There are ways to make the bike fit bigger guys. If you lengthen the stem and widen the bars you'll probably feel properly stretched out during seated climbing. The problem comes when you stand up/descent because the Ripley has a pretty short reach, even in the XL size. There ends up being a lot of you hanging over the front of the bike if you are a big guy. Ibis basically shrunk the reach by slacking the STA, making for a tight wheelbase, but this does come with some tradeoffs.I'm 6'4" and ride an XL Ripley with a 110mm stem and 700mm bars. It rides nicely in that configuration. I ride mostly XC. I would think it would still ride fine with a 120mm stem and a little wider bar, but it would be best to try one out if at all possible.
Bingo.So at 6'2" I'm overall pretty satisfied with the balance between climbing and descending on my XL, but any bigger and I'd probably pass for a bike with a longer reach measurement.
All depends on where and how you like to ride of course. YMMV.
It may be that we have supply and demand against us. The number of tall guys who would actually throw down for an xxl Ripley is probably not enough to justify the tooling. Even Yeti (according to John P) loses money on their XL SB-95's. Hmm...I for one would love to see an XXL Ripley. I'm 6'4" and have an XL Mojo HD that I've always felt is a little on the small side for me and I understand the sizing is similar between the two. I did get to demo an XL Ripley and it definitely felt small. I then rode an XXL Tallboy and was instantly in love with having a bike that actually fit. If Ibis offered the Ripley in XXL, I'd buy it in a heartbeat, but I fear I'm going to have to take second best and go for a Tallboy if I want a bike that fits. =(
And yet SC did the tooling for the XXL SC TB LTc when people demanded it.It may be that we have supply and demand against us. The number of tall guys who would actually throw down for an xxl Ripley is probably not enough to justify the tooling. Even Yeti (according to John P) loses money on their XL SB-95's. Hmm...
I too have an XL mojo, as well as a XXL Santa Cruz 29er, so I know what you mean about jumping on the "big boy bike" and having it feel like it just fits. From a fit perspective, the XL Ripley feels just like the XL mojo, i.e. small if you are a taller guy. To DrewBird's point, the Ripley does have that smallish, playful feel, very much like a 26 inch wheel bike. I still feel like I'd like a larger version, even if it gave up a little of that magic.I for one would love to see an XXL Ripley. I'm 6'4" and have an XL Mojo HD that I've always felt is a little on the small side for me and I understand the sizing is similar between the two. I did get to demo an XL Ripley and it definitely felt small. I then rode an XXL Tallboy and was instantly in love with having a bike that actually fit. If Ibis offered the Ripley in XXL, I'd buy it in a heartbeat, but I fear I'm going to have to take second best and go for a Tallboy if I want a bike that fits. =(