Santa Cruz Tallboy vs Ibis Ripley - Trail Bike Showdown 

Agreed. We will do our best to get it in there on a future video. I used to own a Trance 29 as my personal bike and think it's a great contender in this category. If memory serves me well, the Trance feels a bit more like the Tallboy on the descents with a more active rear suspension. On the climbs its closest to the Tallboy as well.

X2

My GF rides the aluminum Trance 29, and I've demo'd it several times. It is a wonderful bike. I think the aluminum Trance 29 is hands down, the best value, legit, trail/do it all bike out there. The carbon Trance builds have some more serious competition from the smaller, high end brands though. If I was going to spend 5-7k, I'd probably look elsewhere, but for less than 3K, the aluminum Trance 29 has no peers. It is a really, really good bike at that price point.

@@matt-jami-Van I also think so. I'm riding an aluminum Trance 29 too, but have upgraded all components, including the fork. So far it's been hard to actually replace the frame with a boutique brand of the same travel category. It's hard to justify because the frame is really good and I have the impression that I wouldn't gain anything by replacing it (aside from the "status symbol" you get from riding a boutique bike)

Nice. It’s a rad bike for sure.

I got my Ripley in last Tues, no regrets, it rips.

I think of a lot of the noise you're hearing is a combination of a few things. The Rockshox suspension is a bit noisier. You can hear the fluid moving through it more than you can with Fox. The other is the Tallboy comes with 2.3" tires on 27mm rims. I have more air pressure in those tires than on the Ripley with 2.6" tires on a 35mm rim. There isn't much chain slap to be heard on either bike. Also the GoPro Hero 7 switches back and forth between standard stereo audio and a wind reduction mode. The wind reduction mode reduced a bit of the bike noise as well. Maybe that has something to do with it. As far as the 2.6" tire on the Tallboy goes I think it could go either way. The 2.6" will "float" a little more but might roll in the corners. I tend to prefer a narrower (2.3"-2.5") tire for riding hard. I think it mostly comes down to preference here though.

Biker's Edge l

Either one of these bikes would be great depending on your riding style. The Ripley will certainly be more efficient in that rolling terrain though.

Jordan Paul did u purchase a Ripley?

Rob Wilkins - I actually got a Yeti SB100. It’s been amazing this year!

Sorry about the wait. Unfortunately the entire bike industry is pretty far behind on fulfilling orders. It's been rough for everyone.

Agreed!

Yes it would. After riding them a few times each, I can already tell you the Ripmo climbs better and the Hightower descends more confidently.

I almost bought the Ripley and I considered the Tall Boy, but I went with the High Tower instead. The Ripley is a great bike for sure and so is the Tall Boy. So many reviews that compare the Ripley to the High Tower, Tall Boy, and Bronson say it's the better climber. Down hill always goes to the Santa Cruz bikes. My High Tower climbs pretty darn nice. Much better than my Scott Spark did. It's also very comfortable and smooth on the trail. The two things that turned me from the Ibis Ripley was I don't like the rear shock position and how it makes getting the water bottle out a tad cumbersome. The biggest thing is the warranty. Ibis has a 7 year frame warranty and Santa Cruz has a lifetime warranty on the frame plus lifetime on the pivot bearings. I plan on keeping this bike longer than 7 years because I don't want to shell out thousands of dollars every 5 or 7 years on a new bike. Thanks for the video. You did a nice job on comparing the two bikes.

Man. You should see someone who’s actually good at bikes!!

Thanks. Glad you like it. I timed some of them after the fact using the GoPro footage. The Tallboy was faster in the bumpy stuff and on the techy trail. The Ripley was faster on the smoother stuff and tighter stuff. I rode the Ripley a few months back with 2.3" Trail King tires. It felt way faster and every bit as capable. I wish Ibis would ship the bike with something other than a 2.6" Nobby Nic or super heavy Assegai option.

You can't really go wrong with either of these!

I'd say thats fairly close. Although I'd probably put the Tallboy at 8/10 descending. And maybe drop it to a 7/10 for climbing. It's just that much more confident and descent focused. I'd take the stiffer RS Pike over the Fox 34 any day of the week and I think that had a lot to do with how confident the bike felt. I actually preferred the narrower tire on the Tallboy than the big 2.6" on the Ripley. The Maxxis Minions never lack grip even in a 2.3" width.

Awesome thanks! Yeah I really want a pike or 36 on whatever I get :).

Biker's Edge I also thought I saw you said you tried the ripley with a 140mm? Would that be your personal preference with a 36/pike? Anyway thanks pretty limited demo options for these bikes where I live :)! Edit: guess I said that poorly. Was trying to say did you prefer these bikes at 140 or 130 fork travel if you had the chance to try it :).

