2024 Ibis Ripmo on test – Our Best in Test’s little brother

The new Ibis Ripmo rolls into the new season with a brand new look, but keeps a firm eye on its roots. With 160/150 mm of travel, it bridges the gap between bike categories and features some promising new frame details. Can it fill the big shoes of its predecessor?

After over four years, Ibis have given their award-winning trail bike a major overhaul, and also changed its orientation back to the roots of the bike. Originally designed as a trail bike, the Ripmo has slowly evolved into an enduro racer over the years, which was achieved through spec updates, longer forks, larger-volume shocks and heavier, more robust components. Since the recently introduced HD6 took on this role, the Ibis Ripmo returns to its origins: the all-round trail bike, which should cover everything from epic, long tours to bike park missions with its 160/150 mm of travel. At the same time, Ibis have also updated the Ripley, which is designed to be even more nimble and pedal-friendly, with its lighter spec and 140/130 mm of travel. The Ripmo’s predecessor has already impressed our test crew several times in the past, while its bigger sibling, the HD6, secured the coveted Best in Test badge in our big 2024 enduro comparison test. The new Ibis Ripmo has therefore raised high expectations, but can it fulfil them? We didn’t test the flagship model, but the XT spec variant, which offers the best value for money in our opinion. The bike is available now at € 7,448, tipping the scales at 14.8 kg in frame size XM. Ibis adapt the wheel size to the respective frame size, with our test bike in XM rolling on big 29″ wheels front and rear.

The new 2024 Ibis Ripmo 2024 in detail

The new 2024 Ibis Ripmo relies on a modern, rectilinear frame silhouette, replacing Ibis’ familiar curvaceous design language. Together with the elegant matt green paint finish, this ensures a very high-quality, classy look. In purely visual terms, it’s reminiscent of the HD6, relying on the same position of the swingarms and a horizontally mounted shock. By doing that Ibis increased the DW-Link rear suspension’s progression so that it harmonises even better with coil shocks. The cables are routed internally and disappear into the frame behind the headset. Despite not being clamped at the ports, they don’t make any annoying rattling noises. The rear end of the Ibis Ripmo is quiet too, with a long chainstay protector preventing chain slap and paint chips. A generously sized TPU plate protects the down tube and bottom bracket area, while a shuttle guard prevents chafing when you throw the bike on the back of a pick up truck.

One of the biggest innovations is the storage compartment in the down tube, which makes the new Ripmo Ibis’ first bike with an integrated frame compartment – and it’s a belter! The Californian manufacturer wanted to provide all frame sizes with a usable, easily accessible compartment, and the result is a massive storage space in the down tube with a big opening that allows you to stow away even bigger items – like a pump, for example. The compartment comes standard with two high-quality pouches, which were developed in cooperation with outdoor manufacturer Cotopaxi and feature their unmistakable, colourful block design on the inside. The high-quality storage compartment can be opened quickly and easily with a lever on the right-hand side, even with a full water bottle in the cage. When you close it again, the lid sits firmly and doesn’t wobble or rattle – nice! All this makes the storage compartment of the Ibis Ripmo one of the best solutions we’ve come across so far. The manufacturer forgoes a tool mount, though the frame is still compatible with their Pork Chop frame bag if you need more storage room on your bike. With the new Ibis Ripmo, you can happily leave behind your backpack and hip-pack, even on longer rides.

The spec of our 2024 Ibis Ripmo test bike

Despite not being the Ripmo flagship model, our test bike relies on a high-quality spec, trimmed uncompromisingly towards trail performance. FOX supply the Factory suspension, consisting of a FLOAT X air shock and a new 36 mm fork with GRIP X damper, which offers low and high speed adjustments on both the rebound and compression circuits. Apart from the loud slurping noise from the fork, it delivers top performance on the trail. The BikeYoke REVIVE dropper post has 185 mm of travel, which is enough for a bike in this category. Particularly long-legged riders might want to consider upgrading to a longer model.

Shimano supply the XT drivetrain and matching four piston XT brakes, which both deliver an excellent performance on the trail. The only blemish is the small 180 mm rear rotor, which tends to overheat quickly on long descents, particularly with heavier riders. A bigger 200 mm disc – like the one at the front – would be a better match for the Ibis Ripmo and only add a marginal amount of weight. Ibis rely on their in-house component brand Blackbird for the 800 mm carbon handlebars and 35 mm wide 29″ alloy wheelset. The latter is paired with MAXXIS tires, with an ASSEGAI at the front and Minion DHR II at the rear, both in the hard MaxxTerra rubber compound and EXO+ casing. Rowdy and heavy riders should upgrade to more robust tires with the tougher Doubledown casing front and rear, and the softer MaxxGrip rubber compound at the front for more traction. Ibis deliver the Ripmo with a MAXXIS DHF at the front, but this has no major impact on trail performance.

Tuning-Tipp: Big 200 mm rear brake rotor

All spec variants of the new 2024 Ibis Ripmo

The 2024 Ibis Ripmo is available in 5 spec variants, all of which share the same shock and wheelset, including our test bike. With the flagship model, you can upgrade to a carbon wheelset with Industry Nine hubs for an additional € 1,600. The two most affordable spec variants come equipped with a Marzocchi Bomber fork, while all other models rely on a FOX 36 Factory fork. Apart from that, the only difference between the spec variants is in the drivetrain and brakes: the Shimano DEORE model costs € 5,848, Shimano SLX costs € 6.598 and our Shimano XT test bike costs € 7,448. The € 9,648 flagship model relies on SRAM CODE RSC brakes and a SRAM X0 Transmission drivetrain, while the model below uses the same brakes but a cheaper SRAM GX Transmission drivetrain and costs € 8,248. The frame set with shock sets you back € 4.198. All models are available in two colours, Swamp Green and Heckleberry Purple.

