Although Ibis "combines the best of two existing bikes", the Ripmo is a completely new bike. The Ibis tinkerers experimented with the seat tube angle and fork offset. The angle is split to 76 degrees, which should result in more pressure on the front wheel and better power transmission. However, this also meant that the front had to be shifted in order to maintain the stability of the top tube. This also results in a reach that is almost 25 millimetres longer than that of the Mojo HD4.


Ibis works with a shorter fork offset on the Ripmo. On the one hand, this doesn't make the wheelbase unnecessarily longer and it means that the rider feels that they are riding at a slacker steering angle than the 65.9 degrees. The Californians are convinced that the new geometry offers a very high level of safety and control at high speeds without sacrificing agility.

More space

It's not just the geometry that is trending towards "longer". Variable seatposts are also often designed with more travel. The Ripmo is therefore designed in such a way that it easily accommodates posts with 175 millimetres of travel. For frame size S, it even accommodates posts with 150 millimetres. Long-legged mountain bikers can even ride posts with a stroke of up to 200 millimetres. This also makes it possible to choose the frame size based on the reach and not the standover height.

The rear triangle also offers room for "more". Ibis is a pioneer when it comes to wide carbon rims, and these in turn are predestined for wide tires. The rear triangle of the Ripmo swallows tires up to 2.6 inches wide. In combination with the wide rims, this results in a voluminous and grippy, but also stable combination.

However, Ibis leaves less space for cables and wires: These are routed through the frame using integrated carbon channels. Incidentally, the Ripmo is the first Ibis bike to feature such cable ducts. This significantly simplifies assembly and maintenance. The same applies to the bolted bottom bracket. The frame also offers enough space for a piggyback shock (shock with reservoir) and a bottle cage with bottle.

How much, when and for how long...

How much is certainly the central question for many: The Ripmo is available in five equipment variants and also as a frame kit. The latter is available in the color combinations "Tangerine Sky" and "Back Olive" including Fox DPX2 shock for CHF 3,490.00. The complete bikes are available from 4,940.00 francs with Sram NX, 5,740.00 francs with GX Eagle gears or 6,740.00 "Stutz" with Shimano XT. If you want the upper class with the Sram Eagle X01 or XX1 gears, you'll have to fork out 7,740.00 or 10,040.00 francs respectively for the pretty thing.

Ibis writes about when the Ripmo will be available: "Delivery will start on March 26, 2018". The first units should arrive in Switzerland at the end of April.

How long refers to the warranty. Ibis grants a seven-year warranty on the frame and offers a lifetime replacement of frame parts and bearings. The Californians are confident that the latter will last without any problems. Instead of conventional industrial bearings, they use robust Igus plain bearings. This not only reduces the weight of the bell cranks but also makes the entire construction more torsion-resistant.

www.ibiscycles.com
www.ibisbikes.ch