Unconventional by Design: AON Racing, Gamux, and Manitou Redefine the Future of Downhill

Champery, Switzerland – October 2025

At the final round of the UCI Downhill World Cup, three forces of unconventional thinking — AON Racing, Gamux, and Manitou — converged to create one of the most talked-about bikes in the modern era of downhill racing. A prototype so striking, so against the grain, that it served as a rolling declaration of independence from conformity.

Built around Gamux’s experimental chassis concept and refined through AON’s boundary-pushing race culture, the machine’s suspension heart beats pure Manitou — the Dorado Pro fork and Mara Pro DH shock — forming a system defined not by trends, but by tangible performance. Together, these brands embody a single philosophy: progress through purpose, not perception.

Three Rebels, One Philosophy

In a racing world increasingly driven by convention, AON, Gamux, and Manitou stand apart as innovators that build because they believe in better — not because the market demands different.

AON Racing dares to prototype mid-season, testing radical ideas under real-world conditions.

Gamux approaches mountain bike design as an engineering discipline — experimenting with stiffness distribution, gearbox integration, and frame flex like an aerospace project.

Manitou, a brand synonymous with innovation, continues to challenge norms that others follow. From introducing the first production mountain bike suspension fork in the late ’80s, to developing the reverse-arch design — a structural concept that increased stiffness while reducing weight — and maintaining the Dorado, the world’s longest-running and most developed inverted fork platform, Manitou has always operated in defiance of convention.

Manitou’s legacy isn’t about chasing trends — it’s about creating them. For decades, the brand has delivered counter-cultural innovations that become industry standards years later. Today, its philosophy remains unchanged: Physics, Not Fashion.

Engineering the Unthinkable

The Gamux x AON prototype, recently featured on Pinkbike, represents the kind of collaborative genius that happens when riders, engineers, and mechanics share a single creative mindset. From Reece Wilson’s hand-built “subframe” — designed to allow knee contact for improved chassis control — to Gamux engineer Pascal Tinner’s reimagining of stiffness distribution, every detail pushes performance forward.

“No matter how strange something looks, if it helps a rider go faster and feel more in control, it’s worth exploring,” said Tinner.

The bike’s unique design allows independent tuning of torsional and directional stiffness, delivering new levels of forgiveness and traction without compromising accuracy at race pace. At the front, the Manitou Dorado Pro — with its signature inverted design and legendary small-bump sensitivity — complements Gamux’s experimental chassis perfectly, while the Mara Pro DH shock keeps everything balanced and glued to the ground.

Manitou: The Original Nonconformist

While the industry fixates on electronic add-ons and aesthetic gimmicks, Manitou continues to lead through engineering integrity. Its designs — like the reverse arch used across its fork lineup — prove that true innovation isn’t about flashy lights or wireless sensors. It’s about better physics: shorter load paths, lighter weights, higher stiffness, and more efficient motion.

The Dorado stands as the ultimate proof. Where other brands are only now exploring inverted suspension designs, Manitou has been refining and racing them for decades. The brand’s refusal to compromise — to chase passing trends — is exactly what allows it to stay generations ahead.

“We don’t follow trends,” says Manitou’s engineering team. “We build what works — and often, what works ends up defining the future.”

Performance Without Pretense

As the curtain falls on the 2025 World Cup season, the AON Racing x Gamux x Manitou partnership symbolizes something rare in modern mountain biking: innovation that isn’t performative, but purposeful. It’s a testament to what happens when creativity, courage, and engineering discipline collide.

From Gamux’s experimental structures to AON’s bold willingness to race them — all kept controlled, compliant, and confident under Manitou suspension — this collaboration doesn’t just challenge convention. It redefines it.

Manitou. Physics, Not Fashion. For those who innovate not to impress, but to progress.