[06HokieMTB]

Holy Sh!t.

This is the most fun bike I've ever ridden.

I've never ridden a bike that allowed me to be near the front of the pack on the climbs AND the front of the pack on the descents.

It's not an Enduro bike. It's not a trail bike. It's an effing MOUNTAIN bike.

Up, down, XC, AM/Enduro... It'll do it.

I've only had it for a short while, but have already pedaled it on XC (Buffalo Creek) rides and rowdy, chunky descents (GJ/Fruita; APEX, White Ranch, etc in Golden, CO).

For comparison, AM bikes I've ridden/owned/demo'd in the last 2-3 years:

Specialized Enduro 26
Gary Fisher Roscoe
Giant Trance 26
Specialized Enduro 29
Trek Remedy 9.9
Trek Remedy 9
Kona Satori
Santa Cruz Bronson
Diamondback Mason 29er
Yeti SB5c
Intense Tracer 275c
Giant Reign 27.5
Guerrilla Gravity MegaTrail

I'll admit, I'm a bike snob. And I have horrible cases of bike envy. I'm constantly chasing the newest, latest and greatest. That being said, the 5th Generation of DW is amazing. The mid stroke support is wonderful. The climbing is fast, efficient and somehow full of traction. I can clean super chunky climbs that I used to hang up on. It's not uber plush on the downhills, but it is amazingly controlled, supple and smooth.

To put it bluntly, this is the best damn full suspension bike I've ever ridden. But don't take my word for it...

EDIT:

I do have a complaint with the HD3. I wish it had a longer reach/front center. It's not Bronson short, nor is it Guerilla Gravity long. I ride a large HD3 with 785 bars and a 60mm stem. I rode a Medium GG MT with 45mm stem and 780 bars and had the same cockpit length.

And the head tube angle (IMO) would've been better spec'd at 66.5* with a 150mm fork, 66* with a 160mm fork.

That's it. Those are my complaints with this amazing bike.

 

[subydoo]

Holy Sh!t.

It's not an Enduro bike. It's not a trail bike. It's an effing MOUNTAIN bike.

Awesome!!

 

[BikeIntelligencer]

So cool! What wheels/tires are you running with it?

 

[Salespunk]

I do have a complaint with the HD3. I wish it had a longer reach/front center. It's not Bronson short, nor is it Guerilla Gravity long. I ride a large HD3 with 785 bars and a 60mm stem. I rode a Medium GG MT with 45mm stem and 780 bars and had the same cockpit length.

And the head tube angle (IMO) would've been better spec'd at 66.5* with a 150mm fork, 66* with a 160mm fork.

That's it. Those are my complaints with this amazing bike.

I agree with you on the head angle, but an angleset will take care of it. For the front center, it is only a few mm shorter than a Nomad. I concur it could have been a little longer, but then you get into wheelbase length discussions. I think they hit a really good balance.

 

[digitalhippie13]

Holy Sh!t.

This is the most fun bike I've ever ridden.

I've never ridden a bike that allowed me to be near the front of the pack on the climbs AND the front of the pack on the descents.

It's not an Enduro bike. It's not a trail bike. It's an effing MOUNTAIN bike.

Up, down, XC, AM/Enduro... It'll do it.

yeah +1. HD3 is super versatile, love it!

 

[06HokieMTB]

So cool! What wheels/tires are you running with it?

Rims:
Ryde Trace Enduro. 29mm internal width. Asymmetrical/3mm offset spoke bed.

Tires:
Front: On-One Chunky Monkey "Trail Extreme" 2.4
Rear: Vee Trail Taker 2.4

I agree with you on the head angle, but an angleset will take care of it. For the front center, it is only a few mm shorter than a Nomad. I concur it could have been a little longer, but then you get into wheelbase length discussions. I think they hit a really good balance.

I really, really debated getting a -1* Works Headset to run with a 150 Pike ~ so 66* HTA. Decided I should ride the bike before I start modifying it. For me, 66.5* is a perfect HTA for descending and climbing without a travel adjustable fork.

 

[benja55]

This is the most fun bike I've ever ridden.

It's not an Enduro bike. It's not a trail bike. It's an effing MOUNTAIN bike.

That nails it.

IMO, the HD3 is a true, modern MOUNTAIN BIKE. It does everything well.

 

[hball]

That nails it.

IMO, the HD3 is a true, modern MOUNTAIN BIKE. It does everything well.

very true.
and that was the goal of ibis with this bike. they delivered as promised.

 

[rockman]

What's with all the Hokies in this thread? Subydo too? Class of 84 here.

Nice ride report. I'm picking up an HD3 for wifey since I'm already inline for the Ripley V2 and have a Turner 5spot. Life is too short for shitty bikes.

 

[Carl Mega]

very true.
and that was the goal of ibis with this bike. they delivered as promised.

Yeah, totally agree. Not at the far edge of any spectrum but such a desirable bike to just grab and go. XC ride, no problem. Getting a little gnarly ? Again, no problem. Transitions from climbing to descending to climbing to flat, etc like nothing. That last piece is what stands out to me, how experience of transitioning between terrain never requires an effort or massive shift in mindset; a seldom articulated but such an important characteristic of a trail bike. Moving between it all like water.

