Hi, I’m new to the forum, and quite new to mountain biking as it is now. I was a keen mountain biker back in the 90s but it was so simple then, a mountain bike was a mountain bike, now its split in to so many a different genre its very confusing leaving me a little confused as to what I should be looking at.

I have owned a full suspension bike, I’ve owned steel, titanium and aluminium hard tail, long, short travel, light and heavy, indeed I’ve owned several bikes but I want one bike which does it all. When I reflect on my past bikes each one has been very good a specific type of riding which is why IO can see why mountain biking has become very specific, this however doesn’t make it any easier when trying to find the all-rounder, I’m not even sure it exists. The aim is to find a bike for playing, epic days out with friends, a bit of burly stuff and maybe even the occasional race, it has to be light, strong and comfortable so, what do people say, is there a one bike solution? I have about £2k to spend, at the moment I have my eyes on an Ibis Tranny on eBay, but is this a good shout? I know little of Ibis but it looks to be a decent all-round frame, should I consider anything else?

Any thoughts of input would be appreciated.

The tranny is meant to be a very nice bike, was looking at one yesterday when I picked up my mojo. it is a light frame and being carbon it is also very strong. however from what I have heard it isnt supposed to be the most comfortable of rides, was speaking to a guy who said it was one of the harshest rides he had been on, but tbh if I had the money to get a hardtail as well, i would still be looking very closely at it. It is just such a nice looking bike imo.

whoever said the tranny is harsh doesn’t have a clue what they are talking about. the tranny is a fantastic bike, so ace, like a big bmx but funnerer

Ok thanks. The harsh ride concerns me but I have to be honest, I’m not sure if it’ll be anything I notice, I don’t think I’m of such a standard to detect if one bike is flexing any more than the next and I’m keen to buy a carbon frame so I expect all carbon frames offer a harsh ride (don’t know if this is right?).

The trouble is I suspect that for a strong frame the result will be a harsh ride, I can’t have everything I suppose, this search for the ‘one bike’ has kept me busy for a few weeks now and this is the closest Ive got. Is it the right price or should I keep looking for a bargain? are there any other frames I should consider, I would like to buy a frame this weekend….

I think it would be a great all rounder, depending on how you build it up. If you run your tyres without tubes you can run very low pressures (I run about 20psi) which will give you loads of grip on techy climbs etc and will remove any harshness from the frame. Next spec your forks coil u-turn, so you can run them low for xc, racing, etc. Wind them out for smashing stuff up. Lyriks might be too heavy, Sektors perhaps? (I run Lyriks, weight doesn’t bother me)

The main benefit with the Tranny though is if you want to travel with it, it’ll pack up small. You can achieve the same with lots of single pivot FS bikes though. Other benifit is you could run a bling belt drive singlespeed or geared hub.

Thanks, some good advice. I’ve never really felt compelled to ‘forum’ a query of this nature, I’m more a reader than a contributor but I see now the value in this online medium.

I think I’ll go for it, it does mean I’ll not have much money left to build up the bike though but I hope it’ll be a good starting point. I like the idea of a bike which can be adjusted to suit by simply changing forks and tyres etc so I’m confident it’s the right choice…well, confident as I can be….shame about the loud colour! that’s putting me off!

Don’t worry about the loud colour, you won’t care when your having a hoot on it. I do longish rides on mine and it is really comfortable, but won’t hesitate to take it on the 4x course. It’s just a nice bike to ride and can do anything.

You won’t regret it, if you have 2k but can stretch to a tiny bit more you might be able to get a new one…..
here is mine in nice subtle colours

Wow, that is stunning. It looks a similar ‘type’ of build to what I have in mind although clearly I can’t afford the spec’ that you have. It reflects the general ‘aim’ of the bike I’d like to put together, as in, something burly but light. Do you mind me asking how much it weighs? Does anyone do the frame at a discounted price?

Firstly I’d be a bit careful here- whoever the seller is he almost certainly isn’t a recognised dealer, so I think the frame would be classified as secondhand. This may or may not have warranty implications.

Don’t forget to look at on-one- the carbon 456 seems to have been well received, despite it’s looks, and is a fraction of the price- it may or may not suit your needs. The Tranny with it’s steep angles and ‘optimised for 100mm forks’ seems a bit odd to me- though it may just be that it’s quite different to the bulk of hardtails getting the praise in this country at the moment.

Oh, and The Bike Chain are really nice people to deal with for Ibis. Even if you’re at the other end of the country to them.

ianpinder – I so want to ride that bike! It would clash so much with my Vit P HD around the Surrey Hills! Did you get it from HftH?

