Hi,

Any thoughts on the Ripley AF? Looks like a great short travel ripper and a good price. I can’t get hold of an Optic so this looks like a good option.

cheers

I know nothing, but saw this, this morning.

I’d be interested to see what the frame only price is. Not that I’m in the market for one. I did consider the Ripley before my current bike but couldn’t justify the boutique premium.

Not in the market for the sort of bike, but if I were I’d look at it.

It’s looking good in that video. I wonder how it compares to the Ripmo AF.

Deore build £3399
NX/GX build £3499

I still think they have welded the top tube on the wrong way around.

Bushings! Its not 1997 anymore!

Bearings work well in full 360 degree rotation positions (e.g. wheels, bb’s) where the forces are rotational and experience less directional loading. Well maintained and lubricated bushings have their place on suspension pivots.

I commented on the article on the main page that it really does tick an awful lot of boxes for me as I’m in the market to replace my old, knackered Fuel EX. I was looking at a Radon Skeen but they’re not delivering them to the UK so it’s off the list and I am struggling to find anything comparable in spec and geo. The Ripley is at my absolute limit budget-wise which is making me pause about contacting the LBS about it, annoying as I know if I dither for too long they’ll all sell out and I’ll be stuck looking for options again.

dogbone

I still think they have welded the top tube on the wrong way around.

Yeah, that TT/ST junction is a bit ugly – not as ugly as the much larger tube on the Ripmo AF, mind.

Am sure there are nicer looking ways to solve that, but the bike is being built to a price.

I still think they have welded the top tube on the wrong way around.

Indeed. Should go fatter towards the head tube and slendererer toward the seat tube according to my eyes.
Still, beauty is iteotb.

Looks better in carbon 🙂

It’s kind of an obvious move for Ibis based on how successful the Ripmo AF was. The Ripley AF now has the same head angle as my V1 Ripmo!

I ran mine with a shorter fork and standard shock and didn’t like it anywhere near as much as I expected too. With a 140mm fork it’s pretty much the same HA as the AF and a DBIL shock made the DW link feel like my RipMo.

I expect they’ll sell every one they can make.

Looks fine to me.

Nice to see something that doesn’t look like a Session.

Shame about the short chainstays IMO, but I know some people will appreciate them.

Deore build £3399
NX/GX build £3499

Whod pay more for budget sram!?

But USA price for Deore build is $2999 straight conversion is £2200

£1100 price bump for UK 😱

I guess in the US the price comparison to something like a YT Izzo isn’t as severe.

I am struggling to find anything comparable in spec and geo

isn’t it pretty much a more expensive, more boutique-y bird aether 9? the aether (for the same seat tube length) is a smidge longer, smidge slacker, smidge more travel

isn’t it pretty much a more expensive, more boutique-y bird aether 9?

Fair comment. That even has short CS as well IIRC.

DW link bikes can ride very nicely though, so that may justify some of the price.

Not that it’s easy to justify the price being higher in GBP than in USD.

But USA price for Deore build is $2999 straight conversion is £2200

£1100 price bump for UK 😱

USA MSRP doesn’t include local sales tax / VAT.

The Aether has a much slacker seat tube angle (72 degrees) and and if my mate’s Aether 7 is anything to go by heavier as it’s aimed as more of the gravity end of the spectrum than all-day pedalling (a mini bike park bike that can be pedalled all day what Bird told him).

USA MSRP doesn’t include local sales tax / VAT.

Google says on average that’s 7%

So still £900 extra

“The Aether has a much slacker seat tube angle (72 degrees)”

It doesn’t – that’s the actual angle. The effective angle on the Aether 9 is 77 deg, a degree steeper than the Ripley AF.

“if my mate’s Aether 7 is anything to go by heavier”

Aether 9 AL is 3060g bare frame weight, Ripley AF is 7.45lbs = 3380g. I don’t know if the latter is with or without a shock, so either they weigh the same or the Ripley AF is heavier. No great surprise because the Ripmo AF isn’t light either!

Google says on average that’s 7%

So still £900 extra

Maybe the extra unnecessary layer of cost having a distributor here rather than Ibis doing it themselves? Should get lower prices, better availability and service by cutting out 2pure.

Aether 9 AL is 3060g bare frame weight, Ripley AF is 7.45lbs = 3380g. I don’t know if the latter is with or without a shock, so either they weigh the same or the Ripley AF is heavier. No great surprise because the Ripmo AF isn’t light either!

Thats without shock. So about 9% heavier than an Aether – still a reasonable weight for alu mind.

Would certainly be interested in a frame only if they do that in the future. Personally I would be happier paying for the Ibis over a Bird just to have DW link in preference to FSR.

@chiefgrooveguru – apologies, was reading the geo chart completely wrong! Too much time looking at various ones must have fried my mind while noting the figures down. That brings it back into the reckoning. Just depends on what build parts are available really, I know that’s not a problem unique to Bird though.

