My first twenty-niner and the bike that made 29″ wheels the only size I would ever ride again. This is a V1 and as of 2021 is 6 years old. I’ve replaced the XTR drivetrain twice and this bike just keeps going. It’s truly a classic.
I wish the fork on the Ripley V1 was raked out a little bit more. On steep climbs I frequently lift the front end off the ground. The LS version of the Ripley influenced all subsequent models and now the Ripley geometry is pretty spot on.
Now the quirks. The seat collar is 1 cm too tall for my frame. Ibis fixed that in the V2 and so with newer models you can run a tall dropper post and still get the height adjustment right. I’ve learned to live with the extra height and I manage to stop the seat right before it hits its peak.
My other original complaint was the color. I didn’t like the neon green on black. I’ve 100% reversed my thinking and now I really like the color combination. It’s a beautiful bike.
Latest Ripley posts
- Antelope at night with the boys tonightI did this ride last year with Devin. It’s a super fun night ride with a thousand other riders. This year Brennan decided to join us. He lacks a road bike so we relented and let him use his mom’s e-bike. On the hills he was a monster. On the down hill we kept dropping him – the ebike has a limiter at around 20mph.
- Conquering roadwork, finding new trails.The road closures continue but I found a small dirt path through the houses that will drop me by the USU Water Lab which then connects me to Logan Canyon. This will be my path until such time as Canyon road reopens. Given the giant holes they’ve dug it will be a while. The ride – Logan River Trail The bike – Bianchi Cavaria
- Racing dump trucksBeautiful morning and beautiful ride. The end of these ride is less picturesque and has me on a 4 line highway for a short distance to connect to home. I managed to race and beat a dump truck right up until the turn off. Racing a dump truck isn’t saying much since they are slow but at my age I take what I can. The
- Throw on some Hardware Ranch for funI rode to Paradise thinking I would do a short ride and then I throw on a few miles up Blacksmith Fork. Then I threw on a few more and before I knew it I rode it all. I should be so lucky every ride. The ride – Paradise and Blacksmith Fork Canyon The bike – TIME VRS Fluidity
- DetoursEvery road to get to Logan Canyon is closed for some kind of construction except the main one. It’s not my favorite route but I love this place so I do detours. The ride – Logan River Trail The bike – Bianchi Cavaria
- Another dam MondayThis is a Monday favorite. The traffic is low. The road turns to dirt at the dam so I’m forced to turn around and go home. The ride – Nibley, Utah, United States The bike – TIME VRS Fluidity
- Another broken spokeSecond ride on the new spokes and boom another one broke. It’s probably time to re-lace the wheel. The ride – Providence Canyon, Utah The bike – Ripmo
- I love new tiresWith broken spokes comes an excuse to throw on new tires. My current set of Assegai’s were cracking at the side knobs and I could definitely feel it. New tires are a luxury. They stick like spider webs and refine the up and the down. I love them. The ride – Providence Canyon, Utah The bike – Ripmo
- BSF morning, a lion’s roar. Rudely awokenBlacksmith Fork roars like a lion in the morning. Today was especially loud. It was a push all the way the lower sections with the wind screaming in my ears. Of all the forces that slow you down the wind is the worst. It sucks out my biking soul. Only the spectacular vision of scenery and hum of tires on asphalt motivate me past it.
- PikachuI collected one. The ride – Paradise, Utah The bike – Bianchi Cavaria
- Climbing in ParadiseI climbed up to Porcupine, then Raspberry Hill, then up West Paradise. There is no fame in the climbs but they will raise your heart. The ride – Nibley, Utah, United States The bike – TIME VRS Fluidity
- Trail’s closedTook the Bianchi Cavaria on another ride on Providence, Utah, United States The ride – Providence, Utah, United States The bike – Bianchi Cavaria
- Mozy up Green with DevDev was tired and it was the end of a week that contained some larger rides so we took a leisurely ride up Green Canyon. The ride – Green Canyon, Utah The bike – Ripmo
- Devin took me through all the tunnels.It was hot so we took the River Trail. Devin had never take the road back (the trail is better) so we took that. Then Devin took me through all the tunnels around town on the way back home. The ride – Providence, Utah, United States The bike – Bianchi Cavaria
- Some nice “affordable” Visionary townhomes will look great right thereThe fight over public lands is ongoing. The leaders of the state of Utah think that public lands should be sold to developers, mining, oil and gas interests for the sake of more state revenue. Personally, I’ve seen way to many no trespassing signs, defunct trails and fences or gates in my life to believe that the loss of any public lands is a good
Continue readingSome nice “affordable” Visionary townhomes will look great right there
- This trail is for sale?Our public lands are back on the for sale list with the latest wording from the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. This would require the sale of at least 2.5 million acres of our public lands. The photos I post come from lands in the eligible list. Sure these might not be sold but someone’s favorite trail is going to find it’s way onto
- Which canyon?I rode Providence and then had to get back into cell range. I figured I would ride up on the Bonneville Shoreline trail to take the call. Then since I was there I decided to ride over to Millville canyon. Since I was there I thought I’d just go up to the gate. When I got to the gate it seemed a shame to not
- Green morning with DevDev made it to the top despite being a teenager who would prefer to sleep in on Saturdays. The ride – Green Canyon, Utah The bike – Ripmo
- It’s a hot canyon but a Dry Canyon so it’s not that badIt started with a few loops on Providence and then a need to get cell service so I could take a call. I had time after that so I took the Bonneville shoreline trail. I still had time and as I was at the bottom of the trail into Dry Canyon I started climbing. My memory told me that this was a tough climb. I
Continue readingIt’s a hot canyon but a Dry Canyon so it’s not that bad
- SummerfestI and the Bianchi took a joyride into Logan Canyon on our favorite route. My daughter had a booth in Summerfest and so I ended my ride with a visit to tell her hi. The fish painting on the top right turned out to be a huge hit. The ride – Providence, Utah, United States The bike – Bianchi Cavaria
I’ve logged a lot of miles on this bike.
