Round Up: The World Cup Race Bikes of Aaron Gwin
Since his first World Cups with Yeti in 2008, Aaron Gwin has had a whole host of bikes from his years on Trek and Specialized in the early 2010s to his more recent race seasons with YT and now at Intense testing the prototype mullet M279. Let's take a look back through the years at some of his World Cup race machines.
2008 - 2010: Yeti
Results:
Best Results:
3rd at 2009 Mont Sainte Anne World Cup and 2010 Leogang World Cup
3rd at 2009 Mont Sainte Anne World Cup and 2010 Leogang World Cup
Average Finish:
10th
10th
2008
Mont-Sainte-Anne World Cup - Round 4
10th
2008
Bromont World Cup - Round 5
34th
2008
Schladming World Cup - Round 7
8th
2009
Pietermaritzburg World Cup - Round 1
17th
2009
La Bresse World Cup - Round 2
14th
2009
Vallnord World Cup - Round 3
16th
2009
Fort William World Cup - Round 4
9th
2009
Maribor World Cup - Round 5
14th
2009
Mont-Sainte-Anne World Cup - Round 6
3rd
2009
Bromont World Cup - Round 7
5th
2009
Canberra World Champs
21st
2009
Schladming World Cup - Round 8
4th
2010
Maribor World Cup - Round 1
7th
2010
Fort William World Cup - Round 2
4th
2010
Leogang World Cup - Round 3
3rd
2010
Champéry World Cup - Round 4
8th
2010
Val di Sole World Cup - Round 5
14th
2010
Windham World Cup - Round 6
4th
2010
Mont-Sainte-Anne World Champs
4th
Gwin racing in finals at Mont-Sainte-Anne in 2008
Patrik Zuest clipping Gwin's tires at Bromont back in 2008. Following his top ten finish the week before at Mont-Sainte-Anne.
Pietermaritzburg 2009
303DH - 2010
Gwin's 2010 Yeti 303DH at Eurobike.
Gwin in practice at the Maribor World Cup.
2011 - 2012: Trek
Results:
Best Results:
1st at 2011 Pietermaritzburg World Cup, 2011 Leogang World Cup, 2011 Mont-Sainte-Anne World Cup, 2011 Windham World Cup, 2011 Val di Sole World Cup, 2012 Val di Sole World Cup, 2012 Fort William World Cup, 2012 Mont-Sainte-Anne World Cup and 2012 Windham World Cup.
1st at 2011 Pietermaritzburg World Cup, 2011 Leogang World Cup, 2011 Mont-Sainte-Anne World Cup, 2011 Windham World Cup, 2011 Val di Sole World Cup, 2012 Val di Sole World Cup, 2012 Fort William World Cup, 2012 Mont-Sainte-Anne World Cup and 2012 Windham World Cup.
Average Finish:
7th
7th
2011
Pietermaritzburg World Cup - Round 1
1st
2011
Fort William World Cup - Round 2
5th
2011
Leogang World Cup - Round 3
1st
2011
Mont-Sainte-Anne World Cup - Round 4
1st
2011
Windham World Cup - Round 5
5th
2011
Windham World Cup - Round 6
3rd
2011
Val di Sole World Cup - Round 7
1st
2011
Champéry World Champs
12th
2012
Pietermariztburg World Cup - Round 1
2nd
2012
Val di Sole World Cup - Round 2
1st
2012
Fort William World Cup - Round 3
1st
2012
Mont-Sainte-Anne World Cup - Round 4
1st
2012
Windham World Cup - Round 5
1st
2012
Val d'Isére World Cup - Round 6
5th
2012
Leogang World Champs
83rd
Session - 2011
The first look at Gwin's carbon Trek Session 9.9
Coming off Gwin's win at Mont-Sainte-Anne in 2011 Trek revealed that he had been onboard the new carbon Session 9.9. The new bike featured changes to the geometry, suspension layout and even some custom tunes for the fork and shock. Gwin only had a few days on the new bike before he had to take it to MSA for its first race and win.
