FIRST RIDES: RIDES: FIRST RIDES: YETI IBIS PIVOT

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MOUNTAIN BIKE ACTION
101 TRAIL SURVIVAL TIPS: CONQUER THE MOUNTAIN
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FIRST
FIRST
RIDES:
RIDES:
FIRST
YETI
RIDES:
YETI
IBIS
YETI
IBIS
IBIS
PIVOT
PIVOT
PIVOT
MOUNTAIN
MOUNTAIN
BIKE
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MEDICINE:
“TAKE
AARIDE
MOUNTAIN
“TAKE
AND CALL RIDE
ME IN
ANDMORNING”
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ME IN
BIKE
MEDICINE:
THE
THE MORNING”
“TAKE
A RIDE
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THE MORNING”
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est
A Plush All-Mountain Machine
The Ibis Mojo HD
hen Ibis signed on Brian Lopes, the only bike in
their lineup was the lightweight, carbon fiber Mojo
trailbike. To the credit of both Lopes and Ibis, they
souped-up the stock Mojo, and it turned out to be reasonably competitive in 4-Cross and dual-slalom racing. Ibis
immediately began development of a longer-travel, gravityoriented chassis, and with Brian’s help, the Mojo HD was
born.
W
WHO IS IT MADE FOR?
That’s a good question. Ibis offers the HD frame configured for single-chainring downhill racing, and it can be used
with 6.3- to 7-inch-travel forks. That, and the fact that the
rear brake is checked out for rotors up to 8 inches, leads
riders to believe that the HD is a dedicated black-diamond
trail bike. Ride it, however, and you’ll swear that the Mojo
HD is a sweet-pedaling, long-travel trailbike that would be
happy if it never entered the boundaries of Whistler’s mountain bike park.
WHAT IS IT MADE FROM?
The Mojo HD shares the dw-link suspension and profile
of its trailbike sibling, but beyond that, the HD is a completely different frame. Ibis uses high-modulus carbon fiber
with a lay-up schedule tailored to the rigors of aggressive
trail riding.
The left-side rear dropout integrates the post-mount
caliper bosses and is forged magnesium, while the right
dropout is carbon fiber. Ibis designed a stout aluminum
lower link with dual-row angular-contact bearings at
each pivot location. That means the link can run without
play and take triple the loads of a conventional ball bearing. The one-piece upper link is also new. Ibis gave the
HD’s carbon fiber swingarm plenty of tire clearance—
enough for most 2.5-inch tires up-front. The bike uses a
1.5-inch head tube.
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WHICH COMPONENTS STAND OUT?
Ibis’s dw-link suspension geometry precludes the installation of an ISCG chainguide because of interference with the
lower rocker link, so Ibis and MRP developed a custom
chainguide just for the HD frame that ties into the forward
dw-link pivot location. Cable guides are configured on both
the top and bottom of the frame’s main tubes, and they screw
in, so you don’t have extra fittings should you forgo a front
derailleur and a remote-adjustable seatpost.
HOW DOES IT PERFORM?
The Ibis Mojo HD pedals well in or out of the saddle, and
it feels more like an 8-inch-travel suspension bike at speed
and when pressed hard in technical situations. Until the HD,
every dw-link suspension we’d tested felt like it had slightly
less travel than advertised. The HD is quite the opposite.
Pedaling: Ibis and Fox get high marks on the HD’s suspension. Its performance is simply wonderful throughout the
bike’s speed range—and the bike pedals well, too. Shimano’s
DynaSys 3x10 transmission is well-matched to the Ibis HD in
its trailbike role. The DynaSys’ lowest gear is slightly taller
than the standard 22/34 option, which can be felt as fatigue
sets in, but the rest of the gear selections are well-spaced for
technical trail riding. A big plus for Ibis is their use of the 12millimeter through-axle option at the rear axle. The chassis
feels ultra-rigid under power and through lateral impacts like
roots, ruts and glancing boulders.
Climbing: If you have the legs to hammer a 30-pound
bike uphill, the HD will reward your effort with efficient
pedaling in both the wide-open and ProPedal shock settings. When the climbs got steep and the switchbacks
tight, we reigned in the long-legged Fox 36 fork to speed
up the steering. One click of the TALAS dial dropped the
front end and increased the head angle by a degree, which
gave the bike a more nimble, cross-country feel. There
are only two travel settings on the new TALAS
fork, which makes it simple to operate at speed.
