Jibe Cycleworks focuses its output on one often-forgotten demographic within the rising sport: youngsters using competitively.
When bike design trade veteran Jason Halverson noticed the rigs children have been using in his daughter’s highschool MTB league, he determined to work towards a change. The Nationwide Interscholastic Biking Affiliation (NICA) coordinates highschool biking within the U.S. For mountain biking, races take the form of 35-40-minute rides on pretty well-groomed trails.
Sadly, nearly all of riders Halverson watched weren’t on bikes that made sense for the terrain.
“You’d present as much as observe, and youngsters could be gung-ho, however man, they weren’t on bikes that have been superb for what they have been making an attempt to compete [in],” Halverson stated. “Numerous children could be displaying up on, you realize, truly fairly good bikes, however they have been like 30 lbs., all-mountain, 140/160 journey bikes. You realize, it’s not that good for cross-country [riding].
“Or there are children which might be like, ‘oh yeah, my dad rode this, he stated it was an incredible bike — in 1992.”
Halverson perceived a transparent discrepancy for any child who wished to degree up of their using. After over 20 years of expertise in componentry and body design at corporations like GT and Cannondale, he knew tools mattered.
So after a number of years in growth, he formally launched Jibe earlier this yr. The corporate rolled out 4 full builds aimed toward serving to teen athletes get aggressive with out getting too spendy.
“Even beginning out, for a aggressive bike, it could be like three-four (thousand {dollars}),” Halverson famous. “In order that’s what motivated me. What can we do to get these children on bikes which might be aggressive however not loopy costly?”
To do it, he wanted to ship a swift hardtail with affordable compliance and strong elements. He landed on a trimmed-down enterprise mannequin. First, he sourced carbon frames straight from producers (in Asia) and did the identical factor with part builders like Shimano and Fox. Then, he bypassed retail prices by promoting on to customers.
Model Recognition: Jibe Builds
Halverson emphasised that he felt utilizing well-known model names could be a key to success. As a result of some children and oldsters didn’t perceive the ever-more-complicated market, he reasoned, Jibe wanted model recognition.
“Numerous these children aren’t actually from biking backgrounds,” he stated. “In comparison with different sports activities, like in soccer or basketball or tennis, the tools is fairly commonplace stuff that everybody can present up and compete on. So I feel a number of children and their mother and father have been unaware that there’s such a distinction in a mountain bike that they’d simply contemplate ‘hey, that is good, it’s a mountain bike staff’ versus a motorbike that was truly designed for the race programs.”
Together with Shimano and Fox, Jibe bikes additionally use Maxxis and RockShox. The entry bike, the Jibe XCHT Competitors, begins at $1,999. It has a 1×12 Shimano Deore groupset and a RockShox Judy 120mm fork and weighs underneath 27 kilos.
The range-topping Manufacturing facility construct comes with a Shimano XTR groupset, a 120mm Fox fork and Fox dropper put up, carbon handlebars, and customized carbon wheels. It weighs lower than 23 kilos and prices $5,300.
The frames use an open mildew design, so Jibe can modify some parts of them, just like the carbon layup or the cable routing. The flattened seat stays hunt higher compliance and trip high quality, and a large backside bracket and head tube assist make it stiffer for exhausting pumping. A medium body weighs 2.5 kilos and comes with a 7-year guarantee.
Getting Traction
Halverson famous that top faculty mountain biking is rising quickly in Utah, the place Jibe’s headquarters are situated. So to satisfy the corresponding want for extra bikes, the Jibe staff hits the street. As a part of a sponsorship settlement with the Utah Excessive Faculty Biking League, they journey to races in all six NICA districts across the state. That provides athletes and their mother and father an opportunity to take a look at the gear.
Curiously, Halverson’s goal for the model is sort of the other. What does he need Jibe bikes to do? Nothing that doesn’t let the rider concentrate on using.
“The phrase ‘Jibe’ means ‘be in accord’ or ‘be one,’” he stated. “In the event you don’t discover the bike whenever you’re using it, that’s a great setup — as a result of it’s simply there, and also you’re [the one] performing. So the title ‘Jibe’ is supposed to be along with the path, be collectively together with your bike — simply be one.”
Jibe’s 4 full builds include understated colours and decals to assist them slot in with a wide selection of staff kits. Every rig is available in 4 sizes to cowl anybody from 4’10” to six’6”.
