Ibis Mojo 4: Fourth Times The Charm

I have a hard time letting go of my personal bikes, but I finally did the unthinkable this past week and parted with my hand me down Gary Fisher Paragon 29er from an old teammate and my beloved Ibis Mojo HD, the first generation with 26″ wheels.

The 29er was an easy goner, but the Mojo HD was difficult. Too many memories and epic rides, a thing of beauty to look at even though its wheel sizes kept on getting outdated every year. I even put on a new 140mm shock last fall thinking perhaps it’ll entice me to ride more. Work got in the way so I never got to ride it. Adios, it’s been a fun ride. 

With the Mojo finally out of the house, the search for the next steed begins. Since big air is not my forte, I don’t need a massive amount of travel anymore even though they are so fun to shred around on. A short travel trail bike, or maybe go back to my cross-country roots?

Then Chuck dropped us an email about the impending launch of the new Mojo 4 and I was like damn it, I just moved on from a Mojo, albeit a longer version, but obviously the Mojo is not moving on. 

The newest Mojo is called the Mojo 4, the four denoting it as the fourth generation of being the bike that powered Ibis’ epic comeback. Generation one debuted in 2005 and it was one hell of a bike: Lightweight full carbon construction, 140mm of rear travel that climbed amicably, a radically gorgeous frame that made other bikes look boring.

The Mojo 4 is still made out of carbon, uses 27.5 wheels and its rear suspension still runs on a DW-link design similar to the outgoing Mojo 3 with 130mm in the rear (with a new 210×55 shock length) and optimized to a 140mm fork. The suspension’s lower link is new and unique to the Mojo 4. Speaking of optimization, the Mojo 4 utilizes Ibis’ Traction Tune rear shock tune first seen in the HD5 that has since its adapted into the rest of its lineup. The Mojo 4 is also spec’d with a shorter 37mm fork offset.

The biggest differentiation from the Mojo 3 is its new geometry. At 65.4 degrees, the head tube angle on the Mojo 4 has 1.7 degrees of more slack while the seat tube is now 2.3 degrees steeper at 76.7 degrees. Throw in the 425mm chainstay and it’s a rocket ride up and down the mountain. Unlike the Mojo 3, however, is that the Mojo 4 is not compatible with 27.5+ tires.

Updating a carbon frame is a pricey endeavor and it’s obvious Ibis went to great length to make the most out of their new frame molds. Its internal cable tunnels are now molded into the 1x-specifc, Boost 148 frame that accepts a tapered headset and a threaded BB compatible with ISCG 05 via a removable adapter. 

Tire clearance has also increased to a healthy 2.6″. The frame with a FOX DPS shock is said to weigh 5.9lbs and will come two color ways (Blue Dream and Dirty White Board) in four sizes to fit riders between 5’0 to 6’6, with room to fit a 22oz water bottle inside its front triangle. 

The Mojo 4 comes standard with Ibis’ seven year warranty on the frame, lifetime bushing replacement and is available today at $2,999 frame only with Fox DPS shock, and complete build starting at $4,499 with Shimano New Deore M6100 group. It is worth pointing out that all build kits are spec’d with a Fox Factory Float 34 140 fork and a Factory Float DPS rear shock – definitely a win for those who like to upgrade their parts overtime! 

www.ibiscycles.com


The All-New 5th Generation Ibis Mojo HD5 Is Here

Ibis Mojo HD5 launch brown pow

Ibis’ Mojo HD started its life as a longer travel, more rowdy-loving brethren of the company’s popular mojo in 2010 and it was by all accounts a smashing success. What’s not to love when a long travel bike could climb efficiently, turn around to shred downhill with authority and just look so darn good?

Ibis Mojo HD5 launch DW-Link

Nine years and four iterations later, Ibis is ready to bring its latest creation, the HD5 for all to enjoy. It’s still made out of carbon fiber and with the curvy lines that we’ve since grew accustomed to, but with updated geometries that reflect the current trend of longer and slacker school of thought.

