I'm on the fence about buying a gently used IF Steel Delux. I know it was pampered or not riden much, but I need to see some of your IF photos to convince me to pull the trigger. I would probably set it up with a Fox F80X. Suggestions or comments are much appreciated.
I love mine, as you might be able to tell by my screen name. I have the 52nd frame ever built by Independent Fabrication and will probably never sell it. The frame was custom painted, but the color selection was screwed up in the translation (PPG versus Sikkens color charts). I have never had it repainted as I want to keep it as it left the factory, though I used to chide Steve Elms about the mix up.
Very nice ride, very strong frame (originally they were all Tru Temper, no Reynolds).
I'll post a picture or two of how it was originally built after I scan a couple pictures. It was not supposed to look as Rasta as it does.
Yup, I had IF build this for me about 2 1/2 years ago. This is the first one they ever built with IF decals on it. They did make one for Shimano for their "adventure bike" booth the previous year but that was debadged and stealth mode.
The color is Silver Prismatic (a blend of three ppg colors) and I had Tyler make me a custom 29"er disk fork to match. This bike is truly unbelievable and rides oh so nice. Currently set up w/ drops and 1x9 - it is so versatile and is truly a do everything bike.
2melow, those are some sweet looking bikes. I've heard that IF's customer support is stellar. Any truth to that in your experience? Also, what kind of warranty do they give and does it transfer to a 2nd owner? I couldn't find any info on their website about it.
I'm on the fence about buying a gently used IF Steel Delux. I know it was pampered or not riden much, but I need to see some of your IF photos to convince me to pull the trigger. I would probably set it up with a Fox F80X. Suggestions or comments are much appreciated.
A lot of IFs here in Mass., including some regular riding buddies. Super nice. If you can get a deal on it, go for it. Just make sure it fits. I visited their workshop, and I would expect excellent customer service.
I hope to purchase one some day... as in the day I finish my PhD.
2melow, those are some sweet looking bikes. I've heard that IF's customer support is stellar. Any truth to that in your experience? Also, what kind of warranty do they give and does it transfer to a 2nd owner? I couldn't find any info on their website about it.
Thanks for posting the pics.
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Yo - I'm not sure about the warranty. I would call them up directly and ask for Matt Bracken. Matt is one of the coolest guys in the bike industry and will treat you right.
Typically a warranty is good for the first owner - but I can say they have trated me right and that must be saying something - especailly since we own three of their frames and I am trying to convince my wife I need a 4th (an independence built up for commuting.)
Check out ebay regularly. I've seen some used deluxe's that have chipped paint sell for as little as $250. That is a steal for one of these fine frames. I've been tempted to buy one, strip it, and have Lloyd @ IF put on a fresh coat of paint. The only problem is i'm so hooked on the 29" wheels and find it hard going back to regular wheels.
Again, if you have any questions give matt b. or tyler e. a call. They will treat you right and answer all your questions.
Here are a couple more of my wife's custom IF for your drooling pleasure...
I got a used IF Delixe Single Speed. It's been great by me and I really enjoy it now that I have it setup with Dirtdrops. I have a Duke XC on it right now but might switch it back to the ridgid at some point in time.
I must say that this is the best handling bike I've ever owned. I have ridden nice bikes in the past but nothing felt as balenced as this.
<img src="https://gallery.consumerreview.com/webcrossing/images/w_IMGP0507.jpg">
I bought a deluxe in '99. I sold it about 3 years ago in a moment of weakness. I have had alot of bikes and this was hands down my favorite bike of all time. I'm thinking about another one,29" single speed. Their customer service was secound to none, and I don't even have to talk about their paint jobs. Bonus:Lloyd,one of the owners, used to work at the shop in Mississippi I worked at,but left to work at Fat Chance long before I started.
There are some makers that just don't make bad bikes...
and I-Fab is one of them. A steel frame from them is a lifetime frame just like one from Strong Frames, DeKerf, Waterford, Davidson, etc.
