Submitted by
Jacob Barrick
a Downhiller
from Santa Cruz, California, USA
Date Reviewed: March 8, 2004
Strengths: 1. Proven 4 bar linkage suspension system sucks up all the bumps and can handle any kind of beating 2. Components work smoothly 3. High Grade 6061 Aluminuim 4. Rides perfectly in any situation form freeriding, jumping, downhilling, XC and 4X.
Weaknesses: 1. Pilot XC fork offers to much flex 2. would be better with hydraulic brakes then mechanical
Bottom Line:
A geat bike for almost every rider built tough and very open to upgrades.
Submitted by
Steven Derman
a Cross Country Rider
from Englewood, Colorado, USA
Date Reviewed: January 12, 2004
Strengths: Biggest bang for the buck I’ve encountered in a long time. The frame is built like a tank and looks as though it will withstand plenty of abuse. The bike comes with a very decent component list and in capable handles should perform well. It also draws plenty complements from those who recognize a nice bike when they see one.
Weaknesses: It’s a little heavy but what do you expect from a full suspension Mt. Bike. I only say that because I’m used to the light weight of the hard tails I’ve been riding for the last 20 years. I can’t complain about the bike or it’s components since I got more than I paid for especially when you compare it to other bikes in the same price range.
Bottom Line:
I am very happy with what I got. I read the review and new what to expect. Sure the spokes needed tightening and a few bolts were loose but hey, the price was right. If you’ve been riding for a while tuning a bike is child’s play and if you look for another bike in this price range you’ll be sorely disappointed. I would recommend this bike to most of my friends. The only people I wouldn’t recommend it to would be those “Posers” out there who can’t ride worth a damn anyways but have to be seen riding the most expensive gear…
Similar Products Used: Titus Switchblade, Giant's, Specialized, Cannondale's, Garyfisher Sugar's, and alot of other over priced hardware...
Bike Setup: I swapped out a few parts from my hard tail to suit my riding style. I swapped the stem with my old Richey Pro and some Easton Monkey rise bars. Also the seat and seat post for my old Syncros post, FS 2000 seat, added a cycle computer and changed to bigger more aggressive tires. I’ll wait till the other stock components wear out before I swap the derailleur and crank set. The wheels could use upgrading but who has the money to upgrade all that stuff anyway. If I wanted all that to begin with I would have had to spend another thousand dollars for the bike.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Tim
a Cross Country Rider
from Germany
Date Reviewed: July 13, 2003
Strengths: Great price. Online shopping. Really fine bike for the money. Customer service was unmatched in my experience.
Weaknesses: Maybe a bit on the heavy side, probably due to the tires. The welds look strong but could be prettier, but this is the entry level in the Apogee series. I would put the new guys on the entry level bikes, and leave the experienced buys for the top-of-the-line stuff.
Bottom Line:
This is a comment on the initial quality - too short term to note any hidden problems.
There was no bike in this price range, with these features anywhere.
I’m an American living in Germany so I wanted to shop online so I could have it shipped to my post.
I tried several suspension models at my LBS, and they all had more bob than this. I really hate bob, so I was going to go hardtail - then I decided I was being a grumpy old man about the 'dern new fangled technology' and went for it. Plus my style of riding is pretty aggressive XC and I've abused some hardtails pretty bad - the noise I've made going downhill on fast, boulder-strewn doubletrack reminds me of a bike in a trash compactor...or maybe a rock tumbler. I was very pleasantly surprised with the setup and handling. I'm 5'9" and I decided on the medium frame, but I could have gone large. I like to throw around a smaller bike so the medium is perfect for me. For long flat rides, I put the seat up pretty high (about 1" above the handle bars for comparison) to get full leg extension.
I tried to rate the initial quality based on what I was curious about as a buyer from Ibex. I didn't rate the components like Deore since it is well known. Anyway, if you gotta have better, upgrade to another bike in the Apogee range - so onto the features:
Frame - great, but the gorilla welds look strong but could be prettier (I only mention this because it is the ONLY thing I found wrong with this bike). The red color is very sporty cherry metallic red like some have said before.
Tires, beefy with large side lugs and a cool offset tractor-like tread. I tested this Ibex hard and stupid, if I didn't snakebite them this weekend I should be pretty safe.
Suspension - I liked it. I expected since I didn't like bob, that I would be cranking the preload up to max - nope; minimum preload and the world didn't come to an end. Flexy without being distracting - I didn't even know it was there most times except to look down and watch it work. There was maybe a little sucking sound during full compression to air-under-tires in front, but not bad, and quiet unless aired out so far. In back I'm pleased and surprised to say I expected it to be softer and nagging.
