Ibis showed off its Tranny hardtail at last year's Interbike, but it's taken a while to get it ready for production. This year, rideable samples were available, although there's clearly no good way to ask to try one - choose from "Do you have a Tranny I could ride?" or "I'd like a go with a Tranny". In common with the Mojo suspension bike, the Tranny is a full carbon frame, but it's got some unique features. The most notable is the back end, with the whole rear triangle being held on by two bolts - one behind the bottom bracket, one at the seat cluster.
The one at the bottom bracket passes through a slotted spigot (for want of a better word). Loosen it and the whole rear triangle can pivot around the upper bolt, extending the chainstays and thus permitting the frame to be singlespeeded without any dangly tensioners. The replaceable dropout can be swapped for one without a derailleur hanger, and all of the gear cable stops are removable, so if you're running the Tranny as a singlespeed you can make it all lovely and clean-looking.
As well as singlespeedability, the bolt-on rear end is readily detachable, allowing the bike to be packed down small enough to fit into a large suitcase and thus be more readily taken on planes (or possibly the back of small cars).
At about 3lb, the Tranny is quite a conservative weight for a contemporary carbon fibre hardtail. It's a pleasantly stout-feeling bike - you'd certainly not suspect that the back end was held on by two bolts if you didn't already know - and handled very nicely with a 100mm SID fork up front. Personally I'd have favoured gears for the hottest part of the day in the desert, though...
Montgomery Wick
