Singletrack/MTB
Gravel/All-road
Dirt-road Touring
Fat-bike
Ibis Bone-In Pork Chop Frame Bag Review
The new Ibis Bone-in Pork Chop frame bag features a strapless design with a “bone” that locks the bag into place. We were interested in this new approach to bike bag construction, so we got one to try out. Here are impressions and details after two months of riding with it…
Ibis Cycles started “serving up vegan Bone-In Pork Chop frame bags” back in August for their Ripley, Ripmo, and Ripmo AF full-squish bikes. As a Ripley owner—and a connoisseur of bike bags—I was intrigued by the unique, strapless construction they used to make this bag, and got one to try out. Here are all the details and my thoughts after using it for a couple of months.
The Ibis Bone-in Pork Chop is a small frame bag that is designed to wedge into the upper recess of the split frame triangle on most of Ibis’ full-suspension bikes. The strapless, lock-in design is made possible via two features unique to this bag. First, it has a wire armature in the inside of the bag that helps it keep its shape and maintains a rigid “beak” shape at the front of the bag. The beak, shown below-right, expands and wedges around the bike’s head tube to keep the front of the bag securely in place. Second, the “Bone-In” part of the Pork Chop is a plastic L-shaped, wishbone-esque bracket that slides into a sleeve at the rear of the bag. Once the front is wedged in place, you simply compress the bag and then allow it to expand, and the bone locks onto the rear shock mount via two C-shaped clips. It’s super easy to install and remove (as you can see in the video below), and it has a very firm and secure fit. The internal wire armature kind of acts like a spring to keep it taut and in place.
The top, back, and bottom of the bag are made of a ballistic Nylon outer and a minimal Cordura-like material inside that sandwiches a thin layer of padding. The sides of the bag are made of a PU-coated, water-resistant Nylon, and the drive side has a single water-resistant zipper. All in all, it’s pretty simple, with the most unique feature being the plastic “bone” and the two triangular wire rings that are held in place at the perimeter of each side of the bag.
Generally speaking, the sides of the Pork Chop are highly water-resistant, but the bag definitely isn’t waterproof. It’s fine when some water splashes on it, or during a light rain. But the contents inside will get wet from a heavy downpour or if you’re washing your bike with a hose. Part of this is due to there not being a “zipper garage,” which allows a small opening for water ingress at the top of the zipper, and the other factor is that it’s a stitched bag. It’s comparable to a typical frame bag or top tube pack in that regard.
It’s also comparable to a top tube bag in volume—albeit more like an XL sized one. It’s great for stuffing with snacks, sunglasses, a wallet, and keys, or other small items. I’ve even squeezed a flannel shirt into it, although that gets a little tight. It also features a soft cloth pocket inside the bag that’s made for a set of keys or something like a Dynaplug tubeless repair pill that you don’t want rattling around inside the bag while riding.
One thing to note is that the zipper opening doesn’t get very big, so it’s a little tricky to get larger items in and out. Using a ball as an example, I was able to squeeze a tennis ball into it, but you definitely couldn’t fit a softball through the opening.
The Ibis Bone-In Pork Chop comes with a 7-year warranty and is available in four sizes for the Ripley (their short-travel 29er), and the Ripmo and Ripmo AF (Ibis’ more aggressive trail bikes). It’s not available for small Ripmo, Ripmo AF, or Ripley… or the XL Ripmo AF. Find the full compatibility chart here.
- Actual Weight (#3/Lg Ripley) 170 grams
- Place of Manufacture Vietnam
- Price $79.99
- Manufacturer’s Details IbisCycles.com
Pros
- Unique design provides a tight and secure fit without straps
- Great spot for snacks and small items in lieu of a top tube bag
Cons
- Zipper opening is tight and not easy to pass larger items through
- Not waterproof
Wrap Up
All in all, the Ibis Bone-In Pork Chop frame bag works quite well. It’s easy to install and remove, and has the storage volume of a very large top tube bag—perfect for snacks and other small sundries. As mentioned, it’s not waterproof. But that certainly shouldn’t be a deal-breaker considering that most top tube bags aren’t. It’s also pretty expensive, but I imagine Ibis isn’t selling a massive quantity of them, so the price seems fair when you take into account the design and tooling required to manufacture the different “bone-in” brackets.
Like many things in life, most new bikepacking bags that are released either borrow or steal ideas from the designs of their predecessors. So it’s always refreshing to see something original come along in this little niche corner of the bike industry. The Ibis Bone-In Pork Chop is just that. It features an innovative lock-in method to attach to the bike using a bracket that’s specific to Ibis’ unique shock mount and frame triangle design. If you’re an Ibis owner looking to add some well-placed storage to your bike, I’d certainly recommend it.
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