a lightweight, back then another bike attracted me the Merida Al Bon LX. My motobecane was stolen when parked at the railway station. The Merida Albon LX was a much higher end bike and I decided that one day I will get one. One of my long time friends whom I was riding with in road biking races back then inivited me12 years ago for a lunch, he also told me that he was going to do some house and garage cleaning and he showed me some bikes.I noticed the Al Bon and I asked him "You don't ride it anymore ? What are you going to do with it ?" He answered "Its geometry is outdated, it is heavier than my Sworks, so it will go to the trash/junk pile or if you want I can give to you for free".I didn't think twice and I took the bike with me.The first thing I did was to change the saddle and the rims, the rest of theback was deore lx 21 speeds
With better rims, better tires and better saddle, the thing was much better but at 12kilos,it was still slightly heavy. I decided to go with the neo retro trend and upgraded the bike in 2016 with the XT 780T group which helped me to shave off 750grams
The bike with its upgraded drivetrain is a blast to ride and is a great trail bike, its short bar allows great cornering and fast manoeuvers.
Have a nice day
Best regards and stay safe
Georges
I have ridden when a Motobecane RockfighterMTB when I was a teenager but it wasn't a lightweight, back then another bike attracted me the Merida Al Bon LX. My motobecane was stolen when parked at the railway station. The Merida Albon LX was a much higher end bike and I decided that one day I will get one. One of my long time friends whom I was riding with in road biking races back then inivited me12 years ago for a lunch, he also told me that he was going to do some house and garage cleaning and he showed me some bikes.I noticed the Al Bon and I asked him "You don't ride it anymore ? What are you going to do with it ?" He answered "Its geometry is outdated, it is heavier than my Sworks, so it will go to the trash/junk pile or if you want I can give to you for free".I didn't think twice and I took the bike with me.The first thing I did was to change the saddle and the rims, the rest of theback was deore lx 21 speeds
With better rims, better tires and better saddle, the thing was much better but at 12kilos,it was still slightly heavy. I decided to go with the neo retro trend and upgraded the bike in 2016 with the XT 780T group which helped me to shave off 750grams
The bike with its upgraded drivetrain is a blast to ride and is a great trail bike, its short bar allows great cornering and fast manoeuvers.
Have a nice day
Best regards and stay safe
Georges
