Welcome back to the #1 MTB newsletter brought to you by RECON, mountain biking’s fastest growing media brand and online store.

On today's ride:

•  🏁 Swiss Final: The last European World Cup of the Season is on!

•  ⚡️ Yeti Cycles LTe - New E-Bling from Colorado

•  ✨ Swatch Nines Sölden & endless Progression

👇 Quick Picks

🚼 Rachel Atherton Dropped Some Big News

The GOAT of women DH is expecting a baby early next year! ✨ This also clears up the chatter about her possibly lining in Lenzerheide. She admitted she did think about racing, but at 4 months pregnant, decided it was smarter to sit this one out. Lenzerheide will always be special for Rachel though—that’s where she claimed her 40th World Cup win in 2023, and amazingly, it was her first race back after having little Arna. Massive congrats to Rachel, Olly, and Arna from all of us! 💙

💥Fox 38 Racing Green Edition: Limited & Legendary

Fox is dropping a fresh, limited edition of their iconic 38 enduro fork, rocking a slick British Racing Green finish. Built to celebrate 100 years of car racing, only 1,000 pieces will hit the trails worldwide. Tech-wise, it’s the same high-end beast you know — with 38 mm stanchions and GRIP X2 damping — but wrapped in a paint job that screams heritage and speed. Fox has done special colors before (remember the pistachio 38 or the gold podium editions?), but this Racing Green drop is pure collector’s vibes.

💙 Flo Espineira broke T6 Vertebra hitting a tree

Former E-Enduro World Champ Flo Espiñeira 🇨🇱, riding for Orbea & Bosch, has announced surgery after a crash in the final stage of the European eMTB Enduro Tour in Bagnères-de-Luchon. She collided with a tree, fractured her T6 vertebra – and still finished the stage. The Chilean star, who also grabbed 🥈 at the E-Enduro Worlds in Valais/Switzerland, confirmed her spinal cord is intact and she’s got full strength + feeling in all limbs. Wishing Flo a speedy comeback!

RACING

🇨🇭 Lenzerheide Returns: Title Fights, Tight Margins & Nino’s Last Dance

The 2025 Downhill World Cup is rolling into its final stretch, and the timing couldn’t be better: Lenzerheide is back on the calendar. After a year away, the Swiss venue returns as the last European stop of the season, setting the stage for one of the most intense weekends yet. With just three rounds left and overall titles hanging by a thread, every split, every line choice, and every fraction of a second will count. Add in the farewell of a cross-country legend, and this isn’t just another race weekend — it’s one for the history books.

🏔 The Track: STRAIGHTline Returns

Lenzerheide’s STRAIGHTline course is unlike anything else on the circuit. At just 1.7 km long with 400 meters of drop, it’s short, flat by World Cup standards, and brutally fast. A mix of bike park berms, chunky rock gardens, sketchy off camber sections and patches of loamy woods, it leaves zero margin for error.

Some riders love it, some don’t, but everyone respects it. The gaps are razor-thin here, one bobble and your weekend is done. After sitting out 2024 (there was an IXS European cup on the Track), the track has grown raw and rough in sections, promising even more drama. The berms have been made way better and for one of the bikepark style jumps they use a big booter, which Asa Vermette and Theo Erlangsen already flipped in practice while Jackson Goldstone boosted himself to the moon there.

🌤 Conditions: Swiss Precision Meets Late-Season Spice

Lenzerheide has never been held this late in the season. Warm days and cool nights mean the usual bone-dry dust might give way to something rarer: perfect grip. Expect blown-out berms, hardpack speed, and conditions that reward commitment. Whoever wins won’t just have been the fastest, they’ll have been the sharpest.

👑 The Women: Momentum vs. Legacy

The women’s race has become a duel between two riders, each with something to prove.

• Vali Höll hasn’t won a World Cup in over a year — a shock for a six-time World Champion. Her rainbow stripes prove she can deliver when it matters, but the pressure is building.

• Gracey Hemstreet has been electric all season. With three wins already in 2025, including that statement victory in Les Gets, she’s riding with fire and confidence.

A win in Lenzerheide could give Höll breathing room heading into North America — or it could be the moment Hemstreet seizes the overall lead.

⚡️ The Men: Goldstone vs. Bruni

The men’s fight is even tighter. Just 25 points separate Jackson Goldstone and Loïc Bruni.

• Goldstone has been unstoppable at times, four wins this year plus his first Elite World title in Champéry. On raw speed, nobody looks faster.

