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Occam vs. Ripmo AF for Tech Trail Bike

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Occam vs. Ripmo AF for Tech Trail Bike
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flag RepeatPete
Posted: Feb 12, 2023 at 12:59 Quote
Looking for a little advice: after months of research I’ve narrowed it down to an aluminum Orbea Occam (not the latest model, but 2020ish) or an Ibis Ripmo AF.

I’m 6’2”, 225lb, and ride in the tight, twisty, and always technical northeastern US. I really enjoy rocky slabs, small drops, popping off roots, and cleaning techy climbs.

Both bikes will be bought used and frame only, so parts kit is the same. My build is a little lighter, Pike, not super burly aluminum wheels, Eliminator/Ground Control…. This has worked really well for me so far on a Knolly Endorphin and Process 111.

There’s not a whole lot of sustained downhill, so I was thinking of putting a +1 angleset on the Ripmo AF to bring it closer to the Ripmo V1, and make a little more of a true trail bike.

I need enough travel for dropping in to steep, grandly rock gardens under my weight, but want a really good climber. I consider myself a pretty good descender, but looking to get better at the really ledgy, tight, tricky climbs, of which there are tons around here.

I know this was a long question, but I appreciate any input/suggestions/advice. I’m sure someone will suggest a different frame, which is welcome, as long as it meets these criteria: not superboost, 31.6 or 34.9 post, relatively affordable used frame-only, 120-140mm travel, really good climber, 29” only, steep seat tube.
flag TheSlayer99
FL
Posted: Feb 12, 2023 at 13:28 Quote
I’d go with the ripmo. I’ve heard better things about the ripmo and seen more of them in New England than orbeas. I’ve ridden one as well and they definitely rip. I’m more confused with the thought of putting a +1 angleset in the ripmo. Unless you’re exclusively riding south county RI or southern CT at least 75% of the riding in New England lends itself to longer travel, burlier bikes than either of the options you’ve offered.
flag RepeatPete
Posted: Feb 12, 2023 at 14:20 Quote
TheSlayer99 wrote:
I’d go with the ripmo. I’ve heard better things about the ripmo and seen more of them in New England than orbeas. I’ve ridden one as well and they definitely rip. I’m more confused with the thought of putting a +1 angleset in the ripmo. Unless you’re exclusively riding south county RI or southern CT at least 75% of the riding in New England lends itself to longer travel, burlier bikes than either of the options you’ve offered.

Thanks for the input - I get the confusion - I guess I’m a bit more old school, but I think I prioritize a more nimble bike. My Knolly had a 67 degree head angle and I never felt like I needed it slacker. 64.9 on the Ripmo AF seems awful slack, and my trails are really tight, without much (if any) straight, open, and high speed sections. The reviews of the Ripmo AF seem to peg it on the border of a long-legged trail bike and a plowy enduro sled. So I was thinking a +1 angleset would help make the AF a bit more of a nimble trail bike, and a little less of an enduro bike, which is overkill for my locals.
flag TheSlayer99
FL
Posted: Feb 12, 2023 at 14:51 Quote
RepeatPete wrote:
TheSlayer99 wrote:
I’d go with the ripmo. I’ve heard better things about the ripmo and seen more of them in New England than orbeas. I’ve ridden one as well and they definitely rip. I’m more confused with the thought of putting a +1 angleset in the ripmo. Unless you’re exclusively riding south county RI or southern CT at least 75% of the riding in New England lends itself to longer travel, burlier bikes than either of the options you’ve offered.

Thanks for the input - I get the confusion - I guess I’m a bit more old school, but I think I prioritize a more nimble bike. My Knolly had a 67 degree head angle and I never felt like I needed it slacker. 64.9 on the Ripmo AF seems awful slack, and my trails are really tight, without much (if any) straight, open, and high speed sections. The reviews of the Ripmo AF seem to peg it on the border of a long-legged trail bike and a plowy enduro sled. So I was thinking a +1 angleset would help make the AF a bit more of a nimble trail bike, and a little less of an enduro bike, which is overkill for my locals.

