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:

•  🏁 Legends: New inductees in the MTB Hall Of MTB!

•  ⚡️ Limitless: Commencal Meta Power SX 800

• 🚵‍♀️ Giant wants it fast: New Anthem 2026 models

👇 Quick Picks

🚨 Fabien Barel crashed hard and breaks multiple bones

French MTB legend Fabien Barel posted on Instagram after taking a heavy slam during a recent test session. The multiple World Champion is still very fast and unfortunately things like this can happen. Barel said the crash left him with several fractured vertebrae, a serious head injury, and a bunch of bruises. The Canyon Clltv Team Manager spent a few days in the hospital for scans and check-ups, supported by amazing medical staff and the people closest to him. We are wishing him a speedy recovery!

🚲 Canyon Reports Sales Drop Amid Tough Market Conditions

Canyon is feeling the pressure this year. According to the latest GBL quarterly report, the company’s revenue for the first nine months fell 7% year-on-year to €611 million, while operating profit slid a steep 29%. The drop is mainly linked to a still-rough market, marked by oversupply and heavy discounting. MTBs, e-bikes, and city bikes were hit the hardest, while demand for road and gravel bikes stayed solid. Europe — by far Canyon’s biggest market — remained relatively stable, but interest in the U.S. and Asia cooled due to ongoing tariff uncertainties.

🚵‍♂️ Eurobike 2026: Date and changes announced!

The 34th edition will take place from June 24–27 at Messe Frankfurt. In the run-up to the event, the organizers are working closely with a wide range of industry players and have already announced major changes. After the 2025 show, many companies and stakeholders in the bike world kicked off a process to deliver concrete improvement proposals to the organizer, Fairnamic. Their input has given Eurobike a lot of valuable momentum. As a global leading trade show, Eurobike aims to stay international, neutral, and open to all kinds of tech.

SCENE

🚵‍♀️ New Inductees MTB Hall of Fame Announces 2025

The Mountain Bike Hall of Fame just revealed its 2025 inductees, and the list is stacked with riders and creators who changed the sport in completely different ways. This year’s class includes Jill Kintner, Cam Zink, Joey Klein, Paul Turner and Steve Simons. Each of them pushed mountain biking forward and left a mark that still shapes the scene today.

Cam Zink – The Freeride Powerhouse

Few riders have pushed freeride as far as Cam Zink. His career is full of moments that feel almost unreal. He won Red Bull Rampage twice, took the 2010 Freeride World Tour title and set the record for the longest dirt-to-dirt backflip back in 2014.

But Zink hasn’t just influenced the sport on the bike. With Sensus, he created a rider-driven grip and accessories brand. With R.A.D. Trails, he helps build progressive trails for future freeriders. And now he’s launching Zink Bikes, his own bike brand. His impact goes way beyond big sends. He helped define what modern freeride is supposed to look like.

Jill Kintner – The All-Terrain Icon

Jill Kintner is one of the most successful MTB athletes of all time. She collected 25 U.S. elite national titles in six different disciplines, won three Four-Cross world championships and stacked up an unbelievable 43 Crankworx gold medals. No rider has dominated so many parts of the sport at the same time. Downhill, Slalom, Pumptrack, Enduro and everything in between, Jill mastered all of it.

Off the track she puts a ton of energy into giving back. Her Race Craft Clinics help young riders, especially girls and women, build confidence and technique. On top of that, she brings a creative side to MTB with her artwork and animation projects, like her short film Bandit Hill. Jill blends elite performance with mentorship and creativity in a way only she can.

Joey Klein – The Trail Builder Behind the Scenes

If you’ve ridden a great trail somewhere in the U.S., chances are Joey Klein had something to do with it. For more than 25 years he’s been shaping trails all over the world. As the longest-serving IMBA employee, he’s influenced trail building in 45 states and 14 countries. His work with IMBA Trail Solutions has shown countless communities how to build fun and sustainable trails on their own.

His career started back in 1994 at Keystone, where he designed 60 miles of trail that later helped form the Keystone Bike Park. Joey’s work not only created riding playgrounds, it also paved the way for modern trail networks that are built to last.

