The new Ibis Mojo HD3 in the wild, Moab, Utah.

The new Ibis Mojo HD3 in the wild, Moab, Utah. Photo courtesy of Ibis Cycles​

Ibis revealed their highly anticipated long-travel 27.5-inch Mojo HD3 to dealers and media last week, and most got what they were expecting--a polished version of the low, slack, long-travel rig über pilot Anne-Caroline Chausson rode to second place in the overall standings of the 2014 Enduro World Series. That the bike itself would come was never in question, it was more a matter of when, and what the particulars would be when it did...and now it can be told.

Ibis finally let the Mojo out of the bag at their Santa Cruz launch event last week.

Ibis finally let the Mojo out of the bag at their Santa Cruz launch event last week.​

The HD3 will start shipping in December and features 150mm of rear wheel travel. In general the bike is longer than prior Mojo HD and HDRs by about 20mm. At the same time they've dropped the seat tube height by a half-inch in hopes of making the sizing decision more about length than standover height--"fit by torso" is how they phrased it.

Not surprisingly, the Mojo HD3 employs the Dave Weagel-designed dw-link suspension. The system--now in its fifth iteration--is said to provide better mid-travel support while standing on the pedals. It's also been optimized to be more efficient with the smaller chainrings used in 1x and 2x front shifting systems, both of which the HD3 accommodates.

Green HD3 Rear View

Quick Geometry

Ibis recommends a 150 or 160mm-travel fork with the HD3 and has provided the following basic geometry based on their lengths:

FORK150MM160MM
Head Tube Angle67 degrees66.6 degrees
Seat Tube Angle73.1 degrees72.6 degrees
Chainstay16.93-inches16.93-inches
BB Height13.4-inches13.5-inches

Frame details

Ibis has definitely paid attention to details on the HD3--internal shift and dropper post routing enters the frame well behind the headtube and is angled such that cable rub is virtually eliminated. Rear brake housing is run externally to ease maintenance woes, and Ibis has opted for a tried-and-true threaded bottom bracket shell. To top it off the HD3 has two--count 'em--two water bottle mounts.

Continue to page 2 for more on the Ibis Mojo HD3 and full photo gallery »

Suspension, builds

The HD3 is available as a frame-and-shock-only, and ships with a FOX Float Kashima CTD for $2900, with Cane Creek's InLineDouble Barrel Air available as a $60 upgrade option. From there Ibis offers build kits starting with the humble "Special Blend" ($3950 complete) on up to the no-holds-barred Shimano XTR 2x11 option at $9,200. In between there's versions with both SRAM and Shimano options between $6,000 and $8,700.

The Ibis Mojo HD3 is available with Shimano's new XTR 11-speed mechanical groups in 1x and 2x configurations.

The Ibis Mojo HD3 is available with Shimano's new XTR 11-speed mechanical groups in 1x and 2x configurations.​

On the trail with the Mojo HD3

Though we had far too little time either setting up or riding the HD3 to draw any conclusions, the bike looked and felt more planted and confident than Ibis's of old. Whereas prior generations always seemed to show an upscaling from cross-country roots, the new version feels like it was born from more substantial stock. And while the bike's laterally stiff frame is likely of primary responsibility, Ibis' ultra-wide 741 wheelset shod with Maxxis Minion DHF tires certainly contributes.

The HD3 feels confident when pointed down hill.

The new Ibis Mojo HD3 feels confident when pointed down hill.​

The tire and rim combination not only add to the bike's "moto" look, they provide a very confident contact patch between rubber and terra firma. Because it was our first ride on both the bike and the wheels it was hard to say where the bike ended and the wheels took over--which, according to Ibis, is sort-of the point. Needless-to-say we found the results very encouraging and look forward to more time on both, as well as some A/B comparison testing between the 741 wide rims and standard-width competitors.


Full Geometry Charts

Ibis Mojo HDR3 Geometry Drawing

Ibis Mojo HDR3 w/150mm Fork

Ibis Mojo HDR3 w/160mm Fork

For more information visit ibiscyles.com.