Ibis Ripley Review

Jun 3, 2013
by Mike Levy  

TESTED
Ibis Ripley


WORDS Mike Levy
PHOTOS Mike Kazimer

Ibis' Ripley two-niner has a difficult act to follow given that their Mojo platform has been such a roaring success for the California brand, with all four variations of the bike (the HD, HD 140, SL-R and SL) receiving critical acclaim from reviewers around the world. The new Ripley is a very different machine from the Mojo, though, and we aren't only talking about the wheel size. The 120mm travel trail bike employs a novel dual eccentric pivot layout, an iteration of Dave Weagle's dw-link suspension design that mimics how a linkage would perform, but in a more compact, and reportedly laterally stiffer, package. Our Ripley was adorned with a mostly Shimano XT 10 speed drivetrain, save for the great looking E*thirteen TRS+ dual ring crankset, and came with a smartly spec'd set of wheels that use Stan's ZTR Arch 29er rims and the always great KS Lev dropper post. With a sticker price on our test bike of $6186.49 USD this is not an inexpensive ride, but the same frame can be assembled with Shimano's SLX group for $4699.99 USD.

Ibis Ripley Details

• Intended use: trail/cross-country
• Rear wheel travel: 120mm
• Eccentric pivot dw-link suspension
• BB92/Press GXP bottom bracket
• 12 x 142mm Maxle rear axle
• 160mm post mount rear disc
• FOX Float CTD Kashima shock
• Two bottle mounts
• MSRP: $5820.80 USD as tested
• Frame only MSRP: $2899.99 USD



Ibis Ripley
Ibis Ripley
  Clockwise from top left: a tapered head tube and internal shift line routing, the direct mount front derailleur bolts to the swingarm, Ibis offers the Ripley with a direct mount hanger for Shimano derailleurs, a thin aluminum plate guards against chain suck.


Ripley Construction Details

The carbon fiber Ripley has a swoopy appearance and clean lines, a look that is heightened by its hidden eccentric linkage arrangement that tricked many onlookers into thinking the bike employed a single pivot suspension layout. The usual design elements that we rattle on about are present on the Ripley: a tapered head tube, a BB92 bottom bracket shell, routing for a dropper post, and a 12 x 142mm rear end that employs a Maxle axle, but there are also some truly neat talking points that deserve to be pointed out. One of those is the carbon link that is driven by the rear triangle and is attached to the rearward shock mount, with it working off the triangle by way of clean looking clevis pivots that are hidden by reverse mounted hardware. The whole arrangement is decidedly clutter free, with a sophisticated look to it.

Moving further back on the swingarm, Ibis has used aluminum inserts on each side of the 12 x 142mm dropouts, as well as a stout direct mount derailleur hanger (a standard hanger is available for SRAM derailleurs) and a 160mm post disc brake attachment point. The front derailleur hangs from a direct mount on the swingarm, allowing it to track the chain as the bike goes through its travel, and an aluminum panel has been bonded in place on the underside of the chain stay in order to protect the carbon from any chain suck action. There are no ISCG tabs on the Ripley, and the BB92 bottom bracket shell is obviously not threaded, meaning that those who want to run a single ring setup will have to use a upper slider-only as a guide, although this shouldn't be an issue given the newer style clutch-type derailleurs that help keep the chain in place. Kudos have to be given to Ibis for the inclusion of two water bottle mounting locations on the Ripley, one on top of and one underneath the bike's down tube, although it is best to use a medium sized bottle and side entry cage for the upper location.

Ibis Ripley
  It's what's on the inside that counts. The bike's dw-2XC eccentrics are hidden from view within the frame, but function in very much the same way as a typical dw-link bike.


The Ripley's dw-link Suspension Explained

One could be forgiven for assuming that the sleek looking Ripley uses a single pivot suspension design, and not even only when viewed from afar. This is especially the case when admiring the bike from the drive side, as the two pivot bolts are nearly hidden from view by the drivetrain. The suspension's covert appearance is a bit of a shame, really, given the impressive engineering behind its dual eccentric design that replaces the linkage layout we are so used to seeing when talking about bikes that feature the dw-link label. The bike's 'dw-2XC' dual eccentrics have been a long time in the making, with Dave Weagle working on the system as early as 2005, two years prior to collaborating with Ibis on what was originally supposed to be 100mm travel bike. ''Over that period of time a good deal of effort was spent completely re-imagining how pivot assemblies were going to be built,'' Weagle explained to us. ''As compared to the then state-of-the-art there were major engineering challenges that Ibis solved to make this all work.'' Thankfully, Ibis decided to bump the travel up an extra 20mm to a more trail-friendly figure and, after testing some prototypes that employed tapered bushings, Ibis and Weagle went with large diameter sealed bearings (the same size as used in BB30 bottom bracket shells) that proved more up to the task.


How exactly does the dw-2XC dual eccentric design function? The twin eccentrics, which take the place of the two links, rotate to mimic how a dw-link design would function, with Weagle tweaking the system to have the desired attributes that Ibis was looking for. In the case of the Ripley it was to have the bike accelerate like a 1000cc street bike, a trait that called for a touch more anti-squat than found on some other Weagle designed bikes.

The exploded view at right shows the system in its entirety, with the four large diameter sealed bearings that are pressed into the frame easy to spot. Aluminum sleeves are used to ensure perfect bearing preload, and the CNC machined aluminum eccentrics themselves (the pieces that look like top hats) slide through from the drive side to ride on the bearings' inner races. Caps are then fitted over the opposite side, followed by four smaller diameter sealed bearings, with one mounted outboard on each side of the two eccentrics. Everything is held together with sealing aluminum hardware, and despite what it may first look like, the system actually uses fewer bearings and parts than many other designs on the market. The compact layout has benefits that go beyond simply looking clean, says Weagle: ''The micro-eccentrics on the Ripley are absolutely tiny compared to anything that I've seen, less than half the size, and that all translates to less weight and improved specific stiffness.''