Session 9.9 Carbon Details
Frame: Session 9.9 Carbon
Shock: Fox DHX RC4
Fork: Fox 40
Wheels: Bontrager
Tires: Maxxis Minion DHF
Drivetrain: Shimano Saint
Brakes: Shimano Saint
Frame: Session 9.9 Carbon
Shock: Fox DHX RC4
Fork: Fox 40
Wheels: Bontrager
Tires: Maxxis Minion DHF
Drivetrain: Shimano Saint
Brakes: Shimano Saint
For the new bike, Fox and Gwin brought over all of their hard work dialling in his specific suspension needs to the stock bike that anyone could buy. The custom options brought over included custom valving and special low friction seals.
2013 - 2015: Specialized
Results:
Best Results:
1st at 2014 Pietermaritzburg World Cup, 2015 Lourdes World Cup, 2015 Leogang World Cup, 2015 Windham World Cup and 2015 Val di Sole World Cup
1st at 2014 Pietermaritzburg World Cup, 2015 Lourdes World Cup, 2015 Leogang World Cup, 2015 Windham World Cup and 2015 Val di Sole World Cup
Average Finish:
15th
15th
2013
Fort William World Cup - Round 1
20th
2013
Val di Sole World Cup - Round 2
6th
2013
Vallnord World Cup - Round 3
10th
2013
Mont-Sainte-Anne World Cup - Round 4
5th
2013
Pietermariztburg World Champs
67th
2014
Pietermariztburg World Cup - Round 1
1st
2014
Cairns World Cup - Round 2
4th
2014
Fort William World Cup - Round 3
4th
2014
Leogang World Cup - Round 4
78th
2014
Mont-Sainte-Anne World Cup - Round 5
6th
2014
Windham World Cup - Round 6
2nd
2014
Méribel World Cup - Round 7
6th
2014
Hafjell World Champs
14th
2015
Lourdes World Cup - Round 1
1st
2015
Fort William World Cup - Round 2
2nd
2015
Leogang World Cup - Round 3
1st
2015
Lenzerheide World Cup - Round 4
8th
2015
Mont-Sainte-Anne World Cup - Round 5
7th
2015
Windham World Cup - Round 6
1st
2015
Val di Sole World Cup - Round 7
1st
2015
Vallnord World Champs
74th
Demo - 2013
Fort William 2013
Kicking off the 2013 season with a new bike and team, Aaron Gwin turned up to the Fort William World Cup with his 26" Carbon Demo. While he was still running Fox suspension, Gwin swapped out his Shimano drivetrain and brakes for SRAM and Avid. A 27.5" Demo was spotted a the Port Angeles Pro GRT before the World Cup kicked off but at this point, Gwin was still sticking with the smaller wheel size.
Demo Prototype - 2013
Gwin was running a custom prototype for the 2013 Andorra World Cup
For Val di Sole Gwin decided to race a size large Demo instead of his usual medium as he wanted something longer and roomier. After a 6th place finish Gwin decided to play around with his size medium bike and ended up wanted to increase the length of the rear end. For the fresh Andorran track, Gwin rocked up with a prototype rear end on his medium Demo that added 19mm to the bike's length. That means that his custom Demo ran a 440mm chainstay length, pretty close to the 439/441mm adjustable length of his previous Trek race bike.
Prototype Demo Details
Frame: Demo Prototype
Size: Medium
Shock: Fox DHX
Fork: Fox 40
Cockpit: Renthal
Wheels: DT Swiss FR600
Tires: Specialized Butcher
Drivetrain: SRAM XO
Frame: Demo Prototype
Size: Medium
Shock: Fox DHX
Fork: Fox 40
Cockpit: Renthal
Wheels: DT Swiss FR600
Tires: Specialized Butcher
Drivetrain: SRAM XO
The bike used a 440mm chain stay length, 19mm longer than stock.
The added length is found in the chain and shock stays, while the link and yoke remain the same. Travel now sits at 215mm.
Demo - 2015 Vallnord World Championships
The end of the 2014 season saw the launch of a brand new Demo that was made almost entirely from carbon fiber and featured a stunning one-sided seat mast. The new Demo brought over a lot of the geometry changes brought in by Gwin as he tried to make a race bike that suited him from his time on longer race bikes. The change also brought over 27.5" wheels.
HT stepped up with a set of custom anodized pedals.
Renthal's handlebar is painted to match the frame.