“ Personally I would be happier paying for the Ibis over a Bird just to have DW link in preference to FSR.”

The Bird is a 4 bar (as is the Ibis technically, it’s just short link rather than long link) but it’s nothing like a typical FSR design (not that there is really such a thing – recent FSR designs have far more anti-squat and progression than a few years back).

The notable thing is that the top link hangs and counter-rotates, which shifts the instant centre back to the same region as a DW-link’s, raising the brake squat substantially vs an FSR style 4 bar.

“ Just depends on what build parts are available really, I know that’s not a problem unique to Bird though.”

My shock blew at the weekend and I had a proper panic that I might be forced back onto my hardtail which now has a toddler seat getting in the way of my knees!

Personally I would be happier paying for the Ibis over a Bird just to have DW link in preference to FSR

I’d need a ride on each to know which I preferred but I’d be leaning towards the Bird with thoughts of minimal future service hassle when I need bearings, a hanger, etc.

BITD DW link was a solution to squidgy, squatty HL bikes.

Recently I tested the Aether 9 whilst on the hunt for my new FS and its just like old HL without the squatty downsides. In fact it reminded me about all the good things of my old Turner 5spot, without any of its bad habits.

I had tested a Santa Cruz High Tower the week before and I couldn’t really tell much difference.

Google says on average that’s 7%

you don’t add the US sales tax, you add the british sales tax. before you do that you add the cost of shipping, the import duty, some money for the importer and then the sales tax.

in the US you can usually get the price lower with a bit of haggling as well.

“ I had tested a Santa Cruz High Tower the week before and I couldn’t really tell much difference.”

If you look through the supremely geeky blog here, you’ll see how so many good brands have converged on similar kinematics, but go back as little as 5 years and they were all over the place!

http://linkagedesign.blogspot.com/

It matters surprisingly little what the headline type of suspension is but it matters a huge amount where the pivots are placed right down to millimetres. All about the lines between them and how they project vs the chain line and other forces.

My shock blew at the weekend and I had a proper panic that I might be forced back onto my hardtail which now has a toddler seat getting in the way of my knees!

That’s the reason I’m looking at a new bike actually. The RP2 DRCV on my Trek is comically worn out with some of the parts no longer available so it’s just how long before it starts to give up holding air. It needs topping up by 5-10 psi every month at the moment so it’s not far away. Typical timing when there’s an international shortage of bikes and parts!

Will need to do a bit more reading to update my knowledge on the kinematics. It’s good news that they are converging on designs that all pedal well. 🤔

If you look through the supremely geeky blog here, you’ll see how so many good brands have converged on similar kinematics,

Evolution of the industry I guess.

I had started looking into this actually, because its been very hard to justify nearly twice the price for the High Tower when the Aether 9 feels as good. I appreciate there are other factors, but still.

Theres a guy on YouTube – Trail POV – who does kinematic analysis and his conclusion that was that there wasn’t anything particularly special about VPP compared to other suspension types.

Geometry looks really good on it actually.

But its butt ugly. It’s also heavier than my longer travel bike, which has a coil shock, a decent fork & proper tyres. And it’s on bushes.

120mm bikes with good geo is pleasing, weighing the same as (some) 170mm travel bikes is bonkers.

Guess that’s the price you pay for something that’s cheap (ish.)

What’s wrong with bushings?! And ones with grease ports to boot?!

Suspension pivots don’t rotate enough to warrant bearings, and the size of the bearings used mean that they wear pretty quickly. Turner had it right all those years ago.

Outside the bike world (e.g. pretty much every car on the road) bushings are used in some pretty high stress, low friction, low rotation situations.

“ Thats without shock. So about 9% heavier than an Aether – still a reasonable weight for alu mind.”

Just watched the Pinkbike video and apparently the weight is with the Fox inline shock, so about 3.1kg bare, under 7lbs.

“ Theres a guy on YouTube – Trail POV – who does kinematic analysis and his conclusion that was that there wasn’t anything particularly special about VPP compared to other suspension types.”

I’d agree with that. What WAS special is that VPP and DW-link were the first mainstream designs to get decent anti-squat and linkage progression numbers.

When I was looking at getting my first full-sus back in 2013 I was amazed at how many designs had regressive linkages and low (bobby) anti-squat. Banshee’s 2013 Spitfire looks like it had kinematics from the future, and the current version has changed little but so many other bikes now are like it.

And I think modern air shocks with good spring curves and proper damping have massively improved the situation so even simple single pivots can work well.

Totally agree.

What’s interesting this time round in my selection process is rather than zeroing in on specific linkage types as I have done previously, I have progressed to examining kinematics and choosing test rides based on those.

Theres much more decent info around to make informed choices than there was even in 2017 when I last bought an FS.