ABOUT THE IBIS RIPMO AF
The Ripmo AF (Alloy Frame) is the metal version of Ibis’s all-mountain machine. As one of the cheapest bikes on the market to feature the DW-Link suspension system, this 150mm travel do-everything machine has the ingredients to be a compelling option for the slightly more price-conscious rider still looking for a quality frame with solid brand backing.
FRAME AND FEATURES | Now on its second iteration, the Ibis Ripmo AF is an alloy-framed equivalent of their carbon Ripmo all-mountain bike. Featuring the DW-Link, dual-link suspension setup and premium features throughout, Ibis instilled their notoriously high-quality approach to this more value-minded machine.
Interestingly, Ibis uses bushings at the suspension pivots, rather than the sealed cartridge bearings you would typically find. There are some good reasons for this: the limited rotation of suspension pivots isn’t as favorable for a ball bearing setup; there are no metal parts on the sliding surface that could become rusty and seized, and they are claimed to be stiffer and stronger. Ibis covers these bushings with a lifetime warranty in case any issues are sustained. Similarly, the frame structure is backed by a lifetime warranty against issues sustained through normal use.
Ripmo AF Riders on size small and medium frames receive a mixed-wheel setup as standard, while the extra-medium, large and xl frames receive a pair of 29” wheels. This extra-medium (XM) size was added by Ibis to give the most common size of riders – those who sit in the zone between a medium and large – an additional choice to obtain their perfect fit. A large flip chip in the frame allows all frame sizes to convert between a 27.5 and 29” rear wheel while maintaining the geometry very close. This will allow riders to tweak the character of the Ripmo AF to their preferences, though there is no geometry-adjusting flip chip.
Diving into the other premium features and niceties, Ibis gave the frame internal storage with a large hatch and a durable lever to keep it secure. It comes equipped with a stow bag to keep items inside from rattling around. On top of the hatch is the bottle cage mount, with space on all frames to fit a 28oz (795ml) bottle.
The cable routing is internal, routed through bolt-on clamps to keep the chance of rattling to a minimum, though without full guiding internally. Standards are what you would likely hope for: boost spacing; UDH dropout; threaded BB and an optional ISCG chainguide mount. They utilize a 34.9mm seatpost for the greatest compatibility and perceived durability.
Interestingly, while the frame may look to be raw aluminium, it is in fact painted. This paint proved to hold up amicably during testing, and is unlikely to dull over time like a raw frame might, at the expense of showing scratches more readily.
SUSPENSION | Ibis continues to use the DW-Link suspension design: a dual-link setup with two short co-rotating links controlling the 150mm rear travel. Dave Weagle’s suspension system delivers consistently impressive ride characteristics across the board, and the Ripmo AF is no exception. Balancing pedaling efficiency and traction on the climbs with a fine blend of sensitivity and support on the descents – and packaging it in a structurally efficient way – it’s no major surprise that it’s been applauded for a long time.
Ibis gives the Ripmo AF’s shock their traction tune. This features reduced compression and rebound damping compared to what is typical, with Ibis suggesting the frame kinematics should do the work and the shock should be free to move. It leads to a very “free” rear end, which has its merits, but wasn’t quite to my liking.
GEOMETRY | The geometry on the Ibis Ripmo AF is fairly typical of a bike in the all-mountain space, with its 64.5° head angle and 76.5° effective seat tube angle on this extra medium with 478mm reach. The chainstay is relatively short – especially in the MX wheel configuration – giving snappy handling at the expense of front-end weighting.
Ibis gives slightly size-specific geometry, with the chainstay growing a couple of millimeters in the bigger sizes, and interestingly, the bottom bracket height increasing as you go up the size range.
IBIS RIPMO AF BUILD SPECS | There are two build specs on offer for the Ibis Ripmo AF: the Deore spec tested at $4,099, or the Eagle 90 build at $4,299. There is also a $2,449 frame-only on offer, which is great to see for riders looking to build the bike up to their exacting specifications.
The Ripmo AF Deore tested featured a modest build, with a Select-level RockShox Lyrik fork, and the traction-tuned Super Deluxe shock. The Deore in the name comes from the four-pot Shimano Deore brakes, and Shimano Deore 12-speed mechanical drivetrain, which has been updated to the M7200 series since the review.
Ibis in-house brand, BlackBird, manages the cockpit and wheelset. The cockpit is a simple alloy affair that proved comfortable, however the 35mm inner width of the BlackBird Send alloy rims was more contentious. These are wrapped in a solid Maxxis Assegai and DHR2 EXO+ tire pairing.
