Ibis Ripmo AF Frame - Red Savina

Ibis Ripmo AF Frame

Since its introduction, the Ripmo has been billed as Ibis’s “enduro ready” 29’er. With the AF they’ve pushed it even further in that direction. Does that mean you should only buy this bike if you are a gravity rider? Not exactly. The Ripmo AF does cater to the downhill side of things a bit more than the original Ripmo, but that doesn’t mean it’s only suitable for aggressive tracks and big jumps.

A heavier frame weight - around 2 lbs - means this bike will build up a bit burlier, but burly is what the AF is about. With 147mm (5.8”) of rear travel and a 160mm reduced offset fork, this bike charges just a hair harder than it’s lighter carbon sibling. It has a more unrelenting feel, which results from the combination of a slacker fork, a greater weight, and the revised suspension design.

When heading up-hill, this bike is still an Ibis. Any bike bearing their mark will be designed with pedaling in mind, and that holds true here. Dave Weagle’s DW-Link has long been heralded for its pedaling efficiency, and this iteration is no different.

In terms of descending, it doesn’t necessarily rip ‘mo than the carbon version, but it does it a little differently. The slacker head angle is immediately noticeable, giving the bike a slower steering feel that seems slightly calmer at high speeds (read our blog on “trail” to learn how HA changes steering feel). It also makes it feel a bit less nimble on tight, slow corners, both up and downhill, but there are always trade-offs to these types of changes.

• Bolt-on Axle
• DW-Link Suspension Platform
• Internal Cable Routing for Shifter, Brake, Dropper
• Water Bottle Cage Mount on All Sizes
• Molded rubber chainstay protector
• Progressive suspension leverage ratio for compatibility with select coil shocks