I had been running the Fox 36 for the last couple of years so felt it was time for something different. It was really buttery in the parking lot.
29.78 pounds with pedals.

 

Have you been on the bike yet? I'm going with a Lyrik too and considering 170mm as well. Shop owner said at 170 in Rockshox brings the Lyrik quite similar to the Fox 36 offset. Do you feel it wandering or anything like that? Baller build for sure...

 

@gimmer: is there still an adapter needed for a 180mm rear brake mount at the V2? Never understood why Ibis had a 160mm post mount on the V1...

 

It does require an adapter for the 180mm rear brake mount. Not sure who would run 160 on this bike but to each their own.

 

Walked into my LBS in Victoria B.C. and inquired about a large blue Ripmo v2 with the SLX build kit.
To my surprise they had one in a box and ready to go the next day, Been riding it for several days and the stability on the downs is superb!

 

Nice! sounds like they had that build kit on their original procurement order. my bike shop has a gray slx build on order in Large from their original order that's due in the next week or so.

 

Grabbed this for my son today. May borrow it tomorrow while he's at school.

 

Grabbed this for my son today. May borrow it tomorrow while he's at school.

Your son is a lucky dude!

Hi guys

What's the size and what is the weight of that beauty?

Cheers

Just to be clear, he's not talking about the frame.

 

View attachment 1315125

Grabbed this for my son today. May borrow it tomorrow while he's at school.

What size is that dropper post, slammed for sure. I ordered with a 200mm... I'm just curious.

 

GF's frame came today. Now we're waiting on some parts.

 

Hi guys

What's the size and what is the weight of that beauty?

Cheers

 

I'm looking at ways to upgrade from my AF to the V2, maybe. Might not be worth the trouble for only 1.5-2.0 lbs difference depending on shock choice. A lot of people in the AF thread are buying the NX build then upgrading the drivetrain and brakes and selling off the old. The difference between the AF NX and AF SLX is $1,000 so I guess it's worth it for them. The V2 NX and V2 SLX are $800 apart. Anyone plan on doing anything "creative" like this with the V2 or just skipping the hassle and buying what you want the first time around? I'm thinking I could save about $400 doing this but after all the time and labor messing with it, it wouldn't be worth it.

 

I bought the NX kit V2 with upgraded factory fork and carbon bar. I'll upgrade the drivetrain as needed. I've had NX on my current specialized for a year now and never had an issue, other than weight and a little bit clunky.

 

contemplating same stuff - like getting AF, as the value is ridiculous, suspension bits are better IMO (ymmv), wheels and tires are same, cockpit bits equivalent (unless carbon bar upgraded).

my paralysis by overanalyzes says for the AF - the value is not there to buy SLX up front and do it as takeoffs/adds. Save roughly $400-500. Seatpost and the nominal weight doesn't concern me one bit.

For the V2 - Id prob go with the Ibis SLX build up front and not hassle/mess with getting the parts and swapping --- that said - brakes are likely a wash, so for about 400 in parts/labor it would be very comparable to the Ibis kit. Heavier - but ever so slightly.

I just bought some bits from the Merlin sale, and working a discount angle on an AF now - so with the discount it pays for most the parts. I really want the carbon w the nicer cable routing, would be quieter - but hard to justify the spend for lets just call it 2pounds...

 

Other ways to save are to buy from a place where you can avoid sales tax and for my AF, I got about $700 extra off by opening a new credit card, putting the bike on it, immediately paying it off, then using the free points on something I was going to buy anyways (flights). I could easily do the same this time except that I'd need to sell my AF GX to make it happen. Ugh, sounds like a pain! Maybe I'll just continue carrying the 2 lbs worth of water and cage in my hip pack instead of on the bike and pretend I'm on the carbon model. Haha

 

some bug splat blue or asteroid grey paint!

 

I placed an order last week for a custom build which should be here some time in April.

