Best Bikes For Jibbing

‍‍‍Ready to jib? Or just ready to find out what “jibbing” means? If you’re looking for the next level of trail riding, maybe try your hand at this advanced skill.

We’ve reviewed seven of the best bikes for jibbing:

• DMR Sect
• Scott Voltage
• Marin Alcatraz
• Commencal Absolut
• Santa Cruz Jackal
• Canyon Stitched 720 Pro
• NS Bikes Soda Slope

We’ve carefully reviewed the best bikes, as well as provided a primer on the sport itself and the modifications necessary to get the most out of this exciting skill to master.

‍Best Bikes for Jibbing

These mountain bikes are our best choices if you want to take up jibbing. We’ll unpack why this is the case later on, but for now we’ve scoured the Internet for some of the best options out there.

Keep in mind that any of these options will likely require a high level of customization to optimize them for jibbing or any other extreme use. Caution is required, and we recommend following all recommended safety guidelines as well as simple common sense when attempting any of these tricks or advanced moves.

Here are the bikes we recommend for jibbing:

• DMR Sect
• Scott Voltage
• Marin Alcatraz
• Commercial Absolut Dirt
• Santa Cruz Jackal
• Canyon Stitched 720 Pro
• NS Bikes Soda Slope

DMR Sect

Quick Summary

The DMR Sect has a history with dirt tracks and jumping, and they’ve perfected the art with this bike.

Price and Where to Buy

You can buy the DMR Sect for £750, or $900, exclusively from the DMR website.

Build and Ride Quality

The DMR Sect is a hardtail bike, giving the best strength and stability on rough terrain. It has 26 inch wheels, which is the perfect compromise in size for smooth roads and bumpy tracks. It has a short frame for easy maneuvering, and the travel fork is reasonably short, meaning there won’t be any sharp jostling to worry about.

Pros for the DMR Sect

• Most of the specs are fairly basic
• Solid frame
• Stable wheels
• Great handling

Cons for the DMR Sect

• Only available as a hardtail

Scott Voltage

Quick Summary

The Scott Voltage is a solid mountain bike that can be customized easily to fit your needs. While it may be heavier than other options, it does great on downhills and provides a simplistic approach to mountain riding.

Price and Where to Buy

You can buy the Scott Voltage for $1650 exclusively from the Scott website.

Build and Ride Quality

The hallmark of the Scott Voltage is its versatility and adjustability. So many components on this bike can be tweaked and tuned to your liking. It has a good amount of travel at 100 millimeters, making a fun and bouncy ride when you come across larger obstacles. It doesn’t have a complex shifter and only uses one speed, but taking away that layer of complexity doesn’t detract from the fun. One major pitfall is its weight: 26 inch tires and a heavier frame mean that it doesn’t reach the same speeds as other bikes, and is tougher to get uphill (though all that extra weight helps it fly on downhill stretches).

Pros for the Scott Voltage

• Very comfortable ride
• Speeds going downhill are nothing short of thrilling
• Satisfying for most riders who don’t need a lot of tweaking to get the job done

Cons for the Scott Voltage

• Weight is a major issue, especially on uphill tracks
• Pushing the Voltage uphill is a chore

Marin Alcatraz

Quick Summary

The Marin Alcatraz may not be ready for anything out of the box, but with a little customizing it can be the perfect choice for you.

Price and Where to Buy

You can buy the Marin Alcatraz for about $1300 directly from the Marin website.

Build and Ride Quality

The Marin Alcatraz has a short wheelbase built on a solid aluminum frame, making it perfect for tricks of all kinds. It also has high-quality hydraulic disc brakes, which are ideal for quick stops and dismounts from jibbing and other activities. All of the components are reliable and show their strengths, and setup is a breeze. The one major downside is that some users have complained about this bike needing lots of attention and tuning; some may enjoy this level of required maintenance, but it could turn others away.

Pros for the Marin Alcatraz

• Great for your best tricks
• Brakes are a standout winner
• Smooth, stable ride that keeps you coming back for more

Cons for the Marin Alcatraz

• Simple maintenance may be a chore

Commencal Absolut

Quick Summary

The Commencal Absolut is a stylish entry, with instant visual appeal backed up by quality components and highly-functional specs. It’s built for speed and smooth handling as a lightweight powerhouse.

Price and Where to Buy

You can buy the Commencal Absolut for $1900 directly from the Commencal website.

Build and Ride Quality

The Commencal Absolut comes in multiple sizes, catering to jibbers of all sizes. It boasts a similar 100 millimeter fork travel and hydraulic disc brakes shared by other bikes in this article, which shows that it meets or exceeds the industry standard in these cases. However, it blows away the competition with its featherweight 23 pound frame. This means you’ll be able to take it anywhere with speed and ease, and it should be easy to flick around for more advanced tricks.

Pros for the Commencal Absolut

• Quality materials
• Competent components
• Lightweight frame

Cons for the Commencal Absolut

• Very little to complain about - most users have no critiques with this bike

Santa Cruz Jackal

Quick Summary

The Santa Cruz Jackal may be just a frame with nothing else attached, but it’s the foundation you can build your gnarliest tricks on. This choice is great for the bike enthusiast that loves to tinker.

Price and Where to Buy

You can buy the Santa Cruz Jackal for $1099 directly from the Santa Cruz website.

Build and Ride Quality

The Santa Cruz Jackal is a unique entry, in that it’s the bike frame and nothing else - no wheels, no handlebars, no brakes, nothing. That being said, it’s a 5 pound afterthought that is the perfect canvas on which to paint your jibbing masterpiece. You can rely on this exceptional frame to last as long as you need it to, and you can add whatever other components you choose to build the best bike around.

