I am torn between the Ripmo V2 and the Esker Rowl. Neither will be available for a few months yet, so it is a waiting game regardless. If I could buy and ride away with either right now I would probably favor the Rowl for it's slightly shorter suspension (150/140) and shorter wheelbase 1211 vs 1238 in size L. I ride mostly twisty, rocky, technical New England singletrack with a half dozen days or so at lift access parks and need a one bike quiver. For reference I have test ridden a 2020 Switchblade and a V1 Ripmo. Both were very different bikes than my current 27.5 Trance Advanced. The V1 felt more planted and "point and shoot" than my Trance, while still having some poppyness and playfulness. The SB felt stiffer and more business like, not as easy to get off the ground. Not so much so that it was a no-go, but the premium that Pivot charges for their name was not justified for a less playful and fun feeling ride. Both demos were at least a month apart, so take my opinion as you will. I imagine the Ibis will retain resale value better as it is a well-known brand thank Esker, but the Esker is cool in that not many people will have one out on the trails. Suspension-wise, their linkage design seems incredibly similar, and I image they will both be great. Bug zapper blue is just ok, but I am biased as my Trance is a very similar color blue. The tannin Rowl is a unique color from a lot of other bikes out there right now. I am thinking that I can't make a bad choice here either way.

 

FWIW I picked up a V2 Ripmo a couple of months ago and rode very tight, twisty, rocky, techy north east trails. The V2 is very maneuverable and just as nimble as my old Yeti SB5.5 which is a lot shorter on paper. I will also say that one riding friend just sold an Offering to get the Ripmo and I have several people I ride with on V1 and V2 Switchblades that are very happy.

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ripmo v1 or esker if you don't mind the weight

 

Thanks for the reply. Both the Rowl and Ripmo appear to be great bikes. On the advice of a poster earlier in this thread, I reached out to Shaun at N+1 bikes. As luck would have it, he still has a few scheduled to arrive this winter/early spring that need homes. I pulled the trigger and put down a deposit on a V2. Give him a shout, super nice guy and a pleasure to work with.

 

Can someone please explain Ibis’s math on their sag recommendations. It seems they are calculating sag based on 50mm stroke and not 55mm🤷🏻
“30% sag = 15mm stroke”

 

Can someone please explain Ibis's math on their sag recommendations. It seems they are calculating sag based on 50mm stroke and not 55mm路
"30% sag = 15mm stroke"

In one of their older set-up guides, they said to use 14mm for trail riding and 16 or 17mm for park or DH/shuttle riding.

 

diff b/w 15mm and 16.5mm is small enough to be down to rider style and preferences.

dpx2 (less damping) run less sag, X2 (more damping) run more sag.

 

I have an AF and a V2. 15mm is 27.5% and 16.5mm is 30% on both. I much prefer the bike at 30%. Rides way nicer. Still climbs really well and still turns really well.

 

That would make more sense, wonder why they changed it

 

I have an XL on reserve with my LBS (they have already bought 4 XL frames, so it should be ready to go by January). They also had one XL build on the floor too that I would have been happy walking away with if I couldn't order.

Since I can tweak the build, what are the thought on GX vs XT? I'm not a brand loyalist, but it just happens that I've only had XT, and I have no complaints about it. The GX build is a little odd in that it has Deore brakes, which are arguably 2 levels below the rest of the build quality. On the other hand, I'm not sure XT justifies the $400 price jump when the only other upgrade is a Thompson stem over the Ibis one. I haven't confirmed that they can actually get XT builds right now, so this may be moot.

I'm also very on the fence for the fork in terms of DVO vs. Fox. I have zero experience with DVO, but hear good things. The Grip 2 is also enticing. I'm a heavier rider at 6'4/230lbs if that matters. I'm definitely going with DVO for the shock since the LBS recommended it as being the better option.

 

Since I can tweak the build, what are the thought on GX vs XT?

XT may be backordered but get it if you can. finest drivetrain you can get IMO. thomson stems are way over-rated. sell it and get a syntace megaforce 2. or flat force if you want to get low and dont mind toptube/lever interference. get the fox if you can get grip 2. DVO shock is based on the old rockshox monarch, nothing too special really. sorry. flamesuit on. im partial to the new rockshox stuff. fox will probably be easier to sell so i'd just go full fox and if you dont like it go RS aftermarket. especially if you can snag the new X2 with the VVC on compression ciricuit. youll probably like the new grip2 fork if the CSU doesn't start creaking first tho.
deore brakes wont be sufficient for your weight. do saint calipers and xtr race levers.