Pedalbob

I bought a large Tranny and used it for everything… It is a lovely all rounder. Not harsh at all. Carbon removes some buzz from the trail. Espescially if you use a carbon post as well.

Sold my large to fund an XL…

My Tranny run SS was the most fun bike i have ever owned… 18 pound flying machine…

If you want a large try calling biketart. He has a bloack one in large on the wall in the shop!!

I also see your in London… Biketart is just down in Kent… They can get demo Ibis’s in if you speak to them!

Heihei, you are more then welcome to ride it, I’ll send you an avail when I get home. Mine weighs 23.5lbs but has a heavy build. I.e running the same bars stem and wheels on my 6inch travel nicolai.

Speak to Adam at biketart for good value builds.

Yes, good point regarding the warranty. Being new to carbon frames I have contacted the seller in this regard. The chap was rather helpful explaining that as he isn’t an Ibis dealer the frame was purchased from East St Cycles for a customers custom build. The frame hasn’t been used due to a problem with his customer which means the frame is available to purchase for a small discount off the normal retail price. The frame would therefore be warrantied via the reciept issued at the time of the purchase. I think if I have the original sales reciept I have nothing to worry about.

I must admit I have my heart set on the Ibis now but I’ll look at the on-one, I would like a few options to evaluate as the Ibis is at the upper end of my budget.

I’ll check out biketart as the black frame could be perfect – that said, I like the look of ianpinder’s Ibis so I’m warming to the loud green!

Sadly it’s all about cost at the moment, but if I can work a deal for just a fraction over the £1k mark I’ll be chuffed.

Thanks for all the great feedback.

Sadly it’s all about cost at the moment

Do consider the On One Carbon 456 then. I’m a delighted owner and I think it’d fit your brief really well.

If you’re in London you;re welcome to try mine (I’m in Herts).

The On One looks like a viable alternative. I’m pressing ahead with the Ibis but I’m going to stick to my budget so as a plan ‘B’ the On One 456 looks a very good alternative. The only down side to the On One appears to be the forks required to compliment the geometry are a little more expensive than the forks which currently reside in my CRC shopping basket. I’m no expert but the On One looks to be designed for longer forks, no big deal but I’d have to look at the specification and cost of the build again, that said, the On One is much cheaper.

The Ibis does look stunning though….

Oh, but thanks chakaping.

Really appreciate all the responses to the question posted, you’ve all been a big help.

Cant stop droooooling, them frames are so so so nice and the green 1 on here looks a really nice lightweight build, 23.6LB?

On-One do good value frame/fork packages, recently they were selling the frame with a RS Rev RLT ti for £800.

The full bikes look good value too.

Anyway, come back and post a picture, whatever you get.

🙂

Have you seen the Cotic Soul? Ideal all round bike and you can get a new one for £480. Apparently there pretty comfy.

The only down side to the On One appears to be the forks required to compliment the geometry are a little more expensive than the forks which currently reside in my CRC shopping basket. I’m no expert but the On One looks to be designed for longer forks

Forget ye not, the Ibis is very steep in terms of geometry. The On-One on the other hand is more trail oriented. Also, the 456 is designed to run forks from 100mm to 160mm, and is more than comfortable at either extreme. I run my (steel one) with 100mm forks, and jolly nice it is too.

Here is a bundle that includes the On-One and a 150mm RS Rev fork for £713. There is also a similar deal to include the Maxle version of the same fork.

The Ibis is a gorgeous bike, but seriously – £1200 quid for a bike frame?! That’s not even funny. I’d have the On-One. This is what i’d have with £2000 to spend:

£720 for the frame and fork, £340 for an XT groupset, £250 for a hope wheelset, £200 for a good brakeset, £200 on finishing kit. Nearly £300 change, thank you very much.

Or, on second thoughts, this 😀

Speak to Adam about full build kits before you go buying stuff from crc 69 degree ha with 120mm forks.

Double post

The Ibis is a gorgeous bike, but seriously – £1200 quid for a bike frame?! That’s not even funny.

You forgot to say a hardtail at that!

😉

The Ibis tranny was starting to slowly drift off my ‘wants’ radar, but having seen ^^^THAT^^^ picture 😯 and some of the other favorable comments here, I think it may have moved back towards the centre ground again. Long-term project methinks, horrendously expensive, much saving, XTR build probably, Crank Bros wheels.. Ooops… Maybe be actually riding it by summer 2012. 😉