Joined
·
587 Posts
It's as simple as this: I was out of work in 2003 and started getting into mountain biking. I bought a hard tail and rode it for three years. In early 2006, I knew I wanted more, but I had decided to go back to college and had very little money. I researched online for something to take me to a different level that I could afford. I found mtbr and Ibex.
I purchased the Asta on pre-order and received the bike in mid May. I fell in love with the full squish instantly. My fondness for the sport grew. I live less than 10 minutes from some choice local trails called Fort Rock. I have had a lot of time to ride in the last few years and I've taken advantage of it.
I hated taking my bike to the LBS as it kept me off the trails. I learned a lot of basic bike mechanics. This has allowed me to spend most weeks riding anywhere from 40-70 miles a week for the last few years. I have spent nearly all of this time on the Asta. My skills and confidence have increased exponentially for riding. The bike is fast and can take a beating.
I did give this bike a beating and while it did fail twice, I still don't feel like those two times really took much away from the amazing amount of time I spent riding this bike. These two links explain and show pics of both swing arm failures. As you can see, both failures occurred in the same spot. That is not coincidence to me. Just for context, I will tell you that I rode a 16" Asta and that I am five foot seven and weight about 190-195 pounds fully geared up.
http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=569157
http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=459577
The bike is as you see now. I rode it to start the spring, but I bought a new ride about three weeks ago. I was afraid that if I broke another swing arm, I would be without a bike. I still have a hard tail, but I rode that thing so hard last summer that I bruised a bone in my foot that took eight months to heal. I can't use the HT as my primary bike.
Anyone want a very used Asta frame and matching fork for cheap?
This is my Ibex experience. You can't expect everything to go perfect as a consumer. You hope it does, but you adapt if it does not. That is what I did. I didn't know what I didn't know until I bought the Asta. Then a whole new world was opened to me.
I purchased the Asta on pre-order and received the bike in mid May. I fell in love with the full squish instantly. My fondness for the sport grew. I live less than 10 minutes from some choice local trails called Fort Rock. I have had a lot of time to ride in the last few years and I've taken advantage of it.
I hated taking my bike to the LBS as it kept me off the trails. I learned a lot of basic bike mechanics. This has allowed me to spend most weeks riding anywhere from 40-70 miles a week for the last few years. I have spent nearly all of this time on the Asta. My skills and confidence have increased exponentially for riding. The bike is fast and can take a beating.
I did give this bike a beating and while it did fail twice, I still don't feel like those two times really took much away from the amazing amount of time I spent riding this bike. These two links explain and show pics of both swing arm failures. As you can see, both failures occurred in the same spot. That is not coincidence to me. Just for context, I will tell you that I rode a 16" Asta and that I am five foot seven and weight about 190-195 pounds fully geared up.
http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=569157
http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=459577
The bike is as you see now. I rode it to start the spring, but I bought a new ride about three weeks ago. I was afraid that if I broke another swing arm, I would be without a bike. I still have a hard tail, but I rode that thing so hard last summer that I bruised a bone in my foot that took eight months to heal. I can't use the HT as my primary bike.
Anyone want a very used Asta frame and matching fork for cheap?
This is my Ibex experience. You can't expect everything to go perfect as a consumer. You hope it does, but you adapt if it does not. That is what I did. I didn't know what I didn't know until I bought the Asta. Then a whole new world was opened to me.
