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Drilling Mojo HD Frame for Reverb Stealth Post

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Discussion starter · #41 ·
humdinger;90660w04 said:
Nice mod, but am I missing something? I have the new Blacx Jewel AM+ which like the hotly awaited KS Lev, and this Reverb stealth, has the cable and working parts attached to the lower section of the post, so no cable rub and I can run a nice tight, neat cable route and a superb seatpost it is too being lighter than either the stealth or Lev, and it is rock-solid and smooth in operation. Plus, I get to keep my warranty! I do get the desire to go for the 'clean look' but it will undoubtedly void frame warranty, so until Ibis do it as std, IMHO, I would stick with looking at alternative options which are IMO equal to the Reverb. For the record, I currently own a Reverb, a KS Supernatural, and the new Blacx Jewel AM+ so I'm happy to make the comparison. The HD frames are beautiful kit, and mega $$$ to buy, so for me the risk of having it suffer failure and have zero warranty means it's a no for me. Nice idea though, fair play for having the balls :eek:s
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if you say so:skep:
 
#43 ·
Iwan said:
Yes, they are not the same. The KS Lev, much like the new CB Kronolog has the "release" at the seatpost's collar. The Stealth's is at the bottom of the seatpost.
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Thanks for pointing out the obvious Iwan, but I don't see the point, there's little (if any at all) functional advantage. The major drawback of the original Reverbs, supernaturals, etc etc were that the cable would go up and down and cause rubbing due to the release being attached to the top part of the post. The Reverb stealth is gaining nothing from what I can see over the Jewel or Lev other than achieving the cleaner look through a small amount of internal routing, half still being routed externally anyway. Plus your warranty's void if your frame fails.

Don't get me wrong, if Ibis finally cotton-on to internal routing and factory install holes for the Stealth, then why not. Otherwise for my existing HD, I still gain the benefit of the release being in a fixed position, neat cabling, and warranty. Having had my own SL and a 1st gen Mojo fail, I certainly appreciated the warranty and backup Hans provided.
 
Discussion starter · #44 · (Edited)
How is my warranty denied??? Did you actually read the thread or did you just skim it, and deep down feel a little inferior about your bike when you saw how clean mine looked, lol :D. The half that is external is up the downtube which you cannot see and does not get in the way like it does when routed on the top tube. Having it routed on the top tube was annoying as the cable was rubbing all over my headset and headtube. Having it go up the down tube is way better and rub free. I'm loving the zero cable look.

I'm not a fan of the KS seatposts, I do not ever want a seatpost that uses a brake cable again, they get dirty and make the lever action not precise. I'm loving the sealed hydraulic system on the reverb, that never needs to be replaced or messed with. Plus KS has had a lot of quality control issues, and IMO they are ugly.

If I was really concerned that Ibis wouldn't honor the warranty of the frame because of drilling out a rnut and putting a hole into the thinnest carbon flashing that was leftover from the layup (inside the frame) I would just order another nut and epoxy it back in. and it would be all back to stock, but luckily I have confidence in Ibis and am not concerned. But thats just me.
 
#45 ·
Yody said:
How is my warranty denied??? Did you actually read the thread or did you just skim it, and deep down feel a little inferior about your bike when you saw how clean mine looked, lol :D. The half that is external is up the downtube which you cannot see and does not get in the way like it does when routed on the top tube. Having it routed on the top tube was annoying as the cable was rubbing all over my headset and headtube. Having it go up the down tube is way better and rub free. I'm loving the zero cable look.

I'm not a fan of the KS seatposts, I do not ever want a seatpost that uses a brake cable again, they get dirty and make the lever action not precise. I'm loving the sealed hydraulic system on the reverb, that never needs to be replaced or messed with. Plus KS has had a lot of quality control issues, and IMO they are ugly.

