Hello All,

I recently made a decision to go the BD route and see what they can offer. There was an initial hiccup in my order process and have ended up waiting for a new Immortal Spirit to be delivered mid-July. As such I have been doing a whole lot of research. I realize that there are some seriously mixed opinions here (which is perfectly fine). My hope is to share my experience as I think more data for people to consider can be helpful.

I cannot say that all the flaming on this site is helpful, though it does indicate a genuine passion for the sport. I will provide pictures and impressions as I go through this process. Hopefully, I will have the support of this community. If not, that's ok too.

peace...

Hi SM...you got my support...looking forward to seeing the photos...most everyone on here is very nice and most of the flame throwers dont own a BD bike. Just get it and enjoy it...that is what it is all about...that is a nice bike! Make sure you post pictures and welcome to the group! :thumbsup: Chris

I'm with ya'. I just received my wife's Immortal Pro today. I, however, am still waiting on my Immortal Force. Mike at BD said it could be another 4 weeks.:cryin: I guess I need to be patient.:mad2:

First impression of my wife's Pro; The quality is outstanding and I couldn't believe how gorgeous it was:yikes:. Stock weight when I put it on the scale is about 16.5 lbs. A bit lower than advertised. The bike was packed perfectly in the box and no damage noted, not even to the box. UPS really did a good job on this one especially since the skewer wasn't protruding through the box like the Vent Noir I received from them 2 years ago.

Fit and finish are excellent. The yellow color is really sharp and my wife couldn't be happier. I, on the other hand could be happier, but only if it were mine that arrived and not hers. :D

I need to send Mike a PM about the Pro, though. The FSA carbon seatpost is not carbon at all. It is an aluminum seatpost with a thin layer of carbon wrapped around the outside.(or a sticky graphic that looks like carbon.) Whichever it is, I'm not real happy about it. It clearly states on the BD site that it includes a "Carbon Fiber Seatpost". Right now I am giving Mike at BD the benefit of the doubt until I hear back from him regarding this.

Tennis5, fear not about your decision. I can't say enough good things so far about our (my wife and I) decision to get the Immortal Force and Pro. After owning a Moto Vent Noir for the last 2 years, I know the quality is outstanding.:thumbsup:

I will be taking some pictures tomorrow when the sun is shining. If anyone is interested, maybe I will post a few.

---Craig

SM-Rider,

I always think it's best to get the bike to a real mechanic as soon as possible, even if you're handy with tools, etc. Get it set up properly and then enjoy.

I really wish I could take a look at one of these carbon frames up close and personal but haven't as of yet.

sonex305: What size frame is your wife riding?

Thanks people... I'll do all I can to contribute my experiences to the old forum database. Congrats Sonex! I'd love to see some pics too.

sonex305: What size frame is your wife riding?

It's a 50cm. I'll try to get some pics up this weekend. My Force will be a 53cm. I keep looking at hers and I'm getting more and more jealous by the minute.:incazzato:

---Craig

My Force will be a 53cm. ---Craig

So then yours will come in under 17lbs, too, sans pedals, of course.

I don't know what you're riding now or what you've been riding, but I'm guessing your avg speed on that sub 17 pounder is going to automatically jump 1 mph or more, and that rocks.

Edited 5 min later:

P.S. I just noticed on the BD website that all the Immortal Spirits that were available for pre-order have been sold. Next back due in November.

I guess Mike wasn't kidding when he said that he sells out of his carbon bikes more than once a year!:eek: If you don't mind Ultegra instead of Dura-Ace, you could always get the Immortal Force.:cornut: (If you were looking at one that is)

Besides, it looks like the Spirit will be shipping with the Ritchey WCS Protocol wheelset instead of the American Classics in Nov. I think the pre-orders from this spring had the American Classics, but I could be wrong.

As for the weight of my Force, I would certainly expect it to be 16lbs. or less from what I've seen with my wife's Pro. That would be nice.

BTW, I'm still riding my Moto Vent Noir. Excellent bike and it really looks slick with the gloss black paint and black 105 group. I put a lot of miles on that ride so it will be tough to see her go away. Can't keep both. (Well, I could, but my pocketbook would suffer too much.)

Even though I really liked the black on my Vent Noir, I am looking forward to that pearl white on the Force. This is a picture I found from some guy a year or two ago that had just received his. Beautiful!!:yesnod:

mine is now less than 16lbs with the addition of the toupe saddle.


http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f57/wahoolee/Prowithwhitesaddleandbartape.jpg

Absolutely beautiful!:thumbsup: Edge, what size frame?

---Craig

I'm so jealous it hurts..:cryin:

59cm :)

Wow Edge...that is one smokin' bike! :thumbsup:

thanks!


it rides great. too.

Damn, that's a sweet looking bike!

this is going to be my next bike...i have a fantom cross pro...which is in the shop being setup. the white carbon frame looks very muscular...like a cheetah, or something that could go rather fast.

Mine is finally on the way! I just got a tracking number. Woohoo!

johnny

Hey Edge, is that the Specialized Toupe saddle? I have a bid on one on Ebay I am hoping to win. If it is, how do you like it?

Ok.. I just got mine on Friday. I took some pics from the unboxing, but was more anxious to ride it than taking pics of the finished product. I will take some pics shortly.