This size Extra-Medium Ripmo AF Deore build tipped the scales at 36.5lbs or 16.6 kg when all was said and done.
THE DIRT – TESTING THE RIPMO AF
I called in the Ibis Ripmo AF to serve as the test mule for the MY27 RockShox Lyrik and Super Deluxe Ultimate, figuring it would be a great match to the latest and great RockShox trail suspension. I was also very interested to put this machine to the test in its standard form, given its fairly reasonable price tag and DW-Link suspension. Could this be the best mid-level all-mountain bike on the market?
SETUP | I struggled to get the Ibis Ripmo AF’s stock suspension setup in a happy place. While I understand the theory behind their Traction Tune suspension – which reduces damping and relies upon the DW-Link suspension platform to provide control through its kinematics – it just didn’t quite work for me. I felt as if the suspension was overly keen to use its travel, giving a sense of instability that left me a little uncertain as to what shape the bike would be in for a given trail scenario.
It is important to note that at 220lbs or 98kg on a size extra-medium – and likely on the upper end of riding aggression for what this bike is intended to support – I am likely to suffer more from the lesser-damped setup than most riders. For lighter riders or those not pushing towards the enduro spectrum too frequently, the level of damping Ibis has spec’d on this shock is likely to be more suitable, perhaps even beneficial.
Once I installed the MY27 RockShox suspension setup, the Ripmo AF came alive for me. DW-Link suspension seems to have an incredible ability to balance efficiency with comfort and traction, and this Ibis proved to stay true to that, with the latest and greatest Ultimate-level RockShox Lyrik and Super Deluxe allowing all of this performance to be realized.
Adding to this uncertainty was the wheel and tire combination. The wide BlackBird alloy rims weren’t the lightest, but for their perceived size, the roughly 2kg weight was surprisingly reasonable. However, the 35mm inner width gave the 2.5” Maxxis Wide Trail tires a distinctly square profile, which I found to limit the edge bite and reduce confidence when pushing hard.
Not content with leaving performance on the table on a bike that I knew had more in it, I swapped out the wheelset to a set of the Hunt Enduro V3 wheels, which I wrapped in Schwalbe Albert Radial Gravity tires. The performance of the Ripmo AF climbed another notch, tipping into corners easier and offering more predictable traction.
Rounding out the setup tweaks was a 240mm OneUp V3 dropper post in place of the stock 170mm KS Vantage fitted to this Extra Medium size.
Speaking of sizing, at 6’2” (189cm) it may be a surprise to see me select the XM to test. However, it proved to be a perfect fit for my preferences. As a long-legged and active rider, the shorter reach provided a comfortable fit both seated and standing. The long 506mm reach of the Large would have left me feeling a little over-stretched for my personal preferences. It’s great to see Ibis offer a five-size range to cater to a wide rider size range, and especially good to see that XM coming in to my aid in finding a comfortable fit.
CLIMBING PERFORMANCE | As an all-mountain bike, the Ibis Ripmo AF should strike a fine balance of pedal-friendliness and descending capability. At nearly 37lbs out of the box, it was never going to win any prizes for ultimate efficiency and pep, but the DW-Link suspension helped to improve matters, especially in more technical climbing scenarios. Combining a reasonable seating position with the stellar blend of efficiency and comfort that the rear end provided, the Ripmo AF was a bike that was happy to cover ground, whether longer trail days or more intense enduro sessions. The lockout lever was still in place to offer a slight boost to the climbing platform, but the Ripmo AF was not a bike that demanded its use. In rough climbs, the level of traction produced was impressive – with both the stock shock and the upgraded unit.
The Ripmo AF has a relatively short rear end, which afforded excellent maneuverability at the expense of climbing stability when the trail got steep. In the easiest cog, the slightly slacker seat tube angle and relatively short rear end demanded a deliberate effort to get the weight over the handlebars to keep the front wheel in check. It was manageable, but combining this with the slightly portly build weight, the Ripmo AF wouldn’t be the first choice for the steepest winches uphill.
DESCENDING PERFORMANCE | Descending time on the Ripmo AF was a story of two halves: pre and post-upgrades. Before the upgrades were made to this all-mountain machine, it was comfortable and forgiving. However, it did not offer the suspension support and control desired, nor the cornering feel that supported attacking the trails. In its stock guise, this comfort and the ability to run lower tire pressures without sustaining issues from tire roll are likely to please riders on the less aggressive end of the spectrum. By no means is the stock Ibis a bike that is incapable of riding technical trails, only it struggles to keep up once speeds and riding aggression increased for my 98kg (220lbs) mass.