Michael Kay the first time I ride the Ripley it had a 140mm Pike. I think it’s much better than the stock option. I don’t know if I’d put a 36 on either one - just for weight reasons.

Biker's Edge great, thanks a ton! I’ll def stop by BE if I ever get a chance :)

I think the TB is the better jumper. Not only in getting off the ground, but also landing. The frame feels more stout and offers more control for landing jumps.

I have. Here's the link to the video ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-U1WLJOpt74M.html

Sure does! It's a lot of fun.

Glad you liked it! The Ripley is a great contender. I haven't ridden the 429 so I can't compare. I will say the Ripley goes uphill with the best of them. It's a heck of a lot of fun on the DH too - super poppy and agile. I fell off my bike and injured my thumb back in July. I'm wearing a custom thumb brace molded to my grips.

@sfsurfer1 I took my handlebars into the hand therapy clinic and they custom made one for me. Pretty cool. The Ripley won't disappoint when it comes to climbing, or anything really. It climbs better than it has business doing.

@@bikersedge found that reply on your thump . Sounds good I a am sad for not taking my grips with me. Maybe have to buy a second pair

The Ripley is probably more well rounded. The TB is a great descender for the category.

We have a review about just the Tallboy is that's what you're looking for. It's in the "Bike Reviews" playlist.

The Rascal is in a different category on both the climbs and descents. Meaning, the Ripley climbs much better than the Rascal and the Rascal descends much better than the Ripley. I'd be happy to take the Rascal on any trail in Utah while the Ripley would have me concerned on some of the tougher downhills. That said the Ripley is a better long day/xc bike.

Glad you liked it. There's always a written article to go along with these reviews. I go into a lot more details especially about fit and sizing there. www.bebikes.com/the-hub/tallboy-vs-ripley-trail-bike-showdown For the most part, I try to keep the videos as succinct and entertaining as possible.

Thanks for the kind words. We don't stock Pivot so unfortunately not.

It’s a solid bike. Super fun.

Unfortunately no. I haven't ridden that one.

Esteban LV enduro? These are 120mm

@@seanhornchek6440 as Chris Porter keeps telling us, it's more about geometry than travel.

@@esvegateban I don't see any enduro racers on 120mm bikes, these bikes can certainly handle anything an average rider may encounter due to geometry but they aren't nearly as forgiving to big hits and enduro racing tracks.

@@seanhornchek6440 edited my comment to avoid nit-picking and pointless conversations that do not change what I meant.

No, the Ripley with 2.6" tyres out-handled (11:08) & out-climbed the Tallboy with it's 2.3" tyres - that's not a *little difference* to me.

The Tallboy is a lot slacker (65.5 vs 66.5) and a little longer (1239 vs 1236) than the Ripley but honestly it doesn't hinder the uphill performance too much. With the Blur and Blur trail I think Santa Cruz felt like they could push this bike out of the XC category and into the capable trail bike category.

@@bikersedge But they already have *FOUR OTHER MODELS,* Hightower, Bronson, Nomad & Megatower for the endouro-trail genre, why jump into the enduro pool with the Tallboy as well when most people I know prefer a more spirited & climbing-filled trail ride? And the Blurr series is definitely XC oriented leaving, in my opinion, a *hole* between XC and Enduro-Trail.

Biker's Edge ok but the Blur trail is still 100mm out back...they simply upforked it to 110mm, which is weak sauce imho. Slightly better for Norco with the Revolver: they literally swapped the rear shock for one with a longer stroke to get to 120mm rear and then slapped a 120mm fork on the front. The geo numbers on the Revolver aren’t bad save for the high BB height compared to the conservative numbers on the Blur.

Haven't ridden it but it looks cool. Seems like people like it quite a bit.

Not super familiar with the area. Sounds like the Ripley could be a good option for you.

@@bikersedge Yup that's what I'm leaning towards. Plus the ability to *feel* the trail and not feel like you're floating. Thanks for the content.

Tallboy and Bronson/Hightower are very different. The Tallboy and 5010 would be a closer comparison. The Tallboy is a better climber than either the Bronson or HT. It's a little more maneuverable and lively as well. It can't match the other two in capability though.

You beat us to it. Please hold. Video coming shortly.

Martin Hertsius tires do make a huge difference. I’d be curious to see what smooths out small chatter more. A large volume, low pressure tire like the 2.6” NN vs a heavier Minion but only 2.3” width and higher air pressure. Could be a good video for us to shoot. I’ve ridden the Ripley with a handful of different tire combos. I think it still stands that the Tallboy is smoother in the early/mid stroke than the Ripley.

The Tallboy. It feels better and smoother through the rough stuff on the climbs. It doesn't get held up at all and the added traction (from suspension) helps when it gets steep.

