| 03/24/2001 | Ibis Ripley SoftailIbis will be shipping their new Rilpey mountain bike to dealers starting in May. The Riple is an an aluminum softtail mountain bike that has with 1.25'' of rear wheel travel. Their goal with the Ripley was to build an affordable, comfortable, high-performance frame.
People often express disbelief when they hear about the Ripley aluminum softtail. For most people's sensibility, aluminum and flexibility don't play well together. But the real mindblower for people is when they get their first ride. Combine the featherweight snappiness of an aluminum hardtail with the supple, subtle smoothness that 1.25'' of rear wheel travel delivers, and the result is indeed hard to believe.
The bike is similar to the Ibis SilkTi in form and philosophy; the flat plate chainstays provide high vertical travel and excellent lateral rigidity. The Critically Damped Elastomer shock works together with the chainstays to give you smooth, plush and progressive two-stage travel. The ride is smooth, traction and climbing is enhanced, and fatigue reduced.
The Ripley is constructed of double-butted heat-treated aluminum custom tubing designed by Ibis, and the frame sells for only $995. The complete bike with XT/Manitou Mars comes in at only $1975. It has a lifetime guarantee on the chainstay and 10 years on the frame.
The Ripley has incorporated the patent pending SilkTi technology into the rear suspension of this bike. The vertically compliant and laterally stiff chainstays coupled with the Ibis manufactured Critically Damped Elastomer (CDE) shock give the Ripley the most plush, most progressive, most comfortable performance of any softtail (except the SilkTi of course).
The weight has been minimized by constructing it from 6061 and 6069 heat-treated
aluminum. The 4.4 pound frame with rear shock weighs the same as a Titanium
softtail costing 2-3 times more than a Ripley. Not only does this bike tame
the harsh ride of aluminum hardtails, it also outperforms titanium softtails.
www.ibiscycles.com |
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