With its sloping top tube and short wheelbase, Commencal’s aluminium Absolut Al2 is clearly a pure dirt jump bike rather than an all-rounder. It boasts a vibrant aqua blue colour scheme which makes it stand out almost as much as its aerial antics do.
Ride & handling: Top jump bike that can be pushed to the limits
The Absolut has quite a short rear end, but it’s amazing how easy it is to manual the bike through whoops, pump bumps or even on the flat – it’s a real manual machine.
After a couple of runs it was clear that the Commencal's performance was up there with any top dirt jump bike. Thanks to its geometry and its semi-slick tyres, there’s no problem pushing the Absolut to the very limits.
Whether you hit lines slow, stay low or go faster for more height, this bike will allow you plenty of room to experiment with your technique.
The frame feels quite small below you, and this gives you plenty of manoeuvrability in the air, which makes it easier to pull tricks or to just style it up.
The fact that we never had a sketchy moment, no matter how hard we pushed it in the trails, is a true testament to the quality of this bike’s ride.
When riding on faster, more open sections, the Absolut can become a little loose and a bit twitchy, thanks to its short wheelbase and fairly steep head angle – and of course, the tyres.
But if dirt jumping is your main thing and you’re in the market for an aluminium jump-specific, ready-to-rip bike, which offers superb performance along with striking, stylish looks, then the Commencal Absolut Al2 may well be for you.
Frame: Super-strong chassis with stunning looks
With its short chainstays, super-strong tri-weld rear end and oversized top and down tubes, no one will be concerned about the Commencal's strength.
The rear triangle doesn’t offer much in the way of clearance for a wider tyre, but this bike gives the impression that it doesn’t want to stray too far away from the dirt jumps anyway.
There are no cable stops for a front mech. The Absolut does feature horizontal dropouts though, so you can switch to a singlespeed setup with relative ease.
It’s also possible to get the seat to a reasonable ride height so you can pedal efficiently enough to get yourself to the trails and home again.
The aqua blue frame will certainly stand out in a crowd – in the best possible way. The graphics consist of a small logo at the bottom of the down tube, the Absolut logo spreading nicely across the seatstay and seatpost intersection, and a cool paisley-themed graphic running around the tubes.
Equipment: Cable discs, Marzocchi fork and colour-matched kit
The white Marzocchi Dirt Jumper 3 fork complements the white Commencal bars and levers nicely, as do the powdercoated Jalco double-wall rims and white own-brand trail seat. Commencal really have gone for a vibrant electro look for the Absolut.
The cable-operated mechanical disc brakes come from Avid, while SRAM provide the shifters. The semi-slick Kenda K Rad tyres roll fast on hardpack but when the cornering gets a little looser, be prepared to drift with both wheels.
Staying true to current dirt jump fashion, the Absolut Al2 has just a single ring, mounted with a Commencal Boomerang chain device.