We are excited and proud to announce the Ibis Ripley 29.

The Ripley 29 project started in 2008. The Mojo and Mojo SL were already in production and well received, we were ripping around on our Tranny prototypes, and the Mojo HD was designed and getting readied for production. In other words, it was finally time for us to get our first 29er project moving in earnest.

We approached Dave Weagle (suspension guru, inventor of the dw-link who has never let us down on a suspension design) and told him we needed a bike that had the versatility of the Mojo SL. It needed to be efficient for racing but not so focused on it that that's all it was good for. We asked for 100mm of travel and told him we wanted to be able to build the bike to be the lightest and stiffest in class. What he came back with surprised us: He had figured out how to shrink the whole DW link system down to two tiny and durable eccentric links (more on that later).

During the same time we were riding other 29ers and realized how we were spoiled by the 140mm of front and rear travel found on the Mojo. The big wheels certainly mitigate the shorter travel, but 100mm forks to us felt like we were going back in time (not in a good way). We're were sure a 100mm bike would make a World Cup fire road racer happy but it wouldn't really make us happy. Back to Dave. Can you make the eccentric bike have 120mm of travel and still be just as efficient? No problem he said, so we got to work.

Designing around 29" wheels presented a new set of engineering challenges. How do you make the geometry feel snappy, but maintain toe clearance in the front and an ample tire clearance in the back? How do you keep the front derailleur from hitting the rear wheel? Where do you fit the suspension linkages and shock (while maintaining a short wheelbase, low weight and high frame stiffness)? Can you design the frame to be light and stiff, but still accommodate water bottles? What is the optimal amount of travel for a 29" bike that will be as versatile as the Mojo SL? How do you accommodate the different gearing needs of a 29er whether using a 1X, 2X or 3X drivetrain? Where do you put the head tube with a fork that tall and keep the bars in the same place?

These were some of the questions we asked ourselves as we started the design process. Now, three plus years later, here's how we tackled those issues.

Prototype

To prove to ourselves that the short coupled eccentric links would actually work as well as we thought, we built a single prototype, using a Tranny as the starting point. It's definitely not be the prettiest bike we've built, but it proved a point. The eccentrics worked, extremely well it turns out. This gave us the confidence to move forward full speed ahead on the Ripley 29 project. To read more about 'The Mule', our prototype project, click here or on the picture below.

Eccentric Links

The all new linkage technology warranted it's own page, so you can read about it in detail in the 'Tech' tab.

Molding Technology

The Ripley 29 uses similar molding technology to the Mojo SL-R. We start by molding a sacrificial mandrel in exactly the shape that we want the inside of the frame to be. That becomes the 3D template for the bladder that holds all the carbon preform before it's laid into the mold. This allows the lay-up to be done in one piece, with no joints anywhere. The result is a more precise lay-up that eliminates the need for additional foam or filler to mold the complex shapes. What that means for you is a lighter and stronger frame, critical factors in hitting our targets for weight and stiffness.

Headset

We like the tapered headset found on the Mojo HD and Mojo SL-R, so we're using it on the Ripley 29 as well. It's light and very stiff. The 1.5" lower provides an exceptionally rigid front-end platform. Combined with the through-axle fork and our very stiff front-end layup, you'll be amazed at the precision steering feedback you get, particularly when pushing hard.

You may use several different Cane Creek headsets or the Chris King InSet headset.

Two Bottles

We've made a provision on the Ripley 29 for 2 water bottles, one above and one below the down tube.

Cable Routing

Cable routing is provided for cable actuated adjustable seatposts. An optional polycarbonate cable guard is available that bolts under the down tube, under the second water bottle.

High Direct Front Derailleur

The swingarm mounted front derailleur is always in the right place in relation to the chain and chainrings so front shifting is more consistent throughout the travel.

This mounting system provides increased compatibility with 2 x 10 drivetrains and less chain slap since the chainstay can be located further from the chain. Also since the derailleur is moving with the chain there will be no chain rub at the extreme ends of the travel.

