I’ve been able to get in a few rides the last couple of weeks on the Ibex Ignition 3 and have a few thoughts/impressions for you. They were all night rides so no action pictures of the bike yet. I have to admit that it has been a while since I’ve gotten a good amount of seat time on a 26″ bike let alone a 26″ full suspension. The Ignition 3 is a different animal from my normal ride a 29er but I’m still enjoying it. The biggest change for me is two-fold: 1. 5 inches of travel & 2. All Mountain steering.
1. The 5 inches of travel really change the way I ride. The travel allows me to be more aggressive as it flattens out pretty much everything on the trail. The travel provided by the Marzocchi fork is super plush and has a great lock out feature that I use when climbing. This helps quite a bit with front bob. The rear suspension is still a work in progress as I dial in the correct amount of air pressure. I’m going to try using a different shock pump as I can’t get mine to pump up enough air for me. I also have to say that the BB5 brakes, 7â€? front & rear, have been amazing. More power than my hydraulics running 7â€? front, 6â€? rear. The modulation is very nice as well.
2. The All Mountain steering has been great on the downhills. It is a bit more slowed down in comparison with more XC oriented bike. This makes for more stable descents which fits well with the AM type of bike it is. On the uphills the slower steering requires a little more finessing for doing some technical stuff and the heavier bike makes me a bit slower. Also, because the rear shock is not dialed in just right, I have a hard time with the standing climbs. I experience way too much bobbing in the rear for standing climbs to be productive. I am working on this problem and I hope to have it solved shortly when I use the correct tool.
More thoughts to come as I take the Ibex Ignition 3 out for some more riding including to Aliso Woods for Saturday’s ride.
For more information on the Ibex Ignition 3 click here.
