Review: Momsen VIPA

I have been toying with the idea of switching to a dual suspension bike for some time and when Iwan Kemp, aka The Crow, offered me his Momsen VIPA for a test ride I jumped at the opportunity. Touted as a “Super Bike” the Momsen VIPA is purpose built for cross country and marathon riding, though this particular one had a few twists in its tail.

Now while stage and marathon races are somewhat of a happy place for me, I also enjoy bombing down a trail and thrashing my bike about, just a bit. My hard tail is a solid bike and stands up well, but it has its limits in terms of forgiveness and comfort when the going gets rough.

My ideal is a lightweight and fairly aggressive dual suspension bike. One with the versatility to see me through a multi-day stage race and freedom to hit some gnarlier trails (relatively) worry free. Is that too much to ask?

The Build

As Victor Momsen himself put it, Iwan’s VIPA build is particularly “unique”. First off you may notice the dropper post. “On a cross country bike?” I hear you ask. Then we have the longer 120mm fork upfront (a factory VIPA and most bikes in this class will typically come with 100mm). And lastly the American Classic Wide Lightning wheels, which feature a wider rim profile claimed to offer more lateral stability and putting more rubber in contact with the ground.

Throw in a VIPA frame, a few other vital bits and these unique choices combine to create a mildly schizophrenic, yet strangely ideal bike. For my tastes at least.

Specifications

Price: R26,150.00 (suggested retail on the frameset)

Frame: Momsen VIPA – Carbon Front Triangle, Carbon Rear Triangle, 80mm Rear Wheel Travel

Rear shock: Rock Shox Monarch

Fork: Rockshox SID XX 120mm, 51mm offset

Brakes: Avid Elixer 5

Shifter: SRAM X0 Grip Shift

Cassette: SRAM X0 2X10

Crankset: SRAM X0 2X10

Front derailleur: SRAM X0

Rear derailleur: SRAM X0

Chain: SRAM X0

Handlebar: Momsen Design Up / Down

Stem: Momsen Design Downer 60mm

Grips: ODI

Seatpost: Rockshox Reverb 100mm dropper

Saddle: Selle Italia SLR

Pedals: Shimano XT Trail

Wheels: American Classic Wide Lightning

Tyres: Schwalbe Racing Ralph 2.2 (F&R)

The Frame

A result of collaboration between Victor Momsen and Patrick Morewood, by now the VIPA is no stranger to the SA market. The full carbon frame features 80mm travel with a low-leverage suspension design courtesy of Mr. Morewood (or is that Mr. PYGA) himself. I’m not going to pretend to know what all that means, but basically it is designed pedal well, give good small bump compliance and feel like it’s got a bit more travel than it really does.

I’m not the biggest fan of the standard colour way on the VIPA, that’s not to say I wouldn’t have one. The frame itself has a matte black carbon finish, with red and gold checkered decals up front. The rear triangle has a gloss raw carbon finish and features gold caps on the suspension pivot points. In an interview earlier this year Victor Momsen hinted at more colour options on the way and we’ve already seen the white version doing the rounds. Personally I wouldn’t be opposed to a stealth black or black/blue variation.

Off the shelf the frame offers internal routing for dropper posts – perhaps an early hint at this bike’s “other” personality. Gear and brake cables are routed externally via some neat dual cable clips on the downtube. Weighing in at around 2.2kg for the large frameset (including rear shock and hardware) it’s no slouch. And close on half the cost of some of the big brand competitors it’s a highly attractive option given the racing pedigree the VIPA has shown.

Components

American Classic Wide lightning wheels: I was initially skeptical about the real benefit of the wider rim profile and the various marketing claims, but this turned out to be one of the big winners for me – mostly due to how well the tires performed as a result.

Schwalbe Racing Ralph 2.2: At first glance the tire profile is noticeably wider than on a standard width rim. Conveniently at the time I had the same spec Racing Ralph’s on my personal bike, albeit with a standard width rim. Beyond the visual differences, the performance was impressive. The usually skittish tires I knew now had more grip in loose sand and stone. The wider profile also provided a greater degree of comfort (and confidence) floating through rock gardens which were ordinarily a bit “grabby”.

