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Mojo HDR Reviews

17K views 33 replies 21 participants last post by  martinizer 
#1 · (Edited)
Reckon the Mojo HDR needs its own thread for reviews!

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Mojo HDR First Look/Review, 26" > 650b Conversion Video, 26" vs 650b Back to back comparison

Unbelievably I scored a pre-release gig with Ibis and have been rolling around on the new Ibis Mojo HDR the last few weeks, running it both as a 26" and 650b. It's been great fun and a real eye opener for me. I'm going with the 650b build, it's just insanely dialed!

Links to Mojo HDR stories:

Ibis Mojo HDR First Look | Ibis Mojo HDR

Ibis Mojo HDR ISCG Mount | Ibis Mojo HDR

Ibis Mojo HDR 26" to 650b Conversion | Ibis Mojo HDR

Ibis Mojo HDR 650b vs Mojo HDR 26" | Ibis Mojo HDR

Bicycle tire Bicycle frame Bicycle wheel Wheel Tire


Nature Branch Sky Tree Sculpture
 
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#4 ·
Hi Michael, the HDR frame is lighter than the HD so there is a weight saving there if for example you simply swapped all of existing HD bits and pieces over to it. There are a few ways to configure the HDR, but the short answer ATM in my case is that my HDR 650b build is lighter than my old 26" 160mm build by a significant amount (~1kg). I haven't got a final weight on the HDR 650b just yet.
 
#9 · (Edited)
Hi baltik yes it in 130mm mode ATM. I was skeptical beforehand, but with the 650b wheels is yet to feel like insufficient travel. Overall I much prefer to the ride to the 26" 160mm mode. It's not even close, which came as a real shock to me.

Speaking with bike industry guys from California this morning visiting Melrose for the MTB Festival, the consensus was that 130-140mm of travel might be the 650b sweet spot, for riders and optimum design/performance etc. Have to wait and see.

All that said, since I have the 160mm rear shock here the plan in the next couple of weeks is to shim it to 150mm and see how it compares to the 130mm.
 
#7 ·
Pete - Did you notice any difference in the suspension curves or same as before? Nice pics/vid BTW

Reckon the Mojo HDR needs its own thread for reviews!

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Mojo HDR First Look/Review, 26" > 650b Conversion Video, 26" vs 650b Back to back comparison

I've been fortunate to have an Ibis Mojo HDR since mid May. I headed over to Melrose South Australia for a few weeks to check it out and with the bike's release am now able to post a few stories on it!

It's been a whole load of fun... and amongst other things a perfect opportunity to explore 26" vs 650b back to back. Thanks Ibis!

Links to Mojo HDR stories:

Ibis Mojo HDR First Look | Ibis Mojo HDR

Ibis Mojo HDR ISCG Mount | Ibis Mojo HDR

Ibis Mojo HDR 26" to 650b Conversion | Ibis Mojo HDR

Ibis Mojo HDR 650b vs Mojo HDR 26" | Ibis Mojo HDR

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#8 ·
Great excitement in the article, but can you be a bit more informative re setups of the comparison not just the ride.

Tests are greatly affected by Speccification.

And isnt it HDR vs HD.

I just want facts esspecially if it is as good as you say it is, Im just about to lay down an order today on a 2014 fork/shock for 160 mode change from 140 mode in 26".

1: What fork & shock is was on your origonal HD 160?
2: What tires & wheels were on both bikes?

I wont get 2 padantic but these 2 points affect bike handling and speed allot including stability vs a larger wheel and longer wheelbase.

Cheers Digital Hippie appreciate it.
 
#11 · (Edited)
Great excitement in the article, but can you be a bit more informative re setups of the comparison not just the ride.

Tests are greatly affected by Speccification.

And isnt it HDR vs HD.

I just want facts esspecially if it is as good as you say it is, Im just about to lay down an order today on a 2014 fork/shock for 160 mode change from 140 mode in 26".

1: What fork & shock is was on your origonal HD 160?
2: What tires & wheels were on both bikes?

Cheers Digital Hippie appreciate it.
Hi Maverick for sure obviously specs combine to create a feel/ride. TBH though after a few weeks of back to back comparing I'm at the stage of just enjoying the ride!

IMO It's:

- HD 26" 160 vs the HDR 26" 160, then
- HDR 26" 160 vs the HDR 650b 130, and later
- HDR 650b 130mm vs 650b 150mm.

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HD 26" 160mm vs HDR 26" 160mm

Existing parts swapped over my (original model) HD to HDR - same spec, just new frame and rear shock supplied with new frame. Frame feel/characteristics and weight reduction due to SL-R style molding, rear shock plus ISCG tab. You can't mistake the two riding them back to back. IMO the HDR 26" is a neat update to the HD 26".

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HDR 26" 160mm vs HDR 650b

Fork in both cases was Float 34 160. On the 650b HDR it was the 650b version of the Float, reduced to 150mm. I've since put the new Rockshox Pike on the front and am looking forward to checking out, but the bike has been hidden away over the last few days as I've been at a mountain bike festival and now it's bucketing rain :)

Tires 26": Purgatory 2.3 front, Captain 2.2 rear
Tires 650b: Hans Dampf 2.35 front, Rocket Ron rear

Wheels 26": Hope Pro II hubs, EX500 rims
Wheels 650b: Tune King Kong hubs, ZTR FLow EX rims

650b wheelset was lighter, mainly spokes and rear hub.

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Disregarding individual components, TBH I had fairly low expectations for the feel of 650b 130mm mode and was blown away by the difference on the trail. For me it wasn't even close - back to back testing over a few weeks and I don't have any desire to ride the HD as a 26" again... seriously.

