Ripmo AF Thread

PB Forum :: Ibis
Ripmo AF Thread
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flag Snowrydr01
Posted: Jan 27, 2022 at 12:49 Quote
davefw wrote:
I picked up a medium ripmo af last week and I'm loving it so far however the ks dropper post is too short for my ideal saddle height so there's more of the seatpost exposed than I would like when the seat is dropped. Has anyone run a one up 210mm dropper on a medium ripmo? Just wondering if you can slam it most of the way to the collar? I think you can shorten it by inserting shims anyway so I don't think I need to go with a 180mm dropper.

I have a M Ripmo AF and cant slam the post to the collar without tire rub. It scared the hell out of me the first ride. I find I need 22mm above the collar to not rub when i want it as low as possible to bike park days where i dont care about pedaling position.
flag Kmccann137
O+
Posted: Jan 27, 2022 at 13:09 Quote
Yup all these people talking about super short seat tubes never seem to think about how the depth in insertion is dependent on the rear wheel travel.
flag SquatchOut
Posted: Jan 28, 2022 at 9:16 Quote
For those with experience on the Sprindex, do you think it gets too progressive at the end?
I'm trying to decide between a DVO progressive spring or the Sprindex. The Sprindex sounds like a nice idea, but I've seen graphs of it and it looks like it hits a wall of progression that looks like it spikes really high and might be unusable? Those who are using it, do you think that's the case?
flag WasatchEnduro
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Posted: Jan 28, 2022 at 9:47 Quote
I’ve used a sprindex and IME it’s nowhere near as progressive as a real progressive spring like what DVO and CC offer. If you’re not running a cascade link on your RAF then I’d recommend a progressive spring. Just my experience.
flag SquatchOut
Posted: Jan 28, 2022 at 11:27 Quote
WasatchEnduro wrote:
I’ve used a sprindex and IME it’s nowhere near as progressive as a real progressive spring like what DVO and CC offer. If you’re not running a cascade link on your RAF then I’d recommend a progressive spring. Just my experience.

I'm not running a cascade link (don't have plans to either). I'm on a 450lb spring now, and it's pretty good, but was looking for some more pop for jumps and such. Was considering the 425-500 progressive DVO Prorate spring, or the 450-500 Sprindex. I guess the 450-550 CC VALT could be an option too, or the 475-575 DVO Prorate
flag Turpsicle
Posted: Jan 29, 2022 at 1:50 Quote
SquatchOut wrote:
For those with experience on the Sprindex, do you think it gets too progressive at the end?
I'm trying to decide between a DVO progressive spring or the Sprindex. The Sprindex sounds like a nice idea, but I've seen graphs of it and it looks like it hits a wall of progression that looks like it spikes really high and might be unusable? Those who are using it, do you think that's the case?
My non-engineer opinion is that the ramp up is minimal but depends on each spring weight and the setting of the device.
A "Heavier" setting locks out more of the progressive coil so would have less progression. I did a deep dive post a few pages back. (193)
What graphs have you seen? I couldn't find a lot of data other than their marketing blurb.
I run mine at the heaviest setting and am not a sensitive enough rider to tell the difference, but my assumption is it's practically linear until the bump stop.
flag SquatchOut
Posted: Jan 29, 2022 at 9:09 Quote
Turpsicle wrote:
What graphs have you seen? I couldn't find a lot of data other than their marketing blurb.

It was this one https://www.instagram.com/p/CXXNQovs_Bu/ (3rd image)
And this thread https://www.mtbr.com/threads/adjustable-rate-coil-spring-sprindex.1122499/page-2 (post #27)
flag 13en
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Posted: Jan 29, 2022 at 12:58 Quote
Thinking about buying a ripmo af, but am a little put off by the bushings...
anyone have any bad experiences with them long term?

Thanks
flag NERyder
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Posted: Jan 29, 2022 at 14:15 Quote
13en wrote:
Thinking about buying a ripmo af, but am a little put off by the bushings...
anyone have any bad experiences with them long term?

Thanks
Bushings aren’t sexy but they work great and are low maintenance
flag Turpsicle
Posted: Jan 29, 2022 at 15:47 Quote
13en wrote:
Thinking about buying a ripmo af, but am a little put off by the bushings...
anyone have any bad experiences with them long term?