Ibis Ripley
  From the early design mule (far left) that was created in 2010 by cutting up an Ibis Tranny hardtail and combining it with some roughly machined parts, to the dialed production bike of 2013.


Specifications
Release Date 2013
Price $5700
Travel 120
Rear Shock Fox Float CTD Adjust Factory Series with Kashima Coat
Fork Fox Float 32 CTD 120mm travel, FIT, Kashima, 15QR thru-axle, tapered steerer, black, custom decals
Headset Cane Creek 40: ZS44 1 1/8" top/EC49/40 Traditional 1.5" bottom
Cassette CS-M771-10, DEORE XT, 10-SPD 11-13-15-17-19-21-24-28-32-36T
Crankarms RaceFace Turbine Cinch 36/24 175mm
Rear Derailleur RD-M786, DEORE XT SGS 10-SPD TOP-NORMAL SHADOW+
Front Derailleur FD-M781D-T-L, DEORE XT DOWN-SWING, TOP-PULL, DIRECT MOUNT
Shifter Pods SL-M780, Direct attach
Handlebar Ibis Hi-Fi or Lo-Fi Carbon bar 740mm wide
Stem Ibis 3D Forged 31.8 Bar/28.6 Steerer 7075
Brakes Shimano Deore XT BR-M785 180mm Front Rotor, 160mm Rear Rotor
Wheelset Stan's ZTR Arch 29er Rim 32H Black
Tires Schwalbe Nobby Nick 2.25" Snake Skin tubeless front, Racing Ralph 2.25" Snake Skin tubeless rear
Seat Ibis custom saddle, CrMo rails
Seatpost Ibis 31.6 x 350 L, 7075
Ibis Ripley



Riding the
Ripley


bigquotesWhile our first impression of the black and green Ibis was that it had a big-ish feel to it, and that the bike would be more monster truck than sports car, the opposite proved to be true. Hunting for different lines on the trail was a pleasure, a trait no doubt helped by the bike's willingness to leave the ground at the slightest hint of possible fun, and we often found ourselves with either the front or rear wheels up in a manual or nose wheelie in places where we'd usually just be hanging on to bikes of a similar ilk.

Climbing/acceleration: The feeling of a bike that jumps forward with a sense of urgency usually reserved for a machine requiring high-octane fuel is a special thing, especially when said bike isn't a purebred cross-country whippet, but rather a 120mm travel trail bike like the Ripley. To be fair, any bike in this travel bracket should be more than competent when it comes to laying down some tracks, but the Ripley manages to make us feel like we've been doing squats and dead lifts all winter (we weren't) and that every corner deserves a thirty foot long power wheelie on exit (they do). Oh, and that is with the FOX shock's CTD lever set to the most forgiving 'Descend' setting - we simply never felt the need to reach down and flick the blue lever, even when faced with a long, smooth climb. That near instantaneous acceleration might have played a roll in the bike's tallish feeling front end wanting to lift a bit earlier than on similar travel bikes, though, and it required a constant and firm touch on the bar to keep it on course when giving the bike some gas up a steep face - setting the bike's handlebar height is an important step towards dialling in the Ripley. It is for this reason that we would have loved to have a go on the bike with the 120mm travel FOX Float 32 CTD that Ibis offers as an option instead of the 140mm 34 Float CTD (timing didn't permit the change, unfortunately). That's right, we suspect that "down forking" the Ripley would unleash the bike's inner climbing beast without sacrificing too much in the way of descending, and Ibis did confirm that sales numbers do lean slightly more towards bikes with the 120mm slider up front.

The bike is far from a bad technical climber, though, and we should mention that we actually scaled two sections of trail aboard the Ripley that we have never managed while on any other bike, as well as setting a personal best time on a local singletrack climb that always tests us. Were we just having a strong day? Was it the protein Booster Juice shake that we downed on the way to the mountain? Who knows, but the carbon Ibis seemed to be able to carry a good head of steam in situations where other bikes have felt a little deflated, and that steam had the Ripley clawing its way up and over some hairy bits of trail despite the feeling that we were being handicapped slightly by the bike's low volume rear tire that required higher than optimal pressure.

Ibis Ripley ridden by Mike Levy. Photo by Mike Kazimer.
  Part trail bike cattle dog, part cross-country greyhound, the Ripley accelerated up climbs with the enthusiasm of a true race bike.

Technical riding: While our first impression of the black and green Ibis was that it had a big-ish feel to it, and that the bike would be more monster truck than sports car, the opposite proved to be true. Hunting for different lines on the trail was a pleasure, a trait no doubt helped by the bike's willingness to leave the ground at the slightest hint of possible fun, and we often found ourselves with either the front or rear wheels up in a manual or nose wheelie in places where we'd usually just be hanging on to bikes of a similar ilk. And that really sums up the Ripley's personality: yes, it can be ridden as more of a traditional cross-country bike, but that would be selling the bike a bit short in our opinion. Sign up for that long point to point race with 7,000ft of climbing, but you better enjoy pulling some long manuals and backing it through some corners if you're doing it aboard the Ripley.

The Ripley hold its ground well when things get serious - picture steep chutes where you might give yourself a 50/50 chance of riding away, or tight, slow-speed moves that hinge on your commitment - but it is key to keep in mind the bike's travel and intentions. Ask the bike to plow across an off-camber section plastered with equally off-angle roots and you'll quickly be reminded that you are on a 120mm travel bike that has been designed to excel in a number of scenarios, just not those that might ask for knee pads and a full face helmet.

Ibis Ripley ridden by Mike Levy. Photo by Mike Kazimer.
  The Ripley rides very much like a 130mm, or even 140mm, travel 26er in many situations but happens to pedal much better than either.

