Eurobike: The New Ibis Ripley

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So, Ibis has been open about working on a 29er for a couple of years. It decided to unveil it at Eurobike even though it’s not going to be remotely ready to buy until next year – just in case people thought they were just joking.

The story goes that back in 2008 Ibis was looking to make a super light, short travel 26in race bike as its next frame, but then compared to its 140mm bikes, 100mm seemed a little tame, so it turned its attention into making a 100mm 29er using the same compact design where the DW-Link suspension doesn’t use links… it uses eccentric pivots, running on bushings.

 

Different, isn't it?

 

There are two pivots hidden in there...

Target weight for the reincarnated Ripley was for a sub 2kg (4.4lbs) frame. This is literally the first one out of the mould and is in no way a rideable sample, however it gives an idea of how the finished one will look and it’ll let you puzzle a little over how it works – which is essentially just like a regular DW-Link Mojo – only there are no links.

There are also no bearings either – the compactness of the design meant that normal cartridge bearings wouldn’t fit so there’s a special eccentric pivot that runs on Norglide bushings. These are adjustable (by means of two bolts accessed through those two rubber plugged holes) and should be good for around 20,000 hours of riding…

First production bike out of the mould.

 

Tapered headtube. We're not sure what Ibis is calling this colour - 'English Summer Sky' perhaps?

 

Those two rubber plugs hide the bushing adjustment bolts.

 

142mm back end and does that front mech look a little high to you?

 

It's as stealth from the other side.

If this is blowing your mind too much, there are full details over at http://www.ibiscycles.com/

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Chipps Chippendale

Singletrackworld's Editor At Large

With 23 years as Editor of Singletrack World Magazine, Chipps is the longest-running mountain bike magazine editor in the world. He started in the bike trade in 1990 and became a full time mountain bike journalist at the start of 1994. Over the last 30 years as a bike writer and photographer, he has seen mountain bike culture flourish, strengthen and diversify and bike technology go from rigid steel frames to fully suspended carbon fibre (and sometimes back to rigid steel as well.)

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