Completely re-designed, the brand new Ibis Oso sees everything from the suspension design to geometry and motor system fully overhauled and as with the their recent and well regarded mountain bikes, the new Oso runs on the excellent DW4 linkage, producing a great balance of plushness, support and bottom out resistance.
Motor System
Motor power comes from the latest Gen 5 Bosch CX system, so it's quiet while climbing, silent descending and powerful, with up to 120Nm of torque and 750 watts of sustained power on tap. That's enough raw grunt for almost everyone and with all four power modes able to be fully customised, every rider can retune the system so that they can find their own perfect balance of range vs power. There's also tuneable and highly effective traction control and overrun now available, allowing even more personalisation and the Bosch motor is by some distance the most reliable E-Bike drive unit out there, meaning more time riding and fewer warranties. The lightweight 600W capacity internal battery can be further boosted by Bosch's Powermore range extender 250W to a massive 850W total capacity for truly long days in the saddle, creating a hugely flexible system. With the Powermore sitting low and central on the Oso, that extra weight is also added in a better location than on any other Bosch bike, minimising the compromise to handling when it is onboard.
Geometry & Ride
Head angles sit at a nicely balanced 64' on the TR model, while almost every other number including BB height is tuned by size across the 5 sizes on offer. Modular dropouts allow you to run either a 27.5 or 29' rear wheel as well as switching between longer or shorter chain stays so no matter what shape of bike you like, the Oso can be adapted to suit. That's already a lot of adjustment but there is even more available; by swapping clevis, shock and fork the bike can be adapted to either 160mm/150mm or 140/130mm configurations making it incredibly future proof. DW4 suspension has always delivered a supportive feel and the tune on the Oso is no exception. Easy to pump and unweight it allows for the Oso to be ridden very actively; it's not quite the ride of a regular mountain bike, but it's unusually easy to throw around for a full power E-Bike.
The TR Build
This version, the TR, is the jack of all trades in the Oso line up, with a 160mm fork and 150mm of rear travel producing a bike which is up for pretty much anything you might throw it. There's enough travel and composure to let you ride pretty much any trail you might choose, but with more support and snappier handling than the long travel bikes, it's far faster feeling and more rewarding to ride when the terrain mellows out. That makes for a bike which can cover a really wide variety of trails without ever feeling out of place. You could ride the TR on UK trail centres or big XC style loops and enjoy the light weight and efficiency, but it's equally at home skidding and slashing down your local technical trails. For a rider who wants bike that reacts to their inputs, it's exceptional.
Default wheel size varies by frame size: Small to XM bikes come set up with MX wheels and L-XL are full 29'.
FAQ
Who's the ideal rider for the Oso TR?
With a 160mm fork and 150mm rear travel, the TR is a brilliant all rounder. It would be totally appropriate for everything from Blue flow trails all the way to Enduro racing, and for rider who wants a responsive bike to ride technical ground with it should be on everyone's shortlist. That said, if your riding is mostly on hammered enduro trails and DH style tracks, then it might also be worth checking out the HD version of the Oso for a bit more cushioning.
Why would I pick an Ibis?
They're a truly specialist mountain bike company. While they might not be everywhere in the UK, they've been making top quality bikes since the very dawn of the sport. They only produce high end, well made bikes, and being privately owned to this day by the founder and their employees they are free to stick to making what they want with no concessions to quality forced on them from above. The frames are come with a proper lifetime warranty and the linkages and bikes as a whole are both super durable and easy to work on.
What the heck is an Extra Medium?
Long story, but it's simplest just to think of the XM size as a regular Large from most brands, and their Large as an XL.
Why have Ibis only used a 600W battery?
This is a deliberate choice taken by Ibis to improve the ride quality of the Oso. Going from a 600W to 800W battery adds around a kilo of weight to a bike, and that extra weight is added at the top of the downtube, which is worst possible place to put it. By sticking with the smaller battery size, the bikes weight is kept more central, which helps when lifting the front wheel, cornering and riding steep terrain.
What Range will I get from the battery on the Oso?
An impossible question to answer unfortunately, as it depends on too many factors. Tire choice, ground conditions, rider weight, steepness of climb and gear selection all make quite a difference to range on any given day. If you're not sure a bike will have the capacity you are looking for then we would always recommend a days demo ride to work whether it's enough for you or not.
How long does a recharge take?
On the stock 4A charger, the bikes top up at around 30% per hour, with charge rate slowing somewhat in the final 10%. There's a super fast 12A charger coming soon, which will more than double that speed.
Should I charge my bike as soon as I get home?
Ideally not. All Lithium Ion batteries are best stored between 30% and 60% for long term health, so if you know you aren't going to ride again for a week or two (and are organised enough to remember) it would ideally be better to leave your bike only partially charged until the day before your next ride. It's not the end of the world, but your battery will keep its full capacity for long if it doesn't sit at 100% charge the whole time.
What's the warranty on the Bosch electrical system?
It's two years for all Bosch parts. Warranty rates on the latest Bosch E-bike motors are actually incredibly low and we've never seen an in warranty period fault refused.
Do you take Cycle to Work Vouchers?
We take vouchers from all the major UK schemes, with the only exception being Halfords. If your scheme is likely to be slow to issue your voucher, we can also take deposit payments to reserve a bike while you wait for the voucher to be issued so that you won't miss out on the bike of your choice.