-Size L, Grey
- Lyrik and X2
- XTR brakes and drive train w/Wolf Tooth 30T oval/RF Next R 175 cranks, Stamp 7 pedals (large)
- 185 Bike Yoke Revive
- King BB and headset
- I9 40mm stem, Diety Skywire 800 bar and Knuckleduster grips
- S35 wheels with King hubs and Aerolite spokes
- 2.6 DHF/2.5 Aggressor

I've been riding hardtails (DV9 and Fuse) and am looking forward to having something else in the quiver.

 

Fun question to ponder, what do you guys think would be the best looking v2 frame/fork color setup? Teal with an orange 36, teal with a black lyrik and teal anno bits, grey with a green diamond, grey with a black lyrik and blue anno parts, grey with red lyrick and red anno bits?? I know this is basically pointless to discuss but still fun to ponder....

 

Grey with blue accents. That's my current Fuel Ex color scheme and I love it.

Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk

 

Grey with black lyrik and purple bits of course!

 

Blue w all black parts and stealth decals.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

All black? Yawn...😂 Just kidding. I know a got of guys like blacked out bikes. Grey and blue is always nice. That grey and purple is sweet! Would look cool with purple spoke nipples.

 

All black? Yawn... Just kidding. I know a got of guys like blacked out bikes. Grey and blue is always nice. That grey and purple is sweet! Would look cool with purple spoke nipples.

At least on the timing nipples.

 

Long time lurker in this forum, first time poster.

I've demo'd a lot of Ibis bikes over the years--I've always liked the company, and they're local to me--but always felt that their cockpits were too cramped in a size L, and the bike felt generally too big in XL (I'm 6'0", 32 inch inseam). I rented a Ripmo V1 on a trip when it came out and liked it, but I had a pretty new bike that I was happy with (I'm coming from a Yeti SB5). I had the itch, and the announcement of the new Ripmo spurred me to action.

I received my new Ripmo yesterday (size L, bug zapper blue) and took it on a short maiden voyage on my local trails. My bikes have typically used SRAM drivetrains, but I went for the XTR build on this bike (my SB5 had XX1 AXS). The only deviation from that kit is that I kept my XX1 170mm crankset (over the 175mm Race Face that is spec'd), with a Wolf Tooth 32-tooth Shimano-compatible chainring. I opted for a 40mm stem. It weighs in at 30.54 pounds with XTR trail pedals.

First impressions after only one short ride, on trails I know extremely well and have demoed a lot of different bikes on:

* It climbs great. I easily cleared the short, steep, rooty climb on my regular loop (I clean it ~80% of the time on my old bike, but less often on unfamiliar bikes).
* It's poppy and nimble for a 29er with its travel. It gives up surprisingly little to my SB5, and that's a very nimble bike. Prior to the SB5, I had a Yeti SB95, and this bike feels sharper than that one did, and it was no slouch.
* I'm happy with the reach over the previous Ibis' I've ridden.
* XTR is good, but AXS is better. The light touch and instant reaction is something that you get used to quickly, and miss it when it's gone. I do like the spacing in the climbing range on XTR better.
* I've got a lot of knob twiddling to do. The 36 fork and X2 shock have a lot of adjustments. I put them in the range specified by the setup guide, but felt a bit over-damped and rebound felt too fast.
* Love the color. It might be too close to my Yeti, but gray felt a bit boring.
* I'm not sure about the dual Assegais. Good grip, but they feel heavy, and on the S35 rims, they have a pretty squared off profile. I will likely try a DHF/Aggressor combo and see if I prefer it.

 

View attachment 1315775

Long time lurker in this forum, first time poster.

I've demo'd a lot of Ibis bikes over the years--I've always liked the company, and they're local to me--but always felt that their cockpits were too cramped in a size L, and the bike felt generally too big in XL (I'm 6'0", 32 inch inseam). I rented a Ripmo V1 on a trip when it came out and liked it, but I had a pretty new bike that I was happy with (I'm coming from a Yeti SB5). I had the itch, and the announcement of the new Ripmo spurred me to action.

