Wheel Size: 29” (27.5’’ rear wheel compatibility via flip chip)
Travel: 130 mm front / 140 mm rear
Geometry Highlights:
- Sizes Offered: Small, Medium, Extra Medium, Large, XL
- Headtube Angle: 64.9°
- Reach: 483 mm (size Extra Medium)
- Chainstay Length: 437 mm / 434 mm in MX setting (size Extra Medium)
Frame Material: Carbon fiber
Price:
- Complete bikes starting at $4,999 USD
- Frame only: $3,699
Wheel Size:
- 29’’ front / 27.5’’ rear (sizes S—M); 29’’ rear wheel compatible via flip chip
- 29’’ front and rear (sizes Extra Medium—XL); 27.5’’ rear wheel compatible via flip chip
Travel: 160 mm front / 150 mm rear
Geometry Highlights:
- Sizes Offered: Small, Medium, Extra Medium, Large, XL
- Headtube Angle: 64.5°
- Reach: 478 mm (size Extra Medium)
- Chainstay Length: 436 mm (size Extra Medium)
Frame Material: Carbon fiber
Price:
- Complete bikes starting at $4,999 USD
- Frame only: $3,699
Intro
Ibis has built a strong following with their reputation for building efficient, lively bikes, and for keeping their geometry a little more moderate in a world where everything was getting longer, lower, and slacker. Their HD6 Enduro bike marked a new chapter for the brand, with new design language and bolder geometry figures. The new Ripley and Ripmo are now following the HD6’s lead on both of those fronts — but also add some new things that the HD6 doesn’t have, like size-specific chainstays and in-frame storage.
With more sizes and a range of build options, the new Ripley and Ripmo aim to further the popularity of their predecessors. Dig into the details with us below.
The Frames
Ripley
The Ripley has been a staple in Ibis’ line for quite some time, seeing continuous refreshes but generally sticking to its role as a lightweight 29’’ Trail bike for covering a lot of ground quickly. The new Ripley doesn’t appear to deviate too far from that brief but gets a 10 mm travel increase to 140 mm up front and 130 mm out back. Ibis is still all-in on DW-Link suspension, but the updated Ripley does get the slightly updated layout first seen on the HD6, which tidies up the upper linkage area to make it a bit more compact by placing the upper pivot in front of the seat tube, thereby also requiring a shorter yoke.
The updated Ripley comes stock in 29’’ guise, but a 2-position flip chip at the upper swingarm pivot allows for an aftermarket swap to mixed wheels. SRAM’s UDH continues its global takeover here, too, and the brake mounts are now a 180 mm post mount for a cleaner setup.
Most other updates are geometry and sizing-related, which we’ll get into below. The Ripley also gets internal frame storage via a door in the downtube with a latched closure. Ibis collaborated with outdoor clothing brand Cotopaxi in creating the two included bags for the storage system, which are made of remnant and deadstock fabric in the name of doing things more sustainably — a sensible choice for a bag that just ends up stuffed into the frame.
Ripmo
The Ripmo began as the first long-ish travel 29’’ Trail bike in Ibis’ lineup, and it quickly rocketed to popularity for its forgiving suspension and efficient handling. The new one still uses a 160 mm travel fork, with a very small bump in rear travel to 150 mm (from 147 mm), but the big news here is its move toward mixed wheels. Small and Medium sizes come stock with a smaller 27.5’’ rear wheel, while the new Extra Medium size and above stick to 29’’ wheels all around, with the option of an aftermarket swap to mixed wheels via a smaller rear wheel and quick adjustment of the flip chip at the upper swingarm pivot.
While the previous Ripmo V2S also claimed coil shock compatibility, Ibis was quite explicit that any coil shock selected required clevis mount compatibility. With the new Ripmo, Ibis has made the design more coil shock-friendly through a more progressive leverage curve and much shorter clevis, claiming that it now suits “pretty much any coil shock”. Speaking of suspension kinematics, Ibis also claims size-specific kinematics as well, though we don’t have any kinematics data to dig into exactly what that means.
Otherwise, the Ripmo shares its other updates with the Ripley, including the revised and cleaner-looking DW-Link layout, downtube storage with Cotopaxi bags, SRAM UDH, and 180 mm rear post mount.
Fit & Geometry
Ripley
As signaled by the suspension travel increase, Ibis seems to have tried to make the Ripley just a bit more capable on tougher descents than the outgoing version, possibly also trying to create some daylight between the Ripley and the XC-focused Exie.
Many of Ibis’ bikes have historically run a bit short in reach for a given labeled size, often with slightly longer seat tubes as well, but the HD6 marked a departure from that paradigm — in a good way, in our opinion. Ibis clearly agreed as the proportions of this new generation of bikes are much more progressive than their predecessors. Using an Extra Medium as the reference, the Ripley gets a 483 mm reach, stubby 416 mm seat tube, 629 mm stack, 64.9° headtube angle, and size-specific 437 mm chainstays. Ibis also takes a size-specific approach to setting the seat tube angle, which is 76.9° on the Extra Medium. Ibis helpfully mentions the reference height for their seat tube angles, so riders running particularly short or long seatpost heights should be able to anticipate how the pedaling position will shift for their unique situation. Also, thanks to the flip chip, running mixed wheels doesn’t affect geometry much, aside from shortening the chainstays slightly to 434 mm.
