Zone frame w/ king headset, dorado fork, progressive 5th element shock, mammouth wheels & DT swiss hubs...
Bottom Line:
Bought frame off ebay and built it up. Just hit the new Covenant and Cannon jump at Diablo and have hit most all of the other great stuff there and this bike handles awesome. Whether it's tabletops, bumps, rock gardens or drops, I've never experienced an bad issue with this bike.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
tiger094
a Weekend Warrior
from Valdosta, Ga, USA Date Reviewed: March 22, 2009
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Purchased At:
Online
Strengths:
Very stong frame, super beefy monoque style swingarm. Nicely speced components for a $1000.00 bike. Handles like a dream, very flickable yet stable at speed.
Weaknesses:
Paint could use a clear coat, seems to rub and scratch easily. Thats about it.
I liked this bike after the first ride. I consider myself more of a cross country rider though Im getting into all mountain and mabe a lil free ride as I improve. The bike gives you confidence to take the knarly lines and has a light feel to it on the trail which is contradictory to the way the bike looks. Its super strong looking and So far no flex can be felt, just a solid, flickable feel. I bent the big 8 inch rotor up fron a couple times and put a 6 inch on it. The 6 is plenty strong and not touchy like the 8 inch was. The 6 is tucked in and out of harms way. On the trail, found myself taking 2 and 3 foot drops (something I dont usually do) on a trail I'd never ridden and enjoying it. The bike wants to be pushed, its fun to ride. The front end rides light and the bike is stable on rough trails. Cornering seems right on to. Would you believe this bike will climb. Set up is important here, but as long as you set the rear shock sag around an inch the bike is a capable climber. Too much sag causes unwanted wheelies and doesnt feel balanced to me. Ill be keeping this bike around for a while and am now selling my old favorite.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Poh Soon Teng
a Downhiller
from San Pablo, CA, USA Date Reviewed: February 1, 2007
Favorite Trail:
Chaparal, Cinderella, Solstice
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$999.00
Purchased At:
Ibex Bikes
Strengths:
Geometry was really nice on the bike. The position it puts your body in is just very inspiring to do bigger things. The bike also loves getting air and is very flickable. Pedals really good with minimum pedal bob. Pedaling and climbing was even better then my 32lbs 4" AM bike.
In short, the frame is like a Bullit on steroids. The frame is more overbuilt then the bullit everywhere from the gussets on the frame to the swingarm. The old bullits had some flex in the swingarm but not the Zone. The swingarm is laterally stiff which Ibex used a pillar to do. Very simple and effective. It's been taken off to DJ, AM, FR and DH and accels in all of them. It can also do the occasional 30 mile XC rides.
Oh and customer service is the best ever!!! Not many companies out there will have the actual owner pick up the phone and handle all your questions. Ibex is one of the rare ones which will make sure that you're taken cared of whether it's help with setup suggestions the bike for the next ride or getting sized up and so on... They are just an awesome company with awesome bikes.
Weaknesses:
Tyres which came with the bike, Kenda Kinetics were horrible. But then again, i've been spoilt by Maxxis Minion/Highroller Supertakies. Rear shock is not suitable for lightweight riders. The Manitou Metel RP does not have much adjustability to accomodate lighter riders. It also came with a 650X2.75 coil.
Similar Products Used:
Norco VPS Fluid, Raleigh Ram 4.0
Bike Setup:
Stock Zone with a Swinger 6 Way and Maxxis Minion DHF/DHR
Bottom Line:
The bike is just awesome and you will not get any bike close to it for the price. It's also a very well designed frame with really nice components with it. Best bike i've owned yet.
Submitted by
Todd
a Downhiller
from West Linn, OR Date Reviewed: January 7, 2007
Favorite Trail:
Schleyer - Whistler
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$999.00
Purchased At:
ibex bikes direct
Strengths:
very solid frame, took the bike up to whistler for 4 days, bike never gave me a problem. very solid components, hussefelts are holding very strong, wheelset is fantastic. dropoff comp fork was okay, but I swiched that out. rear shock is perfict. came with the right spring for my weight.
Weaknesses:
on the climbs (yes, this bike loves climbing as much as it does double black diamond trails) on the climbs, while standing, the pivot squeaks ...and squeaks quite loudly. I'm haveing it looked into.
Similar Products Used:
kona stinky/coiler/stab. Special-ed Bighit. many hardtails.
Bike Setup:
Stock, but Specialized Pedals and a 2005 Marzocchi Shiver DC fork.
