I have been toying with the idea of going full suspension for some time but it was always the weight of the metal full bouncers that put me off. During my investigations into bouncy bikes I had been drooling over the carbon fibre full bouncers but then it was the price tag that put me off. I looked at various different models from different manufacturers including Intense, Yeti, Specialized but always kept going back to one that had caught my eye....the Ibis Mojo.
I ride quite a lot at Glyncorrwg and the shop there, Skyline Cycles, had a Mojo HD demo bike, so I booked it for a day. After I had booked it I started to worry about the weight of the front fork, whether or not it would be any good uphill, whether I should ask to have a longer stem fitted and whether to use my old school toe-clip pedals or go for flats! If I had known then what I know now I needn't have bothered stressing over any of those minor details, I can honestly say I am converted to the ways of full suspension.
With 160mm of travel front & rear I knew that downhill was going to be awesome, if not a little scary at times because I was attacking the terrain much quicker than I would on the Pace and a couple of times I nearly, yes nearly, ran out of talent but somehow managed to hold it all together. It was great not having to worry too much about picking the smoothest line.
What I wasn't prepared for was how good it was uphill. It seemed so fast and smooth it was like riding a sofa up Whites Level, especially the first mile or so which is quite tricky on a hard tail, these full bouncers have come a long way since the early days were they earned their nickname 'full bouncer', the Mojo climbs like a goat.
This was the demo bike
After that demo ride I was smitten and started to look for 2nd hand Mojo's but instead came across the Mojo SL Special Blend that was a full bike for £2500, the SL bare frame used to retail for £2000, bargain I thought, and so I bought it!
On unpacking
The spec on the Special Blend is pretty good with SLX running gear, X-Fusion fork/shock and Ibis finishing kit but I decided that I wanted to fit as much carbon as I possibly could and maybe go 2x10.
Now some of you may ask 'why spend more money upgrading when you already have a decent bike all ready to go...?' Well the answer to that is.......erm, I dunno, I'm just a whore when it comes to trick parts!
First upgrade on the list were the forks and, luckily just as I started hunting for a set, some Pace RC41 Fighters appeared on here for sale so I jumped on them. Next up were the bars and decided to go with the same ones as my RC300, USE Atom carbon held in place by a Thomson X4 Elite stem. Next to be upgraded were the brakes and I decided to go Hope, not only because I love everything Hope, but also because I wanted to use Matchmaker clamps with the SLX shifters to help keep the bars as tidy as possible, so a set of Hope Tech X2 Evo's were purchased.
The drivetrain was next and Santa very kindly supplied a 2x10 XT drivetrain to replace the SLX kit. I don't have pictures of that upgrade but watch this space. :xmas-wink:
I ride quite a lot at Glyncorrwg and the shop there, Skyline Cycles, had a Mojo HD demo bike, so I booked it for a day. After I had booked it I started to worry about the weight of the front fork, whether or not it would be any good uphill, whether I should ask to have a longer stem fitted and whether to use my old school toe-clip pedals or go for flats! If I had known then what I know now I needn't have bothered stressing over any of those minor details, I can honestly say I am converted to the ways of full suspension.
With 160mm of travel front & rear I knew that downhill was going to be awesome, if not a little scary at times because I was attacking the terrain much quicker than I would on the Pace and a couple of times I nearly, yes nearly, ran out of talent but somehow managed to hold it all together. It was great not having to worry too much about picking the smoothest line.
What I wasn't prepared for was how good it was uphill. It seemed so fast and smooth it was like riding a sofa up Whites Level, especially the first mile or so which is quite tricky on a hard tail, these full bouncers have come a long way since the early days were they earned their nickname 'full bouncer', the Mojo climbs like a goat.
This was the demo bike
After that demo ride I was smitten and started to look for 2nd hand Mojo's but instead came across the Mojo SL Special Blend that was a full bike for £2500, the SL bare frame used to retail for £2000, bargain I thought, and so I bought it!
On unpacking
The spec on the Special Blend is pretty good with SLX running gear, X-Fusion fork/shock and Ibis finishing kit but I decided that I wanted to fit as much carbon as I possibly could and maybe go 2x10.
Now some of you may ask 'why spend more money upgrading when you already have a decent bike all ready to go...?' Well the answer to that is.......erm, I dunno, I'm just a whore when it comes to trick parts!
First upgrade on the list were the forks and, luckily just as I started hunting for a set, some Pace RC41 Fighters appeared on here for sale so I jumped on them. Next up were the bars and decided to go with the same ones as my RC300, USE Atom carbon held in place by a Thomson X4 Elite stem. Next to be upgraded were the brakes and I decided to go Hope, not only because I love everything Hope, but also because I wanted to use Matchmaker clamps with the SLX shifters to help keep the bars as tidy as possible, so a set of Hope Tech X2 Evo's were purchased.
The drivetrain was next and Santa very kindly supplied a 2x10 XT drivetrain to replace the SLX kit. I don't have pictures of that upgrade but watch this space. :xmas-wink:
