Is the all new 2025 Ibis Ripmo the perfect bike?

All details (geo, spec, price, availability) about the new Ibis Ripmo V3 are available here: jenson.sjv.io/IbisRipmoJKW. HUGE thanks to Jenson USA for sponsoring this video! Anything purchased from that link, or the following, will help support my channel. Thanks in advance!

I also did a video about the new Ibis Ripley V5! Check out the new Ripley at Jenson USA here: https://jenson.sjv.io/IbisRipleyJKW And YES, the new Ripmo and Ripley are the SAME carbon bits, just a different shock and rear clevis. However, the ride feel is very different.

Ibis loaned me a complete, Shimano XT equipped Ripmo bike to make this video- yes, I’ll have to return it, and hopefully no time soon! And it’s worth mentioning that Shimano is a proud sponsor of my channel, so thanks to them.

To start the test, I rode the bike 100% stock for a couple rides. Then, it was time to dial it in! The first thing I did was to swap it over from mullet (all size medium and small ship only as mullet) to dual 29. With the stock Ibis Blackbird Send wheels, I upgraded to a set of MaxxGrip, Double Down casing tires from Maxxis. https://jenson.sjv.io/MaxxisAssegaiDDjkw and https://jenson.sjv.io/MaxxisDHRIIjkw

The Ripmo still felt overall small: a little short, and a lot low. To improve this, I swapped on a longer stem, and went a little higher on the bars. I’ll get a much taller set of bars installed soon- likely the Renthal FatBar I bought a while ago: https://jenson.sjv.io/OneUpStemJKW in a 42 (wish I had a 50!)

I went to a deeper drop seatpost, as the bike came with a 160mm post, which I found intrusive when sessioning bigger jumps and steeper trails. Personally, I’m not a huge fan of the BikeYoke remote, so I also used a OneUp remote. I did have to slide my saddle forward a bit with the longer seatpost, worsening the feeling of the bike being a little smaller than the prior generation. I used a OneUP dropper https://jenson.sjv.io/OneUpDropperJKW

With these changes done to the bike, it was time to log our first day filming. This bike was riding well! But the 35mm Blackbird wheels from Ibis tend to be a little challenging to adapt to when it comes to cornering. I had plans to change wheels, but first, noticed a bit of excessive flex in the rear end. I reached out to Ibis, who verified something was actually wrong with my swingarm, and we swapped it for a replacement. We found a small manufacturing defect, and the replacement has been much better. The Ripley I was riding has not developed any issues.

With a new swingarm, I swapped on a set of my beloved Industry Nine Enduro 305 wheels. This improved ride feel, cornering, and hub engagement.

The rear suspension was good, but I was looking for a bit more support. Going up to .7 volume reduction was the first move- this was a big improvement! I still wanted more support, so it was time to head to an aftermarket rear shock. With the new Ibis platform being coil compatible, I reduced a 230mm DHX2 coil shock to a 60mm stroke. https://jenson.sjv.io/FoxDHX2CoilJKW I look forward to riding this shock a bunch- and it’s currently using a 450# spring.

Next I’m going to put miles in on these Santa Cruz Reserve 30HD wheels, as I do prefer the 30mm inner width rims, and believe it or not, those Reserve wheels are even stiffer than the Industry Nine alloy units. https://jenson.sjv.io/Reserve30HDi9JKW

I’m rocking a splendid summertime kit from my supporters at Endura! Check the full kit here at Jenson USA: https://jenson.sjv.io/EnduraSingletra...
https://jenson.sjv.io/EnduraSingletra...
https://jenson.sjv.io/EnduraCloudTeeJKW

Head to http://www.DrinkLMNT.com/Jeff to get your free sample pack with any drink mix purchase.

BIG thanks to Shimano for sponsoring my channel: https://jenson.sjv.io/ShimanoMTBjkw

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Did you know I post a new riding tutorial every month? These are ONLY posted to my Patreon (  / how-to-ride-low-93774267  )
page, so join now to see these rad videos! Here’s the full list of my riding tutorials posted just in 2025:

How to: Flat Corners   / how-to-flat-104821486  
How to Boost Jumps:   / how-to-boost-is-103378303  
How to Ride Rigid (and not die):   / how-to-ride-and-101461266  
Get Low, Get Pro:   / get-low-get-pro-99481858  
How a Bike CAN Make you a Better Rider:   / how-bike-can-you-97605000  
Avoid a Case of the MTB Mondays:   / avoid-case-of-95625880  
How to Ride Low Speed Drops:   / how-to-ride-low-93774267  

And over 50 more tutorial videos ONLY posted to my page here:   / jeffkendallweed