Professional freeride mountain biker Carson Storch announced his title sponsor for 2026 isn’t a bike brand at all — it’s a Japanese construction equipment manufacturer. With bike brands struggling financially and limited sponsorship funds available, Storch has found a strong — albeit unconventional — partner to support his riding and trail-building efforts.
“I will be running any frame I choose to ride, branded Kubota. This is definitely a different path than the norm, and I can’t thank Kubota enough for having my back going into this next season,” he wrote in a press release.
Storch goes on to say he’ll be using a Kubota U55-5 compact excavator and an SVL 97-3 compact track loader this year for various trail building projects in and around his home state of Oregon. An online search shows that a Kubota U55-5 compact excavator costs $82,642 or more. And we thought bikes were expensive!
“Carson’s backroads upbringing, digging dirt and building jumps for freeride mountain biking, makes this partnership a natural fit for Kubota,” said Theresa Duncan, Associate Marketing and Advertising Director, Kubota Tractor Corporation, in the release. “Through partnerships like this, we’re proud to celebrate real-world Kubota customers who value hardworking equipment and stay true to our mission of empowering our customers to blaze new trails, tackle tough jobs, and push past boundaries.”
Could this become a trend among professional riders seeking financial support?
“I’m not sure if this move I made will encourage riders to look outside the box for support, but I sure hope it does,” Storch told Singletracks over email. “Times are tough in the MTB industry, and it sucks seeing so many friends losing their well-being. I know the industry will bounce back, but with our sport growing at the rate it is, I don’t see why these non-endemic companies won’t be interested in getting involved!”
In fact, Storch isn’t the first mountain bike athlete to sign with Kubota. In 2024, Aaron Gwin and Windrock Bike Park announced a partnership with the equipment company that equipped the park crew with a KX080-5 power utility excavator and an R640 Wheel Loader, plus other utility vehicles. “I’ve loved building trails since I was a little kid, doing little dirt jumps in the backyard,” Gwin told Singletracks. “I love building about as much as I like riding.”
Working with Kubota “is opening up the door for more trail building,” Storch said. “I have many projects lining up here in Central Oregon working with COTA, and TORTA on the OR Coast.”
Thirty-two-year old Storch competed in his first jump and flowstyle competition at age 17 and has become known for his technical skills and distinctive riding style, earning podium finishes at Red Bull Rampage in 2016 and 2023, along with a first-place win at the 2021 Proving Grounds competition. Despite career-threatening injuries in 2015 that sidelined him from competition, Storch has remained active in major events and film projects, including the acclaimed “North of Nightfall,” while also dedicating time to trail building and community work in his hometown.
A Kubota-orange Zink bike for competing at Natural Selection, and maybe Rampage too
Free to choose his own bikes for the 2026 season, Storch plans to ride a prototype Zink Bikes DH frame painted Kubota-orange in the upcoming Natural Selection Bike competition in Queenstown, New Zealand. “Red Bull Rampage is still a goal at the end of the year, and [I have] many film projects in the works,” Storch said.
In addition to riding the Zink frame, Storch also plans to ride Propain e-bikes and the Propain Rage downhill bike.
Though he won’t have a frame sponsor in 2026, Storch says Red Bull remains his biggest sponsor, and he’ll continue to work with endemic brands including Giro, Shimano, Outdoor Research, and SR Suntour.
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