Fwiw I've ridden demo 29'ers over the last few years and haven't come across one I'd rather ride than the HD. That's the difference with the HDR as a 650b - it just feels right, like that is the way the HD/HDR was always meant to be. It's like a faster, more efficient 26" with better ride qualities.... plus dang, it just looks plain nasty with those bigger 650b feet in that sexy frame :p
 
#19 ·
Thanks for the review! Looking forward to the 150 650b reviews too. I'm surprised that the 130 650b road so much better then the 160 26." If so that says alot and I may have to rethink my next bike quite a bit more. I currently have a 180 talas. I don't think that can be used in any 650b configuration. Anybody know?
 
#21 ·
I just don't know how I'll give up my white HD...I loooove the white.
Since I'm enjoying the heck out of my ripley right now...I think I can wait until they get the retrofit rear triangles to convert my white HD. I've long been a fan in 650b...I'm sure it'll be amazing on the HD...even with 'only' 130mm travel. my sl with 650b's was amazing.
 
#22 ·
Its the same 7.875x2 shock as on the HD140, sl, slr ... same travel as before, so least of my worries. Always been ~130mm travel just was called HD140 mode. Think they should of just stuck with the HD140 designation and avoided all the travel hysteria.
 
#24 ·
I had posted this in the "new Ibis" thread, probably better here.

I was lucky enough to demo a HDR 650b yesterday on my local trails. I currently ride a HD, so I wanted to see what all the hype was about the larger wheel size. I've never been a fan of the 29er, just doesn't fit my riding style and have never felt like the 26" wheel was a "problem"

Riding style: I really love cornering, drifting thru corners, pulling away from people in corners. When I use to race DH this would be all I would practice, coming in hot into a corner and telling myself don't touch the brakes no matter what. So would a larger wheel size affect this or help?

When I showed up Kirk was setting up an HDR 650 for another rider.

Bicycle Wheel Tire Bicycles--Equipment and supplies Sky


I headed out to ride my "standard loop" for a base-line comparison. When I started riding I immediately felt a difference with the height of the larger wheel. The climb up to the top of Hartman Rocks here in Gunnison, CO is a single-track which without any sort of warmup I managed to get my 2nd best time since I started tracking my rides last year. I wasn't really trying to go for it either, as I usually take my time on the 1st climb.

My HD is setup with 170mm cranks and the demo had 175mm. This felt a little weird to me also, but didn't try to think about it. After getting to the top of the 1st single track I was ready to rip the first rocky descent. The trail called Rocky Ridge has technical rock sections on the upper section, then fast and flowy lower down. Heading down into the 1st section I noticed how nicely it rolled thru the rocks and held it's line. The bike tracked really well and the Pacenti Neo-Moto 2.3 tires gripped really well in our decomposed granite/sandy loam conditions. I felt there was really no learning curve with these tires, they simply worked. I run a 2.5 minion and a 2.35 ardent on my HD currently.

So I headed to the next trail Sawtooth, which is a technical trail, climbing and descending. On the climb up there is a rocky switchback, with a rock move to another rock move, which I haven't been able to clean all year (I have in the past). First time ride this bike, nailed it, stoked, started to think maybe there is something to the 650b movement.

Bicycle Tire Sky Wheel Land vehicle


After one ride I was very impressed with the 650b wheel size. It would be nice to have a little more travel, but for a good percentage of trails I ride, I could probably get away with 130mm travel.

As far as the new frame it felt really stiff, perhaps slightly stiffer than the HD, or it was the difference between 130mm and 160mm travel. Clearance with the 2.3 650b tires was good and don't think I would need to run bigger, as the traction was superb.

All this leaving me wondering, should I be asking my LBS about getting a new frame? Damn you Ibis for making another excellent bike!
 
#25 ·
Before purchasing a 2013 HDR 650b consider this....I recently successfully converted my 2011 Ibis Mojo SL to 650b wheel format. During the conversion I had to shim the rear shock by just 3mm from 140mm to 137mm to accommodate the 650b tyre clearance inside rear triangle. I run a 150mm fork up front.....so the irony is that I have longer rear travel on my 2011 Mojo SL (137mm) compared to the latest 2013 Mojo HDR (130mm)!!!!! So why would I upgrade to the latest HDR when I get longer rear travel on my 2011 Mojo SL?! In addition my SL weighs a svelte 24.7 pounds so it's way lighter than a 2013 HDR!!! Latest product doesn't always equal better - food for thought for those already riding 26" Mojo C OR SL or SLR or HD who are considering 650b conversion or considering a new 650b HDR , )
 
#26 ·
During the conversion I had to shim the rear shock by just 3mm from 140mm to 137mm to accommodate the 650b tyre clearance inside rear triangle.
If you shimmed the rear shock by 3mm, you've lost more than 3mm of rear travel...last I checked Mojos of all sorts are not running 1:1 leverage ratios...also the HD & HDR can both clear larger rear tires than the SL/SL-R. HD/HDR are also built stronger than the SL. Bottom line you're not comparing apples to apples. Yes the HDR isn't everything we'd hoped it would be, but it's definitely more 650b compatible than the SL.
 
#31 ·
You can run a 160mm chip and shock, and shim the travel down on the shock so that the larger wheel doesn't bottom on the seattube, but you'll have a half inch higher bb than you would on a std 26"/160 setup, given the same tires.

Or you can buy BikeCo's setup that uses custom shock length and stroke in a Marzocchi piggyback shock.
 
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