Bicycle Valentines #2 – By: Brian Berg
Andrew’s Intro:
After the Unit, a bike name with my all-time favourite back story, and the Honzo, half-name & half-war-cry, the Exie is my favourite mountain bicycle moniker. Exie. X-C. XC. To me, it’s a cheeky tie-in to Ibis of old and their steel-tube Moron Butting (more on the ends). The Exie name is to the Epic, Scalpel, or Podium what Ibis tubing was to Columbus Genius.
The carbon frame comes in two varietals, a MUSA version that’s laid up in the Bear Flag Republic and the ~250-gram heavier rig that’s made in Vietnam. Of course, SRP means nothing right now, but tariffterestingly {?!}, comparing full-pop-pricing and just talking freedom-dollars and the ‘murican market, the MUSA version is only US$200 more, and that includes a golden shock upgrade. Of course, with supply-side sale pricing, there’s still a significant amount of Ho Chi Minh-maxing to capture with the Asian option. US$2624 vs. US$3649.
Yeah, so. Welcome to Bicycle Valentines #2, an attempt at MEATengines reader participation pieces. I write a little intro. You write some number of words about a bicycle and why you love it. It can certainly be your bicycle. Include a couple of photos, and here we go.
{All photos by Mr. Lungtastic AKA Brian}
By: Brian
My Exie story brings a couple of thoughts together. One is a line from a Steve Jones article from Dirt Magazine, where he wrote something to the effect, “People buy/build a bike for two minutes of a 45-minute lap.” Over a couple of decades of MTB riding, I have been guilty of this, and I dare say the bulk of the riders I see out in the wild are definitely over-biked.
Second. Back in the day, I raced XC. Various influences changed the course of my riding. Big bikes. Then single-speeding took over and those were good years. That community is the best. But, somewhere in the back of my mind, I’ve long wanted a modern XC bike. Longer and slacker than the bikes I once raced, they really intrigued me.
Every time I did big rides or mega climbs, I’d think, Steve was right. Here we go again, lugging this big bike up a hill for a few thrills on a couple of spicy sections on the way down. Or, I’d feel like my eyes were bleeding as I grunted up some crazy climbs while absolutely refusing to use third gear* on my SS. So, I quietly went shopping for that just-right XC bike.
*{1) Sitting, 2) Standing, 3) Walking}
I hate to even say this, but here goes. The Ibis Exie ticked all of my boxes for sizing, suspension design, and, most importantly, fit. My problem with it was, I didn’t like how it looked with that curved top tube. Yes, I know, how ridiculous is that? There is no shortage of great XC bikes out there, so I went and looked, rode, and thought about all the other choices. All of the other choices.
In the end, the Ibis won out over all the other good choices, just down to the plus side of the spreadsheet. I wish that I had listened to Jaclyn at Essential Cycles an entire year before I bought my Exie. She told me everything I needed to know. Yet, for that vain reason, I looked at everything else and wasted a whole year not riding the best, most fun, does so many things well, bike I have ever owned.
Here is the real kicker. I actually really like the look of that bike now! Maybe it just grew on me? Bonus points for the top tube design, I never hit my knees on it, and when I install a negative rise stem for full-on XC racing, my controls don’t contact the top tube if/when things go sideways in a crash*.
{*This is a common issue with stacking on many XC-race rigs.}
Regardless of top tube curves, the Exie has become the only bike I want to ride. The pedaling dynamics encourage me to dig in. Solid efforts every ride. It does everything that I want an MTB to do. Up, down, all around. Two thumbs up.
Is it a bike I would pick for a Bookwus ride or the Whistler Bike Park? Definitely not. For the bulk of my riding? It is amazing how it fits the bill. Yes, I have several other bikes that all serve a purpose, but if the house were on fire, the Exie would be pulled out first.
My bike is the Exie for all, the cheaper version (about 250grams heavier). I have upgraded it with Nobl TR35 wheels (thanks, Nice Guy, for the wheel build) and a Fox Factory Grip2 34 at 120mm. Plus, Wolf Tooth silicon (foam) grips are nice on my old man hands. Excuse me now, I think I need to go for a spin. Cheers!
Do you have a bicycle you love? Yours, or, maybe, coveting thy neighbour’s? It’s easy to participate in Bicycle Valentines by dropping in an e-mail submission. A few photos and as many, or as few, words as you need to sum up your pedaling passion.