Today Ibis announced the exciting new Mojo 3. Just as I finished a recent very positive review of the new Ripley (Ripley Review) and thought I had the most perfect steed, Ibis pulls the rug from under my feet. If there was one bike that could make me a super hero trail shredder, this would be the one!
This new Mojo 3 has so many awesome features, I almost don’t know even where to start. Here’s a quick run down: Long, low, slack, short chain stays (16.7″), 130mm travel rear, 140mm travel front, accommodates 27.5+ 2.8″ tires or the more standard 2.35″ tires on the SAME wheelset. Gasp…..almost done. Very light (5.5lb frame), boost 148, low bottom bracket, long top tube, now available in small with a new available Fox Evol tuned for riders under 135lb. What does al this mean?!!?! Well we can’t yet report from riding experience since our bike isn’t here yet, but the Mojo 3 looks amazingly FUN!
What exactly do all these things mean?
- Short chain stays = The 16.7″ chain stays will make it a snap to get the front wheel in the air for plowing over rocks, logs or drops. It’s a wheelie, manual, and dropping machine.
- Low bottom bracket = The 13.1″ BB height keeps your weight lower for better cornering.
- High amount of anti squat in rear suspension = Now in its 5th and latest DW link version, the Mojo 3 sits high in its travel to enable the bike to have that low bottom bracket without dragging the pedals and cranks down the trail. This should also make this super suspension design pedal awesomely.
- Slack = 66.8 degree HT angle is good when the going gets steep by getting that front wheel out in front of you.
- Boost 148 rear end = Allows for 27.5 +, shorter stays and stiffer rear end. Ibis says the rear end on the Mojo 3 is actually a little stiffer than the HD3!
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Ibis says you can’t run 29″ wheels on this bike and that’s a good thing if you ask me since the geometry compromises aren’t worth it. A longer wheelbase, longer chain stays and higher BB so you can run the two different wheels sizes doesn’t sound fun to me. Another well know company recently released their bike with two wheel sizes in mind. The compromises in the geometry to achieve this are evident, and early ride reports echo it.
Stay tuned, hopefully we will have our Mojo 3 very soon for a full review! In the meantime, Ibis has done an incredible job of explaining the bike, including testing and design details here: http://www.ibiscycles.com/bikes/
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