Question for Ibis Ripley owners... ??

a.s.

Mr. Chainring
My best bud is about to pull the trigger on a Ripley. He’s trying to decide between a Med and Lrg. At 5’9 he’s right between sizes.

How tall are you and what size frame do you recommend?
 

xrjx

Member
My best bud is about to pull the trigger on a Ripley. He’s trying to decide between a Med and Lrg. At 5’9 he’s right between sizes.

How tall are you and what size frame do you recommend?

i'm 5'11 and rode one in a size M (don't own a ripley). I wouldn't have purchased a Medium, would prefer large at my size, but i wouldn't say it was 'too small'. If i were a couple inches shorter, i think i'd have gone M.
 

Ian F

Well-Known Member
I've been between a M and L in various bikes for a long time. I have a BMX background, so I usually sized down to a M. However, when I bought my Megatower I was able to test both sizes (thanks to Halters) and chose the L. For what I generally use the bike for (bike parks) I've been happy with that choice. It is a BIG, long bike and not the easiest thing to get around a tight corner, but it's also ridiculously stable and forgiving. It's a monster truck that wants to go straight over anything in its path.

Conversely, my Chameleon is still a M. While I have still not ridden the bike yet (damn shoulder injury...), I'm not too concerned with it feeling too small for the "general silliness" type of riding I plan to do on it.

My Spot is a L, but the sizing puts me smack in the middle of the L sizing range, so I never considered a M.

So.... I'd ask what kind of rider is he? A straight-line-plow-down-the-middle rider, or a change-lines-all-the-time rider? If the former, I'd say L. If the latter, M. If he plans to spend a fair amount of time on the bike doing park riding, I'd lean L as well.
 

Rogers

Well-Known Member
I'm slightly over 5'8". I have a large Ripmo but I think the sizing for the Ripley will be similar. I have always ridden a medium frame. I demoed both the medium and large Ripmo before my purchase and I felt more comfortable on the large. After having the Ripmo for a year I'm happy I went with a large. I don't think he will go wrong with either size it's just a matter of whether he likes a tighter or more open feel in the cockpit.
 

a.s.

Mr. Chainring
So.... I'd ask what kind of rider is he? A straight-line-plow-down-the-middle rider, or a change-lines-all-the-time rider? If the former, I'd say L. If the latter, M. If he plans to spend a fair amount of time on the bike doing park riding, I'd lean L as well.
How tall are you? My buddy's a mellow guy who doesn't take the gnarly lines. If he ever visited a bike park, he would probably never venture off the green trails. Personally, I think he should go medium.
 

Ian F

Well-Known Member
I'm 5' 10" with a 34" inseam and looking at the Ibis site, a L Ripley actually has a hair longer reach than my L Megatower, so I would have a hard time deciding between a M and a L sight-unseen, although their sizing chart puts me solidly on a L.

A Medium sounds like it should be fine for him.
 

Cannonbill

Active Member
I’m 5 10, ride a large Ripley LS. 5 9 could go either way, as the thinking goes, bigger for stability, smaller for playfulness. I generally prefer to size up when I am on the line.
 

a.s.

Mr. Chainring
After demoing the medium and large as well as a Ripmo in both sizes, he decided on a medium Ripley. He could have saved the trouble and just listened to me from the start. :p
 

krink

Eddie Munster
That’s interesting. I am 5’8” and have a medium Ripley that I got six months ago. I have the seat pushed fully back on the rails and the cockpit feels a little cramped. Don’t want to extend the stem any further and wondered if I should’ve gotten a large. I am torso long and leg short for my size though.
 

Teutonic

Member
Bringing back an old thread...

I'm 5'8.5", 33" inseam, so long legs, short torso. Trying to decide between the medium or large Ripley V4. Theoretical reach says I should be between 435-445mm. Medium Ripley is 450mm, Large is 475mm. Current bike is a 2021 Trance X 29 which list a reach of 456mm.

