Submitted by
Pete Albert
a Cross Country Rider
from Colorado Springs,CO, USA
Date Reviewed: March 16, 2006
Strengths: The components that come stock on this bike cant be beat for the price. Excellent choice of components for the frame and the style of riding that I do.
Weaknesses: Only been on a few rides with this bike so a true assessment of build quality cant be spoken for. The components are main stream popular components and these which are on the bike SPEC the same as when sold by the associated manufacturer. Basically all good stuff so I wouldn’t expect anything less from the assembled bike.
Bottom Line:
I had a couple minor problems with the bike when it arrived(possibly due to shipping). I called customer service and received prompt and courteous service. My concerns were addressed immediately. I was a little skeptical about ordering a bike on line but this has turned out to be an awesome experience. I will be upgrading my sons bike in a couple years and will definitely consider the IBEX again. I hope they keep putting out a quality product like they’ve put together with the Apogee Sport. Keep up the great work IBEX!!
Similar Products Used: Eli Tomac (oops broke frame), Giant AC 2, Trance 2, Turner 5 Spot.
Bike Setup: Rock Shox Pilot XC 100mm Fork with bar mounted adjustment Rock Shox Deluxe Rear Shock 27-Speeds / Deore Rapidfire Shifters Shimano Deore/XT Drivetrain Hayes HMX-1 Disc Brakes Sun Rims (good DH rims) Kenda K-857 Tires Juicy Five Brake Levers
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Submitted by
eric
a Weekend Warrior
from murfreesboro,tn
Date Reviewed: March 7, 2006
Strengths: everthing attached to the frame, price and customer service
Weaknesses: not sure yet. maybe the wheelset, a bit heavy
Bottom Line:
at this price, how can you go wrong? i hesitated a bit because i couldn't test ride one. but after trying to build something similar at the lbs, i just gave up. couldn't come within $800.00. i've had it out only 2 times, which is not enough to atest the frame, but i'll follow up. all the positive feedback you read about the customer service is absolutely true. e-mail them and you'll have a response quicker than you would think. this bike came out of the box with no adjustments needed except basic assembly. even d. radefeld could do it.
Similar Products Used: trek 7600 w/duke sl, bontrager, avid and shimano lx test rode giant reign & trance 2 santa cruz superlight, cannondale prophet 800 all lx/deore
Bike Setup: stock out of the box shimano xt, avid juicy 7 hydr. richey pro and sun singletrack reba team
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Submitted by
Matt
a Weekend Warrior
from Boise, ID
Date Reviewed: February 23, 2006
Strengths: Excellent bike for the price, the components are worth the price alone. Excellent brakes (I love the Juicy 7's), and the remote lockout on the front fork is actually a nice convenience - It's nice to lock-out the suspension on the fly.
Weaknesses: Brake and shifter Cables are too long. I don't trust myself to cut down the hydraulic brake cables. I used cable ties to keep them out of the way, but they are bowed way too much out front.
Bottom Line:
Great bike for the money. The guys at Ibex put the customer first and went out of their way to ensure I was a happy customer. When the bike arrived the front rotor was slightly bent (UPS ignored the "fragile" label), and Ibex had a replacement disc out to me the next day.
Bottom line, I've been on a full-suspension Trek Fuel 80 for the past three years and this bike is far and away superior. I wish I could take the credit, but this bike helps me climb better and makes the downhills smoother and faster.
Similar Products Used: Graduated from a Trek Fuel 80. Tested a Yeti 575 and Turner 5-spot, which are both great bikes but 2x the price.
Bike Setup: Stock XT from Ibex, for the most part. XT shifters, derailleurs, hubs, crankset, bottom bracket, cassette, other drive-train. Avid Juicy 7 hydraulic brakes, sun singletrack rims, kenda kinetic tires. I changed out the WTB seat for a Selle Italia and the Shimano M520 pedals for some old xpedos that are lighter and shed mud better.
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Submitted by
Greg
a Cross Country Rider
from San Francisco
Date Reviewed: January 19, 2006
Strengths: Components (XT, Juicy brakes, Reba fork, etc.), paint and finish, value
Weaknesses: Tires are slippery and skinny (Kenda Kinectics); It came with one of the hardest seats I've tried (WTB Pure Race); Tires wider than 2.1 will not fit in the rear.
Bottom Line:
I tried to buy a bike locally at three shops-including REI. I went in, armed with research, and seemed to know more about the models I was interested in than the shops. The sales people were not knowledgeable, not very helpful and seemed not to care to sell me a bike. I tested a couple, but for my budget, the Ibex came out on top. The comparably priced bikes were just too heavy or had mediocre forks, etc.