Downhill: The Ripley really stretches its legs on grades that require some horsepower in order to get the most out of the terrain, and those are the sort of situations where the bike's eagerness to move forward are most apparent - picture a downhill that a 7'' bike would feel sluggish on and you'll know exactly where the Ibis shines, which doesn't exactly come as a surprise. It was easy to find a lot of flow on the Ripley when presented with mildly taxing terrain, i.e., the sort of stuff where the very large majority of everyone's riding takes place, and the bike's rear suspension really does shine in the 120mm category. Those coming off of a 150mm bike might expect the Ripley to feel a touch harsh, but there is quite a bit of suppleness to the top of the FOX shock's stroke, more than expected given its excellent pedalling abilities, and we felt like the bike could be ridden quite aggressively without the rear end blowing through its travel. We were tempted to firm up the rear of the bike via the shock's CTD lever, mainly for those times when pumping brought more speed to the table than pedalling, but doing so seemed to add little too nothing to an already potent package so we settled on leaving it wide open.
bigquotesThere is often talk of that elusive 'sit in' feeling that often accompanies a bike that handles well, and the Ripley can boast about having exactly that. The bike offers a great feeling of stability without sacrificing the all important playfulness that a proper bike must have, and it made for a feeling of traction that you wanted to quantify with high-fives and huge grins at the bottom of every loose downhill section of trail.
Ibis spec'd our test bike with the optional 140mm travel FOX Float 34 CTD fork instead of the 120mm 32 that some riders choose, a decision that no doubt allows for a bit more of an aggro approach to rough trails, but also one that we feel had the bike feeling a touch unbalanced. Ibis did let slip that some of their guys have been running FOX 34 forks set to 120mm of travel in order to reap the benefits of the stouter chassis and slightly longer axle to crown than a 32 of equal stroke, and that FOX will be producing a special 120/140 Talas version (the standard Talas setup is 110/140) of their revised 2014 CTD offerings. This upcoming 120/140 Talas fork, which Ibis' Scot Nicol says will be available this coming June, makes a lot of sense on the bike, and we would almost certainly lean that way if we were to purchase Ripley for ourselves.

Ibis Ripley ridden by Mike Levy. Photo by Mike Kazimer.
  We preferred to leave the bike's FOX Float CTD shock set to the open 'Descend' setting, allowing it to do its job and soak up the terrain while we concentrated on picking the lines that offered the most opportunity for fun.


Component Report:

Specialized Ground Control tires: Good - ultra reliable rubber, especially when set up tubeless, meant that we never worried about cutting a sidewall or pulling a bead off in a hard corner. The traction was there as well, and there weren't any moments of dread when the front or rear went away unexpectedly. Bad - while the Specialized rubber offered more than acceptable bite, they were limited by their relatively small 2.1'' and 2.0'' widths that required us to inflate them slightly harder than if they had more volume. If the Ripley was our personal bike we'd splurge on a set of 2.3'' S-WORKS Purgatory tires and call it done.

KS Lev seat post: Good - the KS post's fixed actuator cable makes for simple routing and no chance of it rubbing on the rear tire, and no amount of rain, mud, and pressure washing degraded the post's smooth action. KS' tiny thumb button that butts up against the grip is also the best remote in the game, bar none.

E*thirteen TRS+ cranks: Good - The sub-800 gram crankset looks great, and shifting across the two rings was lightening fast. Their APS bottom bracket employs a nifty adjustable preload collar that can be tightened or loosened by hand, a great system that allows for simple fine tuning and optimal bearing preload for smooth rotation. Bad - a slightly undersized BB sleeve on our early sample allowed the setup to lose its preload every other ride. The result was a the crank's 30mm spindle being allowed to shift left and right within the bottom bracket shell by a few millimeters. It was a simple fix that took about ten seconds - simply turn the collar with your fingers - but it was annoying. E*thirteen told us that the issue has long been resolved on current production cranks, so it shouldn't be an issue in the future.

The wheels: Good - given that Ibis chose to use Stan's ZTR Arch 29er rims, you know that the bike has some relatively light wheels. The rims themselves held up fine, though, with no touchups required despite burying them hard on a few sideways landings and corners gone awry. Bad - the rear hub suffered a massive freehub failure that left us stranded mid-way through a 70km ride. Once we got the wheel into the workshop we discovered that an entire shoulder that was home to one of the freehub's three pawls had sheared clean off from the rest of the freehub body, effectively jamming up the works and creating a fixed gear bike. Our replacement wheel, complete with the same 'Speed Hub' rear hub, proved to be trouble free for many, many miles.

Shimano XT brakes and drivetrain: Good - power in spades, great modulation, and a firm lever feel make these brakes a no brainer in our books. Shifting was spot on as well, without any issues to report. Bad - that useless bite point adjustment screw on each brake lever still does diddly squat. Shimano, why is it even on there? An effective adjustable bite point system would allow for further fine tuning, allowing riders to set them up to their preference without having to advance the brake's pistons to accomplish the task.


Pinkbike's take:
bigquotesIf the Ripley was to place its own ad in the personals section it would likely read something like this: ''Fun loving bike seeking like-minded partner. Willing to work hard if that's what is called for, but has to know when to loosen up and let it all hang out. Doesn't mind it rough, but needs to be treated right.'' Ibis, with the help of Dave Weagle and his dw-link suspension, has managed to create one of the more useable 120mm travel bikes that we've ever spent time on. What we mean is that the Ripley is happy to be ridden as a very adept trail bike, especially when fitted with a 140mm fork, but it also feels more than efficient enough to do double duty as a bike that its owner could take to a weekend cross-country race without feeling like he or she is being held back at all. In other words, a great package for how a lot of us like to ride.- Mike Levy


www.ibiscycles.com

Author Info:
mikelevy avatar

Member since Oct 18, 2005
2,032 articles

130 Comments
  • 76 19
 Anyone who specs a bike with a press fit bottom bracket and no ISCG tabs deserves to be shot.
  • 33 10
 If it was some big company, they'd deserve to get their genitals stoned while being impaled, but I would never shoot anyone from Ibis, I like those guys too much. They do deserve a smack in the face for making so hard to mount any sort of chain guide.
  • 24 5
 For a bike like the Ripley you have to go XX1, problem solved. As soon as SRAM comes out with XO-1 and X9-1, you won't see a dual ring set up on many new rigs.
  • 9 12
 Turnerburton - That would be true, if the chain retention alone was the issue. In certain terrains which are rocky enough, the super duper XX1 style chain ring needs some kind of bash guard to not get smashed. But maybe some company will make a bash for XX1
  • 12 1
 I believe North Shore Billet makes a bash ring for XX1, and their products are top notch
  • 13 2
 Believe it or not!
  • 4 1
 I see what you did there ^
  • 7 3
 It only has 120mm of travel so the lack of iscg guides is excusable.

