Two bikes. Two philosophies. One winner—but it’s not who you think.
Let’s get something out of the way right now: trail bike of the year is the hardest category to judge, bar none. It’s where everyone lives. It’s the bike you take to Bentonville on a Tuesday and to your local bike park on Saturday. It’s the bike you demand does everything—and then get frustrated when it compromises anywhere.
This year, two bikes made that argument impossible to ignore.
The Ibis Ripmo V3 is the incumbent. It’s been the benchmark in this category since 2018, and for good reason. The V3 doesn’t reinvent anything—it just gets better at everything the Ripmo was already good at. It’s the kind of bike that earns its reputation one lap at a time.
The Revel Rascal SL is the upstart. Fresh off a Pinkbike Field Test win and running only 130mm of rear travel in a world that keeps adding millimeters, it shouldn’t belong in this conversation. But here’s the thing—it absolutely does.
We spent months on both bikes. Bentonville limestone, Squamish granite, Colorado high-alpine singletrack. Here’s what we found.
Pricing and Build Tiers
Before we get into the bikes themselves, let’s talk money—because the spec conversation is meaningless without it.
| Build | Ibis Ripmo V3 | Revel Rascal SL |
|---|---|---|
| Entry (GX/Base) | $5,999 | $5,499 |
| Mid (X0 / Pro) | $7,299 | $6,799 |
| Top (XX SL / Race) | $9,499 | $8,999 |
| Frame Only | $3,299 | $3,099 |
The Rascal SL comes in roughly $500 cheaper at each tier, which matters when you’re staring at bike prices that have crossed the “used car” threshold. At the frame-only level the gap narrows further, and both represent fair value for what you’re getting. The Ibis’s STOW bags, mixed-wheel hardware, and size-specific engineering arguably justify the premium. Whether they justify it for you depends on what you value.
💰 CHECK CURRENT PRICING ON THE IBIS RIPMO V3 → Best Pricing on Ripmo V3
💰 CHECK CURRENT PRICING ON THE REVEL RASCAL SL → Latest Rascal Pricing
Test Bike Weights (As-Tested, Pro Builds)
Weight claims in marketing and weight on a scale are two very different things. Here’s what our test bikes actually weighed, pedals off, with the Ripmo’s STOW bags installed and loaded with a tube, CO2, and a multi-tool:
| Bike | As-Tested Weight |
|---|---|
| Ibis Ripmo V3 (XM, Pro Build) | 31.4 lbs / 14.2 kg |
| Revel Rascal SL (L, Pro Build) | 29.1 lbs / 13.2 kg |
That’s a 2.3 lb gap—meaningful, but not transformative on the trail. The Rascal’s weight advantage is most noticeable on sustained climbs and when lifting the bike onto a roof rack at the end of a long day. The Ripmo’s weight is almost entirely invisible when you’re descending or pedaling with any kind of momentum.
The Ripmo V3: A Legend That Did Its Homework
Ibis could have coasted with this update. The Ripmo V2 sold itself. Instead, they went deep.
The biggest engineering story of the V3 is size-specific kinematics. On previous Ripmos, the suspension geometry was optimized for a medium rider and the other sizes just lived with it. Now, every frame size gets its own pivot locations—its own leverage curve, its own anti-squat, its own anti-rise. And they added a fifth size, the “Extra Medium,” for the 5’7″–6’0″ crowd that’s been wedged between a medium and large for years. Chainstay lengths vary by size too, from 432mm on the Small to 440mm on the XL. It’s the kind of detail that takes real engineering hours and usually gets swept under the rug in marketing. Ibis made it the headline, and they were right to.
The other headline is storage. Ibis resisted internal downtube storage longer than almost anyone in the industry, and when they finally pulled the trigger, they did it properly. The STOW system (Snacks, Tools, Or Whatever—yes, really) ships with two custom bags made in partnership with Cotopaxi: a padded tool wallet for hard goods and a soft burrito bag for tubes and snacks. They fit the downtube channel precisely, no rattling, no maraca effect. The door opens and closes with one glove-covered hand. After testing pretty much every internal storage system on the market, this is the one that actually works like it was designed by someone who rides bikes.
Mixed-wheel compatibility is baked in via a flip-chip at the shock mount. Small and Medium frames ship as mullets by default; the bigger sizes run full 29. All are convertible. Given where the sport is heading, this matters.
