Ibex Ignition 3
November 9th, 2005 by MikeBlue Collar Summary:
The Ibex Ignition 3 has changed the way I feel about full suspension bikes. Going into this review I was a little skeptical about how much I would enjoy the bike. I think my skepticism was from my previous experience on full suspension bikes, I feel like I sit too high, the handlebars are in a weird position, etc. The 18.5” frame fit me perfectly and my overall positioning on the bike was very comfortable. The Ignition 3 has a great component group including a Shimano Deore/LX drivetrain and Hayes mechanical disc brakes. The Hayes rear brake needed a few adjustments at first but has operated well since then. After making a small adjustment to the rear derailleur I haven’t had any problems at all with the drivetrain either.
The Ibex Ignition 3 is a great full suspension bike for the money/value conscience rider. Right now you can pick up the Ignition 3 from Ibex’s website for an awesome price of $699. The bike is well worth it with an MSRP of $1075. You can only purchase the bike from the Ibex website and it does say that the $699 price is a sale price, so if you are interested check it out soon.
Disclaimer:
As a product reviewer for BlueCollarMTB, I am providing my unbiased opinion of any products provided to us by any company. I do not posses any type of relationship with the product’s company or parent companies. I am not compensated in any way by companies that send in their goods to be reviewed.
My background:
I am 6’ and 230 whopping pounds (I’m working on that). I started mountain biking on a Mongoose Inferno and now have graduated to the Ibex Ignition 3. I do mostly XC riding with the occasional pavement ride when I feel like it.
Testing Grounds:
I have been riding the Ibex Ignition 3 on local trails that range from easy to expert trails. The main trail that I ride is Peaks View Park that contains a lot of short steep climbs and fast singletrack. I have also taken the Ignition 3 to Black Water Creek trail which has miles of paved walking and bike paths and a lot of short easy singletrack. My favorite rides so far have been up on Candlers Mountain and in Danville, VA. The trails are steep and fast at some points and littered with fallen trees which makes for a fun technical ride.
Bike Setup:
There wasn’t much to the setup on the Ibex Ignition 3. Some minimal assembly was required and some adjustments here and there but nothing that I couldn’t handle myself.
Frame: 6061 Aluminum Frame w/ 4-Bar Rear Suspension / 4″ Travel / Cartridge Bearing Pivots / Bi-Oval Downtube with Gusset / Replaceable Derailleur Hanger / Cage Mount / Disc Ready
Fork: Marzocchi EXR w/ 105mm Travel / 1-Side Open Bath SSV Damping with Air / 1-Side Coil Spring / External Preload Adjustment / 30mm Crom-Moly Stanchions / Monolite One Piece Magnesium Lowers / Forged Crown
Rear Shock: Vector Axis w/ Lockout - Hydraulic Floating Piston - Coil Spring - Adjustable Rebound - Preload Adjustment
Front Derailleur: Shimano Deore
Rear Derailleur: Shimano LX
Shifters: Shimano Deore Rapidfire - 27-spd - Indexed
Crankset: TruVativ Blaze - 44/32/22T w/ Power Spline - Crankarms: 170mm (16.5″) / 175mm (18″ & 20″)
Bottom Bracket: TruVativ Power Spline - Cartridge Type
Cassette: SRAM 7.0 - 11-32T - 9-spd
Chain: KMC Z9000
Brakes: Hayes MX-1 Mechanical Disc Brakes
Brake Levers: Hayes HML-1
Tires: Kenda Klaw - 26″ x 2.10″
Rims: Alex DP-20 Mid-Width (27mm) Disc Specific Double-Wall Alloy - Black
Hubs: Shimano M475 Disc Alloy - 32H w/ Quick Release
Spokes: 14G Black Stainless Steel
Handlebar: UNO - Sand Blast Black Alloy - 630mm x 50° rise - for OS 31.8mm clamp Stem: UNO - 4-Bolt Sand Blast Black Forged Alloy w/ OS 31.8mm clamp
Grips: Velo Double Density Kraton w/ Gel
Headset: FSA Orbit XL-II Threadless
Pedals: HTI A100S Alloy DH Platform w/ Replaceable Pins
Saddle: WTB Speed V Sport SS
Seat Post: UNO - 2-Bolt Sand Blast Black Alloy
Seat Clamp: Quick Release Alloy
Also Included: Multi-tool, Pedal Wrench, Touch-up Paint
Performance and Observations
I’m not a full suspension lover by any means. The best bikes that I have ridden so far have been hardtails. This is where the Ibex Ignition 3 surprised me, the 18.5” frame was a great fit and I actually got to enjoy the benefits of a full suspension bike. At first, instead of enjoying the 4” of travel from the Vector Axis rear shock, I used the Virtual lock-out feature because I was worried that I would hate the ride. I rode it a few times locked-out and then I braved the full 4” of suspension and it was great. I’m not sure where my hatred for full suspension bikes began but I think it had something to do with the way I feel like I’m sitting way too high.