I was hesitant to buy without seeing or riding, but the bike is beautiful and fits me well-though I did need about a cm more seatpost and more reach on the bars.
The bike came well packaged and I was able to put it together in a few minutes.
The earlier comments about cables and rear shock seem to have been addressed and were not issues with my bike.
Similar Products Used: Gary Fisher Cake; GT Avalanche, Iron Horse Warrior
Bike Setup: Stock-plus longer seat post (350mm), flat bars, WTB Speed V saddle
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Submitted by
Monkeyfist
a Cross Country Rider
from Trumbull, CT
Date Reviewed: June 20, 2005
Strengths: Great components. Thats about it.
Weaknesses: Frame SUCKS!!!
Bottom Line:
I guess this bike just wasn't for me. Its not for you either, if you like to RIDE!!! I DO NOT freeride, no drops what so ever, but yet I some how managed to tweek the rear triangle beyond repair. Now, in all fairness, I do weigh in at 220 lbs, with a camelbak i figure I'm pushin 230 at least. I'm no figure skater, but come on! In my previous review, I stated my displeasure with having to disasemble the bike to fill the rear shock with air. That still stands. The weak link in this chain is positively the frame. After all of my "abuse" it is the only part that failed under normal conditions. The stem bolts stripped out after a crash; the carbon bar is incredible.
So in the end, I went to my LBS had them put all of the components on a used K2 Razorback frame they had in house. Everything transfered over just fine, and the shop even iced the cake with a sweet Kuips sealed bearing headset. I LOVE the new set up, the K2 frame is amazing. I've never ridden a bike thats wanted to accelerate like the Razorback. I've had it for about a week now, and I've really been pushing it, more and more I'm realizing that the bike has much higher limits than I do. AWESOME!!!
Buy this bike if you want great components on a crap frame. A dressed up turd, basically.
Buy a different bike if you want something that works with you, better than you, to improve your flow and take you to that next level.
For the money, there is no better component spec. All other bikes at this price level compromise here and there - cheap hubs, stem/seatpost, handlebars, etc. Not this bike. Every component is Shimano XT level or better, and the bike rides accordingly. The Swinger 3-way shock is easily tuned, aside from having to unbolt the shock to fill the SPV chamber. But you really only do that once, so no big deal.
Cable routing is weird at best, and WILL require zip-ties and frame saver to fix properly. I HATE the integrated shifter/brakes, but that is personal preference. Brakes are phenomenal when broken in. I love the fork, but it requires break in as well, and the springs are for VERY heavy riders (180 lbs. +). I removed a spring from the HSCV leg (right) and filled with air instead and all is well.
Bike rides well, but is a bit front-heavy. A lighter fork would be a better match. A word about service too - all emails and calls are answered promptly with clarity. They are a great company to buy from, and I have confidence they'll be around a while.
Similar Products Used: Santa Cruz Superlight, Blur
Bike Setup: stock with crank bros candy SL pedals
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Submitted by
Jeston Norenberg
a Cross Country Rider
from Sunnyvale, CA, USA
Date Reviewed: November 18, 2004
Strengths: Great components, easy set-up, great customer service.
Weaknesses: Kinda a pain to put air in the rear shock. Not especially fond of the tires.
Bottom Line:
Wow, where to start. This is really a great deal on a great bike. I work part time at a bike shop and could not pro-deal a bike for any better of a deal. Yes, the mounting design of the rear shock could be better; you have to remove the upper mounting bolt in order to be able to put air in. The Kenda tires need too much pressure (in my opinion). I will probably switch to a flat bar (again, my preference). This bike rides great. I'm 220 and it has handled everything I've thrown at it. Buy this bike!
Similar Products Used: 1st FS bike. Several hard tails over the years.
Bike Setup: Stock except for Crank Bros. Egg Beaters pedals, Terry Zero saddle.
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Submitted by
Monkeyfist
a Cross Country Rider
from Trumbull, Connecticut
Date Reviewed: October 19, 2004
Strengths: PRICE! You can't touch the components on this bike for less than $1800 approx. XT EVERYTHING! with XTR rear der. XT Disc Brakes, great saddle (WTB Laser). Customer Service is prompt via email.
Weaknesses: Have to remove rear shock from the upper mount (under seat) inorder to fill with air (This is hard to do w/o a repair stand nor is it good for the mounting hardware). Tires left some to be desired (Not really 2.1 as Kenda claims, not good on anything wet). Could shave some lbs off this bike with carbon seatpost & H-bars, lighter rims and hubs. Ibex doesn't offer reimbursment for first couple (and necessary!) trips to the bike shop for cable adjust, ect.