Following the upgrades, I was able to push the Ripmo AF to a much higher level, and it came alive for me. The rear suspension kinematics combined with the RockShox Super Deluxe Ultimate MY27 rear shock to offer an excellent blend of handling characteristics. It only reduced the small-bump sensitivity by a small margin, still retaining solid levels of comfort in chattery terrain for its travel bracket. The support deeper in the stroke – and the calmer and more predictable response under more aggressive riding that accompanied it – was notable, and the Ripmo AF was quickly a bike that felt comfortable and confident across the spectrum of terrain.
Of course, it didn’t quite keep up with longer-legged enduro bikes, but on all but the gnarliest of trails it held its own. It was only once speeds climbed, or the impacts reached a notable level of severity, that the Ripmo AF showed its shorter and more mild-mannered legs. The frame was stout but avoided and harsh or skittish notions, sitting in a comfortable space where it didn’t ever feel vulnerable or vague.
The geometry of the Ripmo AF struck a fine balance of stability and agility, though it is slightly more rearward-biased than many of the new crop of bikes in this space. The shorter rear end forces a trade-off, where it’s easier to lift the front and snap the rear end around in tighter pockets, at the expense of natural front-end traction and stability. The Ibis demanded more weight to be actively pressed into the handlebars to maintain front-end grip in flatter turns than some of the more “balanced” bikes out there. As a result, it’s not as easy to ride the Ripmo AF fast in most terrain, but the fun factor for more playful riding is dialled up a notch.
This short rear end is only exacerbated by fitting a 27.5” rear wheel. And while it does add a further element of playfulness and fun-factor that’ll likely please the most freeride-focused riders, the Ripmo AF doesn’t need that smaller rear wheel to be a fun machine. For the riders on small and medium bikes, it’s less likely to become problematic, but for the XM and above, I’d suggest Ibis’s call to spec with dual-29” wheels is a sensible one.
FINISH AND VALUE | The Ibis Ripmo AF is a quality aluminum frame. The cable management is solid; the finish quality is neat, and they’ve given it all of the standards that you would likely want to see.
The bushing pivots proved to hold up well, requiring no maintenance throughout testing and avoiding any play or creaking. While this review didn’t amount to a full season’s worth of regular abuse, the Ripmo AF saw sufficient mileage to shake out any major issues. The paintwork held up fairly well, only suffering from a couple of scratches, and the bike ran quietly and free of any rattles.
Talking value, it doesn’t stand up very well to the best in the budget space when you compare the parts spec for the money. With items like the unbranded hubs on in-house rims, and the Select-level RockShox and Shimano Deore, the $4k mark doesn’t stand up incredibly well. That said, as a base to get you going and take the highly upgrade-worthy frame with you, or opting to build up a rig from the frame-only with your existing parts, the value proposition improves. The frame is very much worthy of being adorned by some better-performing components, and though it’s unlikely to ever be a super lightweight machine in its category, the DW-Link performance and general build quality is worthy.
COMPONENT REPORT
BlackBird Send AL Wheelset | Though their weight is reasonable for an alloy wheelset, and the rims proved to be fairly durable, the 35mm inner width’s effect of squaring-off the tire profile made the BlackBird wheels hard to love. The rear hub also arrived out the box with the choice of either a small amount of binding, or a small amount of play.
Shimano Deore Kit | The Shimano Deore kit is not flashy, but performed suitably well. It’s the kind of componentry that I’d be happy to have fitted to a more price-conscious build, with the plan to upgrade it as componentry wears out in the long term.
The Wolf’s Last Word
The 150mm travel space is a difficult one in which to strike the handling balance, but Ibis has done a stellar job at making a versatile, fun and capable bike in the Ripmo AF. In reality, outside of riders looking to set the fastest times down enduro trails or those looking to spend a decent chunk of time in a bikepark, a bike like this Ibis is a more suitable daily driver.
However, more aggressive and heavier riders should be prepared to retune or replace the rear shock to achieve the best from the alloy all-mountain Ibis machine. 
Price: $4,099 / £3,549 (Deore) – $4,299 / £4,099 (90)
Website: Ibiscycles.com
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ABOUT THE WOLF
Robert’s habitat is the Tweed Valley, Scotland, which is renowned for its root-littered enduro mountain bike trails. Robert has been developing his bike handling skills for the last 16 years. Since he was a pup, he’s been riding everything from BMX through to enduro and downhill bikes. Combining a playful style with occasional speed-focused aggression, he favors supportive bikes, and does his best to push them hard.
Rank: European Tech Editor
Size: 6’2” / 189cm | 220lbs / 100kg
Social: @robert_johnston
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