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Looking for a first Mnt. Bike... Motobecane 600ds?

9K views 23 replies 9 participants last post by  kevdoggx 
#1 · (Edited)
Looking for a first Mnt. Bike... Motobecane 600ds vx IBEX Ignition 1

Hello All this is my first post to mtbr.com,

I live in FL and do a lot of outdoor activities, but with gas prices going up and my Jeeps constantly breaking down, I've decided to start riding a bike to and from work. It's only a 2 mile ride.

As mentioned before, I've got some Jeeps. I like to take them out to the Ocala National Forest and go camping, etc. and a mountain bike would fit in nicely with this. Eventually I plan to go liveaboard and do some cruising and, again, a mountain bike would be handy to have around.

On E-Bay there is a new Motobecane 600ds for $397 + $40 s&h

DogonFR's response to another post led me to the IBEX Ignition Series 1, which runs $370 + $35 s&h

With an approximately $400 budget, what would you suggest?
 
#3 ·
for $400

and full suspension expect to get dept store level junk. Expect to pay over $1000 for a decent entry level FS ride.

$400 will however get you a nice hard tail of reasonable quality.

Stick to brand names. Giant, TREK, Specialized, Kona, and more.

FIT is key, make sure it fits. Would you buy shoes over the Internet?

Right.

Just my .02, Jim
 
#5 ·
you should stick with a hardtail. since your in florida you probably dont need full suspension. a $400 full suspension bike is gonna have pretty basic if not crappy parts on it, and it will be pretty heavy. There are plenty of decent $400 hardtails out there on the other hand. An Ibex Alpine 450 or 550 would be a good bike in the $400 range.

When it comes to bigger manufacturers Ironhorse, KHS, and Jamis offer a lot of bang for your buck.

http://www.jamisbikes.com/bikes/06_cc2.html
http://www.khsbicycles.com/04_alite_1000_06.htm
http://www.performancebike.com/shop/profile.cfm?SKU=19843&subcategory_ID=3050#
 
#6 ·
You're probably right and I should stick to hard-tails. I just found out that I'll be losing one of my jobs when my contract ends in July, which will halve my income unless I find something to replace it with.

I found an old Marin Bobcat Trail, it's a pre-98 by the looks of it with V-Brakes and a brushed aluminum finish(?) for $165. Owner says it has low mileage due to injury, but that's what they all seem to say. I'll take a look at it this weekend. I looked up the reviews on here and it seems to be a good commuter and cross-country bike. For the price, I can always toss an expensive fork on the front and upgrade the shifters down the road.
 
#9 ·
Here's 2 bikes within your budget you should look at:
Diamondback Response
Iron Horse Maverick Comp
They're both good bikes with entry level components that you can upgrade over time as money allows.

Two more things:
Make sure the bike fits. Check things like standover. See "Geometry" at brands website.
And always take a test ride before buying. A bike may look good on a wesite and feel like #### when you ride it.
 
#10 · (Edited)
Well I've found out that my parents and grand-parents are giving me $250 towards a bike since today is my birthday (I'm turning 25). That puts me into the 2005 Ibex Ignition 2 or Alpine 650 range, and I figure what-the-hell I'm just going to go for it. I can find another 2nd job before my current one runs out in July. FL has almost no unemployment :D

I go to the Carolinas about twice a year with Jeep clubs, off-road places like Tellico and Uwharrie. Instead of beating on my truck I suppose I could take it out on a bike instead. Although I have my doubts that any bike can be ridden to such places my truck can go. I think I'd probably need a full-suspension bike for those trails. Last time I went to Tellico I put on my trail-running shoes and went for a jog. Plenty of 8' ledges and what-not to get my knees sore by the end of the trip- it was like jumping off the roof of my house :p If I biked it I could drop by the IBEX factory on the way home and try to get the bike serviced ;)

-=Edit=- I called IBEX and they're out of medium-frame 2005 Ignition 2s, but have 2006 Ignitions 2s on a $499 pre-order. 2006 Alpine 650s are on a $549 pre-order as well -=Edit=-

Picture-links, click to follow to spec. pages:
 
#11 ·
RiskEverything said:
Plenty of 8' ledges and what-not to get my knees sore by the end of the trip- it was like jumping off the roof of my house :p If I biked it I could drop by the IBEX factory on the way home and try to get the bike serviced ;)
I'd definitely go to the Ibex warehouse and take a test ride.
The part above re: "8' ledges" - I hope you're not planning on using this bike for jumps.
If you are you should consider another model.
 
#12 ·
It's an 8-hour drive to the Ibex warehouse, I'd just be passing it a few times a year on my 11-hour trek to NC. My next trip is in early May (to go white-water rafting with the college Earth Club), and I'm not waiting that long (I'd miss out on the pre-order specials, for one).

If I can't afford a bike that can stand big jumps, I'll just try to avoid it. I imagine it's faster going hand-and-foot through that sort of terrain anyhow, as it often borders on rock-climbing. At the moment- I'm leaning towards the Alpine 650 since it seems the better choice for the type of riding I'll do most often.

