As we say goodbye to ’25, we’re looking back at the biggest stories in mountain biking this year. Starting with the good news, we saw dozens of exciting new MTB product launches and trail openings that stoked our spokes. At the same time, the bike industry faced several challenges, some existing and some new.
ICYMI, here are the top mountain bike stories and trends from 2025.
Innovative products and MTB tech trends
Mountain bike tech continues to evolve as new standards emerge and innovative products arrive to shake things up. One of the products we were surprised to see attract significant attention in 2025 was a simple tire plug tool from GÜP.
The GÜP Industries tire plug tool finds a surprisingly secure stash spot on the saddle
The GÜP Industries Oversize Puncture System features a tool, tire plugs, and an extra Presta valve stem, and the whole package snaps to a standard MTB saddle rail.
Another major story in 2025 examined the growing confusion between eMTBs and electric motorcycles, and, following our coverage, several mainstream publications have also written about the issue.
Electric motors hurt mountain biking, but we’re not talking e-bikes: e-motos are the problem
E-motos are tearing up trails and causing problems for legitimate mountain bikers across the nation. How did we get here?
A new wheel size!? Still feeling burned by the introduction of 29er wheels more than a decade ago, mountain bikers are closely following the development of new bikes designed around 32-inch wheels. I predict this will be an even bigger story in 2026 as major bike brands finally begin to roll out their own bigger-wheel XC race.
The Zinn Cycles B.I.G. 32er is the first full-suspension bike in production with 32-inch wheels
The cross-country mountain bike is designed for tall riders exclusively and is available in two sizes, starting at 2XL.
Another wheel-size-related story this year focused on the decline of forks designed for 27.5″ wheels. Several new fork releases in 2025 omitted 27.5″ options, with the majority of buyers opting for mixed-wheel bikes over matched 27.5″ bikes.
Many of the latest MTB forks are 29er only, leaving buyers with fewer 27.5 options
Mountain bikers are finding fewer options when it comes to 27.5 forks due to decreased demand.
Massive trail builds and destination inspiration
Mountain bikers love discovering and riding new trails. It’s the reason Leah and I started Singletracks more than 25 years ago, and today, there are more trails in more places than ever before! Clearly we’re not the only ones who are stoked for new trails; news about massive plans and trail builds in California, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania were among the top stories of 2025.
Connected Communities completes first town-to-town singletrack link in California’s Sierra Nevada
California’s ambitious Connected Communities project has completed its first town-to-town singletrack connection, linking Quincy and Taylorsville with 13.5 miles of trail.
Thanks to $2.5 million from an anonymous donor, a world-class MTB trail system is coming to Western Massachusetts
The new Shaker Ridge Trails in Western Massachusetts will boast 25-30 miles of singletrack in Phase 1, with the grand vision calling for 60-100 miles of world-class mountain bike trails.
A public-private partnership is bringing 50 miles of new MTB trails to Central Pennsylvania
Rothrock State Forest is transforming into a modern MTB network of epic proportions thanks to 50 new miles of singletrack.
Fresh trail builds are always exciting, though sometimes the best mountain bike destinations are hiding in plain sight. Quebec City is one of those destinations, boasting hundreds of miles of singletrack with something for everyone.
Mountain biking Quebec City: A 5-day guide to the region’s expansive trail systems
Quebec City is home to five world-class MTB trail systems, each of which is a destination in its own right.
Bike industry struggles
More than three years after Singletracks declared the pandemic-era bike boom was over, the consequences of supply chain imbalances continue to catch up with once high-flying brands. In 2025 dozens of bike brands and suppliers announced bankruptcy, layoffs, restructuring, or a combination of all three. Revel and YT were two of the biggest brands to suffer setbacks last year, though ultimately both saw their founders return to lead newly energized teams.
Revel Bikes may have suffered “final blow”
Colorado-based Revel Bikes appears to be winding down operations just a week after new mountain bike models were announced.
Direct-to-consumer MTB brand YT faces insolvency
In a bold move to secure its future, YT Industries announces a self-administrated legal restructure amid financial challenges.
Smaller brands struggled too, including Pole in Finland and Alchemy in Colorado.
Pole Bicycles is clearing out ‘museum’ pieces to help fund rebirth
Pole Bicycles is selling museum stock to finance a brand relaunch, offering collectors prototype and unreleased models for a new chapter in cycling innovation.
After 17 years, Colorado bike brand Alchemy Bikes is for sale
Ryan Cannizzaro founded Alchemy in 2008 and now he’s looking for a new owner to take the renowned bike brand into the future.
It wasn’t just financial struggles that brands faced in 2025. Mountain bikers closely followed the drama between two of the biggest cycling data companies, Garmin and Strava, and were shocked to learn that a multi-million dollar shipment of Ari bikes seemingly vanished into thin air.
Strava signals they will comply with Garmin logo requirement by Nov 1 deadline
It appears Strava is preparing to comply with Garmin’s updated API terms by November 1, despite pushing back publicly less than two weeks ago.
Hundreds of Ari bikes were stolen in shipping fraud case
A shipment containing 337 Ari bikes, including new and unreleased models, was stolen in California.
So what will 2026 hold? It’s safe to say there are more exciting trail openings, 32-inch bikes, and innovative products to come. We’ll probably see fewer industry struggles too (thankfully) but also new conflicts we can’t even imagine yet. Whatever happens, Singletracks will be here to cover it.
We can’t wait to ride into 2026!
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