Welcome back to the #1 MTB newsletter, where we make sure you never miss a story about mountain biking.

Downhill star Asa Vermette just took a trip with Frameworks Racing to a wind tunnel to put his aerodynamics to the test.

Every millisecond is going to count this season.

Preview of today’s ride:

• 🎰 RECON Shopper Turns $33 Into $10K Bike

• ✨ Canyon’s New Bike

• 🤪 UCI Reveals Wildcard Teams

👇 Quick Picks

🛖 Remember Red Bull Roof Ride?

Red Bull Roof Ride was slopestyle 100 feet in the air—literally. Riders dropped from a rooftop in Poland, navigating massive features and terrifyingly narrow landings. Miss your line, and you're toast. David Godziek? He nailed it every time, winning all three. Red Bull commented on our IG asking fans if they should…

⚖️ Better Times For Mondraker Factory Team

After that gnarly crash at Hardline Tasmania, Ronan Dunne is back shredding one of the steepest World Cup tracks in Andorra! His Mondraker teammate Dakotah Norton is also back in training – slowly but surely getting back into the game. Ryan Pinkerton could secure his first elite win at the test event in Lousa Portugal against some top riders!

🔮 Revel Bikes closes its doors

​Revel Bikes, the Colorado-based MTB brand known for its high-performance carbon frames and rider-focused ethos, is shutting down. The company informed dealers on April 17 that it would cease operations, citing a combination of product delays, overdue payments, and a soft market as contributing factors to the closure.

GIVEAWAY WINNER

🍗 Winner Winner, Chicken Dinner

Riley M. can’t even ride his bike right now after he took a spill when shredding some technical singletrack in Germany with his friends.

While recovering in his hometown of sunny San Diego, Riley was working in his garage when he saw an Instagram post about RECON's first ever bike giveaway: a $10,000 Transition Sentinel V3 we custom-built with the best parts on our site.

Screw it he thought, “I need some tire sealant anyway”.

After spending $33.99 on some Muc-Off on ReconMTB.com, Riley couldn’t believe his eyes when we reached out with the news that he been selected at random to be the giveaway winner.

Huge congrats to Ryan who’ll be upgrading from his YT JEFFSY to a 2025 Transition Sentinel V3 this summer. Keep your eyes peeled as we’ll be travelling to San Diego to build the bike for him and deliver it straight to his garage.

So what’s our next giveaway bike?

Meet the Scott Ransom 900 RC, a $10,000 enduro bike which one of our shoppers will win in their preferred size after entries close on 5/19 at 11:59 PM MST.

Every $1 spent is 1 entry to win this bike, so go and shop now on reconmtb.com for anything from bike wash to grips to forks to tires to helmets!

For more on this super unique bike like its hidden shock, check out the unveiling video where we walk you through all its quirks and features.

P.S. You must be a resident of the United States to be eligible to win the bike.

MTB CRIME WATCH

🚔 Gone In 60 Seconds

Ari Bicycles just got hit with what might be the most expensive setback in MTB history.

A truck carrying 337 bikes—worth $1.7M—was “delayed” en route to Utah. Turns out it never left LA as the truck was later found filled with another company’s products.

Among the stolen goods? Ari’s flagship Timp Peak eMTB and an unreleased 801 dirt jumper. One of the stolen bikes even popped up at a local shop when a man brought one in and ran away when questioned.

Mountain bikes are expensive and sadly, us riders aren’t the only ones who want to get their hands on them. While we’ve seen thefts before, this may be the largest mountain bike heist in history.

Ari is tracking serials and hoping app activations can help if e-bikes are ever connected to smartphones. But until then? Keep your eyes peeled, especially around SoCal.

We wish the best of luck to local law enforcement and the Ari team in recovering the stolen cargo.

CARS

🏎 Matt Jones: Two Wheels To Four

We’re used to seeing footballers and basketball stars stunting around in supercars.

But now a professional mountain biker is the athlete you might spot driving around in a Lamborghini Murcielago SV.

This bright orange V12 beast is a 1/28, right-hand drive example perfect for the UK roads he’ll be carving behind the wheel.

While we don’t have a price tag confirmed, Murcielago SV’s typically trade at over $1M, having appreciated significantly in recent years.

Matt Jones is a one of a kind athlete, using the power of media to build a massive audience (and business) around himself in a sport where pros have never had lambo money.

It’s truly incredible to see a mountain biker push the ceiling of success as a professional athlete in action sports.

Next up? His upcoming MTB video game Mavrix that’s already racked up 10,000 wishlists on gaming platform Steam.

BIKES

🚨 Fabio and Sam Pilgrim’s New Rig

Germanys DTC bike brand just dropped their latest huck machine: the 2026 Spectral AL.

