ibex asta pro

[dryfly]

was considering getting a full susp. bike for xc and some mild downhill. was considering a sc superlight or a ibex asta pro? the ibex components package looks way better! has anyone ridden this bike?seems awful reasonable, im a little wary.

[halfinch]

greetings,
i owned one of their flat bar road bikes a couple of years ago. decent parts mix on the bike. thought the welding was fine, and had no complaints. downside is that one shop in the area used to carry them, otherwise you'll need to be competent at assembling the bike or be willing to pay for someone to finalize it for you.

second, with no local shop. warranty issues or such could be a hassle. be sure to check out the pivots, as they could be challenging to work on if/when they need replacing.

[fausto]

check out MTBR; Ibex has a pretty good rep over there for service. Having a local dealer doesn't necessarily mean warranty service is going to be easy - personally I've never had a good experence with any LBS in that regard. I don't think there is a lot to the assembly; install the front wheel, the bar or the stem, maybe adjust the headset - sheldon or parktool can easily talk you through it.

The Iron Horse Hollowpoint suspension is a better design than either the Ibex or the SC, not quite as good components in the price range of the Ibex, but it does have a little more travel (90mm might be a little short for some mild downhill). Performance sells them, seems like they are having a sale every week these days.