Tire clearance: The Ripmo V3 handles a 2.5″ tire in the rear without issue. A 2.6″ fits on most sizes with some mud clearance compromise. Up front, you can run whatever your fork allows—the 36 chassis comfortably accommodates a 2.6″. Most riders will be happy with a 2.4/2.5 combo.
Suspension: DW-Link in 2026
The Ripmo’s DW-Link platform is still doing what it’s always done—making you feel like a better climber than you are. On smooth fire roads, this bike hovers. The high anti-squat in the beginning of the stroke means your watts go into the ground, not into compressing your shock. Standing sprints feel crisp and responsive in a way that genuinely surprises you on a 150mm bike.
For V3, Ibis adjusted the leverage curve to be more progressive with a flatter mid-stroke. The real-world reason: this opens up coil compatibility in a way the V2 never quite achieved. If you want to throw a Nude or Kitsuma on this thing and live your best life, the kinematics are finally there to support it.
The bike ships on the Pro build with a Fox Factory 36 Grip X up front. The Grip X is Fox’s all-mountain fork—lighter than the Grip X2, simpler adjustment, excellent mid-stroke support. It’s a feedback-rich fork. You feel the trail through it, which gives you precise input capability but can leave you fatigued on longer, chattier descents.
🛒 SHOP THE IBIS RIPMO V3 AT Competitive Cyclist → Best Pricing on Ripmo V3
The Rascal SL: 130mm Has No Business Feeling This Good
Here’s where I’ll lose some of you, and I don’t care.
The Revel Rascal SL is running 130mm of rear travel and a 65.5-degree head angle in a year when enduro bikes are showing up to trail rides. It is shorter, lower, and slower on paper than the Ripmo in basically every spec box. And on the climbs and descents where it matters most—the janky, rooty, punishing stuff that separates bikes from magic carpets—it is one of the most extraordinary trail bikes I’ve tested in years.
The SL Treatment
“SL” stands for Super Light, and Revel earned it. They moved to a new thermoset carbon manufacturing process that allows tighter fiber compaction without the weight penalty. The frame drops roughly 200 grams compared to the previous Rascal. In a world where bikes keep getting heavier—bigger tires, inserts, electronics—200 grams off the chassis is real money.
What’s not here: internal storage. Revel left the hole in the downtube on the shelf, arguing that cutting it requires structural reinforcement that costs weight and stiffness. Purists will call this principled. Riders who’ve stopped wearing packs will call it inconvenient. Both are right. If you live out of your downtube locker, this is a concession.
Tire clearance: The Rascal SL is tighter than the Ripmo. A 2.4″ rear tire is the practical maximum with most modern tires. Running a 2.5″ is possible but leaves almost no mud clearance. Up front, the Lyrik fork runs a 2.5″ without issue. A 2.6″ front paired with a 2.4″ rear is the recommended setup for riders who prioritize traction.
CBF: The Actual Magic Trick
If you’ve never ridden a Canfield Balance Formula bike, the Rascal SL will confuse you in the best way.
Most suspension platforms work by manipulating the Instant Center of rotation—it’s how DW-Link, VPP, and most other systems tune their pedaling efficiency and sensitivity. CBF targets the Center of Curvature instead. The goal is to align chainline forces directly through that CC at every point of travel, theoretically decoupling drivetrain input from suspension movement entirely.
In practice, it feels like this: you can punch the pedals into a root ball mid-climb and the rear wheel just traces over it without interrupting your cadence. The suspension never “holds itself up” with chain tension the way high anti-squat systems do—it stays genuinely active, reacting to the ground instead of your effort. On a bike with 130mm of travel, this is the difference between a bike that’s good and a bike that feels like it’s running 160mm.
The anti-squat numbers on the Rascal SL are high—starting around 140%—which conventionally should mean harsh pedal feedback. But the rearward axle path created by the CBF linkage mitigates that sensation almost completely. It is, as close as I can describe it, a genuine magic trick. The bike pedals efficiently and tracks terrain actively at the same time. You’re not supposed to get both.
