Anita: If my bike were a bread roll, it would still be almost fresh from the oven. The Ripley from Ibis has been around for a few years. However, my Ripley is the new, revised version of this Twentyniner trail bike, which I was only recently able to take delivery of. Nothing has changed in terms of the suspension system or the suspension travel. Ibis continues to rely on the proven DW-Link kinematics with 120 millimeters of travel. New on the Ripley are the rear triangle, which offers more tire clearance, and the internally routed shift cables. The geometry is designed for propulsion and trail suitability, making the bike surprisingly smooth and playful at the same time.

The orange trail bike "Ripley" with 120 millimeters of travel, DW-Link and thick slippers.

The Ripley is not suspended with familiar products such as Fox or Rock Shox. The suspension fork and shock come from X-Fusion. These are still rather exotic in Switzerland. However, not everything is original. For example, the O2-Pro suspension strut from X-Fusion is a standard product. However, the inner workings - i.e. the damper cartridge - do not correspond to the series. This is adapted to the harder gear and can withstand a lot more than the original cartridge.
The "Trace RC HLR" suspension fork, on the other hand, comes "off the shelf". It offers 140 millimetres of travel and various adjustment options for the HLR damper cartridge in the high and low-speed range and, of course, for rebound. With its 34 millimeter thick stanchions and a weight of around 1,900 grams, it is not one of the lightest forks. However, the fork responds very finely and is also stiff enough for hard use.

Once according to the series, once only optically in original condition: The suspension elements from X-Fusion.

Ibis not only builds stylish bikes, the Californians also have wheels in their range. I also ride their wheels on my Ripley. I didn't choose narrow and light rims for the Flow-Epic. Here too, I opted for the 41 millimeter wide 941 carbon rims with which the 29-inch wheelset weighs less than 1,800 grams. The new rear triangle with more tire clearance described at the beginning comes into play at this point. This is because the wide support of the tires makes them wider and they then need the additional tire clearance.
The chic "chubby ones" are covered with WTB tires: On the rear wheel with a 2.25 inch wide "Trailboss" with a dense tread for low rolling resistance and on the front wheel the snappy "Vigilante" in 2.35 inches. These offer a lot of grip, especially in wet or loose terrain, which was helpful a few times during the Flow Epic.

Wide, robust, light and grippy: The combination of the 941 rims and WTB tires proved to be a good choice for the Flow Epic.

When choosing components, lightness, stability and functionality go hand in hand. The handlebars and stem are from the Canadian company "Joystick". Although this combination is very robust, it is not that heavy in comparison. The handlebars are fitted with screw-on grips from Lizard Skins.
Another nice touch on my bike is the variable seat post from Kind Shock, which is fitted with a WTB Volt saddle. I operate the seat post with the new versatile thumb lever.
The drivetrain and gears are from Sram's XX1 model range, while the cranks are the lightweight "Next" from Raceface. I control the speed with XTR stoppers from Shimano.
Even newer than the bike itself are the E-Mallet pedals from Crank Brothers presented at Eurobike. They are slightly lighter than the downhill versions and can be adjusted to the sole depth using special clips. My bike also needs a bottle cage. Because I don't always ride with a backpack and hydration bladder.

Balz: With my Epic bike, I stay in the same suspension travel category as Anita with her bike, or slightly less with 120 mm travel at the front and 110 mm at the rear. Because despite the long descents, you also have to ride uphill on the Flow Epic over time, so the bike shouldn't be too heavy and should have a pedal-friendly geometry. Like last year, when I rode the Swiss Epic, this year I opted for the same bike for the Flow Epic: the "Atlas" from Devinci. I really enjoy riding this twentyniner in my free time and, for me, it embodies the ideal bike for a race like this.
The "Atlas" almost matches the description from last year.

www.ride.ch/site/index.php/9292-das-swiss-epic-bike-des-ride-teams.html

However, I have made minor changes for the 2015 Swiss Epic edition. For example, I rode more robust tires. Instead of the Onza "Canis" tires in 29x2.25 inches, I used the Ibex tread, also from Onza, during the six days of the race. On the rear wheel in 29x2.25 inch, on the front in 2.4 inch width and each with the robust FRC carcass. This combination proved itself well this week. Not once did I have a puncture to complain about. Of course, I rode the tires tubeless and with sealant. With inner tubes, the air would probably have escaped more often with the jagged riding style.

Wide, robust and yet surprisingly smooth-running - the Ibex 2.4-inch tires from Onza.

I made another change to the seatpost. The Swiss-Epic was the ideal testing ground to try out the redesigned dropper post from Ticino-based Yep Components. Compared to the old version, this is better sealed, has a new post head and a better adjustment lever.

The new Yep seatpost - a cool piece.

The shock absorber on the Atlas has also been replaced. Where previously a Fox Float shock absorber was used, this time a RockShox Monarch shock was used. Adapted to the kinematics of the Atlas, this was more progressive, but also more sensitive in its response.

A small shock that does big work - sensitive and progressive in the last third of the stroke.

Electronic gadgets are also a help for a race like this. Anita and I rode the Flow-Epic with the brand new M450 bike computer from Polar. The little device always kept us up to date with the mileage and altitude. Of course, this device can do a lot more, but that would go beyond the scope of this article.

Compact and easy to use - the M450 from Polar.

The fact that bikes with 120 millimeters of travel are ideal for races like the Flow version of the Swiss-Epic has been confirmed for us. If you want to take it easier, you should allow yourself a little more travel, because the fun and reserves downhill are clearly greater.

Sleek, fast and fun - our Epic bikes got us reliably through the epic days.

www.ibiscycles.com
www.ibis.santacruzbikes.ch

www.devinci.com
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