Ibis Oso – Zakarias Johansen’s race bike.

The Ibis Oso is the first ever eMTB from the iconic Californian mountain bike brand. At the last race of the Enduro World Series-E 2022 in Finale Ligure, we had the exclusive opportunity to take a closer look at the brand-new race bike of Swedish pro rider Zakarias Johansen.

Zakarias Johansen | Born in: 1992 | Nationality: Swedish | Height: 1.85 m | Weight: 82 kg | Frame size: L

At the last race of the EWS-E 2022 in Finale Ligure, we spotted the first Ibis eMTB, which had not yet been presented to the public at that time. While we were at it, we had a little chat with pro rider Zakarias Johansen from the Ibis Enduro Race Team, who was kind enough to share a few secrets on his bike and suspension settings. Needless to say, race eMTBs are quite different from production models and prepared to meet the tough requirements of racing, with suspension and components optimised to suit the riders’ size, weight and riding style.
Editor-in-chief Robin had the opportunity to test the Oso at an exclusive presentation event in California even before the official launch. The day before the Finale Ligure race, Bosch presented their new Performance Line CX Race motor, which we had already tested a few days earlier, and was developed specifically for racing.

The beating heart of every eMTB: the motor! The Ibis Oso production bike comes standard with a Bosch Performance Line CX motor. The day before the Finale race, Bosch unveiled the brand-new race motor, which the Ibis Enduro Race Team built into Zakarias Johansen’s Oso race bike for the closing event of the EWS.

The Swede replaced the stock 800 mm Ibis carbon handlebars with 760 mm OneUp carbon E-bars.

OneUp also supply the 50 mm stem, which is the same you get with the production bike.

The BikeYoke remote controls a BikeYoke REVIVE dropper post, which offers between 125 mm and 213 mm travel depending on the frame size.

In a nutshell, the Performance Line CX Race motor differs from the conventional CX motor in that it features new motor software and an extra support level above the Turbo mode, called Race mode – and it’s 150 g lighter too! The CX Race has the same torque output of 85 Nm and the same maximum power but the additional Race mode boosts the maximum pedal assistance from 340 to 400%. Read the full review to find out what Bosch’s new Race motor is capable of.

Very few eMTBers will ever see the “Race” icon on their Bosch Kiox 300 display, because the Performance Line CX Race motor is produced in a limited edition. For quick trailside repairs, Zakaris uses a OneUp Components EDC tool, which is integrated into the steerer tube of his Oso.

In frame size L, the production bike comes standard with a 185 mm BikeYoke REVIVE dropper post. However, Zakarias’ race bike, which is also a size L, features the long-travel 213 mm version. In our “Mounting a longer dropper post – will it fit my frame?” article we’ll tell you whether it’s a good idea to install a long-travel dropper post on your bike.

Lizard Skins supply the single-side lock-on machine grips while French manufacturer Sendhit takes care of the handguards.

To avoid smashing the pedals into rocks and obstacles, Zakarias uses super-short 150 mm Miranda cranks. However, the production bike comes standard with longer, 170 mm SRAM EX1 E-Cranks.

If you’re thinking of running shorter cranks yourself, remember to adjust the saddle height accordingly. In our “What’s the best crank length on an E-MTB?” article we’ll tell you everything you need to know about this topic.

Most pro enduro racers ride clipped-in, including Zakarias, who relies on Shimano XT M8100 pedals.

In Finale Ligure, Zakarias set up his 170 mm FOX 38 FLOAT Factory fork with 110 psi.

In this test, you’ll find out what the FOX 38 FLOAT Factory is capable of.

The FOX FLOAT X2 Factory shock controls 155 mm of travel at the rear. For the Finale Ligure race, Zakarias set it up with 210 psi.

The 12-speed drivetrain of the Ibis Oso consists of an XTR rear derailleur, 34 t chainring and Shimano XT cassette (10-51 t).

For the Finale race, Zakarias ran 1.65 bar (24 psi) in his 2.5″ MAXXIS Minion DHF front tire…

…and 1.8 bar (26 psi) in the MAXXIS Minion DHR II at the rear.

If you want to know more about MAXXIS’ tires and could do with a few tips, you should read our big tire test. While Zakarias race bike relies on bling Shimano XTR brakes with 203 mm rotors front and rear, the Oso comes standard with Shimano XT brakes and bigger 220 mm discs. In our “Brakedance – How to get more performance out of your brakes” article we’ll tell you how to fine tune your brakes.

Like most professional riders, Zakarias uses tire inserts to prevent punctures and rim damage, relying on a CushCore PRO both at the front and rear.

These foam inserts are impressively effective at warding off damage to both the tires and rims and at the same time allow you to run lower air pressures, thus ensuring better traction. Read everything about them in our CushCore PRO long-term test. The tires are combined with Ibis’ in house Blackbird Send alloy rims, both on the race and production bike.

Pro rider Zakarias Johansen is the multi-time Swedish Enduro champion and team rider for the Ibis Enduro Race Team in the Enduro World Series. In Finale Ligure, he entered his first eMTB race, in which he finished 12th onboard his brand new Ibis Oso.

Follow Zakarias Johansen, the Ibis Cycles Enduro Race Team and team photographer NIKLAS WALLNER on Instagram to see what they’re up to and how the Swede fares in next year’s EWS-E.

 

Der Beitrag Ibis Oso – Zakarias Johansen’s race bike. erschien zuerst auf E-MOUNTAINBIKE Magazine.

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