[ianthom]

Hi all,
So here’s the thing-we only have the room to be a two bike family, and previously to now my wife (162cm) has been on a small ibis tranny and I have been on a medium hd3 (172cm) we were out riding together the other day, and I was thinking she could really do with a dually-but didn’t want to loose the amazing flexibility of the tranny, and then I saw the numbers on the ripmo and it got me thinking...could a small ripmo be useable for us both?! With the reach of a small being a pretty solid 430, and the standover good for my wife could it work for us both? Keep in mind I would run a 140 fork with a 51 offset to take it down a bit-I reckon avalanche might even be able to tune the shock so it could switch between settings? Am I crazy? The other advantage of this would be moving to a medium tranny which could take the transfat rear (if I could find one!) thoughts anyone? Especially Hans and co?

 

[CactusJackSlade]

I have no idea on the smaller size, but I'm a "betweener" M-L.... I can usually pick either and that goes for the Ripley and my previous Santa Cruz Tallboy.

On the RipMo, believe it or not the cockpit is "smaller" due the the seat tube angle... I was not even close to feeling comfortable on a medium Ripmo, went solidly for the large for me.

Not sure how this will translate into a S-M size difference, the Ripmo is a very different bike!

 

[ianthom]

Interesting point...hadn’t thought of seat angle, correct me if I’m wrong though but when in the ‘attack’ position out of the saddle the seat angle wouldn’t matter so much as it relates to reach? Or am I confused....

 

[Legbacon]

Interesting point...hadn't thought of seat angle, correct me if I'm wrong though but when in the 'attack' position out of the saddle the seat angle wouldn't matter so much as it relates to reach? Or am I confused....

Once your ass is off the saddle it's just your hands and feet, so STA has no effect. There is no way I would want to ride a Ripmo one size too small, and give up the advantages of the newer geometry.

 

[canuck_tacoma]

Look at the top tube length and factor in the shorter stem on the Ripmo to give you your approximate seated feel.

I'm 5'9" in the Medium and Large range on alot of MTB's, and like Medium. While I like Large for pedaling around on the flats it's too big on the Trail.

Try the small Ripmo out and see. If it's too small then get a used bike for your wife, ride the HD3, and get a used Ripmo in a couple of years.

 

[ReXTless]

Hi all,
So here's the thing-we only have the room to be a two bike family, and previously to now my wife (162cm) has been on a small ibis tranny and I have been on a medium hd3 (172cm) we were out riding together the other day, and I was thinking she could really do with a dually-but didn't want to loose the amazing flexibility of the tranny, and then I saw the numbers on the ripmo and it got me thinking...could a small ripmo be useable for us both?! With the reach of a small being a pretty solid 430, and the standover good for my wife could it work for us both? Keep in mind I would run a 140 fork with a 51 offset to take it down a bit-I reckon avalanche might even be able to tune the shock so it could switch between settings? Am I crazy? The other advantage of this would be moving to a medium tranny which could take the transfat rear (if I could find one!) thoughts anyone? Especially Hans and co?

140mm fork on a Ripmo is not a good idea.

As for riding a smaller frame, I wouldn't buy anything without a solid test ride.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[mfa81]

anyone aware of any weird thing going on a small ripmo frame? the standover is so much lower than medium, compared to M->L->XL difference...

 

[ianthom]

140mm fork on a Ripmo is not a good idea.

As for riding a smaller frame, I wouldn't buy anything without a solid test ride.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I got the following from Hans relating to 140 fork usage:

"I've done that and it's a really fun ride - some people will love it that way. You know who you are ; ). The thing to watch out for is pedal strikes. If you use lower profile pedals, keep the sag at 25% and don't run too small of tires, it works very well. Built with a 140 34 fork with go-fast tires (that aren't too small), it is an amazing all around machine".

So I think based on that a 140 fork, that I already have lying around, is at least worth a try. I suspect a size small demo is going to be hard to get my hands on over here in Australia - so might try and demo a medium, with my wife as well, and see how that goes....

 

[ianthom]

anyone aware of any weird thing going on a small ripmo frame? the standover is so much lower than medium, compared to M->L->XL difference...

Yeah this is part of my dilemma....and it has also caught me before with the small sized tranny (one bottle mount, no transfat compatibility)

 

[laserjockrock]

I got the following from Hans relating to 140 fork usage:

"I've done that and it's a really fun ride - some people will love it that way. You know who you are ; ). The thing to watch out for is pedal strikes.

You could put 165mm cranks on it, and that would help the pedal strike issue a lot. (I'm 5'11", and love my 165's for that reason... I get to be sloppy on the trail!)

But, yes, a DPA (dual-pressure Air) fork would allow two settings, which could change the bike. And given the fact that you can put a huge dropper in there, you could def find two different seat heights. And perhaps you could also try switching between two different stems? Maybe try her on a Medium w/ a super short one...?

You'll also have to play a little

 

[mfa81]

Yeah this is part of my dilemma....and it has also caught me before with the small sized tranny (one bottle mount, no transfat compatibility)

pinkbike first ride article has a pic of a small frame, no downside afaict. the piggy back shock is mounted down, maybe less clearance for a bottle, but Ibis says it fits a full bottle and piggy back shock, so really seems a no compromise other than a bigger slope in the top tube

 

[ianthom]

You could put 165mm cranks on it, and that would help the pedal strike issue a lot. (I'm 5'11", and love my 165's for that reason... I get to be sloppy on the trail!)

But, yes, a DPA (dual-pressure Air) fork would allow two settings, which could change the bike. And given the fact that you can put a huge dropper in there, you could def find two different seat heights. And perhaps you could also try switching between two different stems? Maybe try her on a Medium w/ a super short one...?

You'll also have to play a little

Yeah absolutely - I currently run either 165 or cranks on the tranny so I have those available as well....I was also thinking of a wireless dropper so we can easily switch between the dropper and my saddle, and her womens specific saddle on her post....The numbers on the small just look so tempting! great stand-over for her, and with a 40 or 50 stem reasonable reach for me....so tempting! also means we can both split the cost out of our own 'pocket moneys' hahahaha