Yeah I think it is. Despite having 140mm of travel I feel like it fits better in this category than it does with bikes like the Ripmo, Hightower and SB130.

I’m 6’2” and almost always ride XL. They Ibis felt smaller than the Tallboy but it didn’t feel too small. I think the difference is in the seat tube angle. The Tallboy has a slacker actual angle than the Ripley so the higher the saddle goes the further back it gets.

On the way.

The Oiz TR is going to feel a lot more like an XC race bike, both up and downhill. The Ripley is very much a trail bike. The Ripley is far more stable and controlled on the descents (like it's not even the same category) and the Oiz is faster uphill.

I don't think so. The change in geo isn't significant enough. The head tube angle only changes by 0.2 degrees. The head tube would still be significantly slacker on the Tallboy (nearly a degree.) More importantly though, I think it comes down to suspension platform. The Ripley is more efficient than a TB. Overall weight is a consideration as well and the Ripley is about a pound lighter for a comparable build.

​@@bikersedge Can the tallboy come closer to Ripley in climbing efficiency by putting the rear shock into trail mode? If not, what else can explain the difference - 1 pound difference is very small when comparing bike+rider weight.

@@yasmas70 Why have FS if you have to lock it out to climb? Just buy a Hard Tail.

If you prioritize climbing I’d recommend the Ibis. It’s capable enough and climbs very well.

What made you go with the niner? Did you test ride all three?

Why thank you!

Stock tires on both bikes. Minion 2.3 on the Tallboy and Nobby Nic 2.6 on the Ripley.

We haven’t been able to get a blur for review yet. Still working on that one. LT bough I wouldn’t put those two in the same category at all.

@@bikersedge ok thanks I wasn’t sure if they could compare since similar weights and travel.

Nice. Congrats. You're going to dig it.

Biker's Edge thanks for the video can’t wait to get it delivered

Personally either one is the ideal endurance XC bike for me. Let's face it, I'm not going to win one of those races any time soon. I'll take the extra capability and comfort for the tough downhills and long days in the saddle over speed and efficiency from a pure XC bike. If I had XCM racing in mind I'd go with the Ripley (with normal 2.3-2.4" tires) over the Tallboy. I'd really like it for something like True Grit.

@@bikersedge Thanks for the response. I have a local SC seller but not one that sells Ibis (tho can get one). Mmm...tough decision when considering one of these, an Epic Evo or a Scott Spark for my next bike.

Not considering the Pivot Trail 429?

@@1ndomitus I think that's a great bike. Although, It's not something we have access to at our shop. We won't be able to do a review.

I haven't ridden much out there so I can't really say. All I've done is the old school Laguna stuff, and for that, I want a Megatower.

@@bikersedge LOL! I hear ya. Noble Canyon is no joke. I don't shuttle when I ride it though. My carbon Trek Fuel 98 handles the climb just fine, but the rocky sections of the downhill are white knuckle time for sure. I ended up buying a demo 2020 Tallboy C S for a huge discount this morning. I'm guessing it will be far better than my Trek on something like Noble, but not as good as the Hightower. Will it be enough? Time will tell.

@@precycled1 Nice. I think you'll be stoked on that bike. It is a really fun and engaging ride.

@@precycled1 how did you end up digging the tallboy??!!

@@jarcidiacono1 It was a great bike but I needed a beefier fork and more travel. I rode it for 6 months and traded it in for an Ibis Ripmo V2. It is a little more sluggish on the climbs but it plows through anything you throw at it.

Hey thanks! Glad you liked it.

Best thing about living in Utah is you don't have to pick just one....

I see what you did there😄

Biker's Edge 👏

Biker's Edge 😂😂😂😂😂🍾🍾🍾🍾

This wasn’t the first time I had ridden either bike. I actually rode the Ripley a long time before the Tallboy.

I've never ridden that one so I can't compare.

I crashed my bike and tried to tear my thumb off. My doctor made this to stabilize my thumb. I had him mold around my handlebars though. Pretty cool stuff.

What about more riding footage to lengthen them?

Pretty much different categories. While the Tallboy is very capable for a trail bike the sb130 is a much, much better descender. The Tallboy is faster on the climbs though.

@@bikersedge thx! but now I'm royally confused. I've ridden both the SB130 and Ripley 4. SB130 climbed extremely well, not on par with the Ripley but not to far off.

@@michaelutley7661 True, they both climb very well. It's on the descents where the SB130 is in a category of its own.

yup sounds loud but on other reviews is quiet, I wonder if it has an issue?

I found a loose rear brake rotor after the ride. that could have been some of the extra noise on the Tallboy.