If I was really concerned that Ibis wouldn't honor the warranty of the frame because of drilling out a rnut and putting a hole into the thinnest carbon flashing that was leftover from the layup (inside the frame) I would just order another nut and epoxy it back in. and it would be all back to stock, but luckily I have confidence in Ibis and am not concerned. But thats just me.
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Yody, I have to say I respect your opinion as you seem to know your sh1t 99% of the time, but if you need to ask how or why your warranty's void, that's worrying.... If you take the time to read warranty on the Ibis website:
"This warranty does not cover normal wear and tear, nor does it apply to damage that is the result of abuse, neglect, improper assembly, improper maintenance, ALTERATION, misuse or massive hucking....."

Having thoroughly read the thread, your HD does look clean, as I noted TWICE if you had read it thoroughly and not skimmed? Apart from looking cleaner on top tube, I have zero issues with my current setup, routing along top tube, with a bit of carbon 3m in two small places, I get no damage to the frame, and my cable doesn't move up and down so no movement to cause rubbing there. I would 100% agree with you that KS have historically been gash for reliability, but this mainly stemmed from utterly stupid design to place the cable release mechanism right where the mud and sh1t gather under the saddle, and are pretty ugly too, but likewise the Reverb has had huge numbers of warranty returns "that never need to be replaced or messed with" as you put it. My Reverb's been faultless after it's initial PITA thorough bleed, but many others have had warranty returns (as per thread on here and other forums) . The Blacx Jewel AM+ has no exposed cable at either end and cable release is sealed in and not located anywhere near the underside of saddle and the sh1t that causes problems there.*
To repeat, fair play for your idea, and having the balls to drill into your frame, your bike looks good and I'm sure the stealth works well for you. Personally though, I think you're taking a big risk hoping Ibis won't see you've been drilling into frames in the case of warranty. Having dealt with Ibis and Hans since the first Mojo carbon came out, I can honestly say they have class-leading customer service on both frame failures, but drilling the frame is too far IMHO as per warranty quote from Ibis above. Also, with my setup I have zero issues and all works spot on as is, and no drilling required so sorry to disappoint but no inferiority being suffered here :)
If you don't want objective opinions on threads, in agreement or not then why post? You've been on the Ibis forums for years like me...*
I truly hope it works out for you and you get many good miles on it. Peace out, happy trails. :)
 
Discussion starter · #46 ·
The 2012 reverbs have all the flaws fixed, you can tell the difference if it has the black collar or the older silver. Agreed on the pita bleeding, was kinda annoying.

On the warranty deal, I doubt ibis wants everyone doing what I did and woukd not warranty the frame if a failure was caused by the mod. Thats a risk im willing to take, as I dont think it will ever cause a failed
 
#49 ·
Yody said:
On the warranty deal, I doubt ibis wants everyone doing what I did and woukd not warranty the frame if a failure was caused by the mod. Thats a risk im willing to take, as I dont think it will ever cause a failed
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Yeah, complete nonsense: you've got nothing to worry about, Yody. There are several threads in which Hans and others give specific instructions for drilling out the rivnuts (common enough process, when the cable stops tear out of the frame). Would they really give advice like that if it voided the warranty? Doesn't affect the frame integrity whatsoever. Done it myself: easy as pie.
 
#51 ·
Just bought a ks integra for my 1x10 ibis I was planning on going thru the bolt hole for the deraileur but I'm now thinking about drilling a angled hole in the alignment notch of the direct mount thru the aluminum to get a better angle of approach because it's cable pulled. I don't see any structural issues and I have a santa cruise cover plate I'll drill at the same angle to make it look clean and bolt on any thoughts?
 
