Jibb V2 "Purple Ember" - RAAW of the Month January

With a well-thought-out build, Tom Lloyd from northeast England has secured the first RAAW of the Month award of the new year. Tom, a passionate mountain biker since childhood, put together his Jibb V2 to perfectly combine performance and reliability. In this article, you’ll find out why he chose this exact model, how he built it, and why it suits him so well.

Tom still remembers his very first bike: a Raleigh BMX Burner, which he sped around on at the age of four. Even then, it was clear that bikes would play a central role in his life. Today, many years later, he describes mountain biking as his personal sense of freedom: “There’s something almost meditative about hurtling through the forest, completely focused on the trail ahead. Everything else fades away.” Whether as a mental reset, a physical challenge, or pure enjoyment—mountain biking gives him the perfect balance to his full-time job and life with a young family.

Looking for a new bike was a deliberate process for Tom. Originally, he had his eye on our Madonna, but it seemed a bit overkill for his intended use. The Jibb V1, on the other hand, didn’t quite meet his requirements—he wanted a bit more travel. “When I found out about the Jibb V2, particularly the LT configuration, it felt like the perfect balance. It gives me the confidence to tackle tougher trails while still being nimble enough to enjoy flowy singletracks.”

For a rider of his height—Tom measures 1.95 m (6'5")—choosing the right frame size was also crucial. With an XL frame and a 213 mm dropper seatpost, he found a setup that provides both freedom of movement and a stable seated position.

Tom’s Jibb V2 is, in our eyes, a prime example of a “No Nonsense” build. “Reliability was my top priority,” he explains. That’s why having an aluminum frame was important to him, ensuring robustness and durability. “If a slightly heavier frame means my bike can take more abuse, that’s a compromise I’m happy to make.” This principle runs throughout the entire spec: the Fox 36 Float Factory GRIP2 fork, with 160 mm of travel, strikes a good balance between comfort and control, while the eye-catching Öhlins TTX22m.2 shock with a yellow coil spring isn’t just a head-turner but also a technical highlight. The wheels are built with Hope Pro 5 hubs and DT Swiss EX511 enduro rims, offering reliability and stability. The setup is rounded off by Hayes Dominion A4 brakes in a limited purple edition, which impress both in function and appearance.

The interplay of purple components, yellow shock accents, and the clean raw finish of the frame creates a unique “purple ember” look.

A special highlight for Tom was building the bike himself. “This is the first bike I’ve ever assembled entirely from the frame up, all on my own.” he says proudly. We think the result speaks for itself. Many of the parts he used are ones he already knew and trusted from previous bikes. Ease of maintenance also played a major role in choosing the components. “It’s a no-fuss setup that perfectly matches my riding style, which is quite aggressive, so ‘smashy, smashy’—always on the main line, fast, aggressive, and direct.”

He particularly praises the coil shock, which opens up new possibilities on technical sections. “There was definitely a learning curve, but I’m excited to see how much more I can optimize the setup.”

He already has another upgrade experiment in mind: converting to a mullet setup. With the MX Lower Shock Mount he’s already purchased, he plans to swap the rear wheel for a 27.5” to get even more agility out of the bike. “I’m curious about the results, and I can imagine the handling becoming even more fun,” says Tom.

His Jibb V2 is special to Tom because it provides exactly the versatility and reliability his riding style and needs demand. Whether it’s steep descents, flowy trails, or technical challenges—his build masters them all with flying colors. Tom’s Jibb underlines how much fun a well-thought-out “No Nonsense” build can be and is therefore our RAAW of the Month for January. 

Since we founded RAAW, one thing has given us a lot of pleasure: seeing where, how and by whom our bikes are ridden all over the world and how you use our frame kits to create different, individually optimized works of bike art. That's why from now on, every month we'll choose a particularly successful and exciting bike build from the community as "RAAW of the Month" and present the bike and its rider in detail on our website. In addition to glory and Insta-fame, a 100 € voucher for our online store awaits the lucky winner. Does your bike have what it takes to be "RAAW of the Month"? Check out this page to find out how to apply.