Pre-production linkages, data-acquisition hardware, electronic gears, big rear disc rotors, lead weights and Wynn Masters' latest DH bike – these were all spotted at the Not A Race test event in Wales, as the unofficial 2026 downhill MTB season opened.
Specialized’s Jordan Williams set the fastest time of the day onboard a pre-production Specialized Demo downhill bike with a hidden chainring, pre-production Öhlins shock, SRAM AXS DH drivetrain and Brembo brakes.
We learned loads from Williams' bike, and there were plenty of glimpses of downhill tech that will be present on 2026’s fastest bikes, if you knew where to look.
Energy-saving bar ends
Large bar ends were visible on privateer Josh Lancett’s Scott Gambler at BikePark Wales.
Joe Breeden’s prototypes were top secret when we covered them at the Fort William DH World Championships in 2024, but are now becoming more commonplace.
Lancett was enthusiastic about his bar ends, which he said help reduce arm pump by minimising the amount of energy used to keep your hands on the handlebar, which is most likely to tire riders out on long tracks or rough terrain.
Large 220mm+ rear brake rotors
A few riders at Not A Race were running very large 220mm rotors on the rear of their bikes, while opting for a more conservative 200mm rotor on the front. Adam Brayton was one pro running a larger rear Hope floating rotor and a smaller front one.
I didn’t receive a definitive answer as to why riders had made this choice. However, in theory, the larger rotor provides greater power and increased cooling for the brakes.
Whether one or both of these factors is behind their adoption by multiple riders on the World Cup circuit needs further investigation.
Adding weight
Adding weight to downhill bikes is now standard practice in Elite-level racing, but the amount of weight could be creeping up.
Over the past few years, it’s been possible to spot riders running around 400-500g of ballast on their bikes, usually below the bottom bracket shell.
Jackson Goldstone, one of the lightest riders on the circuit, is said to be running around three times this amount beneath his Santa Cruz V10.
This could become a trend, with veteran of 97 World Cup races Wynn Masters explaining he was running a whopping 1,500g of lead weights from a scuba diving belt cable tied below his new V10.
Masters explained that his sponsor, Focus, does not make a downhill bike, and because it's part of the PON group along with Santa Cruz, Focus was happy for him to run a V10.
Masters hadn't been on a downhill bike since the Lake Placid World Cup and was still missing a few parts for his V10, but said he was rapidly warming to the new bike.
He was running a full 29in setup, with the reach-adjustment cups in the shortest position on his V10.
The third-fastest rider of the day, Joe Breeden, was running an even more colossal 2kg of weight below the down tube of his Nukeproof Dissent.
Pro-only customisation
It will come as no surprise that World Cup racers have higher demands for their bikes than Joe Public, and we saw numerous riders at Not A Race running custom parts in order to tailor their bikes for the task of getting the fastest time possible on a World Cup track.
Ethan Craik was running a very shiny CNC-machined linkage on his new Scott Gambler DH bike with a hidden Fox air shock.
Craik and suspension engineer Rich from RSR were tight-lipped on what the new links do, but explained they gave him the rear-suspension characteristics he wanted to go as fast as possible.
Telemetry and suspension data acquisition
RSR Racing was in attendance, and using hardware attached to the fork and shock to record the speed of movement and the position while Craik and Lancett were riding.
These systems have gained popularity over the past few seasons and are now considered by some to be essential; riders have limited runs on the course during the race weekend and it is not only important to find the correct setting for the suspension, but to be able to do so as fast as possible.
What we didn’t see
Even the most well-connected Shimano-sponsored riders were not running the rumoured (and long-awaited) new Shimano Saint components. Instead, riders such as Craik were running a mix of the existing Saint M820 drivetrain and XTR M9200 brakes.
Hopefully, a new Saint groupset is on the way for pro riders and bike shops very soon.
Not A Race results
Despite Not A Race's non-competitive nature, riders were keen to showcase their talents against their peers ahead of the World Cup season opener in South Korea at the start of May.
Williams set the fastest time of the day aboard his prototype Specialized Demo, at 2mins 44.66secs, only 0.29secs ahead of Craik, whose best was a 2mins 44.95secs. Breeden rounded out the not-a-podium for Nukeproof Axess Racing with a time of 2mins 45.75secs.