Those numbers are more aggressive in just about every way than the prior Ripley — nearly 1.5° slacker at the headtube, with longer reach, taller stack, and longer chainstays — which we assume will push the Ripley a bit further away from its legacy on the more XC-ish side of the Trail category.
Even with the addition of the fifth sizing option in the Extra Medium, the gaps are quite substantial between each size, generally erring on the side of longer-than-normal for a given labeled size. Buyers should definitely take a look at the numbers rather than just going with their typical labeled size of choice — full geometry figures are included below.
Ripmo
The Ripmo follows the longer/slacker treatment that the Ripley got, but it’s perhaps a less dramatic shift given the more recent revisions to the Ripmo V2 and Ripmo V2S. In fact, the revisions to the Ripley are significant enough that aside from suspension travel, there’s not all that much of a gap between the Ripley and Ripmo anymore.
The Extra Medium Ripmo now gets a 478 mm reach in combination with a 64.5° headtube angle, plus a short 415 mm seat tube, 633 mm stack, and 436 mm chainstays. Size-specific chainstays and seat tube angles persist here, with the Extra Medium getting a 76.5° seat tube angle. While the reach is longer than the outgoing Ripmo V2S, other sizing elements are quite similar, so committed Ripmo fans shouldn’t feel like there’s too much of a shakeup here.
In the case of the Ripmo, sizes Small and Medium get a mixed wheel setup as stock, where Extra Medium through XL get full 29’’ setup. Riders can of course swap things around aftermarket, and in the case of the Ripmo the flip chip for swapping wheel sizes doesn’t have any impact on geometry figures.
As with the Ripley, sizing gaps are substantial and err on the side of larger-than-average, so take a look at the charts below:
The Builds
Ripley
Ibis has historically done a good job of offering quite a few builds for each of their bikes, with a choice between Shimano and SRAM drivetrains as well as wheel upgrade options. That variety of options persists with the updated Ripley and Ripmo.
Starting with the Ripley, there’s a lot of shared specifications within each build package, with most of the changes being incremental upgrades to suspension and different drivetrain packages. The Ripley gets three builds from Shimano, ranging from Deore to XT, with the two most expensive builds being Transmission-equipped builds from SRAM. Fox suspension is used across the board, with every build seeing a 140 mm Fox 34 fork and Float Factory rear shock.
There is a healthy dose of house-brand Ibis componentry used across the lineup, with all models getting the Blackbird Send Alloy wheels as well as house-brand bars and stem. The three highest-spec builds can also opt to upgrade to Industry Nine carbon wheels for an extra $1,400. Personally, I like this approach — contact points are highly personal and often swapped, and giving folks the option of a carbon wheel upgrade rather than prescribing it on the higher-spec builds gives folks the option of bringing over a high-end wheelset they may already have.
On a final point, Ibis has done well to also include rather long droppers at each frame size. While we’re seeing a lot of brands doing this nowadays, Ibis has perhaps gone further than most in choosing a full 213 mm drop post from Bike Yoke on the Large and XL sizes which should make tall folk quite happy.
Highlights from each model’s available builds are as follows:
- Drivetrain: Shimano Deore
- Brakes: Shimano Deore M6120 (180 mm rotors)
- Fork: Fox 34 Performance (140 mm)
- Shock: Fox Float Factory
- Wheels: Blackbird Send Alloy w/ Ibis hubs
- Dropper Post: KS i-Rage (S: 125 mm, M: 150 mm, XM: 170 mm, L–XL: 190 mm)
- Drivetrain: Shimano SLX
- Brakes: Shimano Deore M8120 (180 mm rotors)
- Fork: Fox 34 Performance (140 mm)
- Shock: Fox Float Factory
- Wheels: Blackbird Send Alloy w/ Ibis hubs
- Dropper Post: Bike Yoke Revive (S: 125 mm, M: 160 mm, XM: 185 mm, L–XL: 213 mm)
- Drivetrain: Shimano XT
- Brakes: Shimano Deore M8120 (180 mm rotors)
- Fork: Fox 34 Factory (140 mm)
- Shock: Fox Float Factory
- Wheels: Blackbird Send Alloy w/ Ibis hubs
- Dropper Post: Bike Yoke Revive (S: 125 mm, M: 160 mm, XM: 185 mm, L–XL: 213 mm)
- Drivetrain: SRAM GX Transmission
- Brakes: SRAM G2 (180 mm rotors)
- Fork: Fox 34 Factory (140 mm)
- Shock: Fox Float Factory
- Wheels: Blackbird Send Alloy w/ Ibis hubs
- Dropper Post: Bike Yoke Revive (S: 125 mm, M: 160 mm, XM: 185 mm, L–XL: 213 mm)
- Drivetrain: SRAM X0 Transmission
- Brakes: SRAM Code RSC (180 mm rotors)
- Fork: Fox 34 Factory (140 mm)
- Shock: Fox Float Factory
- Wheels: Blackbird Send Alloy w/ Ibis hubs
- Dropper Post: Bike Yoke Revive (S: 125 mm, M: 160 mm, XM: 185 mm, L–XL: 213 mm)
In addition to the complete builds, Ibis makes the Ripley available as a frame-only with a Float Factory rear shock for $3,699 USD.
