Moab, Utah
Moab on my Mojo
I began the selection process for a new bike, talking to friends, visiting bike shops, and reading an endless supply of reviews and blogs. Someone suggested I look at the Ibis Mojo. I was skeptical at first, assuming that anything with the Ibis name on it was probably more than my blue collar budget would allow. After checking it out I realized that the Mojo was competitively priced, and of course, it had infinitely more soul than any bike I‘d ever laid eyes on before.
After borrowing a friend’s Mojo for a short parking lot ride, I was smitten. It had the smooth carbon fiber feel that I love and I could just tell, this was the machine that would see me safely and swiftly down any steep, technical section of trail. My friends would soon be waiting for me for a change! Well maybe not, but at least they wouldn’t have to wait so long for me to catch up.
I ended up purchasing my new Mojo on Christmas Eve. Winter is not prime mountain bike season where I live and I could barely wait to get the bike out. Plans were made for an early season trip to Moab. What better locale to christen this new ship of mine. And what better trail than Slick Rock.
Coming from a cross country race bike, I was concerned the Mojo wouldn’t measure up to my expectations when it came time to climb. Those concerns were soon set aside as I grinded my way up the seemingly vertical sandstone of Slick Rock. The Slick Rock trail would be a kick in the pants on any bike. On my Mojo it was other worldly. It took very little time to adjust to my new bike. Soon it felt like I’d already logged hundreds of miles in the saddle and I found myself continually pushing my aggressiveness.
Even though my spindly early season legs were ready for a break, I was ready for the next level. Slick Rock is an incredible trail, but I wanted something more like my home trails. A good amount of climbing, some single track, and a few technical sections. Next stop, Porcupine Rim.
The shop guy told us that the first four miles of the ride were a pretty good grunt, although the shuttle could drop us off so that we only had to climb a mile. We figured we needed to burn off the onion rings and milk shakes from Milt’s, so we opted for the four mile version.
I started the climb with the Talus fork fully extended to 140 mm and without the Pro Pedal engaged. It climbed very smoothly, although I could tell I wasn’t on my old Trek
Fuel 98. Just for the heck of it, I switched on the Pro Pedal and cranked the Talus fork down to 110 mm. Bammm! All of a sudden I was back on my Fuel. I couldn’t believe how efficiently this 5.5” trail bike was climbing.
After 4 easy miles it was time for the pay off, 11 miles of down. I put the bike back to its full amount of travel and began floating down the trail. Once again I found the bike urging me to go faster and faster. Soon I wasn’t giving a second thought to technical sections that would have given me real pause on my old bike and riding sections that I probably would have walked before.
Turns out, I should have probably walked at least one section with the new bike too as I found myself flying through the air without my bike. I’m going to have to take credit for that spectacular crash myself rather than blaming Mr. Ibis.
Another ride and a few other side trips and it was time to return to snowy Spokane. I left Moab with a smile on my face knowing that I’d be back to explore more trails and that I’d found my mojo. Thanks Ibis!
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