Unless you get the wrong size, there is no way you will regret this purchase. Even after getting my fully, I kept the Strong and keep riding it on a regular basis. Sometimes it just feels like a hardtail day!
Buy it before the guy changes his mind!
Originally Posted by Wooban
I'm on the fence about buying a gently used IF Steel Delux. I know it was pampered or not riden much, but I need to see some of your IF photos to convince me to pull the trigger. I would probably set it up with a Fox F80X. Suggestions or comments are much appreciated.
Check out their website if you haven't already. They've got a bunch of colors and pics on there.
I went the used route to get my Deluxe. There are some pretty good values out there. I love it, but will likely sell mine soon (and will then deeply regret it). I've got three mtb's (an FS, an IF HT and an SS), a road and now an Ibis cross (Lugi!) on the way. The Ibis and the IF are the most similar, so the IF will likely go. Someday I'll upgrade the SS to an IF though. Would love to have both an IF and Ibis under the same roof. East coast, west coast! S
No good standalone pics of mine right now, but it's on the far left in case you can't guess
Bought it in '97, has been a stellar bike ever since.
see alot of IFs here, most with fancy paint jobs. some work, some dont. but I absolutely dig the red gold and green you got going with that fork. only trouble is getting another green fork if that one goes south. but i also have a marzocchi of that era that is still ticking nicely...
I don't have any good pics of mine. It's an mtb from '01 and has a Purple on top/Red on bottom fade with a red Bomber in front. There's nothing like riding a bike that's built for you, especially a steel bike. Imagine the nicest ride you've ever had, then multiply it times 10. If I had to do it all over again, I wouldn't change much, except maybe get those King hubs this time...
Not sure if they even offer this, but I haven't seen a pic of one so I thought I would ask. Does anyone have an IF singlespeed with an EBB instead of horizontal drops? If not, any of you have an IF singlespeed running disc brakes front and rear?
Ti, Indy Fab, SS, EBB, with front and rear disc.....
Originally Posted by DmofoT
Not sure if they even offer this, but I haven't seen a pic of one so I thought I would ask. Does anyone have an IF singlespeed with an EBB instead of horizontal drops? If not, any of you have an IF singlespeed running disc brakes front and rear?
I've got two and could not be any happier, bought them both off ebay. IF Deluxe frame for 500.00, built it up with parts from my 02 stumpjumper. I can not believe the difference between the stumpy and deluxe. The stumpjumer had me bouncing around the trail like I was using a jackhammer but the IF is soooo smooth, like butta on the same trail...I got the Crown Jewel off Ebay last year year for like 1100.00. If you can find something that fits I say go for it, you will not be disapointed...
HA! Yea, I only wish I could get one of those. I saw the amzing pics of yours with that sick paint job. Now what would it be if we replaced Ti with Steel...
I'm on the fence about buying a gently used IF Steel Delux. I know it was pampered or not riden much, but I need to see some of your IF photos to convince me to pull the trigger. I would probably set it up with a Fox F80X. Suggestions or comments are much appreciated.
I wouldn't have picked that color scheme, but it sure does look good. That is a very, very nice looking bike. If it rides as well as I believe it will, you will kick yourself for ever even waffling about the deal.
I've had this one since January. As you can see I'm very tall (6'6") with a hell of an inseam (>38") and I've managed to injure my knee trying to fit onto a meagre 21" hardtail over the last few years.
This gave me little choice but to go custom build. I thought about getting a UK custom steel hardtail like a Chas Roberts or a Dave Yates, but in the end the lure of Indy Fab swung me. I don't regret that for a minute. It was strange getting used to the geometry of a bike that actually fits me, but it really is a wonderful frame - does everything well.
Last edited by Jon Hall; 03-16-2004 at 02:19 PM.
Reason: correcting a minor detail
but just as sweet...... Tim Sideways sent me this in exchange for a few beer tokens(read many)... just awaits some brakes and I'll post some built pics.... in front of a sofa of course!