Bottom Line:
truly an amazing ride. even with the big bad shiver on the front, my bike weighs in at 40 pounds, witch is an ideal weight for a FR/DH blend bike. very solid frame. if you are looking for a great DH bike this is it. the single pivot design is very responsive and will keep you glued to the trail. the bike suffers from a little brake jack, but any single pivot design will do this. right now I'm running a 190mm fork, but this bike can handle anything from 130mm-200mm of travel. in the 130-150mm forks this thing becomes an AM/FR dream, with 170-200 this thing is pure FR/DH bliss.
get it, I now have a sick fully that can take a beating and not complain. perfect bike. you wont find any thing better for the price.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Leo
a Weekend Warrior
from PA Date Reviewed: May 15, 2006
Favorite Trail:
The ones that go down
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$999.00
Purchased At:
www.ibexbikes.com
Strengths:
Price/Value, Heavy duty frame and components, customer service
Weaknesses:
Weight- but this isn't a big deal on a Freeride bike and it's not really that bad for climbing.
Bike Setup:
05' Stock except with a Manitou Sherman Slider Plus (These come stock on the 06's) and NYC Freeride pedals.
Bottom Line:
This is a great bike, especially at this price point. The build quality and component spec are unmatched for 1000$. The geometry is great and bike feels very solid. It is a confidence inspiring ride for sure. The stock O5' fork (Marzocchi Dropoff) is good enough to start with, and will provide a nice trail/singletrack ride though I'd probably suggest changing it for anything more serious. It lacks the adjustments required for fine tuning the feel of the bike under harsh conditions. I like the Slider Plus but it is not that great for trail/singletrack riding, it's definitely more of a freeride fork and since this is a freeride bike, this is ok! I use my Zone-FR1 in more of an All-mountain style but I love it, the rear shock is nice and plush but I barely feel any pedal bob.
A note to smaller riders, you may have to order a new spring for the rear shock as the one sent on my bike was a 650. This was way too heavy for my weight (160lbs). I ordered a 400 spring and I probably could have even went with a 350, but I can get the proper sag on the 400 within recommended pre-load settings and it feels great.
I had some minor shipping damage (scratches, cracked gear indicators) but I don't mind that sort of thing, mechanically the bike was in great condition. I'd recommend having it checked out by an LBS if you're not mechanically inclined (like me).
I'd highly recommend a Zone-FR1. I've only had a short time with the bike so far, but I really like it, in fact I sold my other bike because I knew I wouldn't have time to ride both and preferred the feel of the IBEX.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Kyle
a Downhiller
from West Linn, OR Date Reviewed: April 22, 2006
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$999.00
Purchased At:
www.ibexbikes.com
Strengths:
the rear shock is amazing, every component on this bike is specced out perfictly. wheels were true and brakes were fine. everything was ready to go. the fork actually works well for being an OEM fork. its nice that it came with a 20mm in the front. the drivetrain works well. Ibex sent me manuals for like..everything VS a bike shop that just gives me a hayes book and a generic bike manual that has nothing to do with my bike. Ibex also has great customer servace.
Weaknesses:
there was a little damage when I got the bike, but hey, its gona across the USA for 5 days, give em a break. the pedals were kept in the same box as the touch up paint, and the bottle broke, but no biggie.
Similar Products Used:
kona stinky, specialized bighit, santacruz bullit.
Bike Setup:
stock
Bottom Line:
definatly get one of these. I managed to get it on sale for 1K when this bike easily compares with 2006 kona stinky. but I think this bike is a lot more nimble compared to the stinkys. even if you are wanting a full on downhill bike, this is the perfict choice, save yourself some money and you also wont be riding the same bike that everyother person plus their brother has.
amazing company, amazing bike...what else can I say ?
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Mitch Shortell
a Weekend Warrior
from Hebron, CT, US Date Reviewed: April 10, 2006
Favorite Trail:
Grayville
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$999.00
Purchased At:
www.ibexbikes.com
Strengths:
strong frame, great fork and components
Weaknesses:
kind of heavy. When it got here the box was in really bad condition. The frame had some scratches. The thing that shows you what back gear your in was broken off when i got it. Brakes are hard to adjust when you first get it.
Similar Products Used:
Diamondback coil x
Bottom Line:
Its a nice bike so far. it came with some touch up paint and a tool. great components for harcore trail riding and free riding.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
What's New
»
BEST OF MTBR - Check out the highest rated bikes, parts, & gear!
»
LED BIKE LIGHT SHOOTOUT 3 - We test all the newest products and latest light and battery technology in this comprehensive guide»
$ 2000.00
Overall Rating:
