Price Paid:  $2200.00 at Ibis Website

Favorite Ride:
Millcreek Canyon, SLC

Bike Setup:
10 speed Campy Chorus, Chorus hubs with Open Pro rims, Brooks saddle, TTT bar and stem.

Summary:
A great all around bike. The ride qualities fall somewhere betwen my old Klein and Seven Axiom. However, for the money I couldn't be happier. The welds and finish are first rate and the bike is just right for me. The campy drivetrain works great and makes for a very attractive ride. I should note that I bought this as a special deal from the Ibis website so I didn't pay retail for the frame and fork. The company was friendly and very easy to deal with. Just don't be a hurry. A very nice bike and I don't see many of them where I live - no complaints.

Strengths:
The bike is a 60 cm frame with the Ibis steel fork. The bike provides solid yet forgiving ride and has a beefy bottom bracket and chain stays. The frame is simple and elegant, and has nice touches such as the head tube badge and cable stops on the head tube.

At 6'2" and 210 lbs, the bike is plenty stiff and very comfortable. The geometry provides a very stable platform that's just right for all around riding. It's not quite as comfortable/resilient as my ti bike but it is stiffer in the bottom bracket and remains a great all-day bike. It was also 1/3 the cost of my Ti bike cost - a much better value.

Finish on the frame is very nice - mine is the money green powdercoat color. The frame is brand new so I can't comment on durability. This is a great all-around bike. At my level I can't imagine needing more from a frame and fork. The fork could be lighter but the ride is nice and there is no compelling reason to upgrade any time soon. I'm too big to wory about a few ounces anyway - I prefer strong over light weight.

Weaknesses:
I found the Ibis (breezer style) dropouts hard to get used to. Not bad, just different. Also, the fork rides great but is on the heavy side. There's no reason to change right away but an upgrade to a lighter option might be in order in a year or two.

Similar Products Used:
Klein Quantum, Seven Axiom, Bianchi

Favorite Ride:
any ride is great

Bike Setup:
9-speed Dura Ace with Kestrel EMS pro fork

Summary:
I got the frame as a replacement for my Spanky from Ibis. The finish was wearing off in some spots prematurely, maybe just from some bad finish work. They asked me if I could send it back for a free re-paint. While they had it, they noticed a small dent in my downtube and offered to replace the frame with a new Sonoma. Works for me.

I think the primary difference between the frames are the headtube cable adjusters, powdercoating instead of painting and it looks like the main tubes might be a larger diameter. Maybe thats why it seems to have a bit of an "alloy" ride characteristic (light and tracks well) but still has a nice feel I have always enjoyed from steel. Plus its titanium light.

I rides nicer than my Spanky did, maybe because I had a steel fork on it and have upgraded to carbon on the Sonoma. I am a bigger rider at 6', 190lbs and can be pretty hard on a frame when climbing, accelerating or just going over bumps. There doesn't seem to be any real noticeable flex anywhere in the frame.

I had a problem with creaking from the bottom bracket when I first built the bike. I took out the bottom bracket and covered all the treads with anti-seize compound. I also used it on the cranks, chainring bolts and pedals and haven't heard a peep since.

I would recommend this frame. For $1100 there might be some better buys out there though. Customer service was good to me when I had a problem as well. That's tough to come by some times these days.

Strengths:
Very comfortable and stable frame. I have always ridden steel frames since owning a cannondale in the early 90's and this is the most comfortable yet. It has a different feel than a traditional lugged steel frame. My last one was Italian, with columbus SLX tubing and Cinelli lugs. It also weighed a lot more.

Weaknesses:
The decal on the seat tube got buggered up in my bike stand, even with a clean rag on it. Would like to see some kind of protective coating on the decals so as not to detract from a great looking bike.

Similar Products Used:
99 Ibis Sonoma