Submitted by
Dan Yak
a Racer
from fl,fl,US Date Reviewed: July 17, 2007
Favorite Trail:
momo
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$1000.00
Purchased At:
online
Strengths:
I liked the frame
Weaknesses:
components suck! Especially the Sun rims!
Similar Products Used:
other HT and squishie rides
Bike Setup:
105 components
Bottom Line:
Their service sucks! Its like talking to people from the morg or a funeral home! They hum and hah then finally say we did it... its as though they want some praise or something. First, yah feel like swearing at them... then you're kind of glad they came through with it... I'd hate to see what happens if a frame breaks... ekkkks! Would not be pretty I don't think.
I liked the frame. Some of the components were cheap (rims and hub especially).
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Chris Levang
a Cross Country Rider
from Dayton, MN, USA Date Reviewed: May 24, 2006
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$999.00
Purchased At:
ibexbikes.com
Strengths:
Great components forGreat components for the price and doesn’t skimp in the small areas. Good customer service. Strong components all around. Non traditional frame has good stand over height. Rides great and is very tunable to your riding style. Reba is a great fork that is very tunable and the Ario goes well with it. Frame is a reasonable weight especially considering I’m a clydesdale rider.
the price. Customer service
Weaknesses:
Have to buy sight unseen but it exceeded my expectations. Post was a bit to short for my height (20” frame and I’m about 6’ 3”). Tires are heavy and don’t hook up well but I think they changed those for 06’. Currently running IRC mythos XC Kevlar tires. Requires some initial tune up and set up but it is good experience.
Similar Products Used:
Trek Fuel 80, my old Trek 920 rigid frame.
Bike Setup:
Sun Rhinolite XL wheels with XT hubs. Longer seat post. 7” front rotor. Shimano M424 platform pedals.
Bottom Line:
I was in the market for a FS bike and found the Ibex Apogee LX 05 on clearance. The components were in line with most $1500 bikes which was what I wanted for components. The frame is solid and handles well over different terrain. It survived my recent trip to Fruita and Moab and I’m a clyde. The stopping power on the Juicy 5’s is great. The shifting is smooth and quick. Suspension is tunable and smooth. Great deal for a great bike. Don’t hesitate to buy if you are capable of a little bike setup.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Rod
a Cross Country Rider
from Greensboro, NC Date Reviewed: May 3, 2006
Favorite Trail:
Horsethief's Bench Fruita
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$1300.00
Purchased At:
Direct
Strengths:
Components, Tech Support
Weaknesses:
Not a featherweight but not heavy either
Similar Products Used:
Santa Cruz Blur, Jamis Dakar Pro
Bottom Line:
It's a great bike! Since I've had it I've ridden a Santa Cruz, Jamis and a Trek. The Santa was a little lighter but I like the geometry on the Ibex. That's mainly why I bought it. The shape lends itself well to the tight singletracks I ride in North Carolina. The only change I made was to a carbon Answer straight bar. The stock bars actually gave me a little more control but less room to maneuver through the trees. I've taken the bike to West Virginia, Colorado and most recently Moab. It was excellent on a variety of terrains. The components worked flawlessly. Thanks for all of your personalized tech support. Keep working on the weight. In couple of years I plan on getting another Apogee.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Wes
a Cross Country Rider
from Richmond, VA Date Reviewed: February 10, 2006
Favorite Trail:
Forest Hill
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$1000.00
Purchased At:
ibex.com
Strengths:
Price and ride!!! The components alone are over $1400 at full retail, you get the frame for free, and then some. The suspension is awesome once you get it adjusted correctly. Also, the Avid 5's are a treat over my old v-brakes, and are really easy to adjust.
Weaknesses:
A little heavy, but in the $1000 FS category, it's a veritable featherweight. Also, sizing can be iffy sight unseen. The website has some help for this, but it still doesn't replace actually sitting on and riding a bike.
Similar Products Used:
Trek Fuel 90, Gary Fischer Tassajara
Bike Setup:
stock except for crank bros candies pedals
Bottom Line:
For the price, I don't think it can be beaten. I looked everywhere for something comparable (e-bay, bike classifieds, LBS, etc) and couldn't find anything close, and that was for a USED bike. The bike comes to your door via UPS almost completely assembled. I am far from being a mechanical genius, and I had it all together in about 60 minutes (the front fork was installed backwards, but was pretty easy to reverse, and the front wheel was slightly out of true. Jack at Ibex agreed to pay for my LBS to true it up, but it was so slight that they ended up doing it for free.) I've only ridden it a few times, but I think that if you are looking for a great value FS bike with very good components, this is the deal.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Ted
a Weekend Warrior
from Kyrgyzstan Date Reviewed: April 13, 2005
Favorite Trail:
goat trails in the Kyrgyz Mountains
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$1200.00
Purchased At:
Ibex Web site
Strengths:
Great value for the money - excellent components. The bike is built solid.