Paul Turner and Steve Simons – The Suspension Innovators

When Paul Turner and Steve Simons founded RockShox in 1988, they changed mountain biking forever. Before that, MTBs were rigid and rough. Their RS-1 fork made its debut at the 1990 World Championships and kicked off the era of real suspension.

Turner focused on the design and racing development, while Simons handled operations and production. Together they introduced legendary forks like the Mag 21 and the Judy, products that influenced generations of riders. RockShox went public in 1997 and became part of SRAM in 2002. The foundations these two created still shape modern suspension technology today.

A Class That Represents Every Side of Mountain Biking

The 2025 Hall of Fame class shows how diverse mountain biking really is.
• Cam Zink represents freeride creativity and fearless progression.
• Jill Kintner brings versatility, hard-earned titles and dedication to the next generation.
• Joey Klein changed the way we build and ride trails.
• Paul Turner and Steve Simons helped launch the technology that defines today’s bikes.

Their work shows what mountain biking is all about: passion, innovation, commitment and the drive to keep pushing the sport forward. These five didn’t just earn a spot in the Hall of Fame. They helped write the sport’s history.

TECH

⚡️META POWER SX 800: Built for Riders Who Want More

The META POWER SX 800 shows up fully loaded and ready for real adventures. It runs the new Bosch Performance CX Gen5 motor together with a massive 800 Wh battery. If you want to keep going even longer, you can add the 250 Wh range extender for serious all-day missions. This setup gives the bike strong support on climbs and endless stamina on big rides. Paired with the SRAM T-Type drivetrain and 180 millimetres of travel, it is a machine that smooths out rough terrain and keeps shifting crisp even on brutal inclines.

The bike is available now and it is aimed at riders who want to explore without limits.

A Ride That Works With You

The META POWER SX 800 is designed for those moments when the trail demands extra backup. The Bosch Performance CX Gen5 motor gives a confident, powerful feel that helps you stay in control on technical climbs and fast, open descents. The frame uses an efficient layout with tough components, so the bike does not only carry you through long days in the mountains but also helps you save energy along the way. A big part of that is the VIRTUAL CONTACT SYSTEM, or VCS. It gives the bike a smooth and forgiving feel that makes unpredictable trails easier to handle.

Geometry That Feels Right From the First Ride

The geometry comes from years of racing experience and plenty of real-world testing. The riding position feels natural and balanced whether you are grinding up a climb or dropping into something steep. You sit in a stance that keeps you centred on the bike, which helps you stay efficient on the ups and controlled on the downs. This balance allows you to save your strength for the sections where you really need it.

Power and Range That Stand Out

The Bosch CX Gen5 motor is the strongest motor Bosch has ever made. It delivers up to 100 Newton metres of torque and can reach a maximum output of 750 watts. It also runs with low noise on climbs and descents, so the entire ride feels smoother and more calm. You do not need to switch assistance modes every few minutes. If you want maximum support the whole way, you can just stay in Turbo and enjoy the boost.

A Drivetrain That Can Handle the Mountains

The new SRAM Eagle 90 groupset uses a full-mount design that boosts durability and shifting accuracy. It provides clean and reliable gear changes even when the load is high on steep climbs. The mechanical setup keeps everything simple, strong, and consistent which makes it perfect for big mountain missions where reliability matters just as much as performance.

Ready for Real Off-Road Abuse

The META POWER SX 800 comes with a reinforced engine guard made for rocky climbs, roots, and unexpected impacts. It uses nylon fibre reinforcement and built-in sliders to protect the motor from hits while still keeping enough airflow for proper cooling. That means the motor can perform at full strength even during long, demanding days in the mountains.

TECH

🚲Giant Drops the New Anthem and Anthem X 2026

When Alan Hatherly defended his World Championship title in September, he did it on a bike the public had barely seen. That bike was the brand new Giant Anthem. Fans only spotted it in quick flashes throughout the season, but now the updated Anthem is finally official. At the same time, Giant is launching a second model. The Anthem gets a more playful partner called the Anthem X, which mixes XC race speed with a more relaxed, trail focused attitude. Giant calls this category Fast Trail.

Both bikes arrive with new geometry, a reworked suspension platform and a completely redesigned shock layout. The horizontal shock is the most obvious visual change and it also solves the cable routing issues that frustrated riders on previous models. Many improvements are only noticeable once you start pedaling. The weight goes down, the stiffness under power goes up and the entire bike feels more responsive and efficient on real trails.

