Dialed Motion Ibex Cable System Review: Turn Any Power Rack into a Functional Trainer!
Introduction
In my opinion, this is one of the coolest and most innovative rack attachments available on the market today. This is a plate l loaded pulley cable system from a company called Dialed Motion which turns your existing power rack into a functional trainer. With additional attachment options for a lat pulldown and even a belt squat, this system has a lot to offer, without adding almost any additional footprint. Let’s check it out!
Hey guys, welcome back, this is Michael with the Jungle Gym reviews. Today we are reviewing a product that I’ve been following closely since I first saw it pop up on my Instagram last year when thought to myself “finally someone with an engineering brain making rack attachments”. As we will get into more detail here in a second, this system is clearly not just an afterthought and the quality of engineering and craftsmanship is some of the best I have seen from any piece of home gym equipment ever, period, let alone a rack attachment.
Dialed Motion and Their Cable Systems
So Dialed Motion is small US based company, it was started by two brothers who decided to make their own products after trying to find a power rack attached solution between the cheap pulley system which you throw on your rack and call it a day or the other end of the spectrum of being an expensive and space consuming fully selectorized drop in functional trainer cable system. Dialed motion currently has 2 cable systems, the Ibex and the Sidewinder, and both will fit all 3x3 racks with 5/8 or 1-inch holes. In addition, they have other product offerings with a few attachments and customization options you can add on for their systems based on your individual needs.
Their fully configured Ibex system (from my YouTube Review) costs about $600 for one side or $1150 for both sides together, functionally equating to your typical dual-sided full functional trainer system setup. The Ibex is their higher end offering of an integrated rack solution and geared towards people with a 4 or 6 post rack, or that have the rack space for a sliding trolley system to be mounted on the uprights. We will talk more about that in a bit.
As mentioned, their other pulley system, the Sidewinder costs a little less at $480 per side or $900 for both. From the name, the Sidewinder, it’s a side mounted pulley system, rather than a fixed trolley on the rack like the Ibex. The Sidewinder has a single weight loading pin that you load vertically by stacking the weight on top on each other like you’re used to seeing. This configuration allows it to take up slightly less space on the rack, so it’s likely more geared to people who only have a 2-post rack or have a 4-post rack and don’t want extra hardware fixed to the rack and taking up space.
What makes either system so unique is that both the Sidewinder and the Ibex system utilize the Dialed Motion proprietary cable retractor. It’s basically a lockable cable spool that is either spring loaded or some similar technology that keeps it tensioned, and it allows you to adjust the length of the system up to 19 feet long while boasting a 500LB weight capacity. What makes this so appealing is that it means is that you can have any rack, any size, any height, any cross member configuration, and it will work right out of the box with all the hardware included, you don’t have to go buy an OEM solution for your specific rack, in my case a Frankenstein rack made from Titan and Rep parts together, and therefore you don’t have to go about measuring or ordering new cables just to fit your setup. If you upgrade racks, change rack configurations, or just want switch the location of the trolleys and cable system at any given time, you can do that all easily and on the fly because of the out of the box customization for your specific rack.
Setup and Install
I do just quickly want to mention the setup and install. Dialed Motion’s goal is to make this system feel like an OEM system, which I can say they have 100% succeeded with. By nature of doing so, there is a bit of assembly and adjustments needed during setup to dial it in, no pun intended, to your particular rack. They provide some of the most clear and detailed instructions for gym equipment I have seen to date though. They also have QR codes embedded into the hard copy instructions that you can scan to visually follow the assembly videos for assistance.
As I mentioned before either of their systems will work on all 3x3 racks, but if you are familiar with power racks you know there is a difference between imperial 3x3 racks like Rogue and Bells of Steel or the metric 3x3 racks, like Rep and Titan, which are really 75x75mm or 2.95 inches width. Long story long, if you have a metric rack like my Titan Fitness Titan Series here, be prepared to spend an hour or two following the detailed directions and using the included hardware to adjust, tighten, and test the trolley and carriage on your specific rack to make sure all the pieces are dialed in with little to no play which allows it to work and feel like an original rack attachment build for your rack, exactly as they intended.
How It Works (Design and Features)
Ok so how the Dialed Motion Ibex system works is really nifty, it’s base is an aluminum trolley system with POM roller bearings on all sides. I had to look it up what on earth POM was because I am not that smart, but it’s just another hard durable thermoplastic like UHMW, so the rollers won’t damage your rack. After you tighten these rollers front to back and side to side to fit your exact rack, you attach the cable retractor to the trolley and it simply clicks down onto a little metal tongue tab, therefore locking it in. Then a strong magnet on the trolley frame holds everything together from moving or vibrating while in use.
