Please excuse Scot Nicol for acting more like an art dealer than a businessman. After all, the 51-year-old Ibis founder, back at the helm of the boutique brand after a short-lived retirement, built a cultlike following in the eighties and nineties with impeccable craftsmanship. Now that he's back, Ibis is making exactly two bikes: one mountain and one road, both carbon and both produced in excruciatingly limited numbersjust a few frames per day at peak production. We're not sure what that means for the bottom line, but it's clear what it does for the Mojo: It's as bewitching to ride as it is to behold. The monocoque carbon frame makes this one of the lightest bikes in its class. The ultra-efficient suspension is one of the smoothest, most stable platforms we've riddenand yields 5.5 inches of pillowy travel, thanks to the Fox shock and fork. Plus there's the mirrorlike luster of the Shimano XTR group, a cool complement to the badass black finish. Go ahead, turn your garage into a gallery.
25 lbs; $5,399 as pictured/$1,899, frame only; ibiscycles.com Photographer: Mark Wiens
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