Ibis Mojo HD3

Here's a brief review I did on the Ibis Mojo HD3. Great bike. Still too short for me, but great bike.

http://www.imtbtrails.com/forum/threads/i-had-to-match-my-gloves-mojo-hd3.2163/

 

Good stuff! I think I mentioned in your Tracer review thread that I have an Endorphin which I really like, but always feel like it kicks my butt more than I'd like when I do big rides. Generally speaking, your review is what I imagined if I switch to an HD3: better general climbing, and similar descending vs. the Endorphin. I'll hopefully find out this weekend in Sedona. I'm also very intrigued by the new Mojo 3, though I don't think I'd run the 2.8 tires.

 

If you try the Mojo3, I'd strongly suggest at least giving serious consideration to the 2.8 tires.

 

This threads reference is now posted in the new Forum Bike Reviews!

 

Would love to try the Mojo 3, very sweet looking bike.

 

Posted this on a MTBR Ibis thread too:

Was able to demo a Mojo 3 at the Sedona MTB fest. Have to preface by saying it was at the end of the day of day 2 (so my legs were a little fried), and it was a quick ride. Took it out and did the Adobe Jack trail, which is a nice mix of rocky, twisty ups and downs.

Sizing: I'm 5'9" and demoed a L with a 60mm stem. Fit great, but would prob could go with a 50mm stem. Unfortunately, the 150mm dropper was slightly too long. We had it set up as low as it could go, and it was ~5mm too high fully extended. I made it work. Ran into a guy on the trail who had a M with a 60mm stem, and I jumped on it and pedaled for about 5 seconds and it felt small. Would need a longer stem on this for sure (80mm?).

Build: X01 Werx with the 2.8NN tires. Awesome! Not sure what size chainring was up front, I'm guessing it was 32t, because it felt like I had plenty of top end on the way over to the trail (downhill road), and also felt like I would want another gear if things got steeper.

Ride: again, was a quick ride, but I was super impressed. It felt super plush with the big tires and the suspension worked really well with them. There were a couple of twisty, rocky switchback ups that I thought I wasn't going to make, but I just kept pedaling and made it no problem. It didn't magically negate the fact that I was tired while climbing, but it rewarded me very nicely when I pushed through the burning in my legs. On the downs, the handling felt very natural, and I got used to the bike very quickly. I took the time to pop off little bumps and rocks and it felt very playful. One of my weaknesses is high-speed cornering when I'm unsure of traction, and it felt amazing there too (as expected with the big tires at low pressure). I didn't push it too far in this regard with it just being a 1 hour demo.

Bottom line: I think this is the bike for me. I currently ride a 2014 Knolly Endorphin, and love the bike. For the riding I do in So Cal though, I feel it's a bit cumbersome on rides with lots of climbing. I can see why people love it in places like AZ. It does really well on chunky, techy climbs and descents. I feel like the Mojo 3 would be similar on the this type of terrain (prob better in some regards), but would be faster and save me a lot of energy on those 5K+ climbing days. Now I'm just figuring out what I need to do financially to get my hands on one!

 

Just picked one of these up. The build begins......

 

nice... when is launch date?

 

Hopefully by the weekend. Still waiting for a few parts to come in. You're partially to blame after you let me ride your longer travel bike at Oaks!

 

Glad some damage was done, haha...

 

@pperrelle Is that the HD3? Regardless, congrats and have fun building her up!

 

Yep, it's the HD3, pre-boost model.

 

She's alive! Just finished the build last night and did a quick pre-work Whiting run this morning. Here's my take so far. Keep in mind that I am coming off a 120mm forked HT and a Trek Fuel EX-8, 120mm on both ends. The 150/rear, 160/front Mojo is an eye opener for sure. The stuff that used to bounce me around on the Fuel disappeared under me with the Mojo. I could still feel the trail and the breaking bumps, but the ride was a lot smoother. All I did was set the sag on the suspension, so it can only get better with some other adjustment tweaks. The Mojo also handles better than the Fuel. Not sure if it's the smaller 650B wheels or the shorter wheel base and chain stay length, but it did corner more confidently.

The only climb on todays ride was Mustard. It didn't feel any easier or harder than the Fuel, which is a positive given the longer travel. The real test will be on a longer more extended climb. I'll have to hit STT-Luge or Monroe Truck Trail soon and see how it does.

Still need to do a few things like shorten the brake lines and install the Reverb when the new hose comes in.

As far as first impressions go, this one is positive. Can't wait to get some more saddle time on it.

 

Oh my! That is a beauty @pperrelle !

 

Awesomest!

 

That bike is..... S E X Y !!

 

Let's do a whiting luge run Sunday and break that puppy in!
But you finish about the time I start, 830ish.

Nice rig it is!

