Atherton’s 2025 DH rig is UNREAL

If Atherton’s A200 DH bike wasn’t as exciting enough, they’ve gone and done it again, with their A200G race rig, the most hyped machine in the 2025 pits.
They’ve taken their futuristic 3D printed titanium and carbon construction, and added a Pinion gear box and Gates’ Carbon Drive.
Why? Well, perfected axle paths, unsprung mass, centralised weight distribution, and the small thing of a €100,000 prize pot for the first Elite World Cup win on Gates’ belt might have had something to do with it.
In this video, we delve deep into their manufacturing, and the reasons behind the development of this incredible race machine.

[@mbuktv]

Is this really the future for DH rigs? 🧐

[@finroddd]

I strongly hope so!

[@lifebehindbars8504]

Guaranteed.

[@lonewanderer2287]

This is the future for many race level bikes. Eventually the tech trickles down. Just like in the automotive world.

[@andreacittadini7247]

Yes and hopfully soon! can't wait for the egineering part of the video to come out

[@finroddd]

@@andreacittadini7247 so am I. I have to admit, the process of development of this amazing bike is quite interesting even for non-specialists like me.

[@purelymountainbiking4697]

What an insane engineering process, pioneering for sure, 👌

[@andrewcunningham9256]

The 500q is so cool, still super expensive but so much more practical than the older printers. We had a renishaws plant on our campus back when sintered printers were enormous, they brought one of the old Empire 3d printed bikes to an event for us... I asked how much it cost to make and they said not actually as much as you'd think, but it cost quarter of a million quid to fully load the printer. They took a loss on every Empire bike made, just for publicity purposes- I got to skid one around the conference hall, it wasn't very good but it was beautiful.

[@Griffon37]

Lovely engineering good luck Atherton

[@JayPeters-o7j]

Work of art

[@matthewchorlton8657]

The level of technology is insane, I know it's not exactly brand new tech but 3D printing still absolutely blows my mind. Crazy how people come up with these ideas. What's also mind blowing is the set up at Atherton bikes, I wouldn't want to hazard a guess at the amount of investment and start up cost which has gone into that place!

[@mbuktv]

There's a hell of a lot of money ploughed into their facility for sure, and only one bike a day produced! You can see why they're not cheap!

[@alk5270]

Amazing work looking forward to seeing it in the flesh at the track Atherton’s pushing this tech is great putting the buzz back in to the bike scene

[@mbuktv]

Definitely getting us hyped! Hardline is going to be epic!

[@palooza90210]

Awesome video. It would be cool if you could program shifts to work off of a GPS so that the gearbox executes pre-programmed shifts automatically during your run.

[@donbenincasa7442]

This design is one of the most beautiful bikes I’ve ever seen. If it rides as good as it looks 🎉

[@dhmental]

Very cool to see more companies moving toward the gearbox. Hopefully a American company will do it soon so I can actually afford to buy one.

[@greengonzonz]

Looking forward to seeing this in the races.

[@mbuktv]

So are we! The tech and teams lining up for 2025 has us properly stoked!

[@darrenwall5439]

What a cool looking yoke! Intresting to see Charlie at hardline very soon💚

[@guillaumebarrette9040]

It gives strong Giant Cadex CFM vibes with the visible joints, I love it !

[@petermascall1158]

Test rode an Atherton at the Malverns bike festival. Since then, I've seriously wanted one. It was a eye opener to how good a bike can be. They get a sh!! Load of attention as well. Plus they are made in my home country.

[@mbuktv]

I'm just super jealous I never got to test the ones we had in for test! Definitely a dream machine

[@MartinTeerly]

Belt in MTB is definitely the future

[@mbuktv]

It's been said for a long time! It'll come properly, one day!

[@boatboy222]

Looks good! The red bits are usually heavy rain?😂

[@davemathers8954]

wheelbase changes even with a vertical axle in back, because the front is gets sqished?

[@johnnyweekend]

Glued together frames and rubber band chains are definitely the future!

