Ripmo AF Thread

PB Forum :: Ibis
Ripmo AF Thread
Author Message
flag PNWbike
O+
Posted: Mar 30, 2020 at 17:53 Quote
cmb47 wrote:
Any new summarized feedback in general on this bike now that the weather is starting to turn and people are getting to ride a bit more? A lot of positivity in the media and forum reviews. I've been reading all I can find on Instagram and watching everyone's thoughts on YouTube. My only concern with a lot of the "amateur" reviews I've read is that this may be a lot of people's first full suspension bike or first "nice" bike. I'm not bashing anyone new to bikes that are several thousand, but when I bought my first "nice" bike back in 2014 I remember thinking it was the greatest thing since sliced bread. Several bikes later, I'm confident I would absolutely hate that bike and realize I only loved it so much because I was coming off a $600 Raleigh hard tail ????. Any input from the PB masses is appreciated!

It's a legit bike. I also have a carbon Bronson (version 1) and I feel way more confident descending on the Ripmo AF. In my opinion the frame, suspension and wheels are all top notch and are the most important part. Most everything else is rider preference and can be left the same, upgraded, replaced, etc...

In my opinion, there's not much to critique given the price point. Is it heavy? Yes. I figured if I went with the carbon Ripmo v2 and carbon wheels it would save about 2.5 pounds. It was would also have cost $2500 more! When you look at it in terms of $1000/pound it puts things in perspective. A $6-7K bike would probably ride better, but for the price point of the AF, I don't see anything else coming close.

A lot of the trails are closed around here now, but if you watch the video by Fanatik https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZyknHxzrKsE you can see them riding the bike and I'm 99% sure they are on "Double Down" in Bellingham, WA. I rode that trail last spring and it was one of the reasons that prompted me to get an aggressive, long travel 29er as my next bike. I wanted something that was more forgiving when things get sketchy, and things definitely got sketchy on that trail. Let's just say I was glad to make it to the bottom without crashing. I feel confident the Ripmo AF can handle more than I will ever throw at it. Full disclosure: I did not go off the boulder drop at minute 1:45 Smile
flag cmb47
Posted: Mar 30, 2020 at 18:29 Quote
PNWbike wrote:
cmb47 wrote:
Any new summarized feedback in general on this bike now that the weather is starting to turn and people are getting to ride a bit more? A lot of positivity in the media and forum reviews. I've been reading all I can find on Instagram and watching everyone's thoughts on YouTube. My only concern with a lot of the "amateur" reviews I've read is that this may be a lot of people's first full suspension bike or first "nice" bike. I'm not bashing anyone new to bikes that are several thousand, but when I bought my first "nice" bike back in 2014 I remember thinking it was the greatest thing since sliced bread. Several bikes later, I'm confident I would absolutely hate that bike and realize I only loved it so much because I was coming off a $600 Raleigh hard tail ????. Any input from the PB masses is appreciated!

It's a legit bike. I also have a carbon Bronson (version 1) and I feel way more confident descending on the Ripmo AF. In my opinion the frame, suspension and wheels are all top notch and are the most important part. Most everything else is rider preference and can be left the same, upgraded, replaced, etc...

In my opinion, there's not much to critique given the price point. Is it heavy? Yes. I figured if I went with the carbon Ripmo v2 and carbon wheels it would save about 2.5 pounds. It was would also have cost $2500 more! When you look at it in terms of $1000/pound it puts things in perspective. A $6-7K bike would probably ride better, but for the price point of the AF, I don't see anything else coming close.

A lot of the trails are closed around here now, but if you watch the video by Fanatik https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZyknHxzrKsE you can see them riding the bike and I'm 99% sure they are on "Double Down" in Bellingham, WA. I rode that trail last spring and it was one of the reasons that prompted me to get an aggressive, long travel 29er as my next bike. I wanted something that was more forgiving when things get sketchy, and things definitely got sketchy on that trail. Let's just say I was glad to make it to the bottom without crashing. I feel confident the Ripmo AF can handle more than I will ever throw at it. Full disclosure: I did not go off the boulder drop at minute 1:45 Smile

I appreciate the detailed feedback! It seems to be getting praise from very experienced and newer riders alike but the more opinions the better. Unfortunately, there are no dealers (with an actual store front/inventory) close to me that sell Ibis. I can order one but am unable to test ride.
flag trdoffroad
Posted: Mar 30, 2020 at 20:23 Quote
cmb47 wrote:
Any new summarized feedback in general on this bike now that the weather is starting to turn and people are getting to ride a bit more? A lot of positivity in the media and forum reviews. I've been reading all I can find on Instagram and watching everyone's thoughts on YouTube. My only concern with a lot of the "amateur" reviews I've read is that this may be a lot of people's first full suspension bike or first "nice" bike. I'm not bashing anyone new to bikes that are several thousand, but when I bought my first "nice" bike back in 2014 I remember thinking it was the greatest thing since sliced bread. Several bikes later, I'm confident I would absolutely hate that bike and realize I only loved it so much because I was coming off a $600 Raleigh hard tail ????. Any input from the PB masses is appreciated!

