Bike Check: Team Rider & Dirt School Coach Zack's Ibis Ripmo Custom Build

Tweed Valley Bikes and Ibis Cycles team racer and Dirt School Coach, Zack might be a quietly spoken and relatively unassuming character in real life, but do not be fooled, he is a monster on the bike. With multiple seasons of World level enduro racing behind him along with several SDA Downhill podiums, (riding his trail bike!) he has a massive breadth of experience when it comes to gravity riding and as with most riders at that level, watching him do his thing in real life is quite impressive for normal mortals.

He’s now onto his second consecutive Ibis Ripmo as his main bike for all things pedal accessed, from technical coaching sessions, to enduro racing and regular riding so we thought we would check in and pick up his thoughts on the Ripmo in general, as well as the specifics of his build and what he’s learned from a year aboard the bike. Over to Zack.

You've had quite a good amount of time on the Ripmo now with this being your second one - can you talk us through what it's like as a bike and what it does best?

I think the thing I like most about the Ripmo is how much of an all-rounder it is. It works really well across a huge variety of trails and it also has a real ability to generate and carry speed. I feel really comfortable on the bike and it fits me so well, so I can push it hard without feeling like I’m fighting the bike. It feels planted and capable through rough sections, but it’s still super responsive and playful. 

Bit of a follow up but how does it compare the HD6? Is it quite a different ride?

Yeah, it does feel quite different to the HD6. The HD6 is a longer-travel bike, so once you get it up to speed it feels really good and is super planted when you’re riding flat-out on rough trails. However, I do find the Ripmo much easier to get up to speed. It feels more efficient and easier to move around on the trail, so you don’t have to work as hard to get it going.

Because of that, I actually felt like the Ripmo was the faster bike overall, which made it feel like the better option for racing. It’s just easier to get up to speed and keep that momentum, while still feeling really capable when things get rough.

How tall are you and what size do you ride? Is it a 'big' feeling bike? 

I’m 178cm tall and I ride an Extra Medium Ripmo, and for me the size is absolutely spot on. I've always found myself somewhere between medium and large bikes so having something that sits in the middle is exactly what I want. 

The extra medium size gives me a really nice balance, it doesn’t feel like hard work through tight technical sections but it's not too small so it doesn't feel unstable on fast rough terrain.

You've had both of yours set up with full 29er wheelsets. Is that a race focused thing or do you just like the bigger hoops?

I tend to favour a full 29er over a mullet setup, mainly because I believe it’s the faster option for Enduro. The Ripmo definitely carries its speed well, and I feel like the bigger rear wheel plays a big part in that. It seems to hold momentum better, particularly when the trail gets rough and fast.

I also find that the full 29er gives me more grip. I’d imagine some of that comes down to having more tyre on the ground, but whatever the reason, the bike feels really planted when you’re pushing hard.

That said, I’m keen to try the Ripmo in a mullet configuration this winter. I’ve been riding my HD6 downhill bike a lot lately and really like the way it feels, so I’m curious to see how much of that more playful, agile character carries over to the Ripmo when I drop the rear wheel size.

What did you change / keep the same in the build for this one compared to the last and why?

I’ve kept a lot of things the same this year because I loved last year’s bike so much. The main change was switching to the Rockshox Vivid Air, as I was interested to see how it compared to the coil shock which I’ve always seemed to favour. I hadn’t ridden an air shock for a good few years, so it was something I was keen to try. It feels very planted and has loads of support, I’ve been super happy with it.  I don’t think it feels quite as lively as the coil but both are great options, just with a slightly different feel.

Another change this year was the Hope GR4 brakes. I heard a lot of great things about them last year, especially from my coach Paul, who absolutely swears by them, so I was excited to try them out. Straight away, I clicked with them. They’re incredibly powerful but still have great modulation, which gives me loads of confidence when braking hard. And, of course, they look sick too!

Run us through your build in brief, any favourite bits or unusual choices. Do you clip in to race?

The build is pretty much based around what I know works well for me. Favourite bits would probably be the Burgtec finishing kit. I think it really finishes the build off nicely and the 38mm riser bar feels perfect for me. I also love the gloss Invisi frame, it makes the colour of the bike really pop and I think it looks awesome. For racing I always clip in, but during the off season I’ll switch back to flat pedals. I like having that change and it keeps riding fun when I’m not racing. I got my hands on some of the Burgtec B-Rage flats for this winter. I’ve been super impressed with them already, the extra pins definitely keep your feet glued to the pedals.

Cable actuated drivetrain?

Yeah I like to keep things simple and I really like the cable drivetrain. It shifts really smoothly and I like the manual feedback you get from the shifter rather than just hitting a button. I was using the slightly older cable XO1 drivetrain last year which worked great and I was super happy with. I opted for the new Eagle 90 transmission this year which still feels great and seems even more robust, I've not really touched it since the bike was built! 

Do you use the storage and if so, what tends to go in there?

I absolutely love having the frame storage on the Ripmo, and the Cotopaxi bags that Ibis supply with the bike are brilliant. In the bigger bag, I carry my 70cc OneUp pump and some tyre levers, while I use the smaller bag for the most important thing, all my snacks! I can also squeeze an inner tube in alongside the two bags, so I’ve got pretty much everything I need for a ride stored in the frame.

It’s really easy to access too, so it never feels like a faff getting something out when you need it. It’s one of those features that you quickly get used to having and would definitely miss if it wasn’t there.

Give us your personal numbers for this bike?

For my setup, I’m running a 750mm-wide bar with a 42.5mm stem. Tyre pressures are set at 22psi up front and 23psi in the rear, with DH-casing tyres front and rear. I’m running a 225mm PNW dropper post.

Have you got your new Rockshox suspension set up yet? Do you know your pressures & clicks?

I haven’t done a huge amount of fine-tuning with it yet. I basically set it up roughly when I first got the bike and, to be honest, it felt great straight away, so I haven’t felt the need to change too much (TVB - Maybe a bit more ABO might be a good idea). I’d like to spend a bit more time on the setup this winter though and have a proper play around with the fork and shock to see if I can fine-tune it even more.

Want to try our an Ibis Ripmo? We've demo bikes available from our shop in Innerleithen.

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