First IF

[Dave Bradley]

Decent thread on the first bike. Would love to hear about the first IF you got. Stories, build, etc.

One of my best mates (Darren Ling) turned me onto to IF several years ago and I found an older 98 team one. Green with the yellow faded stars. It was pretty beat up, but I loved it. Ended up selling it for this fantastic green to white double flame one that I sold to another one of our 4 amigo crew. He still has it and loves it.

I have had several since and am awaiting one any week now that will surpass all of my others. Pics to come in the next month or so.

So spill the beans, what was your first IF, or maybe your favorite…if you can choose!

[John May]

My first IF is my present IF. I was looking at getting a custom bike and figured that my first step would be finding a good bike shop to advise and build it for me. Roy at Grace Bicycles in Hopkinton was an easy decision to make. The next step was the frame. With all the frame builders in Massachusetts, I had a lot to choose from. What sealed the deal was an IF Ride and Presentation @ Grace bicycles last summer. Meeting the actual people who would be building the frame and listening to their clear objective of frame building made it an easy choice. I decided on a Crown Jewel SE after reading the ride reports of those who had them and seeing the demo at Grace Bicycles. The next hurdle was the money. I had been saving a few bucks each year and figured that I’d need one or two more years to make the deal. That’s when lightning struck and I won the frame raffle held by the IF race team.

Sweet.

Roy and I went over all the options and decided on a selection of parts that were, in Roy’s words, “Just under Formula 1 level”. In other words, all top notch stuff, but nothing exotic. My focus was on a bike that could climb, sprint, and be comfortable on long rides. Weight was not a primary concern – but even so the bike came in at just a few ounces under 17 pounds -not bad for a steel bike.

I’ve never really cared about the color of my cars or bikes or so forth – and to put a little “harmony” in the family, I let my wife pick the color. In the interests of visibility and safety, she chose Velocity Yellow. And since I won the frame, I decided to add the green decals and official green IF Cateye Wireless to stay in line with the company colors and help promote the brand.

Now after 1,000 miles, I can say that the bike is everything I expected to be and more. It has exceeded my expectations. Thanks IF.

[Darren]

My first IF is still in my stable. It's a '99 steel deluxe. Black/green and geared. It has King all the way around: headset and wheels, and a mix of xt and xtr parts. My favorite part is my Groovy Luv handlebar, with ESI racer grips. I had Rody build me up a wide pair (28" wide). He's out of Ohio, and since I am in OH, I thought I would try him. This bike is still one of the best riding IF's I have. Ten years old, and still going strong. Here's to another 20 years or so.

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