A special gold anodized chain and X01 DH cassette have been included on the build.
See that broken chain on the back of the seat tube? It's a nod to Gwin's World Cup winning coaster run in Leogang earlier this year.
[PCAPTION]Find out more about the development of Specialized's 2015 Demo. Filmed and edited by Mind Spark Cinema[/PCAPTION]
2016 - 2018: YT
Results:
Best Results:
1st at 2016 Lourdes World Cup, 2016 Leogang World Cup, 2017 Leogang World Cup, 2017 Mont-Sainte-Anne World Cup, 2017 Val di Sole World Cup and 2018 Losinj World Cup
1st at 2016 Lourdes World Cup, 2016 Leogang World Cup, 2017 Leogang World Cup, 2017 Mont-Sainte-Anne World Cup, 2017 Val di Sole World Cup and 2018 Losinj World Cup
Average Finish:
12th
12th
2016
Lourdes World Cup - Round 1
1st
2016
Cairns World Cup - Round 2
4th
2016
Fort William World Cup - Round 3
2nd
2016
Leogang World Cup - Round 4
1st
2016
Lenzerheide World Cup - Round 5
2nd
2016
Mont-Sainte-Anne World Cup - Round 6
2nd
2016
Vallnord World Cup - Round 7
55th
2017
Fort William World Cup - Round 2
3rd
2017
Leogang World Cup - Round 3
1st
2017
Vallnord World Cup - Round 4
5th
2017
Lenzerheide World Cup - Round 5
51st
2017
Mont-Sainte-Anne World Cup - Round 6
1st
2017
Val di Sole World Cup - Round 7
1st
2017
Cairns World Champs
3rd
2018
Losinj World Cup - Round 1
1st
2018
Fort William World Cup - Round 2
20th
2018
Leogang World Cup - Round 3
2nd
2018
Val di Sole World Cup - Round 4
31st
2018
La Bresse World Cup - Round 7
43rd
2018
Lenzerheide World Champs
5th
Tues - 2016
It's not often that a rider takes a win at their first World Cup race with a new team but in 2016 Aaron Gwin managed just that as he looked right at home from the start on the YT Tues. The move to YT also brought more fresh sponsors with TRP and E13 joining his roster of components.
John Hall, Aaron Gwin's long-time mechanic, poses with the winning ride.
Tues Details
Frame: Tues
Size: Large
Shock: Fox X2
Fork: Fox 40
Cockpit: Renthal // 790mm Fatbar Carbon // 50mm Integra with Ti bolts
Wheels: E13 LG1
Tires: Unmarked
Drivetrain: SRAM XO1
Brakes: TRP Quadiem SL with TRP's Slate lever blades
Frame: Tues
Size: Large
Shock: Fox X2
Fork: Fox 40
Cockpit: Renthal // 790mm Fatbar Carbon // 50mm Integra with Ti bolts
Wheels: E13 LG1
Tires: Unmarked
Drivetrain: SRAM XO1
Brakes: TRP Quadiem SL with TRP's Slate lever blades
Aaron is 5'9", rides a large frame and uses a standard 50mm stem finished with blue ti-bolts.
Gwin's running TRP's Quadiem SL brakes set up with the lever blade normally found on their trail-oriented Slate brakes.
Aaron's bars are 790mm wide including the ODI grips.
Grip tape on the shifter for added accuracy. The YT Mob don't have a dedicated drivetrain sponsor, but for this race Gwin's bike was set up with a SRAM XO DH derailleur and a Blackbox shifter.
The bike is out of the box, but the R.A.D shock had probably been tuned to its limits.
HT's X2 pedals are mounted to e*thirteen's LG1 carbon crankset.
e*thirteen's new 9-21 tooth 7-speed cassette is designed specifically to work with their LG1 carbon downhill wheels.
Tues - 2016 Val di Sole World Champs
Aaron Gwin's YT Tues.