In conjunction with the guys at IF, an Independent Fabrication Owners’ Club website has been established to give IF owners the opportunity to share their good experiences of riding arguably Boston’s finest exports.
When I was looking into getting my IF, I found it hard to find any websites with a good selection of photos of IF bikes, so the idea is to help others, by showing them the magic Independent Fabrication can produce. Maybe it might even inspire your next bike?
Thanks for taking a minute to read this. If you like the idea then the Owners’ Club website address is:
https://www.ifrider.com
Please take a look if you’ve a few minutes spare and maybe you’d like to register your Independent Fabrication.
So basically I just registered myself on MTBR. I want to say that IF's are the only bikes worth owning in the entire world. If you disagree, then well, I guess your allowed to have absolutely ridiculous opinions that are wrong and teeter on the edge of blasphemy. I also wanted to let all of you who own IF bikes to check out. IFRIDER.com, Its for all of us smart enough and lucky enough to own bikes that are actually cool. Well, Word to all the members of IF Club and as you know the first rule of IF Club, " Always talk about IF Club"
So basically I just registered myself on MTBR. I want to say that IF's are the only bikes worth owning in the entire world. If you disagree, then well, I guess your allowed to have absolutely ridiculous opinions that are wrong and teeter on the edge of blasphemy. I also wanted to let all of you who own IF bikes to check out. IFRIDER.com, Its for all of us smart enough and lucky enough to own bikes that are actually cool. Well, Word to all the members of IF Club and as you know the first rule of IF Club, " Always talk about IF Club"
Congratulations, you just spent $1200 on a bicycle frame made out of monkey bars.
first off, tideluxe rides a ti If which at 1200$ would be the deal of the century. Second, where oh where can I get me some ti monkeybars that would kick ass!! Pluswould the ti monkeybars offset the weight of my fatass, nintendo palying children??
ah, I didnt notice the ti reference and thought he was talking about
steel frames. we call steel frames monkey bars. probably a reference
to the old days when you made a steel frame out of whatever was around.
btw, I have 2 steel frames and am looking for another one so no flames.
I only wish I had a TI frame, then I could brag too.
I'm on the fence about buying a gently used IF Steel Delux. I know it was pampered or not riden much, but I need to see some of your IF photos to convince me to pull the trigger. I would probably set it up with a Fox F80X. Suggestions or comments are much appreciated.
So did you ever decide? The photos down below definitely pushed me over the edge...
I'm on the fence about buying a gently used IF Steel Delux. I know it was pampered or not riden much, but I need to see some of your IF photos to convince me to pull the trigger. I would probably set it up with a Fox F80X. Suggestions or comments are much appreciated.
Just wanted to add my new steed into the I.F. mix.
I am really considering a new frame in the next year, and think I will go with a Steel Deluxe Indy Fab. I currently have a '97 Schwinn Homegrown with an XT/XTR parts mix (8-speed) and will just use everything that I can from my current bike (its all in great shape, why change it). I have a 105mm travel Marzocchi EXR Pro fork that I just put on and like, its kinda heavy, but I think I may use it too. I know that they custom build to your spec and can accomodate a longer travel fork, does anyone here ride an IF that has a longer than 80mm travel fork?
If you have a look in my gallery you will see my PISSOFF #10. Made by IF and for my FOX F100X. Rides like a dream and the extra travel is great on the down slopes.
They will do a great job for you (IF)
My wife and I have 2 IF bikes, and they're works of art. Just specify the fork you'll use and they will take it into account when setting up the geometry.
I am really considering a Rohloff for an IF Deluxe Ti that I am working up an order on. I would love to get in contact with any IF Deluxe / Rohloff users, and would really like to see some pictures of the implementation.
I have been a Fat Yo Eddy Rider Since 92-93 and have decided to get an IF. I am 42 and not much into the Competive scene, but still love to slash the single track and do some hard riding, grinding hills etc. But for the most part, winning isn't as hi on the ol' goal list for my biking! Single track handling and comfort would be the primary goal.