• Bruni, though, is the master of consistency. While Goldstone swings for the fences, Bruni knows championships are built on balance: stacking podiums, minimizing mistakes, always there when it counts.

But here in Lenzerheide, there’s no room to play safe. One cautious line and you’re off the pace. This might be the weekend where the title fight tips for good.

🎉 Bonus Highlight: Nino’s Last Dance

And while downhill rules Saturday, Sunday belongs to a legend. Nino Schurter, the greatest XC rider of all time, will line up for his final World Cup race — at home, in Switzerland together with Thomas Litscher and others. Expect the crowd to erupt for their hero, a fitting farewell on the course where he’s delivered so many historic wins.

🔥 What’s at Stake

• Women’s Overall: Hemstreet’s momentum vs. Höll’s dynasty.

• Men’s Overall: Goldstone’s raw pace vs. Bruni’s precision — separated by just 25 points.

• The Track: Short, fast, unforgiving — the perfect stage for high drama.

• History: The final chapter of Nino Schurter’s XCO World Cup career alongside with Thomas Litscher and others.

RECONs Take:
Lenzerheide is back, and the timing couldn’t be better. With the overall titles still wide open, conditions looking prime, and the added weight of history in the air, this weekend promises to deliver one of the most unforgettable stops of the 2025 season.

TECH

⚡️ Yeti LTe: A Full-Power eMTB With Zero Compromises

Race DNA Meets Bosch Power — Yeti Goes All-In on E-Enduro: Yeti has never done things halfway. From World Cup wins by Richie Rude to cult-classic trail bikes, they’ve always chased speed with purpose-built machines. Now, they’re bringing that race-bred DNA into the eMTB world with their first full-power rig: the Yeti LTe. And make no mistake — this isn’t a cautious step into e-bikes. It’s a straight-up statement.

🔋 Power & Range: Choose Your Weapon

At the core of the LTe is Bosch’s biggest battery to date: a massive 800Wh pack tucked into a chunky downtube. For riders who don’t need all that juice, a lighter 600Wh battery is an option. And for the all-day epics? Add Bosch’s PowerMore extender (+250Wh) and wave goodbye to range anxiety.

• 800Wh → 3941g

• 600Wh → 3049g

• Extender → 1455g

Yes, it adds weight, but for riders chasing vertical (or ignoring maps), more watts = more smiles.

⚙️ Motor & Electronics: Bosch Brings the Heat

Depending on the build, you’ll get either Bosch’s Performance Line CX or the sharper, racier CX-Race motor. Both punch out 100 Nm of torque, but the CX-Race is tuned for aggressive surges when things get steep.

Up top, the Kiox color display is neatly integrated into the top tube — a clean little dashboard that shows motor output, range, and ride stats. Silent routing keeps cables hidden, and Yeti thought through details like moto-style brake setups and drivetrain flexibility.

🧩 Frame Tech: Carbon + Armor

Yeti went full Turq carbon, no compromises. To handle the abuse eMTBs face, they added Vectran fibers (think Kevlar-like impact protection) to the chainstays, seatstays, downtube, and top tube. In other words: light, stiff, but ready to get knocked around.

Geometry is modern but not extreme:

• 64° head angle → planted at speed

• 78° seat angle → steep enough to climb efficiently

• Reach: 435–510 mm (4 sizes)

• Chainstay: 449 mm

• BB height: 350 mm (~23 mm drop)

A flip chip lets you run mixed wheels (29/27.5) or tweak suspension progression to taste.

🔧 Suspension: Sixfinity for E-Bikes

Since Switch Infinity doesn’t fit around a motor, Yeti carried over the Sixfinity 6-bar system from the 160e. It’s tuned specifically for eMTB riding:

• Lower anti-squat (the motor handles pedaling support)

• More traction deep in travel

• Sharper handling when you ride actively

Matched with 160 mm rear travel + 170 mm fork, the LTe is built to smash enduro lines with e-power confidence.

📊 The Numbers

• Travel: 160/170 mm

• Wheels: 29” (MX option via flip chip)

• Motor: Bosch CX or CX-Race (100 Nm / 750W peak)

• Battery: 800Wh standard (600Wh + extender options)

• Weight: ~52.6 lbs (size L)

• Price: $10,300 – $14,900 USD

🚀 Rides like it should!

The LTe promises to ride like a Yeti should: sharp, playful, and at its best when you stay active on the bike. The geometry feels progressive but not overdone — stable without turning into a bus — and the Sixfinity platform balances Bosch’s raw grunt with precise handling. Add the biggest battery Bosch has ever built, and you’ve got a full-power eMTB that doesn’t follow trends. It sets a new one.

