[DabberTx]

Hi all,

Just thought I would post to let everyone know I recieved my 2005 Trophy 880 disc.

The bike came well packed with no damage. All the documentation was there, and assembly was a snap. The front brakes had to be adjusted to stop dragging the discs, but it was easily done and to be expected.

A quick ride around the block showed that the deraillieurs seemed to be adjusted correctly, but I will need to go on a longer ride to be sure. There is also some noise coming from the front wheel, but I'll need a longer ride to track it down. Might just be spoke noise.

So far my only concerns are:
1) I ordered a shock pump that wasn't included
2) There is play between the headset and front fork. With the front brake engaged, you can feel 1 to 2 mm of "play" between the fork stem and headset when moving the bike foward and back. This will have to be adjusted.

I have written an e-mail to Ibex regarding these concerns, and will follow up here when they reply.

I snapped some pics of the unboxing and assembly and will post them as soon as I DL them from my camera.

Regards,
Mike

 

[quickKarl]

bike

you picked a nice bike, i had to adj. my head set on my road bike also. probably loosened in the shipping. wasnt hard to do. . have fun with your new bike and post photos soon
karl

 

[InvictaS1]

I bought a Trophy 880 Disc a while back (04' model), very nice bike! Probably the best $$$ I've ever spent.

 

[DabberTx]

Awesome Customer Service

Here is the reply from Jack at Ibex - didn't even take a day! Awesome customer service. Order from Ibex with confidence folks.

Hi Mike.

I'm sorry for the omission. We'll get a shock pump on it's way ASAP.

Headset adjustment is a cinch. Just loosen the two side bolts on the stem (where it fits around the steerer tube of the fork). Tighten up the bolt in the center of the top-cap on top of the stem until the play in the fork disappears. If you over tighten you'll fell the steering start to bind... as though it had a damper on it. If you reach that point just back off on the top bolt until it turns freely and ten retighten the side bolts.

Thanks,
Jack A.
IBEX Bicycles
www.ibexbikes.com

 

[DabberTx]

Photos

Here are some pics - please ignore my cluttered house! Assembly took me about 40 minutes.

 

[Call_me_Clyde]

Thumbs up for Ibex

Congrats on your new bike. I'm sure you'll love it.

I was at first reluctant to purchase from them because it's online and I wouldn't be able to test ride the bike for fit, etc. I took the plunge and purchased the B-24 RSR street bike and couldn't be happier. I had an issue with the fork, and received a very prompt and courteous reply. They seem to make an awesome product, stand behind it, and provide excellent customer service.

Can you ask for anything more?

Clyde

 

[DabberTx]

Congrats on your new bike. I'm sure you'll love it.

I was at first reluctant to purchase from them because it's online and I wouldn't be able to test ride the bike for fit, etc. I took the plunge and purchased the B-24 RSR street bike and couldn't be happier. I had an issue with the fork, and received a very prompt and courteous reply. They seem to make an awesome product, stand behind it, and provide excellent customer service.

Can you ask for anything more?

Clyde

When I ordered form Ibex, I called and talked to Jack and told him my decision to buy from them was based on 2 factors -
1) They have a reputation for great customer service on MTBR
2) You cannot match the bang-for-your-buck factor. Its tough for an LBS to match the component spec level of an Ibex at a comparable price.

Jack said their motivation for providing such great customer service is simple - they don't want the bikes back! Makes sense to me...

 

[Call_me_Clyde]

Exclusive product

When I ordered form Ibex, I called and talked to Jack and told him my decision to buy from them was based on 2 factors -
1) They have a reputation for great customer service on MTBR
2) You cannot match the bang-for-your-buck factor. Its tough for an LBS to match the component spec level of an Ibex at a comparable price.

Jack said their motivation for providing such great customer service is simple - they don't want the bikes back! Makes sense to me...

The reason I chose Ibex was primarily the fact that the product they offered was exclusive in it's design. I wanted a bike that I could ride on the street and park bike paths with my kids. I looked at hybrids, cruisers and other options, but kept coming back to the B-24. I did my research here, and it was obvious that their customer service was superior, but I still had a reluctance to buy sight unseen. One last trip to a couple of LBS for a few test rides, and I took the plunge. I couldn't be happier. The bike is exactly as they marketed it, and is (IMO) probably the only bike in it's class. If there's something else out there like it, I'd love to see it. I did make some upgrades, but by and large, out of the box, the bike was killer.

Clyde

 

[Vulcan]

Thats a really sharp looking frame.

 

[DabberTx]

Trophy Update - first impressions/first ride

OK, I have had my Trophy for a week and ahalf, and have taken it on one trail ride so far at Erwin Park in McKinney, TX (see www.dorba.org under "Trails" for detail) as well as a few spins around the neighborhood after work.

First, I was riding a 1997 Specialized Hardrock - 23" CroMo frame with a circa 2000 Manitou SXR fork, and it's like night and day. Suddenly I am not as bad a rider as I thought I was - still bad, mind you, just not as bad.

This bike is far more nimble in the woods among the switchbacks and tree gates compared to my old ride. The seems to pivot underneath you, as opposed to the front end going somewhere and the back following. It is very light, especially for the price point - feels like a good 10 pounds lighter than my old ride, especially on the climbs. You can "head steer" it easily and it goes where you want it to. The only time it strayed off course was when my attention lapsed and I ended up looking where I DIDNT want to go.

It wheelies easily as well, and feels well balanced, at least as far as my level of skill can acertain. It inspires more confidence in my riding compared to my old rig.

Now a few minor gripes. The seat stay doesn't have a quick release skewer, so you have to break out the multitool to adjust seat height. Easily retrofitted, however. The cables for the deraillieurs and rear brake are run on top of the toptube - running them on the bottom would be a lot cleaner IMO. Also, I initially had some spoke noise from the front wheel under load, but the wheel was true and the tension seemed ok on the spokes, and it went away after an hour or so of riding.

Another gripe - not Ibex's fault though - this is in regards to the Marzocchi shock (EXR Race) and it's documentation. It looks like the sections in the manual documenting the EXR Race and EXR Pro (?) are mixed up - the table on page 24 for the EXR Race says its left and right hand air adjusted, as does the adjustment info on page 33. However, in reality, its RH air and LH coil, more like the EXR. This is what the shock looks like, and you can see its different on the top of each shock tower:
http://www.marzocchi.com/Template/l...113&IDAnno=8357&OEM=1&LN=UK&Sito=mtb&offset=2

To add to the confusion, the shock DOES have rebound adjustment on the bottom of the RH, so it's like the shock is a hybrid between the EXR and EXR Race. Jack, if you read this, do you have any insight? For everyones reference, you can DL it here:

http://www.marzocchi.com/Template/d...fsp2!>!ucmPhhfuuj`2/JEPhhfuup!&IDOggetto=8481

 

[Call_me_Clyde]

Marzocchi documentation

FWIW, Marzocchi documentation is just flat out lacking. I think part of the problem stems from poor English translation. The other problem seems to be a general disconnect between the final specifications of the product ( i.e. features and how to properly use/maintain them) and the actual documentation of those features.

Clyde