So, a few weeks back I decided that my 6 year old Giant Reign had had its day and it was time for something more modern and better fitting for me. That was a 2016 Reign 2 27.5, and ended up heavily modified from stock. All that remained at the end was the frame, fork, and stem.
Anyway, I sold it quicker than I thought I would and suddenly I had the money burning a hole in my pocket. I didn't realise how difficult it would be deciding on what to get next. Initially I wanted a bit less travel, something like 150/140, and go 29" wheels. After much internal debate I went for a Canyon Spectral AL 6.0. I placed an order with delivery penciled in for end of March, beginning of April. With my first trip away of the year at the end of April I was hoping it would be okay. Anyway, I was never quiet sold on it, despite the great value and the geometry/sizing. It was also SRAM GX, and I'm not a huge fan of SRAM. So skip forward a week or so and I started looking elsewhere and stumbled across a few reviews for the Ibis Ripmo AF. Not a brand I'd really given any interest too before, but the reviews were very positive. It was a trail bike with enduro capabilities. I found one at the Cycle Factory in Todmorden in XL and swung by for a nosy. Very pleasantly surprised. Deore 12sp build with SLX brakes, DVO suspension, and burly OEM wheels.
Picked it up just over a week and had its first outing on Saturday at Rivington Pike. First impressions are very good, fits me much better, climbs well despite its chunkiness, and the 29 wheels definitely roll better. Will take me a while to get used to it.
IMG_4230edit by Colin, on Flickr
