Welcome to RECON, the weekly email delivering your MTB news in under 5 min.

First, there was that kid tracking the movements of Elon Musk’s private jet.

Now an investigation by Le Monde revealed there are Strava sleuths pinpointing the location of world leaders like Trump and Macron by studying the movement data of their security personnel.

Let’s blame it on the road cyclists…

On Today’s Ride:

• 🌵 Travis Scott x Fox Racing Collab

• 🏆 What Is The Hard MTB League?!

• 📚 Pro Rider Teaches You DH Riding Position

GEAR

🔥 Travis Scott Teams Up With Fox Racing

MTB fans got those goosebumps this week….

Hip hop superstar Travis Scott’s brand collabs have broken the internet more than once. From his iconic meal deal at McDonald’s to his virtual concert in Fortnite, Cactus Jack always seems to blow people’s minds when he partners up with legendary names.

Now, his cultural cache has reached the world of action sports when he debuted a pop-up shop with Fox Racing at ComplexCon in Las Vegas this past weekend.

Lucky attendees had the opportunity to purchase a selection of hoodies, jerseys, and even some custom full-face moto helmets. To the disappointment of fans, it seems the products were available only at the event, and will not be sold to the rest of us online or in stores.

🧐 Why It Matters

This is a great example of how action sports are growing in popularity. Collaborations with major celebrities outside of the industry, signals how the category is moving further into the mainstream.

From athletes embracing social media and YouTube style vlogging, to increased media coverage of events like the UCI World Series on popular streaming platforms, action sports are becoming more relevant outside their own bubble.

Fox’s Instagram post of the Travis Scott helmet has over 15,000 likes. If anything it shows the industry has a major appetite for limited edition collaborations and should lean harder into drops.

BIKES

🤷‍♂️ An E-Bike Without The E?

Are we still allowed to clown e-bike riders if they aren’t actually on an e-bike?

We love showcasing the newest and best in mountain bikes, but today we found a fun one that’s out of the box to say the least.

The bike in question was ridden by Belgian pro Martin Maes at the Fort William DH World Cup earlier this year.

🎃 The Frankenbike Setup

This isn’t your typical DH rig. Maes’ bike started life as a Wild eMTB, but Orbea’s engineers gave it a downhill makeover:

• 200mm rear travel via a custom rocker link and aluminum seatstays.

• A modified bottom bracket to replace the motor housing.

• The stock carbon components swapped for durable aluminum stays.

The bike still rocks Orbea's familiar shape, but with the "diaper" covering the frame, there's no chance for speculation—this Wild is purely human-powered. Why use an eMTB frame? Orbea says it’s all about space and packaging—the Wild offers room to experiment, making it a better canvas for this DH beast than the Rallon.

❓Why It Matters

This isn’t Orbea’s first foray into the custom DH world. In 2022, Maes raced a dual-crown Rallon at Lourdes. But this Wild marks a step deeper into innovation, hinting at what’s possible when bike brands embrace the experimental.

🚲 Our Thoughts

Orbea calls this part of their OOLab project, designed for "exploring new solutions and creating future technologies." While details are scarce, one thing is clear: Orbea is using Maes’ race day as a proving ground for creative engineering.

In a world of cookie-cutter downhill bikes, this kind of innovation stands out.

RACING

🥇 New MTB League Is Redefining The Sport

If you thought the new changes to Red Bull Hardline and the UCI World Series were disruptive, wait till you get a load of this.

Pro Rider Braydon Bringhurst is changing the game with the Hard MTB League, a bold new competition format designed to crown the world’s best all-mountain riders.

🛠 Proof of Concept: Tested & Approved

From October 23-26, 2024, ten elite riders took on the league’s experimental courses in Boise, Idaho. With feedback from legends like Kyle Strait, Mitch Ropelato, and Bas van Steenbergen, the concept was put to the ultimate test—and it passed with flying colors.

🚵 The Format: 4 Courses, 1 Winner

• Trail: Rhythm sections and jumps test flow and timing.

