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MTB
Red Bull Rampage bike check: These are 2026's ultimate freeride machines
Find out what the athletes of Red Bull Rampage will be riding this year, and what their bikes need to be able to stand up to mountain biking’s gnarliest event.
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The bikes of Red Bull Rampage are on another level to your usual downhill machines. While they might share the same basic parts found on your conventional mountain bike - wheels, suspension, tyres etc are a given - every detail's tailored to the cliffs and chutes of Virgin, Utah. Here’s a closer look at all the elements - the suspension, the psi, the bike frame and more - behind these freeride monsters.
01
What type of bikes do riders use at Red Bull Rampage?
Downhill bikes are the go-to machines at Red Bull Rampage
© Christian Pondella/Red Bull Content Pool
You'll find one kind of bike frame at Red Bull Rampage: downhill mountain bikes (DH bikes). As the name suggests, they're designed for descending. The geometry – slack head angle, longer wheelbase and lower bottom bracket – creates stability for high-speed technical riding. Some bike brands even custom-build frames specifically for the harsh impacts of Red Bull Rampage.
When it comes to building Red Bull Rampage bikes, every bolt and screw needs to be tightened to the max. "All the top recommendations from the brands or factories – we go higher," explains mountain bike race technician Maxine Muratet. It doesn't take much for a bolt to come loose, and the techs would rather take all the precautions they can get.
Component
Typical Red Bull Rampage setup
Bike type
Downhill bike
Suspension
Firmer settings
Tyre pressure
35-45 PSI
Wheel sizes
26", 27.5", Mixed
Brakes
200mm rotors
Tyres
Usually tube setups
02
The bikes of Red Bull Rampage 2026
One of the most fascinating parts of Red Bull Rampage is seeing how each rider approaches the mountain. While most competitors start with downhill bike platforms, no two setups are exactly alike. Wheel sizes, suspension configurations, cockpit preferences and custom components all reflect a rider's style, strengths and the unique line they plan to ride in Utah's desert terrain.
Browse the bikes of the 2026 Red Bull Rampage field below to see how the world's top freeride mountain bikers prepare for one of the sport's most demanding events.
Men's bikes
Johnny Salido – Transition Bottlerocket
© Bartek Wolinski/Red Bull Content Pool
Szymon Godziek – Specialized Status
© Bartek Wolinski/Red Bull Content Pool
Paul Couderc – Commencal FRS
© Bartek Wolinski/Red Bull Content Pool
Connor Gallart – Evil Insurgent
© Bartek Wolinski/Red Bull Content Pool
Women's bikes
Hannah Bergemann – Transition Bottlerocket
© Bartek Wolinski/Red Bull Content Pool
Harriet 'Haz' Burbidge-Smith – Canyon Torque
© Bartek Wolinski/Red Bull Content Pool
Robin Goomes – Yeti SB160 (Custom)
© Bartek Wolinski/Red Bull Content Pool
Vinny Armstrong – Forbidden Dreadnought
© Bartek Wolinski/Red Bull Content Pool
03
How riders set up suspension for Red Bull Rampage
Suspension is everything in freeride. The right settings are key for landing things like 50-foot drops or hitting massive jumps accurately. However, the unique terrain at Red Bull Rampage can make it a puzzle to dial it in. Like a racing pit crew, suspension techs will be on-site to adjust the setup quickly.
The general rule with suspension is that supple suspension creates more traction in steep, loose terrain. However, stiffer suspension helps with hitting jumps and having consistency when going off the lip of a feature. Red Bull Rampage riders ride both the steeps and jumps, so it can take some tinkering to find the sweet spot.
Suspension setup can make or break a Red Bull Rampage run
© Bartek Wolinski/Red Bull Content Pool
I max my tokens in the fork and all my PSIs as high as I can get
Compared to a World Cup Downhill, Red Bull Rampage riders prefer stiffer suspension all around. "There are two main riders [at Red Bull Rampage.] Some riders prefer drops, while others prefer kickers and jumps," explains Sean Murphy of Fluid Function. Often, for the drop-oriented riders, they'll add more tokens. If the athlete ends up riding both kinds of features, their set up will run firmer all around. "For me, I max my tokens in the fork and all my PSIs as high as I can get," explains veteran Red Bull Rampage rider Jaxson Riddle. Given all the big impacts in his line, he'll take any support he can get.
In 2021, Brandon Semenuk changed the game at Red Bull Rampage by winning on a single-crown fork. Until then, most riders favoured dual-crown forks for their stiffness and long travel, despite the limitations they placed on tricks. Semenuk's victory showed just how far suspension technology had come, opening the door to slopestyle tricks like barspins, tailwhips and flip whips on Rampage terrain. Today, it's not unusual for riders to bring both setups and choose between them based on the tricks they plan to throw.