But no excuse for the lame pressfit bb, how long will it take these companies to realize it's not an improvement?
  • 9 7
 Why is a press fit BB not an improvement? They've been around decades now for mountain bikes in one variation of another. They certainly make more sense for folks who don't do their own maintenance REGULARLY... much easier to press out such a bottom bracket than it is to un-seize a threaded BB cup from a frame, also it allows for larger spindle diameters, bigger (longer lasting) bearing assemblies, and stiffer frames, and as often happens, overall lighter bikes.

Most of my bikes have threaded English shell bottom brackets and that's fine and all, but my salsa spearfish has the PFBB30 shell, and its backwards compatible to 24mm spindle external type bearings as well as working with BB30 cranksets.
  • 7 8
 Deeeight - unlike. The angels who saw beginnings of MTB, very few of us l, being miserable pieces of dust in the bottomless urn of internet have any personal experience with pressfit BBs. But me, a particle of a buffalo extrement, fermented in troll poo, rely on opinion of two long time bike mechanics from two different shops, with years of experience, who both say: buy adaptor for english BB and the according standard crankset, directly with the bike, and ditch that shit!
  • 5 2
 Deliciously sarcastic. Press Fit are a pain in the ass. I work at a shop and I hate them. Now instead of using a simple tool to pull a BB it has to be pressed out by a very fragile device. And if a threaded BB is properly greased when it is put in originally it will never seize.
  • 28 4
 Pressfit is cheap. Basically you hammer an oversize bearing assembly in an undersize piece of tubing and hope for the best. I can only think of one application where this is actually fun and its not engineering.
  • 10 7
 If you're hammering it in, you should not be allowed to work on anyone's bike but your own...so just keeps to my experience that the people who complain about them, are hack mechanics and/or working in shops too cheap to upgrade their tools. The industry is going to press-fit bottom brackets, there's no stopping it, no more than stopping longer travel 29ers or 650B tires... either adapt or get out of the sport.
  • 4 3
 @deeight:?
  • 1 0
 @wakaba; effing brilliant. My wife LOLed (and winced a bit).
  • 3 0
 I rarely agree with Deeeight, but this is truth ^.
  • 3 3
 Someone is missing a fact that press fit is a simplier solution to make a BB in a carbon frame, then it is a lighter solutions shaving additional few grams off the CF frame as you don't have a full shell required. No other reasons, shut it! How are you dealing with the unevitable misalignment? Oh and we are whining here about the fact that you can't install a BB mount chain guide on any pressfit. Adapt or die... Lead us! Show us the light! Where can we all buy a retro bike and precambrian shifters?
  • 5 4
 EVERY bicycle frame except the ones with drop in internal bearings, has used press fit headsets over a century now, and nobody questions a manufacturer doing that... but you do it to the BB and "oh its just cheaping out". Get a brain people, you especially WAKIdweeb. If manufacturers can get the headtubes straight, they can do the same with BB shells. As to BB mount chainguides... well for starters with improvements to drivetrains, clutch derailleurs and XX1 type rings for 1x setups... the folks who previously tended to run chainguides, no longer need to run chainguides. And clinging to the past where everyone HAD to run guides, ignores the fact that aside from a minor chunk of the bicycle world.... most everyone does NOT run chainguides.

Lower guides were designed to put extra tension on the chain... which clutch derailleurs do perfectly well instead now. Upper guides take the place of front derailleur cages on single-ring bikes... which double and triple ring bikes obviously still run, and interlocking teeth rings (as on SRAM XX1 and X01, plus all the Wolf Tooth and shortly to be released RaceFace aftermarket rings) take care of for single ring bikes. The raceface rings in particular will be sold for around $45 retail... and will be made in all the bolt patterns and sizes they currently make chainrings in. That should cover most of the marketplace except for people who want to live in the past still.
  • 2 3
 If the pressfit bb is so great, why is Praxis getting so popular?

Because they suck.

I've seen carbon frames ovalized by the bb's, it's difficult to remove the bb's without damaging them, and they develop creaking issues if you ride in the rain more frequently than traditional bb's.
  • 4 2
 By the time you've paid for a new Praxis bb, the cost savings are gone.

It also is not noticeably stiffer, it limits frame designs, and it is not lighter after you've replaced it with a Praxis.

Headsets are also pressed into frames, but they use ALUMINUM or STEEL, not crappy, cheap plastic. Would you trust a plastic pressed-in headset cup in your frame, deeeight?
  • 2 0
 Integrated headsets in carbon frames press in with a lot less effort than a BB30 does. It's a slip fit at best for such a headset.
  • 3 3
 BB30 isn't a press-fit bottom bracket standard... perhaps some education on the different BB types is needed around pinkbike (YO RC....WRITE AN ARTICLE !!!) and its why its falling out of popularity already in mountain bikes being replaced by the Press Fit 30 (labeled as either PF30 or PFBB30) standard which uses cups which are pressed into the frame just like headset cups are.

As to protours whining... I've seen zero stack headsets holding cartridge bearings with plastic cups which press into the headtube and they work just fine.
  • 4 2
 Pffft! Deeeight, You didn't answer any of my questions and countered none of my observations about the weaknesses of PF30. Have you even heard of Praxis? Try again..

