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EB17: Ibis flies under the radar with new Häkka MX gravel bike (prototype?)

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For the most part, big brands have stopped unveiling new bikes at trade shows – but that doesn’t mean you can’t still find the occasional bicycle shaped Easter egg. One of the biggest trends this year in terms of gravel bikes seems to be the dropped chain stay. Because of that, I had my eye out for all the new bikes which met that criteria. But when I saw a bike in the KS booth that I didn’t recognize, it led to the discovery of what appears to be a completely new bike from Ibis Cycles.

With the Ibis Hakkalügi disc based solidly around cyclocross racing, it would make sense that the company would offer a new platform that was more focused on the growing gravel trend. Wearing the ‘Häkka MX’ badge on its top tube, additional graphics on the seat tube suggest that the MX stands for Monster Cross which makes sense given the huge tires.

Fitted with 27.5 x 2.1″ Schwalbe Thunder Burt tires on their own 735 wheels with 29mm internal, the Häkka MX has gobs of tire clearance for whatever tire platform you choose to run. The Ibis ‘Handjob’ makes a triumphant return, though this time it serves as an upper fender mount rather than a cable housing stop. It also appears to be removable so if you’re offended by the idea or just don’t want to run fenders, you can avoid the Handjob.

Up front, the bike runs an ENVE fork with post mount disc brakes, but the frame runs flat mounts in the rear with thru axles at both ends.

Running internal cable routing, the bike appears to have both mechanical and electronic drivetrain compatibility with additional room to run a stealth dropper post. There’s also a large access port on the down tube which could be for battery storage (so you can still run a dropper), and access to the cable routing. Shown with a 1x drivetrain, the frame looks like it has front derailleur abilities as well with a small exit port for a cable on the massive BB cluster which houses a threaded bottom bracket.

As this bike was in the KS booth, it was fitted with a Zeta dropper post, though it wasn’t hooked up to a remote. But we’re told the frame should accommodate an internal dropper which is good news.

Along with the Handjob mount, the frame features removable fender mounts at the dropout as well as a replaceable derailleur hanger.

Suffice it to say, this was one of the most exciting bikes at the show, and one that most probably completely overlooked. Hopefully we’ll get some more info soon, and first rides not long after!

ibiscycles.com

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Keen Ob Server
Keen Ob Server
6 years ago

That looks like T47 for the BB.

Timo
Timo
6 years ago

Copy the Open frame and add an Enve fork with a different brake mount and call this one of the highlight? Are you serious?

Kernel Flickitov
Kernel Flickitov
6 years ago
Reply to  Timo

Last I checked the Hakkalugi has been one of the best cx bikes….. for years.. And, Open doesn’t have a monopoly on dropped chain stays. Much bitching about nothing.

Stu
Stu
6 years ago

I’ll stick with my Open.

Peter
Peter
6 years ago

Will be at half of the price of an Open… And better looking too.

badbikemechanicx
badbikemechanicx
6 years ago

This thing is rad. Monster Truck cross bike. Convince me why it’s not.

duder
duder
6 years ago

It’s a gravel grinder. In what universe is gravel grinding “rad”? Certainly not this one. Maybe it’s “rad” for people too slow to throw down in the local crit, but I don’t exactly see the kids lining up for the exciting sport of riding slowly on gravel roads for miles on end. “Hey, you wanna hang out at the randonneuring ride this weekend?” said no one under 40 ever.

Pete
Pete
6 years ago
Reply to  duder

There’s a place for everyone. Sub one hour sprints for the young’uns, 10 hours plus when you grow up a bit. All is good.

duder
duder
6 years ago
Reply to  Pete

OP asked to “convince me why it’s not”. I obliged. Gravel grinding maybe a “growing segment”, but it’s certainly not “rad”, and l’ll take up golf before signing up for a gravel grind after my legs and courage have whithered away.

DVJ
DVJ
6 years ago
Reply to  duder

Says the guy named “Duder”

badbikemechanicx
badbikemechanicx
6 years ago
Reply to  DVJ

I live in ole Virginia where the gravel roads are like fine wine. They lead you into the best parts of the Shenandoah. Or take it to the dirty back country of West Virginia. Be left alone. That’s adventure. That’s rad.

dontcoast
6 years ago

Gravel haters, go ride Lost and Found or Grinduro and tell me that’s not rad.

Sure, SBTS does things a bit differently (better) but there’s definitely radness to be had doing endurance dirt.

Poopstick
6 years ago
Reply to  dontcoast

These threads are awesome and make my day

Mark wells
Mark wells
6 years ago
Reply to  duder

(deleted)

Adam
6 years ago
Reply to  duder

Duder, our studies have shown that gravel sales are increasing and exceeding sale in other categories across North America. From what we can tell, with the decline in registrations for licenses at USAC and the death of many races, most people aren’t throwing down in their local crits because they enjoy riding “slowly on gravel roads.” I’m 33, I would gladly ride slow on gravel roads, because it’s more fun for me. Not everything is a “pissing” contest. 😉

Longbeard
6 years ago
Reply to  Adam

He wouldn’t understand that. He can’t hear you over his ego.

Kernel Flickitov
Kernel Flickitov
6 years ago
Reply to  duder

Always a good idea to disparage people for a type of riding or racing they do. Isn’t that right, duder?..Maybe you can ask the multiple state road, mtb, and cx champs that line up for gravel races here and all over the country every year for the last mmm..decade..what they think is “rad” or not. You know, …. those really slow people. [wink-wink]

PabloE432
PabloE432
6 years ago
Reply to  duder

(deleted)

Kernel Flickitov
Kernel Flickitov
6 years ago
Reply to  PabloE432

Making broad sweeping generalizations only makes you look like a fool.