I received my new Ripmo yesterday (size L, bug zapper blue) and took it on a short maiden voyage on my local trails. My bikes have typically used SRAM drivetrains, but I went for the XTR build on this bike (my SB5 had XX1 AXS). The only deviation from that kit is that I kept my XX1 170mm crankset (over the 175mm Race Face that is spec'd), with a Wolf Tooth 32-tooth Shimano-compatible chainring. I opted for a 40mm stem. It weighs in at 30.54 pounds with XTR trail pedals.

First impressions after only one short ride, on trails I know extremely well and have demoed a lot of different bikes on:

* It climbs great. I easily cleared the short, steep, rooty climb on my regular loop (I clean it ~80% of the time on my old bike, but less often on unfamiliar bikes).
* It's poppy and nimble for a 29er with its travel. It gives up surprisingly little to my SB5, and that's a very nimble bike. Prior to the SB5, I had a Yeti SB95, and this bike feels sharper than that one did, and it was no slouch.
* I'm happy with the reach over the previous Ibis' I've ridden.
* XTR is good, but AXS is better. The light touch and instant reaction is something that you get used to quickly, and miss it when it's gone. I do like the spacing in the climbing range on XTR better.
* I've got a lot of knob twiddling to do. The 36 fork and X2 shock have a lot of adjustments. I put them in the range specified by the setup guide, but felt a bit over-damped and rebound felt too fast.
* Love the color. It might be too close to my Yeti, but gray felt a bit boring.
* I'm not sure about the dual Assegais. Good grip, but they feel heavy, and on the S35 rims, they have a pretty squared off profile. I will likely try a DHF/Aggressor combo and see if I prefer it.

Waterdog?

 

Thanks for the report! Mine will be here Monday and I have about the same build as you do. Great to hear your thoughts on climbing, reach, and 'poppy' feel. I have been wondering if I should have ordered a 170 crank vs the stock 175? Oh well. I also went for a 40mm stem and will probably change out the tires for my usual trails as they are pretty heavy.

 

I have been wondering if I should have ordered a 170 crank vs the stock 175?

When I rented the V1, I was riding at Gooseberry Mesa, and I had a lot more pedal strikes that I was used to on my own bikes. Given that, I opted for the 170s. I'm heading out to Sedona and Moab in a few weeks, so I guess I'll find out if the shorter cranks help at all.

 

Yes!

 

I've been following this thread and wanted to contribute now that I have something to share. I originally planned to order a V2 NX build, and then swap/upgrade a few of the parts. But, after talking with the local bike shop, and some other shops and websites, it sounds like it will be at least a few months before the next round of frames get delivered. I didn't want to risk waiting that long, so I bought the SLX build that my local shop had on the floor. It was the right size (large) and I prefer the grey color. It even happened to have the carbon handlebar upgrade.

Since it's the SLX, I won't have to swap as many parts as I would have with the NX. I would have changed the cassette and dropper, but will leave those now. I'm still going to change tires (EXO+ Assegai are overkill for me) and brakes because I just don't care for the feel of Shimano, so I'll be putting Sram G2 and rotors on. Also getting shorter cranks (staying with SLX) because it was a "default" build and came with 175s. I haven't ridden it yet, partly due to the weather but also because I wanted to take off the tires, brakes, and cranks when everything was brand new to sell them as new take offs. If anyone is interested let me know.

I'm coming off a '18 Bronson, and a '16 5010 before that. The Ripmo is the first 29er (and Ibis and DW link) I've owned. I've ridden a couple 29ers briefly in the past and was never that exited about them. But I've gotten more and more curious about them in the last year, especially now that the geo really seems to be sorted out. I had the chance to demo a Ripmo V1 the day before the V2 was released, and also rode a new Hightower and Tallboy the same week. I preferred the Ibis over both Santa Cruz, and after spending some decent time on newer 29ers, that convinced me to take the plunge. I'm really looking forward to getting out on the new Ripmo and having a modern 29er trail bike. The fit and finish of the frame is excellent, and I like the small geo tweaks and improved cable routing of the V2.