 

[06HokieMTB]

What's with all the Hokies in this thread? Subydo too? Class of 84 here.

2006 - me (born in '82)
2007 - wife (born in '85)

 

[ryanxj]

OP, how tall are you?

 

[06HokieMTB]

My height is incredibly misleading for bike sizing as I have short legs (30" Jean inseam, 31.5" riding inseam) and a long torso + long arms.

From the waist up (which is most important for bike fit), I'm essentially 6'1"-6'2" tall.

But, if you must know, I'm 1/8" short of 5' 10"

 

[rockman]

2006 - me (born in '82)
2007 - wife (born in '85)

Cool, I lived on Brush Mtn for a year as well as on the way to Radford. Way back when. I've heard the trails around Harrisonburg are good and I imagine there must be some good stuff around Blacksburg.

Anyhow, back to our regular programming. I'm on for the Ripley V2 and wifey is up for an HD3. More good feedback please:thumbsup:

 

[06HokieMTB]

So. More rave reviews about the HD3.

Today I climed Chimney Gulch outside of Golden, CO. Chimney Gulch to lookout Mtn is something in the neighborhood of 2000-2200 ft of climbing straight from the parking lot. Put your head down and grunt it out.

I was doing a group ride but that didn't last very long. I had some pent up work/life angst and took it out on the trail.

Not sure I've ever climbed that trail that fast. Me and the HD3 hammered up everything. This bike climbs so damned well.

I think the only bike that I've owned that climbed that faster was my old 2011 Giant AnthemX 29.

So I'm comparing the climbing abilities of a 6" travel AM bike to a 100mm travel, light and steep geo'd XC bike. Guess which was more fun descending?

 

[06HokieMTB]

Pushed out my Pike to 160mm this weekend. Bike still rides wonderfully. Actually feels a little more balanced (which is exactly what Ibis told me) and is how they come spec'd on complete builds from Ibis.

:thumbsup:

 

[Haggis]

These guys seemed to like it too: Ibis Mojo HD3: lean, green, enduro racin' machine review - BikeRadar USA

 

[06HokieMTB]

The verdict – yes, please

The new HD3 is a legitimate home run with fantastic performance fundamentals, excellent attention to detail, and a fully checked wish list of features. When it comes to the heart of the bike, it’s just flat-out incredibly capable and an absolute hoot to ride.

:thumbsup:

 

[WoodstockMTB]

I get the HA thing as I always felt like my Niners were too steep (Jet RDO and RIP RDO). I now have a Ripley with 130 up front. I even bought a works -1 for the RIP, but never installed. For my type of riding, I can't imagine needing it slacker. Now I might not like it as much in some CO terrain, but HA sometimes is misleading. My guess is the Ripley with 130mm up front is the sweet spot.

That and you're a good 11-12 years younger....enjoy it.

Now, that said, I am lusting after a Mojo for my riding out West which I hope will increase to a few times a year from 1x a year.

 

[mattnmtns]

These guys seemed to like it too: Ibis Mojo HD3: lean, green, enduro racin' machine review - BikeRadar USA

I am not a racer and certainly don't have the skills of a pro racer but I can hold my own on the trail. While I have some issues with the bike, mostly non frame related and I built the bike custom from the frame up. So really I can only blame the mechanic for most of it. I have to say the HD3 has really taken just about everything I have thrown at it. That includes everything in the Western NC, the new Gravity park here, and Whistler Park and XC.

A little under gunned in the parks but that should be expected. Main issue at whistler on the freeride trails was I didn't feel I had enough weight e.g. momentum to carry me through on some of the black and double black lines. Truth be told if I had let up on the brakes and hit it full speed it wouldn't be an issue. With my skills I just wasn't willing to push it that far. The DH bike I rented one day you could hit it slower and the weight would carry you. The black tech trails I was actually more comfortable on the HD3, although it was a lot of work for both park styles. It was also day 5 of riding that I took the HD3 to the park. Needless to say, fatigue was playing a factor. Outside the park doing Comfortably Numb, Squamish, and North Shore was amazing. True trail riding is where this bike really shines.

My only beef is I got the CCDBi as an upgrade and I while that shock is sold as the one for an aggressive rider I would have to disagree. Don't get me wrong its not bad but its not great either. I have really only had one harsh bottom out and that was from overshooting a table top and landing square at speed. Long story short I think a true double barrel would be more suited for the very linear travel of the HD3. I'd love to try the Fox X2 on it. Oh well, I will suffer though for a while as I would rather spend money on actual riding than switching components right now.

I know it is touted as great climber, but that really hit home climbing Comfortably Numb. Easily the most technical, difficult, nightmare of a trail that I absolutely loved. The tool was perfect, the man keeping the energy and mental attack capacity for the climb was the weakness.

All in all I love this bike, its just plain fun to ride whether it be flow, drops, climbs, or jump lines.