From there you just attach the weight horns, they slide in perfectly to a little notch and groove on either trolley side and you’re ready to go. Just as easy as you installed them, you can remove the cable retractors if you want to use them elsewhere or get them out of the way, but I think most people will leave it on the rack as configured in a typical use case. There is also a rubber bumper built into the bottom of the trolley which stops on the included trolley stopper bolt equipped with another UHMW type sleeve so it cushions the weight and trolley every so softly with a distinct and very oddly satisfying soft thud.
Now for whatever reason, I think this is a product because of all the attachment points, knobs, pulleys, rotating parts, etc. some people might find it a bit daunting, but I am here to tell you it literally takes mere seconds to use and all you have to do is follow these 4 simple steps:
Step 1 - Load the weight horns.
Step 2 – Move the cable to the unlocked position.
Step 3 – Move the carriage to the desired height for the handles or movement.
Step 4 – Lock the cable retractor.
Then you are ready to go for any and all exercises that your heart desires. I am not going give you a comprehensive list of every exercise you can do, simply because it’s the same exercises that you can do on any functional trainer.
Quickly now to show you how easy it is to switch between movements again, you simply go back and repeat step 2-4 again: move the cable to unlocked, move the carriage to the desired height, flip the switch to locked and you’re ready to go in again, a handful of seconds. It is super creative, very intuitive, and simply just works.
How It Feels (Functionality)
Speaking to how well it works: besides the setup, the loading, and the ease of use, the main point everyone wants to know is - how does it feel?
It is very smooth, and honestly, I was really impressed but just how smooth, considering the typical technology for functional trainers or pulley systems is a sliding carriage or weights on some sort of lubricated guide rods. So after watching all the demo videos, I was curious how the trolley, the bearings, and the actual friction of sliding up and down the upright fully loaded would be in the real world.
All I can say is I was blown away, it feels absolutely fantastic. It is very smooth and if you didn’t know any better, without hearing the noise of the slight noise of the trolley sliding up and down the rack, the concentric and eccentric resistance feels identical in a side by side comparison to my selectorized REP PR5000 lat pulldown right next to it.
If you missed my home gym tour video from a couple weeks ago, I did mentioned my current dedicated functional trainer other there is the Inspire SF3 which is buttery smooth just like the smaller Inspire FTX I also used to own. The only difference between the SF3 vs. the Dialed Motion is the eccentric part of the movement, the release, the down. The Inspire SF3 has a more dynamic a “snap-back” feel which almost seems like it has bands attached to it sometimes, which honestly makes it difficult sometimes because it feels almost too hard on the eccentric portion of the movement which makes going close to failure with certain movements hard.
I think the Dialed Motion system feels more even throughout the whole movement, and again feels identical and equally as smooth in a blind test as my dedicated REP selectorized system which has a weight stack, guide rods, and aluminum pulleys, really just speaking to the quality that this Dialed Motion Ibex system is able to achieve. It feels exactly like a dedicated OEM out-of-the-box system, and not an aftermarket solution.
Alternate Options
As far as alternate options go, there are so many, I could make a dedicated video comparing them, so I am going to just quickly cover the types of alternative options rather than specific brands. Also please note, I am only mentioning power rack mounted functional trainer or pulley solutions not dedicated standalone functional trainer machines.
On the ultra-budget end you have the cheap pulleys with a strap that you can mount anywhere on your rack and load with a weight horn pin. They cost about $30-50 for one.
Next you have the fixed rack attached pulley options that are similar but bolt on to your rack and therefore provide a little more stability for about $100-150.
Then there are the OEM plate loaded options which cost about $1000 total, plus or minus a few bucks, but these are largely specific to you having that exact rack setup and configuration and then also permanently are fixed to your rack with the weight horns, guide rods, pulleys, cables etc. all taking up space. If upgrade your rack down the line, change your crossmember spacing, etc. you have to get a new system or at minimum, new cables depending on what you do.
Another upgrade to these OEM plate loaded options would be the same OEM selectorized versions which cost about $1800-2000+ in total.
If you want the ultra-space saving and money is no object pick, you could do something like the Beyond Power Voltra which is essentially a portable functional trainer which is self-contained in a extremely small packaging that you can place anywhere on the rack and offers a variety of resistance modes, but oh did I mention it costs $2000 per side?
