New Bike Day!

Got a box on Monday (not Friday, whoops!):

 

Yeah, but today is Weds....it's now been 5 days. You bought a WSD bike?

 

The chick on the box is kinda hot for a cartoonish demonstrational chick.

 

I guess Gaint is not into selling helmets.

 

Wait, now it's a Trek?!

 

This is so intriguing! What's going on here??????

And @Cornholio has me a little worried. Don't leave him alone with that Liv box.

 

Ah, that's more like it! Ibis Ripley LS, XL, in special blend attire.



Found a deal I couldn't pass up on a bike that was a top contender before I bought the HD3. Eventually, once the wife tires of two bikes in the garage, one of them will have to go. For now, I'm "comparing." Pretty happy overall, although it needs a dropper, and the derailleur hanger is bent. Also, whoever set it up put the 2.25 tire up front and the 2.35 tire out back. Switching those around tonight.

It definitely gives up something on the downhill, but man, does it shine while climbing. I cleaned some stuff that I rarely if ever clean, and I mostly kept up with my much fitter and faster riding partner who usually disappears from sight. I've demoed several Ripleys, but this longer term try out should give me a better idea of this bike. Need to get it into some of the more technical chunk Laguna has to offer and see how it goes.

 

WSD?! DST! PMQ!

 

Climbing performance over descending performance? No thanks, next please! Next thing you'll be posting questions about single speeds and why droppers suck.

 

No way, getting a dropper for this stat!

And yes, it gives up something going down and trades it in for something going up. But it's still a 5"R/5.5"F travel 29er. It ain't exactly a slouch pointed in the fun direction.

 

Lol...the packaging is like those Russian toys that open up to be a smaller version of the same thing.

 

Stealthy - well, in terms of stickers, not in terms of color. Cool bike, ...but now who will I out-climb? Crap!

 

Still me.

 

Man, this week has me off. Box came on Monday...

 

LIV is Giant's "womens specific design" line of bike......WSD.

 

Ah, knew about LIV, never heard the term WSD, but, the Ripley was designed by a woman, so...

 

Roxy Lo + Dave Weagle = Brilliance!

 

Wow, what a face-off! A win either way, but good to try out the big hoops. The rollover might be tough to say no to – but I'm prolly projecting here. I gave up more travel for bigger hoops, and there is paltry chance I will go back to LT on any bike as long as I live here. 40-50 mm of my Bronson's travel did nothing when I climbed, compared to the big wheels helping all over the mountain and not penalizing me going down.

Have fun with your research!

 

She's clearly just in the shop for a fitting.

 

As promised, @Cornholio , a dropper:





I didn't want to spend much on a dropper and I wanted something reliable, so I was looking at the e13 (mechanical with a coil spring!) and the new xfusion (replacement cartidges are $25). The e13 doesn't come out until August in 125mm, and 125 was already pushing it with the stack height for the e13. When I asked about the xfusion at my shop they laughed and said no one has ever asked for an xfusion dropper so they lost a sale. So, I researched my options, narrowed it down to the PNW Rainier and the BikeYoke Revive, and decided to take a chance on the BikeYoke Revive from Jenson. With a 15% coupon code and Active Junky cash back, it was a pretty sweet deal that was only slightly over my original budget.

If you haven't heard about this dropper, it foregoes the internal floating piston to separate air and oil, and instead let's them mix in the outer tube. Should the dropper start to sag (as any hydraulic dropper eventually does) you simply twist a reset key which purges the air from the hydraulic fluid, et voila, post is like new. I have to say, it's very satisfying to do (as part of the install they have you "revive" the post). Mine had a couple millimeters of play, and after the revive, no play at all. Pretty cool considering when I had issues with my first two KS Levs they had to be sent in for warranty so the bike was in the shop for two weeks. More info here: https://www.pinkbike.com/news/bikeyoke-revive-not-just-another-drop-post.html

Install was a breeze even for a ham-handed, marginal mechanic like me. Simply follow the well thought out instructions and you are in business. Took me about 30-40 minutes.

Action at the lever is very light, much lighter than my KS Lev, and the post is very smooth with a quick return.

I will have to give it some time on the trail, but just based on the fit and finish, the install, and the extremely satisfying process of "reviving," I am very pleased with this purchase.

 

Awesome! Interested to hear your thoughts after some use. Before I got my RIP I was on the fence for a Ripley, fun stuff!

 

Good for you! I just sold my warn winch so that I can purchase a new bike frame that I'll use for a custom build trail bike.

 

Dam...that post is cool. If my Reverb ever takes a poop...I'm grabbing one of these.

 

Hey, Monday was New Phone Day, because iPhones apparently die without warning. Now that the replacement died, I get New Phone Day again next Monday! I'm so overjoyed!

Some nice contrast to...


































































New Bike Day



Mystery build complements of shitty iPad camera! Initial build request...



Modified: e13 10-46 cassette; front tire, Maxxis Minion DHF 2.5 @Grego Series : ) 60mm stem, 35mm x 790 bar, 31 lbs without pedals. The whole Guerrilla Gravity experience was dreamy. Boutique/US-made FTW.

Tomorrow AM, the weezelle and I go a-smashing.

 

Congratulations! That bike seriously looks like it was made for you.

 

Awesome Mike! And a coil too! I see you went to a Med size, those GG bikes have some long top tubes.

I haven't had my own experience with GG, but love the biz attitude and the fact they are welded in house in CO, and they just ooze stoke.

 

Thanks for the stoke, Dave. You and crash-not helped lead the way to this, ya know . @burt probably had some influence. The fuking rocks around here sure did! GG has it going on. Beyond satisfied...

I'll check in with thoughts on the coil. Right now I gotta finish getting drunk.

 

Sweet rig @mike. Made to smash sh!t and built in the USA and no paint to scratch. F'n a man what's not to like...

 

Yeager, Bell Ridge and Los Pinos slayer. Nice looking rig there @mike

 

Happy New Bike Day!!!