Weaknesses:
A little heavy. Having a hard time getting the squeeks out of the Hayes brakes
Similar Products Used:
Jamis Dakar XC Comp, Schwinn moab dsr1
Bike Setup:
stock
Bottom Line:
This bike isn't for a cross country racer nor for a North Shore freerider but it handles just about everything well. Climbs great and goes back down even better. The bike is confidence inspiring. I like it as much as the Jamis (which I lost in a battle with a semi truck) and is less expensive. I ride in Kyrgyzstan which means that I am riding on rocky trails and dirt roads every time I get on the bike. This think is solid and rides as smooth as butter. Can't recommend it high enough. For those who want to do a bit of everything, willing to spend some cash but not go poor - this is a great choice.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Joe
a Weekend Warrior
from Los Angeles Date Reviewed: August 28, 2004
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$1199.00
Purchased At:
Direct from Ibex
Strengths:
1) Incredible customer service 2) Incredible customer service 3) Did I mention incredible customer service? 4) Great sturdy frame 5) Outstanding value for high quality components
Weaknesses:
A little heavy at about 29 pounds, but at this price, this is not a big deal. Made a few adjustments to derailleurs at the start, but no big deal for anyone who knows how to adjust bikes.
Bike Setup:
Swapped out brakes for Avid mechanical discs. Otherwise bone stock.
Bottom Line:
Take a chance and don't be afraid to purchase this bicycle sight unseen. Jack from Ibex will bend over backwards to make sure everything is right!
I ordered this bicycle several months ago on sale for $1199 (still a bargain at $1269) and it arrived promptly the following week. I'm a busy guy, so it took a little while to put it together. Two months later, I finally decided to measure the standover height (it had been a little close for comfort) and I realized that Ibex had sent me a larger frame than I had ordered! By this time, I had thrown away the box and packaging... and I had gotten rid of the original Hayes brakes!
Jack and he offered to send me another bike (so I can swap brakes and send the wrong one back)... or to send me a Apogee Team Frame of the correct size! I took the Team frame. In exchange for time spent in swapping out the components, I got to keep the better rear shock on the team frame. Sweet! I do believe he intended for me to keep the original frame, but I arranged to send it back to Ibex (paid for by Jack, of course). He even offered to pay for the bottom bracket tool I needed when swapping components.
The bike itself is awesome. Every bit as good as a bike costing about 30-40% more at your local shop.
Bottom line: If you are at all mechanically inclined and like to do your own adjustment and maintenance, BUY THIS BIKE!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Jared Savik
a Cross Country Rider
from Eureka, MT Date Reviewed: August 4, 2004
Favorite Trail:
McGuire Lookout
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$1269.00
Purchased At:
online
Strengths:
Awesome components for the $$. Great customer service. 30 day money-back guarantee!
Weaknesses:
Packaging should be better. UPS gets their evil hands on it for a week. Somewhat pre-tuned. Mine needed big adjustment to rear derailleur. Seems to be some extra brake line and shifter cable.
Similar Products Used:
Demo'ed Jamis Dakar Comp and Spec. Stumpjumper Elite w/ Disc.
Bike Setup:
Stone Stock
Bottom Line:
Nowhere can you buy a bike with such awesome specs for the $$. We're talking hydro discs, LX/XT drivtrain, Marzocchi MX comp air w/ETA up front and Manitou QRL on the rear. If you are a serious rider who does their own tune ups, make sure you check this bike out.
My bike showed up on Friday at work. I was almost done putting it together when I noticed unacceptable damage. UPS beat the hell out of the bike. Frame had a major dent in the downtube and a bunch of hacksaw like scratches.
My wife and son were heading out of town for a week, leaving me with oodles of time to ride. I started a claim with OOps and figured I wouldn't get to ride at all while they were processing the claim. I emailed IBEX about the situation. JACK TOLD ME TO GO AHEAD AND RIDE THE HECK OUT OF IT AND THEY WOULD GET ANOTHE ONE SHIPPED TO ME ASAP! Now how is that for customer service?
As far as the bike's performance, it has been flawless. Even the seat is A OK!
Don't tell Jack, but after three days of riding it, I took it to Big Mtn for the local races. I rode the heck out of it and it was all I could ask for the $. Sure the wheels and cranks could be lighter, but so could I!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
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