Cornering: With the world’s most dominant gate racer on salary, one would expect
the HD to rip the corners—and it does. The
Ibis feels lightweight and nimble in the
turns, with the rider’s weight automatically
centered in the sweet spot for aggressive cornering. When the suspension is properly
sagged, the HD’s bottom bracket rides at
about 12 inches, which keeps the bike’s center
of gravity low and adds a noticeable degree of
control.
Descending: Our HD managed a stellar performance
on the downhill sections in spite of its subpar rubber. Its 67degree head angle and laid-back seat angle clicked into action,
taking the edge off drops and tricky ruts that would cause
problems for cross-country-oriented designs. The HD jumps
like a downhill bike—with a lot of negative travel in the suspension that keeps the wheels on the ground over the lips and
makes it land as soft as a cat. The chassis doesn’t dive under
hard braking, but there is a slight tendency for the rear brake
to lock unless you use a soft grip at the lever. The Ibis’ suspension can breeze over a series of boulders or bumps with a
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Ibis Mojo HD
manual, lean-on-the-rear-wheel technique or an aggressive,
weight-forward, bash-through-with-the-front-end approach.
TRICKS, UPGRADES OR TIPS?
We love adjustable seatposts, but we have run out of
patience with the Crankbrothers Joplin. Its makers can’t
seem to acknowledge its shortcomings. Like doting parents
of a teenage felon, Crankbrothers explains away the post’s
flaws, ignoring the air-sucking spongy feel and lateral rattle
rather than sending the sneaky little seatpost back to engineering reform school. The final straw came when hitting a
bump while seated. The flexible WTB saddle would actuate
the Joplin’s top-mounted release lever and drop the post 2
inches while we were pedaling in earnest. Hello?
WTB’s tubeless Mutano 2.4-inch tires hampered highspeed cornering and are quite possibly the worst we have
ridden on Southern California’s predominantly dry and
sometimes rocky terrain.
BUYING ADVICE
The Ibis HD is a must-ride for anyone in the market for a
daily driver trailbike that can descend like a downhill
machine and has the toughness to hold its own with gravity
bikes that weigh 9 pounds more. This is the Downieville
killer that can be beefed up to spend a week at Whistler.
The Ibis Mojo HD may be the best example of the aggressive
rider’s “one bike.” ❑
Yes, it can: While you won’t escape the Mojo HD’s 30-pound
weight, the dual-purpose trailbike’s dw-link suspension manages good climbing performance—even out of the saddle.
IBIS MOJO HD
Strange brew: A double-chain ring crankset would suit the
Mojo HD’s mission better than the Shimano Dyna-Sys crank.
The Mojo HD’s frame’s 1.5-inch head tube can handle single- or double-crown forks. The best and worst adjustable
seatpost. Ample room for 2.5-inch tires and beefed up links
to handle big-jump downhills.
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Price
Country of origin
Weight
Hotline
Frame tested
Bottom bracket height
Chainstay length
Top tube length
Head tube angle
Seat tube angle
Standover height
Wheelbase
Suspension travel
Suspension travel
Frame material
Fork
Shock
Rims
Tires
Hubs
Brakes
Crankset
Handlebar
Shifters
Front derailleur
Rear derailleur
Chainrings
Cassette
Tallest gear
Lowest gear
Pedals
$2399 (frame and Fox RP23 shock)
Taiwan
30.4 pounds
(866) 424-7635
17" (medium)
13.8"
17.25"
23"
67°
71°
31.5"
43.9"
6.3" (front)
6.3" (rear)
Carbon fiber
Fox 36 TALAS FIT
Fox Float RP23
Crankbrothers Iodine
WTB Mutano tubeless (2.4")
Crankbrothers Iodine
Shimano XT
Shimano XT Hollowtech II
Easton Monkey Lite XC (27.5")
Shimano XT Rapidfire Plus
Shimano XT
Shimano XT Shadow
Shimano XT DynaSys (42/32/24)
Shimano XT 10-cog DynaSys (11-36)
26 feet (per crank revolution)
4.53 feet (per crank revolution)
Weighed with Shimano XTR
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Off to a good start: Foes took over a year to
develop their first 29er. The result is all Foes—
solid technical handling with a good pedaling
platform.
Take it to the limit: Few all-day trail riders
can deliver downhill suspension suppleness. The Ibis Mojo HD has the strength
and legs for big-drop action and ample
pedaling efficiency to get over the hills.
September 2010 / MOUNTAIN BIKE ACTION
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