#52 ·
trestles126 said:
Just bought a ks integra for my 1x10 ibis I was planning on going thru the bolt hole for the deraileur but I'm now thinking about drilling a angled hole in the alignment notch of the direct mount thru the aluminum to get a better angle of approach because it's cable pulled. I don't see any structural issues and I have a santa cruise cover plate I'll drill at the same angle to make it look clean and bolt on any thoughts?
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Personally, having done this on my own Mojo as well as my Blur just recently, I would go for rooting it through the water bottle bolt-holes underneath the down tube. In my opinion this is not only a more discreet look, but it routes the cable very neatly and discreetly down along with the polycarbonate downtube protector and roots very easily in for the cabling.
Bearing in mind that personally I think the water bottle bolts underneath the down tube are ridiculously placed and useless, as this is where all the mud and crap flies up therefore I would not want to drink from a water bottle there but you can also not reach the bottle while riding, so I was happy to lose the bolts nearest the bottom bracket and very neatly and almost invisibly route the cable through.
Either way you choose to route it though, it's a great mod, and one Ibis should have sorted long ago.
Here's hoping when they do this in future, they produce a proper AM/Enduro 650B Mojo HD replacement soon too...!
 
#53 ·
I'd be careful what you do with the LEV Integra, it's not super simple with that particular post. In fact, I'd recommend sending it back and getting a Reverb or similar if you can; there's a pretty clear design flaw with the way the cable attaches to the bottom of the post. Basically the issue is that the cable is fixed to the bottom of the post and it's the movement of the housing along the (fixed) cable that actuates the post. So how the housing goes into the frame, and whether that junction creates friction, is important. There's a complete description in a recent Pinkbike review:

Pinkbike Product Picks - Pinkbike

Having messed with this item a bit, I'd suggest you return it if possible. I assume they'll re-design it soon but for now it's basically unusable.
 
#55 ·
Thought id share the pics and write up since I wrote this I figured out the lev and made some mods but I'm still looking to do a reverb instead

Today I routed a integra seat cable they my direct mount block on my ibis. It's s 1x10 n instead of drilling the cage bolt out or drilling the frame itself I thought this would be a good spot. I can still use a derailer if I wanted to covert it back ( obviously without the stealth routing)

I clamped a Santa Cruz direct mount cover plate at the angle I wanted and drilled a pilot hole. Then I bolted it up and drilled all the way... No carbon touched. I de burred it. The block acts as a slight Clamp. And keeps it in position.

May go with a reverb cause I can't get this damn ks seat to work properly. But I think it turned out clean none the less

Here's the thread if i have any pointers on the seat tube
Ks lev integra install help





 
#58 ·
Just finished building up a used Mojo HD frame and decided to do the stealth modification. I opted to drill out the lower water bottle boss, and it was easy to remove, working up in drill bit size until the rivnut broke apart. I got the inner part of the rivnut and metal shavings out of the head tube with the fork removed.

As Yody mentions, there's some kind of flashing or carbon layers blocking the seat tube off from the down tube. Using a drill bit one size smaller than the hole, I drilled straight through this layer. It was very quick and easy to do as this layer is quite thin.

From there it was very easy to run the hose, I sealed the hole with a small grommet from the hardware store. I used some specialized cable guides to route all of the cables along the down tube. Can't really run the DT protector with this setup, but I am okay with that.

Overall I am really happy with the results, very easy to do, and reversible should I want to put it back stock in the future.
 
#60 ·
spokeywheeler said:
Just finished building up a used Mojo HD frame and decided to do the stealth modification. I opted to drill out the lower water bottle boss, and it was easy to remove, working up in drill bit size until the rivnut broke apart. I got the inner part of the rivnut and metal shavings out of the head tube with the fork removed.

As Yody mentions, there's some kind of flashing or carbon layers blocking the seat tube off from the down tube. Using a drill bit one size smaller than the hole, I drilled straight through this layer. It was very quick and easy to do as this layer is quite thin.

From there it was very easy to run the hose, I sealed the hole with a small grommet from the hardware store. I used some specialized cable guides to route all of the cables along the down tube. Can't really run the DT protector with this setup, but I am okay with that.
Click to expand...
Very nice! What exactly are those fancy cable guides that Yody pointed out?
 
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