You raise a good point, the bike does have a very large “amateur” audience and ownership. However, coming from someone with over a decade of riding and a few years of collegiate downhill, the ripmo af is no joke. This has been the most impressive platform I have owned since the Yeti SB6c when it first came out year ago and I have owned at least 4 high end all mountain, enduro, downhill, whatever rigs since then.

Most significant downfalls of the nx build are the brakes. The guides loose power and become inconsistent on long runs. The suspension platform on the bike has been nearly perfect except for one bit that will only affect aggressive or experienced riders. Even with only 25% sag and a total of 4 volume reducers in positive chamber and 1 in the negative, I still experience a somewhat harsh bottom out on larger drops and big hits. Take this with a grain of salt as it really only happens with harder hits but still more often then my previous properly setup dpx2 and x2 shox. I am, however, still happy with the dvo stuff and am likely to purchase again with the added subtleness and serviceability.

Hope that helps
flag schwaaa31
O+
Posted: Mar 31, 2020 at 4:09 Quote
^^^ That helps a ton. Thank you for that review. I’ve been on the fence on getting this bike for a while now. Going between this and a Meta AM 29. I’m bummed to hear about the bottom out issue as I prefer that type of riding. I wonder if the coil would remedy that.
flag mammal
O+
Posted: Mar 31, 2020 at 7:16 Quote
trdoffroad wrote:
cmb47 wrote:
Any new summarized feedback in general on this bike now that the weather is starting to turn and people are getting to ride a bit more? A lot of positivity in the media and forum reviews. I've been reading all I can find on Instagram and watching everyone's thoughts on YouTube. My only concern with a lot of the "amateur" reviews I've read is that this may be a lot of people's first full suspension bike or first "nice" bike. I'm not bashing anyone new to bikes that are several thousand, but when I bought my first "nice" bike back in 2014 I remember thinking it was the greatest thing since sliced bread. Several bikes later, I'm confident I would absolutely hate that bike and realize I only loved it so much because I was coming off a $600 Raleigh hard tail ????. Any input from the PB masses is appreciated!

You raise a good point, the bike does have a very large “amateur” audience and ownership. However, coming from someone with over a decade of riding and a few years of collegiate downhill, the ripmo af is no joke. This has been the most impressive platform I have owned since the Yeti SB6c when it first came out year ago and I have owned at least 4 high end all mountain, enduro, downhill, whatever rigs since then.

Most significant downfalls of the nx build are the brakes. The guides loose power and become inconsistent on long runs. The suspension platform on the bike has been nearly perfect except for one bit that will only affect aggressive or experienced riders. Even with only 25% sag and a total of 4 volume reducers in positive chamber and 1 in the negative, I still experience a somewhat harsh bottom out on larger drops and big hits. Take this with a grain of salt as it really only happens with harder hits but still more often then my previous properly setup dpx2 and x2 shox. I am, however, still happy with the dvo stuff and am likely to purchase again with the added subtleness and serviceability.

Hope that helps

I'd second pretty much everything TRD said. I've been riding for 20 years, and the RAF is my 13th trail bike so far (18th, including DH bikes). The only caveat for me, is the last 10 years have been a mix of new and old equipment, usually frames that are a couple/few years old. Everything on the NX build works well except for the brakes, which even with sintered pads, are "OK" at best. The geo and fit is great, good for smashing, but also nimble enough at slower paces. I'm really liking the DVO squishy bits, especially the Diamond. I'm around 175lbs, definitely needed to shift all volume spacers in the Topaz to the positive for more ramp. I settled on 187psi, which is higher than I usually run on the scale of recommended settings, but it no longer bottoms now on drops (this took a while to avoid).
flag R-M-R
Posted: Mar 31, 2020 at 7:25 Quote
The leverage curve of the Ripmo is moderately progressive, almost spot-on average. The reason it's blowing through the travel must be Ibis' Traction Tune, i.e. considerably less compression damping than typical. Re-tune the shock back to "normal" and the problem ought to go away.
flag mammal
O+
Posted: Mar 31, 2020 at 7:31 Quote
R-M-R wrote:
The leverage curve of the Ripmo is moderately progressive, almost spot-on average. The reason it's blowing through the travel must be Ibis' Traction Tune, i.e. considerably less compression damping than typical. Re-tune the shock back to "normal" and the problem ought to go away.

