Ibis Ripley v2 Mini Review

Discussion in 'Bike Reviews' started by SoCal_Rider, Oct 25, 2015.


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  1. SoCal_Rider

    SoCal_Rider Member

    Location:
    Temecula/Murrieta
    Name:
    Ryan
    I was able to get a short demo on the new Ibis Ripley (not the LS unfortunately) today thru Jenson. It was only 45 mins and the bike wasn't setup perfect, but my takeaway is I think I like the Ripley better than my Tallboy v1 (which I really like). Hard to put too much into this review since the trails were somewhat unfamiliar and weren't my preferred demo location. I did ride the route first on my Tallboy and then again with the Ripley.

    The Ripley felt smoother than my Tallboy and soaked up bigger hits better. I think I'm a fan of DW over VPP (I have a Pivot Mach 6 too). There might be some benefit to the super-wide Ibis 941 wheels, but I'd need more time to be sure. The 54-tooth star ratchet was noticeable over the 36-tooth I normally run. SRAM Guide brakes were good, but the lever shape is different than Shimano's. Took a bit to get used to it.

    Really that's all I can say after such a short ride. When I'm ready for a new bike, the Ripley and Ripley LS will definitely be on the list.

    image.jpeg
     
  2. Varaxis

    Varaxis Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Perris
    Name:
    Dan Vu
    Current Bike:
    Yeti SB5c ('16 Yellow v1)
    My impressions of the Ripley v2:

    I spent the time to tune the suspension to the best it can be. I rode the v1 last year. The DPS shock is impressive, which I'd choose over a CC DB Inline. The 34 on the other hand, feels like it traded off some of the 36's small bump compliance and traction for platform, which means it doesn't bob like crazy when you hammer out of the saddle, which suits the Ripley's style, but didn't quite do as well as the rear. I'd still choose the 34 over the Pike and 36, but would prefer it be set to 120mm travel, as I think the lack of bob is valuable and set to 140 it was a bit overforked (I prefer a lower CoG). There was virtually no bounce in the rear with the shock set to medium (previously known as trail), able to sit in the saddle pedaling through everything as long as the pedals cleared. Emphasis on this, as it seems to be a rare FS trait, being able to be comfortably pedaled in the rough at high speeds, as every extra pedal stroke matters if you're racing something technical. It was a little underdamped and bouncy in open, but that's cool if you actually want to bounce/pop off of stuff for air, trading away traction/control and comfort for it. It had a Nobby Nic '15 front and Racing Ralph in back which made me tone back the aggressiveness and just go for carrying momentum, but I bet with some Maxxis tires this steed would be pretty sweet. Climbing really wasn't as impressive as I remember it. Challenged a few troublesome hills and it took 2 tries to clear, not being worse than anything else I've ridden. I guess hammering on the carbon HT singlespeed beforehand made the sprints up the 1-2 min climbs feel not as impressive on this. Based on this ride, I can confidently place a wager on the LS being pretty badass, since it does 2 things I wish the Ripley was to better match how I ride, lower and slacker.



    I was there from 10AM to 2PM. Took out the Tranny first and got a bit of whiplash riding it down BFR (when the rear of the hardtail hit the bottom, that F'd me up) to show how it's done to a small crowd eyeing it, then hammering out some XC miles for a warmup. I then set off on a Ripley v2. Helped myself to some BBQ and then took out the HD3 right before they packed up the bikes. With 45 mins to demo each bike, I planned out some loops close to the trailhead, avoiding the far side towards Canyon Crest and the section south of Alessandro.

    Tranny egged me to charge uphills thanks to its steep HA, but it was a challenge trying to descend with it, being quite a handful. It made short work of some of the climbs since it prob weighed like 20 lbs. Surprisingly, I matched my PR on one descent, outpacing the HD3 by 1 sec (because I waited up for someone who was hollering that his ass got buzzed on a 2-3' drop).

    The HD3 was pretty much a 650b wheeled E29 to me, with a better rear shock (DPS). Didn't seem as good though, and I'm not quite sure what to attribute it to besides the wheel size difference.

    Solid bikes with nothing I can really complain about. If I had to nitpick, I'd say the seat collar clamps were kind of cheap, that the one of the Lev Integras I rode on was pretty sticky, and the cable routing for the dropper was silly. Someone pointed out that the bottle cage on the bike pic'd above didn't work, but the others had Arundel Sideloaders. The LoFi flat bar was surprisingly comfy. Can't say whether I prefer either between 11 spd Shimano or SRAM based on shifting performance, nor say if I liked older gen Shimano brakes over SRAM Guides. Wonder what saddle was on them.
     
