Awesome, good find. Thanks!
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New name for a trail bike. Marketing.
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Correct.
Swapping out a fork, e.g. a 100mm Fox 32 for a 120mm Fox 34 takes all of 5 minutes. Of course they’d rather you buy an entire bike.
I only have one bike, for which I would love the longer travel. I don’t race often so I’d rather have it for the rest of the year. I’m 6’3” so not quite as tall as Nate but I could still use more than what I have currently.
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Were you testing the pre-2019 Oiz? If so I agree - the 2019 bike is different. It came down to these two bike for me (in the 120mm version). I had a slight preference for the Spark I think but found a much better deal on the Oiz. Now that I have dialed in my Oiz with a shorter and different angle stem I think it would be even with the Spark. I did like the lockout on the Scott though.
I’m running a 175 on my XC. Same reasons (one bike) although I do think it can be good to have that much drop on scarier courses. If the weight penalty isn’t that much then the fact that they’re infinitely adjustable makes the full drop a moot point. I do wonder about the weight penalty but I prefer not to weigh my bikes. They’re never light.
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I actually found I am faster at xc racing without a dropper. I’m more tempted to keep pedaling on the downhills than to relax with a dropper.
Evil just released the new version of the Following. Really nice looking (in terms of geometry, not paint) downcountry bike.
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Been riding a current generation Ibis Ripley as a trail bike with 130mm Pike and solid wheels/ tyres but rebuilding in a much lighter specification to get back into XCM and maybe some XC. As a trail bike in size XL it was only just over 12kg so I’m hoping it will be quite reasonable for a 120/120 bike when complete.
Will go to a 120mm SID (35mm) up front with carbon XRC DT Swiss wheels. Changing out the X01 for XX1 AXS and the 50mm zero rise stem for a -6 70mm item. I’m keeping the 185mm Bikeyoke dropper, low riser bars and 180/180 G2 brakes.
Given how well it rides as a light trail bike I think it will be a beast as an XCM bike too
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in exactly the same position !!!
Really interested in your weight results here. I have a Marathon MTB schedule for 2022 - nothing under 4 hours.
I’ve got a 2021 Ripmo v2, which has more travel but virtually identical frame weight. I’m much more of a climber than a descender, so the extra travel gives me a great buffer.
I’ve considered swapping out my Ripmo frame, shock, and fork for a Ripley, but it’s a lot of work to save 1-2 pounds of non-rolling weight. I’ve already got a set of Roval Carbons and light tires for faster courses (and a Lynskey Ridgeline HT with a suspension dropper for super-gravel courses).
So I’m leaning towards keeping the bike, and not just because it’s Bug Zapper Blue 
…
How serious are you about racing? The above two don’t really mix :). I have a 2021 trek fuel frame, with 2017 components - leading to a bike that’s about 27 lbs.
I’ve ridden MTB marathons on it, but it’s not the ideal bike. I’m not a serious racer however, and I like having a do it all type bike that can ride MTB marathons and technical Moab trails.
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This is my first year racing since 2005. I’m not looking to podium - I’m looking to finish in one piece right now 
. The extra suspension makes up for my current lack of descending skills - and like I mentioned, I was considering switching to a Ripley, but all the effort to save 2 pounds of suspension weight doesn’t seem worth it.
While I could go to a 120/100 bike, that’s really close to my HT - which has a 120 fork on it, and a suspension dropper (PNW). I’d bet that part of the issue is that right now I have two bikes - the Ripmo and a Lynskey HT - which means that most of the time for MTB Marathons, I’ll either be over-biked or under-biked.
I’d like to see how 2022 goes. If I get really into the MTB Marathon thing, maybe I’ll sell both bikes and get a race-specific bike… Not sure…
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The modern crop of down county XC bikes are very capable descenders. Something like the Ripley or Spur would be a nice happy medium.
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Yeah, I have mine built up similarly. 120 SC 34 up front, XC tires, carbon wheels. It rips. I have another set of wheels and a longer travel fork (140) to turn it back into a very capable trail bike when my targeted race in November is done. The V4 Ripley has been my favorite mountain bike to date.
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I completely agree @DaveWh . Can you check my logic here?
Here’s the situation - I have the Ripmo (because, pandemic supply chains). I’m torn about switching to the Ripley, because the return on it is unclear.
There are two primary differences between the Ripley and Ripmo, when they have the same components:
- Weight (not rolling weight, because I have lightweight wheels and tires that I would use on either frame)
- Ride characteristics (note this is mostly driven by tire choice, but I’ll still consider it).
When I do the math, I only see about 2.5 pounds (~1200 grams) of weight difference between the Ripley and the Ripmo:
~220 grams (1/2 pound) for the frame
~750 grams (1.7 pounds?) for the fork (DVO Onyx at 2250g vs Fox 34SC 120 at 1500g)
~100 grams for the shock - maybe?
~130 grams for anything else - maybe a dropper?
Everything else is components. I have XT, I have a set of Roval Control Carbon 29 wheels (1400g) with lightweight rotors and tires that I will probably race on.
For ride characteristics, they are more similar than different. Yes, the Ripley will be slightly more “poppy”, but the geometry of the frames is surprisingly similar.
The cost part of the equation will probably be neutral - while my Ripmo frame, fork, shock and HS combo might sell for more than I pay for a Ripley setup, it’s maybe $300-$500.
Thanks in advance - can you help identify what I am missing here?
Curious, do you know how much it weighs?
And any sense how that will change in the “trail bike” configuration?
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I’d say you’re spot on. I also ride a Ripmo (v1, so it’s even closer to the current Ripley). I’ve never gotten along with an MTB as well as I do with my Ripmo.
Last spring there was a 3 hours marathon I wanted to do, so I did it and didn’t worry about what bike I had. Sure I probably would have been a little faster on an XC bike (but still nowhere near the podium, I think I finished 11th in a field of 30 masters racers), but I feel like that was mitigated by the fact that I like my Ripmo so much and am so comfortable on it. I’m a poor/timid descender, so I generally prefer to be overbiked rather than under.
That being said, I am looking to get a downcountry bike. Not really for racing (although I will race it occasionally) but really because there are a bunch of fun trails around here that will be more fun on an XC bike.
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It’s not exactly XC, but I’m tempted by the Exie… OTOH, I make it a practice to not have more than one bike from the same manufacturer - it makes things more interesting… 
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I think the difference is marginal to the Ripley. If you really wanted to optimize, you’d go to a 100mm race bike, and you could drop maybe 5 lbs vs the Ripmo.
But doesn’t sound like you want to go that far. So all in, probably makes sense to stick with the Ripmo - until your next natural bike change/upgrade. It all comes down to what kind of riding you want to optimize for.
I’m in a similar boat with my Fuel - for 90%+ of my riding, the Fuel is the perfect bike.
Its a bit much for marathon MTB races, but it’s not worth me getting a 100mm race bike, because I’d ride it only occasionally.
And I don’t need any bigger bike, cause the thing that prevents me from riding bigger features is the rider, not the bike!
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