 

Coming from 130/120mm and 120/100, first time on the 160 I was shocked, and forked too.

 

Nice bike!!! I'm test riding the Ripley LS and Mojo 3 next week...I hope I can find room on my credit card!!!

 

Get 'em both!

 

I'm taking to Mojo 3 out for a spin as well. Pretty excited to try it.

 

So a few weeks back I had the pleasure of meeting and buying @AKAKTM 's large Ibis HD3 (Pre-Boost). I'm about 5'9" and nearly all torso. I have a 30 inch inseam to give you some reference. My prior bike was a medium 2012 Ibis HD (12x142) and I thoroughly loved this bike. It never let me down nor held me back. The new bike was built up with XO1, Guide RSC brakes, a Fox 36, a CC DB Inline in back, RS Reverb Stealth 150...oh and some sexy Specialized Roval Traverse Fattie wheels.


Where to start? I demo'd the HD3 very soon after the bike debuted as a friend and Ibis Dealer insisted on getting me in on their early demo day. I took it to Cooks Corner and proceeded to climb Modjeska and descend the Luge (back to back with my HD). I remember thinking...damn thank goodness I cannot afford this thing right now. Fast forward over a year and now I own one. I've had the chance to ride it several times on my local trails (SM Mtns) and have made some minor tweaks to the base settings on the rear shock. I was blowing through the travel, so I added a smidge of high and low speed compression. Also the fork was a bit divey, so I added some LSC. Here in lies my first revelation. Current Fox and Cane Creek suspension has a totally different feel than my XFusion Vector HLR and XFusion Vengeance HLR Air. Now keep in mind that I thoroughly loved my XFusion suspension on my HD, but thus far, I can say the new 36 is much better at small bump while not giving up any of the big hit capabilities nor pedaling capabilities. Basically, minus the lack of quick release type axle, I am super stoked on the new 36!


The rear suspension feel is much more supple than my HD. Meaning the small bump sensitivity is improved, yet somehow, it also climbs more efficiently. Now this could be the carbon hoops (less rotational weight than my previous wheels), semi slick rear tire (more on this later) or the overall lighter total bike weight, but I am inclined to believe it is the suspension kinematics that are giving me the improved feel. I won't lie, I am not 100% satisfied with the rear suspension and I am currently pointing the finger at the DB Inline. It feels amazing for the majority of my riding; however, on big square impact or flat landing (I know I know...you shouldn't send drops to flats, but sometimes the trails don't cooperate) I blow through all the travel and bottom that baby out. I think I will continue to add compression damping in hopes of getting a bit more bottom our resistance as I believe the maximum amount of volume spacers are installed already.


Geometry...nailed it. Now this is not one of the super Enduro bikes. It doesn't have a 65* HA nor super long TT. That being said, it's slacker and longer than my HD. I actually moved from a medium HD (780mm bars w/ a 70mm stem) to an Large HD3 (780mm bars w/ a 50mm stem). I love it. I don't know for fact, but I'm striking my pedals more, so I presume that the bottom bracket is lower, which would support my demo ride impressions - it corners and maneuvers side to side better than my old HD.


Ok...so to the components. It came with a rather worn Schwalbe Rock Razo (RR) in back. My first thought was what the heck am i supposed to do with this thing. On my HD, I was running an Ardent and really had no complaints with it. Prior to that I'd been running Special Ed Ground Control Grid's and had no complaints. Since October of last year, I now live where I can ride 2 miles on the road to my local trailhead. Immediately, I noticed how much more efficient these tires were on the road, but this is not a road bike, right? Now keep in mind over the past three or so weeks, the dirt's been pretty damn good, so tires have not been of the utmost concern, but I am downright shocked with how well the Rock Razor hooks up on my local dirt both climbing and braking while descending. The big question is, do I roll the dice and buy another one or do I play it safe and buy an Ardent or Ground Control...especially as the dry and blown out conditions are fast approaching? I think I answered my own question, but there's one more plus to the RR - it picks up speed so well on the descents.


Next component praise goes to the Sram Guide RSC brakes. Now I am super picky about my brakes. I like my lever to pull near the bar, I like my levers way inboard towards my stem so just the hook of the lever is over the inside of my grips. Oh and I love powerful brakes with a ton of modulation (I hate skidding). So, my past two sets of brakes have been Formula The Ones and Hope M4 Evo's. Both of which I loved (minus the upkeep on the Formulas), but the Hopes were my favs. Long story short, I don't love the looks of the Guides (I'm a sucker for machined aluminum...aka...I'm a Hope guy), but I have no qualms with their performance. I like the lever shape. They are thoroughly adjustable, from bite point to lever throw/reach. They modulate as good or better than my Hopes and they also have as much power as the Hopes. Now I'm only a few weeks in, but thus far I am happy with them and will keep them on the bike.