When I first got the bike I set up the Marzocchi EXR front fork to the specifications in the owner’s manual that came with the bike. The chart was easy to follow and with my Planet Bike shock pump setting up the fork was a breeze. The EXR has 105 mm of travel that compliment this full suspension Ignition 3 well.
The Ibex Ignition 3 comes equipped with a Shimano Deore/LX drivetrain. The front derailleur and shifters are Deore and the rear derailleur is LX. I did have to make a small adjustment to the rear derailleur after a few rides but only one time. I have ridden the Ibex many times since that adjustment and have had no problems at all with it not wanting to shift right. Truvativ puts their hand into the mix on the Ignition 3 with their new Blaze crankset. I have ridden many bikes with the Blaze crankset and have yet to encounter a problem. The rear cassette is a SRAM 7.0 9-speed. Overall the drivetrain on the Ignition is great. I haven’t had any significant trouble with it in the three to four months that I have been riding the bike.
Slowing my butt down on this bike is done by the Hayes MX-1 disc brakes. They are mechanical brakes that have worked very well. I have just recently started hearing some squeaking from the brakes. I did have to make a few adjustments to the rear brake. The Hayes MX-1 brakes come with a fine adjustment knob on the inside of the brake assembly you can rotate the knob to adjust the pad toward the disc or away from the disc. I tried the fine adjustment first and found out that wasn’t doing the trick. The next step was loosening the brake assembly bracket and moving the whole housing over. That stopped my wheel from rubbing and has held up fine since the adjustment. I did make sure that my wheel was true before I adjusted the brakes.
Keeping me rolling on the Ignition are the Alex DP-20 rims accompanied by Kenda Krusher 26″ x 2.10 tires. This has been a great combination so far. The Alex rims are sturdy and show no sign of wear. The Kenda Krushers have supplied great traction and in turn confidence in the corners.
Uno provided the stem, seat post and handlebar. I haven’t had any problems with these components yet. The seat post is holding up, I don’t think I’m gonna let Tim use this one since he has such a bad track record with seat posts. And supply my but with comfort is the WTB Speed V Sport saddle. I’ve ridden many bikes with this saddle and I’m always pleased with it.
Strengths:
- great fit, very comfortable
- good component group (smooth shifting, no component failure)
- disc brakes
- full suspension rolls over the roots and rocks
- great price at $699
Weaknesses:
- weight (31.4 lbs – to be expected in this price range)
- rear brake adjustment needed
The following is a word from Ibex:
| IBEX Bicycles manufactures high quality bikes and markets them direct to the consumer via the Internet at www.ibexbikes.com.
The wide variety of IBEX models includes a full range of mountain bikes and road bikes, as well as specialty items like Cyclocross, Freeride, high-end kid’s bikes and flat-bar street performance bikes. Known for offering great values, IBEX Bicycles’ prices are 25% to 45% below bike shop brand pricing for similarly equipped LBS models. Check out www.ibexbikes.com for the whole story! |
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i was wondering what other bikes in this range would you suggest? i like the ibex but are there other bikes in the same $$ range that i should look at/. thank s
Hi, I’m stuck in the Lost Dutchman State park with a MB problem. I’ve got Hayes nine disc brakes that I replaced the pads on but the adjustment is all wrong.
There is not enough gap to allow the disc to rotate freely and the pads are grabbing.
How can I adjust the pads?
Appreciate your help.
Graeme
Graeme,
I’m not sure if the Hayes nine brakes are the same as the MX1’s that came on the Ignition but if so you may be able to do two things, see if the brakes have a round dile that moves the pads in and out if that does not help try to loosen the bracket that holds the brakes to the frame (see picture above with arrows) and slide it which ever way you need. Hope that helps.
I just bought this at a clearance price of $599 (plus 35 dollars shipping).. and it’s expected to arrive tomorrow.. hopefully I enjoy it. this review helped me decide which bike I would like to buy hehe.
ive seen better from abex but it looks ok but thats just me
i am considering buying a used Dbrx -10 frame comes with disc brakes for 350 is that a good deal and are you familiar with this frame
What I’ve noticed about Ibex is they promote their bikes to really uninformed buyers. They are appealing because of their price compared to the the inflate prices at your local bike shop. But there are a lot of better alternatives, such as Iron Horse, Motobecane, Jamis, and Kona among others. Because most of these bikes are not cookie cutter bikes like the Ibex who get their frames from manufacturers in China and Taiwan. Also most of the better brands have better suspension designs, which is key when shopping for a full suspension bike. The better the suspension design the less pedal bob and brake jack one will experience and the better the overall ride will be.
