A long established classic, the Ripmo is Swiss Army knife of the Ibis bikes range and in some ways, there is no ideal rider for the Ripmo. It's one of those rare middle ground bikes that you could use for almost anything. The AF version perfectly mirrors the geometry and features of the carbon bike, but is based around an aluminium frameset and simpler build kit, offering an almost unbeatable amount of bike for the money.
Hard enough charging to take on the EDR world cups, or session trails at your local uplift, it's also got the lightness and pedal efficiency for big days out and enough pep not to feel to overbiked when descending mellower trails. Take it wherever you'd normally ride, or push your limits, no matter how you use the Ripmo it's rarely going to feel out of place.
Completely revised for the new versions, the bikes improve on an already brilliant platform in almost every area. Based round a 160mm fork, the rear travel bumps up slightly to 150mm and the head angle rakes out a touch to 64.5'. Now modular, the bike can use either a full 29' setup or a 650b rear thanks to a neat flip chip on the upper DW rocker link.
Seat angles are tweaked by size, as is BB height and the linkage is now re-designed and more progressive to work with either air or coil shocks. Standover has also been lowered with all frames now featuring a very nicely executed storage compartment, complete with in frame Cotopaxi pouches to silently store your spares.
After a simple, no nonsense bike that can cover just about every aspect of mountain biking? It could well be the Ripmo.
Full Specification
Fork: RockShox Lyrik, 15QRx110, 160mm
Shock: RockShox Super Deluxe Select+ 230mm x 60mm
Wheels: Blackbird Send Alloy Send I front / 29" and either 27.5" or 29" Send II rear (27.5 on S/M and 29 on XM/L/XL) / Ibis Hubs
Tires: Maxxis DHF 29” x 2.5” WT, EXO+ casing Front and DHR2 27.5"/29" x 2.5 WT EXO+ casing Rear
Brakes: Shimano Deore, M6120, 4-Piston
Brake Rotors: Shimano RT-66 6-Bolt 200F/200R
Cranks: Shimano Deore M6120 24mm spindle
Bottom Bracket: Shimano MT501
Rear Derailleur: Shimano Deore M6100 SGS
Shifter: Shimano Deore, M6100
Cassette: Shimano Deore, M6100, 10-51T
Chain: KMC X12
Headset: Cane Creek 40 ZS44/ZS56
Grips: Lizard Skin Charger Evo
Handlebar: Ibis Aluminum, 780mm
Stem: Ibis 31.8mm; S–M: 40mm, L–XL: 50mm
Seatpost: KS Vantage Dropper: S: 110-140mm, M-XM:140-170mm, L-XL: 180-210mm
Saddle: WTB Silverado Fusion, 142mm