Great point, I have a feeling that's the case. That said, it feels absolutely great with the psi a tad higher, so perhaps I'll look into that when it's in need of a service. It's really nice and supple at the moment, and no bottoming any more.
flag R-M-R
Posted: Mar 31, 2020 at 7:42 Quote
There's more than one way to get the support you need. Glad to hear you've found a solution!
flag Goonther
O+
Posted: Mar 31, 2020 at 7:43 Quote
Maybe maxing out bladder pressure to 200 psi would also help the bottom out issue?
flag mammal
O+
Posted: Mar 31, 2020 at 8:14 Quote
Goonther wrote:
Maybe maxing out bladder pressure to 200 psi would also help the bottom out issue?

In my case, I love the sensitivity I've currently got off the top with the Topaz. If I max out the bladder, I'll firm it up throughout the travel, and I'd rather avoid that if possible. I'm currently at 185 bladder, but honestly haven't pushed it past that point yet.
flag Branmuffin
O+
Posted: Mar 31, 2020 at 9:39 Quote
bdreynolds7 wrote:
kookseverywhere wrote:
Anyone had any major problems with the weight when coming from a lighter bike?

Only on the climbs. I seem to be huffing and puffing more now compared to when I was on my 31lb Giant Trance (27.5). Not sure if its the weight or the bigger 29" wheels or both but I'm not keeping up with my buddies as easily as I used to. I see this as me still getting used to the bike, I've only had it out a handful of times.

Going downhill the weight is very nice. The AF feels A LOT more stable at speed going down hill compared to the Trance. Any little thing would upset the Trance and the AF is smooth.

Assegai’s are a pig of a tire, if that’s what you are running. Great grip but they are heavy and don’t roll great. I still run one up front but threw and aggressor on the rear and it helps a bit.
flag PNWbike
O+
Posted: Mar 31, 2020 at 10:24 Quote
trdoffroad wrote:
cmb47 wrote:
Any new summarized feedback in general on this bike now that the weather is starting to turn and people are getting to ride a bit more? A lot of positivity in the media and forum reviews. I've been reading all I can find on Instagram and watching everyone's thoughts on YouTube. My only concern with a lot of the "amateur" reviews I've read is that this may be a lot of people's first full suspension bike or first "nice" bike. I'm not bashing anyone new to bikes that are several thousand, but when I bought my first "nice" bike back in 2014 I remember thinking it was the greatest thing since sliced bread. Several bikes later, I'm confident I would absolutely hate that bike and realize I only loved it so much because I was coming off a $600 Raleigh hard tail ????. Any input from the PB masses is appreciated!

You raise a good point, the bike does have a very large “amateur” audience and ownership. However, coming from someone with over a decade of riding and a few years of collegiate downhill, the ripmo af is no joke. This has been the most impressive platform I have owned since the Yeti SB6c when it first came out year ago and I have owned at least 4 high end all mountain, enduro, downhill, whatever rigs since then.

Most significant downfalls of the nx build are the brakes. The guides loose power and become inconsistent on long runs. The suspension platform on the bike has been nearly perfect except for one bit that will only affect aggressive or experienced riders. Even with only 25% sag and a total of 4 volume reducers in positive chamber and 1 in the negative, I still experience a somewhat harsh bottom out on larger drops and big hits. Take this with a grain of salt as it really only happens with harder hits but still more often then my previous properly setup dpx2 and x2 shox. I am, however, still happy with the dvo stuff and am likely to purchase again with the added subtleness and serviceability.

Hope that helps

Did you switch out the brakes? I've read some reviews on just switching out the levers, but seeing how cheap you can get XT brakes, thinking that might make more sense to go that route. Any feedback would be appreciated!
flag FiLaReToS
O+
Posted: Mar 31, 2020 at 10:55 Quote
The Guide T brakes were ok for me , but i changed them to G2 RSC after a couple of rides and since then im more than happy. Again , the more i ride the bike the more i love it. Best bike i've ever had by faaaar.
flag trdoffroad
Posted: Mar 31, 2020 at 11:11 Quote
Did you switch out the brakes? I've read some reviews on just switching out the levers, but seeing how cheap you can get XT brakes, thinking that might make more sense to go that route. Any feedback would be appreciated![/Quote]

I have not yet. Going to try to continue using the guides until the lift parks open up this summer. Will switch over to saints, zees, codes, trp’s, not sure yet.
flag Matthewforgov
O+
Posted: Mar 31, 2020 at 18:29 Quote
Has anyone rocking the RAF been able to compare directly to a Scott Ransom? Considering both these bikes, but leaning towards the Scott for the 20mm extra travel in the rear. However, after reading everyone's thoughts it seems like the DVO tune may make up for it. The Scott is also supposedly an excellent climber with the Fox Nude, but does the geometry of the RAF make it excel?
(May actually end up going with a Zerode Taniwha Pinion, but that's besides the point)

 


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