Tues Details
Frame: Tues
Size: Large
Shock: Fox X2
Fork: Fox 40
Cockpit: Renthal // 790mm Fatbar Carbon // 50mm Integra with Ti bolts
Wheels: E13 TRSr
Tires: Unmarked
Drivetrain: SRAM XO1 with E13 LG1r carbon cranks
Brakes: TRP Quadiem SL with TRP's Slate lever blades
Frame: Tues
Size: Large
Shock: Fox X2
Fork: Fox 40
Cockpit: Renthal // 790mm Fatbar Carbon // 50mm Integra with Ti bolts
Wheels: E13 TRSr
Tires: Unmarked
Drivetrain: SRAM XO1 with E13 LG1r carbon cranks
Brakes: TRP Quadiem SL with TRP's Slate lever blades
Tues - 2017
Tues Details
Frame: Tues
Shock: Fox X2
Fork: Fox 40
Cockpit: Renthal // 790mm Fatbar Carbon // 50mm Integra with Ti bolts
Wheels: E13 LG1r
Tires: Onza Aquila
Drivetrain: SRAM XO1 with E13 LG1r carbon cranks
Brakes: Gwin's signature G-Spec TRP Quadiem
Frame: Tues
Shock: Fox X2
Fork: Fox 40
Cockpit: Renthal // 790mm Fatbar Carbon // 50mm Integra with Ti bolts
Wheels: E13 LG1r
Tires: Onza Aquila
Drivetrain: SRAM XO1 with E13 LG1r carbon cranks
Brakes: Gwin's signature G-Spec TRP Quadiem
Gwin's signature G-Spec Quadiem brakes by TRP. E*Thirteen wheels.
Gwin said from day one that, in stock form, the YT Tues had the exact feel and geometry he had been wishing for. I am sure that a lot of racers who swear by coil-sprung shocks have been left to scratch their heads over Gwin's choice to race the Fox Evol X2 at Val di Sole.
About 25 millimeters of spacers under the stem for Val di Sole.
Clipped in for the win: E*Thirteen LG1r carbon crankset. HT X2 pedals.
Fox 40 fork - no telling what's inside.
The YT Tues uses a straight-forward four-bar Horst-link rear suspension, which seemed to keep Gwin's rear tire well planted on rough tracks.
Tues 29" Prototype - 2018 Lenzerheide World Champs
Photos: YT
Tues Details
Frame: Tues
Shock: Fox X2
Fork: Fox 40
Cockpit: Renthal // 790mm Fatbar Carbon // 50mm Integra with Ti bolts
Wheels: E13 LG1r
Tires: Onza Aquila
Drivetrain: TRP prototype rear mech with E13 LG1r carbon cranks
Frame: Tues
Shock: Fox X2
Fork: Fox 40
Cockpit: Renthal // 790mm Fatbar Carbon // 50mm Integra with Ti bolts
Wheels: E13 LG1r
Tires: Onza Aquila
Drivetrain: TRP prototype rear mech with E13 LG1r carbon cranks
2019 - Present: Intense
Results:
Best Result:
4th at 2020 Lousã World Cup Round 3
4th at 2020 Lousã World Cup Round 3
Average Finish:
15th
15th
2019
Maribor World Cup - Round 1
6th
2019
Leogang World Cup - Round 3
5th
2019
Mont-Sainte-Anne World Champs
12th
2019
Snowshoe World Cup - Round 8
13th
2020
Leogang World Championships
26th
2020
Maribor World Cup - Round 1
21st
2020
Maribor World Cup - Round 2
6th
2020
Lousã World Cup - Round 3
4th
2020
Lousã World Cup - Round 4
44th
M29 - 2019
Intense M29 FRO Details
Frame: Intense M29 FRO, size large
Shock: Fox Float X2
Fork: Fox 49
Wheels: eThirteen LG1 Carbon
Tires: Kenda Hellcat with FTD inserts front and back
Drivetrain: TRP
Brakes: TRP
Cockpit: 50mm Renthal stem, 790mm Renthal bars; SDG Saddle/Seatpost
More info: Intense Cycles
Frame: Intense M29 FRO, size large
Shock: Fox Float X2
Fork: Fox 49
Wheels: eThirteen LG1 Carbon
Tires: Kenda Hellcat with FTD inserts front and back
Drivetrain: TRP
Brakes: TRP
Cockpit: 50mm Renthal stem, 790mm Renthal bars; SDG Saddle/Seatpost
More info: Intense Cycles
The M29 is quite a bit different than the YT Tues he was on previously, but according to John Hall the M29 was easy to adapt to. A Works Components' headset increased the reach by 6mm.
