Transcript
PHOTOs: Justin Steiner
STUFF Reality Tested Product Reviews
Wheelbase: 44.1" Top Tube: 23.8" Head Angle: 70° Seat-Tube Angle: 73º Bottom Bracket: 12.8" Rear Center: 17.4" Weight: 27.2 lbs. specs based on size tested
IBIS Ripley 29
Tester: Eric McKeegan Age: 41 Height: 5’11" Weight: 155 lbs. Inseam: 31”
A
nyone who followed the saga of the Ripley knows this bike wasn’t
The eccentrics do require extra attention when servicing, including
easy to birth. Between a completely new dw-link system that uses
using a thread-locking compound and lowering the torque on the bolts.
eccentrics rather than links and a switch to a different factory in
There have been some running changes to the hardware and fastening
the middle of development, to say this was a difficult labor would be an
torque over the first few years, but everything seems squared away now
understatement.
and my tester was click- and squeak-free.
Ibis stuck it out, and this bike is an impressive heir to the Ripley
Shimano and SRAM and forks from RockShox and Fox. I rode the
1.25 inches of travel. That bike was part of the pivotless craze driven
Shimano XT option with an upgrade to the Cane Creek Inline rear shock
largely by Ibis 1.0 and bikes like the pivotless 5-inch-travel Bow-Ti.
and Thomson dropper post. The 120 mm Fox Float 32 CTD fork can be
Now executed in modern carbon fiber, the form factor of the Ripley has
swapped for a longer-travel 140 mm RockShox Pike or Fox 34—some-
changed, but the ride remains the most important design criteria.
thing I would recommend for bigger or harder-charging riders.
Ibis is no longer afraid of pivots, and the Ripley pushes the enve-
The geometry is an interesting balance between old school and new
lope again with the tiny eccentrics standing in for the links in the Dave
school. The head angle with a 120 mm fork is an even 70 degrees,
Weagle–designed suspension. With the bike originally conceived as a
chainstays come in at 17.4 inches and the bottom bracket hangs out
100 mm travel race-ready 29er, the eccentrics seemed like a perfect so-
at 12.8 inches. These numbers are pretty standard these days, but the
lution to the desired geometry, weight and performance goals. But after
23.8-inch top tube and 16.3-inch reach are substantially shorter than
spending enough time on longer-travel trail bikes, Ibis deemed more
many similar trail bikes, forcing me to use a 90 mm stem and 740 mm
travel was better and the whole system was rethought for this current
bars to create a proper-sized cockpit. The shorter top tube means the
120 mm rear end.
wheelbase, at 44.1 inches, is quite short for a bike of this size.
The swingarm of the Ripley covers up most of the interesting bits of
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Ibis has a big selection of build kits with 1x and 2x options from
name, first used on a John Castellano–designed aluminum softail with
All that geometry adds up to a bike that feels nimble and likes to
the suspension, but keeps with the Roxy Lo aesthetic shared by all the
be steered. Small inputs go a long way, giving the bike the feeling of a
modern Ibises: organic and flowing, yet purposeful and distinct. Hiding
confident cross-country machine. The longer stem keeps some weight
the pivots from sight also shelters them from much of the muck that
on the front wheel, and combined with a rear suspension that stays up in
ends up on the bike, which should help to extend bearing life. The bear-
its travel, this bike climbs steeps with poise and confidence. On the flats,
ings are off-the-shelf units, so no worries about replacement when the
that same suspension is efficient enough to race cross-country, should
time comes.
the mood strike, and with a lightweight build kit it wouldn’t be at much of
Dirt Rag #183 4.1.15
Price: $5,850 Sizes: S, M, L (tested), XL Online: ibiscycles.com a disadvantage against a pure XC race bike. While nimble in the tight and twisties, there is some confidence lost in the steep and treacherous. This is mostly due to the longer stem and shorter front center compared to other 29er trail bikes, but it is mitigated in large part with a dropper post. On less steep, choppy terrain, the dw-link suspension works its magic, handling multiple hits in a controlled manner and using full travel with no harsh bottoming-out sensations. The fancy Inline rear shock allows tuning for more or less small-bump compliance, but compared to the most supple suspension designs out there, this one feels slightly harsh on smaller hits. This is a minor quibble, and the suspension character is very well matched to the nimble feel of this bike. With most recently introduced 29er trail bikes taking their cues from the enduro-cation of geometry, the Ripley stands out as appealing to a rider who cut his or her teeth on bikes in the days of longer stems and steeper angles. A longer-travel fork would definitely make it a more aggressive descender without losing any of the snappy pedaling behavior that makes it such a joy to ride for hours at a time. If your shopping list includes choices like the Kona Process 111 and Transition Smuggler, this might not be the bike for you. But if you are considering the Scott Genius 29er or Trek Fuel EX 29, add the Ripley to your wish list. My somewhat odd-sounding takeaway from my time on this bike: It reminds me of a hardtail. Once I got the suspension dialed to where I wanted it, I rarely thought about it anymore and flipped lockout levers only when I was on pavement. With complete bikes ranging from $3,950 to up in the $10K range, the Ripley is in no way cheap, but it is very competitive.
Dirtragmag.com
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