I would recommend staying away from Ibex, and if anything test ride at your local bike shop first before buying ANTYING online.
Yes John, I bought a Kona. Nice frame but let me tell you about the parts that came with it.The seat was had as rock..I persevered with it thinking it would break in.It didn’t. Ended up buying a selle saddle as replacement.100% better than the stock SDG.
Also the Marzocchi fork had very little suspension.This is where Kona really economized.Ended up buying a rockshox TORA 318..again 100% improvement. Could never get the shimano LX ? Deore drivetrain working smoothly although the shifters were ok.Even after repeated visits to the store for adjustment.Ended up buying a SRAM X’/X9 drivetrain…and guess what? Yep! 100% improvement. Now after a lot of extra expense i finally have a bike that rides as it should have done in the first place!
The moral? Kona make some fine bikes at top end level but the basic Ibex Asta X7 comes with all these parts that i had to upgrade to right out of the box.So I’d have to say going by my experience that the Ibex would be a great buy.I haven’t ridden an Ibex ( would like to!) but I’ll bet it’s a great ride and seems like you haven’t ridden one either so why dismiss it as a bad buy?
Best bike i’ve ridden? A cheapo Schwinn Mesa hardtail. Have to admit it…nicer ride than many of the more expensive brands.That ibex bike looks like a pretty tasty cookie to me and i wouldn’t expect it to be any worse than some of the other names on your list!
John -
I have been off bikes in a serious way for about a decade but, before that, was heavily involved in all aspects of the sport. I hate to say this, but all of the lower end bike frames come out of Taiwan and/or China - whether they’re decaled as Kona, Trek, Jamis, etc. This started with Specialized who was the first bike company to send their manufacturing overseas.
That said, I am in the market for a new bike and have been reviewing specs and components. I think that if you carefully compare the Ibex Asta and Ignition offerings to the Kona Kikapu or Brodie Rite you will see that, on paper, the Ibex bikes look pretty good. It goes without saying that the proof is in the ride, but with the Ibex return policy what have you got to lose anyway? Steve has some good points on component specs and I agree that you would have to do some upgrading on the components of a lower end Kona to match the Ibex. Will the Kona frame last longer? Probably. Would higher end Kona or Brodie or Iron Horse kill the Ibex? Almost certainly.
I may regret this after I ride one, but I can’t say that I won’t be trying this one out for the price/feature value.
Looks like Ibex is flooding the internet with bias reviews. I’d really like to know just how many of these comments are actually real.
Chris,
I’m not sure if you are referring to the review as being biased or the comments, but I can assure you that my reviews are strictly my opinions. There are definitely sites out there that get paid to post nice things about mountain bikes but this is not one of them. We are just guys that like to ride and have fun reviewing new bikes from time to time. There is absolutely no money being exchanged when we do these reviews. I hope that helps to clarify.
Ibex bikes are junk. They pay people to post positive reviews of their bikes.
Diego, have you ever ridden an Ibex?
The thing hear is the ignition is not some special design that ibex came up with but rather a common frame that other manufacuters used to. The mongoose wing is pretty much the same frame, and has since been dropped.now while the price is great for the parts there are a few other bikes to look at, but I would include IBEX in my search
It’s been a while since anyone has posted here, but I definitely have some valid points to make about buying a bike like this (Ibex). First of all, I’ve been racing on and off for about 12 years now, and I can tell you… a bike is as good as its rider. I raced pro and was factory sponsored
back in the early ’90’s…my bike was the at that time top of the line for that manufacturer. The component group on that bike (Legacy Snowbird) was trash in comparison to what we have now… but you know what? That didn’t stop me from taking first in the downhill. Ppl kill me…
you really don’t have to spend 6k on a bike for it to be good. It’s all about what geometry works for you, shift style, etc…
Now, to address the issue of Chinese or Taiwan manufacture… an American bike and an
American car are very similar in that they both use parts from origins other that the USA. Just because a frame is welded and assembled in the states doesn’t make it better. Neither does the fact that an American made bike will cost like 10 times as much (sometimes literally)
As a matter of fact, I’d trust a Chinese robot welder to an American human welder anyway.
I’ve never owned an Ibex, nor have I been payed by them… but they seem to be on the right track.
FYI: I am a soldier stationed overseas… I can’t get a Specialized, Marin, Jamis, without great difficulty, but Ibex would ship right to me if I wanted one…