Life Time has banned the use of drop handlebars on mountain bikes at the Leadville Trail 100 and Little Sugar races.
The Leadville Trail 100 is a 100-mile MTB race on some of Colorado’s highest roads and trails.
Pairing mountain bikes with the drops has become an increasingly popular option at the race. The control of a mountain bike and the speed of a drop-bar setup are ideal for the race’s combination of technical sections and high-speed gravel roads, which make up the majority of the course.
The proof of how successful this combination of equipment can be is in the results. Cory Wallace and Dylan Johnson finished in the top 20 with the setup in 2022 and 2023, respectively.
Keegan Swenson won the last two editions on drop-bar mountain bikes. In 2024, Swenson used a hardtail mountain bike with drop bars. In 2025, he took his setup one step further racing a full-suspension Santa Cruz Blur with drops.
Violations will result in disqualification
But Life Time, which also organises Unbound, says competitors can no longer use these ‘Frankenbike’ builds at its two premiere mountain bike races.
“For rider safety and course compatibility, drop-style handlebars (road or gravel bars with drops) are no longer permitted for the Life Time Leadville Trail 100 MTB and Life Time Little Sugar MTB. All competitors must use flat or riser-style handlebars at these events,” Life Time’s updated rules read.
Life Time says the rule will be enforced during pre-race inspections and on the courses, and violations will result in disqualification.
Despite banning drop bars from the Leadville Trail 100 and Little Sugar, Life Time’s new rules state riders can use the handlebars for its other MTB race, the Chequamegon MTB Festival.
Life Time hasn’t provided an explanation for the exception.
The popularity of drop-bar mountain bikes has spread from racers adapting their bikes to brands releasing models that tap into the trend. Trek released the full-suspension CheckOUT gravel bike in 2025 and Pinarello unveiled the new Grevil MX just last week.
