Ibis' $3,000 Ripley AF Review: Precise AF | 2021 Pinkbike Field Trip 

Levy I just want to say that anytime my dog hears your voice he comes running, must love really pinkbike

Looking forward to PB doing Saturday Sends from the actual moon.

Can we get a montage of the faces Levy makes whilst going downhill?

OMG , You all look like brother and sister . Thanks for taking the time to make this video and keep up the good work !

Was eagerly waiting for this review (saving the best for last?). Pretty much confirms what I was hoping so now I can tell my wife I need to get it.

I'm glad we had a chance to hear the dude's opinion.

Love this one ... gotta get one! My favourite out of this field test! I'll upgrade the brakes to 4 pots ...

Deeply appreciated this review, confirming what I thought--it's a go, as a frameset. Mine will feature a Wren fork with about 140mm travel, but I'll use it for the intended type of wooded trails. I hope routing cables won't present a big hassle.

Proud new owner of a new Ibis Ripmo AF dressed in metal and fitted in NGX Eagle. DVO Diamond SC1 fork and Jade X w/ coil. A sick enduro rig!

I'm glad keep bringing up the wandering bite point on Shimano brakes. My XT' are bloody awful for it, they warrantied my levers for it but it's still no better

I’ve been looking for a mtb that’s under 4 grand and these more budget review vids are great !!

Love my Ripmo AF. Bet this Ripley would be a good purchase too

Stoked for "Field Trip Mars Edition."

My Ripmo AF rattled bad. It was the internal routed cables. I pulled tension where they come out and put double zip ties on cables. No more internal rattle.

Great review and sums this bike up perfectly. I’m loving mine and it’s killer on the climbs and a scalpel on the way down. Glad I got my NGX build before the $200 price hike. Still would recommend this bike despite the price increase.

holy everyone look at 0:52 when the bike bottoms out the back tire literally hits the back of the frame

Ripley sounds great for Florida riding. I went with a Trek Fuel EX, and really wish I had the option to test more bikes like you guys.

Have ridden the carbon Ripley a bunch and it’s a super fun bike, am sure the aluminum is just the same! I have XT brakes on all my bikes and have for years and none of them have this wandering bite point. I find them totally consistent across XC, big mountain enduro, park days…

Mine's ordered, will be my first dual suspension MTB. Stoked!

So, no one's going to mention the clearly visible tyre hitting the ST in the huck to flat test? :-\

Note the Ripley AF is supposed to be shipping with Deore 4 piston brakes going forward so that one negative has already been remedied! Also it is a Fox Performance not Rhythm fork and no comment on the Wheelset that comes on this vs. the other bikes in the test?

Awesome that I'm not the only SpaceX nerd around here!! SN15 FTW!

Pulling a slight vacuum at the caliper usually dislodges a stubborn bubble or two and solves the wandering bite point of Shimano brakes. Try it out for yourself.

I'm curious; have you ever had ths problem with the XT range? I've been using them for years and never came across this problem myself, though I often heard it said.

Looking forward to getting one soon!

Picked one of these up in March in the SRAM build. Thought about selling it and have gotten tons of offers at what I bought it for.

Excellent Bike, can't wait to have mine!

My favorite bike of the lot. 🤩

Thx for the setup details,what's your weight Mike at the moment just wondering,mentioned 77ish psi front. Thx for the vidro

Interesting point from Mike about Shimano brakes and the bite point changing, I’ve got higher end xt brakes that have that same issue but cheaper versions on another bike and the bite point is far more consistent, go figure?

Love the review. Thank you. I saw you guys in Tucson with a Kona. How do you think this bike would do in Tucson trails?

I built a custom Ripley AF. Fox factory 140mm fork, factory dps in rear. I9/Hydra wheels/hubs. Sram XO1 kit. Size L 28.0 pounds. Its absolutely amazing.

Thanks for the video, I was torn between a Ripley and Ripmo and I tend to plow through instead of carefully picking lines, should probably pass on the Ripley as per video!

Have seen nothing but good reviews on this ride. Have one on order....can't wait!!

I am told that SLX brakes don’t have the vague bite point - but the higher end models do. I had some Deore brakes and the bite point was slightly variable, but nothing like XT. So odd that Shimano hasn’t sorted this out. Their brakes are awesome otherwise.

