Ibis

Ripmo Mountain Bike Frame - 2019

It's really no secret that 29ers have been leaving their mark at the highest levels of enduro and downhill racing lately, due to the bigger wheels holding lines at higher speeds and rolling over chunky terrain with unbelievable ease. Realizing this, Ibis created the Ripmo Mountain Bike Frame to defend their 2017 EWS Championship, seeing much of the competition is now racing on 29ers. After a lengthy development process, the Ripmo was perfected to conquer the steepest, gnarliest lines on technical enduro courses and your favorite mountain pass, but without sacrificing its ability to climb back uphill for another grin-inducing lap.

As you probably guessed from its name, the Ripmo is the hybrid of the hard-charging Mojo HD4 and the lively handling Ripley. As such, the Ripmo retains the larger 29-inch wheels of the Ripley, but falls more towards the longer, slacked-out end of the spectrum inhabited by the Mojo HD4. Delving into geometry specifics, you'll find the Ripmo has a quite slack 65.9-degree head tube angle paired with a custom 44-millimeter fork offset for higher levels of stability.

Ibis chose this custom fork offset to increase the bike's trail, which makes it a bit slower to respond to steering inputs, subsequently making it more stable at the higher speeds you'll experience while enduro racing and aggressively pummeling down steep trails. This way, Ibis was able to design the Ripmo with the stability of a bike with an even slacker head tube angle (they claim it's as stable as bikes with head tubes in the mid 64-degree arena), but without requiring a drastic increase in wheelbase figures, which would compromise its ability to get around hairpin corners and tighter sections of trail.

Another trick that Ibis employs is a steeper seat tube angle of 76 degrees, which shifts your weight forward. Now you won't feel like the bike's front end inhabits an entirely different zip code while you're climbing and cornering, which is something that's plagued slacked-out enduro rigs since inception. This steeper seat tube angle places you in an optimal position to place power down on climbs, allowing this enduro machine to get back uphill better than its slack geometry and long travel figures would suggest. And because you're shifted further forward with a steeper seat tube, Ibis compensates with longer reach figures, as to not disturb the bike's stability or roomy cockpit.

If you've been riding on Ibis bikes for a while or even moderately familiar with the brand, you know the DW-Link Suspension sits at the heart and center of all their frame designs. Well, the newest Ripmo is no different, employing the fifth generation of this much-lauded suspension to maintain high levels of efficiency and excellent small-bump compliance when you're pedaling over chunky terrain with roots and rocks aplenty. You'll find 145 millimeters of DW-Link travel out back for a bit more pedaling efficiency, paired with a longer 160-millimeter fork to soak up bigger hits and rowdy trail sections up front.

Please note, the Ripmo frame is available with either the base-level Fox Float DPX2 or the upgraded Float X2 Shock. Although the base-level DPX2 does an admirable job of keeping the rear-end tracking smoothly over rugged sections of trail, upgrading to the Float X2 Shock provides a more linear damping profile for a more supple feel on the gnarliest descents where you'd normally struggle to maintain traction and control. We'd suggest you opt for the DPX2 if your riding sees a broader mix of climbing and descending or upgrade to the X2 if you're primarily riding on lift and shuttle-accessed terrain.

Besides being an increasingly slack and long 29er, the newest Ripmo is designed with a host of useful features for the aggressive trail rider and enduro racer. You'll find the clearance to ride massive 2.6-inch tires for an exceedingly plush feel with tons of traction, internal cable tunnels for easier maintenance, clearance for a full-size bottle with a piggyback shock, and the ability to run a 175-millimeter dropper post on medium through extra-large frames (small works with 150-millimeter droppers). Additionally, Ibis overhauled their lower link pivots with IGUS bushings, seeing these pivots experience higher loads with minimal rotation—two areas where bushings are better suited than ball bearings. And in case you're wondering about the longevity of these new bushings, Ibis backs them up with a lifetime replacement policy, no questions asked.