Ibis has just launched the fourth iteration of its trail 29er bike, the Ripley.
With the brand capitalising what it learned from the Ripmo, the new Ibis borrows some geometry cues and hardware from its longer travel sibling, getting longer, lower and lighter for this 2020 model year.
With 120mm of travel at the back and a metric-sized 190mm x 45mm shock, the Ripley has around 130mm of squish at the front, and the complete builds will come with a 44mm offset fork.
In that setup, the frame sees a 66.5-degree head angle and the reach has increased by 45mm across all sizes. Ibis also says you can shorten up the front end with a 120mm fork or go 140mm and burly tyres to make the bike into a sled.
The seat angle gets steeper by 3 degrees (76 degrees) to further its climbing prowess, and Ibis has lopped 12mm off the chainstays (432mm), which the brand says, combined with the more progressive suspensions kinematics, makes the new Ripley ‘extra shreddy.'
To top it off, the Ripley can accommodate a full-size bottle inside the frame, has room for 2.6in rubber and the cranks spin in a threaded bottom bracket.
Arguably the most significant change to the new frame is in the DW Link suspension, going from a dual eccentrics design to a more standard pivot system.
The original design was used to accommodate short chainstays, and play nice with front derailleurs — now with 1x drivetrains and 148mm rear hub spacing its no longer needed. The upper eccentric link also limited seatpost insertion.
The new layout, lifted from the Ripmo, is intended to allow for max seatpost insertion to accommodate the longest possible dropper — Ibis says all the frames except size Small can handle up to a 185mm dropper.
The brand also says the updated linkage reduces frame weight with complete builds claimed to start at 11.7kg and increases stiffness too.
Ibis opted for hermetically sealed IGUS bushings instead of bearings in the lower link (there’s still bearings in the upper link), because bearings don’t last long in areas with high loads and minimal rotation. The brand is so sure of this it backs its suspension pivot bushings with a lifetime warranty.
Replacing the cables in the previous Ripley required perfect alignment of the earth and the moon, and a blood sacrifice to the wrenching gods… But, now to limit the mess in your garage, Ibis has added moulded internal tubes. Pop the housing in the hole and push until it comes out the other side.
Ibis also spec'd the new Ripley with a replaceable polycarbonate downtube protector and removable ISCG05 mounts.
Available in four sizes, the Ripley will come in six complete builds ranging from $4,099 to $9,399, with optional upgrades, such as carbon rims, available for mid-spec options.
Ibis is also offering a frameset complete with a FOX DPS shock for $2,999.
Each frame, no matter the build are full carbon, so there won’t be the need for the rear-triangle upgrade kits the brand has offered on previous frames.