BIKER'S EDGE

I’ve been wanting to make this Ibis Oso HD video for a long time. I saw the bike late last year and have been wanting to throw a leg over it ever since. I love my Ripmo AF, and if this thing rides anything like that, I’ll be stoked. 

For its second iteration, Ibis completely revamped the Oso platform. It now falls much closer to the pedal-bike platforms that Ibis has grown a cult following for. This time around, the Oso is offered in three distinct flavors. Think of them as ebike equivalents to the Ripley, Ripmo, and HD6. I’m on the HD platform, which, you guessed it, is the HD6 equivalent. 

What You Should Know About the Ibis Oso HD

The Oso uses the latest generation Bosch Performance Line CX motor (Gen 5.) It has a standard rear triangle rather than the single-stay design of the previous bike. 

It comes in three travel categories, starting at 130/140mm for the S version – 29” only. The TR has 150/160mm of travel and can run either 29 or an MX setup. And today’s video’s model is the HD with 165/180mm of travel. Except as you’ve probably seen, I’ve got a bit of a fancy pants build. We built this one up from the frame, so we slathered it in Push Industries suspension, Berd wheels, and a Sram 90 drivetrain. That means our fork is only 170mm – the max travel on the Push Nine One platform.

The Oso is very modular with the three travel numbers as well as replaceable dropouts that offer 4 different rear end setups. The 27.5 dropouts come in 440 and 455mm lengths, while the 29 dropouts are 455 and 465mm. 

Ibis Oso HD: Ride Review

Drive system: +1

The Ibis Oso runs on the Gen 5 Bosch Performance Line CX drive system. It only comes with a 600Wh battery. No 800 option here. It’s compatible with Bosch’s range extender, allowing for up to 850Wh of range.

The Bosch motor is still very much at the top of my drive unit ladder. It’s powerful, reliable, quiet, and increasingly common. Motors like the Avinox certainly give it a run for its money, but I wouldn’t necessarily say they’ve made the Bosch obsolete. We now just have a few leaders in the space. The Gen 5 motor allows for 120Nm at max. I have mine set at 105Nm for range and power considerations. 

The reason the Bosch doesn’t get a +2 in this particular case is the lack of battery size options. While I’d probably almost always pick the 600Wh size, having options is nice for the consumer.

Climbing Performance: +1

Climbing on the Oso HD is a better-than-average experience. There’s a good bit of traction at the rear wheel which helps on those steep, loose, e-bike-style climbs. I’m on the 29” setup with 455mm chainstays. Those are plenty long in my opinion to provide the front-to-rear balance I like to see on a 29er. It’s enough to keep you falling off the back of the bike and not so much that the bike feels unwieldy on technical and tighter climbs. 

As for pedaling efficiency, I really like where the Oso HD lands. It’s open and active as you’d hope on an eMTB. Efficiency is important, but far less so on a full-power ebike. Either way, the bike scoots along nicely on fire roads, singletrack, and technical climbs. 

Downhill Capability: +1

Descending on the Oso HD isn’t exactly what I would have expected. On paper, it appears to be a bike that makes all of the bumps, rocks, and roots disappear. While it does a good job of plowing through rough terrain without getting knocked around too much, it’s not a magic carpet ride. 

The Oso HD is a confident ride, but it’s a bit more well-rounded than you’d expect. It’s very stable at speed, likely coming from the 1325mm wheelbase. That’s plenty of wheelbase to keep you from finding yourself outside the butter zone all the time. It gives you a lot of room to move on the bike before you’ve gone too far. The headtube angle is slack at 63.1°, keeping things mellow on steep and rough terrain.

Where the Oso HD is unexpected is the suspension feel. It’s not overly plush, even with a coil spring. Instead, it’s supportive. You don’t get that wallowy feel when pumping through rollers, corners and jumps. You don’t feel the 165mm of travel all that often. Interestingly, you don’t not feel it all that often either. What I mean by that is you don’t clang into the bottom of the travel. And keep in mind, I’m on a coil shock and still don’t have issues with bottoming out on this one. I’d have to think it’s the most progressive Ibis suspension to date. 

Overall, the Oso HD is very capable in the roughest terrain without feeling like it’s only comfortable in rough terrain.

