Time is precious. Time to blast over endless miles of single track. Time to challenge that treacherous technical section that’s bitten you on every attempt. Time to conquer the unconquerable. With the IBEX Trophy 770 Disc, time is on your side. Built to withstand years of aggressive use and abuse, the Trophy 770’s state-of-the-art frame provides tremendous rigidity while maintaining a light, responsive feel. The Marzocchi EXR Pro Air fork makes light work of the roughest trails while the 27-speed Shimano Deore/LX drivetrain and bullet-proof wheelset allow the 770 to perform flawlessly under pressure. The big news for 2005, though, are the Avid BB-5 disc brakes standard on every Trophy 770. From journeyman riders to aspiring racers, if you’re looking for a dependable, superbly capable bike with all the features and performance you’d expect of rigs costing hundreds more, the 770 Disc is a dream come true. Ride the new Trophy 770 and you’ll understand!
As a product reviewer for Commute By Bike, I am providing my unbiased opinion of any products provided to us by any company. I do not posses any type of relationship with the products company or parent companies. I am not compensated in any way by companies that send in their goods to be reviewed.
Testing Grounds:
Fullerton Ca., Mt. Sac Fat Tire Classic 2005, Streets of Los Angeles County.
About Me:
I like beer, bikes and buffets. I am your typical weekend warrior and occasional racer. I look for the same things as most guys would in bikes and accessories, "as long as it works and its affordable!"
Product Tested:
Ibex Trohpy 770
First Impressions and Comments:
The 770 is pretty clean. It's laced with some cool Shimano components, Avid mechanical disc brakes and my favorite feature on the bike, the Marzocchi EXR Pro Air. I took the 770 out just around the neigborhood and found it to be more than capabale of being a commuter bike, but I think it has the potential as a nice XC Race bike. Just looking at the 770 makes my teeth hurt since its soooooo sweet!
Here’s what Priscilla had to say about the Trophy 770 after using it at her first XC Race.
“This past weekend I had the privilege of hitting the trail with the Ibex Trophy. Boy did I give my baby a work out at the race. This bike has proven to be a favorite for me. The light frame of 770 bike keeps me coming back for more. It is excellent for climbing the steep terrain and it helped too when it was time to drag my bike back up the side of the hill after a few of those nasty falls. That's always a plus!
I think the Trophy was a smooth ride, considering the bumpiness of the trail. I thought it did a good job of absorbing what the trail dished out. I would recommend this bike to those who like the advantages of a light body frame. It could only help improve a persons speed on the dirt. All in all, to my surprise, the bike stood strong after all the abuse. It's definitely a keeper!!!!”
Features:
Frame: 6061 Double-Butted Aluminum w/ Oversize Tubing /Aerol Downtube / Replaceable Derailleur Hanger / Disc Ready / S-Bend Seat-Stay & Tapered Chainstay
Fork: Marzocchi EXR Pro Air w/ 85mm Travel / Air Spring / Dual Ext. Preload Adjustment / SSV Damping / Monolite Magnesium Lowers / 30mm Stanchions
Front Derailleur: Shimano Deore
Rear Derailleur: Shimano LX
Shifters: Shimano Deore Rapidfire – 27-spd Indexed
Crankset: TruVativ Firex SX – 44/32/22T w/ Alloy Crank Arms & Chainring
Bottom Bracket: TruVativ Giga-Pipe SL – ISIS Splined – Cartridge Type
Cassette: SRAM PG-970- 11-32T – 9-spd
Chain: KMC Z9000 Super Narrow – Dark Silver
Brakes: Avid BB-5 Mechanical Disc Brakes
Brake Levers: Avid SD-5 Alloy
Cables: Jagwire
Tires: Kenda Koyote – 26? x 1.95?
Rims: Sun DS2-XC – 32H – Silver
Hubs: Shimano M475 w/ Quick Release
Spokes: 14G Black Stainless Steel
Handlebar: TruVativ – 640mm x 25 ° rise – OS 31.8 Clamp Size
Stem: TruVativ XR Alloy – OS 31.8 Clamp
Grips: WTB Dual Compound Trial Grips
Headset: FSA Orbit DL Threadless
Pedals: Shimano M520 Clipless w/ Cleats and Clip-in Platform
Saddle: WTB Pure V Sport
Seat Post: TruVativ XR – 27.2 x 350mm
Seat Clamp: Uno Alloy Extrusion
Also Included: Multi-tool, Touch-up Paint
Strengths:
- Super Light Frame
- Affordable High Quality XC Mtn Bike
- Great Components such as TruVativ, Marzocchi, Shimano, FSA, WTB and many others.
- Awesome Marzocchi EXR Pro Fork
- Great Stopping Power with the Avid BB-5 Mechanical Disc Brakes
- Excellent Geometry. We never had problems with an aching back or felt that the cockpit was cramped
- Included a Multi-tool and Touch Up Paint (now how many other bike companies give you that for free!)
Weaknesses:
The only thing we didn’t like about the Ibex Trophy 770 was it didn’t have a quick release on seatpost collar. But then again, most “true” XC bikes use a standard seat post collar clamp.
Summary:
Assembly of the 770 was rather simple. The folks at Ibex Bicycles send the bike partially assembled. All I had to really do was attach the handle bar, stem, pedals and of course the wheels. The derailleurs were ready to go with no additional tune ups required. The bike basically came out of the box ready to ride.
The Trophy 770 MSRP’s at $1000. Basically if you were to go to your LBS and spec out a bike identical to the Trophy 770, you’d be paying close to $1000 for it. The quality of the frame and components used to build this bicycle works in perfect unity to give the rider an amazing experience of eupohria. The Ibex Trophy 770 packs in a mega punch in quality, styling, riding comfort, and ultra light frame.
Would I recommend it?
That’s a no brainer! Of course I would!
Read more info on how the Ibex Trophy 770 did in a comparison review.
Cost:
MSRP $1000
Direct Online Price $699
A few words from Ibex:
| IBEX Bicycles manufactures high quality bikes and markets them direct to the consumer via the Internet at www.ibexbikes.com. The wide variety of IBEX models includes a full range of mountain bikes and road bikes, as well as specialty items like Cyclocross, Freeride,high-end kid’s bikes and flat-bar street performance bikes. Known for offering great values, IBEX Bicycles’ prices are 25% to 45% below bike shop brand pricing for similarly equipped LBS models. Check out www.ibexbikes.com for the whole story! |