Should You Buy the 2025 New Ibis Cycles Ripley AF or Ripmo AF?

Ibis Cycles quietly dropped the alloy version of the Ripley and Ripmo today, bikes that have been long requested by their consumers since they updated both bikes! Back in 2020 we had a chance to test out the original Ripley and Ripmo Alloy AF bikes and with the revision of both the Ripley and Ripmo, customers were left wondering when the new alloy version would drop! With them here now the question is, are they worth it? 

I think the biggest question mark here is going to be who are these bikes intended for and what are the final weights? Both the Ripmo and the Ripley became substantially more aggressive when they were updated and the new alloy version will only add to its aggression. The alloy will most likely come with a 1-2 lbs weight penalty, which to a lot of riders out there is worth the trade off for a more budget friendly pricepoint. Some people also will prefer alloy over Carbon for a more durable riding profile out on the trails.

However, when the Ripley and the Ripmo were updated, some confusion arose as to why the Ripley had become so close to the Ripmo numbers wise on paper. The alloy version will most likely only add to this confusion, as both bikes get close to the same geo angles but will also have an increase in weight over the carbon version. From my personal experience, when you add weight to bike builds, subtle differences in ride profiles become even harder to feel. 

Looking at both the Ripley and Ripmo AF, I see a strong need in the market for one or the other and if I was part of the product team at Ibis I most likely would have advocated to split the difference or go all in on one platform and spend any resources that would have been dedicated to 2 bike models to further bringing down that price point. Don’t get me wrong, the price is awesome and the value is amazing on both bikes. But I think the market would like to see a Ripmo AF and an Exie AF as opposed to the Ripley and Ripmo which share a lot more in common with each other in the alloy version. 

So which bike would I go with? I would probably choose to go with the Ripmo AF and build it slightly lighter to get the best of both worlds. Ibis pedaling platform is amazing and the Ripmo is a great climber. I would rather have a bit more travel in the alloy platform at the end of the day and it would make the perfect desert season bike for Moab and Sedona adventures! 

As for an Exie AF? We can only dream!

Check out the bikes here: https://www.ibiscycles.com/bikes/ripmo-af