The geometry of the new 2024 Ibis Ripmo

The Ibis Ripmo 2024 comes in 5 sizes, offering a suitable option for riders between 152 cm and 201 cm tall. According to the manufacturer, 80% of bikes are sold in sizes M and L, so they introduced an intermediate Extra Medium (XM) size for the Ripmo, which is the one we tested. A flip chip lets you convert the Ripmo to a mullet bike; frame sizes S and M come with a mixed wheel setup as standard, while sizes XM to XL roll out of the factory on a pair of 29” wheels. Unfortunately, Ibis don’t let you choose the wheel size configuration at the time of purchase.

To ensure consistent handling across all sizes, Ibis go one step further than most manufacturers, adapting not only the chainstay length (which is short across the board) but also the seat tube angle and bottom bracket drop to the respective frame size. To prevent these geometry alterations from affecting the bike’s character, Ibis’ engineers also adapted the suspension kinematics to each frame size – mega! At Ibis, the key element in adapting the geometry to the respective frame size is the top tube length, rather than the reach (measured from the BB forwards), which is what most other manufacturers do. Since the seat tube angle steepens up with the increasing frame size, this means that the reach has to increase even further. As a result, the large frames of the Ripmo have what appear to be extremely long reach values, with the biggest XL frame sporting a whopping 540! The aim of this is to ensure consistent handling across all sizes – the long reach moves your centre of gravity forward, making for a central riding position without the need for really long chainstays in the larger sizes.

Size	Small	Medium	Extram Medium	Large	X-Large
Top Tube	578 mm	605 mm	630 mm	655 mm	685 mm
Seat Tube	395 mm	400 mm	415 mm	457 mm	477 mm
Head Tube	85 mm	95 mm	110 mm	125 mm	140 mm
Head Angle	64.5°	64.5°	64.5°	64.5°	64.5°
Seat Angle	76.5°	76.5°	76.5°	76.5°	76.5°
Chainstay	435 mm	435 mm	436 mm	438 mm	440 mm
BB Drop	36 mm	33 mm	30 mm	29 mm	24 mm
Wheelbase	1.195 mm	1.219 mm	1.249 mm	1.286 mm	1.329 mm
Reach	436 mm	456 mm	478 mm	506 mm	540 mm
Stack	616 mm	622 mm	633 mm	643 mm	654 mm

The new 2024 Ibis Ripmo on the trail

Riding uphill, the Ripmo places you in a sporty, slightly stretched pedalling position. Although very comfortable, the aggressive position makes it clear from the get-go that the climb to the trailhead isn’t just a means to an end – the Ripmo also likes to open the taps uphill. While the front-heavy riding position puts some pressure on your hands on level ground, this diminishes as the gradient increases, allowing you to make your way up the mountain in a comfortable, efficient pedalling position. The rear suspension is pleasantly firm and only bobs marginally, even without the climb switch. At the same time, it generates plenty of traction, making it easy to tackle technical climbs.

Once you’ve reached the trailhead and start to shred your way back down into the valley, the Ibis Ripmo immediately makes you feel at ease. You’re nicely integrated with the bike, with the weight evenly distributed between the front and rear, which inspires tons of confidence downhill. Despite its composed character, the Ibis is refreshingly nimble, encouraging you to flick the rear end from one corner into the next. The suspension is partly responsible for this, delivering that typical twin-link feeling, which combines an initial plush response behaviour with good progression towards the end of the travel, thus preventing the shock from rushing through its travel. As a result, the rear wheel follows the contours of the trail and generates tons of traction. With an active riding style, the Ripmo’s suspension works incredibly hard, but without sucking up the rider’s input like a sandbag, popping back into the initial position rather than sinking into the travel, thus inviting you to play with the trail and collect plenty of air miles. In addition, the suspension provides consistently good feedback from the ground, so you can keep track of how deep into the travel you are, without that wallowy sofa feeling. All of this makes the Ripmo a good all-rounder with few weaknesses, that can handle everything from your home trails to the occasional bike park session.

Who should take a closer look at the 2024 Ripmo?

The Ibis Ripmo is in its own travel class, positioned just between trail and enduro bikes. As a result, it’s plusher than many trail bikes but still more nimble than most enduro bruisers. It’s therefore a great option if you’re looking for for a bike that masters a difficult balancing act: it is not too sluggish on flow trails, but still capable enough to blast through nasty rock gardens without a second thought. With its balanced handling and even weight distribution, the new Ripmo is suitable for a very wide range of applications.

Our conclusions about the new 2024 Ibis Ripmo

The Ibis Ripmo 2024 follows in big footsteps, but fills them gloriously! It might look completely different from its predecessor, but it keeps delivering the same tremendous performance on the trail. Above all, the Ripmo impresses with very balanced handling, which makes it an excellent all-rounder that is suitable for a wide range of applications, from flowing trails to gnarly bike park lines. With the new Ripmo, Ibis offer a high-quality, capable and stylish bike with a particularly well thought-out storage compartment in the down tube.

For more info, visit Ibis’ website.

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Words: Simon Kohler Photos: Mike Hunger