 

It may handles lateral forces better. I dont think Ripmos are too hard on shocks. Just dont overtighten the clevis bolt. I think ibis calls for 20nm. I think thats too much. ALSO dont overtighten the clevis/wishbone pivot bolts either. That thing needs to be able to rotate freely wothout "bending" the shock. Work it in real good with a new frame, lube everything and cycle it by hand as youre tightening to get a feel for the resistance the shock has to overcome. And use blue gel loctite on the bolts. Ibis calls for 10nm there. The new igus bushings help over the v1 but 10nm is still alot.

 

100% agree do your rear linkages BEFORE you even ride the bike. Mine were so jammed up I couldn't believe it. Had to drive the lower links out with a hammer and punch. The two back pivots on the clevis were even worse. The load that would have put through the shock would have been substantial. The difference between my new V2 and my used well lubed AF rear end was night and day. I can't wait for the bushes to wear in a little on the V2.
I also agree about using loctite on the back clevis pivots and not over tightening them but if you don't do the front one tight enough it can creak. Rotation in the front one isn't as important as it works on a horizontal plane and there is or should be virtually no movement in that direction when the suspension cycles if everything is working properly.

 

all good points. very true. the clevis to shock pinch bolt still needs to be quite tight. for creaks i do the "Lopes trick" and put one layer of gorilla tape under the bolt head and also over the eyelet washers for a little more insulation.

 

What really should be happening is that the alloy sleeves should be rotating back and forth inside the Igus bushes that are inside the upper triangle pivot points. The torque setting should be irrelevant to suspension movement and should only be a setting that is tight enough to keep the bolt in place. What is happening by reducing the torque setting is that the clevis is moving easier because it isn't squeezing as hard against the outside face of the alloy sleeves. So the movement is coming from the clevis moving up and down against the flat outer face of the alloy sleeves the sleeves still aren't moving inside the bushes. So I agree with you that it makes the clevis move easier and it feels better but it's not moving from the right place. In theory a higher torque setting in this area will make the sleeves start to rotate like they should and then you would have to wait for the bushes to free up but I don't want to do this for fear of damaging the clevis. Reducing the torque is a bandaid fix that could be causing wear, the mating edges of the clevis, in the wrong place.
I'm currently thinking of what I'm going to do to make it work properly. I will post whatever solution I come up with. I'm thinking about honing the bushes in some accurate way so the sleeves start to rotate.

 

yep. let us know. the lower igus bushings operate a bit differently, but are also sadly a bit more torque sensitive than they let on.

 

Ok my sleeves are now rotating at spec'd torque setting. I just ran a Dremel through them very lightly. I mean the touch of an angel light. Greased them up again and while still showing a little resistance they are definitely moving. I can see them with an led light inside the clevis looking from the top down. I didn't really take any material off to speak of just got rid of a little lip that was in there. The clevis moves easier and more smoothly not resisting then letting go like before. More of a slow hydraulic feel if you know what I mean without much pressure being applied. Im happy with that now knowing they are moving where they were intended to. They will free up more over time.

 

nice! would be interesting to mic a couple of them...wonder what the tolerance spec is out of the mold.

 

I was going to get the verniers out but couldn't be bothered. I figured there is going to be slight variations from bike to bike so probably not relevant. I just know mine was stupid tight to the point of not working properly. At least now I can pretty much get the sleeves out without having to lever something against the triangle to pry them out and before I had to press them back in with pliers now I can reinstall them by hand. I put it all back together and cycled the clevis up and down probably 200+ times before I reinstalled the shock. It feels ALOT better. I will sleep better knowing it's good now.

 

I had that problem replacing IGUS bushings on a different bike. I had new bushings and new pins, and the combo was so tight that the suspension felt jammed up. It probably would have worked itself in fairly quickly with a ride or two, but I wound up playing with combinations of new/old until I found one that moved smoothly and didn't have play. Then that bike broke a few months later (entirely unrelated to the bushings) and that's the story of how I picked out a Ripmo.

 

They may well have and probably would have loosened up a little by themselves but I didn't want to put that much load through my very expensive shock for the sake of adjusting the clearance slightly on a maybe $5 bush. Like I said there is most likely variations from bike to bike but the force I had to put into mine just to get the clevis to move was way more than I prepared to let my shock deal with. It wasn't hard to do and took maybe 3/4 of an hour of my time so happy days.
So as it turns out the other bike breaking turned out to be the best thing that could have happened to you because you ended up landing on the best all round bike in existence IMO.