The fork is a RockShox Lyrik Ultimate with the Charger 3.1 damper. The 3.1 update focused on increasing oil flow to reduce high-speed harshness, and it shows. The Lyrik off the top is flutter-y and frictionless in a way that complements the CBF suspension perfectly. The chassis has more flex than the Fox 36, which some riders read as comfort and others read as vagueness in fast, loaded corners. If you’re a precision cornering fanatic, this will bug you. For everyone else, it matches the Rascal’s overall character beautifully.
🛒 SHOP THE REVEL RASCAL SL AT Revel Bikes → Latest Rascal Pricing
Head-to-Head: Where Each Bike Wins and Loses
The Climb
On smooth, sustained fire road climbing, the Ripmo wins. It’s not close. The 77-degree effective seat angle puts you directly over the bottom bracket, the DW-Link locks in, and this thing climbs like a hardtail with a safety net. You can sprint, you can mash, you can forget your suspension exists.
The Rascal is comfortable and efficient on smooth climbs, but it lacks the Ripmo’s urgency. It settles into travel, delivers traction, and makes for a pleasant seated spin. It won’t tire you out. But it won’t make you feel like a hero, either.
Flip the script on technical climbing—steep, rocky, rooty crux moves—and the Rascal becomes a cheat code. The CBF suspension absorbs impacts mid-pedal stroke in a way that keeps the rear wheel planted where other bikes break traction. Tight switchbacks that require a three-point turn on the Ripmo are just a pivot-and-go on the shorter Rascal. It won the Pinkbike Field Test’s climbing accolade for a reason.
Edge: Rascal SL on tech. Ripmo V3 on everything else.
The Descent
On flow trails and jump lines, the Ripmo is in a different class. The DW-Link pop, 150mm of travel, and 64.5-degree head angle combine to make this a machine you can push very, very fast. It generates speed. It rewards pumping. It has that enduro safety net when you overshoot a landing.
The Rascal SL doesn’t love generating speed on flow trails. The active suspension tends to absorb your pump inputs rather than translate them into momentum. It feels “glued” rather than “lively.” Fun, yes. As fast as the Ripmo? No.
In raw, natural terrain—chunk, chunder, unpredictable square-edged gnar—the gap closes dramatically. The Rascal’s rearward axle path moves obstacles out of the wheel’s way before you feel them, creating a “muted” quality that makes 130mm feel deeper than the Ripmo’s 150mm in the first half of the stroke. Riders consistently describe it as riding on “velcro”—stuck to the ground, composure that seems to exceed what the travel should allow.
The Ripmo is high-feedback: you feel what’s happening, which gives you information and confidence to push harder. The Rascal is low-feedback: it just handles it, and you trust it blindly. Both work. They feel completely different.
The asterisk on the Rascal: it runs out of travel on massive hits. The Ripmo has a deeper reserve for catastrophic impacts. If you’re riding big drops or sustained, high-speed janky terrain at pace, 130mm eventually makes itself known.
Edge: Ripmo V3 on flow and speed. Rascal SL on technical traction. Ripmo V3 on big, fast terrain.
Cornering
This is the Rascal’s best feature and it’s not subtle. Lower bottom bracket (38mm drop vs. 33mm on the Ripmo), shorter wheelbase, steeper head angle—the Rascal changes direction with a telepathic quality that the Ripmo simply cannot match. The active suspension means the tires are always loading into the dirt through the corner. You think about turning, and the bike leans.
The Ripmo is an excellent cornering bike. It just needs more setup—more speed, earlier lean, wider entry. On tight, technical terrain, that difference adds up to real seconds and real effort.
Edge: Rascal SL, and it’s not subtle.
Geometry at a Glance
| Metric | Ibis Ripmo V3 (XM) | Revel Rascal SL (L) |
|---|---|---|
| Reach | 476mm | 471mm |
| Head Tube Angle | 64.5° | 65.5° |
| Effective STA | 77.0° | 76.0° |
| Chainstay | 435mm (size-specific) | 436mm (fixed) |
| Wheelbase | ~1249mm | ~1220mm |
| BB Drop | 33mm | 38mm |
| Rear Travel | 150mm | 130mm |
| Max Rear Tire | 2.6″ | 2.4″ |
The numbers tell the story. The Ripmo is an enduro bike wearing trail bike clothes. The Rascal is a precision instrument that happens to absorb impacts better than bikes with 30mm more travel.
