- Oh.
Okay. Oooh.
One of the neat things about mountain biking?
Is it despite what some websites tell you?
There's really no wrong way to do it.
But we're not gonna let that keep us
from thinking that more travel
and more carbon fiber (panting) will make us better riders.
Oh! (tree branches crackle)
(Mike squeaking)
But maybe I'd have even more fun
in a bike with a bit less travel.
And maybe I should be doing a few squats
instead of spending money that I don't even have
on carbon fiber.
Which brings us to Ibis' all new aluminum Ripley.
(bouncy music)
The Ripley AF is the fifth version
of Ibis' 120 millimeter travel trail bike.
And the California brand says their 29'r
is a multi-talented shapeshifter
with 130 millimeter travel fork upfront.
It's also the first time
in the Ripley's history that it's available
in aluminum frame from front to back.
That's right,
this whole thing is aluminum for the first time.
As you can imagine, it makes it way less expensive.
It all starts with this very bike.
The $3,000 Ripley AF that comes spec'd
with a 12-speed deore drivetrain,
a Fox 34 with the grip damper, wide aluminum rims
and a long travel dropper post.
From a few switchbacks away,
the aluminum Ripley could easily be mistaken
for the pricier carbon version.
It has a similar looking swoopy front triangle,
room for a bottle inside that front triangle
and internal cable routing.
And all that said, the cable routing isn't pass through,
so you may need to yell at these little ports
for it to pop out.
All right, let's go over the trail bike checklist.
Threaded bottom bracket, check,
ISCG chain guide tabs, check,
29 by 2.6 inch tire clearance, check,
front derailleur, check.
Wait, no.
(chuckles) No front derailleur.
(machine beeps)
But it does have room for 200 millimeter rotor
and plenty of well-thought-of frame protection.
Being aluminum, the Ripley AF is definitely gonna weigh
a bit more than its more expensive carbon brother.
Ibis says that a frame and Fox shock weighs 7.45 pounds.
Now that's a bit less than a pound and a half
heavier than the carbon frame.
Complete bike weights, well they are claimed to start at
right around 30 and a half pounds, but not for this bike.
This is the entry-level Ripley AF
with that deore drivetrain
and it weighs 32 pounds, 11 ounces on my scale
but there's plenty of room to shave some weight
down the road if you wanted to.
But you know what's way more important
than if it weighs 29 pounds
or 32 pounds or whatever?
It's geometry of course.
And Ibis has made some changes here
compared to the carbon Ripley that's already out there.
This Ripley AF, it's actually a degree slacker.
It's 65.5 upfront with 130 millimeter travel fork
compared to the carbon bikes,
66.5 with 130 millimeter travel fork.
Ibis hasn't changed any of the other numbers either.
So this is a large size test bike
and my reach is 475 millimeters.
That's the same as the carbon bike.
Same goes for the 76 degrees seat tube angle
and the 432 millimeter chain stays.
All those are the same as the carbon bike
that's already out there.
But that slacker head angle does add a bit
to the front center of the bike
and I haven't ridden this bike yet,
but I'm suspecting that that is only gonna help
the Ripley's capabilities overall.
All right, it's time to talk suspension
and the Ripley AF has 120 millimeters of travel
using a DW link layout.
Ibis and Dave Weagle, well they go back
something like 15 years or more
and Ibis has used DW link system
on basically all of their full suspension bikes
since forever.
And not coincidentally,
all of those full suspension bikes are known
for being fast and efficient when riders are on the gas.
DW link bikes use a shock
with a relatively light compression tune
and a relatively high amount of anti squat.
And what that means on the trail,
is that when you push down on the pedals,
the bike moves forward quickly
instead of the shock going into its travel.
Now if you go back and look at older Ripleys
you'll find that they actually use
some really neat concentrics that rotate within the frame.
But on the fourth generation of Ripley
which was debuted a few years ago,
Ibis moved to a more traditional linkage setup
that you'll also see on this fifth version
to provide more clearance.
Ibis uses sealed bearings up here in the top linkage,
but this bottom link is actually borrowed
from the burlier Ripmo platform
and it actually rotates on bushings.
Now I know what you're thinking,
bushings, it's not 1997 anymore,
but these are used to increase frame rigidity
and Ibis actually includes a lifetime warranty
on those bushings.
And the frame actually comes with a seven-year warranty.
So that's it for your first look at Ibis' new Ripley AF.
A value-minded trail bike that seems to put the focus
on versatility and affordable performance.
Now we're gonna be kicking off
our value trail bike field test real soon.
And this very bike will be included.
Now down the road,
you'll be able to watch a video review of it.
So make sure to like, and subscribe to stay tuned
so you don't miss anything.
Oh. (tree branches crackle)
(Mike squeaking) (machine beeps)
Ouu, that actually hurt.
(cameraman laughing)