Some things to note... I didn't get the upgraded brakes as others had reported - got the advertised Cane Creek SCR-5 (not necessarily a bad thing, somebody had to get them). But, I did get the FSA SL-K light Carbon cranks as an upgrade over the regular SL-K crank. Not bad.

Anyway... I'll get on it and post both pics and a ride report in the coming days.

Hmmm... the pics are a little fuzzy because I used my portrait lens wide open at f/1.4 (oops). Well, I'll post one later anyway. Great bokeh in the shot though (in case there's anyone out there that is also a photography enthusiast).

johnny

I love the word bokeh... My Canon 50mm f/1.4 is the best for that. Yes, I am also a photo nut. :)

I have about 2400 miles on my Immortal Spirit now.

Still going super strong. I clean the chain every 200 miles and that't it. No adjustment necesarry at all so far.

The only thing I changed recently are the tires. I use my bike to commute now, and aftef 5 flats in 5 weeks I traded in my Michelin Pro 2 Race for a pair of Armadillo Elite.

I can tell you, these tires are STRONG, no more flats for this guy!
They are a little more bouncy then the Michelins, but they roll and steer ok. The red color also looks good on the bike. They are pretty expensive though, I paid a little over $ 100 for these tires (ouch). But after so many flats, I assure you, it is worth it.

Here some pictures

Love those American Classics on there. Looks great!

I love everything about that bike except that silly looking MB logo, for the $1800 price you would think they would put more thought into it. Either way, I think I found my next ride . . .in black of course!

Seriously, I can find a better font on daFont.com Not to mention immortal spirit is in a cool font while motobecane is in a block ass font.

Is the black one at least a continued gloss black throughout? Cause it looks like it shows the CF material around where the logo is.

The carbon fiber does show through every place except for where the tubes are joined which is jet black. I believe this is the original Motobecane font. Unfortunately MB does not use the AC wheels anymore :(

That font is the traditional font used from when it was a French bicycle maker. Keeping the tradition alive I suppose.:aureola: Here is a vintage Moto downtube with the name on it...

Hey everyone,

I'm not holding out on everyone with the pics. I just have some issues with the fork and have been in touch with Mike to get it resolved. I will be upgrading my fork to the Ritchey WCS carbon. I'll provide pics when this is resolved and the new fork is in place.

johnny

Did you ever end up getting pics taken? What ever happend with the CF wrapped seatpost issue? Thanks!

I need to send Mike a PM about the Pro, though. The FSA carbon seatpost is not carbon at all. It is an aluminum seatpost with a thin layer of carbon wrapped around the outside.(or a sticky graphic that looks like carbon.) Whichever it is, I'm not real happy about it. It clearly states on the BD site that it includes a "Carbon Fiber Seatpost". Right now I am giving Mike at BD the benefit of the doubt until I hear back from him regarding this.
---Craig
There was another post about this. I contacted BD (i'm looking real hard at the force) and they said: Pro is a carbon wrapped seat post. Force is a FULL carbon fiber seatpost. I think the same applies to the cranks but I'm not sure...

mine is now less than 16lbs with the addition of the toupe saddle.


This picture is really changing my opinion about the white frame.... At first, i did not like white and I was bent on having a black IMMORTAL...but now...
Maybe is the red/white combo that looks so good. I tell you, there is a lot of bashing going around about motos and BD, but this frame is a beauty... the lines... the proportions. I hope it rides as beautifully as it looks...
How do you like the rims and tires?

Sorry... I am a total slacker. The bike is great. Mike just ignored the scratched CF seat post issue. I did get the replacement fork (Ritchey WCS Carbon fork - great fork btw) for a $100 from BD. I also needed a longer stem. I asked BD to swap it out, but they kept telling me to go to Bike Island to buy a new one. All in all, it was a great deal with a few small speed bumps. I still need to take some pics of the bike and post still. Heck, I even had a crash at 30 mph and it survived quite nicely (I did too - just needed to get a new helmet and heal some bruises and road rash - very lucky).

Sorry... I am a total slacker. The bike is great. Mike just ignored the scratched CF seat post issue. I did get the replacement fork (Ritchey WCS Carbon fork - great fork btw) for a $100 from BD. I also needed a longer stem. I asked BD to swap it out, but they kept telling me to go to Bike Island to buy a new one. All in all, it was a great deal with a few small speed bumps. I still need to take some pics of the bike and post still. Heck, I even had a crash at 30 mph and it survived quite nicely (I did too - just needed to get a new helmet and heal some bruises and road rash - very lucky).


Yea, I was about to pull the trigger on an Immortal Force and something told me not to. Instead I deceided to go with the RS2 group buy and am putting SRAM Rival on it. I think in the end I will end up with a much better bike and spend within $100-200. If not for the group buy though I probably would have went with a Felt F4 from a LBS. Just little things like me finding 2 things on the Immortal spec sheet that didn't even appear on the products website. When I emailed about "carbon seatpost" I was told it was a wrap straight up.

I don't know, it wasn't a total turn off. I just didn't feel right with BD. I'm not saying anything bad for anyone else reading this, just my guy and my direction.

I can say the Immortal Force rides as nice as it looks. Very comfy yet fast.