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.
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.
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.
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…
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.
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.
Photos: Ian Collins/ Ibis