RECONs Take:
The Yeti LTe isn’t just another entry into the eMTB market — it’s a race-ready weapon that blends Yeti’s speed-first philosophy with Bosch’s powerhouse tech. For riders who want a bike that climbs like a machine and descends like a Yeti, this could be the one that finally erases any hesitation about going electric.

SCENE

🚀  Swatch Nines Full Edit 2025: Tricks, Vibes & a Platform for Progression

When MTB, BMX & Skate Collide and mix some Citibike action between it, History Happens: Give the world’s most creative riders a custom-built playground, add BMX and skate into the mix, and set it against mountain backdrops in Germany and Austria — that’s the magic of Swatch Nines MTB 2025 - watch the full edit below (Video of the Week)

Over ten days at Green Hill Bike Park and Bike Republic Sölden, the event became a living laboratory for progression. More than two dozen world-firsts went down, but the story was bigger than just tricks. It was about energy, community, and the kind of sessions that remind everyone why we ride in the first place.

🔥 Breaking Barriers on Two Wheels (and Four)

The riding was historic. Riders threw down never-before-seen combos at a pace that felt unreal — frontflips on DH bikes, triple flips to dirt, endless new slopestyle lines. Every time someone stomped a trick, another stepped up to push the limit further. Diego Solans, Max Wielo, Kurtis Downs, Christian Areheart - all these riders threw down so many big moves (too many to name them all!)

And it wasn’t just MTB. BMXers and skateboarders rolled in, adding fresh style and flow to the features. That cross-pollination turned every session into a jam where boundaries blurred, and progression exploded. As one pro put it: “The vibe wasn’t about competing, it was about who could unlock the next big thing.”

🌄 More Than Just Tricks

Ask anyone who was there, and they’ll tell you: the real magic was in the vibe. Laps with friends at sunset, cheering from the sidelines, and a community that felt like one big family. Green Hill’s big air lines offered a safe space for testing tricks, while Sölden’s alpine setting brought cinematic backdrops that made even warm-up runs feel epic.

UK freerider Veronique Sandler summed it up:
“The course was perfect, the vibes were high, and it was so special to meet so many amazing athletes from different sports. Add Sölden’s scenery, and it all felt unreal. I can’t wait for the next one already!”

👥 A Dream Team Roster

From MTB icons to rising stars, BMX innovators to skate legends, the lineup read like a who’s who of action sports:

• Erik Fedko (GER) did a double flip tuck no hand to barspin!

• Nicholi Rogatkin (USA) threw crazy spins on his big bike.

• Alma Wiggberg (SWE) did new combos and pushed her DH bike skills!

• Robin Goomes (NZL) worked on new tricks getting ready for Rampage.

• Szymon & Dawid Godziek (POL) Worlds Firsts and the Biggest Big Bike Moves straight from Poland!

• Tomas Lemoine (FRA) nobody does Manual Drops like him, steeze deluxe.

• Kevin Peraza (BMX) impressed all riders with his skatepark tricks!

• Andy Anderson (CAN, Skate) showed a masterclass of skateboarding.

That diversity turned Nines into something bigger than a session — it was a movement.

📅 Looking Ahead: 2026

The best news? This wasn’t a one-off. Swatch Nines will return to Bike Republic Sölden, June 15–20, 2026, running alongside the Bike Republic Festival (June 18–21). Expect an even bigger celebration, with more sports, more creativity, and more community stoke.

As Dominik Linser of Ötztal Tourism put it:
“Sölden and the Swatch Nines are a perfect match. The feedback has been amazing, and we’re excited to grow this partnership.”

✨ RECONs Take:

Swatch Nines MTB 2025 wasn’t about medals or rankings. It was about creating space for riders to explore, innovate, and inspire each other. The tricks landed will be remembered — but the shared laps, the mountain sunsets, and the friendships forged might matter even more. That’s the true magic of the Nines: when you put the right people in the right place, progression is inevitable.

🎥 Video Of The Week

The best riders of the world threw down at Swatch Nines 2025 - the edit is epic:

🎧 Podcast Of The Week

One of the most popular MTB content creators has something to tell:

🚵‍♀️ Giveaway Period Finished

Thanks to everyone who participated in the Forbidden Dreadnought 3 MX Giveaway. The winner is Kate M. from New Jersey and she has gone for her first shred on it! Stoked is an understatement… More to come, and keep your eyes peeled for the next giveaway bike!

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