Ripley LS Carbon 3.0 XT 1x Mountain Bike - 2018
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Shop Similar ProductsSterling, round three.
Despite the praise and sterling reputation the Ripley has received, Ibis has proven incapable of leaving well enough alone. The Ripley LS Carbon 3.0 XT 1x Complete Mountain Bike represents the cumulative effect of a mountain of changes that Ibis has seen fit to a bike that—when we first threw a leg over its introductory iteration—seemed damned near perfect. The latest changes include the agro-as-hell Longer Slacker (LS) geometry, which pushes into enduro territory, and the clearance to run 2.6in tires. The latter is especially important as, in our estimation, tires in the 2.4-2.6in range keep the plushness and traction of high-volume tires but without lapsing occasionally into squishy vagueness.
Despite those changes, this third-gen version of the Ripley retains the nimble handling that leaves you with an ear-to-ear grin on the trail but with a stiffer rear end that may leave a frown on your buddies' faces while you power away on climbs. The stiffer rear end and increased tire clearance are owed to a reconfiguration of the chassis and its dual-eccentric DW-Link suspension.
The upper eccentric link is wider than before for increased stiffness when you're tracking across the rough stuff. There's a new swingarm and clevis mount as well, which is moved backwards and down to clear the 2.6-inch tires. Despite those changes, we're happy to report that the reconfigured chassis and swingarm don't affect the praised suspension kinematics of the previous Ripley LS. This means you won't notice a difference in the pedaling efficiency or square-edge compliance from the DW-Link suspension.
Other than its notable upgrades in rear-end stiffness and increased tire clearance, the Ripley LS retains the praised geometry of the last version, namely its moderately slack 67.5-degree head tube angle paired with a low-slung 13-inch bottom bracket for impressive stability at speed. Although it's not quite as slack as much of the competition, the third-gen Ripley LS never feels outgunned on the trail, even when the going gets steep and rocky. We'd credit this to a slightly longer 130mm 34 Float fork keeping things confident and composed out front, paired with 29in wheels rolling on the mid-sized rubber mentioned above for steamrolling roots and rocks.
We'd be remiss to omit the monocoque carbon lay-up of the Ripley LS frame, resulting in an astoundingly stiff, pleasingly light trail whip. For even greater wheel stiffness, the hubs are upgraded to Boost, which creates wider hub spacing for a stiffer bracing angle of the wheel spokes. We should also note that the front derailleur mount only works with Shimano side-swing and Di2 types, should you desire to run a front derailleur in the future. But, frankly, we're so enamored with the new XT one-by's ride that we're questioning why we ever wanted two chainrings to begin with.
Details
- A 29er trail bike with all-mountain pedigree
- 5in of DW-Link's wagon wheel travel eager for questionable lines
- The Longer Slacker geometry makes that travel feel even deeper
- Redesigned swingarm ups tire clearance to 2.6in
- Lightweight carbon construction gets after it on climbs
- Mid-sized tires boost cushion and traction across rooty climbs
- Carbon bars and wide rims encourage enduro shenanigans
- Shimano XT remains the stalwart of the all-mountain scene
- Item #IBS003U
- Frame Material
- carbon fiber
- Suspension
- DW-Link
- Rear Shock
- FOX Factory Float DPS
- Rear Travel
- 120mm
- Fork
- FOX 34 Float Factory
- Front Travel
- 130mm
- Headset
- Cane Creek 40 ZS44/EC49
- Shifters
- Shimano XT M8000
- Front Derailleur
- n/a
- Rear Derailleur
- Shimano XT M8000
- Crankset
- 30t Shimano XT M8000
- Bottom Bracket
- 73mm English Threaded
- Crank Arm Length
- 175mm
- Cassette
- 11 - 46t Shimano XT M8000
- Chain
- CN-HG700
- Brakeset
- Shimano XT M8000
- Brake Type
- hydraulic disc
- Rotors
- 180 / 160mm
- Handlebar
- Ibis Carbon
- Handlebar Width
- 760mm
- Grips
- Lizard Skins Logo
- Stem
- Thomson Elite X4
- Saddle
- Ibis custom CrMo rails
- Seatpost
- FOX Transfer Dropper
- Seatpost Diameter
- 31.6mm
- Wheelset
- Ibis 938
- Front Axle
- 15 x 110mm Boost
- Rear Axle
- 12 x 148mm Boost
- Tires
- Schwalbe Nobby Nic
- Tire Size
- 29 x 2.6in
- Pedals
- not included
- Claimed Weight
- [frame with shock, size medium] 5lb 14.4oz
- Recommended Use
- trail
- Manufacturer Warranty
- 7 years on frame
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