04
Why brakes matter at Red Bull Rampage
Speed changes, big or small, are critical when riding at Red Bull Rampage. Riders need to dump speed quickly before hitting another consequential feature, or make subtle changes in the lead-up to a jump. Most bikes run 200mm rotors and metal brake pads.
05
Red Bull Rampage wheels, tyres and PSI explained
Wheels tend to run smaller on Red Bull Rampage bikes. While 29-inch is the norm on the World Cup DH circuit, freeriders tend to run 27.5-inch or 26-inch wheelsets. Veteran competitor Szymon Godziek competed with full 27.5-inch wheels, and the reasoning comes down to tricks. Smaller wheels help riders rotate or flip a downhill bike, and they want all the manoeuvrability they can get.
2025 Red Bull Rampage champion Hayden Zablotny even sported a shorter chainstay – 430mm – for added spin. Some riders, like 2025 Red Bull Rampage winner Robin Goomes, opt for a "mini mullet" setup with 27.5-inch wheels in the front and 26-inch wheels in the rear.
Carson Storch in action at Red Bull Rampage 2025
© Bartek Wolinski/Red Bull Content Pool
Everyday cyclists tend to keep their PSI at 18 to 28. A rider at Red Bull Rampage will run their tyres at 35-45 PSI. Riders also mostly ride with tubes rather than tubeless, which is a major difference from racing as well. Downhill tyre sidewalls can be soft, so the tubes help provide some additional stiffness.
Higher pressure can help keep the tyre on the rim after a big impact. No one wants a perfectly good run to be brought to a halt by a malfunction, as Carson Storch experienced first-hand in 2019 after throwing a massive 360.
06
Custom paint, helmets, and personal style
Janelle Soukoup's Red Bull Rampage Marin Quake bike
© Bartek Wolinski/Red Bull Content Pool
Every year the riders unveil custom-designed kits, helmets and painted bikes specifically for Red Bull Rampage. Similar to tennis star Naomi Osaka's warm-up outfits or F1 racer Max Verstappen's custom helmets, Red Bull Rampage riders use their kits and bikes to express themselves.
Some bikes and helmets carry deep personal meaning. Two-time Red Bull Rampage champion Robin Goomes's helmet features an intricate tarot card design with sunflowers, a tribute to her mum, who passed away earlier this year. The card she drew inspiration from represents happiness and success and is the kind of energy she plans to bring to the event.
Robin Goomes honours her mum with a custom tarot-inspired helmet
© Christian Pondella/Red Bull Content Pool
Riddle always pays homage to his roots in motocross, and his bike is an extension of that passion. His custom paint job is inspired by a 2001-04 Woody Woodpecker Honda dirt bike. The paint and graphics feel like they were plucked right off the dirt bike. "I just like to incorporate elements that shaped me into who I am," Riddle explains. Another unique aspect of his bike is his custom fork featuring polaroids of his wife and two young sons. As a dedicated family man, it meant a lot to have them riding alongside him.
Personal expression at Red Bull Rampage extends beyond bike frames. Szymon Godziek is bringing a custom helmet designed to celebrate 25 years of Red Bull Rampage, carrying a piece of the event's history onto the mountain. The commemorative design serves as a tribute to the riders, moments and progression that have shaped freeride mountain biking's most iconic competition over the past quarter century.
Szymon Godziek carries 25 years of Red Bull Rampage history on his helmet
© Bartek Wolinski/Red Bull Content Pool
Catch these bikes in action and more on finals day. The 2026 Red Bull Rampage is set for Thursday, October 8, for the women, and Saturday, October 10, for the men.
07
Red Bull Rampage bike FAQs
08
How to watch Red Bull Rampage
Don't worry if you can't get to Utah to watch Red Bull Rampage in person – both men's and women's finals are freely available to watch live. For 2026, the Red Bull Rampage schedule is:
- Women’s broadcast: Thursday, October 8 at 10.00am MT (4.00pm UTC / 6.00pm CEST) live on Red Bull TV and the Red Bull Bike YouTube channel.
Women's livestream: Red Bull Rampage
The world’s best female freeride mountain bikers take on rugged terrain and massive challenging lines in Utah.
The Red Bull Rampage men's schedule has been updated.
- Men’s broadcast: Saturday, October 10 at 9.00am MT (3.00pm UTC / 5.00pm CEST) live on Red Bull TV and the Red Bull Bike YouTube channel.
Men's livestream: Red Bull Rampage
Top male freeride mountain bikers return to Utah for a high-stakes showcase on the most unforgiving terrain.
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