If faced with this sort of course profile for a 111km-long mountain bike race, what sort of bike would you ride?Garmin
My bike of choice for the 111km-long Laramie Enduro was a custom built Ibis RipleyJames Huang / Immediate Media
Although some might consider 120mm of travel overkill for what is essentially just a very long cross-country race, I felt the dw-link design was so efficient that there was no drawback over a shorter-travel setupJames Huang / Immediate Media
How custom was this Ripley? Aside from the handpicked spec, I also remedied what I though was the Ripley’s main drawback: it’s less-than-optimal cable routing. Aside from installing one rivnut on the down tube, though, there were no other frame modifications requiredJames Huang / Immediate Media
The 740mm-wide Enve SWP carbon bar kept things suitably lowJames Huang / Immediate Media
Also helping keep the grip height where I wanted it to be was Syntace’s FlatForce stemJames Huang / Immediate Media
SRAM’s XX1 transmission provided all the range I needed for the courseJames Huang / Immediate Media
Why did I substitute a SRAM XO1 cassette and Shimano chain in place of the otherwise complete XX1 transmission? Well, because that’s what I had on handJames Huang / Immediate Media
A trusty old set of Shimano XTR PD-M970 pedals were fitted to the SRAM XX1 carbon crankarms. A pair of Race Face caps guard the ends of the crankarms from rock strikesJames Huang / Immediate Media
Magura’s MT8 hydraulic disc brakes were in keeping with the light-and-fast theme. The high-pitched ding from the Incredibell was friendlier than screaming “on your left!” while also being easier for other riders to hear, too. It’s requisite equipment for every mountain bike that passes through my handsJames Huang / Immediate Media
The Fox 32 Float 29 120 FIT CTD w/Trail Adjust fork was a perfect match for the rear shock. While some might prefer the added stiffness of the beefier 34 model, I wanted to keep things light, plus this bike wasn’t going to see the sort of demanding terrain that I felt would warrant that rigidityJames Huang / Immediate Media
A Specialized Top Cap Chain Tool fits neatly inside the steerer tube, always ready in case the need arises. There’s a pocket for a spare chain link, too – but in my haste to get things ready, I forgot to put one in there. Thankfully, I didn’t need to use itJames Huang / Immediate Media
As I wasn’t going to encounter any particularly technical terrain, I went with an ultralight Ritchey WCS Trail carbon fiber seatpost instead of a dropperJames Huang / Immediate Media
Tioga’s Spyder Stratum saddle looks like a torture device but it’s actually very comfortable as there’s copious amounts of flex available. Tioga could tighten up the spacing on the ‘SpiderWeb’ surface, though, as I could feel the holes through my chamoisJames Huang / Immediate Media
Does tying-and-soldering really make a difference? There’s certainly debate on the topic but if nothing else, this provided an opportunity for me to brush up on some old – and rarely used – skillsJames Huang / Immediate Media
A Lezyne side-access cage allowed me to easily access a bottle inside the tiny main triangleJames Huang / Immediate Media