PRO BIKES - Hard MTB League Test Event 7

There's a new mountain bike competition format under development, and it's called Hard MTB League; the brainchild of Braydon Bringhurst. The quick-and-dirty is that trail bikes (with and without motors) are the steed of choice as riders compete on short stages in a compact, spectator-friendly area. There will be a climbing stage and multiple downhill stages of varying difficulty and style. From natural tech to supercross rhythm to raw slalom, ever element of mountain biking is covered. 

A couple weeks ago, the first test event took place near Boise, Idaho. Braydon invited pro mountain bikers from all over to sample the track, give input on the format itself and refine the concept as it moves forward into 2025. There was no formal competition or timed runs at the test event, but the vibe left everyone buzzing for what's to come. We will have a video from a week of slaying and schralping later this week, but in the meantime, check out some of the bikes that were used to shredded. -gordo

Eddie Reynolds' Kona Process 134

Eddie showed up with two bikes, a full-size Kona Remote e-MTB and this fun-sized slalom- and jump-specific Kona Process 134. While it was not ready for tackling a climbing stage, it blitzed the rhythm and blasted the big booter for some epic photos. Eddie spent most of his time on the Remote unlocking lines and features all week on both bikes.

Kyle Strait's Ari Nebo Peak

Kyle was fresh off of ball-riding cliff drops post-tailwhip from Rampage and got tech on this Ari Nebo Peak e-bike.

Oliva Silva's Canyon Spectral:ONfly

Oli had a full stable of bikes and used them all. In between laps on the rhythm, she sessioned the big booter in the background eventually stomping tuck no-handers. 

Austin Warren's Evil

Bubba brought both e- and regular mountain bikes. Like most, he shredded most on the e-bike just to stack laps, but he precisely picked apart sections on his normal MTB too. Do you like that Metaltek stand? We do, too. Bubs makes them. 

Luca Cometti's Canyon Spectral:ONfly

Luca Cometti is an all-terrain vehicle and that includes being a man behind the camera, not just blasting for it. He was also the only rider ready to bail out his friends with a CO2 cartridge.

Bas van Steenbergen's Hyper

I think Bas was the only rider without an e-bike and the Canadian wasn't scared. He earned more legit, human-powered mileage than anyone at the event on his Hyper.

Amy Shenton's Revel

Amy came in from Pittsburgh with a big bike and big determination. She progressed massively throughout the week and found herself returning to the natural downhill section more than most riders. The coolest thing is that the moment she got home, she started building her own obstacles to train for future events.

April Zastrow's Ari Nebo Peak

The test event took place in April's hometown, so the environment was familiar but the terrain, all custom-created for the event, was not. It was rad to watch her skills develop everyday as she'd continue to check off a new line or jump. And holy cow, she would sprint into the final raw slalom corner and light that thing up! Her vlog below tells the tale of her experience.

Braydon Bringhurst's Canyon Spectral

The man behind the event has a vision and that vision involves showcasing just how rad and capable trail bikes are. Sure downhill is rad or slopestyle is sensation, but the reality is that we own and ride trails bikes. Put on an event that shows their potential and let the future of our sport explode with growth! His grom-art-infused Spectral clocked some serious mileage during the event.

Stay tuned for more from the event later this week and be sure to follow @hardmtbleague on Instagram.