TRP's DH drivetrain. The gold bits are found on the FRO (For Race Only) bikes from Intense.
The DHR is TRP's new brake. It's TRP's e-bike brake which both Aaron and Neko were really pleased with in testing for its better feel and more power.
Hall drills out the dimples on the TRP brakes for Gwin. It gives a little more grip on the finger with slightly sharper edges, plus it looks good.
Kenda had recently launched the Hellcat when Aaron switched over from Onza. He was happy with the tires after testing them, and there are several new tread patterns in development.
SDG handles the seat and seat post while Aaron runs his signature ODI lock on grip.
John Hall, Aaron's mechanic isn't one for disclosing many numbers on exact settings or ride height. When you're at the top of the game, it makes sense to keep your cards close. Hall's spirit animal is a bear, hence the bear with the wrench on the seat tube. If you see that logo on any bike, it's John's stamp of approval and a guarantee of a dialed ride. When the bear is there, have no cares, as there's nothing you need to worry about, whether it's Gwin's race rig or a buddy's trail bike, it's good to go.
Aaron was on a stock size large frame but there was an XL on standby if he felt the need to run it.
M29 - 2019 Mont-Sainte-Anne World Champs
Gwin turned up to the Mont-Sainte Anne World Champs with a few custom details on his race bike.
M279 - 2020
Intense M279 Details
Frame: Prototype M279
Shock: Fox Float X2
Fork: Fox 49
Wheels: E*thirteen Aaron Gwin signature edition DH
Tires: Kenda Prototype
Drivetrain: TRP with E*thirteen cranks
Brakes: TRP with prototype calipers
Cockpit: Renthal bars and stem, Works Components adjustable headset
Size: Large
Frame: Prototype M279
Shock: Fox Float X2
Fork: Fox 49
Wheels: E*thirteen Aaron Gwin signature edition DH
Tires: Kenda Prototype
Drivetrain: TRP with E*thirteen cranks
Brakes: TRP with prototype calipers
Cockpit: Renthal bars and stem, Works Components adjustable headset
Size: Large
Prototype Kenda tires
The Works Components angle set looks to increase reach by quite a bit.
Notice the brake calipers? "Prototype AG"
Signature Gwin wheels and e*thirteen cranks.
Aaron Gwin Prototype 279
The machining on that link...
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For anyone wondering what I’m talking about: m.pinkbike.com/video/101005
Also, 123 / 15 = 8.2 (2011-2012, Trek), not 7th as stated. Is there any hope if even the averages are wrong? :-D
That was undoubtedly his best racing season and it's safe to say he would have won Worlds that year had his brakes not failed him.
youtu.be/3kccKG6uCKw
Such a bummer, Gwin really deserved to win at least one World Championship back then because he was so much faster than everybody else. The 2 most dominant back to back seasons by any male ever were when he was with Trek.
Now he's probably too old to ever get a chance to win again because the competition level is so much higher and he's had injuries and also doesn't seem as fast on big wheels. Hope he proves me wrong though.
In which case, what happened with the brake issue Henry mentioned?
- except when he puts some prototype cranks on that were lying around the garage by chance, or something.
youtu.be/3kccKG6uCKw
The mechanic took one for the team.
Roots comes up with some gold from that weekend
www.rootsandrain.com/photos/149755
The young lad in the photo was up the hill with us and used to race "back in the day".
I have always said the difference was like the difference between the women and the top men, so kinda me to the top men, he was on another level back then on that Trek 9.9.
- Someone commenting "Aaron Gwin chainstay massacre" after Gwin was complaining about not having a long enough bike had me lol-ing.
- Wakidesigns claiming that the 2015 new demo was dangerous and throwing its riders off it. I can't remember why.
- I had no idea that he was ever on monster energy.
- His YT Tues worlds bike in 2016 is one of the best ever world champs custom paint bikes ever.
Lol, that was me! The comment was something like "Stevie Smith - Canadian chainsaw massacre. Aaron Gwin, American chainstay massacre."
Thank you, Tokyo Drift.