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Making the Ibis Ripley Better With GnarCore, The DW-Link 2XC Upgrade

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When we reviewed the Ibis Ripley a few weeks back, our one small complaint was the noticeable flex in the rear end. Ibis contacted us and told us about GnarCore, an eccentric and pivot pin upgrade kit for the Ripley that can increase the rear end stiffness by 10%.

The $34.95 upgrade is actually standard equipment on all Ripleys that are currently shipping, but a few of the early ones, like our test bike, were made with a lighter weight part. For instance, the exploded illustration above appears to have an older design, with the newer nut style, but an older aluminum pin.

We obtained a GnarCore and documented the installation process on this unique suspension system. Click inside to see why adding some weight makes this bike better…

Ibis-Ripley-Eccentric-Pivots

The GnarCore system consists of a full replacement of the upper and lower eccentrics and their pivot pins. The system adds 23 grams, primarily due to a more robust lower eccentric and a changing of the lower pivot pin from aluminum to titanium. Both of these changes are said to assist in adding stiffness to the rear end.

Ibis-Ripley-Pivot-Pin

10 of those grams are in the pin, which is made from titanium, and the larger end nut that changes from a 14mm nut to a 6mm Allen.

Ibis-Ripley-Lower-Eccentric

The lower eccentric is also noticeably thicker, and about 7 grams heavier.

Ibis-Ripley-2XC

Although most of the changes were to the main parts, there are subtle changes throughout the pivots that must help keep it all together. This change to the lower eccentric cap made it slightly thicker, yet didn’t change the weight.

DW-Link-2XC

Impressively, the machine tolerances of the pieces were very tight. Sliding the eccentrics in and out of the bearings required the assistance of light taps with the dead blow hammer, and inspection revealed that the bearings were in perfect condition after a lot of use.

Ibis-Ripley-DW-Link-2XC

Due to the unique nature of the design, full removal of the rear end was not necessary to make the swap. The shock clevis held the rear end together while it was slid back and out of the way for the replacement parts. And from the outside, the only way to tell is the slightly different color of the lower pin.

Gnarcore-installed

It is December here in Minnesota, and while we have had some warm weather, the trails are still closed. We won’t be able to get to a full test of the replacement till spring, but a quick spin around the block on pavement did reveal an increase in stiffness that could be felt. Ibis has said that all Ripleys are already shipping with GnarCore eccentrics, so there are actually very few Ripleys out there without the upgrade.

Ibis-Ripley-Front

www.ibiscycles.com

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Mark
Mark
9 years ago

Send it to Oz and let’s get testing…

jdee
jdee
9 years ago

Are you sure the kit includes both the upper and lower cores? On the Ibis website the description indicates that only the lower core is included in the kit, and that is indeed what I received when I ordered from them last month.

Jason Brummels
9 years ago

My original hardware actually broke – the cap broke off the screw on the lower eccentric. This is a pretty important fix/update.

Eddie P
Eddie P
9 years ago

I ordered mine and only got a lower. That’s all Ibis said they upgraded. After install it wasn’t really noticeable. But I was overhauling the whole bike including the bearings, so I, Upgraded.”

Jason Brummels
9 years ago

It’s also worth mentioning that Ibis has been shipping the updated hardware in production bikes for some time. I received my frame in December of 2013, the update to production frames and the availability of these kits took place around January of 2014.

Dylan
Dylan
9 years ago

I bought my ibis in December 2013 and took delivery in January 2014. Mine has ghe original pivot. As much as I love my bike I’ve ghought it was bullsh*t that ibis charges for this upgrade. I paid $6k. Couldn’t they have offered free upgrade kits to all existing owners gratis as a gesture to their early adopters?

Chris
Chris
9 years ago

Wait – so they built a bike with a sloppy flexy rear end, fixed it, and now they want to charge their early customers – the ones who bought based on the Ibis name alone – $35 + labor to make their bikes rideable? Seriously?

Strike Ibis off my list of bikes to consider this spring.

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