Four Bar on a Budget

WHAT: Motobecane Fantom Elite DS WHERE: www.motobecane.com HOW MUCH: $1,595

Every once in a while, a company releases a bike that makes consumers and journalists alike want to disregard the old adage “you get what you pay for.” With the Fantom Elite DS, Motobecane is trying hard to become that company.

At first glance, Motobecane’s Fantom appears to have potential. The parts group is considerably better than one might expect at this price point: a Shimano XT drivetrain and a TruVativ ISOFlow crankset and Avid mechanical disc brakes are evidence that Motobecane didn’t cut corners when it spec’d this bike. Adjustable travel is also a luxury for a budget bike, and the RockShox Psylo XC with U-Turn makes a respectable fork choice. The Fantom’s WTB SpeedDisc wheelset is a strong pair of hoops for this rig, and the Ritchey cockpit adds name-brand touches to a generically-priced bike.

The 7005-aluminum frame, reliant on an imitation of the Horst-Link for its three to five inches of adjustable rear travel, also boasts decent quality. The tubing junctions aren’t blessed with the most beautiful coin-stack welds, but they are by no means sloppy. The pivots are beefy and the rocker arm is an impressively-machined piece of aluminum. And a subdued black finish gave the Fantom a stealth bomber look. I personally would have liked to see the folks at Motobecane dress this bike up, but I suppose you could say it’s refreshing when any company’s flagship bike veers from the flashy pro-racer image.

The Fantom’s ride quality was similar to the appearance: not overly dramatic. The U-Turn equipped Psylo XC cinched down to minimize bobbing and dropped the front end for the steepest ups, and the rear travel easily dropped from 5- to 3-inches with a few turns of an Allen wrench. But the Fantom’s performance could definitely benefit from a smarter rear shock. Had the Rock Shox Bar rear shock utilized more of a pedal platform, the ride would have been entirely different.

So, needless to say, the Fantom didn’t make our favorite bikes list. The geometry was fun with a lowish 11.75-inch bottom bracket height and a steady 71.5-degree head angle. In fact, when pointed downward, the bike railed swoopy singletrack.

But in the rough, on the climbs and on the scale, the machine was lackluster. Then again, this is a sub $1500, XT-equipped, full suspension bike we’re dealing with here. To accomplish that price point, Motobecane sidestepped the popular Specialized FSR patent, which ended up compromising some of the bike’s efficiency. And the barebones Rock Shox Bar shock could also be viewed as a bit of a cost cutter.

Although you’re not gonna be changing the pivot points after buying the Fantom, you could use some of you savings on a new shock. That single investment could potentially morph this machine into a decent trail bike. And at the very least, you could always combine the parts kit with an upgraded frame and still probably end up saving money. Yeah, the thing is actually that much of a smoking value.