We’re going to take a quick look at the Ibis Ripmo AF Deore build spec. What stands out? What bits are commonly swapped? What would we swap out if we were building it ourselves? Let’s jump right in.
Ibis Ripmo AF Deore Build
Aluminum frame 29” Enduro bike, that has enough playfulness in its personality to be fun on trail days even without the big enduro terrain or speed.
147mm of rear travel with a 160mm fork.
The Deore build is the entry level complete which puts you in a top tier brand, with top tier suspension design for under $4k ($3899 MSRP).
Spec Swaps: Performance or Preference?
Let’s go through the spec part by part. We’ll highlight some of the real gems and suggest some areas where riders might commonly look to swap a part or two.
OK, so we’re going to keep it reasonable in the budget (like I’m not going to saw I’m swapping all the bits into a 12k bike – that’s unreasonable). But let’s figure I have a little bit of budget to dial in my bike and I can swap some of the parts back at time of purchase (we do it all the time here at BikeCo)
DW Suspension. Confident in a white range of terrain. DW bikes pedal great, and the latest version is efficient deep into the travel making it a fun bike for tricky climbs that need both power and travel. Most notable on the Ibis DW bikes is the tremendous traction and ability to “monster truck” if you get into terrain a bit above your paygrade so to speak.
Wheels: Seldom swapped on this build
Ibis S35 Aluminum with Ibis Hubs. Ibis makes a nice wheel. The 35mm internal width provides a lot of volume for 2.4 to 2.6” tires. This additional volume helps generate a bit more damping through the tire sidewall which translates into additional grip. Riders may look at upgraded wheels if it’s a special build and they prefer another brand or color such as the Industry Nine lineup or if they are more comfortable on slightly narrower rims like the 29mm and 30mm options.
Tires: If swapped it’s typically a preference for a faster rolling rear Maxxis tire.
Assegai EXO+ 2.5 front and rear. Aggressive tires for aggressive riding! One of the most common areas that we swap as tire personality is very important to how your bike feels on trail. Most often a DHR II goes in the rear and pairs well with the Assegai. Some riders prefer DHF DHR II and we can make that swap for you as well.
Brakes: If swapped its a preference, and if riders don’t prefer Shimano they almost 100% go to Magura MT5 on this bike.
Deore M6120 4 piston. Shimano and Magura brakes are the two most popular on our builds. Shimano riders prefer the additional snap as the power comes on. The Deore M6120 come from a long line of Shimano brakes that work and do all the things Shimano brakes do! A common swap for the Deore 4 piston brakes is to go to the Magura MT5. This is done for brake feel preference as they have similar total power, consistency and reliability.
Brake Rotors: Seldom changed on this build.
SM-RT66. Believe it or not this is the preferred Shimano rotor at BikeCo. Less exotic than the Ice Tech in material and manufacturing it tends to be more robust and slower wearing.
Cranks: Seldom changed on this build.
Deore M6100. The high school economics teacher might not believe it, but trickle down is real in MTB components. Even entry level cranks are getting lighter, better looking and stiffer.
Drivetrain: Seldom changed on this build.
Deore M6100 12sp Shimano with 51t cassette. Shimano’s drivetrains are the smoothest on the market. They shift gears nearly effortlessly with a very sophisticated feel even in the Deore lineup. To keep your Shimano drivetrain performing at its best its important to regularly wipe the dirt and debris from the chain, pulley wheels, chain ring and cassette and keep it properly lubed.
Headset: Seldom changed on this build.
Cane Creek 40. The 40 is a classic on bikes from Deore all the way to X01 builds. Robust and easy to maintain a properly installed Cane Creek 40 will give you crisp, quiet performance for a long time.
Handlebar and Stem: Performance change. Many riders upgrade to 35mm diameter carbon bars with an appropriate stem at time of purchase.
Ibis Alloy. For an aluminum bar Ibis’ decision to stay 31.8mm helped to minimize some of the trail input going straight into your hands. It’s a well designed, good functioning setup. But, it’s one of the most often upgraded aspects of the Ripmo AF Deore build. Why? Carbon handlebars will give even more damping improving your trail feel and grip while minimizing arm pump or hand stress.
Grips: Preference swap if swapped
Lizard Skin Charger. Grips are really personal. The Chargers are a good starting point if you’re new to the sport – you’re not going to hate them. If you already know what you like though this is another common place for swaps.
Seatpost: Seldom changed on this build.
KS Rage-I Again, the trickle down means even the “basic” seatposts these days work well. With L and XL spec’d with 170mm travel seatposts and M with 150mm the Ripmo AF Deore accommodates riders of different body types.
Saddle: Preference swap if changed, but one of THE BEST stock saddle options on the market.
WTB Silverado 142. Like grips, saddle choice is really personal. The WTB Silverado is probably one of the most widely fitting saddles on the market. Ibis hasn’t picked a strange saddle to save a buck or two at the cost of you never wanting to really ride it… With the Silverado riders have a proper size and shape MTB saddle for the type of riding the Ripmo AF is designed for.
Shop In-Stock Ripmo AF as well other Ibis, Mondraker and Yeti Completes at BikeCo.com!