Brakes - HMX-1 was what I was worried about. The guys at work berated me for days about the mechies. Love 'em. They are both stronger and quieter then any traditional brakes I've used. All I did is keep a napkin soaked in alcohol so that I could clean them good after assembly and maintenance. Beware as someone else said that the best way to adjust them is to eyeball center the rotor between the pads and tighten in place. No problem even for a disc brake novice like me.
Seat - no complaints. Butt feels better after 40 miles this weekend than any ten on a hardtail. Could be the suspension or the seat, all I know is the bum ain't crying.
Bottom line: Buy this bike if you don't like salesmen, don't want to pay LBS markup, know what you want, and like to tinker with the setup a little (30 minutes and one or two test rides for fine tuning)
Similar Products Used: Trek 7000, Specialized Stumpjumper
Bike Setup: Shimano Deore, Hayes HMX-1, Rockshox Pilot XC, Rockshox Deluxe, you can read all about it on their website.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
joe wiens
a Weekend Warrior
from sacto, Ca.
Date Reviewed: July 13, 2003
Strengths: nice bike for price.
Weaknesses: none yet.
Bottom Line:
This is my first REAL mountain bike. I recently upgraded from a cheap Target dual suspension bike, and the difference is amazing! I've test ridden the Warp Ds1, GT I-drive 2.0, and the Gary fisher sugar 4.0?. this bike is just as nice, if not better, and it costs less. I don't know much about bikes, but if you want a good dual suspension, and have a budget, I reccomend this bike.
Submitted by
RB Rufhausen
a Weekend Warrior
from Fishers, IN
Date Reviewed: July 3, 2003
Strengths: Price. Attactive. Distinctive from the usual crowd of bikes. Good customer service. Easy set-up for being mail-order.
Weaknesses: Probably more adjustments needed than with bike from LBS.
Bottom Line:
I just got the bike yesterday, so this review is somewhat preliminary.
PRICE: I wanted to get a decent FS bike that without spending more thatn $900. That's not easy unless you want something that's really low end and literally "cheap". However the IBEX appeared to fit both the level of quality and price I was looking for. SIZING: I didn't really think sizing the bike over the Internet was that big of a deal since I was able to ride bikes with virtually the same specs. at LBSs. SHIPPING: It only took 2 days to get the bike after placing the order. Everything was in perfect shape aside from one minor scratch on the frame from shipping that's barely noticeable. I expected more really. SETUP: Putting it together was easy - basically front wheel, seat, and handlebar. I'm continuing to make some adjustments to the Hayes disc brakes and the front derailleur. IBEX includes manufacturer's manuals for all relevant components. Hayes definitely needs some better illustrations in theirs. I think it would be nice for IBEX to either include in the package or on their website some good information on gear and brake adjustments for the less adventurous. However, there is a lot of documentation included in the box, including a generalized IBEX bike manual. Unfortunately, it doesn't cover disc brakes. LOOKS: The bike definitely looks better in person than on the web site. The Sports red color almost looked orange on the site, but it's really more of a cherry red. CONCLUSION: The only downside I see to buying this bike is the need to make a number of setup adjustments yourself. But even if you factor in the cost of a tune-up at a LBS, it's still a good value.
Strengths: It's a great bike for the money...let me change that to a great bike period! It's more bike for the money than I could find anywhere else. I'm a big guy and was concerned about durability. I talked to Jack at Ibex and he assured me that his bikes were overbuilt and would be plenty strong for me. So far, so good. Customer service has been exceptional. I had concerns of ordering a product sight unseen and unridden. I talked to Ibex 4 times before I ordered. They were very patient and answered all of my questions and concerns. Now that I've had some time on the bike, I would definitely do it again.
Weaknesses: Wheel tension wasn't the best...But then again, it hasn't been on any of the bikes that I have bought from lbs either.
Bottom Line:
Great bike, great value, exceptional customer service. Buy One!
Submitted by
JOHN FOWLER
a Cross Country Rider
from THE VILLAGES, FL, USA
Date Reviewed: May 10, 2003
Strengths: THIS IS AN EXCELLENT BIKE! I purchased the “IBEX APOGEE SPORT” direct from IBEX. From beginning to end this has been a very pleasurable experience. I talked several times to the great folks at IBEX getting specific information about their bike. There information was specific, helpful and best of all, honest and exact.
The bike was delivered exactly on time and arrived in perfect order. It took less than 30 minutes and I was off and riding. All components of the bike performed flawlessly. I now have well over 200 miles of off road riding have not had one bad experience.
Considering the level of quality in this bike's components, the price I paid was exceptional. A similarly equipped bike would cost around $1200 or more.
I would recommend to anyone who wants to have a great off road experience to consider the IBEX. This is by far the absolute best bike you can buy for the money!
Weaknesses: There are no weaknesses
Bottom Line:
If you want a great bike and a terrific price, then I would recommend this Apogee Sport to anyone.
