When the Mojo first hit the market in 2006, it was a revelation鈥攍ighter, stiffer, and bigger travel than anything else聽out there at the time. The SL version won 翱耻迟蝉颈诲别鈥檚 Gear of the Year聽a couple seasons later, and each iteration since鈥pretty much everything聽that Ibis touches, in fact鈥攈as been atop our list of favorites.
So in early January, we had high expectations when we received the Mojo 3, which went on sale to the public this week. Once again, Ibis did not disappoint.
With 130 millimeters聽of rear travel, the carbon 聽is Ibis鈥 first outing in the 27.5-plus-size realm. Ours was equipped with a 140-millimeter聽RockShox Pike鈥攖he standard in all-mountain bikes at the moment鈥攑utting the head tube angle at 66.8-degrees. Those numbers are pretty middle of the road, but the Mojo鈥檚 larger tires give the bike a much more aggressive stance than the figures suggest.
The bike was originally built around Maxxis鈥 2.5-inch Minion DHF tires, but as the plus-size movement has spread, Ibis discovered that it聽could squeeze up to 2.8-inch Schwalbe Nobby Nicks in the frame. Our tester came with the larger tires, as well as the original spec Maxxis for comparison. Hung on Ibis鈥 own wide rims, with an internal width of 35 millimeters, both these tire setups have a broad, confidence-inspiring contact patch.
A lot of skepticism currently surrounds plus-size聽wheels and tires. The industry is promising added traction, control, and confidence from the new size, which mates three-inch tires to 27.5-inch rims for virtually the same circumference as a 29er鈥攚ith a much bigger traction area. Dozens of new models built around the wider size are coming to market this year. Consumers, who are rightly tired of the constantly shifting standards, are skeptical that this is just another sell. There鈥檚 also been a confounding reaction, even within the industry, to label plus-size as something for novices鈥攁kin to training wheels. And the added weight is an automatic point of contention for some.
Take our word that the Mojo 3鈥攁nd plus-size wheels in general鈥攁re not just for beginners. The additional traction and broader tire profile definitely give聽neophytes more confidence. But they did exactly the same for hardcore shredders. At the annual bike test, we saw a handful of DH racers鈥攊nitially skeptical of plus-size wheels鈥攚on over by the new standard after they hurtled down steeps, drops, and loose chutes faster than they ever had before. And every single rider who tried both the 2.5- and 2.8-inch tires preferred the larger diameter.
Our Mojo 3, hung with XT parts, weighed a very respectable 27.6 pounds. And it鈥檚 even more versatile than you first realize,聽given that standard 29-inch wheels also fit: we loved it with Enve M60/Forty HVs mounted with Maxxis Minions. (Note: the Mojo 3 uses Boost hubs, so existing hoops won鈥檛 fit without an adapter like .) This iteration of the DW-Link suspension is the plushest we鈥檝e tried: soft at the top of the stroke, which helps with low-speed traction and small bumps, but it also ramps up so that you never really feel like you鈥檙e getting through it all.
Our only objection:聽the rear tire clearance, which is so tight that the 2.8-inch Schwalbes rubbed on the inside of the rear triangle when pushing hard. That also means that most of the three-inch treads hitting the market are a no-go. We tried Specialized Purgatory tires out of curiosity, and they simply wouldn鈥檛 fit. To that end, while we absolutely love the way this bike rode, we鈥檇 prefer it to accommodate as many of the emerging options as possible, and right now, its聽tight rear triangle is limiting.
Nonetheless, we鈥檇 still recommend the Mojo 3 in a heartbeat. The suspension and geometry are dialed, the added traction makes you laugh out loud, especially on techy trails, and the details are gorgeous. If you live in a place with extremely loose trails (think: Arizona or New Mexico) and you favor bigger tires, it might be worth waiting for something with better rear clearance. Muddy climes could be tough because of the clearance, too. For many people, however, the Mojo 3 should prove an extremely versatile all-mountain bike that can do almost anything better than its predecessors.
Our Mojo 3, with the XT Werx build, including a 1×11 Shimano drivetrain, KS Lev dropper post, and carbon wheels, retails for $7,400. Depending on build specs, Ibis sells Mojos 3s ranging from $4,000 up to聽$8,900.