When, exactly, do you start needing a full-suspension bike, anyhow? What sort of terrain makes a full-suspension bike worth having?
 
#13 ·
RiskEverything said:
Well I've found out that my parents and grand-parents are giving me $250 towards a bike since today is my birthday (I'm turning 25). That puts me into the 2005 Ibex Ignition 2 or Alpine 650 range, and I figure what-the-hell I'm just going to go for it. I can find another 2nd job before my current one runs out in July. FL has almost no unemployment :D

Go for it dude, color is up to you i would go red but the grey is stealthy looking. The bike is easily upgrade able as you improve your skillz, the frame is the same through the model line just the components push the price up. Anywhere your jeep goes the Alpine can go & even places that are too narrow for your Jeep. Happy B-day, the dirt is your Oyster ride on bro! :D
 
#14 · (Edited)
any terrain other than smooth trails can make FS helpful. Is it needed??? I have the Statement DVD with a dude on a hardtail hitting a 25+ft verticle, and both he and the bike survived. ***this was a bike designed for this type of riding***. If you get a XC bike, plan on sticking to XC on it. Otherwise, you will break stuff, wear it out, etc. If you wanna do drops bigger than about 1-2ft, and XC bike isnt for you. Good luck with the decision, and I would get the HT as well. better components for the $$. Plus, if you like biking, you can get a FS later and have 2 completely different bikes in the stable

Matt
 
#17 ·
It would be nice if they actually measured travel in inches here in the States.
Hmmm 1" = 25.4mm, so 5" x 25.4mm = 127mm.

The Alpine 650's fork (Manitou Axel Elite) gets nothing but horrible reviews on this website, while the Alpine 550's fork (Marzocchi EXR Comp) gets much better reviews.

I wonder if I'm not better off buying a frame and building a bike? Could I build a nice HT with a good 125-150mm fork for $500? I see pictures on this website of people hopping off rocks and what-not that seem like a 3-4' jump/drop and everyone says "Wow, that's nice!" But it seems pretty common to me: I used to do that on my old BMX and Freestyle bikes as a kid. Saying a fork shouldn't be used on anything more than a 12" drop is pretty dissapointing. 4' seems a pretty reasonable height to me.

dogonfr said:
Anywhere your jeep goes the Alpine can go & even places that are too narrow for your Jeep.
I really doubt a mountain-bike can out-climb a Jeep. A stock Jeep can climb obstacles to steep to even walk up. When you modify them... here's a small taste:
 
#18 ·
You buy a bike in your budget & upgrade as you need. Of course the mor you put into the purchass the better the components. There is a guy that ran a post on the DH/FR section bought a KHS FS bike & was told by many people it is crap beffor he bought it. He showed pic's of the bike & he is hitting 5-6 foot drops. Not saying this is normal. As you gain skills, i would say confidence but your still young so there is no wories. That vid with the kid on his feet is killer, thats what its about, skills! The jeep vid is raw power. MTB is about skills. Check this thread out reall cool DH trail. :D

http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=174906
 
#19 ·
I think you said that relatives are giving you $250 and you had a beg budget of $400 right = $650 right? I took your post as $400 without birthday money? Ya know maybe another $50 you can get some real nice ht's. I am the same way (always struggle with budget) too. Also if you are going for rough riding and not to confuse you more. Maybe a steel frame from Kona, jamis might do it for you. I know the jamis exile might be out of your budget, but take alook at that one. this is a steel frame bike. I say go ht and steel. Also you can always take a ht and make it a commuter bike.
 
#20 ·
The slave cylinder in my pick-up went out. It's an internal version which requires dropping the transfer-case and transmission to change it. The transmission is a rather weak one and I'm considering replacing it with something better. Whichever way it goes I've got to get my truck fixed before I can get a bike.... Next week is Spring Brake at the school I work for, for I should have enough time to do the work myself and at least save on labor costs.
 
#21 ·
RiskEverything said:
The slave cylinder in my pick-up went out. It's an internal version which requires dropping the transfer-case and transmission to change it. The transmission is a rather weak one and I'm considering replacing it with something better. Whichever way it goes I've got to get my truck fixed before I can get a bike.... Next week is Spring Brake at the school I work for, for I should have enough time to do the work myself and at least save on labor costs.
Oh come on now your putting a 4 wheel steel coffin beffor a bike, 1 sick puppy. Man needs wheels can understand. :D
 
#22 ·
What parts does the IBEX come with. I have the Motobecane 700DS. Its a great first inexpensive first bike. Heres the thing though, due to the shape of the frame of the Moto and the IBEX, the bike will not fit on a lot of bike racks. The hardtails will though. Not sure how you would transport the bike, but with the shape of the frame on the Motobecane, i had to buy a trailer hitch and then buy the bike rack that has the long wheel wells on the bottom that are horizontal to my SUV. I like the bike though, but its more for us who are just getting into the sport without dropping bank.
 
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