 

NBD!
Finally my V2 arrived after ordering it back in May. Super stoked about my first new bike. This is an upgrade for me to an XL frame and 29 wheels. I'm 6'2", so this bike should feel a lot better then my last large frame bike. I have the current stock Ibis aluminum bar and stem and I'm looking to upgrade. For those that have upgraded, which bar and stem have you gone with and liked so far?

 

KodiakAK, I have a brand new Renthal carbon Fatbar bar for sale that might work for your size. I ride an XL Ripmo V2 as well.
Renthal Fatbar Carbon: 31.8mm clamp, 40mm rise, 800mm width. Brand new: $100 +shipping from NY. (retail is $170).

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Finished building mine. it's been raining so there are some crummy indoor pics. Had a V1 and currently riding a Ripley V4 built up pretty burly as my main bike, so I think I know what to expect out of this one and looking forward to confirming the suspicions of stoke.

 

I ordered a Ripmo V2 and I’m psyched. I got the XT option with DVO. I’m thinking about the Ibis carbon rim option but it adds to the cost and I’ve never ridden them. Do you guys think it’s worth it. I coming from a Turner RFX. thanks

 

For anyone wondering about bottle cages, the cheaper plastic Arundel Flip-Flop cage didn't fit on my medium frame. But the Specialized Zee II fits perfectly. It even holds a 23 oz water bottle in my medium frame (just barely!).

 

my Arundel fits nicely on a medium frame, FYI. it's the carbon side-loader style.

 

My new bike after moving some parts from my old bike to my new Ibis ripmo

 

Can I just say how much of a pain in the arse the XT drivetrain is to set-up and maintain? I'm no mechanic and have had it at 2 shops and it seems after 2-3 rides this derailleur just doesn't want to play nice. I've even done the b set-up with the cog teeth alighning the stupid line-indentation, I've -regreased the stupid chain-stabilizer (clutch), "re-seated" the back wheel, i'm so close to giving up. chalk it up to shitty product, or try yet another local bike shop?

 

What's the issue? Easy to install and set up.

 

Anyone having any luck with finding a Ripmo in a timely fashion? Hard to believe they are 1/2 year out...for a bike?!?!


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Anyone having any luck with finding a Ripmo in a timely fashion? Hard to believe they are 1/2 year out...for a bike?!?!

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Yes, a shop in Santa Cruz had 2 larges a few weeks ago. I bought one.

 

I bought mine at sport baseman in San Ramon, someone returned it. And i think there was a large ripmo still available

 

Ok, so it seems demos aren’t out and I’m not sure what size I’d be in case I can find one online? I’m 6’1” and have an XL 2017 Ripley LS. No way a large Ripley would of fit me that model and year anyways)

That said, I haven’t ridden the new geo bikes with longer reach etc. the old ibis’s seemed to run small...you think I’d still need xl ripmo or would a large ripmo work?


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Ok, so it seems demos aren't out and I'm not sure what size I'd be in case I can find one online? I'm 6'1" and have an XL 2017 Ripley LS. No way a large Ripley would of fit me that model and year anyways)

That said, I haven't ridden the new geo bikes with longer reach etc. the old ibis's seemed to run small...you think I'd still need xl ripmo or would a large ripmo work?

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I had an XL Ripley LS with 70mm stem 800mm bars and now ride an XL Ripmo with 45mm stem and same bars.

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I would go with XL if you are able to find it, I am 6’ 1” but i have a short leg long torso and Large fits me fine

 

I would like to hear from people that are using coil in their ripmo V2, which brand, which coil and why did you do the switch?

 

I'm using an EXT Storia V3. I'm 160lb and using a 425lb spring. I originally started with an AF. It had a DVO Topaz T3 in it. I had that shock set up pretty well and it was a pretty good little shock. The AF also had a DVO Diamond in it. In some ways I thought the Topaz outgunned the Diamond once they were both fully dialled in. I upgraded the Diamond to a Manitou Mezzer Pro. This caused the Topaz to be seriously outgunned. So then I upgraded it to the EXT, with a 450lb spring with 1 turn of preload to get 30% sag.
A few weeks ago I bought my V2 so I transferred the suspension across sold the Fox 36 Factory and kept the X2. I had to go down to a 425lb spring on the V2 with 1 1/3 turns of preload to get 30% sag. The reason I did the shock upgrade on the AF in the end was like I said the Topaz was outgunned by the Mezzer and the rear end felt like it was kind of pulling the bike up on consecutive sharp hits. It felt like the bike would decelerate and it was coming from the rear. So that's where the EXT comes in. The extra speed the bike would carry over rough terrain afterwards was instantly noticeable and the extra traction is awesome. It also made the rear end feel like it has a lot more travel. The EXT has a hydraulic bottom out bumper, as does the Mezzer by the way. That means you pretty much never feel the suspension bottom out on either end. That makes the travel feel kind of endless if you know what I mean. Another massive up side of the EXT is that it's still very poppy. I would say even more poppy than the Topaz. I read that they were but I thought relative to what. Other coils or an air shock. Well it turns out I was able to have my cake and eat it too. I gained tonnes of performance over the Topaz and didn't lose the lively poppy nature of the Ripmo with an air shock. SUPER happy with the suspension on both ends of my bike. The Mezzer is an epic fork, if you know how to set it up, and the EXT shock is bloody amazing too. To my way of thinking you tend to get more stoke out of a good fork than a good shock because you are more directly in contact with it. People ride hard tails with good forks in them but no one rides a rigid fork with rear suspension so I think the perceived gains from a fork are greater but the benefits of a good shock are still very big.
I considered both the EXT Storia V3 and the Push 11-6. I believe they are the two best shock in existence but the EXT was lighter and I thought do I really need or would I really use the second compression circuit in the Push. So my decision was based on the fact that the EXT was lighter all the time and I didn't want to carry the extra weight of the Push all of the time to gain a second compression circuit that I would maybe use some of the time, maybe. I believe they both probably perform equally well.

