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what is a isis worth now?

5K views 7 replies 6 participants last post by  Prophet Julio 
#1 ·
My friend is looking for a used bike and his neighbor is selling a ellsworth isis for $500. The guy says less than 200 miles on it. I have not seen it yet in person but he is going to bring it over tomorrow for me to inspect. My friend is a beginner so he doesn't know what to look for. Besides the regular stuff is there anything I should pay special attention to when looking at this bike for him. Are there any known problems with the isis? Looks to be a single pivot design, is it bushings or bearings? I will check for play in the pivots. Is it a good bike for a beginner? Can you tell what year it is from the pics? Do air shocks/forks go bad from sitting and age?

He didn't give me much info on the bike. Here is all I know:

"It's a Ellsworth Isis, full Suspension, Shimano Deore XT rear derailur, Deore LX Brakes, Fox Fork, Cane Creek head set, Thomson stem"



 
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#2 ·
Flash Back!

wow, I haven't seen one of those in a long time. I owned an Isis back in the salad days. It was a fun bike with very active suspension. Definitely check that pivot. Allot of stress on one bolt. Mine cracked along the bottom near were the BB meats the lower portion of the down tube. From what I later learned, it WAS NOT a common problem on that frame, but to be safe check for any unusual play in the cranks. Also, mine was prone to ghost shifts so you may want to check out the drive train under power.

it's a good choice for an in shape beginner. I say in shape because it was on the heavy side, and doesn't benefit from ICT, pro pedal, or any other modern suspension development. It was considered basic 14 years ago. The generous stand over height will be welcome for anyone cutting their teeth on technical terrain.

If it all checks out for 500 bones I'd buy it. :thumbsup:
 
#3 ·
He is buying it. He brought it over and the frame doesn't have a scratch on it. Looks brand new. the components seem to be in good conidtion but has some time on it. I guess this avid biker built this bike for his son trying to get him in the sport. I guess the Son didn't take to it and only rode it a few times. It looks like he bought a new frame and put older components on it.

Build list:
LX shifters/brakes pods
LX vbrakes
XTR hubs
mavic 517 wheels
Fox vanilla 100R forks
manitu air shock
LX cranks
richie seat post
WTB seat
thompson stem
easton EA50 riser bars
XT rear deralier
XT front derailer
ODI grips
kenda navagal tires 2.1
cycle computer

I told him to ask for $450 since it doesn't have disc brakes and non disc brake wheels. I think its a pretty good deal. Bike feels nice and plush but only rode it in the drive way.
 
#5 ·
Good deal

brent878 said:
My friend is looking for a used bike and his neighbor is selling a ellsworth isis for $500. The guy says less than 200 miles on it. I have not seen it yet in person but he is going to bring it over tomorrow for me to inspect. My friend is a beginner so he doesn't know what to look for. Besides the regular stuff is there anything I should pay special attention to when looking at this bike for him. Are there any known problems with the isis? Looks to be a single pivot design, is it bushings or bearings? I will check for play in the pivots. Is it a good bike for a beginner? Can you tell what year it is from the pics? Do air shocks/forks go bad from sitting and age?

He didn't give me much info on the bike. Here is all I know:

"It's a Ellsworth Isis, full Suspension, Shimano Deore XT rear derailur, Deore LX Brakes, Fox Fork, Cane Creek head set, Thomson stem"



Only part of that bike I dont like is that rear shock. Had an entry level Manitou (radium r) on mine for a few rides and it was the worst shock I have ever owned. Manitou makes some decent air shocks and thats not one of them (Looks like a QRL) That being said I did put my Isis back to a coil rear. Hoping to get a grand for mine in the spring with Magura freerides and a pushed Vanilla RLC fork. Jim
 
#7 ·
Well we took the bike out for the shake down test and everything seemed to work good. He really likes the bike. The only thing we found was the fork seal started to seep alittle. Time for new forks seals. And good news is he got the guy down to $450 too.

This is the bike its replacing.


His only complaint was the seat wasn't as comfy, haha. But everythign else on the ellsworth is better. He commented how he can brake on the down hills as the front tire doesn't keep skidding, and how he can actually shift now and it will stay in one gear. Also I couldn't keep up with him on the up hills where before I was faster. I haven't weighed the ellsworth yet but the yellowseat bike tipped the scales at 37 pounds. So the ellsworth has to be lighter.
 
#8 ·
Bringing back an old thread. I am looking at selling an Isis, small frame that I bought 4 years ago for my kid. It has a Fox coil spring Float. Front fork is a Manitou Skareb (80mm). Tires are FireXCPro mounted to Spinergy Race wheels (v-brakes). Good shape and ready to ride. Thanks for any input.
 
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