Ripmo
A lot of what we said about the Ripley’s build options carries over to the Ripmo. In fact, aside from some heavier-duty suspension and brake selections, the spec sheets are the same — same three Shimano and two SRAM builds, the same Blackbird wheels, and the same long travel dropper selections at each frame size. The Ripmo gets Marzocchi Z1 and Fox 36 Factory fork spec, depending on the trim level, all at 160 mm of travel and matched to a Float X Factory shock.
Highlights from each model’s available builds are as follows:
- Drivetrain: Shimano Deore
- Brakes: Shimano Deore M6120 (203 mm front / 180 mm rear rotors)
- Fork: Marzocchi Z1 (160 mm)
- Shock: Fox Float X Factory
- Wheels: Blackbird Send Alloy w/ Ibis hubs
- Dropper Post: KS i-Rage (S: 125 mm, M: 150 mm, XM: 170 mm, L–XL: 190 mm)
- Drivetrain: Shimano SLX
- Brakes: Shimano Deore M8120 (203 mm front / 180 mm rear rotors)
- Fork: Marzocchi Z1 (160 mm)
- Shock: Fox Float X Factory
- Wheels: Blackbird Send Alloy w/ Ibis hubs
- Dropper Post: Bike Yoke Revive (S: 125 mm, M: 160 mm, XM: 185 mm, L–XL: 213 mm)
- Drivetrain: Shimano XT
- Brakes: Shimano Deore M8120 (203 mm front / 180 mm rear rotors)
- Fork: Fox 36 Factory (160 mm)
- Shock: Fox Float X Factory
- Wheels: Blackbird Send Alloy w/ Ibis hubs
- Dropper Post: Bike Yoke Revive (S: 125 mm, M: 160 mm, XM: 185 mm, L–XL: 213 mm)
- Drivetrain: SRAM GX Transmission
- Brakes: SRAM Code RSC (200 mm front / 180 mm rear rotors)
- Fork: Fox 36 Factory (160 mm)
- Shock: Fox Float X Factory
- Wheels: Blackbird Send Alloy w/ Ibis hubs
- Dropper Post: Bike Yoke Revive (S: 125 mm, M: 160 mm, XM: 185 mm, L–XL: 213 mm)
- Drivetrain: SRAM X0 Transmission
- Brakes: SRAM Code RSC (200 mm front / 180 mm rear rotors)
- Fork: Fox 36 Factory (160 mm)
- Shock: Fox Float X Factory
- Wheels: Blackbird Send Alloy w/ Ibis hubs
- Dropper Post: Bike Yoke Revive (S: 125 mm, M: 160 mm, XM: 185 mm, L–XL: 213 mm)
Like the Ripley, the Ripmo can be had as a frame-only with a Float X Factory rear shock for $3,699 USD.
Some Questions / Things We’re Curious About
(1) Ibis’ geometry has evolved substantially, with much longer reaches paired with slacker and taller front ends. How does that geometry ethos first seen on the HD6 impact the on-trail performance of the more Trail-oriented Ripley and Ripmo?
(2) Ibis clearly wanted to create differentiation between the Ripley and Exie, the former now seeing much more aggressive geometry and more travel. How much closer does the Ripley move towards the Ripmo as a result, and how are long-time Ripley fans going to feel about it?
Bottom Line (For Now)
Ibis has pushed its Ripley and Ripmo models into new territory, with some significant geometry updates and a revised design aesthetic following the lead of the HD6. Our time with the HD6 revealed a much more playful and versatile character hiding behind all of that suspension travel, so it will be very interesting to see how the Ripley and Ripmo capitalize on the efficiency of the DW-Link suspension system alongside more aggressive geometry. We’ll be getting on the new Ripmo to see how it all comes together on the trail very soon — stay tuned for more.
Would love to see a rider review of the new Ripley once you are able to spend time on the bike. They’ve made a lot of nice touches in the new carbon frame but, given it is even slacker than the head tube on the already slacker Ripley AF, I wonder if this will push the Ripley into really great trail bike territory while removing it from actual Ripley territory. Having never ridden either model, I wouldn’t be a fair judge. But as someone who is really sold on the AF, I just wonder if all the pros of that alloy frame geometry without fancy internal storage may overshadow all the pros of the redesigned carbon model.
The Ripmo is a superb looking bike, in all regards.
However, I’m going to be the guy that also says that it is too darn bad that they Ripmo’d the Ripley!