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1998 Ibis Bow Ti

Coming from the innovative mind of engineer John Castellano, the Ibis Bow Ti was a pivotless suspension design that relied on the natural flex of titanium to achieve 5 inches of rear travel.  The Bow Ti was a pivotless implementation of the Ibis Szazbo which John had designed around his patented "Sweetspot" unified rear triangle (URT) suspension geometry.  The "Sweet Spot" concept was to have the suspension activated by the weight of the rider while they were seated during a downhill.  While standing and pedaling out of the saddle, the suspension would stiffen up like a hardtail.  The frame is based on twin stays from headtube to rear dropouts that act as leaf springs.  The stays are attached to each other and the shock mount with a thin titanium plate in order to control lateral flex.  Despite this, the seattube will twist some side to side, which is accounted for in a two-way pivot at the bottom shock mount.  With a frame cost of $3500, the Ibis Bow Ti was one of the most expensive bikes available at the time, and they required an elaborate construction process.  Later, John would go on to design the Ibis Silk Ti and the Ibis Ripley, which were also pivotless bikes but with less travel and a lower cost.  To this day, the Bow Ti remains one of the most talked about dream bikes from the highly innovative full-suspension era.

The Build

Year: 1998
SN: 6589
Frame: Ibis Bow Ti
Fork: Rock Shox SID 100
Shock: Fox ALPS 4

Stem: Ibis Titanium
Headset: Chris King
Bottom Bracket: XTR M952
Handlebar: Ibis Titanium
Shifters: Shimano XTR M952 w/ Remote
Front Derailleur: Shimano XTR M952
Rear Derailleur: Shimano XTR M952
Brake Levers: Shimano XTR M952
Front Brake: Shimano XTR M952
Rear Brake: Shimano XTR M952
Crankset: Shimano XTR M952
Chainrings: Shimano XTR M952 26-36-46
Pedals: Shimano M747
Hubs: Shimano XTR M952
Rims: Mavic X517
Tires: WTB Exiwolf 1.95
Wheel QR: Shimano XTR M952
Seatpost: American Classic
Seatpost Clamp:  DKG

Saddle: Selle Italia Flite
Grips: ATI Tomac
Cogs: Shimano XTR M952
Chain: SRAM PC99
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