More modern carbon - found my Mojo :)

1210tech

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I have been toying with the idea of going full suspension for some time but it was always the weight of the metal full bouncers that put me off. During my investigations into bouncy bikes I had been drooling over the carbon fibre full bouncers but then it was the price tag that put me off. I looked at various different models from different manufacturers including Intense, Yeti, Specialized but always kept going back to one that had caught my eye....the Ibis Mojo.

I ride quite a lot at Glyncorrwg and the shop there, Skyline Cycles, had a Mojo HD demo bike, so I booked it for a day. After I had booked it I started to worry about the weight of the front fork, whether or not it would be any good uphill, whether I should ask to have a longer stem fitted and whether to use my old school toe-clip pedals or go for flats! If I had known then what I know now I needn't have bothered stressing over any of those minor details, I can honestly say I am converted to the ways of full suspension.
With 160mm of travel front & rear I knew that downhill was going to be awesome, if not a little scary at times because I was attacking the terrain much quicker than I would on the Pace and a couple of times I nearly, yes nearly, ran out of talent but somehow managed to hold it all together. It was great not having to worry too much about picking the smoothest line.
What I wasn't prepared for was how good it was uphill. It seemed so fast and smooth it was like riding a sofa up Whites Level, especially the first mile or so which is quite tricky on a hard tail, these full bouncers have come a long way since the early days were they earned their nickname 'full bouncer', the Mojo climbs like a goat.

This was the demo bike
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After that demo ride I was smitten and started to look for 2nd hand Mojo's but instead came across the Mojo SL Special Blend that was a full bike for £2500, the SL bare frame used to retail for £2000, bargain I thought, and so I bought it! ;)

On unpacking
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The spec on the Special Blend is pretty good with SLX running gear, X-Fusion fork/shock and Ibis finishing kit but I decided that I wanted to fit as much carbon as I possibly could and maybe go 2x10.
Now some of you may ask 'why spend more money upgrading when you already have a decent bike all ready to go...?' Well the answer to that is.......erm, I dunno, I'm just a whore when it comes to trick parts! :cool:
First upgrade on the list were the forks and, luckily just as I started hunting for a set, some Pace RC41 Fighters appeared on here for sale so I jumped on them. Next up were the bars and decided to go with the same ones as my RC300, USE Atom carbon held in place by a Thomson X4 Elite stem. Next to be upgraded were the brakes and I decided to go Hope, not only because I love everything Hope, but also because I wanted to use Matchmaker clamps with the SLX shifters to help keep the bars as tidy as possible, so a set of Hope Tech X2 Evo's were purchased.

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The drivetrain was next and Santa very kindly supplied a 2x10 XT drivetrain to replace the SLX kit. I don't have pictures of that upgrade but watch this space. :xmas-wink:
 
Re: More modern carbon

Really like what you've done with that! Looks awesome! And loving the skinwalls which really suit the all black set-up :cool:
 
Re: More modern carbon

Alex Creasey":3m4s5boc said:
Really like what you've done with that! Looks awesome! And loving the skinwalls which really suit the all black set-up :cool:

cheers ;) yeah I'm well chuffed with it, full suspension was an itch I had to scratch and I'm so glad I did :cool:
 
Re: More modern carbon

watching with interest, that bike is porn.

really nicely put together, and you gotta love those curves


very well done so far, not jealous at all. no, not me. nuh-uh.
 
Re: More modern carbon

Awful!

Only joking :D That's lovely. I've been amazed by how many I've seen out and about, a fair few in the yellow colour. I think they look even better in the flesh.

Full sums bikes have come a very long way...on a technical or lose climb they'll out climb a hardtail if you sit and spin the cranks. Even my SX goes up certain hills better than a hardtail.

Agree that it's easy to run out if talent...I think that's why there are quite a few accidents at trail centres etc. my boss is a prime example. Started on a nice bouncy bike and had a really bad accident at Dalby. I still maintain that starting out on a rigid or a hardtail helps you understand about line choice etc. Although even then, you can still get a bit carried away.

Not sure about the pedals though.
 
Re: More modern carbon

BobCatMax":29od2fni said:
watching with interest, that bike is porn.

really nicely put together, and you gotta love those curves

very well done so far, not jealous at all. no, not me. nuh-uh.
Cheers :) I agree, it's the curves that did it for me along with the amazing write ups this bike gets from all over the world


ChrisR":29od2fni said:
Lovely looking bike. Very jealous!

A mojo sl-r is my dream bike :oops:
Cheers :) keep your eyes peeled, they are doing the HD as a special blend now too so the SL-R might be next to benefit from such a good deal ;)
 
Re: More modern carbon

Mindmap3":2zmkdk5s said:
Awful!

Only joking :D That's lovely. I've been amazed by how many I've seen out and about, a fair few in the yellow colour. I think they look even better in the flesh.

Full suss bikes have come a very long way...on a technical or lose climb they'll out climb a hardtail if you sit and spin the cranks. Even my SX goes up certain hills better than a hardtail.

Agree that it's easy to run out if talent...I think that's why there are quite a few accidents at trail centres etc. my boss is a prime example. Started on a nice bouncy bike and had a really bad accident at Dalby. I still maintain that starting out on a rigid or a hardtail helps you understand about line choice etc. Although even then, you can still get a bit carried away.

Not sure about the pedals though.
Cheers :) Yeah they do look good in the bright colours but it had to be naked carbon for me, what's the point of having a full carbon frame and not showing off that sexy weave :LOL: ;)

I couldn't believe how good it was uphill, it literally blew my socks off. The Whites Level climb from the visitor centre at Glyncorrwg is uphill for about 5 miles and it is a mixture of lose rock, slippery boulders, mud, tree roots, gravel....you name it, it's there. I'm not the fittest I've ever been and on the RC300 I could ride the majority of it without stopping even with the back wheel bouncing/slipping/skipping but the Mojo just soaked it all up while I remained in the saddle spinning away, the only reason I had to stop was because I ran out of puff! :)

Totally agree about starting out on a hardtail first, like you say, people jump onto these long travel bikes thinking that the bike will forgive their lack of talent and turn them into Steve Peat in a matter of minutes :facepalm:

As for the pedals, I don't feel comfortable riding flats without clips but I can't get along with spuds, I'm too stuck in my ways....for now anyway ;)
 
Re: More modern carbon

very very nice, in each of it's guises, but the most recent for me is the nicest..

Top work. Must look more at the one my LBS has just put in their sale... :cool:
 
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