So, lucky enough to get an ibis Ripmo in a sale.

I knew that they were being delivered with Fox 38’s from ibis but the shop website spec said that 36’s was on the bike, I rang to check and it was confirmed to me verbally that the bike would come with fox 36 forks, so I bought the bike.

Bike arrived with fox 38’s! Going to ring them tomorrow but the steerer was already cut, I’m guessing I’m going to have to suck it up.

Struggling to see what’s the issue is here?

What’s the problem? You’ve got more than you paid for?

Op be 🤡

Truly a heartbreaking tale.

Winner, winner burly forks for dinner!

Its 200 odd grammes for some extra stiffness and radness.

I’d be delighted!

Maybe they’ll split the difference and give you 37s?

Fair enough if you weren’t going for a heavy build. I’ll swap you a set of 36s fir them if they’re still unused and factory spec and the steerers not stupid short.

Definitely ask for a downgrade (I’d be keeping them and smiling personally).

Interesting replies!

So I should accept the heavier forks (about 350g) which are way beyond my pay grade in terms of Gnar capable.

The other side of the pond opinion is that the 38’s are a bit much for a bike which is a trail occ enduro rig.

I would be doing the swap with @benpinnick

You won’t notice the extra weight once fitted. Everyone I know running 38s (even the ones who aren’t riding gods) raves about them.

The other side of the pond opinion is that the 38’s are a bit much for a bike which is a trail occ enduro rig.

I would say its the other way around its an enduro bike that can be occasional trail if you want to pigeon hole it

I would say its the other way around its an enduro bike that can be occasional trail if you want to pigeon hole it

Is there a difference in the Ripmo and the Ripmo af?

From everything I read I’d decided the Ripmo af was long trail / enduro lite. I went for a sentinel which was in a similar sort of area but perhaps a bit more burly / slack than the Ripmo and I still feel is in that border area.

I’ve previously had a bird Aeris 145lt that was 170 front / 160mm rear and that felt more ‘enduro’ than the sentinel. It was more of a plough through stuff sort of bike vs the sentinel which is quite happy to pop and play through stuff a bit more.

Is there a difference in the Ripmo and the Ripmo af?

Ripmo is carbon, Ripmo AF has an Aluminium Frame

AF is a bit slacker too, but still only a 145mm bike

I suppose if grams worry you OP, you should call them and at least ask if they can exchange the fork. My guess would be that 38s were obtainable/in stock 36s would have added an unacceptable delay, and they assumed most customers would see it as an upgrade worth the weight penalty…

Maybe they’ll split the difference and give you 37s?

36 on one leg and 38 on the other, sorted…

Who cut the steerer – you ?
(after being sufficiently uncertain of which fork would be attached to actually phone the shop, you didn’t look for any tiny visual clues before whipping out the hacksaw ?)

https://images.app.goo.gl/ajSf2Mp9jPbLtgTT6

From the wording of his post the steerer was cut on arrival so clearly not OP. I’d call the shop and have a chat with them or swap with Ben.

I would of been writing a review on google on the great service with added extra of upgraded fork for free.

Tough ( Ill informed? 😉) crowd tonight.

Just because the 38s are newer, bigger and heavier doesn’t mean they are better for what the OP wants to ride. If they had fitted some Boxxer 40s ( or whatever the biggest ones are) would that have been a win?

Or if they’d fitted 2.6 DHR Doubledown Exo plusses on 35mm internal rims would that necessarily have been great?

You won’t notice the extra weight once fitted.

Nonsense. 350g is a huge difference.200g is also significant ( no idea what they actually weigh)

#fighttheinexorableweightcreep

Maybe they’ll split the difference and give you 37s?

36 on one leg and 38 on the other, sorted…

The funny thing is the Manitou Mezzer I just got has 37mm stanchions, best of all its not to much different to a Fox 36 weight wise…

Nonsense. 350g is a huge difference.200g is also significant

Do you notice a difference in how your bike rides if you have a water bottle attached vs not? Does the ride improve as you drink out of it?

Bikes can often have a different spec delivered to what was listed, usually in the small print about availability of parts. I’ve had it a couple of times. The shop might offer a swap as goodwill.

I can see how you would want to change, 38’s are huge and unnecessarily big for most riders.

Do you notice a difference in how your bike rides if you have a water bottle attached vs not? Does the ride improve as you drink out of it?

And a 2nd water bottle.

And a full face rather than roadie helmet

And a set of dual ply tyres

And a coil spring shock

And taking snacks

And (not) taking a shit before a ride

And

And

And

A bit of weight isn’t the end of the world, but it all adds up.

It definitely all adds up. I wouldn’t want a Zeb over my Lyrik because (a) it’s more weight overall (b) it’s more weight specifically on the front to hoik up on jumps / for certain drops / when manualling (c) I don’t ride hard enough to benefit from the extra stiffness (d) at 160mm travel the Lyrik is pretty stiff already.

I’d think the same applies 36 vs 38.

On the water bottle example that sits pretty much low in the middle of the bike the where the weight is places vs a big fork is different.

And folk spend all sorts of big money to save a few grams here and there – Eewings cranks / carbon bars / XX1 vs GX etc – none of which would save the difference between a 36 and a 38 I’d imagine.