 

Nice, you're gonna love it!

 

lj17, what'd you dislike about the hightower v2 versus the Ripmo? I've demo'd one as well but it's always interesting to hear.

 

Just for context, the Ripmo I demoed was a GX build with the 36 Grip2 and carbon wheel upgrade. Both Hightower and Tallboy were stock carbon C NX builds, so alloy handlebar and wheels. My last two bikes were Santa Cruz (5010 and Bronson) and I've grown to like them, although this was the first time I rode any that had the newer lower link driven shock. This was the first time I was ever on any Ibis. I was riding around the Phoenix area and only spent a couple hours on the Ripmo, but had full days on both the HT and TB.

The Hightower was nice and felt somewhat familiar, even though it had larger wheels and a different shock layout than I was used to. But climbing just wasn't as good as the Ripmo. It's not that I had trouble climbing, but it just didn't feel as quick and nimble as the Ripmo. I'm sure part of it was the added weight from the NX parts and alloy wheels, and I imagine the frame itself is always going to be heavier with that layout too. Even if it would have been a CC frame, with how bulky the BB area has to be with the shock passing though the seat tube, it seems like it would always be heavier than a frame design like the Ripmo, or the previous gen Santa Cruz. I'm definitely not the type to count grams, but the HT just felt like a bigger/heavier/slower bike and I think the frame/shock design definitely plays a part in that. This was also the first time a rode a DW link, and any hype that I heard in the past was mostly confirmed; it was just really nice to climb on, especially as it was more technical.

As for descending, I honestly didn't notice that much difference between the two. They were both really good. I know SC changed to the lower mounted shock to improve suspension performance, but I didn't notice much difference, although I only had limited time on it and was only on one type of terrain. Again, the lower shock just felt like an unnecessary compromise (and it is more difficult to access which makes adjusting a pain). Maybe if it was on different trails and a different build kit, I would have felt differently.

Overall I just came away having had more fun on the Ripmo. The climbing was one thing, but it also just felt more nimble and easier to throw around, more playful I guess. It's not that the HT was a bad bike by any means, but when thinking about which one I would want to own it didn't take long at all to decide on the Ripmo. Although, maybe a small part of it was that I've had a few Santa Cruz now and maybe I'm just ready for something different..? Actually I don't really think that played into the decision at all, I think it was all in how good I felt on the bike. Plus, I also like the design/details of the Ripmo frame, and the way Ibis has the build kits structured and upgrade options is nice too.

 

Update after ride #2

I took a look at the suspension, and it turned out that the shop didn't have the bike in the recommended range for my weight like I thought. So, I spent some time making sure that it's all set correctly before riding it again. I also took the Assegais off and replaced them with a DHF 2.5/Aggressor 2.5 combo (saved ~.25#, but it also felt like they rolled quite a bit better). I took it out to some trails local to the Santa Cruz area (which got a light rain the day before, and conditions were epic).

The bike was again a great climber. It hooks up well on rooty, technical climbs and continues to be way better on steeps than I thought it would. I was the only person, among a small group who rides this area much more often than I do, to clear a very steep, punchy climb with some wet roots in it. It held its own on the longer, less interesting climbs too; it was quite comfortable when putting in the turns to the top. Color me impressed with the bike in this regard.

It really shone on the downhills, of course. We descended a classic trail in the area--one that I'm pretty familiar with--and I was very impressed. It's doesn't feel super deep or plush, so it definitely doesn't monster truck down the trail. But, on drops at speed, where I'd reach pretty deep into the travel on my SB5, the Ripmo felt like it was smooth off the top, and ramped up its progression very well. It felt supportive and communicative in the mid-stroke. It was easy to push into the suspension and pop out of corners and depressions. I felt very confident in it after just a couple of turns, especially for it being a new bike, and quite different from my previous one.

