Ibis Cycles Launch the New Oso E-Bike

With the Ripmo and Ripley both having seen major overhauls in recent times with every aspect of the bikes revised, it was only a matter of time until the Oso followed suit and today Ibis Cycles launch the updated Oso, their full power E-Bike platform. 

The new Oso is, if anything, an even more drastic re-working with an entirely new frame layout more in line with the excellent new pedal bikes, and a huge amount of adjustability and modularity baked into the design. 

When it comes to the motor, Ibis have gone with the Gen5 Bosch CX system and in our books that’s a very good thing. The current Bosch motor is proving to be the most reliable E-Bike drive unit we’ve ever seen, power delivery is smooth, the efficiency is exceptional and at a maximum 100Nm and 750W it’s powerful enough for almost everyone, no matter what a certain other motor manufacturer might try to tell you. 

Ibis have gone with a 600W integrated battery for the Oso and that’s also a choice that goes down well here. The middle of the road battery size the ‘Goldilocks’ battery for many, striking a great compromise between delivering enough range, while minimising the effect of battery weight on the bikes handling. Compared to the largest capacity bikes, it keeps the weight lower and more central in the frame, as well as saving just under 1kg in total weight. There is also the option to add a Powermore extender, taking total capacity to 850W for extra long rides and it’s especially nice to see the extender placed low down near the BB in the front triangle.  

As normal for Ibis, suspension comes from the very well respected and balanced DW4 linkage, which should make for a nice, peppy bike with plenty of support to pump and drive from. All the recent pedal bikes have had exceptional suspension manners, with several of our staff choosing them for their personal rides and based on that, we’d be surprised if the suspension performance of the Oso was anything other than excellent. As a side benefit, the DW4 linkage also allows for a full length seat tube and longer dropper insertion, so that even the smaller frame sizes can use a decent length post.

When it comes to adjustment and modularity, there is a lot of choice! Replaceable rear dropouts allow for both chainstay length and wheel size changes, so that riders can set up their bike any way they would like with a minimum of extra parts or hassle required. 

On top of that, by changing fork and shock combinations, the Oso can be built into no less than three different platforms; a nippy 130mm travel S variant, an all round 160mm / 150mm bike dubbed the TR, or the hard hitting 180mm / 165mm travel HD setup.

That creates quite the number of geometry options, with chainstays variable between 440mm and 465mm and head angles covering a range from the super slack 62.3’ of the HD, to a much more normal 64.7 on the S bike. Reach numbers sit in a reasonable mid range throughout with Medium bikes coming in around the 450mm-460mm  mark while the Larges measure 475mm-480mm. With that amount of variety, there is pretty much going to be an Oso for every taste. Pick a fork travel, length of rear end you like and which wheelsize you want and you can adjust your Oso to any combination you prefer.

Full bike builds are thankfully relatively simple to pick from, with just one well specced HD model, two TR builds and one S bike making up the initial range. Pricing looks very competitive on all of them, and for those of you keen to get into custom building there is also a frame only option available.

Our first delivery of bikes and demo bikes will be on their way to us soon and we're very much looking forward to putting them to the test on the Tweed Valley trails.

If you're interested in the new Oso, give us a shout... 

01896 831429

shop@tweedvalleybikes.co.uk