Wow, I did not mean to write this long of an essay. My apologies for any of you that read the entire thing. I’ll sum it up like this...the bike rips...both up and down. Although I’d like to think I need a Nomad or a Capra, I really think a bike closer to the “trail” category is more my speed. I climb to descend, but do enjoy the satisfaction and cardio of climbing. It is therapeutic to me and this bike will provide plenty of therapy for me. Oh and I’m a bit of an adrenaline junky, so I like steeps...and this bike handles them just fine too! One last thing caveat - I like DW Link. I prefer not to flip any levers while riding (i.e. pro-pedal or climb switch).

 

Well done ^^^^^

 

Oh and the ability to carry a water bottle inside the front triangle is a huge plus for me!!!!

 

I am so glad to hear you are loving the HD3. If I had the room in the garage and the time to ride more, I would certainly have kept it. It was one of my favorite bikes so far. If you go to the Rock Razor, you'll find that it does very well even in loose over hard pack (our typical summer conditions) if you keep the pressures relatively low. You'd be surprised. The only issue I had with the RR was that it has an abrupt transition from the low center knobs to the more aggressive side knobs. If I were not doing much peddling, I'd look at a Hans Dampf or Maxxis out back, but all things considered, it's a very nice tire for our conditions.

I am glad you've dialed in the fork so well. It is an excellent fork with little to complain about. I think there's room for one more spacer in the DBinline if you want to try. That should help with bottom out a bit more--particularly if you dial in a bit more compression. If you want to really ride the bike hard, get a Fox Float X2. I rode a HD3 in Sedona with one and it was most impressive!

You also echoed my thoughts exactly on the Guide brakes. They are surprisingly good. I am not crazy about the looks and hate that they aren't compatible with my Shimano XTR iSpec shifter.

As you know, I've moved to a similarly setup Ibis Mojo 3. Feels sort of crazy going from a beautiful HD3 to an M3 in a color I like less (red vs. 917 blue) and giving up 20mm of travel, but the M3 with B+ tires really seems to suit my current riding. The M3 is just a bit more efficient on the flats and climbing, which is hard to believe, and it does a great job convincing you that it has 150 out back with the 2.8 tire rather than the actual 130mm. I would still like to experiment by adding a volume spacer in the Fox EVOL shock, but the new shock is considerably better than the old Float CTD shocks. Ibis used to spec a Pike for the front of the M3 and it's a great and easy to tune fork, but Scot Nicol and others at Ibis recommended a 2017 Fox 34 custom tune so that's what I did. So far, it has a fantastic feel. I added a volume reducing spader and dropped the pressure a bit and it is near perfect...except I can't seem to get the last 10mm of travel out of it. I'll keep working on it.

Overall, the M3 is fast, capable beyond expectations (or my abilities), comfortable and a real looker. As for the frame and geometry, the short chain stays, BB height and head tube angles are all spot on for me. The only thing that's a tiny bit off is the top tube length. I am just under 5'11" and I want for 5-10mm more top tube length in the large frame. As it is, I'm running a 60 stem and may try a 65. Oh yea, I went with the XT-M8000 brakes because they adapt to the iSpec XTR shifter mount, the look good and are at an amazing price point for the performance with plenty of overall power. I like the lever better than the Guide as well. Unfortunately, I like the wider range of modulation, quietness and power of the Guide better. I swore off SRAM brakes years ago and switched to Formula and Shimano for years, but now I'm considering going back to...SRAM on the M3. I am hoping ProblemSolvers will bring an adapter to allow me to mount my iSpec shifter directly on the SRAM brakes!

Bottom line: Ibis makes some superb bikes with dialed geometry--particularly for those that like to earn their turns (climb). They also have the best customer service and support in the business. I think I'm a fan for life...

NOTE: to those riding Ibis DW bikes, you'll need to create "progressiveness" in the shock with volume reducing spacers. This took me a while to learn and I didn't learn it until the lasts week of owning the HD3. Put in 6 volume reducing spacers from Cane Creek for a starting point and almost open the HSC and LSC compression.

 

@pachaven How'd the demo go? You pick up a bike?

 

Depending on your style of riding don't ride the Mojo 3 unless you have room on your credit card.

 

I road an HD3 a few weeks ago. I thought it was magic. perhaps the perfect one bike do all Socal Bike? Top contender for my next bike.

 

It wasn't the best experience that day i was demoing...I have owned three different Ibis bikes and have loved them all. But this time the bikes were in poor shape and the shop was in such a hurry that I felt rushed. I guess I just didn't get a good feel for the bikes. I will test them again but next time I will pay for the demo day and spend more time setting them up.

 

Nice! Good read. I've put in inquiries for a custom HD3 build with Vince at JRA and Mike at Fullerton Bikes.