Here is a quick infographic on what’s good on the new 27.5, 1x specific HD5:

Ibis Mojo HD5 launch details

The suspension on the HD5 has also been reworked as well. It’s still got the DW-link that the Mojo is known for, with updates to the lower linkage to the ones first seen on the Ripmo, but to go with it is what Ibis calls Traction Tuned Suspension that takes advantage of the DW-link where by design doesn’t need a whole lot of compression damping. The HD5 will have 153mm of rear travel and is optimized with a 170mm fork up front.

Ibis Mojo HD5 launch Motion Instrument data acquisition system

The new tune is conceptually similar to the custom Roxy tune Ibis has been spec’ing on the smaller frames, but it’s further refined using a new data acquisition system from Motion Instrument for the past two years. What the rider gets in return, according to Ibis, is “it allows the wheels to flutter through terrain like a trophy truck storming through a set of whoops.” Besides being standard equipment on the HD5, the custom-tuned shocks will be rolling out across Ibis’ lineup going forward

The Mojo HD5 is backed with a seven year frame warranty and lifetime replacement on bushings. The HD 5 is available today with two colors to choose from (Brown Pow and Charcoal) as a frame with Fox DPX2 starting at $2,999 while the complete bike will start at $4,399 with SRAM NX Eagle.

Ibis Mojo HD5 Charcoal

It is available worldwide starting today. More info here if you want to take a deep dive into the bike. 

Ibis Mojo HD5

Photos: Ian Collins, Ibis Cycles


Ripmo Metal, Seriously

Ibis Ripmo AF

Carbon fiber might be the it material at the moment but if the latest crop of aluminum bikes are any indication, then you can say aluminum is so not dead. 

Ibis Ripmo AF

In fact, with standouts such as the Specialized Allez and the Cannondale Topstone, I would argue there’s no better time to get an aluminum-framed bike than now from a best bang for your buck point of view. And now Ibis is joining in with the all-new Ripmo AF. AF for Aluminum Frame, not the standard AF abbreviation.

Ibis Ripmo AF

Though Ibis is no stranger to aluminum, the Ripmo AF is the company’s first aluminum frame since its 2001 Ripley softail, and first since Ibis came back to life as a company in 2005.

Ibis Ripmo AF

So what is the Ripmo AF? You can think of it as a more affordable version of the popular Ripmo plus a few minor updates. And how affordable is the Ripmo AF? The complete bike starts at $2,999, which is the same price as the Ripmo carbon frameset…

Ibis Ripmo AF

The Ripmo features:

  • 160mm front travel
  • 147mm dw-link rear travel (2mm more than the carbon version)
  • 8.25lb for size medium with DVO Topaz (6.1lb for medium carbon with Fox DPX2)
  • Clearance for 2.6″ tires
  • Four sizes (S-XL) that fit riders between 5′ and 6’6”
  • Compatibility with select coil shocks, DVO JADE X coil shock available as an upgrade option
  • Slack 64.9 head angle (compared to 65.9 on the carbon version)
  • Same 44mm fork offset
  • Steep 76 degree seat tube angle
  • Threaded BB (73mm BSA)
  • ISCG 05 compatible with removable adapter
  • Port style internal cable routing
  • 22oz bottles fit inside front triangle
  • Size M-XL compatible with 170mm+ droppers, 125-150mm for smalls
  • Molded rubber swing arm protectors
  • IGUS bushings in lower link, bearings in upper link
  • 203mm max rotor size
  • 1x specific design
  • Boost spacing
  • Tapered headtube: ZS44 upper, ZS56 lower
  • $1,799 for the frame with DVO Topaz Inline shock, or $1,899 with DVO Jade X coil shock. 
Ibis Ripmo AF

The Ripmo AF is backed with a seven year frame warranty and lifetime replacement on bushings. It is available worldwide starting today. More about it here, plus of course, a fun launch video.

Ibis Ripmo AF

Photos: Ian Collins/ Ibis