Which headset are you referring to with plastic cups?
  • 1 4
 I don't care about your questions protour. You are a troll. nothing more. You don't deserve to have your whinings given any reading or responses beyond the trivial look over that I (and others) ever waste on your pathetic existence.
  • 1 1
 I made objective criticism of the BB30 that you clearly have no answers for, or you would have answered them in that response.

If you don't respond to trolls then why did you engage me in the first place and falsely claim that PF30 was an improvement after I said it was? And if you so obviously cannot backup your falsely confident claims, who is the real troll here?

You will now be 0 for 5 at answering my questions, Deeeight.

PF30 defeated, internet troll exposed.
  • 3 1
 The intelligent people at Santa Cruz Bicycles have exposed even more weakness of the PF30 design:

It is true that there are some slight weight savings available with the various pressfit bb designs (exact weight savings obviously vary depending on system, frame manufacturing techniques, and crank model), but we don't feel this small savings make up for the inconveniences. We are still able to make a frame that is lighter than most of our competitors (5.1 lbs), while still using a heavier bb system. There are a number of disadvantages that exist with press fit systems:

1) Special installation and removal tools are required for these parts, including a headset press. This is not convenient for most home mechanics, and they are quite expensive. Traditional external BB's can be installed or removed with a simple $10 hand tool.
2) "Permanently installed cups". Shimano doesn't recommend removing and re-installing their press in bb cups (as they may become damaged), so moving parts from bike to bike is no longer an option. techdocs.shimano.com/media/techdocs/content/cycle/SI/SI_0053A_001/SI_0053A_001_En_v1_m56577569830625426.pdf
3) Creaking or shifting bb's can be common with these systems. Since the bearing is pressed into a cup, which is then pressed into the frame- it can be hard to get all of the press fits snug- without being too tight on the bearing or too loose in the frame.
  • 2 1
 4) Reasonable tube sizes. One of the most commonly claimed advantages of a larger bb shell is the larger diameter downtube that goes with it. This may be an advantage on road bikes, where tubes can be increadibly thin and large for optimal stiffness. On a mountain bike, this area of the frame sees a lot of abuse from rocks and crashing, and needs to have a certain amount of wall thickness to survive actual use. Using what we consider a "safe" wall thickness and carbon layup, and a fairly typical tube diameter, we get an exceedingly stiff, light, durable product. If we used a larger downtube, we would either have a heavier frame (same wall thickness but larger diameter), or a less durable product (thinner walls and larger diameter).
5) Chain clearance. Take a look at some of our competitors frames with press in bb shells. The down tube comes so close to the chainrings that many frames have chainsuck guards on the downtube! In our mind, the chain should be able to fall off on a mountain bike and not get jammed between your crank and thin-walled carbon downtube.
6) Backwards compatibility: Many of our customers purchase a frame and build it up with their choice of parts, or parts from an old bike. By using a standard bb, we are compatible with everything without requiring confusing adaptors.
7) Chainguide compatibility: While it may seem strange to talk about putting chainguides on a 100mm bike, it is becoming more common now with 10 speed drivetrains. Thread in bb's mean the frame is compatible with bb mount chainguides. We like versatility....
  • 2 2
 Don't worry Protour, in most cases anyone able to think for himself is either a troll or hater, depending on whether you talk with a prick with experience or a moron. Since when being a f*ckless geek is any more noble than being a troll?! All he does 90% of the time is talk shit that should give people a side clue how long he rides a MTB, as if that sport was ever about quantity rather than quality. I wonder if he is a dinosaur that survived the metheor colision or he came on it. When metheor crashed it released the energy equal to 650 Billions of tons of TNT. Real science, true facts, actual evidence and all that bla fkng la with only thing to back it up "it's done since ages, but what can PB users know". The only science he probably ever touched is "History of shit no one ever wanted in MTB until R&D departments run out of ideas and decided to market it, in an act of desperation". He is indeed into serious magic - adapt or die!
  • 2 0
 Wow Wakidesigns, I never know how to respond to those creatively cationic responses. But I like it when you are on my side. Kill PressFit30!
  • 1 2
 Look, I don't agree with lots of stuff you say, quite frankly I think you are a nutter (so am I). But madness and diverse opinion is one of the main components of driving that world forward, and it helps those in "the current winning team" to clarify their ideas and makes them try harder. I never clicked with people who find something and believe "we have arrived with that thing! it is the best!". I also don't like forming groups and forcing a common opinion upon somebody as from my experience, the group is more effective in carrying out simple tasks, but when it comes to complexity (guys, which pub are we hitting tonight?), the larger the group the more stupid decisions are taken, especially when no one wants to stick his head out and come out as a leader. Politics come into action, and instead of satisfying completely one person and making everyone else quite happy with only one whining dude, it ends up with a solution not quite satisfying anyone - so if no one really wins, it's ok. Instead of diversified extreme, you get flat curve of mediocrity - relate that to quality of "mainstream" products... A perfectly intelligent individual can become a total moron while in a group (differ from the team, as there everyone has a defined role and is given an opportunity to become best at what he does), unless he is to take the lead. Everything is relative, and creating a solution adaptable to many people´s profiles and environments they will use it in, is a compromise in itself - doesn't matter if it is a wheel size, drive train, graphic card, Euro currency, capitalism, anti-racism. It all depends, especially when human factor is dominant.