I’d be annoyed too. Almost and extra pound is a big chunk of weight to add on in one go, and it’s not really an appropriate fork for the intended use of the bike. I only know a few people who ride hard enough to need a 38. As an 11st rider who rides the Tweed Valley and the Highlands I’ve gone back from a Yari to a Pike and it’s more comfortable and more than stiff enough. If I had a 38 for general trail riding it’d be both heavy and uncomfortable.

I’ve got a 34 on my 140mm 29er hardcore hardtail. It does the job perfectly and I’ve never once felt I needed a bigger fork. I can see the benefit of a better fork(damper/air spring) but more stiffness isn’t always better. It just makes me think of how many products are now having additional compliance designed back into them(wheels, bars, grips).

I think it’s fair enough if the OP wants to keep the weight down, the Ripmo isn’t pitched as a huge travel Enduro Sled, Ibis use the word “Svelte” on their own website to describe it.
TBF just because the stanchion diameter is bigger, that doesn’t necessarily make a fork an “upgrade”, weight is as much part of any fork’s spec/feature list as slider girth or travel…

Challenge them on the deviation from spec (although I bet the small print probably has something about spec varying from that advertised), but be ready for them to have no real alternative to offer, is it an issue you would willingly return the bike for if it came down to it OP?

Cool, all the other weight weenies have got out of bed 🙂
( or more likely back from their 8am start)

😔

I thought about a 38 and went for a 36 last month.

In a blind test I bet I couldn’t tell the difference.

I bet I couldn’t tell the difference if you swapped the stickers!

With no visual clues I think the only way to tell them apart would be to weight them.

I’m not at the bike park very often.

What I’m saying is if you ride them they will probably be mint- same as the 36 will/ would be.

If you are worried about the weight swap them with Ben.

I went from a marazocchi fork with not through axel to one with. I noticed the difference riding a very tame trail, it soon just became normal.

If you rode the 36/38 back to back you might notice. If you just ride one it will be… Great!

I’m in the weight weenie camp, despite owning a flaremax. I’d want the 36 unless you’re a seriously aggressive rider. But I’m a big wuss and find the 34 perfect for me.

I’ve got a 34 on my 140mm 29er hardcore hardtail. It does the job perfectly and I’ve never once felt I needed a bigger fork. I can see the benefit of a better fork(damper/air spring) but more stiffness isn’t always better. It just makes me think of how many products are now having additional compliance designed back into them(wheels, bars, grips).

It’s a multifaceted thing really, the theory (that TBF mostly fork manufacturers espouse) is that fore/aft rigidity improves the forks ability to not bind up on it’s bushes and thus provide better small bump sensitivity, at least in a straight line, and mostly upright. If it’s still such a benefit once you’re over at a steeper lean angles, with a bit of torsional (steering) load, on rough surfaces or if some lateral compliance might be a benefit sometimes is a separate discussion I suppose, and on a single crown fork the steerer is pretty much always the most heavily loaded point (mechanical advantage and all that) and they are pretty much fixed in (outside) diameter…

It is interesting to watch those PB ‘huck to flat’ Slow-Mo videos as much to see how the forks behave/flex as it is to watch the back end doing it’s thing…

Who still remembers riding 32mm Boxxers?
I loved them TBH, but If you wanted a beefier, stiffer (DH) fork back in the early 00’s it was going to be a Monster T or… Nope that was about it, definitely not the lightweight option, so the Boxxer sold well for a long while. Ahh, Simpler times.

Eventually the “stanchion wars” kicked off properly with the competition introducing the 888 and the 40 etc, and 17 odd years later here we are worrying about +/-2mm of stanchion diameter on a trail fork with 20% less travel than those old DH bikes, and a single crown, which 99% of riders can’t really discern any meaningful difference in.

RS and Fox Marketing have done a great job of selling varying sizes of tubes IMO. I believe the proper term is “market segmentation”…

I remember when my forks would twist worse than my frame. Nowadays my frame twists more than my fork (Marin SQ3/Durolux36eq)

That said, there’s 38mm Durolux’s coming out shortly and I did experience some orrational jealousy learning about this, so soon after buying my current forks.

it’s a bummer when you don’t receive what the seller told you you are ordering.

that the shop answered your direct question, rather than you going by the specs from the catalog (with its associated caveat regarding spec changes) you may be in a better position to get the fork you thought you were getting. if you can prove that you had the conversation, of course.

in all honesty, i’d be surprised if you could get the shop to swap the fork to a 36 without a lot of conversation.

the offer from benpinnick to swap the fork is a good one. in case you aren’t aware the guy making the offer owns a reputable bike shop, so it is a solid offer.

the offer from benpinnick to swap the fork is a good one. in case you aren’t aware the guy making the offer owns a reputable bike shop, so it is a solid offer.

Well said. I thought that was the case, but wasn’t sure.

I’ll let you all know what the shop says tomorrow and look forward to hearing from Ben too.

If you wanted 36’s, the spec was for 36’s and the shop confirmed 36’s – then 36’s it is.

I’d only want 38’s on a full enduro bike, or a long travel ebike!

36mm, 38mm, some of us are still on 32mm!