With this in mind I am wondering how the added weight of the Rohloff will effect the handling of the bike. Its between 1.5-2lbs of added weight when compared to an XTR drivetrain, and its all in the hub. I plan to use a Fox Fork, which is a bit heavier then some, and might offset the balance a touch, but I am still real curious about the bike balance and whether or not it feels like theres a brick in the back.
I'd love to tell you that I know someone who has an IF with this setup, but to my knowledge there may only be a handful out there and the Owners' Club doesn't have any on the books yet...
A friend of mine has an On One Tinbred with a Rohloff. He had some issues with getting the setup right initially (he managed to break the standard torsion arm) and has now managed to get hold of something a bit more substantial, which is holding up nicely.
It does put a lot more weight at the back of the bike, but this just seems to take a bit of getting used to and the bike will feel more balanced with a coil spring fork up front to add some more weight at the front end.
The long and short of it is you don't put a Rohloff on as a weight saving measure - you do it beacuse you want the benefits of an internal hub gear. The bike in question has been the weapon of choice at a number of 24hr events here in the UK this year and it has been near mudbath conditions at both. All the mud-friendly benefits of Singlespeed with a range of available gears.
He has gone from owning a number of bikes including geared, singlespeed and full suspension to just this bike, so it must be doing the business. Get in touch if you want to know more.
My CFO (wife) has allowed me to jump into the world of singlespeed 29" bikes in a major way We just upped the coinage for a new bike spec'd as follows;
Independent Fabrications Steel Deluxe 29" SS in Shark Gray Pearl
Chris King Headset and Hubs in black (natch)
Salsa Delgado 29" rims
Black DT Spokes
Thomson seatpost and stem (black)
WTB Rocket V saddle
Hayes El-Camino disc brakes
Truvativ Crank and handlebar (riser)
Race Face Good 'n' Evil Grips
Maxxix Ignitor tires
White Bros Magic 29" front fork
Time ATAC Carbon XS pedals
I was told by my LBS that the delivery time is about 12 weeks. I absolutely can't wait and I will post pics when the build is complete. I sure hope that it comes in a little sooner. Any opinions on the build up would be appreciated.
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If it's too loud, your'e too old!!!!!!
Yeah, I go tomorrow to be fitted at my lbs. I cannot wait until this thing is built. Most expensive thing I have ever bought for myself I am still up in the air about color. At first I was going to go with the shark grey pearl and today I looked and am now thinking about the dark green or dark blue......Choices......Choices
Actually I went with carbon black metallic and Jones H-bars. The order has been placed. I can't wait. They are still telling me that it is a 3 month wait though.....
good friend, very experienced rider/mechanic, has had lots of issues with those el camino brakes . maybe replace with Mono Mini's or Avid's... other than that, sweet build!
Hi all. I am thinking of getting a frame built around a TALAS or PIKE. something adjustable
I want steel and love the way IF bikes look.
I'd keep it at 100 to 120 up front 99% of the time. I wouldn't mind having a an almost racy front end (100) then a piddling setting up front (120) then a long decent setting (140)
anyone done this? I basically want a steel IF version of the SC chameleon.
Mine: years back...Straight from the factory. Long story short: I did some ad work for the guys back when they were in the "church". About a year later, Elmo saw me at Mt Snow on my Klein, said "why the heck aren't you on your IF?" I said, "what IF"...he then realized I never received a bike...we worked a deal...few weeks later this frame arrived.
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Originally Posted by Wooban
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Not sure they offer this?
Woo ....Dmo......
![](<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/josh.tabije/IF/photo#5166578881540302386"><img src="https://lh4.google.com/josh.tabije/R7NgHno-pjI/AAAAAAAAAEU/VYYBaxqJJMI/s800/IMG_1244.JPG" /></a>)
