Build of the Month - Ibis Mojo
Posted by PeterD Fri, 13 Jun 2008 03:10:00 GMT
After many high
speed assaults on the Canyon, the Demo, and Downieville, this customer upgraded his old Enduro, swapping out the Maverick DUC-32 fork for a Fox Van 36, triple crankset for a double with bash ring, etc. We did all
that, and he is stoked at the results. What do to with the old
parts? Didn’t take more than a moment to suggest building a light
weight bike around them.
We started with an Ibis Mojo Classic frame, keeping with the long
travel, light weight theme of the fork. The older black anodized
finish on the DUC didn’t look its best, and the early Maverick
graphics were difficult to match with the new shine and carbon on the
frame, so we turned it over to Spectrum Powderworks for the full
aesthetic treatment. They shot the fork with a slightly metallic
silver, and redid the current Maverick graphic in a complementary
black with black carbon treatment. The fork internals got our FNR
tune and stack, some fresh oil, and a new set of wipers.
We moved
the rest of the front end over to the new frame, carbon Easton bar,
Maverick stem, custom stem spacer, and the front wheel. We then
built up a matching Mavic 819 with USA Ti spokes for the rear end,
this time with an XTR centerlock hub. We continued going Shimano
throughout the rest of the brakes by spec’ing XT Servo Wave calipers
and levers, an XT front derailer and cassette, and an XTR chain to
ensure maximum life out of these parts. We did deviate from Shimano
in the appropriate places, though, by installing a set of X9 trigger
shifters and the old SRAM XO rear derailer off the Enduro.
The Specialized Eskar tires went on without tubes, and it rolled out
of here under a Thomson seatpost and a WTB saddle. The rider reports
its just superfast, with sports car like handling compared to the
Russian tank approach of the Enduro.
Oh, it’s a 27 pound sports car, with 6” travel up front and 5.5” in the back…
More photos follow the build list:
| Frame | Ibis Mojo Large Carbon |
| Fork | Maverick DUC-32, custom powder coated |
| Headset | Cane Creek IS-8 |
| Brake Levers | Shimano XT M775 |
| Stem | Maverick |
| Front Brake | XT M775 7” ISO |
| Rear Brake | XT M775 6” CL |
| Grips | Oury Lock Ons |
| Shifters | SRAM X9 Triggers |
| Front Derailer | Shimano XT M7761 |
| Rear Derailer | SRAM X0 |
| Cassette | Shimano XT 11 – 34 |
| Crank | Shimano XTR M-960 |
| Tires | Specialized S-Works Eskar 2.3 |
| Rim Strips | Stan’s Sealant |
This leaves me a great intoduction to give a first hand report on the Ibis. The first ride was on my local trail that I know like the back of my hand.It happend on the Friday Night Ride (FNR). We call this spot “the proving grounds”. The trail has a long climb followed by high speed donwhill through rocks, water bar launches, drops, river crossings, G-out’s, technical rutted quick turns and the tripple log jump. I have to admit I was a bit nervous. The bike felt stiff, steeper head tube angle and tighter cockpit than the Enduro. Would it soack up the rough stuff? Would it envoke confidence at high speed? Would it pre-load and lauch when required? My first reaction was this feels like a stiff suspension sports car. You push the pedal and the response is immediate. Both vertical and lateral stiffness. It climbed effortlessly. The combination of the lighter frame and low rolling resistance S-Works Eskar tires were apparent. Still nervous as I reached the top of the hill knowing the true test was just ahead. I took the lead position with the other three FNR regulars behind. The bike sliced through the turns with lightning quick response and precision. It lifted off the water bars with ease and landed in the rocks with a soft plush feel and stuck my line. I was now smiling and the nervousness (will I like this or not?) turned to adrenealine and I picked up the pace. I lanched over big sky with more air then ever. Next came the tight turns. Here’s where the bike shines. It slices through the turns with quickness and precision. The steeper head tube angle and shorter cockpit really come to life the tighter the turns become. I finished the ride and felt like I had 20% more juice in the tank. It really reduced the fatigue and allows for a higher intensity ride for a longer duration. The contrast of the two bikes makes me appreciate both. The Enduro is clearly more stable at high speed and is great at keeping the bike glued through rocks and ruts. With it’s stretched cockpit and more choppered attitude makes you feel more relaxed. The Ibis with steeper angles, tighter cockpit and stiffness makes you want to push the accelerator and go. Both are great machines and I throughy enjoy them for their unique characeristics. For Demo Forest, UC Santa Cruz it’s the Enduro. For Skegg’s, Wilder Ranch, Mt. Tam, China Camp it’s the Ibis. For Downeiville I am bringing both!! The build was amazing. Charles routed the cables with precision. I have not had to do any maintenance after 15 plus HARD rides. Hat’s off the Charles and Passion Trailbikes for an amazing bike.
We all wish you would have made Randy’s bike a little heavier. He’s fast enough!
So I built Randy’s bike pretty light, and pretty fast, but not as light and as fast as absolutely possible with today’s technology.
Who wants to step up the FNR arms race?
Charles – next time Randy brings his bike in, put a couple lead bars in his frame. We’ll make it worth your while.
Did I miss a board meeting? My quest over the past 2 years has been to break the 30 lb. barrier…... In the other direction!
Randy let me ride this bike, and it felt so fast and light that I felt that it would actually give me the edge I need to beat Randy. The trouble was that Randy wasn’t on the ride and that it was his bike. He has it back now. Should I buy one and try to plan my assault in August?
Yes, Travis you should. Everyone needs a really light, fast mountain bike. But wouldn’t that delay your ML-8 purchase?