Submitted by
trailgrumper
a Weekend Warrior
from Clayton, NC Date Reviewed: June 2, 2009
Favorite Trail:
New Light
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$1800.00
Purchased At:
IBEX.com
Strengths:
Solid components, nice welds, sealed pivots
Weaknesses:
pseudo carbon seatpost and bars
Bike Setup:
Full XT, Avid Elixir CR, read it off the site...
Bottom Line:
Value for the buck you can't get a better ride. I looked a lot before I purchased and although I bought it without seeing it in person, I couldn't be happier. It is a rock solid bike that I would even recommend now that it's jumped to $2000. I couldn't find a similar bike for under $3000 so buy some beer with your savings.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
globewyre
a Cross Country Rider
from NJ Date Reviewed: July 3, 2008
Duration Product Used:
Tested or demo'ed only
Price Paid:
$1800.00
Purchased At:
ibex
Strengths:
Nice parts spec
Weaknesses:
Weak frame. High bottom bracket. Bad traction. ride quality.
Similar Products Used:
gary fisher sugar, KHS 705, Iron horse
Bike Setup:
XT
Bottom Line:
Test rode for one day. Hated it!!!!!!!. Boxed it up that night.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
allen hall
a Cross Country Rider
from shelton, wa Date Reviewed: May 25, 2008
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$1799.00
Purchased At:
Ibexbikes.com
Strengths:
Great components - all XT, Juicy 7's, RS Reba Frame appears very durable - suspension points are mostly sealed bearings, only a few bushings in places that don't move as much. Very good value for those of us who don't have to have a name with alot of cachet.
Weaknesses:
Couldn't find much info on the hubs, they're very smooth now, we'll see how they hold up. Pretty minor complaint.
Similar Products Used:
First full suspender
Bike Setup:
Me - 5'10 155 Bike- rear shock running 105 psi Front shock 120 psi
Bottom Line:
This is based on 1 3 hour inaugural ride that covered the gamut of terrain. Fit is near perfect, standover and reach are comfortable, seatpost is out almost all the way, maybe 3/4 inch over minimum mark. Climbing, I never touched the lockouts front or rear, and could not discern any pedal bob that would have robbed my effort. The ability to stay in the saddle over rocks and roots and keep pedaling was night and day better than my hardtail. Made it over several obstacles that I could not clear with the HT. Downhill, the rear sus was pretty tight, but definitely working. I ran the rear shock at 105 lbs, the Swinger X3 manual says to run it 100-150, so I imagine it will break in and soften a bit with further riding. The brakes worked fine, even though it was wet, and I did not get a chance to really break them in beforehand. They only got better as the day went on. About once per hour the rear derailleur would start to shift a little clunkier, so I would just give the housing about a 1/8th turn and it was right back on.
Just a very smooth ride, no drivetrain noise at all, and basically a flawless first ride. I greased the carbon fiber seatpost as I always do, but I did have to stop a couple times to tighten. I removed most of the grease when I got home, so we'll see if it improves. If not I'll ditch the quick release and get a bolt.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
JC
a Cross Country Rider
from Boulder, CO Date Reviewed: May 21, 2008
Favorite Trail:
hall's ranch
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$1699.00
Purchased At:
ibexbikes.com
Strengths:
low weight, holds at speed, smooth climbing (no bob)
Weaknesses:
no weaknesses, just need time to get used to the shifters
Similar Products Used:
specialized fsr comp, gary fisher hifi, santa cruz
Bike Setup:
stock
Bottom Line:
good value and holds up under bruiser conditions. have recommended to many friends. good customer service also.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Wedrel Broadaway
a Cross Country Rider
from GA, USA Date Reviewed: April 16, 2008
I purchased this bike after for racing this season with FS. I raced a hard tail Haro the last two years. This bike climbs much better than the hardtail soooo much better on my back. Only reason anything was changed was personal preferance. I would recommend ibex to anyone. High quality bike. Only con is the motor not strong enough for the bike.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
DD
a Cross Country Rider
from Canton, MI, USA Date Reviewed: June 11, 2007
Favorite Trail:
Poto
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$1700.00
Purchased At:
www.ibexbikes.com
Strengths:
Low weight, great component set, excellent damping, great pedal response.
Weaknesses:
Set posts keeps sliding into seat tube.
Similar Products Used:
None.
Bike Setup:
Stock, except Eggbeater pedals.
Bottom Line:
Excellent value and performance. This is the first dual suser I've ever owned and I can't think of a reason to even ride a hardtail anymore. I've got about 100 miles (singletrack) so far and I can't wait until the components break-in. Climbing hills is more efficient since the rear stays planted. Decending hills is (obviously) better. Even rolling or bumpy terrain is easier since you are able to sit the entire time. I'm happily surprised with the tires as well. They're somwhat low profile, but the width makes up for it. Sheds mud great, and slides progressively in the slop. Holds the edges great as well. A little squirly in the sand, but what isn't?