I am running shimano 8120s and I have never had this wandering bite point issue. I am guessing I am lucky and hoping it is not something that crops up eventually on them because I love these anchors.

No mention of difference between carbon and aluminum (wt obviously). Is the carbon worth the extra $$ especially coming off an older aluminum Superfly. Thanks for your vid’s

Amazing bike and would be the go to trail bike, unfortunately £3400 here in the UK is a rip off. £400 more expensive than loads of even big name bike brands, but with a lower spec. When the Ripmo came out it was actually really competitive spec and price, but for some reason they changed this on the Ripley.

Bite point never changes on my Saints...

I'd love to know how this compares to an optic. As much as they're such different intentioned bikes they comprise my entire short list, pluses for the ripley being price and efficiency, where as the optic allows for more aggressive riding across more types of terrain. Pretty sure I can't go wrong but I feel like even adding10mm to the ripley fork will still leave me wanting in the travel department. Anyone have any insight?

Thanks for another great review! Just curious about how the size large bike rode compared to the medium frames of the other bikes in this test field. Was there a noticeable difference? I think I'm right between a medium and a large so any help here would be greatly appreciated.

What the best budget carbon 29er out now? Need to upgrade from 26er

Once I have the money this will be my next bike

Would be good if it actually cost AUD equivalent of $3000 USD here in Australia, with current exchange rate is like $3800 AUD but no local distributors add $1500 AUD for importation, bringing Deore build cost up to $5200, which doesn't make the Ripley AF a value alloy trail bike option in Australia. Polygon Siskiu T8 manufactured more locally in Indonesia is $3500, with better spec. I'd rather ride the Ripley AF but not for almost $2K more, you can get a Giant Trance X Advanced Pro 2 on sale for that kind of coin.

I want one now wish I can pick one up soon

Spec info still wrong. No slx on production deore build, and both available builds have 34 performance, not rhythm. Says it right there on your sticker. US bikes also come with maxxis rubber

How would you guys compare it to Rocky Element A30 which seems to have similar setup to Ripley AF with deore.

Please review the Canyon Spectral 125!

Ripley vs Spur? any thoughts?

Gotta do the Yt jeffsy core 2 when they have some in stock

Yes, Mike. We're gonna see humans on mars and on the moon again in our lifetime. That's really exciting

Lol I work in Boca on Starship, still love mountain bikes. Hopefully we can on mars too

Look at the welds on this then go check out the Marin. Ibis did it right. Ive been a welder for 28 years and the Marin was horrible.

In Australia - Ibis Ripley AF (Deore) - $5,850 Polygon Siskiu T8 - $3,599

is it very loud with that old school cable routing ?

Is it essentially a scaled down Ripmo? Looks super similar...

I really wanted a Ripley AF for my second bike to compliment my more Enduro focused sled, but since none were to be found I ended up somehow finding a 2021 Specialized Stumpjumper Comp Carbon and jumping on it. Sadly it was $1000 more than I the Ripley AF, but at least it has a carbon frame and 7000 series Shimano SLX components instead of the 6000 series Deore on the AF, so a moderate upgrade there for my $$.

Curious why someone would get the Ripley AF instead of the Ripmo AF. Both bikes are so heavy if you are going to lug all that weight seems like you might as well get the Ripmo AF which is only slightly heavier but has loads more capability.

Can you review the norco fluid fs1?

Thought on the Ripley AF SLX at $4300!!??...for PNW trails, I'm not a "shredder".

The tyre most definitely rubs the frame at full bottom out

Great VIdeo & Bike, but pls tell the weight in kg too, its difficult to follow if you are not used to pounds:)

Awesome video! I rode the V1 Ripley for years before I switched to a V1 Ripmo. I was soooo torn between getting a newer Ripley Vs. moving onto the Ripmo. What made me side with the RIpmo was the stability on descents and not having to decide so much on line choice. At the same time, I love them both equally! It's like having two kids!!...LOL. What's very interesting, is when I got my Ripmo, I would alternate bikes on rides. I found I could ride the Ripley better after spending time on the RIpmo. Maybe, Pros train on the RIpmo, and race the Ripley? Regarding the Ripley AF: What is the stability like? Is it identical to the Ripley's reputation? I wouldn't mind getting another Ripley as a back up bike. Quick question: I notice Levy keeps mentioning the bite issue on Shimano brakes? Are there brands that are better in this department? I run SLX 4 Piston, and sometimes feel I'm not getting the bite as Levy mentions ( Please answer this question!) :-).