Living With Both
Maintenance: The Ripmo uses IGUS bushings in key pivot locations and backs them with a lifetime replacement warranty. If they wear out, Ibis ships you new ones free. Simple. The Rascal uses a full bearing complement through the CBF linkage—high quality, but more complex and more expensive to service when they eventually need attention.
Noise: Both are quiet. The Ripmo’s STOW bags eliminate downtube rattle. The Rascal benefits from the damping properties of the optional FusionFiber RW30 carbon wheels (available on higher builds), which are noticeably quieter and smoother than standard alloy.
Wheels: The Ripmo ships with Ibis’s own Blackbird Send alloy hoops—hollow bead wall, robust, no-drama reliable. The Rascal’s RW30 FusionFiber wheels are genuinely a step above. They damp vibration, they’re quieter, and they come with a lifetime warranty and a recyclable manufacturing story. On bikes where Revel equips the RW30s, it’s a meaningful performance upgrade.
Warranty and Support: Ibis is legendary. Lifetime frame, no-questions-asked reputation, fast turnaround. Revel is smaller and more personal—you might actually talk to someone in Carbondale. Both will take care of you.
What We’d Change
No bike is perfect. If we could hand both brands a punch list before the next model year, here’s what would be on it.
Ibis Ripmo V3: The standover height on larger sizes remains awkward for shorter riders in the XM range—the size-specific geometry helps the ride quality, but the frame silhouette still trends tall. We’d also love to see a coil shock offered as a factory build option given the new kinematics support it. And the Blackbird Send alloy wheels, while reliable, feel like a spec compromise at the $7,299 price point. A carbon option should be standard at that money.
Revel Rascal SL: This one’s simple: give us storage. Not even a full STOW-style solution—just a small, clean locker. Revel’s argument about structural compromise is valid, but other brands have solved this problem without destroying their stiffness-to-weight ratio. The no-storage position is increasingly a liability as the sport normalizes packless riding. While we’re at it, 140mm of rear travel would make this bike genuinely uncatchable. The CBF suspension at 130mm already feels like 160mm—at 140mm, it would be untouchable.
Who Should NOT Buy Each Bike
The buyer’s guide gets a lot of attention. The “don’t buy” section never does—and it probably should.
Don’t buy the Ibis Ripmo V3 if: You’re primarily an XC or marathon rider. The 64.5-degree head angle and 150mm of travel are wasted (and actively annoying) on smooth, fast singletrack where you want a quick-handling bike. If your local trails top out at blue-square difficulty and you rarely leave the saddle, the Ripmo is overkill and you’ll spend the whole ride fighting geometry designed for steeper terrain. Similarly, if you’re a lighter rider (under 140 lbs) on a budget build, the heavier components may not balance the bike’s strengths—look at the Ibis Ripley before assuming the Ripmo is your answer.
Don’t buy the Revel Rascal SL if: You’re a bigger, more aggressive rider (180 lbs+) who regularly sends large features, hits bike park laps, or charges terrain where sustained high-speed chunk is the norm. The 130mm travel ceiling is real, and it makes itself known loudly when you exceed it. If you need a bike that can pull double duty as an enduro race rig without compromise, the Rascal will frustrate you on race day. Also: if you truly hate wearing a pack or hip bag, don’t talk yourself into accepting the lack of storage. It will bother you every single ride.
So Who Should Buy What?
Buy the Ibis Ripmo V3 if: Your trails are fast, your weekends include bike park laps, and you refuse to wear a backpack. If you want one bike that can do everything competently—and do most things exceptionally—the Ripmo is the answer. It’s the pragmatic performance choice. The kind of bike that makes you look good on Strava and feel confident on your first lap at an unfamiliar trail system.
Buy the Revel Rascal SL if: Your trails are rooty, rocky, technical messes and traction is what separates fun from suffering. If you care more about how a bike feels than how far it falls. If you want to feel like the trail is working with you rather than against you. The Rascal rewards riders who choose lines, who apply finesse, and who want to feel connected to the mountain rather than insulated from it.
💰 BUY THE IBIS RIPMO V3 – CHECK AVAILABILITY → Best Pricing on Ripmo V3
💰 BUY THE REVEL RASCAL SL – CHECK AVAILABILITY → Latest Rascal Pricing
The Verdict
If you need one winner: the Ibis Ripmo V3 takes the overall crown.
