Ibis Cycles

beeb

Dr. Beebenson, PhD HA, ST, Offset (hons)
Anyone had any Ibis (carbon frame) bikes? I'm going to have a look at a Mojo HD4 on the weekend with the aim to purchase a frameset. They seem to review well, but just wondered how they go over the longer term. Good quality, reliable, etc...? I have read the paint is prone to chips, but that doesn't really phase me too much as long as the mechanicals are sound.
 

Tubbsy

Packin' a small bird
Staff member
18 months on a Ripley LS. Perfectly reliable, no paint chips on my matte finished frame.

Great bikes, plus a seven year warranty so you'll be fine.
 

shiny

Go-go-gadget-wrist-thingy
Solid bikes backed by excellent customer service. Had my Mojo SLR 6 years now and apart from replacing suspension bearings nothing else to be alarmed about. I put a Invisframe clear protection on it from new.

Had a Mojo SL prior for 2-3 years, again no issues.
 

The Reverend

Likes Bikes and Dirt
3 friends have them. 2 older models and one newer one. Every single one of them solid and dependable as well as stunning to look at. Get it bought!
 

beeb

Dr. Beebenson, PhD HA, ST, Offset (hons)
Haha, cheers all. Doesn't sound like there's too much to worried about! Look forward to checking one out in the flesh soon. :)
 

Tubbsy

Packin' a small bird
Staff member
My only criticism of my bike (and this may have been resolved in the latest generation) is the cable routing which is set up for brakes Northern-hemisphere style. Which means you can't use the internal routing as neatly as they can and you also don't run the rear brake around the head tube because of where the external guides sit.

Looks a little messy if you're OCD, but it's what they recommend in the manual. It might be possible to get the brake line to cross over internally, but without a bunch of the port grommet things to test it (and with big fat braided lines they wouldn't fit anyhow) I haven't looked into that option.

Also, while Ibis make a whole bunch of different port grommets (some take one cable, other take two, with different diameters), they don't supply all varieties with the frame. So I wanted to run cable housing internally, but had to drill the grommets out because the ones supplied were meant to take cables without housings.

The Evol can on the shock also needs a lot of pressure to hit recommended sag, particularly if you're a bigger rider. I think this is more to do with that year of shock, and I think I read somewhere that the latest revision of that shock has been changed by Fox and doesn't require such high pressure. Hasn't really been a problem though, suspension feels 'bottomless' as 'they' say, and I don't think I've ever felt the bike bottom out.
 

shiny

Go-go-gadget-wrist-thingy
Nope, they still build bikes to suit US style brake mounting, HD4/Ripley/Mojo 3 is externally mounted so can need to be creative to have tidy cables or as @Tubbsy mentioned can get different ports and try internally routing. Ripmo has cable tunnels so no way to tweak things.
 

hifiandmtb

Sphincter beanie
Re: shock, yeah my Monarch high volume canister needs 260psi+ to sit at 35% sag. Fortunately, that feels like a lovely spot to be...and I never feel it bottom out either.

And don't get me started on cable routing - I've got the v1 disaster. But my workaround seems solid:

 

beeb

Dr. Beebenson, PhD HA, ST, Offset (hons)
My only criticism of my bike (and this may have been resolved in the latest generation) is the cable routing which is set up for brakes Northern-hemisphere style. Which means you can't use the internal routing as neatly as they can and you also don't run the rear brake around the head tube because of where the external guides sit.
I struck this with my 5010, I ended up winding it around the headtube and over the downtube (lots of frame protection was applied obviously) and then connecting to the guides. I zip-tied it to where the dropper post line pops out of the frame and it's actually held on really well. Neatest version of a messy solution I could figure.

The Evol can on the shock also needs a lot of pressure to hit recommended sag, particularly if you're a bigger rider. I think this is more to do with that year of shock, and I think I read somewhere that the latest revision of that shock has been changed by Fox and doesn't require such high pressure. Hasn't really been a problem though, suspension feels 'bottomless' as 'they' say, and I don't think I've ever felt the bike bottom out.
I'm looking to pick it up with the Fox Float X2 upgrade, so should be plenty tuneable (once I figure out what I'm doing!).
 

beeb

Dr. Beebenson, PhD HA, ST, Offset (hons)
So, dropped past the shop today to swing a leg over the HD4 today.

Felt absolutely no love for it. It felt heavier than it actually was and sizing and feel just didn't feel at all right for me. No doubt it would plow downhill, but didn't feel very lively for the trail and pedalling side of things.

The guys at the shop suggested I try a Ibis Ripmo. Holy moly, it sure felt right. Didn't feel "like a 29er" at all! Runs a 44mm offset fork which works really well with the geo. Doesn't feel floppy or vague at all. Back end is very settled for seated pedalling, and just soaked up anything else I threw at it (plenty of cobblestone lanes, gutters, and bunny-hopping off ramps and traffic islands was done) and still had a good light and poppy trail bike feel, just with a little added travel. Front end felt good but only being a size L was still a little tight around the knees when turning for me.

Also had a spin on a Yeti SB5.5, which was also quite nice, but the sizing was a little off for me (short reach, tall seat tube) and I didn't like the rear suspension as much as the Ripmo.

So I ordered a Ripmo frameset with an X2 and gambled on a "2019" Fox 36 to match. :) E.T.A is mid-June on the frameset, and fork is put aside to wait. I'll need to sort out some wheels, and everything brakes and drivetrain I'll swap from my 5010. In theory I could fit a 185mm dropper with the super low seat tube too.

But anyway - thanks for all the assistance! It ended a little differently to how I expected, but damn it felt good. Can't wait to get it together and go send it down the trails! :D

Oh and a bit of random info, the guy at the LBS said Ibis has recently changed production factories and are now made by the same factory that manufactures Yeti.
 
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