Don’t get my title wrong, the Ibex Ignition 3 has impressed me beyond its capabilities. Ibex Bikes sells the Ignition as one of their “All Mountain” bikes. The bike was spec’d with decent parts such as Shimano Deore, LX, FSA, Rockshox, Marzocchi and many more. Ibex’s pretty much marketed this bike to be a great XC ride as well as something that could handle some aggressive trail riding.
When I first heard about the downhill race at Fontana back in November, I wanted to race, but didn’t have a downhill rig that that I thought could handle the terrain. Rather than missing out on the race, I decided to enter it with the use of the Ignition 3. The only thing I had to change on the bike was the fork. Joe let me borrow his Marzocchi 66 fork and Moe let me use his 20mm thru axle front wheel. I had also recruited the use of a Sette Stumpy stem to shorten the cock pit since the frame is a large.
After my first race, I was impressed that the Ibex Ignition 3 not only held up, but it really was a great bike for the Fontana course. With that said, I was pretty confident that this bike that was designed with a 120mm (a bit over 4.5″) rear travel frame could easily compete against DH bikes that were 3-5 times more expensive than the Ignition.
So for my second DH race which I had already posted a report about, I used my trusty Ibex Ignition and raced the course the best way I knew how. What was great about the Ignition was its ability to respond to everything I need it to do.
Keep in mind, in both events, my first DH race, during my practice run, I crashed pretty hard. OTB as they say. Then on my second race, during my run, I slammed into a big boulder, but the Ibex still worked like a charm. You know, we’ve had this bike since March and never had to tune it. The bike shifts like butter, suspension works as it should and honestly this bike has been pretty reliable, except for the occasional tightening the rocker arms will need from time to time. Other than that, this bike has been bombproof and DH capable.
Photo courtesy of Sharky
If you’re interested in a do it all bike, you may want to check out the Ibex Ignition. The new Ibex Ignition line for 09 has models starting as low as $699 and all the way up to $1299.
If you’re looking for a bike that CAN do everything, look no further, visit www.IBEXBIKES.com and heck out their Ignition line of bikes.
After a few more rides the frame will crack along the seat tube just like the other one’s I’ve seen.
If the frame cracks, send it back and they’ll replace it. I’ve been riding an Ibex Asta and a Classic for two years now with no…repeat no… problems at all. Great bikes for the price.
I am also a welder and can say that the frames I have have excellent welds. If you’re breaking the frames, you’re either not riding well or you’re riding the wrong kind of bike for the trail.
Later