Ibis HD6 is a 165mm Travel Mixed

Mar 18, 2024

After months of teasing, Ibis Cycles has finally released its new enduro mountain bike; the HD6. Already a UCI-EDR race-proven rig, the new bike delivers 165mm rear wheel travel through a dw-link suspension platform that is compatible with both air and coil shocks. Ibis were uncompromising in the design of the HD6; it is a dedicated mixed-wheel platform, with no adjustments in the way of chainstay length, bottom bracket height, head angle or else.

Here’s an overview of the long-awaited Ibis HD6.

The 147mm travel Ripmo is no longer the longest-travel offering in the Ibis Cycles range, with today’s announcement of the 165mm travel Ibis HD6. Such was the state of affairs when the HD5 was discontinued in 2021, leaving riders and racers alike looking forward to the return of an out-and-out enduro race bike from the Northern Californian brand.

Raphaela Richter, Zakarias Johansen and Cole Lucas have been hammering on aboard their HD6 bikes since the opening round in Maydena, Tasmania. All three have posted top 15 finishes this season, with Raphaela securing 4th place in both Leogang, Austria and Pietra Ligure, Italy.

Here are some quick specs…

The Ibis HD6 is a big bike, pairing a 180mm travel fork with 165mm rear wheel travel. Of major note is the adoption of an updated dw-link layout that makes use of a much shorter yoke, or clevis, to drive the rear shock. Ibis tell us the arrangement prevents excessive side-loading through the shock, and so the bike is compatible with all coil shocks on the market.

The Ibis HD6 is available in five frame sizes, from S-XXL (or 1-5) for riders from 5ft 2″ to 6ft 7″. All get a 64° head tube angle, but seat tube angle is specific to the frame size (mostly). At the same seat angle, a tall rider sits further back than a short one. In the knowledge of this, Ibis wanted to engineer the HD6 such that all riders, no matter their height, would be positioned in the same position relative to the rear axle.

So, on the small and medium frames (Sizes 1 & 2), we see a seat tube angle of 76°, while the XXL (Size 5) is boasting a seat angle of 77.5°. Rather helpfully, the geometry provided by Ibis Cycles states the exact saddle height pertaining to the effective seat tube angles quoted, allowing potential customers to better understand how that is relevant to them.

The HD6 sees impressively short seat tube lengths across the board; 406mm in the size large. That will allow a large proportion of riders to make good use of the longer-travel dropper posts available these days. With that in mind, Ibis thought it best to increase the seat tube diameter to 34.9mm allow for use of stiffer, more durable seat posts.

Ibis has switched to numbered sizing in the geometry chart for the HD6, in a bid to encourage customers to more fully engage with the numbers. The short seat tubes will allow riders to focus their attention on reach and top tube length when selecting the best frame size for them. As a rider who is often between sizes, I really appreciate it when an overly long seat tube on the larger option isn’t there to make the decision for me.

Reach spans a 430mm to 541mm range (so generous), but with five sizes to choose from, the jump in frames isn’t so massive, at least at the smaller end. Large (Size 3) comes in at 480mm.

Across the five frame sizes, chainstay length is consistent at 435mm with the BB at a 10mm drop.

With the spec’ing of a 180mm travel fork with a 29″ wheel, Ibis has recognized the need to keep head tubes short so as to avoid an uncomfortably tall ride height. The HD6 in Size Large (or Size 3) has a head tube length of just 91, delivering a stack height of 630mm.

Ibis claim the HD6 frame in a size large (Size 3) with a Fox X2 Air Shock weighs 7.7 lbs (3.5 kgs). Weight for the large as a complete bike is said to start at 31.66 lbs (14.46 kg).

The frame gets a Boost (12mm x 148mm) swingarm with SRAM UDH dropout, and so it is SRAM Transmission-compatible running a 55mm chainline. Indeed, the top-end build that retails at $11,199 USD boasts the SRAM XX Eagle Transmission group.

Looking to keep time spent on maintenance down, Ibis run tube-in-tube cable routing throughout the carbon frame. In the same vein, the lower link pivots rely on sealed bushings from IGUS to service articulation, instead of the bearings you’ll find on the upper link pivots. Ibis offer free replacements on these bushings for the lifetime of the frame.

There’s no in-tube frame storage on the HD6, but it is adorned with top tube accessory mounts, and there is apparently space for an in-triangle frame pack behind the headtube on sizes 2-5. The downtube is protected with a rubber guard, while the drive-side chainstay and seat stay get softer rubber protectors in a bid to keep noise generated from chain slap to a minimum.

Other notable frame details include:

The Ibis HD6 is available as a frame and shock (Fox Factory X2) for $3,899 USD in Emerald Forest, Traffic Cone and Wizard Sleeve colorways, and is sold with a lifetime warranty. There are also four complete bike options available now, all sold with Ibis (Blackbird) wheels that also come with a lifetime warranty.

Pricing starts at $6,099 USD for the GX model, topping out at $11,199 USD for the XX Transmission AXS build. Complete pricing and specs info for the US market can be found below.

ibiscycles.com