Ibis

DV9 Mountain Bike Frame

Ibis recognizes that hardtails are still very much relevant, especially when its constructed of gram dropping, stiffness boosting carbon fiber and has thoughtful details and versatility to go bar to bar with a dye in the wool XC bike off the line and into the singletrack or a full-suspension rig on technical trails. Ibis CEO Hans Heim wanted to build a lightweight carbon hardtail that his daughter Lili could race, train on, and afford. Enter the DV9 Mountain Bike Frame, a remarkable foundation just waiting for you to build it up to suit your needs.

Starting off with a 1210g frame, its light enough to make any weight-weenie blush yet it packs the stiffness and durability to stand up to whatever you can throw at it. We also appreciate that the frame doesn't cost a fortune either, in fact, it comes in at only a couple hundred dollars more than many aluminum offerings. Then there's the geometry that is slacker than your usual XC whippet meaning you can crush the descents and build on the time you earned on the climb, or it just makes for a more fun bike on days when a number plate isn't strapped to your bars.

The frame can accommodate up to 2.6-inch tires giving you plenty of traction over loose trails and cushioning through rock gardens and root lattices, or slap some 2.25-inch treads and get anaerobic. It also plays well with forks in the 100 to 120mm range letting you choose between a more agile 68.5-degree head tube angle or a more stable 67.4-degree one depending on your riding style and local terrain. Either way, its short 439mm chainstays will have you dicing through tight singletrack while remaining composed on high-speed chutes.

Final frame details include internal routing, including for a 31.6mm dropper seatpost, post mount rear brake caliper, stiffness-enhancing Boost spacing, threaded bottom bracket shell, and a tapered headtube. Satisfy your inner XC racer with a lightweight build or kit it out to shralp rugged trails…or change up your DV9 frame as needed and enjoy the results.