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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