Diversity FTW! Listen to that if you haven't yet: it will fk you up properly - it will take your stuff to another level!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBL5kJ-PfoI
  • 23 8
 This category of bikes has skyrocketed recently. But if i was to pick one bike from this area it remains the Rock Mountain Altitude 790, gorgeous gorgeous bike.
  • 1 14
flag nouser (Jun 3, 2013 at 5:37) (Below Threshold)
 #ROCKY MTN
  • 3 1
 @otiotori that bike is beautiful but I put my hands on a SC Bronson over the weekend and I was in love
  • 3 1
 I wanna swing a leg over a Diamondback Mason FS. It looks a little better prepared for rowdiness.
  • 8 0
 @sngltrkmnd - I've tested the Mason FS as well. It was a lot of fun, but definitely a different category of bike.
  • 1 2
 Don't forget the Honzo. It may be a hardtail but you'd be surprised how fast it is on rough terrain while handling like a big bmx (I have have ridden 20" for years so I know what I'm talking about).
  • 8 2
 Just got one at the shop i work at, nothing but blissful to ride. And it looks so damn sexy too!
  • 1 0
 May I ask what size of frame came into your shop ??
  • 5 2
 I find it alarming that every bike Pink Bike reviews is great and exceptional...... Its impossible that all these bikes from all these manufacturer's are all great and amazing, stable and blah, blah, blah..... really????? All the new bikes all magnificent bikes? Really???? I smell BS here its all marketing. Nowadays you have to go to the Euro sites to get an honest review. Pink Bike get it together.....
  • 5 1
 Amen, 29ers are still cartwheels attached to narrow angle frames with not enough travel and are usually underspeced and overpriced. Its like the industry desperatly avoid making good bikes...Pb is full of it - if it weren`t for the deconstructivist and rightfully anarchic forum.
  • 4 0
 it's the same thing as when people who work in entertainment never say anything negative about another movie or tv show. this is the adult world. jobs aren't permanent. imagine you wrote some crap about some bike for some site, then you're out of a job in a year and looking around the industry. you think that bike manuf you bad-mouthed a year prior will endorse you as a writer/someone with a respectable opinion in cycling? granted, there are a few old timers who can truly speak their mind, but again, thats true for any industry, because those old-timers have done the time and have earned that right. e.g. rob warner's colorful commentary would not go over so well if it were coming from some chump nobody knew, but it's rob warner. who else can scream "DANNY STAY ON YOUR BIKE! HOW DO YOU SIT DOWN WITH BALLS THAT BIG?!" in world cup commentary and be taken seriously? but i digress. there are reasons why every bike review will be a positive review. no one is telling us 29ers are mandatory, but they surely will not tell us to NOT buy them.
  • 1 2
 this is coming from someone who thinks 29ers are ghey - 26 for life
  • 3 0
 Threw a leg on a friends Ripley yesterday. 140mm float on it, it felt almost exactly as my 150mm HD, front end a bit taller due to stem lenght and positioning, but was surprised of how good it climbed steeps shit we have here. Could it climb better with a bit lower fork? probably, but I really didn't felt the need for it, no front wheel wandering. Where I think the 120 fork will be better is on fast line changes, she felt slower than the HD. Again impressed, fastest or most agile 29er I've ridden to date.
  • 6 0
 So does Levy actually own a bike or does he have a never-ending sequence of love affairs with the new hotness train.
  • 2 0
 Ordered my small black/green frame with a 140mm fork, XO kit, lev seatpost and X Fusion shock. Will change the tires and go with a shorter stem than a 70 mm. I am impatiently waiting , hopefully July I was told, coming from Cowichan Cycles in Duncan from Robin. My first 29er , so I am happy with the review and like that it was tested with a 140 fork!
  • 2 0
 Some pretty angry comments here, especially from people who post just to say they hate 29er wheels. I just finished my second ride on my Ripley and I can say that it has exceeded my expectations. I've running a 120, XX, KS dropper and Reynolds carbons. I have to agree with the review. I am coming off a Tallboy, and this bike reminds me of my Blur LT of years past. This is a fantastic climbing bike and it does descend quickly. I am in the air a lot more, I am really dancing with. Amazing bike, give it a try before bashing it.
  • 4 0
 very cool pivot system. I do worry that it will get dirt between the triangles and sand itself down over time, but otherwise it is awesome.
  • 6 4
 After riding several 29ers and owning one for a summer, I think that all full suspension 29ers ride the same to me. Very smooth with lots of traction, but kinda boring and too long and flexy. I just can't get too excited about 29ers (if I had to pick one it would be the s-works enduro).
  • 3 0
 I know what you mean. For some reason I don't want to like them, but the more I ride them the more I love them. Demoed a Stumpy FSR 29 and was blown away by the monster truck ability of that bike.
  • 7 6
 I want to demo one so badly. I demoed a Camber 29er with carbon wheels and it felt like a dentist bike, not a gram of playfulness in it, very hard to pull up the front end over stuff and it felt like a "wheels on the ground" bike. Seems like PB likes the Ripley so I'm hopeful that Ibis have transferred their mad-grin-inducing feeling from the Mojo family to a 29er.
  • 28 4
 Cambers love to fly! Your probably just a bit crap.
  • 10 1
 Probably! I still feel that my Mojo SL is very playful compared to a Camber.
  • 19 29
flag WAKIdesigns (Jun 3, 2013 at 3:19) (Below Threshold)
 Unless you are almost 2m tall, don't expect 29er to jump well. They suck at it. If you are into a playful bike, rather than just fast then get/ stay with a 26er. Those vids trying that 29ers can jump are just confusing everybody, they can jump like a parapelgic girl can lap dance.
  • 6 0
 Waki, I was going to counter you and say my 29er is playful, then remembered that I'm over 2m tall...
  • 5 8
 Fuck your tall
  • 3 9
flag WAKIdesigns (Jun 3, 2013 at 4:43) (Below Threshold)
 Joe, then a 26er is obviously a BMX to you. Can anyone explain me why certain people take umbridge when you say that 29ers are good for tall people?
  • 3 2
 honestly the camber 29er felt just as playful in the air as my 2011 fuel ex. i missed an ibis demo yesterday so i could go to an enduro race this weekend but the ripley is still up there on my list of 29ers to try
  • 3 0
 Waki- I'm 1.75m and I find that a properly designed 29er jumps fine. The older, "redesigned 26ers", not so much.
I wouldn't take umbrage in saying that 29ers are good for tall people, but what came across in your post is that they are bad for short. I don't believe that (with a well designed bike) to be any longer true.
Having said that; considering physics, a 26er will always jump better.
  • 3 1
 @olijay, I've never spent time on a Camber, so I can't offer opinion on that, but I have spent on a lot of time on my friend's Mojo SL and Iove it, easily one of the most playful bikes I've ever ridden. I also happen to love the feel of a 29er, and this is exactly the bike I've been waiting for- except I'm 14 and there is no way in hell I can earn and then save 6k haha
@coyote11, I agree, 26ers do "jump" way better, but just flying on a 29er is fun as f*ck. They don't necessarily gain altitude very well, but I have gotten some serious hang time on a 9er.
  • 1 0
 Has anyone else experienced a rear hub failure similar to the one mentioned in this review? I have had two such failures with Easton Haven 29 in the past year. Until now this is the first I have read mention of it online. Ultimately I would like some advice or tips or anything about how to keep this from happening in the future. My third Easton R4 freehub body is on its way as we speak in a little over 1 year!
  • 5 1
 "If the Ripley was to place its own add..."; oh, the days of correct spelling and grammar!
  • 1 0
 The pictures look like the bike I just demod with a 32 with a 120. I can verify most of these statements by the test rider, a more fun bike than my camber carbon. I ran the fork in descend and RP23 rear shock in #2 . This bikes loves to be pumped, and rolls over the riots even easier, the front wheel always ready to pop up.
  • 1 1
 I can't wait to get my blue XL! The Fox Talas 140/120 might be the answer to my needs. I hope the 2014 (?) revalve has sorted out the mid travel blow-through issues. Or, I might actually be even happier with a 140/120 RS Pike :-)
  • 4 1
 Pike all the way
  • 1 0
 Fox released info on the new forks today, they claim to have fixed the dive issue
  • 3 0
 Just get an older RLC FIT 34. It's CTD that sucks.
  • 1 1
 I just got a large blue Ripley and set it up with XX1 and Mavic Crossmax wheels...with XT pedals bike weighed in a 24.5 lbs-crazy light for a trail bike. Its everything I thought it would be!...if you are interested in purchasing one contact me at Competitive Cyclist-direct line 801-736-6396 x 4074 Wes
  • 1 0
 Hello, I think the Ripley is very much like the Sasquatch. I see pictures of it, and I here people talk about, but I have not seen one in person. I have been waiting for my medium for over 12 weeks!!
  • 6 5
 Can't understand why a little boutique brand like Ibis specs Specialized brand tires. So many better choices out there that aren't aligned with the "Nike" of the bike world. Seems like a mixed message.
  • 1 0
 I was surprised to see the Big S' tires too. Seems everyone's been spec'ing Nobby Nics on the 29" wheels.
  • 1 0
 Ground Controls are nice tires though, just too bad about the narrow width.
  • 9 0
 We were surprised at the tire spec as well, but the people at Ibis told us that they want to spec what works well, regardless of the brand name on them. Kudos to them.
  • 1 0
 I love Specialized tires. Ibis being a California company, am not surprised at all by Ibis's selection G.C. s work very well in the dry hardpack to medium conditions that are CA most of the year. G.C. s come in 2.3 s as well as 2.1
  • 1 0
 While I completely agree that the big S is kind of like the Nike of bikes, I will say their tires are legit! I of course run Minions normally but on my full DH bike (Giant glory) I'm running Butchers and they are on par with DHF's. I still feel a bit weird running Spec tires on a Giant, but they work so well. They just dont get the press coverage and haven't caught on yet. I have a feeling after this world cup season they will catch on. Gwin is riding them.
  • 2 0
 Specialized Hillbilly is the best DH tire ( for Sierra s / Tahoe dry and loose ) I have ever riden and now they make it in a 2.5 as well as the 2.3 they originally introduced.
  • 1 0
 ^ oh thats what i want to try next. it's difficult to find any of these in stock though Frown
  • 1 1
 if specialized wants people to buy their tire, which people should, they need to introduce another brand so that people dont think they are buying another frame manufacturer's product.
  • 1 0
 U.S. patent system was just recently changed from first to invent to first to file, so DW can lay off the coolaid about working on it "since 2005". No chance on Trek ABP reapeat/lawsuit.
  • 4 0
 I hadn't heard of that so went looking for it...