• Slalom: Raw, off-camber turns with sneaky obstacles.

• Downhill: Hybrid rock-and-log gardens for max gnar points.

• Climb: A brutally steep course to punish legs and lungs.

Each rider’s combined time across these short (sub-30 second) spectator-friendly courses decides the winner. It’s mountain biking, reimagined for speed, skill, and serious fun.

🧐 Our Take?

The Hard MTB League is taking a creative and fresh look at mountain bike competition. The mix of technical courses and explosive formats is something we don’t see often, and it’s great to see innovation on the event side.

More events and series like this, especially in rider-heavy hotspots like the West Coast, are a big win for the MTB community. They bring new challenges, more opportunities for riders to shine, and ultimately help grow the sport.

🚀 What’s Next?

The 2025 season kicks off with qualifiers from May 13-17, leading to finals in October 2025. And in 2026? Expect a full-blown multi-event series. Beyond competition, Hard MTB League aims to build permanent, skill-accessible courses to grow the sport and bring this new format to riders everywhere.

For entries, updates, and maybe even a Hard MTB course in your area, check out HardMTBLeague.com or follow them on Instagram.

MTBUSINESS

💰 These Aussie Mountain Bikers Just Made A $300M Bag

Some people get their big business idea while in the shower, others arrive at it when they’re ripping downhill on two wheels.

When two Aussie mountain bikers decided they needed a better way to strap their smartphone to their bikes in 2011, they couldn’t have predicted what would come next.

Active lifestyle manufacturer, Thule Group, just announced their acquisition of Quad Lock for AU $500M ($327M USD).

Founders Chris Peters and Rob Ward started the company via KickStarter developing phone mounts aimed at cyclists. They were early to e-commerce and quickly expanded their product lines to other categories like motorcycles, running, cars, and lifestyle.

🧳 The Strategy Behind The Deal

This deal isn’t just about fancy phone mounts—it’s a strategic play. Thule’s acquisition doubles their sales presence in the Asia-Pacific region from 5% to 10%, giving them a stronger foothold in a key outdoor products market.

Hats off to these lads and the incredible business they built. We love to see fellow enthusiasts winning in the business world.

RIDING SCHOOL

📉 The Ultimate DH Riding Position

This section of our newsletter is sponsored by MTB education app Mastery, where we bring you the advice of pro riders to sharpen your skills out there. Today’s column is written by Utah-based shredder Dawson Fonger.

We've all been there—facing a steep, gnarly section of trail that catches us off guard!

For years, I kept hearing the advice, “Lean back!” whenever I found myself in a similar situation. But as I gained more experience, I realized that this common technique is not only ineffective but also dangerous.

Leaning back restricts your mobility and balance, making it harder to control your ride.

Instead, when tackling steep, chunky, loose, or unpredictable terrain, we use a technique called the “Hinge.” Here’s how it works:

• Bend at the hips

• Keep your back flat

• Angle your elbows outward

• Look up and ahead

This “Hinge” position serves two key purposes:

1. It gives you the mobility and flexibility to handle challenging terrain with ease and confidence.

2. It lowers your center of gravity making you more stable and less likely to tip over.

There’s so much more to perfecting your descending technique, and we’d love to help you master it! With Mastery, you can learn MTB skills from the pros. If you haven’t yet, be sure to join their waitlist—it's the perfect way to level up your riding.

🎥 Video Of The Week:

All good things come to an end. With colder days and rain on the way, we are re-living the dry times through this great closing day video!

💥 Wipeout Of The Week

🚨 @_baptiste_68 went full send on the road gap… and full send but not full landing! Hope you’re okay, legend!

🎧 Ear Candy

The Austrian superstar tells all in this ELECTRIC interview with Red Bull’s Just Ride podcast.

🗞 Miss A Recent RECON Newsletter?

🐣 Red Bull Hardline Invites Their Youngest Rider Ever

🇫🇷 Loic Bruni's Top Secret Bike Exposed

🚲 Is The New Transition Sentinel A Forever Bike?

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