Ibis Ripley Carbon 4.0 Mountain Bike Frame

Ripley Carbon 4.0 Mountain Bike Frame

Back for a whole new flavor of all-mountain shredding, Ibis’ Ripley Carbon 4.0 Mountain Bike Frame features oodles of new geometry that’s hungry to challenge the sum of its numbers. Ibis satiates our appetite for a do-it-all 29er by taking the Ripleys racy cross-country roots, and offering the ever popular longer-slacker-steeper treatment that sends modern bikes into bigger terrain than ever before, but fortunately for you, the engineers used some restraint to keep the steed true to its snappy pedaling roots that still excel when its time to bust out some XC hot laps. After seeing a hoard of bikes stretched out to the max, we’re happy to see that the head tube is only slackened a single degree, while the bulk of the changes took place in the rear end, with redesigned chassis that elevate the bike’s playful characteristics, and keeps things rolling quickly.

The Ripley 4’s major update meant that Ibis’ engineers could start from the ground up, and they chose to start with the heart-and-center of the bike, updating the dual-eccentrics used in the past to a new design based on the Ripmo, which still holds DW-Link suspension tucked neatly in the front triangle, but without as much weight, and with a huge boost in stiffness. This change in the frame’s chassis allows massive weight savings of over a half-pound on the frame alone, giving your all-mountain machine a little more pep in its step when you’re pushing up grueling climbs, and a more nimble feel when you’re flicking it around tight switchbacks.

Weight savings aside, one of the biggest benefits we see with the drop of the double-eccentric design is extra room in the seat-tube, which enables taller riders to run dropper posts up to 185mm. This long-dropper length lets Ibis’ engineers carry forward with even more geometry tweaks, like an extra-low stand over height, so you can pick your frame based on reach, eliminating seat-tube size from your list of limiting factors on your new-bike hunt.

Changes didn’t stop with the eccentrics though, the Ripley has been tweaked all over, including a one-degree slacker head tube for a stretched wheelbase that adds a bit of confidence to the descents, and a three-degree steeper seat tube angle that keeps you in the center of your cockpit perched nicely for climbs. On the rear end of things, Ibis shortened the chainstays by a whopping 12-millimeters to boost stiffness, and make the suspension a bit more progressive, without letting go of the lively pedaling characteristics of the previous Ripley.

Details

• Tackle all-mountain lines with Ripley’s playful short-travel 29er
• Modern longer-slacker-steeper geometry increases capability
• New chassis inspired by Ripmo shaves 1/2lb of weight
• Keep pedaling snappy and responsive with DW-link suspension
• Low standover height lets you base sizing on reach for better fit
• Extra-long dropper post is enabled thanks to new chassis design
• Stiff and light carbon fiber keeps things snappy and reliable

Tech Specs

• Frame Material: carbon fiber
• Suspension: DW-link
• Wheel Size: 29in
• Rear Shock: Fox Float Factory DPS with EVOL
• Rear Travel: 120mm
• Fork: not included
• Head Tube Diameter: ZS44 upper / ZS56 lower
• Bottom Bracket Type: English threaded
• Cable Routing: internal
• Brake Type: disc
• Seatpost Diameter: 31.6mm
• Rear Axle: 12 x 148mm Boost
• Claimed Weight: [medium] 5lb 14.4oz
• Manufacturer Warranty: 7 years