Before I decided on buying the Fantom 29 I had been looking at IBEX full suspension Ignition 3. I am glad I went with the 29er. IBEX also has a 29er so I was interested in determining how it stacked up in value to the Fantom 29. I did not buy the IBEX Section 29 because it was a little more than I wanted to spend at $999 plus $35 shipping. I also wanted a black bike. The Section 29 is Ruby Red.
The detailed specs can be found on the IBEX website at
http://www.ibexbikes.com/Bikes/SEC-29-Details.html
The Fantom 29 has Avid BB5 Brakes vs Avid BB-7 for the IBEX . The IBEX is worth about $30 more.
The Fantom 29 has WTB MotoRaptor 29 x 2.1 tires with WTB FX28 rims vs the WTB ExiWolf 29" x 2.30 with the WTB LaserDisc 29 rims for the IBEX. The IBEX is worth about $50 more.
The Fantom 29 has the RockShox Dart 3 Fork at $125 vs Rock Shox Tora 318 Air at $380 for the IBEX . The IBEX has 80mm travel vs 100mm on the Fantom.
The Motobecane and IBEX frames are aluminum. I like the Fantom 29 black color over the Ruby Red of the IBEX.
The Fantom 29 has Shimano Deore Mega-9 Rapid Fire 27 speed trigger shift at $90 for pair vs SRAM X7 Trigger at $50 for the IBEX.
The Fantom 29 has Shimano Deore XT long cage rear derailleur RD-M761 at $85 vs SRAM X-7 at $45 for the IBEX.
The Fantom 29 has TruVativ 5D 22/32/44T Crankset at $70 vs FSA Moto MegaExo (44/32/22T) at $140 for the IBEX.
The Fantom 29 has Shimano Deore FD-M510 front derailleur $26 vs SRAM X-7 at $29 for the IBEX.
The IBEX also includes Shimano M520 SPD Clipless pedals w/ cleats at $50. I use clipless on my road bike but not on my mountain bike so this wasn't important for me.
Conclusion:
The IBEX has $378 more in parts. It is about $400 more that the Fantom 29 so the value is close to the Fantom 29.
The Fantom 29 has a better drive train. The IBEX Section 29 has a better Fork, Wheelset and Crankset but it is $1034. I chose the Motobecane over the IBEX because I did not want to pay $1034 for a bike that I am using just for fitness. The $600 Fantom 29 works for me.
I like the Fantom 29!
As an on going recap here is a list of the bikes I reviewed. They are ranked by a Relative Value Factor (RVF) . The RVF is the price of the Fantom 29 + or - the value of the major parts difference (Delta) divided by the price of the bike. So far the Fantom 29 is the best value of the bikes I reviewed. The IBEX Section 29 jumps to second place.
Bike: Price, Delta, RVF
Motobecane Fantom 29: 596, 0, 1.0
IBEX Section 29 : 1034, 378, 0.942
Raleigh XXIX+G: 1100, 368, 0.876
Diamondback Overdrive: 600, -122, 0.790
Marin Alpine Trail 29er: 667, -122, 0.711
Specialized Rockhopper Disc 29er: 760 ,-144, 0.595
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
you sure do sound like an engineer. seems like the fantom pro29 or windsor cliff team 29 would "score"even higher in your system. but the real question is : are these cheapo frames really fun to ride or is it "worth " paying a little more for a better frame? and a $100 suspension fork sounds like walmart/costco level to me. kamakaze
Kamakaze
Thanks for the compliment-- sounding like an engneer.
For me, the Fantom 29 is really fun to ride. I only tested the Raleigh XXIX so that is the only other 29er I have ridden. I really couldn't add any real world experience to answer yor question as to whether paying more for the frame is worth it.
As for the fork, the Dart 3 performs well for me. I use the bike for fitness---mostly XC, rail trails and I generally avoid the most technical part of trails.
Mike
Post a Comment