Overall Rating and Thoughts
Functionality: 10
Features/Design: 9.5
Fit/Finish: 10
Value: 8.5
Overall: 9.5
So overall, I can definitely say, the Dialed Motion cable system, is potentially one of the best all-around pieces of gym equipment I have purchased in my gym. It’s unique, it’s extremely functional, it feels and looks absolutely premium, it utilizes floor space and footprint that already exist, and compared to the competition, it is all available at an extremely reasonable price per value provided. It’s pretty much the perfect rack attachment, or at least the best one I have used to date.
If I had to be super picky, the only thing I could possibly think of that could be an improvement, is simply if they included a set of rubber bumpers or stoppers for the weight plates so that they don’t directly contact the aluminum trolley frame when loading. I know there are a few of us crazies out there who want their plates to not have a scratch or fingerprint on them, and a rubber bumper would for sure eliminate the possibility of any such cosmetic damage happening if you are super jacked up on pre-workout and throwing those 45’s around violently.
A couple other things I wanted to mention, was that prior to receiving this item, I did not know it was possible to have a “premium unboxing” experience, but lo and behold they showed me that opening some gym equipment can feel like I was opening a high end gaming laptop. The large box they shipped everything in, had a big Dialed Motion logo on the side and when you opened that up, the smaller boxes inside were perfectly Tetris’ed together to fill nearly the whole volume of the box. There was barely any plastic or bubble wrap and all the parts themselves were individually boxed and labeled with pictures of what exactly was inside. Then within each part package, everything was completely secured via these custom cardboard cutouts that perfectly matched the contour of each piece so as not to slide around during shipment. Literally, everything was nicely enough packaged I had to mention it in the review.
I also wanted to note the fit and finish was the best I have ever seen from any other gym equipment to date. I hate to say this, but it was even better than my Pepin’s fast series dumbbells which cost nearly twice the price of this. All the Dialed Motion parts also featured laser cut logos, a perfect matte black finish, brushed hardware and pulleys, you name it, everything was perfect.
Overall, I was just so pleasantly surprised from the time I opened these boxes to the feel and functionality of the use. The Ibex here is just an awesome piece and I am really excited to see what else Dialed Motion has in store in the future.
Unlisted Operating Specs and Dimensions
I also quickly wanted to do a speed run of the operating specs or dimensions that they don’t have listed on the website for everyone to consider for their own use case.
The starting weight for the trolley is approximately 7.5 LBS, measured this with a force gauge. When you add the unloaded weight horns, its approximately 12 pounds. So just know your lightest options are 7.5, then 12LBS, then whatever your heart desires to load on w until the max 500 LB capacity they state on the website.
Second the overall pulley system does add about 1 inch of height of your rack, meaning it goes past the top of the rack by 1 inch. For those of you basement dwellers or those with extremely tight clearance, just know you need that extra inch of room.
The last set of dimensions worth noting is the weight horns, they stick out about as far as a barbell does, but if you’re like me and have a puzzle piece gym floorplan with your rack and rack attachments, the weight horns add about 13.5 inches of width both outside and inside the rack plus whatever space you need to be able to load the weight horns or walk around them, although again they are easily removable when not in active use.
Ordering and Suggested Configuration
Finally, as you can see here I haven’t used or reviewed their Sidewinder system, but I would highly recommend the Ibex if your goal is to have the most stable feel and look of an integrated rack mounted functional trainer. If you don’t currently have a dedicated lat pulldown when you order this system, I would definitely recommend adding the lat arm since it creates a fixed pulley for pulldowns rather than just from the carriage swivel, and it also allows you to properly sit vertically underneath the pulling point like a true dedicated lat pulldown machine.
As I mentioned earlier, you can order a belt squat attachment, unfortunately they didn’t have one for me to try, but will be available in the coming wave of orders. They are also currently working to release a leg holder and low row footplate combo attachment that should be available by the end of 2024.
Right now Dialed Motion is operating on a preorder basis so they can gauge the exact demand and quantity needs for production. Currently they are in preorder 3 window which closes September 22, 2024 and are due to ship those orders in January 2025. After that time, they plan to open either another set of preorders or move directly to a fully stocked model, so just check out their website link in the video description to stay up to date on timing and see what’s next from them.
Signoff
So guys that’s pretty much it, if there was anything I missed or you wanted me to go over in more detail for the Dialed Motion Ibex cable system, please leave a question or message in the comments below. As always, I appreciate you tuning in to The Jungle Gym Reviews, please like the video and subscribe to the channel, and stay tuned for more great reviews coming soon. We will see you next time, peace.
-Michael @TheJungleGymReviews