I’d put the ripmo in the same category as the original transition sentinel, Scott genius, Santa Cruz Hightower, stumpjumper evo and the new trek fuel ex as a longer travel trail bike that can do everything. Having owned a sentinel in a large, which is longer and slacker than the large ripmo, I’d have no problem riding that bike everywhere in RI, or taking it to bike parks. I’ve ridden my current bike, which weighs 36 pounds, has dh tires with Cushcore, and is a little shorter but just as slack as the original sentinel, at woody hill and Arcadia and I found it nimble enough to not be boring. My current bike and the sentinel both corner better than the 2019 trek fuel ex I owned before them. I just don’t see a point in having a bike pigeon holed to ride the stuff in south county when that’s probably some of the worst riding, both physically and community wise, in all of New England.
flag RepeatPete
Posted: Feb 12, 2023 at 16:47 Quote
TheSlayer99 wrote:
RepeatPete wrote:
TheSlayer99 wrote:
I’d go with the ripmo. I’ve heard better things about the ripmo and seen more of them in New England than orbeas. I’ve ridden one as well and they definitely rip. I’m more confused with the thought of putting a +1 angleset in the ripmo. Unless you’re exclusively riding south county RI or southern CT at least 75% of the riding in New England lends itself to longer travel, burlier bikes than either of the options you’ve offered.

Thanks for the input - I get the confusion - I guess I’m a bit more old school, but I think I prioritize a more nimble bike. My Knolly had a 67 degree head angle and I never felt like I needed it slacker. 64.9 on the Ripmo AF seems awful slack, and my trails are really tight, without much (if any) straight, open, and high speed sections. The reviews of the Ripmo AF seem to peg it on the border of a long-legged trail bike and a plowy enduro sled. So I was thinking a +1 angleset would help make the AF a bit more of a nimble trail bike, and a little less of an enduro bike, which is overkill for my locals.

I’d put the ripmo in the same category as the original transition sentinel, Scott genius, Santa Cruz Hightower, stumpjumper evo and the new trek fuel ex as a longer travel trail bike that can do everything. Having owned a sentinel in a large, which is longer and slacker than the large ripmo, I’d have no problem riding that bike everywhere in RI, or taking it to bike parks. I’ve ridden my current bike, which weighs 36 pounds, has dh tires with Cushcore, and is a little shorter but just as slack as the original sentinel, at woody hill and Arcadia and I found it nimble enough to not be boring. My current bike and the sentinel both corner better than the 2019 trek fuel ex I owned before them. I just don’t see a point in having a bike pigeon holed to ride the stuff in south county when that’s probably some of the worst riding, both physically and community wise, in all of New England.

I’m in RI too. It just seems like the Ripmo is perfect for Lincoln Woods and Goat Hill, but would be overkill for Big River and West Hill dam.
But maybe not. If it pedals as well as it seems, then having the extra travel is not a penalty on more mellow stuff.
And good to hear about the Sentinel, I would think that the 64 degree head angle would be a detriment in tight uphills, but I guess you just get used to it?
flag TheSlayer99
FL
Posted: Feb 12, 2023 at 18:14 Quote
RepeatPete wrote:
TheSlayer99 wrote:
RepeatPete wrote:


Thanks for the input - I get the confusion - I guess I’m a bit more old school, but I think I prioritize a more nimble bike. My Knolly had a 67 degree head angle and I never felt like I needed it slacker. 64.9 on the Ripmo AF seems awful slack, and my trails are really tight, without much (if any) straight, open, and high speed sections. The reviews of the Ripmo AF seem to peg it on the border of a long-legged trail bike and a plowy enduro sled. So I was thinking a +1 angleset would help make the AF a bit more of a nimble trail bike, and a little less of an enduro bike, which is overkill for my locals.

I’d put the ripmo in the same category as the original transition sentinel, Scott genius, Santa Cruz Hightower, stumpjumper evo and the new trek fuel ex as a longer travel trail bike that can do everything. Having owned a sentinel in a large, which is longer and slacker than the large ripmo, I’d have no problem riding that bike everywhere in RI, or taking it to bike parks. I’ve ridden my current bike, which weighs 36 pounds, has dh tires with Cushcore, and is a little shorter but just as slack as the original sentinel, at woody hill and Arcadia and I found it nimble enough to not be boring. My current bike and the sentinel both corner better than the 2019 trek fuel ex I owned before them. I just don’t see a point in having a bike pigeon holed to ride the stuff in south county when that’s probably some of the worst riding, both physically and community wise, in all of New England.

I’m in RI too. It just seems like the Ripmo is perfect for Lincoln Woods and Goat Hill, but would be overkill for Big River and West Hill dam.
But maybe not. If it pedals as well as it seems, then having the extra travel is not a penalty on more mellow stuff.
And good to hear about the Sentinel, I would think that the 64 degree head angle would be a detriment in tight uphills, but I guess you just get used to it?