Downhill #2 was a new trail to me, and it was slower speed overall, but with some very steep sections and pretty aggressive G-outs. Again, the bike was very supportive, and always felt like it had more to give if I needed it. The new XTR 4-piston brakes were really great on the steeps, again boosting confidence. Again, conditions were ideal--this area is prone to get dry and dusty, and it was tacky and sweet this day--so things were stacked in my favor, but the bike handled very well.

Shifting was smooth and precise, but you'd expect that from XTR, although I'd still give a pretty solid edge to AXS Eagle.

So far, I love it. Now to continue shaking off the winter cobwebs and just spend more time on it.

 

anyone get their v1 stuff in hand from the deals at n+1?

 

UPS tracking says mine should be arriving tomorrow.

 

Good comparison and makes sense on all parts. Those NX kits didn't do those bikes any favors. My HT2 demo was a CC XO1 with carbon wheels so a pretty fancy build. The Lyric Ultimate and Super Deluxe were butter smooth so the bike was very plush but still a tad less capable downhill than my AF GX probably mostly due to a bit less travel and less grippy tires. Climbing was fairly similar. The SC pedal'd great but the Ibis is still the best pedaling bike imo. The SC did roll faster, mostly due to the 2.4 DHR2 exo vs 2.5 Assegai exo+. My carbon V1 Ripmo demo was less impressive. It had the dpx2 that just felt too firm but probably wasn't setup right or just not the best shock for that frame, which I've heard from others. It just wasn't plush so i walked away unimpressed but now know it was probably just the shock. I think the V2 is just unbeatable. All the best traits in one bike. Could build it light or go beefy with a coil. Extra progression allows a nice supple shock tune without less bottom out. Good stuff!

 

still waiting

 

sfr4dr, it sounds like we had similar thoughts when comparing the bikes. For what it's worth, my Ripmo demo had DHF/Assegai rear, and the HT had DHF/DHR2. I rented both Santa Cruz, so that explains the lower spec builds, although I did try not to focus on the cheaper components.

I'm going to put a DHR2 on the back of mine, and try a regular EXO Assegai on the front. I've run DHF, DHR2, Dissector (and others) on the front in the past, so I want to try the Assegai. It's not that much heavier than a DHF, and hopefully it won't be too sluggish. That combo should roll better than the stock dual EXO+ Assegai.

I agree that the Ripmo V2 seems hard to beat. If it climbs and handles as good (or very close) to the V1, it should make for an awesome ride now that it has the AF geometry. I'm anxious to ride mine to see how it feels compared to the V1 I demoed.

 

Smart move on the tires lj17 and sfr4dr. I am mounting up the Assagai EXO+ now but know they will probably be my tahoe/downiville style trail tires. I am thinking Assagai EXO 2.5 front and DHR2 2.4 or Aggressor rear. The headset got left out of my build kit (V2, XTR) which slowed me down but should have it together tomorrow.

 

That's probably a good tire setup. I live full time in Truckee and work in North Tahoe so big tires are a must. That's said, I've got maybe 30 rides on my AF with the Assegai EXO+ and I have no idea why Ibis would spec those. I'm not a fan of the "drifty" feeling of the DHF and love the grip of the front Assegai but a regular EXO would make more sense on the front. For the rear, I agree that a DHR2 or Aggressor would be good. EXO+ might be good in the rear only. I'm half tempted to go even lighter like DHR2/Dissector but I bet that would land with with a flat in the middle of BFE on my first ride! Also lj17, your V2 will climb great once you get the draggy tires off. Even with them it's not that bad on slow steep climbs. It's more noticeable on faster pedally rides. The head angle is no problem and the rear progression doesn't affect the climbing. Good thing is, even if you didn't like the head angle, which I doubt, you could put an angleset on and steepen it back a degree. No way to lose!