Robin
Robin
6 years ago
Reply to  duder

Rad is in the eye of the beholder, and in the eyes of many, some of them very fast and strong cyclists, this sort of bike is very rad. Maybe it’s not Duder cool, but that only matters to a small number of people.

Paleo Velo
6 years ago

Open is a cool frame. But the price point is just silly, It has a stupid press fit bb, and a few of its “innovations” seem a bit overblown. The Ibis looks like a winner to me.

donald lewis
donald lewis
6 years ago

if you haven’t ridden a Open then you don’t know what you’re talking about. Don’t disregard something because you think its over priced.

OriginalMarkV
OriginalMarkV
6 years ago

The Open UP is certainly the design that this bike emulates, from the dropped right chainstay and the 650B x2.1 tyre, and it’s silly to pretend Ibis came up with this design without being influenced. On the other hand, Ibis recognized that the consumers actually do want fender mounts, which is something that Gerard Vroomen stubbornly refuses to admit. However, Ibis still needs to find a different fork supplier or they need to come up with their own design so that their customers can mount a front fender, because ENVE shows no signs of offering eyelets on their CX fork.

personally i couldn’t care less about a dropper post, but the downtube access panel should be appreciated by mechanics trying to route the internal cables.

G
G
6 years ago
Reply to  OriginalMarkV

Yeah, ENVE really missed the mark by limiting the GRD to just 35mm with a fender.

Ibis is a small mountain bike company that happens to make a bomb cross/all-road bike (the current ‘Lugi). It takes a lot of resources to design a proprietary road frame free of liabilities. A fork – a high-impact component – is a totally different game.

The downside is that there are too few aftermarket names that people will welcome as a stock fork on a bike. In fact, I can’t even think of one… (Whisky? Ritchey? Seven? Easton? 3T? TRP?)

Barbarossa
Barbarossa
6 years ago

Dropped drive-side chainstay: 2007. http://forums.mtbr.com/turner/asymmetrical-chainstays-265016.html
Sure, it’s FS MTBs, but c’mon…there’s really ‘nothing new under the sun’

Open UP; proposal for it’s perfect top tube meme: “The only substitute for cubic inches, is cubic dollars”
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=cubic%20dollars

Open UP your wallets, boys…it’s only money, you can always make more

Release that frame Ibis, quit screwing around.

Pete
Pete
6 years ago

The mere fact that everyone references the up probably says something. Apparently they don’t mind on the grounds that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Perhaps even they would acknowledge that dropped chainstays are nothing new, that big clearances are nothing new … the trick is to bring things together like Tulio did with his group set in the 40s.

YamaLink
YamaLink
6 years ago

Nice to see Praxis spec’d. My LYFT carbon cranks are light, bombproof and the customer support is tops (just like Ibis has been for me since late 90s).

O. Tan
6 years ago

Pity the fork isn’t direct mount.

Doug
Doug
6 years ago

Ibis 735 wheels are 27.5″ pnly? Or am I missing something? I am a die hard gravel grinder (on a ‘Luggi Disc!) but no way Im pushing 27.5″ wheels when 700c are so much better for gravel riding… At least in my area.

Maybe Im wrong here but why not offer 700c/29″ wheels? Or can the frame/fork not clear that?

Greg
6 years ago
Reply to  Doug

agreed. The Hakkalugi Disk didn’t need much changed to go from great to perfect for gravel in the midwest. Hopefully Ibis didn’t go overboard, because I’m really looking forward to this update!

Jimmy
Jimmy
6 years ago

Beautiful frame. Love the tire clearance. Does anyone really ride with their seat that high? We’ve been through this years ago….

Dan
Dan
6 years ago

Nice, but it would be even nicer if it could accommodate a front mech. Not everyone is quite ready to commit to 1x.

Tate
Tate
6 years ago
Reply to  Dan

It does look like it is setup to accommodate a front mech. If you look at the close up of the bb shell from the non-drive side you can see the cable guide. Mech itself would be clamp style.

Yup
Yup
6 years ago

I have a Hakkalugi Disc, I love it, so versatile. Built up from a frame/fork. Single track, gravel, road, etc… all does quite well. I get fancy and swap wheels at times depending on the mood. This bike peaks my interest as it has wider tire clearance in the rear. You can only get a 37 max with an internal rim width of 19 inches on the Hakkalugi. IF I did carbon again, this bike would be on the short list for sure… probably the only one on the list. Hell ya Ibis!

urbiksux
urbiksux
6 years ago
Reply to  Yup

The Hakka Disc is a beauty for sure!

Josh Vandall
Josh Vandall
6 years ago

Please universe, make IBIS update the Hakka Disc with thru axles, BSA threaded BB, a handjob somewhere and 40mm tire clearance. My cross bike will always be my gravel bike.

Jon
Jon
6 years ago

Great article- I have a hakkalugi and love it. I can’t find any other articles about this, anyone know if this beauty goes by other names?

Erik Lehmann
6 years ago
Reply to  Jon

Hakka MX is coming mid november

Bill Thomas
Bill Thomas
6 years ago

Need more info! Geometry, price, colors, weight…

Creese
Creese
6 years ago
Bill Thomas
Bill Thomas
6 years ago
Reply to  Creese

6 days

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