Legends like Sam Pilgrim and Fabio Wibmer have taken this thing through the wringer, sending it off sketchy urban lines, big jumps, and rocky descents, and their verdict? It’s a legit all-rounder.

Canyon stuck with an aluminum frame this time, keeping the price (2299€- 3999€) more accessible while still making sure it can take a serious beating.

The brand also included smart touches like integrated frame protection and internal cable routing to keep things clean. Unlike recent EMTB launches packed with tech, this bike isn’t flashy for the sake of it - it’s built for real-world riding.

Sam Pilgrim said in one of his videos that it’s “super playful but still solid on big hits,” and Fabio Wibmer will put it through some creative urban lines that would break most bikes - trusting that the Spectral will hold up like a tank.

RACING

☠️ World Cup Wildcards

UCI and Warner Bros. Discovery Sports just dropped the names of five wildcard teams that scored a golden ticket to the season opener in Poland.

The wildcard system, introduced in 2025, allows up to eight wildcard spots per race. Teams are chosen based on rankings, team composition, sponsors, media presence, and other factors.

These wildcard teams are all about pushing fresh talent that could come out of nowhere to topple the established riders. Athletes like Thibaut Daprela (UCI Rank: 16) and Lisa Bouladou (Rank: 25) aren’t exactly newbies. So yeah, expect them to give it their all to fight for their spot.

Here's who's coming in hot:

• Kenda - NS Bikes: Led by Kye A’Hern, this squad brings speed and serious potential

• YT Racing Development: A big crew with a stacked lineup, including Sian A’Hern and Hannes Lehmann

• Goodman - Santa Cruz: A mix of fast up-and-comers and vets like Thomas Estaque and Nathan Pontvianne

• High Country: Watch out for Bellah Birchall and Malik Boatwright

• Rogue Racing: Probably the wildest wildcard of the bunch, featuring powerhouse Thibaut Daprela and a deep squad

The season’s first world cup in Poland kicks off on May 15th!

RIDING SCHOOL

🔄 How To Backflip A MTB

The backflip is the universal symbol of style and guts in action sports. It’s the kind of trick that gets you instant respect, and a few gasps, whether you’re at the dirt jumps, the skatepark, or just sending it with friends.

But this isn’t a trick to rush. Mastering the backflip takes preparation, control, and a clear head. Here’s how to break it down safely and smartly.

Learn to Flip Without the Bike

Before you ever try a backflip on your MTB, train the movement elsewhere:

• Trampoline backflips – Learn to set the rotation and spot your landing.

• Pool/lake flips – Add some real-world falling distance and rotation speed.

• Snow flips (on skis or snowboard) – Great for working on air awareness.

Start With Soft Landings

• Foam pits or air bags are essential. These let you commit to the full rotation with little risk.

• Dial in your speed, pop, and rotation timing until you can land cleanly and consistently.

• Make sure you're not just hoping to get around, you should feel confident before you go to real landings.

Progress to Real Terrain Slowly

Once foam and airbag flips feel natural:

• Try mulch jumps or resi ramps. They’re more realistic than foam but still a bit forgiving

• Refine your technique with repetition, muscle memory is everything.

• When you’re confident with your control, pick a familiar, consistent dirt jump. Something that you’ve hit many times before.

Backflip Technique Tips

• Pop first, then flip. Don’t throw your head back off the lip, stand tall and pop, then let your head and shoulders initiate the rotation.

• Tuck in. Keep your body compact to speed up the flip. Extend slightly if you need to slow down.

• Spot your landing. As you rotate, look for the ground over your shoulder so you know when and where to bring it in.

• Commit 100%. A half-hearted backflip is the fastest way to crash.

Final Advice

• Take your time. There’s no rush to land this trick.

• Safety first. Use proper gear, and never flip alone.

• Stay consistent. The more repetition you get in safe environments, the better your odds when you finally take it to dirt.

Backflips are serious, but seriously fun when done right. Put in the work, stay smart, and when you’re ready, send it!

With Mastery, you can learn MTB skills fast. It’s an app making it simple to learn MTB skills from top pros. The app is launching this month so join the waitlist to ensure you get first access.

🎥 Video Of The Week

Seth reviews Walmart’s new $450 full suspension mountain bike

🎧 Podcast Of The Week

This one is epic. We weigh in on inverted forks and new E-MTB’s from Unno, Santa Cruz, Forbidden, and Specialized. You can listen on Spotify or Apple too.

🌊 Wipeout Of The Week

How not to backflip a bike

This newsletter is written with ❤️ every week by Nic Bean, Michael Sikand, Justin Rausch, and Marc Brodesser