[@adamchambers7502]

@@johnnyweekend this is an awful misunderstanding of the mechanics of whats going on there though. I know its probably tongue in cheek but still. A better description would be a frame thats pressfit together, because the primary loadpath doesnt just rely on the epoxy adhesion strength. Id say most of the load relies on face to face contact, and the 'glued together' bit simply resists the resultant axial sliding vector component of the tubes when the system is under load. Tl:dr, if one was assembled with no glue, id bet you could still sit on it and it would stay together well

[@johnnyweekend]

@adamchambers7502 A fancy way of saying it's glued together in order to save on costs. There's no other advantage. 3D printing different size lugs so we don't need different length tube's saves on cost. We also don't need a jig or a welder to put it together. We can have our intern can slide the tube's into the lugs in our bathroom, which again, saves on cost. We don't need multiple carbon molds, a massive oven, or toxic resin to glue carbon patches together in tue mold. It's genius and definitely the future. Using a rubber band for the chain is the cherry on top.

[@adamchambers7502]

@johnnyweekend 😂😂😂

[@APOCLAG]

Ready for trouble!

[@razmtb5028]

Awesome bike!

[@mbuktv]

Pretty cool huh?!

[@swiftwraith]

wonder what the lifespan is on the belt drives, and do they suffer from stretch like standard chains do.

[@fyretyger844]

No stretch. They can go thousands of miles with minimal maintenance.

[@johngreen787]

The bike looks shit hot, 🤘🍻

[@chimps4gimps]

No mention of the £100k sweetener if it wins a WC DH race 🤔

[@JPedroso62]

The future has arrived

[@thelanehunterdevon1664]

Cool

[@teamdoa]

I am really interested in this tech, but more for an E-Bike application. Is that possible?

[@kingflynxi9420]

look at the pinion MGU

[@teamdoa]

@@kingflynxi9420 Ok, thanks.

[@mbuktv]

Should the Pinion MGU be on our list of kit to test?

[@TucanoTMK1]

@@mbuktv Its been out a Year ?You Are Way Behind the Curve !!!!!

[@superchickensoup]

All ebikes should have pinion gear system and belt drive, to my mind it's bloody stupid they all don't

[@daviddwight5745]

If ocean gate made bikes!

[@euanbegbie]

Those zip ties are killing your ankles!

[@dominocweber9763]

Reminds me of the fmf bmx frames

[@guillaumebarrette9040]

Had to look that one up, sweet !

[@dominocweber9763]

@ I raced one for a season when I was a kid. I also raced a DH mtb that was a carbon frame prototype in 2004. The frame snapped at the head tube. I was only a 130lb kid at the time. Technology has come a long way since then! Now Im an old man that desert races dirt bikes and I am watching my kids tare it up on the bmx and mtb racing haha

[@rhettcorbett3346]

Belt looks like it is touching the bottom tube of the rear triangle.

[@superchickensoup]

😂 looks! Isn't though is it, maybe go to specsavers

[@adamchambers7502]

design engineer and mtbe'r here. A younger me would have sold a kidney or two to get working here with that tech. I say younger because at my ancient mid thirties age with kids, bike industry salaries being notoriously low probably wouldn't work for me these days.

[@mbuktv]

Bike industry ain't a place to get rich 😂 but the tech those guys are using is seriously cool

[@adamchambers7502]

@mbuktv not even to get rich, but just to live on with a mortgage wife and kids mate! Having said that, if Atherton bikes offered me a job designing these tomorrow, id have to have a really really big think about it! 😂 Did any of those designers mention they test ride their prototypes during work hours? That would be the ultimate excuse to tell the missus to get some bike time in that she couldn't say no to! 'sorry love, part of the job!'

[@Shredaholics]

I just wonder how much gear shifting happens in a dh race.

[@ChefIan-r1e]

👍

[@darius2640]

nah thats all stuff for middle aged dentists with too much money. real riders, young broke lads need sothing that works, doesnt break, and is cheap and easy to repair and service by someone who isnt good at mechanics but good at sending it and breaking deraileur hangers and such

[@WilyTuber]

Yes the downhill quadriplegic challenge is going to be even BETTER THAN EVER

[@kip4135]

Another 10-12k euro mtb yay >.>

[@fahhhmed]

Goodness… my eyes hurt. How about investing in a tripod for your interviews!

[@Griffon37]

Can't say I noticed content was to interesting!

[@kevparker4604]

Bike made of glue and rubber… nice one