Bottom Line:
I've had bike shop owners/workers tell me that its worth buying this bike if just for the components, because there really isn't much in the way of actual third party reviews for this product. I can tell you that the bike rides great, especially after changing the tires, and the customer service is great (the company is totally internet based). I did a major endo on my first "real" ride with it and put the rear der. trough the spokes (bent hanger) fortunatly Ibex offers replacement hangers on the web site and was able to order a new one no prob. I am a little disappointed about the rear shock situation, you would think that someone in the R&D department would have caught that one. Can't really say if I like the new SIS integrated shifting/braking system yet, I'm still getting used to it, but it seems like a good idea and it didn't brake in the crash... This is my first FS bike, been ridin HTs for over 7 year, so I know components and these are really top notch, as for the frame and the over all package, time will tell but so far so good. This is not a race bike nor is it a freerider but its great for everthing inbetween. I will post again after this bike gets some more good beatings :)
Strengths: price. full xt group. bomber marathon fork. looks. service. ritchey oversize bar. gets to the house quickly. assembly. the bolts on the stem were all greased.
Weaknesses: tyres, spokes, saddle, grips, support from manitou. adding air to the rear shock could be less inconvenient, cheap rim tape. this is definitely nitpicking.
Bottom Line:
would probably do it again. maybe i'd consider the cannondale scalpel but the ibex is a great ride and i'm liking it more and more. had my first, 1st in category in quite some time (years!). xt is definitely the way to go. shimano's put quite a lot into it. the bombers are really underappreciated as an XC fork. the little bit of weight in front doesn't seem to hurt at all on technical descents. i'm not even sure when i'll ever ride my hardtail again. if it's a race where this bike would slow you down, you should just take a cyclocross bike.
Similar Products Used: gt karakorum. my daughter's giant. different asian made hardtail frames that i built up at home.
Bike Setup: as per the website. i put a wtb weirwolf on the front. michelin comp s light on the back. selle italia flite saddle. time atac alium pedals. torelli tubes. michelin rim tape. ODI lockjaw rogue grips. risse genesis damper shock.
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Submitted by
Mike
a Weekend Warrior
from Corvallis, Oregon
Date Reviewed: July 22, 2004
Strengths: Love the new Shimano brakes and shifting combination. Works very well...easy to climb!
Weaknesses: None so far.
Bottom Line:
Follow up!!!! This bike works really well! My friends are all looking at this bike to see if they are going to buy one! It really is a nice looking bike.
I have ridden it pretty hard lately and I have to say this bike handles everything I have thrown at it. It's actually much more capable than I am....did my first endo the other day on you guess it...Endo.
I am still working out how best to set up the 3 way SPV shock. Haven't gotten that fully dialed in but it's still works very well! Front shock works exactly as described, smooth, easy to control, predictable and have adjusted it on the fly with a flick of the wrist.
I don't know what the fuss has been with the new integrated braking and shifting from Shimano. It totally rocks...very intuitive.
Tires are much better than I thought they were going to be, rims really solid and predictable (haven't had to touch!), haven't even touched the bike seat..just the height adjustment.
I have noticed that I am going to need to tighten up all of the bolts, cables and connections...nothing more than you got to do with all bikes once you have thrashed them hard enough and broken in the bike.
Bottom line: You want a bike that cost $2800 for a price significantly less...$1899 now (grins)....buy it! Company is great to work with, easy to discuss all issues, delivers a great designed bike! Don't be afraid of the direct buying from Ibex.....
Submitted by
Mike
a Weekend Warrior
from Corvallis, Oregon
Date Reviewed: June 29, 2004
Strengths: I just got this bike! Wow..amazing product. My wife thought it was stunning. The internet website describes this bike very accurately. Thought I would describe how the bike came shipped. The shipping boxes itself is a nice thick cardboard container, strongly made, well supported, and nicely wrapped. The bike is just about ready to ride, one just has to install the handle bars, insert the saddle, take out the protective shipping plastic part between the brake calipers, put on the front tire, spin in the pedals, pump up the tires and you are just about ready to ride. The bike is covered with lot's a nice protective covers, ty wrapped together firmly, with everything you need to use to install. Comes with lots of individual instructions booklets..fork, shock, brakes, etc... I have to say the paint job is amazing, welds look great, cabling well thought out and strung thru....
Weaknesses: None so far...will write later after hammering the bike.
Bottom Line:
Great bike. I haven't ridden it hard yet but will shortly...will write again once I have put some miles and vertical in....
Don't be afraid of buying this bike direct. It's extremely easy to set up, is exactly as described, shipped to the date as promised. One does NOT have to be a wrench to figure out how to put it together...I was riding from start to finish in less than 30 minutes total..probably could have done it in 10 minutes..stoppped to read a few things..was careful in removing all the protective coverings.....