  3. UPSed

    UPSed iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Simi Valley
    Name:
    Ed
    Current Bike:
    Niner Jet 9 RDO
    Can't wait to try out the LS. JRA in Agoura Hills will have Ibis demos in the shop for a week so I will be able to take one out for the day to try on my trails. It's really going to have to be the cat's meow after having finally dialed in my Stumpy. We shall see.
     
    Mikie likes this.
  4. Voodoo Tom

    Voodoo Tom MTB Addict

    Location:
    Castaic
    Name:
    Tom Kokkinakis
    Current Bike:
    Mango one, black one, Ti one
    Ed let me know when they have these demos as I'd love to try out an LS.
     
    Mikie and UPSed like this.
  5. Varaxis

    Varaxis Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Perris
    Name:
    Dan Vu
    Current Bike:
    Yeti SB5c ('16 Yellow v1)
    I would like to know when at least LS production models land. I have my doubts that they'd go on demo before they serve out the pre-sold ones. I only have heard tentative estimates of "some time in Nov". I wouldn't be surprised to see a RS-1 120mm spec'd on the dream spec model.
     
    Mikie and UPSed like this.
  6. Varaxis

    Varaxis Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Perris
    Name:
    Dan Vu
    Current Bike:
    Yeti SB5c ('16 Yellow v1)


    Spent a few hours riding the Ripley v1 at Sycamore-Riverside solo, after riding it earlier in the morning in a group ride and tearing my front tire's casing. Putting Maxxis tires on it pretty much brought it alive, compared to the Schwalbe tires that came on the demo. It is fast... 26 medals, using the same parts I had on the Following. It even jumps pretty well...
     
    knucklebuster likes this.
  7. pperrelle

    pperrelle iMTB Rockstah

    Location:
    Oracle, AZ
    Name:
    Paul
    Current Bike:
    Ripley V4 & Ripmo V2
    Anyone on here running a Ripley V2? Since the OG frame is discontinued, they are on sale right now. Thinking about pulling the trigger on a frameset and building it up. Would love to hear more real world reviews other than what all the bike mags had to say.
     
    littlewave likes this.
  8. littlewave

    littlewave Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Newport Beach
    Name:
    Brett
    Current Bike:
    GG Smash (Alu)
    Seems like it would slot in nicely between the Tranny and HD3.

    I was pretty set on the LS as my do it all, one bike quiver, but right before I pulled the trigger they had an insane deal on the HD3. That doesn't really help you other than to tell you what you already know: Ibis rocks. And they seem to work well for you so I don't think you'll go wrong.
     
    pperrelle likes this.
  9. Voodoo Tom

    Voodoo Tom MTB Addict

    Location:
    Castaic
    Name:
    Tom Kokkinakis
    Current Bike:
    Mango one, black one, Ti one
    Not that it's much help but my main rig is a V1 Ripley with a 140pike and lots of carbon with 2.35's. I've ridden this bike absolutely anywhere and everywhere and it has never let me down or feeling like I should've been on a bigger squish bike. It's XC fast and AM capable the way I have it and it's not the best at anything but good at lots of things if that makes sense. Ibis sizing is not normal though and at 5'9" I ride a large just fine. Bought the wife an LS special blend a while back. I'm not allowed to flog on it like it's my own bike but have ridden it many times and can tell you it feels "right". I don't think it gives away anything in the pedaling department and feels just as nimble as my OG. I will say though that the wife's LS definitely has a stupid low bottom bracket despite what any of the measurements say. If you buy one get a matte black frame or tape it up cause Ibis paint may look good but it chips up something terrible...
     
    pperrelle likes this.
  10. SoCal_Rider

    SoCal_Rider Member

    Location:
    Temecula/Murrieta
    Name:
    Ryan
    I ended up buying a Ripley LS about a year ago. Still loving it. It's a great all around bike. A great climber that I run in open shock mode all the time. I do anything from 50 mi fire road days to steep technical trails with it.

    I'm 6' and just fit on the XL with a 50mm stem and 150mm dropper. The XL LS is long-ish but that's what keeps it stable on the steep / choppy stuff. If you ride a bit flatter trails with more flow and turns, then the OG has quicker handling. You could always run a 1-1.5* angleset on an OG and kind of split the difference. If in between sizes, then I'd upsize.

    Early on I had some issue with pedal strikes, but changing to a 140 Pike and running more shock pressure took care of that. It still has good rear suspension feel with the higher pressure.
     