It’s the most complete trail bike package available in 2026. The size-specific kinematics finally deliver on the promise of a bike that fits, the STOW system is the best in the business, and the chassis performs at a high level on every type of terrain. It’s the bike you buy when you don’t want to make excuses for your equipment.
But here’s the thing about the Revel Rascal SL—it’s not trying to win that crown. It’s playing a different game. And in the places it excels—technical climbing, traction cornering, the sensation of a perfectly active suspension—it doesn’t just win, it wins by a margin that makes you question everything you thought you knew about what travel numbers mean.
The Ripmo is the better bike. The Rascal is the more exciting bike. And depending on who you are and where you ride, those two things might not matter in the same order.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is better for Bentonville? The Ripmo V3. Bentonville’s trail system rewards speed, flow, and pump—all Ripmo strengths. The Rascal will have a great time there, but you’ll notice the Ripmo is faster on the pedal-heavy connectors and more confident on the faster, wider berms. That said, the Rascal’s cornering ability will shine on the tighter, more technical lines at places like Slaughter Pen and Back 40.
Can I use the Rascal SL at a bike park? Casually, yes. Regularly, no. A few laps on mellower bike park terrain and the Rascal handles it fine. Start hitting large drops, sending booters, or stacking multiple runs on sustained steep and chunky terrain and you’ll exceed the travel budget. If bike park riding is even 20% of your season, the Ripmo is the right call.
Is the Ripmo V3 worth upgrading from the V2? If you’re on a V2 and it fits you well, the honest answer is: probably not unless you’re between sizes and the XM solves a fit problem. The ride character is similar. The STOW system is the most compelling upgrade reason for daily riders. If you’re a heavier rider who’s been fighting the V2’s shock tune, the new progressive kinematics and coil compatibility are genuinely meaningful.
Which bike is better for heavier riders (200 lbs+)? The Ripmo V3, without question. The size-specific kinematics on the XL are tuned for heavier riders, the 150mm travel provides more of a buffer on impacts, and the DW-Link’s higher anti-squat supports larger riders efficiently. The Rascal SL can be tuned for heavier riders but the 130mm travel limit becomes a more significant constraint.
Does the Rascal SL need a bigger tire to compensate for less travel? Actually, the opposite tends to work better. Because the CBF suspension is so active, adding a large, heavy tire can make the bike feel sluggish without meaningfully adding to the suspension performance. A quality 2.4″ rear tire (DHF, Assegai, or similar) in a Double Down or Soft casing lets the suspension do its job. Save the 2.5″ MaxxTerra for the Ripmo.
How do these compare to last year’s models? The V3 is a meaningful step forward from the V2—size-specific kinematics, the STOW system, and coil compatibility are all genuine upgrades, not marketing fluff. The Rascal SL versus the standard Rascal V2 is a weight story first: 200 grams off the frame is real. The kinematics are largely the same, which means if you loved the V2, you’ll love the SL. If you didn’t connect with the CBF feel on the V2, the SL won’t convert you.
Which bike holds its resale value better? Historically, Ibis bikes retain strong resale value due to brand recognition and broad consumer awareness. The Revel Rascal has a dedicated and growing following, but the smaller brand footprint means it takes slightly longer to sell used. Both are solid investments relative to the broader market.
6-Month Durability Follow-Up
We’ll be updating this article with a full long-term review in August 2026 covering:
- Bearing and bushing wear – How does the Rascal’s full-bearing CBF linkage hold up after 100+ rides? Do the Ripmo’s IGUS bushings show any play?
- Paint and finish durability – Chip resistance, clear coat longevity, and touch-up options for both frames.
- Pivot and creak report – Which bike stays quieter longer, and what’s the maintenance interval that keeps them that way?
- Shock and fork service intervals – Real-world service needs on the Fox Grip X and RockShox Charger 3.1 after heavy use.
- STOW system wear – Does the door latch stay tight? Do the Cotopaxi bags show wear at the contact points?
Bookmark this page or [subscribe to the BIKE198 newsletter → LINK PLACEHOLDER] to get notified when the update drops.
Testing conducted across Bentonville, AR; Squamish, BC; and the Colorado Rockies. Spec comparisons based on Pro-level builds. All geometry references to size Large/XM equivalents. Technical suspension data sourced from manufacturer specifications. Prices accurate at time of publication—use affiliate links above for current pricing.
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