The 2026 Anthem Advanced SL: Full Gas XC Racing

The Anthem Advanced SL frame weighs only 1,530 grams in size medium. That weight is almost 90 grams lighter than the previous frame. Even with all the hardware installed, the drop remains significant. This puts the Anthem Advanced SL into the elite class of modern 120 millimeter XC race bikes. There are a few lighter frames on the market, but the Anthem clearly belongs in the top group.

Weight reduction was not the only target. Giant also wanted a frame that sprints with more force. According to Giant, the new Anthem Advanced SL is more than seven percent stiffer under pedaling loads than the Specialized S Works Epic 8 even though the Anthem weighs less. This extra stiffness should translate into sharper acceleration during punchy climbs and more power when you stand up and attack.

Key Anthem Advanced SL Specs

• 120 millimeters of travel front and rear
• Adjustable geometry
• Head angle between 66.5 and 67 degrees
• Seat angle between 75.5 and 76 degrees
• Chainstay length between 435 and 437 millimeters
• Prices starting at 5,600 US dollars

Giant also redesigned the XCR Carbon wheels. The new version features carbon spokes and wider, more durable rim edges. The wheelset weighs only 1,350 grams and provides a big step forward in the stiffness to weight ratio. Together, frame and wheels form a very strong system. Giant claims a stiffness advantage of more than 25 percent compared to the Epic 8 with Roval Control SL wheels.

The Anthem X Advanced SL: XC Speed With a Trail Mindset

The Anthem X is aimed at riders who want XC efficiency but prefer a little more confidence and comfort on technical terrain. It uses 120 millimeters of rear travel and 130 millimeters in the front. The frame weighs 1,570 grams and includes a storage compartment inside the downtube. The geometry is slightly more relaxed than the pure race focused Anthem.

Key Anthem X Advanced SL Specs

• 120 millimeters rear travel and 130 millimeters front travel
• In-frame storage compartment
• Adjustable geometry
• Head angle between 66 and 66.5 degrees
• Seat angle between 75 and 75.5 degrees
• Prices starting at 4,800 US dollars

The Anthem X is the perfect match for riders who love the speed of an XC bike but want more freedom on varied trails. It keeps things fast but adds a fun, easygoing feel that encourages more line choices and more confidence when trails get rough.

Improved Cable Routing and a New Shock Layout

For the first time, Giant uses headset cable routing on the Anthem lineup. The cockpit looks clean and modern although this solution is more work during maintenance. The good news is that the new horizontal shock layout completely eliminates the lockout cable problems that affected the older models. Movement is smoother and the cables stay tidy during suspension travel.

Giant vs Liv: Shared Technology With Different Geometry

The new Anthem and the Liv Pique share the same suspension concept, but they do not share the same frame molds. The geometry and tube lengths differ because Liv uses fit data designed for women while Giant uses data from a broader rider population. The shock tune differs as well since Liv typically uses a lighter tune. Riders who fall outside of the average range may find the Liv or the Giant version more comfortable depending on body size and riding style.

Giant’s New Two-Position Dropper Post

Several of the new models come with a new in-house dropper post. It uses two fixed positions and relies on a mechanical spring instead of a hydraulic cartridge. This design keeps things simple, cuts down on potential failures and keeps the weight low. The 110 millimeter version weighs 360 grams and the 140 millimeter version weighs 390 grams. Both are available in a 30.9 millimeter diameter.

RECON’s Take

Giant enters the new season with two of the most refined short travel bikes they have ever built. The Anthem is aimed straight at XC racers who want low weight and elite stiffness. The Anthem X keeps the fast DNA but mixes in more comfort, confidence and fun for technical terrain. The new shock layout, updated wheels and overall refinement push Giant’s short travel lineup forward in a big way.

🏁 Video Of The Week

Winter time arrived and as Fabio Wibmer did, this new video get us hyped:

🎧 Podcast Of The Week

Rampage insides and plans for 2026 with UK shredder Tom Isted:

🚵‍♀️ 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 the Recon Team with a special shoutout to Marc Brodesser!