 

ozibis - once again "splaining" the goodness of good suspension bits. Your point about the rear end causing the Ripmo to "decelerate" in repeated choppy/square edge bits - spot on. My suspension guy coined it a "hitchy" feeling - like it starts to tug at the rear and indeed slow down. I've felt it and its the only knock I have on the Ripmo. It was the reason I sold my previous bike which is a very similar rear suspension design. Now you go and make me not only want to buy the V2 (for other reasons you've described in the AF forum) but a new coil as well. And here I was just gonna replace the Ripmo w something "else"... I gotta check in on a EXT in the USA... I was thinking about the Cane Creek IL Coil... it likely cheaper but, but I know some like it on this bike these days as well as its light and tunable

Always appreciate your perspective and ability to describe the "feel" - rock on mate!

 

Cane Creek will definitely be cheaper for sure. As far as tunability goes the EXT is VERY tuneable. PLUS and it's a big plus you get a hydraulic bottom out bumper. No more "feeling" like you are using all the travel all the time with a sudden rude stop or knocking noise from the rear end. You still are but it doesn't feel like it because it's so supportive and progressive at the end of the stroke.
When you do your price comparisons make sure you factor in the cost of 2 springs because the EXT comes standard with 2 included. Some others you have to buy the shock then buy the coil seperate. By the time you buy 2 coils the cost between them isn't as big as it first appeared. Buying the EXT you will end up with what is most likely a superior product. Except for the Push which I believe would be it's equal. Also consider that I have used both my springs so while at first I thought it was potentially overkill in the end I found it was awesome having both springs available to me at no extra cost to achieve the exact sag I wanted. At this stage I'm still on the 425lb spring on the V2 but I think there is every chance when the bushes free up more and the "fresh" 425lb settles a little more I will be close to looking at going back to the 450lb spring just with less preload than what I was using on the AF. I've been checking my sag regularly and after a few rides things have started to settle in and I've had to add some preload already. I'm now 2/3 of a turn or 2/3 of a mm away from the 2 turn or 2mm maximum preload recommendation until EXT says to change up a spring rate and use less preload.
As far as other bikes go if I was going to change the only others I would consider would be a Nukeproof Mega RS 290. Or if I listened to my heart an Evil Wreckoning. The later being the best looking bike on the planet in a tuff wicked looking sort of way but I think my V2 the best looking in a pretty sort of way. I really think the Ripmo V2 is the prettiest bike available right now. I don't think the Nukeproof is particularly good looking but I recon it's just a damn good bike. At one point I was EXTREMELY close to buying one but it had a 450 CS. I thought it was just too big but they've now changed that for the better.

 

I just got my Ripmo v2, and I saw some other posts about people saying the rear thru axle was specced wrong... Is this what others? Anyone contact ibis on it because I can't imagine they are just doing this constantly on accident? (mying was from BackCountry). Everythings setup right as far as I can tell... just doesn't go all the way through when the wheels on. I would have to break stuff to put enough torque on it to move it any further lol.

It seems fine... but idk weird.

 

My axle inserts about as deep as yours. I believe this is as designed/intended. Meaning, not flush with the end of the carbon.
My minor "issue" is that when inserting the axle, it feels like the dropouts on either side aren't perfectly aligned, making it harder to thread the bolt through as soon as the threads engage. It just doesn't have that "swiss watch" feel that my Pivot 429 does when screwing in the rear axle bolt.