Hello Vital MTB Visitor,
We’re conducting a survey and would appreciate your input. Your answers will help Vital and the MTB industry better understand what riders like you want. Survey results will be used to recognize top brands. Make your voice heard!
Five lucky people will be selected at random to win a Vital MTB t-shirt.
Thanks in advance,
The Vital MTB Crew
I heard a rumor that Norco will only have Gracey on the team next year.
I mean, she had more points this season than some entire teams…
It wouldn’t surprise me if Maples took a smaller contract to stay on a Commencal. He’s done really well on them, and seems to be building well.
And if I win the lottery, I’m calling Neko and getting Dak on FW.
Can’t imagine this being the case. Erice had terrible luck with injury this year but she’ll be a top elite shortly. Lina also looked promising as a 1st year junior. Men’s side might see some change, lucas is stepping back from WC. Bodi Kuhn is young and good results in 2024 so imagine he’s kept. No idea about Danny. I do wonder if they go after a top male like Maples etc.
Yeah not really sure, only time will tell. Almost no one seems to want their bikes though, and the dh team is expensive. Maybe the math isn’t mathin.
Maples issue is that you can’t have more than four elite male riders with the new rules.
Pierron, vergier, alran twins will be the elite men.
Maples to Commencal Les Orres with Vali.
Maybe put the Alrans on Les Orres with Vali and that team should be earning some good points next year.. Commencal has options..
Is more than four riders per category prohibited, or is it only your top 4 that score points for your team?
Good though all 5 riders are, reallistically you wouldn't bet on all 5 making finals each week.
As I understand it, and what has been discussed previously, 4 per class is the limit..
@bulletbass man ^This. I wouldn't imagine Commencal-Mucoff keeping Maples with the twins coming up, but would see him on Commencal- Les Orres.... kinda a Red Bull/ AlphaTauri situation.
Although the idea of building a second super team with Vali and the twins is veeeeeery interesting.
https://www.bikeradar.com/features/whats-happened-to-wiggle-chain-reaction-cycles-most-popular-brands?fbclid=IwY2xjawNjHE5leHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFXR3ZGVzl2TWFMRUFlaWpHAR6tRxv1JYlPvbyae-eKQ1BsH5Uo29_ipJJeFHQYy5UjJFPZDkOiYDmhIJkoBw_aem_jFDxjDOWcCtYhOEzJB1R0g
Interesting comment on this story regarding Nukeproof coming back:
"The following weekend was the UCI World Cup in Les Gets, so I headed down there and spoke to several teams with a goal of going racing in 2026"
Could they get take over from YT and get the guys that ran the team for '26? I guess they wouldn't be able to take the team points from the mob era?
That brings up the value of Team Points being a monetary commodity. Anyone know if a team structure allows the Mob points to be "sold" to a new team who wants that slot? What is the #1 value of points and can you make them transferable?
On the whole Dak thing...
He literally moved to middle of nowhere Kentucky & raced for Lindsey Wilson College b/c I assume he loved 2 wheels.
NOBODY goes to Lindsey Wilson to clown on bikes. Multiple friends over the years have gone to school & raced there. You have to give up EVERYTHING a young person values to live/race for that place. Reward is huge & incredible memories though.
All pros ride moto.
Looked at results to check my casual memory of the guy.
2016 - Morpheus Bikes
2017-2020 - Devinci (test monkey for the 29'er Wilson) - Team folded
2021 - YT Mob - what happened there don't recall
2022-2023 - Intense - (test monkey for 2 straight years) - Team folded
2024-2025 - Mondraker (test monkey) - Does anyone think that frame/suspension/kinematics is awesome? No one publicly has ever ridden it
Despite ALL that...here's his World Cup resume. Crippled a couple months ago and yet does this:
Hi all, I'm the 'Gosling' being referenced in the Bikeradar article. I had meetings in Les gets with five teams, YT being one and I'll start by saying that Gunnar Franke (Team Manager) is one of the best guys in the pits running a great team with awesome riders and staff. However we (Nukeproof) don't have the budget to go from 'no team' to one of the best, and highest budget teams in the pits when today we are not even selling any bikes. I also feel that we are not the type of brand that wants or needs one of the biggest trucks in the pits, presumably someone in YT's former management decision makers did. Nukeproof is moving forward as we speak, we are out testing with riders this week and hopefully we'll be able to share some exciting news soon. The new website goes live middle of November and by then I'm sure the news will be out about how we go racing in 2026.
Awesome to see Nukeproof rising from the ashes! Onya mate! Best of luck for 2026 and beyond.
Buying a company that made the pedals & front wheel that are still runnin' on my bike 3 seasons later. Good move.
I'm 99% sure I've seen somewhere (I can't remember where, might have been somewhere on the other site) that if a brand/team/whatever goes bankrupt then the points essentially disappear, they're linked to the 'paying agent' I think was the terminology used in whatever it was that I read - so no, as the paying agent for YT Mob has essentially changed, those points are gone, kaput.
take everything above with a pinch (fuck loads) of salt, it might have been a comment that someone posted on an article about teams/points etc. on the other site so may or may not be gospel truth.
I'm so happy to see NP back, one of your bikes inspired me to get into riding! I really want to see what's cooking with that rear end on the prototype Dissent too 🤔
IIRC the 2021 YT pretty suddenly abandoned the Mob.
It would be great to see Pagey back with the team 👍
It could be a cheaper to leave DH for another day and head into Enduro. Maybe with a certain rider known as Moi Moi and a manager you used to race Enduro (Pagey ;-) )
Who says that the twins will stay together?
The twins splitting is something I've actually heard before. Surprising but if the offers are there, then why not eh?
On another note, here are some photos of a few of the "park" features on the Korea track.
Frank Pardal says he'll be doing a track preview Wednesday!
The parts and accessories are getting an overhaul, we'll have some new stuff to show next year, probably less options than before as it was a pretty big range. What do you guys want to see Nukeproof make? Pedals, bars etc are a no brainer and the wheels are well regarded but we're open to suggestion...VitalMTB poll incoming...
Great to hear! The new back end is actually being tested this week by new team riders in a secret location...This picture was taken last week at the Belgian Cycling Factory, this is Dale McMullen (Nukeproof Lead Engineer) and Steve Jamison (Nukeproof Product Manager) discussing the new back end with a new rider (you can just see his foot)!
I've discussed it with Pagey but it's hard to go racing without sponsorship support and the appetite to go Enduro racing from brands is at an all time low. We can't do everything, DH gives you great coverage across not only World Cups but Hardline, Cerro Abajo etc etc but if we do do an Enduro team, Pagey would be an obvious choice but he's also got a new shop to get up and running so lets see...
Those bars with the 9⁰ back-sweep 🙏. Burgtec do them but only in a 35mm clamp, the HZN ones have a 31.8mm clamp and better compliance.
Oh also I would love to see the Giga back but with an Alloy version, maybe hopping on the trend of super-enduro bikes that have modular bits and can be converted to DH?
9 degree as opposed to 8 degree or something else?
Some 50mm rise 31.8 Horizon bars please.
The Vital MTB forum Law strikes again 😂. - "given sufficient time all threads descend into Tech Talk"
Post a reply to: 2026 Team Rumors