Soooo...Levy liked it? I couldn't be certain. 😬

Who's Annie, why is she squatting, and what does that have to do with bike suspension?

I am 63 and am wanting a good bike just for riding trails, nothing crazy. I only ride for exercise, so I don’t need the top of the line bike to do crazy stuff. What bike would y’all recommend around the $2,000 range?

Where do you buy this bike for $3k? I haven’t seen it.

How does it compare to Marin Rift Zone XR?

So as of December 2021, a Ripley AF in SLX build is $4100. Did it seriously go up $1,100 in less than a year?

Mind boggling that I've had my Ripmo AF on order since September and about to enter another prime season with my 2008 Scalpel. 😒

Confirmed: Levy going to Mars.

Is there a shelf life to an aluminum frame? Someone told me they will fail after so many years.

They should do bike reviews of 3 or 4 k

How did $2500-$3000 become the budget, low end models.

Question? Why doesn't Pinkbike review Scott bikes? Spark/Genius/Ransom/Gambler...

Value and fox together makes no sense. I have Shimano SLX 4pistin brakes and the bite point doesn't seem to move.

That cable routing…

Looks like a Specialized Status 140 2021

not sure if this is worth $1000 more than the polygon

Please help ! This bike tho I was looking at the 3400 one looks like the perfect bike for me I love in Illinois and we don't have big mountain we have very steep tech uphill and everything sounds good except you guys say it's not good for the chunky heavy roots rocks buts thats all ours I'm looking for a bike that's can kill the uphill while also a good decent but more looking for a great full sus climber I have the polygon t7 and to be honest was a waste of a buy

Deore groupSet for my Birthday 😇🤗

Dose pink bike hate E bikes?

The Ripley is 2 thousand more than the other full suspension bikes in Australia

With how the bike handles, why not just get an XC bike with burlier tyres? Also, I have the same issue with the brakes on my bike. The brakes are very weird on long descents.

i've got a larger gap between my thighs a sleep on my side than that has rear tyre space

Really sucks prices on bikes (if you can even find them) are $1000+ more than the price on every single video or written review from 6 to 12 months ago. Can't get this bike for under $4000. I picked a terrible time to get back into mtbs :(

Compare more to the Regular Trance 29 not X

I may be the one out there on the limb, but Ibis Aluminum bikes are uuuuugly! . . . . and I ride an Evolinlk. I can't disagree with the platform, but I'd have to go with Pivot.

Space bikes. SPACE BIKES!

Not a Rhythm fork…it’s a Fox 34 Performance Also, the bike is no longer $3000 🙁

All that work to keep your cables hidden for 24". Someday we'll get smart.

Bushings! in 2021, bushings!!??

2023 Ibis Ripley AF SLX(Protein Shake) just arrived at my door. #skrrt

Everything functions properly ru-vid.comUgkxHL1v1R3NE5x4KiYfyt8dnQmyNYz7qi5L Nothing was damaged in the box aside from a decal on the fork. The decal was missing a piece of a corner but I ended up peeling them off anyways. Assembly is easy BUT make sure you tune up the derailleurs. Both the front and rear need adjusting. I'd advise going to a bike shop but I opted out and put in 10+ hours with the help of RU-vid. Ended up fraying a shifter cable but all in all I learned from the experience. The Brakes work well but the front caliper needs adjusting or at least mine did because the rotor was rubbing against the pads. Make sure you swap out the seat, grips, and pedals. For the short run you'll be fine though. I've read that this bike isn't built yet for hard trails but I just need it for the city. PA has some of the worst roads and being in a mountain this was a great choice. Worth the investment!

What do y’all do with the test bikes after finished with them.

omg 3 grands

Maaa-rin is how you pronounce Marin fyi😂

I have been running shimano xt brakes for a long long time never once have I experienced the "migrating bite point" that these channels keep vomiting out there mouths.

$3799 now, damn

Dude... What are dropping off to makes the chains hit the ground on these bikes bro? In the beginning of your vids your chains are hitting the ground in slowmo.. what are you doing to do that? Lol