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Submitted by
Hien Do
a Weekend Warrior
from covina Date Reviewed: June 11, 2007
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$1699.00
Purchased At:
www.ibexbikes.com
Strengths:
Good 28lb bike with good componets. Climbs nicely. No pedal bob unless you're standing up and mashing away.
Weaknesses:
Not able to demo bike. The water cage in the pictures appeared to be on the top side but ended up on the bottom side of frame so water bottle gets covered in dirt.
Bike Setup:
Stock with wellgo mg-1 pedals
Bottom Line:
Good value for a bike with higher end components. Dual shifters gets some getting used to. I would recommend this bike to those who do not want to deal with buying separate componets to piece together good rig.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
DMK
a Cross Country Rider
from Austin, Tx Date Reviewed: September 9, 2006
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$1799.00
Purchased At:
www.ibexbikes.com
Strengths:
price is awesome. Every part is top of the line.
Weaknesses:
fork is a little harsh.
Similar Products Used:
maverick ML7, BMC fourstroke 1
Bike Setup:
My bike is a Special Edition, which has Manitou Minute 3:00 upfron. Everything else is standard.
Bottom Line:
Every component is very high quality. If you browse MTBR.COM you will see that every part that is spec'd on ASTA PRO recieved very high reviews. There is not a single low end part that other manufacturers use to bring the cost down. The bike's geometry is nothing unusual, so I'm not going to comment on that. How the bike fits is highly personal so no comments here either.
Bottom line: I had a chance to ride maverick ML7 and BMC fourstroke 1 (the scandium model) on the same trails as this bike and I really feel that my bike is just as good/fast, which is surpising, considering I just compared it to two bikes that sell for >$3500+tax.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Aaron
a Weekend Warrior
from State College, PA Date Reviewed: September 7, 2006
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$1599.00
Purchased At:
Ibexbikes.com
Strengths:
Lightweight about 27 pounds. Good component group
Weaknesses:
Sun rims, hard to remove tire when changing a flat, but not that big of a deal.
Similar Products Used:
Trek Hardtail
Bike Setup:
Bone Stock: XT w/ XTR RD Dual Control Hydro's Rapid Rise RD SPV Fork and Shock
Bottom Line:
SPV rear shock eliminates pedal bob on the hardpack. Frame is a great color (darker than in the pictures on the website). Customer service from IBEX is wonderful. Bike rides great. Great Price
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Dave
a Cross Country Rider
from Chambersburg PA Date Reviewed: May 21, 2006
Favorite Trail:
michaux state forest
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$1600.00
Purchased At:
ibexbikes.com
Strengths:
value, components, customer service, and what a pretty red fork!
Weaknesses:
everybody asks 'what's an ibex?'
Bike Setup:
stock
Bottom Line:
This is my 3rd Ibex. Had an alpine to test out this mt biking thing, got a trophy pro when i fell in love, and now i just bought this one. I've been very impressed with the company and its products from the start. This is my 1st full suspension bike so i was looking for something lightweight and fairly short travel to smooth the transition. Originally i was shopping around cannondales, treks, santa cruz, etc. When i checked in on Ibex site a couple of months ago and saw this new XC model i just couldn't pass it up. Being my 3rd Ibex, i put it together in less than 15 minutes--it's very straightforward. I just had my first club-ride this morning on it (did about 14 miles of singletrack) and it rides great. The fork and shock are taking a little bit of work to get tweaked in, but i think i'm getting closer. The dual control is very intuitive--i'll admit i was sceptical. The bike feels solid and responsive--i really felt in control even on the rockiest downhills. I think i may even stick with the tires for a while--they're a little thinner than my fire xc's i had on my trophy, but they ride well. Everybody on the ride this morning was very impressed by the bike and extremely surprised at what a value it is. Let's just say that everyone i ride with knows Ibex now. I have, and will continue to, recommend Ibex and their products to anyone.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Pascal
a Weekend Warrior
from Tallahassee Date Reviewed: May 19, 2006
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$1599.00
Purchased At:
www.ibexbikes.com
Strengths:
Price. Very easy to assemble.
Weaknesses:
I haven't found any yet.
Similar Products Used:
Specialized Stumpjumper FSR
Bike Setup:
Original setup.
Bottom Line:
Wow!!! Let's just say that paying 1600 $ for a bike that worth 3000, 3200 $ it's already awesome. Then when you get it at home and start to unwrap it, it gets even better. The welds, the paint and the parts coming with the frame are incredible. It is extremely easy to assemble. I hadn’t touched a bike in about 15 years and the last one I had didn’t have quick release anything or suspension and it took me about an hour to assemble the bike. For someone who knows what he is doing it probably takes 15 minutes. I just received it Tuesday of this week so I haven’t had the chance to try it in a trail yet but I hope I will be able to do that this weekend. By the way, I read some of the comments about the Manitou SPV shocks (they were difficult to adjust and they were making a clicking noise when moving) and I was able to adjust them very easily and they aren’t making any noise yet. Maybe the company modified the mechanism to eliminate these problems. If you want a good bike at a super great price go check Ibex website. I will post more comments after a few months of riding it.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
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