With the America Invents Act of 2011, which was signed by President Obama on September 16, 2011[5] The law switched U.S. right to the patent from the previous "first-to-invent" system to a "first-inventor-to-file" system for patent applications filed on or after March 16, 2013.

So... for future inventions its first one to the filling, but i'm sure DW got his application in under the old system when it was still first to invent. Not that it really matters, with the US horst-link patent expiry we're going to see a lot of big companies go to horst 4-bars in the next couple years (not to mention the dozen or so brands that use it already that don't sell in the USA, moving to sell there).
  • 1 0
 DW patent litigation prowess is indeed impressive.

A new one.

www.vitalmtb.com/news/news/Dave-Weagle-Sues-Giant-for-Patent-Infringement,592

Good thing on Horst link. Like both of my Horst link bike (of not-sold-in-US variety)
  • 2 0
 Yes because apparently he has a habit of shopping as yet unpatented ideas to major companies and just is so naïve to assume they won't try and file a patent on it themselves. He assumes because Iron horse bikes treated him fairly, that other companies will feel the same way. Another change to the US patent system is that they now consider FOREIGN uses and publicity of an idea when considering prior art. No more of the filing US patents on stuff to squat on technology invented by others in other countries... that's mainly aimed at companies like Apple and the guys squatting all the patents who sued RIM/blackberry a few years ago.
  • 1 0
 Sorry, I can not feel very sympathetic to bike suspension patents, and DW link marketing does not strike my fancy either.

Plenty of room to compete and differentiate on producing well dialed in systems and build quality. Pivot and Ibis are doing fine as well.