Snowbird

That’s exactly what I did to my thumb. It’s just a thermoplastic brace that a therapist made for me. It gives enough support but is a little uncomfortable to ride with. Kind of digs into my hand a bit. I don’t really feel a big difference in my grip on the bars with it on. It’s certainly no harder to let go of the bars if needed.

I’m very used to bikes with head tube angles in the 65-66 degree range so it didn’t feel too slack. Seems like it’s the new normal for most bikes these days.

@@bikersedge Ah okay, thanks. My current mtb is a 2012 26" Stumpjumper FSR, so I was a little worried that the new generation of trail bikes would feel a little like monster trucks in comparison. Guess I need to get out there and demo them!

That will be the best way to decide what you like. They're all going to feel pretty different compared to what you're riding. It might take a second to adjust so have an open mind.

For the descents the Tallboy is probably a little more forgiving. The Ripley will probably make the climbs a little easier.

Baby Thunder

I've ridden it with 140mm. To be honest it still doesn't quite ride the downhills like the Tallboy. The rear suspension design is to blame/credit for the difference I think.

@@bikersedge did you honestly felt any difference between 130 and 140 fork?

​@@pedroalmadav I never rode it back to back with 140 and 130. I rode the Ripley with a 140 about 3 months ago. Plus it wasn't the same fork back to back. The 140 was a Pike and the 130 was a Fox 34. To really feel the difference I should ride them back to back and on the same trail. I did feel more confident hitting bigger jumps and features on the 140 Pike equipped Ripley however. You can see how apparent it is in our Ripley vs Ripmo video. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-iK_ghh7Drck.html

@@bikersedge hi...I have the 140mm fork and I can feel the difference...I also have a dhf wt 2.5 up front and 2.5 aggressor out back. I can definitely feel the difference...it changes your climbing position...a bit more relaxed....more stability up front and raises the bb a bit. The way my bike is set up, it climbs very well but not as well as my xtr test bike with carbon rims and a 130 fork. It is so much fun and fast.

Ripley. Hands down.

@@bikersedge I'm at a loss if I should go for the Ripley or the Tallboy 😫

I can pretty much say you won’t be Diy with either. If you prefer to climb fast get the Ripley. If you want a little more planted descender, get the Tallboy. The difference between them can’t be more than 10%.

Yes sir. It's already filmed and now just in the editing process.

Our Tallboy build came in at $8199 with Reserve carbon wheels and the Ripley is a bit of an odd build but would come in around $6900.

@@bikersedge THANKS GUYS

Not sure what you mean here.

@@bikersedge with the progressive design. Did you need to get over the front to corner?

The reach on these bikes is a little shorter than most everything Yeti makes (minus the SB115) depending on your setup and fit they could require less conscious front wheel weighting than the Yeti bikes. Your bar height, stem length and personal fit probably affect that more though.

A few different trails at Snowbird.

They are very similar and the differences between them are small. The Ripley climbs better than the Tallboy and feels a bit more agile on the downhill. The Tallboy still climbs well and is really fun to ride. I go into the differences a little more in this blog post www.bebikes.com/the-hub/tallboy-vs-ripley-trail-bike-showdown

@@bikersedge And the Ripley had 2.SIX tyres vs the Tallboy 2.THREEs - and Ripley still out-climbed it. That's more than just a "small" difference.

@@1ndomitus The Ripley's 2.6" tires were lighter weight Nobby Nics. The 2.3" Minions on the Tallboy actually weigh more than the NN. They also have a more aggressive tread pattern. All this to say, that in terms of climbing performance the tires are probably pretty close.

Good question. To be fair I haven't pedaled either one of these for most of a day. The longest ride I've done on either one was about 3 hours. They both feel pretty similar geo-wise. I think I'd have to take the Ripley. It sits a little more upright.

Not on those bikes.

@@bikersedge so you don’t recommend on trail bikes at 120mm? I just picked up a Ripley and I’m sooo used to having an insert in with my sc and ripmo. Would the insert take away from the playfulness of the bike? I love the stability confidence with an insert but hate the weight. Your thoughts on double dhr on the Ripley

I wouldn’t say they’re inappropriate on a bike like that. All depends on the rider. If you’re tough on wheels and tires then yeah I’d put one in. You’ll notice the weight and it will kill a bit of the magic of a short travel trail bike. But then again so does getting a flat every time you ride.

@@bikersedge thank you for the feedback. Man I’m so used to inserts I dont know if I’m tough on wheels and tires. Never had an issue so I’m sssuming I’m not tough on the wheels and tires. Or was it the inserts doing its job. Will experiment on both setups

What tire combo (no inserts 😊would you run on the Ripley if you had one bike. Do all type setup. I saw ur video on tires and you recommended forecaster Rekon race for 120mm and below suspension bikes (xc light trail). Does that hold true to the Ripley

#36forlife

Biker's Edge 😂