First Look: IBIS Hakkalügi

• Ten hours on a bike is hardly enough for a meaningful review, so I'll be spending a few more weeks on the Lügi before writing something proper. However, in only a handful of rides (and one woeful race) the IBIS has proven to be everything I'd hoped. It's nimble, super maneuverable, beautiful, and of course, featherweight (under a kilogram in size 55cm). Although IBIS is a tiny niche player in the cross universe, I think it represents some new thinking in the carbon cx category -- certainly different from the dominant Belgian offerings. The Lügi is clearly race-ready: it's aggressive, ultra-light, with a very quick front end. But the rear triangle is only beefy, as opposed to super beefy. Paired with the right wheels and tires, I can imagine it being just as capable on a four hour single track morning with one's MTB buddies as it is on for 60 minute races on the UCI circuit. Some may scoff at its dual cage braze-ons, but personally, I like a bike capable of carrying water.

  That it performs as well as and weighs less than frames twice the price is just icing on the cake. It's really not the type of bike for those folks who only roll with twins, but at only $1400 -- I imagine that we'll be seeing double Lügi's in abundance next year.