I think seat tube angle, tire choice and suspension design have a bigger influence on how a bike climbs than bike length and head tube angle. You also can always setup your suspension to be more stiff yo be more supportive on flatter terrain. I’ve ridden the sentinel at Ryan park, which is more suited to cross bikes than mountain bikes, and it wasn’t an issue there. The sentinel and my current bike with a coil, which both weigh about 6 pounds more than the fuel ex I used to have with heavier, grippier tires don’t climb any worse than the fuel ex even when it gets tighter. I can actually climb better through tech on my current bike than the fuel because it has more traction.
flag RepeatPete
Posted: Feb 13, 2023 at 5:10 Quote
TheSlayer99 wrote:
RepeatPete wrote:
TheSlayer99 wrote:


I’d put the ripmo in the same category as the original transition sentinel, Scott genius, Santa Cruz Hightower, stumpjumper evo and the new trek fuel ex as a longer travel trail bike that can do everything. Having owned a sentinel in a large, which is longer and slacker than the large ripmo, I’d have no problem riding that bike everywhere in RI, or taking it to bike parks. I’ve ridden my current bike, which weighs 36 pounds, has dh tires with Cushcore, and is a little shorter but just as slack as the original sentinel, at woody hill and Arcadia and I found it nimble enough to not be boring. My current bike and the sentinel both corner better than the 2019 trek fuel ex I owned before them. I just don’t see a point in having a bike pigeon holed to ride the stuff in south county when that’s probably some of the worst riding, both physically and community wise, in all of New England.

I’m in RI too. It just seems like the Ripmo is perfect for Lincoln Woods and Goat Hill, but would be overkill for Big River and West Hill dam.
But maybe not. If it pedals as well as it seems, then having the extra travel is not a penalty on more mellow stuff.
And good to hear about the Sentinel, I would think that the 64 degree head angle would be a detriment in tight uphills, but I guess you just get used to it?


I think seat tube angle, tire choice and suspension design have a bigger influence on how a bike climbs than bike length and head tube angle. You also can always setup your suspension to be more stiff yo be more supportive on flatter terrain. I’ve ridden the sentinel at Ryan park, which is more suited to cross bikes than mountain bikes, and it wasn’t an issue there. The sentinel and my current bike with a coil, which both weigh about 6 pounds more than the fuel ex I used to have with heavier, grippier tires don’t climb any worse than the fuel ex even when it gets tighter. I can actually climb better through tech on my current bike than the fuel because it has more traction.

Great advice, thank you! If I grab the Ripmo I guess I’ll try it without the angleset first - I can always add one in later if it feels like a barge.

Anyone have any climbing experience on Ripmo vs Occam? Specifically techy climbs?
flag Frank191
O+
Posted: Feb 15, 2023 at 9:30 Quote
I have an alloy occam and it is perfect for anything on the east coast. I am in ga and ride north ga and west nc mostly. The DPS shock sucks but mine work’s amazing with a topaz. Climbs super good. The ripmo af is more of a bruiser but not as good all around. Both good bikes but occam for sure on tech stuff. Except fast DH tech…it’s still good on that but the ripmo at would excel. I only rode a ripmo af for a few minutes but it didn’t feel nearly as nimble or playful.
flag RepeatPete
Posted: Feb 15, 2023 at 14:01 Quote
Frank191 wrote:
I have an alloy occam and it is perfect for anything on the east coast. I am in ga and ride north ga and west nc mostly. The DPS shock sucks but mine work’s amazing with a topaz. Climbs super good. The ripmo af is more of a bruiser but not as good all around. Both good bikes but occam for sure on tech stuff. Except fast DH tech…it’s still good on that but the ripmo at would excel. I only rode a ripmo af for a few minutes but it didn’t feel nearly as nimble or playful.

More great advice - thanks!
How does it do on techy climbs and rocky downhills?
The reviews make it seem like the suspension is much more on the firm side, does it get bounced around in rock gardens or lose traction on ledgy climbs?
flag blamalamadingdong
O+
Posted: Feb 15, 2023 at 14:10 Quote
only have ridden the ripmo (carbon)....but it rips....

it does well on tech and rocky downhills - i took it down the whole enchilada...so pretty chunky stuff on porcupine rim. climbs like a beast....i got up things i never thought was possible.