Suspension Performance: +1

Let’s dive a little deeper into the suspension feel on the Oso HD. This bike feels fairly different than what I’ve come to expect out of Ibis bikes. I think it’s been an evolution for the brand with the latest round of frames. Starting with the Ripmo V3 and Ripley V5, the bikes changed in character, and I’d argue for the better. Ibis bikes used to be all about that pedal performance. Which left them feeling like it was too tough to get into the travel and could ride a little high. That would keep your center of gravity higher and lead to some weird ride qualities. Flash forward to the current day, and ibis bikes feel a little more balanced in their kinematics. 

The Oso HD gets into the travel fairly easily and doesn’t ride all that high like older models. It also seems to be more progressive than past models as well. It’s more coil-friendly and ramps up for more aggressive riding. As a result, it can be tuned to ride plusher off the top for those wanting to minimize chatter while not bottoming out while going off a small curb.

Handling: +1

We’re carrying on the trend of +1s here. The Oso HD strikes a really nice balance between being stable and being fun. With a 1325mm wheelbase, it could be hard to see this bike doing fun stuff. Luckily, that’s not the case. It falls somewhere between the Yeti LTe and the Transition Regulator CX in the playfulness department. The LTe being the big, planted rig, and the Regualtor being the bicycle-shaped skateboard.  

The Oso HD isn’t nearly as light on its feet as some bikes, but I think it would knock the socks off of most bikes in the corners. Counterintuitively, I find it easier to corner on slightly longer bikes – depending on the corner. A slow, flat, and tight corner is going to be tougher for sure, but wide-open west-coast-style corners can benefit from a bit more rear center and overall stability on a bike. You can find the balanced spot between the wheels more easily so you dont lose traction or get bent out of shape mid corner. 

Versatility: +2

Finally, a score other than +1. When it comes to versatility, it’s tough to beat the Oso HD. Or I should say, the Oso. It has three different suspension links for three different travel amounts; all sizes and travel amounts can run 29 or MX setups. You have replaceable dropouts for 4 different rear center lengths. All in all, you can set this thing up in a lot of different ways. 

From a ride quality standpoint, the Oso HD is moderately versatile. It’s a big bike and certainly slows down on easy trails compared to some smaller bikes, but its suspension does an ok job of keeping it fun enough on blues and greens. Although it’s much happier on black and double-black diamond terrain. 

Intangibles: 0

There’s not a ton to discuss here, but we have a few points that offset each other and net us out at 0. First, the pros. The battery charger door is my favorite design to date. No impossible plastic tabs, no rubber doors that dont stay shut, no weird placements. Just an easy-to-reach spot from either side of th4 bie and magnets to keep it open or closed. It’s simple and effective. 

Then the offsetting con. The lower shock mount on the bike is very wide. It’s one of the first things I noticed on the Oso HD when I rode it. In fact, even with my little chicken legs, my calves would hit the lower shock mount from time to time. If you ride in pants, you’ll likely snag your cuff on it as well. Ride like a cowboy, and you should be fine. 

And one last note here. Ibis sells the Oso as a frame-only option. Kind of rare for an ebike, but cool to see. 

Ibis Oso HD: Comparisons

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Who is the Ibis Oso HD for?

Rider Profile: The setup nerd

The Oso is the perfect platform for someone who likes to spend time in the garage tinkering and changing the setup. Not that you have to do that with it, but if you like trying all the combinations and variations, this bike allows for that. You could spend hours turning wrenches and trying every alt combination. I’m not good at math, but I count 12 different chassis setups on one frame. 

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Rider Profile: The big, but not dead, bike rider

The folks who enjoy a big bike for the forgiveness, the ability to get away with murder, and the terrain it unlocks will enjoy this bike. But here’s the best part: it allows for those things without locking you into a heels down, close your eyes, and plow riding style. It’s balanced enough for a big bike to reward the active and playful rider. 

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Final Thoughts

The Oso HD is a big step forward from the old bike. It’s more refined, more balanced, and more fun than I expected from a full-power, long-travel eMTB. It just might be my second favorite Ibis to date, right behind my Ripmo AF.

Ibis Oso HD FAQ