Pros for the Santa Cruz Jackal

• Strong frame that’s light yet durable
• You can add other components as you please

Cons for the Santa Cruz Jackal

• Comes as a frame only

Canyon Stitched 720 Pro

Quick Summary

The Canyon Stitched 720 Pro is built for the air. It’s made a name for itself on the professional circuit, used by the most extreme riders. If you’re looking for the perfect bike for the latest tricks, look no further.

Price and Where to Buy

You can buy the Canyon Stitched 720 Pro for $1899 directly from the Canyon website.

Build and Ride Quality

The price and weight are in the middle of the pack, at $1899 and 28 pounds respectively. This is about what you’d expect from this class of bike, along with a sturdy aluminum frame that makes it lightweight yet durable. Where the Stitched 720 shines is its suspension and tuning - everything has been purpose-built for jumps and tricks. Furthermore, much of the maintenance and tuning components have been integrated for easy tweaks when you want to eke out that last bit of performance from your bike.

Pros for the Canyon Stitched 720 Pro

• Great for jumps and tricks
• Middle-of-the-pack weight
• Sturdy aluminum frame

Cons for the Canyon Stitched 720 Pro

• Won’t get the best experience on regular roads

NS Bikes Soda Slope

Quick Summary

Another frame-only entry, the NS Soda Slope still boasts world-class performance for those willing to put in the effort to build the jibbing bike of their dreams. It’s perfect for any terrain or course you can throw at it.

Price and Where to Buy

You can buy the NS Bikes Soda Slope frame for $1899 directly from the NS Bikes website.

Build and Ride Quality

The NS Soda Slope is another option for those who just want a no-frills frame that they can use to incorporate their favorite components. As an example, this bike can be retrofitted with either a single-speed setup or a shifter drivetrain that provides maximum control and power. It’s ideal for any park or course, at home with any jump or trick set out there. You can add longer travel forks as well, if desired. It’s also very light, at only 6.5 pounds before adding in other components.

Pros for the NS Bikes Soda Slope

• Several frame options available
• Customize it once after purchase

Cons for the NS Bikes Soda Slope

• For the most part, no real downfalls

What Is Jibbing?

Origins of Jibbing

First, let’s dig into the history of jibbing, and how it became so popular for bike riders.

A simple definition for jibbing is to jump, ride, or slide on top of objects. These can be manmade objects, or natural elements found in your environment.

Jibbing technically originates with skateboards, where it goes by another popular name: grinding. If you’ve ever seen a skateboarder cruise up to a handrail over stairs, then hop on top and use the board itself to slide down before dismounting on the next level down, you’ve witnessed grinding - and, consequently, jibbing.

You can jib on a level horizontal surface, or on a decline. The trick is to hit the intended surface straight enough so that you bike or board remains balanced all the way down.

This popular technique is an advanced skill that riders can spend years perfecting. It can be done on any surface edge, including a pipe, the edge of an incline or ramp, or anything else that offers a stable surface on which to slide.

Jibbing Popularity

Jibbing came into the spotlight even more with snowboarding in the 1980s, and has been on the rise ever since.

Nowadays, talented athletes in biking, skateboarding, and snowboarding are never willing to settle for average tricks, constantly finding ways to one-up themselves and the competition.

Jibbing while biking adds an exciting layer to an already popular sport. While it may seem limited to competitive sports, small groups and even individuals can find excitement and fun in jibbing in addition to “normal” trail-riding activities.

What Kind of Bike Can Jib?

Types of Bikes

In most cases, mountain bikes are going to be the best for jibbing. But it’s worth taking a quick look at each type of bike, and why it is or isn’t good for jibbing.

Road or cruising bikes are the most basic type of bike you can get. They can’t handle rockier surfaces or steep inclines, and they won’t hold up at extreme speeds. They’re perfect for a leisurely ride on the weekends through your neighborhood, and are usually much more affordable due to their average-level quality (keep in mind, the term “average” is not a pejorative in this case).

Touring or performance bikes are built for speed. They may go by other names, but the intent behind these bikes is to craft a lightweight, speedy machine that will help world-class athletes set record after record. They need super-smooth surfaces with no surprises, or they’re liable to cause problems.

Mountain bikes are built for the toughest environments. They can be constructed of lighter materials, but will also feature chunky tires that can handle tricky tracks, and are also built to handle climbs and downhill grades with ease. They are meant to be tough, and would be wasted on roadway cruising.

City or hybrid bikes are just one more category to look at. These usually have a smaller profile, and are built for speed but not record-breaking speed.

There are more categories and subcategories than listed above, depending on how specific you want to get. For now, though, suffice it to say that mountain bikes are the best for jibbing unless you want to spend tens of thousands of dollars on a highly specialized machine.

Types of Mountain Bikes

As we just mentioned, there are so many different types of bikes, it can be hard to keep track. But since we’re focusing on mountain bikes, we can afford to go one level deeper and look at the major classes represented here.

Cross country are all about reaching a solid speed and maintaining it. Easy shifting and lower weights mean that you can cover longer distances with ease.

Enduro or all-mountain bikes tend to focus on competitive rides, and are purpose-built for getting downhill quickly and efficiently. Everything on these bikes is tuned for the descent.

Downhill or park bikes are heftier than their siblings, and are built to mimic motocross bikes in quality and function. Think huge tires and really bouncy suspension that can handle extreme obstacles.

Trail bikes may be less specialized, but their focus on comfort makes mountain riding accessible for more riders. This is the most popular class of mountain bikes, performing great across the board.

Fat bikes are designed for the most difficult surfaces, like snow and sand.