I'm leaning towards the medium, kind of wish the Ringwood Demo Day didn't get rained out 2 weeks ago.

I like rocks, tech, climbing, and am average on downs, no big jumps, no DH parks. Thoughts from other Ripley owners?
 

ebineezer

Well-Known Member
Bringing back an old thread...

I'm 5'8.5", 33" inseam, so long legs, short torso. Trying to decide between the medium or large Ripley V4. Theoretical reach says I should be between 435-445mm. Medium Ripley is 450mm, Large is 475mm. Current bike is a 2021 Trance X 29 which list a reach of 456mm.

I'm leaning towards the medium, kind of wish the Ringwood Demo Day didn't get rained out 2 weeks ago.

I like rocks, tech, climbing, and am average on downs, no big jumps, no DH parks. Thoughts from other Ripley owners?
Contact Tenafly Bicycle Workshop and I’m sure they will set you up a demo on our local trails.
 

tubatrooper

New Member
Bringing back an old thread...

I'm 5'8.5", 33" inseam, so long legs, short torso. Trying to decide between the medium or large Ripley V4. Theoretical reach says I should be between 435-445mm. Medium Ripley is 450mm, Large is 475mm. Current bike is a 2021 Trance X 29 which list a reach of 456mm.

I'm leaning towards the medium, kind of wish the Ringwood Demo Day didn't get rained out 2 weeks ago.

I like rocks, tech, climbing, and am average on downs, no big jumps, no DH parks. Thoughts from other Ripley owners?
+1 on Tenafly. Great guys.
If you are closer to Sparta, Gears & Grinds is also an Ibis dealer. Good guys, strong coffee, AND delicious ramen.
I'm the same height but with 32" inseam and I have a Medium Ripley. It doesn't feel too small or cramped to me.
 
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Rogers

Well-Known Member
I am on a Ripley V4S 5’8” 31/32 inseam and ride a large. I put on a 35mm stem and 165mm cranks. It feels great. It’s the most comfortable I have ever felt on a bike. All my previous bikes have been medium. Go sit on both. I do prefer a more open cockpit so I went with a large. With a short torso a medium will probably be the right size but like others have said stop in Tenafly.
 

krink

Eddie Munster
I’m a torso long 5’9” with a 30” inseam on a V4 medium with a 60mm stem and 175 cranks. I have the saddle pushed back on the rails and with the wheelbase it feels plenty long. Played a while with stem length and felt the large I test rode was too big. FWIW.
 

a.s.

Mr. Chainring
FWIW... my buddy got a Md and wishes he'd gotten a Lrg. Don't get me wrong, he loves the bike. He just realized that he likes to climb and prefers downhill stability over a more playful and poppy ride.
 

Captain Brainstorm

Well-Known Member
I think the rule of thumb is when you're between sizes or undecided, go large. Its much easier to make a large fit smaller than the other way around without making a sacrifice in handling.

Bringing back an old thread...

I'm 5'8.5", 33" inseam, so long legs, short torso. Trying to decide between the medium or large Ripley V4. Theoretical reach says I should be between 435-445mm. Medium Ripley is 450mm, Large is 475mm. Current bike is a 2021 Trance X 29 which list a reach of 456mm.

I'm leaning towards the medium, kind of wish the Ringwood Demo Day didn't get rained out 2 weeks ago.

I like rocks, tech, climbing, and am average on downs, no big jumps, no DH parks. Thoughts from other Ripley owners?
FWIW, I'm 5'11" with a 34" inseam and short torso on a Ripmo. Your going to need a 200mm+ dropper to fit correctly on a medium. I have 180 on my large Ripmo and need more. I really don't really feel too stretched out on the large, only in a very few specific situations while seated. Given the money involved in these purchases, I would demo a medium, and a large with the shortest stem they can put on it with narrower bars. I cut my bars down to 770mm, and can probably go to 765. The Ibis bars with the screw in ends are good to experiment with bar width, but those bars have very little damping compared to the competition.
 
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