Ibis

Ripley SLX Complete Mountain Bike

Contrary to the popular belief that all mountain bikes should be as long and slack as possible, we think that there's a balance to be achieved—especially in the trail-bike department. Though the Ibis' newest iteration of its Ripley does see a full redesign that does include the modern longer-slacker-steeper treatment, we think it finds a moderate landing place that's still capable of quick-rolling power and nimble control. That's because the engineers at Ibis didn't go too overboard. Instead, they opt for just a one-degree shift in the head tube to slacken things, lengthening the wheelbase just a touch to extend the reach in the cockpit 45mm to give you a little more room to move around, while the seat tube shifts up 3-degrees for the perfect perch when you need to attack climbs. The Ripley 4 features an all-new chassis, taking queues from its beefier brother, the Ripmo, offering more room for dropper posts, shorter chainstays, and the lively and reliable DW-Link suspension.

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 chassis allows massive weight savings of over a half-pound on the frame alone, giving your trail 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 standover 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, in addition to the geometry tweaks we mentioned above, Ibis shortened the chainstays by a whopping 12-millimeters to boost stiffness and balance the lengthened wheelbase with nimble handling, and they also made the suspension a bit more progressive for hard chargers, without letting go of the lively pedaling characteristics of the previous Ripley.

*Due to unprecedented demand in the global supply chain and the bike industry over the last 18 months, material weight and exact components are subject to change. We are working diligently to keep tech specs updated, and any adjustments will be minor. If you have any questions, reach out to a Gearhead by chatting online or calling 1-888-276-7130.