MS Racing’s switch to a new bike supplier means their aluminum Zerode G3 will be the next gearbox DH bike to take on the belt-drive challenge at the top of UCI MTB Downhill racing. Gates just updated the status of their still-open 100K Belted Purse set to award 100,000€ to “the first elite racer to win a UCI Downhill event on a belt-driven bike”, and Zerode is the next bikemaker to step up to compete.
Gates 100K Belted Purse bonus DH World Cup cash prize
We’ve been keeping an eye out for unique DH bikes racing at the top of the sport as long as I can remember. And gearboxes have definitely been a trend for decades. I remember Greg Minnaar racing the Honda RN-01 years before Bikerumor even started geeking out on bikes. But more recent refinement of Pinion’s gearboxes and Gates’ centerline belts have boosted gravity bike development, giving design engineers the freedom to better tune weight distribution & suspension performance, not to mention eliminating vulnerable derailleurs.
For 2025, Gates has officially partnered with four elite DH race teams – Aon racing Gamux bikes, Atherton Racing on their own prototype frames, Intense Factory Racing also on their own prototypes, and MS-Racing now on the Zerode below.
It’s the biggest crop yet of teams at the elite level racing gearbox & belt-drive transmissions, and thus the best chance a rider for one of these teams to grab that bonus €100k prize from Gates.
The 4 gearbox bikes of the 2025 UCI DH World Cup
Gamux Sego
Since we caught up with the Gates-backed prize purse last spring when it was pretty much only the CNC-machined alloy Gamux Sego with bonded-in carbon infill (above) that we saw on the elite DH circuit.
Atherton A.200.G
But since then, we’ve also seen a teaser of Atherton’s new carbon & 3D-printed titanium A.200.G prototype gearbox bike. And now Atherton has also give us an in-depth behind-the-scenes look at its development.
Intense M1 Pinion
And there’s also been the prototype Intense M1 Pinion gearbox DH bike that I spotted in Gates’ booth at Eurobike last summer.
Zerode G3
MS Racing brought Intense and Gates together to develop that M1 Pinion prototype last year.
But now with news last week that MS Racing won’t be racing that new Intense prototype that they helped develop last season, they’ve partnered up with Zerode – who happen to be the first among the four above to offer a commercially available gearbox DH bike…
Zerode G3 200mm travel aluminum gearbox downhill race bike
We’ve actually been following Zerode’s gearbox DH bike development, coming on thirteen years.
The first-gen G1 we saw from the New Zealand based bike company was built around an Alfine internally geared hub tucked inside its high pivot. The second-gen G2 updated to less travel & 27.5″ wheels a decade ago, keeping the geared hub as a gearbox.
But it was the advent of the reliable Pinion gearbox and Gates Carbon Drive belt systems that really modernized the bike and brought it to the G3 we see today.
Zerode G3 Tech Details
The current Zerode G3 is a high-pivot 6066-T6 aluminum mullet DH bike with 200mm of rear wheel travel and a 6-speed Pinion C1.6 gearbox.
Unlike most bikes on the DH racing circuit, the G3 has no derailleur to worry about bashing on rocks. Instead, wrapping its Gates belt around a high idler pulley and tensioner pulley, where it has little impact on the suspension.
Without worrying about a cassette either, the Zerode G3 features a narrower 12x142mm rear axle (like on your road & gravel bikes) to fit a singlespeed cog interface, but a symmetrically dished rear wheel. That sheds a little bit of weight, but the big impact is a much stronger wheel.
Like many modern gravity bikes, the G3 gets a 56mm IS headset that would allow for some headset angle adjustment. There’s also some conventional old school internal cable routing to get things out of the way simply.
Most likely, we’d expect the MS Racing team to kit their Zerode G3 out with the latest Smart.Shift gearbox. There seems to be a lot of interest from the top DH teams on its ability to shift instantly and effortlessly in all conditions, and it’s a premium option on Zerode’s commercial models.
Zerode G3 – Pricing, options & availability
The Zerode G3 is probably the most available gearbox DH bike out there at the moment, with 3 standard sizes and 3 finishes on offer.
The Origin frameset with frame, shock & full drivetrain sells for NZ$6000 (plus tax where applicable) / 4950€. Add on a fork and the Origin frameset + a Fox 40 Factory fork will set you back NZ$7800 / 6775€.
A full “deluxe” race-ready build like we see here is NZ$10,300 / 8295€.
One of the standard color options is a bright Red that wouldn’t look far off from MS Racing’s traditional team kit. But maybe since they parted ways with Intense this year, they’ll be looking to distance themselves in color a bit too?
Ele Farina pulled out her first World Cup DH win last season in Les Gets aboard a derailleur-ed Intense for MS Racing. Can she do it again this season on a belt-drive gearbox Zerode to take the 100k Belted Purse?