Single Rings and Chain Guides

If you want to run a 1X10, we've got great news. In June 2011, Shimano began shipping a new rear derailleur call the XTR Shadow Plus. It uses heavier chain tension plus a friction stabilizer to dampen the cage and thus chain movement (chain slap). It also dramatically reduces derailing of chains. Combined with either an e*thirteen XCX-ST D-Type or an MRP 1X, the Shadow Plus virtually eliminates the need for the lower half of your chain guide, plus makes your bike nearly silent.

142 x 12mm Maxle

The 142mm Maxle rear through axle provides gobs of extra rear wheel stiffness in an extremely lightweight package.

Bottom Bracket

The bottom bracket is the new press fit integrated style called the BB92, also known as PressGXP. Once again, it provides you with a lighter, stiffer bike, and is compatible with most popular cranksets.

And Finally, Why Ripley?

Contrary to what some might be thinking, the name didn't evolve from "Ibis has a 29er, believe it or not!".

The real reason is that at Ibis, we think recycling is a good thing to do. But why limit it to cans and bottles? You may have noticed that we've recycled a couple of names recently. The Mojo, now a carbon fiber dual suspension bike, was originally a steel hardtail. The Hakkalügi was our original steel cross bike. The Silk Ti was a softtail and now the Silk SL is our road bike. The Tranny? Well, that was just a questionable encounter at one of the Vegas trade shows.

The Ripley was an aluminum softtail, very innovative and lightweight. You can see it in an archived web page here.

And for giggles, here's a picture of the original Ripley, a couple hundred yards from Chuck's house. Yes, that's Robert Ripley's actual grave, believe it or not.

We recently brought the prototype Ripley to the same gravesite for a quick visit. Click to see the only published photo of the new bike. We're happy to report that it's performing beautifully. 

Back to the top

"We've been working on this bike for what seems like forever. Far before it was fashionable or even heard of to have a shock clevis, and one of the first bikes since the I-Drive and Decathlon to use any type of eccentric link. Obviously more is better so we have two of them!" Dave Weagle

All new dw-link from the eccentric mind of Dave Weagle

As we mentioned on the details page, when confronted with the design challenge of building a dw-link that was able to withstand the larger forces of the bigger wheel AND be as light or lighter than the current dw-link bikes, Dave Weagle came up with yet another innovative idea: eccentrics. Plural. As in 2Xentrics. The dw-link suspension on the Ripley 29 consists of two short-coupled links in the form of two rotating eccentrics, an idea he's been batting around in his brain since 2005. He knew immediately that this was the right application for this new design. Read on for an explanation of the eccentric technology. Check out the picture below with the two eccentrics sitting next to what they replace on a Mojo SL or SL-R. They're also 130g lighter.

Eccentrics: two short-coupled links in the form of two rotating eccentrics. 130 grams lighter.

The eccentric world of eccentrics:

When Dave suggested using eccentrics it sounded like a good idea. Eccentrics as an engineering solution are slick and elegant. We've always liked the quote attributed to Einstein that says: "Everything should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler". As it turns out it's pretty hard to keep this simple idea simple. The picture of the eccentrics above represent the 20th iteration of the design, and each time the design got simpler. We like where it is now.

What's a Norglide?

The eccentrics use a combination of sealed bearings and composite bushings. Norglide is the trade name of the composite bearing material we use. It's made of a new material (It's only been around since 1938) called Poly Tetra Fluoro Ethylene. Fluoropolymers have been used as bearing materials for over 50 years and continuously improved.

Norglide has a bunch of features we are looking for. It's maintenance free, strong (has a metal support structure) is durable due to its wear-resistant PTFE compound and it can also have high load capabilities. So far so good. The coefficient of friction of a composite material is not a constant. It is dictated by the material of the mating contact surfaces and by the roughness of the harder one. With combinations that have very different strength values (like ours does, aluminum and polymer) the coefficient of friction also depends on the load, speed and ambient temperature. What we found out from all of this is super good news: the coefficient of friction drops as load increases and as speed decreases. That's the exact mix of properties we were looking for in this bearing.

Super Duper Long Lasting

Our engineering staff (his name is Colin) did a whole bunch of calculations on the longevity of the bearing. The number that the equation spit out was that you can ride the bike for two hours a day for years before you need to replace the bearing. Colin checked the calcs with the manufacturer's engineers and they gave his math a thumbs up.

Back to the top