Avid Elixer 5: Despite all the bad press the Avids get I had no issues with them performance wise. Though not as precise as the likes of XT, the light lever action and progressive brake force made for confident, assured braking.

SRAM XO Groupset: The SRAM XO 2×10 setup was smooth, precise and dependable. What I didn’t enjoy was the grip shifters. The ODI grips have been cut to about 60% of their length to neatly fit the grip shift without too much excess grip space. In theory it means the gears are easily accessible without the need for too much hand movement. In practice I found my primary contact point became the shifter itself, which resulted in unexpected mid-bump gear changes.

Momsen UP/DOWN bar and Momsen DOWNer Stem: Another of my highlights on this bike was the pairing of the Momsen UP/DOWN bar and Momsen DOWNer Stem. The handlebar was set in the UP mode meaning it had a +5mm rise (it can also be set with a -5mm drop when placed in DOWN mode). The width at 715mm and rearward bend (9 degree) made for an incredibly comfortable riding position and feel when compared to my standard narrower, flatter aluminium bar.

RockShox Reverb Dropper Post: While quite out of place given the bike’s purpose, the convenience and effect of the dropper post significantly upped the fun factor and versatility of the bike for everyday riding. For the weight conscious marathon or cross-country racer though, the added heft with limited use is unnecessary.

RockShox SID XX 120mm: It’s difficult to fault this fork. It’s light, stiff and performed flawlessly through the rough stuff, small bumps and when it wasn’t needed in the climbs. The added 20mm versus the typical spec added an everyday versatility to the bike while maintaining it’s race-ready stature and adding some serious trail capability.

Climbing

The wide bars, super stiff frame and cockpit made for an aggressive, confident feel in the climbs. Although packing a few extra grams than a factory spec, the bike still felt light and responsive when the road turned up.

The negative drop stem seemed to compensate for the added height of the 120mm fork. And although the added travel meant for a slightly slacker head angle, the low forward set climbing position I’m used to was maintained.

With the rear shock fully locked out it felt like a hardtail with no pedal bob and direct, efficient power transfer. In “Pedal” mode there was some noticeable bob during a standing climb, but while seated almost none at all. In either scenario the added compliance meant for better traction in anything from loose sand to rooted climbs. In the wet however the skimpy tires made for limited traction on slicker surfaces, regardless of suspension settings.

Descending

Being a race bred marathon / cross-country bike I was asking a lot of this bike in pointing it down the rootiest, rockiest semi-downhill tracks I could find. Although with it’s added attitude the bike would certainly be more capable, the 80mm rear travel was a concern.

Immediately the low front end meant I was aware of getting my weight distribution right to avoid any OTB nasties, but even when I thought it had all gone wrong the bike was firmly planted. The slacker head angle thanks to the added travel and larger offset was very useful in these situations.

While I wouldn’t attempt any mega drops – even with the limited rear travel – the bike handled the bigger rocks, roots and drops comfortably. There was enough forgiveness to save you (and your derrière) if you get a landing a touch wrong, but it’s by no means unlimited – nor is it meant to be.

Through mid-range trails the bike showed its forte. The already low stand over height coupled with the dropper post made for a bike that thrived in being thrown about in the corners. Along with the shorter stem and low cockpit it made for a super agile and playful bike with a sure-footedness that made me feel like a mountain bike video rock star, minus the sound track.

When the going got bumpy and a bit pedally the rear suspension again proved its worth. Coming from a jarring hardtail the ability to comfortably remain seated through rutted bumps or stand and retain contact with the earth was welcome.

In the end

Aside from the Grip Shifters and the dropper post for any stage or marathon race, there isn’t much about this bike I’d want to change. Perhaps the frame colour, but even so as-is it’s understated enough to not phase me.

As it turned out the odd mash up of bike and components suited my riding needs almost perfectly. So much so that I held onto it for as long as possible before Iwan got suspicious.

Built to be something of an all-in-one bike it proved great fun for an everyday muck-about trail ride while still light, stiff and aggressive enough for any stage race I might have thrown at it.