Fanatik employee Finn recently built a custom XT Ibis Ripley V5, dialing in a mix of Tenet, Shimano, and SRAM components to suit his playful riding style. Focused on jibbing and jumping off small trail-side obstacles, his unique setup enhances his ability to ride with more creativity and flow while still being fully capable of tackling the steep, technical terrain around Bellingham. This blend of parts gives him the best of both worlds: playful agility and confidence for more challenging descents. 

To Finn, every fallen tree and oddly shaped root is a potential obstacle. He spends more time in a manual or coasting fakie on a single ride than most riders would over a year.

Bike Details

Frame: Ibis Ripley V5

Size: XMD

Wheels: OneUp Hubs / Ibis Black Bird Send I 29 / DT Swiss EX511 27.5  / Sapim Race Butted Spokes 

Tires: Schwalbe Magic Mary Trail Ultra Soft 29 x 2.4 / Specialized Butcher Trail T7 27.5 x 2.3

Drivetrain: Shimano Deore shifter and chain / Shimano XT cassette / GX cranks

Brakes: SRAM Code RSC / SRAM HS2 rotors

Cockpit: Tenet Bodem 40mm rise, 750mm width / Anvl Swage 32mm / Lizard Skin Charger Evo Lock-On Grips

Seatpost/Saddle: OneUp V3 Dropper 210mm / Chromag Trailmaster DT V2

Shock: Fox Float DPS Factory 

Fork: RockShox Lyrik Ultimate Charger 3.1 150mm

The Ibis Ripley V5 offers snappy, lively performance with 130mm of DW-link travel that suits Finn’s playful riding style.

What made you choose the Ibis Ripley V5 over other frames?

I went for a ride on our demo Ripley V5, and I just clicked on it. I felt at home with just a few pedal strokes on this bike. I always use this term to describe my favorite bikes, but as soon as I dropped in, it was “giggle-inducing.” I couldn’t stop laughing and smiling the whole ride.

Compared to his previous bike's point-and-plow nature, the Ripley entices Finn to jump and jib down even the mellowest trails.

How does the Ripley V5 feel on your favorite trails?

My favorite trails tend to be more natural. Sometimes steep, gnarly, and rooty, or sometimes just a fun, meandering singletrack with beautiful climbs and fast flowy descents. This bike, as far as it comes to trails like this, performs excellently! I prefer more of a bike that I can be precise with, instead of a big bike that will be a plow machine. I almost always get distracted by a little jibby feature, and the Ripley does nothing but encourage that.

Finn has swapped out the stock Fox 34 for the larger stanchions of a RockShox Lyrik Ultimate, helping to bridge the gap between singletrack specialist and all-mountain machine.

What’s the biggest difference you’ve noticed between the Ripley V5 and your previous bike?

My last bike was a Transition Spire, which I loved a lot, but I was ready to be underbiked again. The Spire was a bike that made me feel like a superhero on any trail, but I really like to control and manipulate the way my bike behaves while riding. With the Ripley being 40mm less travel, a DW-link, and around a 40mm shorter wheelbase, every trail now feels like a completely different experience. New lines are showing up that I didn’t see before, and when I get a new bike, that’s what I’m looking for. (Which you know is true because it rhymes.)

How would you describe the ride quality of the Ripley V5?

It’s a playful bike that rides how its numbers on paper make it seem. The Ripley is a short-travel Ibis, but it handles gnarlier terrain really well, too. The bottom out is a little heavy, but a larger volume reducer in the shock has helped significantly with that. Overall, it’s super fast, precise, and, most importantly, wildly fun.

Taking inspiration from one of his favorite BMX riders, Finn has outfitted this build with Tenet’s beautiful silver Bodem V3 Alloy handlebar.

What is your favorite component on your bike? 

I have hopped onto the silver trend, and my favorite parts align with this. Mostly inspired by (pro-BMX rider) Broc Raiford’s green Darkwave frame with silver Odyssey bars from his video Incinerate. So, I got the green bike (though it is a deeper and darker shade) and the silver bars. For the bars, I used the Tenet Bodem Aluminum bars in silver with 40mm rise. They’re really comfortable, and they look really good. As silly as it is though, one of my favorite bits on the bike is my Hope dropper lever. It looks super clean, feels great, is incredibly adjustable, and is all black with a silver paddle and highlights.

How does the Ripley V5 handle technical, gnarlier trails? 

Personally, I think the Ripley is exactly what I want. I like knowing that I can place my bike right where I want to go, knowing the bike can bail me out and have all the traction in the world. It also makes the mellower trails feel a little more engaging and spicy, making every ride fun. That being said, it has really impressed me with how it can hunker down on the steeps. On trails that are really fast and rough, the amount of travel available just isn’t enough to plow through chunks. But on the steeps, god it is so good.

A rare moment of Finn not trying to do a fakie 180, manual, or footplant.

What’s your favorite thing about the Ripley V5 when you’re descending?

Ultimately, we all ride because of how fun it is to be on a bike in nature, and this bike is more fun than most of the frames I’ve ridden. It’s why I always gravitate towards bikes like the Ripley and the Cotic Solaris Max hardtail that I currently have. They are just so fun! The Ripley keeps me grinning ear-to-ear all the way down every trail.

What is one component or aspect of bike setup you are particular about? 

I’m more picky about grips than anything else. Sometimes, my preference for grips will change just depending on the brake, the height of the front end, fork, and even front tire. I am a huge fan of the Lizard Skins Charger grips that come stock on this bike. After experimenting with all the factors I’ve listed, I have been very happy with them, which is a first for me. Another fun fact about my setup is that I run my left brake lever a little lower than my right because of an issue with my wrist.

Finn’s Ripley is a perfect example of a build emphasizing ride quality and functionality over color matching and brand loyalty.

If you could ride your Ripley on any trail in the world right now which would it be and why? 

Tutti Frutti in Val Di Fassa, Italy. It is one of the Stages in the EDR circuit, and every time I see it, it just looks like my dream trail. It’s gnarly enough to keep you on your toes but nothing too spicy. The dirt always looks fantastic and it has some flowy little bits to keep things fun. Most importantly, it looks like a beautiful and mind-blowing scenic adventure, and one of my favorite things to do on my bike is explore. Going to the Dolomites in Italy and riding a crazy and gorgeous ridgeline sounds like quite an amazing adventure.