I also felt it was very lively and poppy. I was able to pop off things I wouldn't have with my home bike.

for reference, my home bike is a cube stereo 150 (150 rear 160 front) and i almost bought a new ripmo when i got back home from moab.

i did not feel like it felt like a barge, but again, it was the carbon version.
flag Frank191
O+
Posted: Feb 15, 2023 at 16:27 Quote
RepeatPete wrote:
Frank191 wrote:
I have an alloy occam and it is perfect for anything on the east coast. I am in ga and ride north ga and west nc mostly. The DPS shock sucks but mine work’s amazing with a topaz. Climbs super good. The ripmo af is more of a bruiser but not as good all around. Both good bikes but occam for sure on tech stuff. Except fast DH tech…it’s still good on that but the ripmo at would excel. I only rode a ripmo af for a few minutes but it didn’t feel nearly as nimble or playful.

More great advice - thanks!
How does it do on techy climbs and rocky downhills?


The reviews make it seem like the suspension is much more on the firm side, does it get bounced around in rock gardens or lose traction on ledgy climbs?

I put a 150 Durolux on the front and a topaz on the back and that made it Much better. It keeps good traction and is great on downhills too. Just not quite like an enduro bike but really close
flag somebody-else
O+ FL
Posted: Feb 15, 2023 at 17:49 Quote
I had a Ripmo AF here in central CT. Honestly I think the climbing is over-rated, it’s not the best for repeated sharp edge stuff as you can feel the back wheel hanging up which causes you to push harder and being on that edge of spinning out.

Worse yet is frame stiffness, especially at the bottom bracket. Slow off-camber stuff it’s a help usually but any corner with decent support and you can feel the frame wind up. It’s bad enough you can squeeze the crank arm and chainstay in your hand and watch the bottom bracket tube flex back and forth.

The absolute worst part is the stock shock tune is really, really light. At 205lbs the shock that worked the best for me was an off the shelf Rockshox Super Deluxe air shock with a med/med tune. That stock shock is a big adjustment period for pedal strikes if you are used to pedaling through stuff.
flag RepeatPete
Posted: Feb 15, 2023 at 18:22 Quote
somebody-else wrote:
I had a Ripmo AF here in central CT. Honestly I think the climbing is over-rated, it’s not the best for repeated sharp edge stuff as you can feel the back wheel hanging up which causes you to push harder and being on that edge of spinning out.

Worse yet is frame stiffness, especially at the bottom bracket. Slow off-camber stuff it’s a help usually but any corner with decent support and you can feel the frame wind up. It’s bad enough you can squeeze the crank arm and chainstay in your hand and watch the bottom bracket tube flex back and forth.

The absolute worst part is the stock shock tune is really, really light. At 205lbs the shock that worked the best for me was an off the shelf Rockshox Super Deluxe air shock with a med/med tune. That stock shock is a big adjustment period for pedal strikes if you are used to pedaling through stuff.

Thanks for the input. I get that it’s a very popular bike, but I don’t know that I’ve ever read so many reviews that are so divided. The majority say that climbing is amazing, but I’ve also read a lot that the Ripmo’s climbing abilities are overrated and that it hangs up on square edge stuff.
Honestly leaning towards the Occam because I’m just not sure about the Ripmo. And I never felt outgunned on my Knolly Endorphin, and only rarely felt in over my head on my long-shocked Process 111. I think the Occam being a true trail bike is a huge benefit.
flag TheSlayer99
FL
Posted: Feb 16, 2023 at 2:00 Quote
I’m still baffled where in RI you’re riding primarily where the original transition sentinel, the commencal meta tr and the stumpjumper evo aren’t on top of your list. Realistically Diamond hill and Lincoln woods is the only good riding in the state, and what you’re looking for doesn’t really fit the riding there.
flag RepeatPete
Posted: Feb 16, 2023 at 9:12 Quote
TheSlayer99 wrote:
I’m still baffled where in RI you’re riding primarily where the original transition sentinel, the commencal meta tr and the stumpjumper evo aren’t on top of your list. Realistically Diamond hill and Lincoln woods is the only good riding in the state, and what you’re looking for doesn’t really fit the riding there.

While I agree that Lincoln Woods is the best (that I’ve ridden so far) riding in the state, I also do spend a lot of time riding Big River, West Hill Dam in MA, and Bluff Point in CT. The Ripmo seems very overkill for areas like that, although perfect for Lincoln Woods and what I’ve seen of other areas that I want to ride like Vietnam, etc.
I’m a one bike kind of guy, and the Occam seems to be a better all-around pick. Although, the reviews seem to talk a lot about how it climbs and descends on smooth terrain, so I’m not convinced it will do great with all of our rocks.
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