Agree on the foreign uses... but software patents should go away in 95% of the cases.
  • 2 1
 haven't looked at DW's patent but from sketches it looks a lot like my Maestro equipped Giant. The Ripley looks nothing like either of them and more like the Yeti Switch system neither of which I like the look of - both may well be high maintenance dirt traps.
  • 2 0
 Problem is DW didn't merely patent a particular type of upper and lower pivot locations, he patented the idea of designing anti-squat into suspension linkages....yes....basic suspension theory as known by automotive suspension engineers for decades, common knowledge by hundreds of thousands if not millions of people... was granted patent protection by the idiots at the USPTO because someone paid the fees to file for a patent on it and claimed to have "invented" the concept for a new vehicle category it wasn't patented for before.
  • 1 0
 He may have patented it but has the DW link ever been really tested in an all out court case? You can patent something obvious or that existed before because these things are not checked by the PO - they focus on the formalities. Its only when challeneged in court that the patent can be set aside on the grounds first mentioned. Should be an interesting case.
  • 1 0
 Not that I'm aware of, which Is why DW is suing Giant (apparently there was a previous case which they were supposed to settle / work out licensing around but the reports suggest Giant was stalling for time) again. A few years ago there was a suit between trek and gt over the floating BB link bikes they both offered...

Pacific Cycles (which then owned GT) sued trek, klein and maverick over the maverick design with its floating BB link as being in violation of the I-Drive patent, and Trek countersued that the I-drive bikes all violated a patent Trek holds on Y-style frames, which was the first anyone likely learned of that patent. They have a US design patent on bikes that resemble the style of their Y-model frames from the mid-90s... so essentially a main frame shaped like the letter Y. As I recall they settled out of court with each other with essentially neither admitting fault and the judge never having to render a judgement as to the validity of either patent. Whether the I-drive or Maverick patents would have held up or been judged as infringing one another never got answered but its for damn sure the I-drive bikes did look like Y-frames and violating the Trek owned design patent. HOWEVER... there was prior art in bicycle frames Pacific could have put in front of a judge to invalidate that patent also...
  • 2 2
 Yikes has anyone seen this rig in person? It's a real disappointment for the amount of development time they put into this bike. The Mojo HD was a work of art the Ripley not so much. Nearly 5k on an slx build with a fork spec you would eventually get rid of with no iscg tabs. Is the Industry attempting to rip us off? No thanks I'm from Ca but I'd rather save up for the 2013 Trek Remedy 29er.
  • 4 1
 Just picked up a Ripley frame myself, Can't wait to ride it!
  • 1 2
 Your bike is going to be so awesome.
  • 2 2
 Probably be more fun to ride with some wheels and stuff too.
  • 1 3
 Duh.. Xx1, carbon wheels etc on the way.
  • 1 0
 I just put a Ripley together- large blue with XX1 and Mavic Crossmax wheels- with XT pedals the bike weighed in at 24.5 lbs. Not bad for a trail bike-climbs like a mtn goat.
  • 1 0
 Just got my Ripley 2 days ago, will ride this weekend, looking forward to it !!!! Small frame, complete at 26. 28 pounds Smile
  • 2 0
 How does it vary to the Yeti Switch Link system? The aesthetics of it look almost identical.
  • 4 3
 TALAS is just an industry band aid for bikes with an identity crisis, and riders who don't have the core strength to keep the front wheel down.
  • 1 0
 Holy crap -- a PinkBike review in which no one complained about the price and how "the man" is keeping them down with the expensive bikes. Unless I missed it...
  • 1 0
 It almost makes me sick to see a frame (FRAME) cost close to 3Gs by itself.
  • 1 0
 Any words on how the Ripley is compared to the Yeti SB95 you reviewed some months ago?
  • 1 0
 Who cares about all the negative opinins. We all know this bike would be sick to shred! !! Nice job Ibis Bikes!
  • 3 1
 I think I'd still go for the Santa Cruz Tallboy LTc over this.
  • 1 0
 Try bleeding the brake with the Freestroke screw unwound and you'll find that it does a lot...
  • 1 0
 OK but where is 8th passenger Ripley ?
  • 1 0
 29urd, all mountainz, scientific testies, dont sweat my technique.
  • 3 2
 Too bad all 29er bikes look dorky.
  • 1 0
 hater lol
  • 1 0
 My HD eats big wheels for dinner..... chomp chomp!
  • 1 0
 ..dreams..
  • 1 3
 I've ridden a couple of these and the only complaint I had was that it felt like the front end washed out a little too much on corners, could just be me though. Yay Ibis!
  • 4 0
 this is technique
  • 1 0
 Or a poorly dialed fork. Try running the CTD fork a little stiffer since it doesn't have a proper LSC on them. I'm running about 15 percent sag on my fork, but it works and I prefer it that way now.
  • 1 0
 Probably technique or tyre choice/pressure.
  • 2 3
 Mike where's the nuke proof pulse review, I remember you saying it was on its way a long time ago ????
  • 1 1
 B@d @ss bike good job bros
  • 2 1
 ...covert 29 Wink
  • 2 1
 The Covert 29's linkage-actuated single pivot and a DW-Link suspended bike are hardly comparable. I'm not saying one is better than another, just that the feel of suspension delivery is much different. It all comes down to preference.
  • 2 2
 Linkage actuated single pivot rides just fine.
  • 4 1
 You're right, it does. Now please read the second and third sentence.
  • 3 0
 I think he said that because "hardly comparable" is extremely harsh.
  • 1 1
 Harsh in what respect? They are completely different designs that are likely to deliver different user experiences. I'm not arguing one way or another here because it all comes down to rider preference in the end. +1 on that Amber Ale paint scheme, though.
  • 1 0
 Looks like a tight unit!
  • 2 1
 Stumpjumper evo ??
  • 1 1
 Hows it compare to the Yeti SB95c?
  • 2 2
 Almost attempted to sort the cabal routing out
  • 1 0
 schwing...!
  • 1 1
 like it
  • 1 2
 Turd
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