Atherton Bikes is working on a 3D-printed DH prototype that could shake up one of the first bikes they ever made – a new gearbox-driven A.200.G. There aren’t many are now quite a few more concrete details on the new prototype mountain bike besides the name and its implications, just yet. But that and some social media teases give us a nice sneak peek at what we might find on the DH World Cup this season…
Update: Atherton has given a pretty detailed behind-the-scenes look at the prototype gearbox DH bike project, sharing a detailed 20-minute video telling the first part of the A.200.G’s development and its initial testing!
Atherton Bikes A.200.G 3D-printed gearbox DH bike prototype
The prototype downhill precursor to the A.200 was the first bike the Athertons teased when they announced their new bike brand in 2019. Custom 3D-printed titanium lugs bonded to carbon tubes.
Then, alongside their A.150 enduro bike, it was one of the original two custom frames that Atherton Bikes officially launched a year later. With Gee & Rachel racing the DH World Cup – and having each won World Championships, plus big brother Dan being the master builder behind Dyfi Bike Park, it’s no surprise that a big travel downhill bike is again the first to see big innovative development.
What’s next?
Details remain scant. But Atherton has revealed that it’s still an A.200.
That means 200mm of rear wheel travel. And it is an A Range bike – their “pinnacle of engineering excellence” – featuring carbon tubes bonded to their 3D-printed titanium lugs. That also means 22 standard frame sizes will be offered, plus the option for full custom geometry, too.
A Range also means the more complex 6-bar DW6 linkage designed by Dave Weagle. Also confirmed by a quick shot in the Atherton teaser of the left seatstay getting bonded into the non-driveside dropout.
What’s new?
Much of the details look similar.
The headtube (above far left, and higher up in the story) and the ends of the stays in this fresh-out-of-the-printer block seem pretty much identical to the current A.200. The chainstay yoke exhibits revised shaping to clear the new gearbox yoke and the bike’s lower short link. But it still has the same 2-pivot layout for the DW6 suspension design.
Of course, the big change is the gearbox yoke/mount/lug, or whatever we want to call the replacement for the bottom bracket lug. That’s the tallest piece in the 3D-print, and the blurry element the Atherton engineers are holding in the lede image.
It’s quite a complex part to hand the gearbox under the frame by six bolts, while being bonded with double-lap shear joints onto the carbon downtube & seattube, and providing the three of the lower pivot points in the DW6 suspension layout.
Is it a Pinion SmartShift Ci-Line gearbox, with a Gates belt-drive?
We aren’t 100% are now quite sure, but it looks like this Atherton A.200.G is designed to work with Pinion’s category-leading C-line gearbox. This gearbox dummy confirms the prototype bike’s name, as well.
And interestingly, the glimpses of the gearbox itself both feature a Gates centerline-style belt cog. Presumably then, this Atherton DH prototype will feature a belt tensioner, too.
Now we can see, that’s the same, now electronic-shifting gearbox we’ve seen in Intense’s M1 Pinion prototype DH bike last year, as well as the Gamux Sego that we’ve already spotted trying to nab Gate’s as-yet-unclaimed €100K prize.
The reasoning for a gearbox DH bike remains the same for Atherton as it has for Gamux & Intense, and even something as disparate as the Surly Moonlander.
No derailleur getting bashed off a passing rock, perfect shifts in the harshest riding conditions, and lower maintenance. Better weight distribution – lower & more central center of gravity. And ultimately more ability to tune suspension around a bike’s sprung weight.
A lot more detail behind-the-scenes!
According to Atherton…
“For almost 20 years as they travelled to World Cups Atherton Bikes’ CEO Dan Brown, Athy, Gee, Rach, and their mechanics dreamed and planned for the ultimate DH bike to take to the races… and more often than not a belt-driven gearbox bike would be high up in the wish-list.
In 2024 the opportunity arose to partner with Gates Carbon Drive to make the dream a reality.
Atherton’s Additive Manufacturing (AM) technology is perfect for allowing them to test and improve things really quickly, so driven by the passion and commitment of Dave Weagle, Rob Gow, and designers Scott Aisthorpe and Will Carne the team have achieved a pretty good first prototype within months. This candid film is part 1 of a series and documents the start of that process… from a titanium build plate to the first week of ride-testing, subscribe to Atherton’s youtube to follow the bike’s development in real time.”
When is it coming?
On social media, Atherton Bikes is still only teasing individual elements of their A.200.G DH prototype, no complete bike pics. And just an hourglass emoji to tease us that it’s coming soon. So we expect it’ll be quite a while until this thing makes it into production.
But with the 2025 UCI Mountain Bike World Series set to kick off with a World Cup return to Bielsko-Biała, Poland in mid-May, we’ll be in the ground trying to get some closer spy shots from the race track!
Can’t forget Ridgeline VI: Kazakhstan
We can’t not mention Gee’s latest Ridgeline video, even if he’s riding the standard A.200, not the prototype gearbox bike…
“Ridgeline, the renowned mountain bike film series known for capturing some of the most awe-inspiring and high-stakes mountain bike adventures across the globe, launches its latest and most ambitious instalment: Ridgeline VI: Kazakhstan.
In pursuit of a fresh challenge, the Ridgeline team turned their sights beyond the familiar mountains of Europe. Seeking a place of mystery and raw, untouched beauty, they found themselves drawn to Kazakhstan. Covering an immense 2.7 million square kilometres, Kazakhstan is the world’s ninth-largest country, a land that demands a new level of preparation and respect. Unlike previous projects where the team could adapt quickly, Kazakhstan’s vast and remote stretches required far greater planning. With long distances between petrol stations and rugged, isolated terrain, every step of the journey had to be carefully thought out.
Gee’s journey in Kazakhstan saw him tackling huge, natural lines onboard his Atherton Bikes A.200, calling on every inch of travel to soften the rugged desert terrain. Hitting massive, loose scree slopes, often blindly, with just one take to nail it, the experience has redefined the team’s understanding of big mountain riding potential, highlighting the delicate balance between ambition and the unforgiving reality of these untouched environments.”