  11. pperrelle

    pperrelle iMTB Rockstah

    Location:
    Oracle, AZ
    Name:
    Paul
    Current Bike:
    Ripley V4 & Ripmo V2
    As you can probably tell, I really like Ibis bikes. When the Ripley V2 frameset ended up on sale, I had to pull the trigger on it. I've been wanting to get back on a low/mid travel 29er. Don't really need anything too aggressive since I have the Mojo for that. Frame arrived last week and I built it up over the weekend. Pretty much had all the parts I needed in the garage except for a fork, so I ordered a new Fox 34 fork along with the frame. Three rides on the bike so far and I really like it! Not as fast or light as the Tranny going up, or as fast and plush as the Mojo going down, but does everything reasonably well. Would be a good one quiver bike. I was surprised at how well it handles tight switchbacks. I see myself spending a lot of time on it this summer. Working on getting it dialed in now.

    IMG_4355.JPG IMG_4357.JPG IMG_4361.JPG
     
    littlewave, PATKOUG, MattB and 9 others like this.
  12. mtnbikej

    mtnbikej J-Zilla

    Location:
    Orange
    Name:
    J
    Current Bike:
    SC Chameleon SS, SC Hightower
    Nice bike...I think you'll find that you ride the short travel 29er more....even on the more rowdy trails.

    Switchback's are more about technique than the bike. I've seen our friends get their tandem around some switchbacks that I never thought was possible.
     
    pperrelle likes this.
  13. scottay

    scottay Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Gods Country
    Name:
    Scottay
    Just in time for the Ripley V3.0 to arrive....
    .
     
  14. pperrelle

    pperrelle iMTB Rockstah

    Location:
    Oracle, AZ
    Name:
    Paul
    Current Bike:
    Ripley V4 & Ripmo V2
    Exactly. That's why the Ripley OG V2 was on sale. The V3 is based on the LS, just a little stiffer and able to handle wider tires. I was fine with the steeper head angle and don't plan on running wider tires/wheels, so it worked out well for me.
     
    UPSed, scottay and mtnbikej like this.
  15. scottay

    scottay Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Gods Country
    Name:
    Scottay
    The Rips a good bike. They will probably go back to that geometry in a couple a seasons and call it something new, like Ripley XC or something. :)
    .
    Haven't looked into the V3 too much yet, too tempting! But I'm not sure I want to be pushing big 2.6 29er tires uphill too much.....
     
    pperrelle and mtnbikej like this.
  16. herzalot

    herzalot iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Laguna Beach
    Name:
    Chris
    Current Bike:
    2020 Revel Rail,Yeti SB 130 LR
    Never heard of a Maxxis Forekaster. Had to look it up. They tout it as a wet weather tire. How do you like it @pperrelle ?
     
    pperrelle likes this.
  17. pperrelle

    pperrelle iMTB Rockstah

    Location:
    Oracle, AZ
    Name:
    Paul
    Current Bike:
    Ripley V4 & Ripmo V2
    Only have a handful or rides on it so far, but it seems pretty decent. Haven't really pushed it yet. The tires came on the wheels that I picked up as new bike takeoffs, so I figured I'd run them to see if I like them. @Ebruner has more time on the Forekaster and likes them.
     
    herzalot likes this.
  18. mtnbikej

    mtnbikej J-Zilla

    Location:
    Orange
    Name:
    J
    Current Bike:
    SC Chameleon SS, SC Hightower

    I've been running one on the SS since Palm Canyon earlier this month. It is a loose condition/wet condition tire. It seems to hook up pretty well, even on hardpack. 765g for 2.35 with TR/EXO. Doesn't seem like a very wide tire.

    For a tire that knobby, it still rolls pretty quick and relatively smooth.
     
  19. Ebruner

    Ebruner Well-Known Member

    Name:
    Erik Bruner
    Current Bike:
    22' Nomad, 22' Trance x 29
    Nice bike. I'm in the process of mixing up my stable a bit and the LS version was on my radar for a bit, but the fit numbers don't work out all that well for me.

    Regarding the Forekaster I think it's a pretty good tire overall. I like to think of it as a bit of a step up in grip from an ardent without much (if any) of a hit with rolling resistance. I had the pleasure of riding it on a few wet rides and it shines like crazy in the wet, but is still awesome in the dry. It's not a minion by any means, but it has similar break away characteristics where the ardent feels like a total different animal.
     
    herzalot and mtnbikej like this.
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As a former Amazon Associate I continue to get screwed trying to stay qualified as an Amazon Affiliate. So I quit!


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