Thanks
Ibis will replace them free no questions asked for the life of the bike
flag Branmuffin
O+
Posted: Jan 31, 2022 at 7:57 Quote
13en wrote:
Thinking about buying a ripmo af, but am a little put off by the bushings...
anyone have any bad experiences with them long term?

Thanks

The notion that bushings are bad is rampant in mountain biking. Bushings are not applicable to every suspension design but they work great in this one.
Bearings are still used in the upper link, where they see the most rotation. Where you are seeing minimal movement, bushings are used and it makes perfect sense. They are super easy to maintain, and come with a lifetime warranty because you will likely never need to replace them.

Replacing a full set of bearings on a swingarm is such a giant pain in the ass, and also expensive.
Around here it is sandy and I have never had a BB or suspension bearings last longer than a season before needing replaced. I still replace the upper link about every season but that takes about 10 minutes.
flag mammal
O+
Posted: Jan 31, 2022 at 9:20 Quote
Branmuffin wrote:
13en wrote:
Thinking about buying a ripmo af, but am a little put off by the bushings...
anyone have any bad experiences with them long term?

Thanks

The notion that bushings are bad is rampant in mountain biking. Bushings are not applicable to every suspension design but they work great in this one.
Bearings are still used in the upper link, where they see the most rotation. Where you are seeing minimal movement, bushings are used and it makes perfect sense. They are super easy to maintain, and come with a lifetime warranty because you will likely never need to replace them.

Replacing a full set of bearings on a swingarm is such a giant pain in the ass, and also expensive.
Around here it is sandy and I have never had a BB or suspension bearings last longer than a season before needing replaced. I still replace the upper link about every season but that takes about 10 minutes.

I'm on the fence, with respect to whether bushings are a good or poor decision for the RAF. I don't have a big issue with the Lower Link running on Bushings, but I don't find that the clevis pivots seal well enough for Bushings to work well there. I pull the clevis, completely clean the pivots, and thoroughly lube bushings/reducers about once per month during riding season. Although the bushings do look pretty good for two solid years of use, the reducers have worn themselves down to raw aluminum. Even with regular maintenance for that link, there's still always crap caught up in there due to inadequate sealing. I'd probably take bearings in that pivot if I had a choice. Because the wear on the aluminum reducers was so dramatic, I asked Ibis if they could include some reducers for the clevis pivots with the warranty bushings, and they rejected that request. They let me know the only way to get those reducers is to buy a full bushing service kit, which also includes the bushings/Orings that are supposed to be free. As a positive comment on the bushings, I can definitely say that I've never heard of anybody's RA/V2 pivots becoming loose from bushing wear, they stay tight and pivot well as long as you keep them clean and well-lubed.

As for maintaining the ball bearings in the Upper Link, I find that if you remove the one-side bearing seal, clean, re-grease, and spin them up for a while, they can last quite a while. Like you said though, if they are left to just barely rotate for a full season, they usually need replacement.
flag winko
Posted: Feb 1, 2022 at 1:04 Quote
Many mechanical engineers who ride bikes (I'm not one) have said that bushings are a better solution for most of pivots on full suspention bikes as the bearings are designed to rotate (like in BB's, hubs etc...) and not for repetitive swinging motion (like swingarm/link ) and because bushings are better at handing impacts (again something that the mountain bike experiences all the time). They are however harder to be properly designed and through out the history there have not been many succesful implementations, it easier to put on bearings and have the customer replace it when they will eventually fail...
What probably bothers me most about that bike is how hard it is to mount somesort of mudguard for upper link as it is so exposed to mud...
flag davefw
Posted: Feb 1, 2022 at 3:30 Quote
How are people finding the stock Ibis handlebars? When I'm seated pedalling I find that the lack of rise is pulling me forward over the front of the bike, there also seems to be a lot of backsweep in them. I think I might swap them out for a Renthal riser bar.
flag FiLaReToS
O+
Posted: Feb 1, 2022 at 4:38 Quote
davefw wrote:
How are people finding the stock Ibis handlebars? When I'm seated pedalling I find that the lack of rise is pulling me forward over the front of the bike, there also seems to be a lot of backsweep in them. I think I might swap them out for a Renthal riser bar.

I had the same feeling especially with the back sweep of the stock handlebar and i swapped to renthal carbon.

Never looked back.

 


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