UK brand Atherton Bikes unveiled a bike that they’ve been working on in secret for the past few years for the 2025 WC DH season. It’s called the A.200.G and it features a Gates Belt Drive coupled with an internal gear box – rather than a conventional chain, rear mech and cassette.
Here at [R] we were so intrigued about the rather radical concept of the bike from the very moment we first saw it that we simply had to reach out to the brand to get the full lowdown. Here’s what we learned.
Back in 2006, while traveling to races, Dan Brown, Dan (Atherton), Gee (Atherton), Rach (yep you guessed it, the 3rd member of the Atherton clan), and their mechanics, Stanny and Ed Haythornthwaite, often found themselves daydreaming about the ultimate downhill bike. And more often than not, the idea of a gearbox bike came up in their conversations.
Gearbox bikes were already around in the early 2000s. Greg Minnaar, Brendan, and Matti Lehikoinen were riding the Hondas, and they looked incredible. But that project fizzled out before they went into production. Still, we always thought, how cool would it be to design our own? It’s not an easy task, though. There’s a lot to think about: the weight distribution changes and the added complexity of the design. But with Additive Manufacturing (AM), we can test and tweak things way faster than traditional methods.”
Dan Atherton
Fast forward to 2019, and the dream started to feel more tangible. With their bike company established and a passionate Head of Design, Rob Gow, onboard, the brainstorming sessions kicked up a notch. Over pints and meals at “The White,” the team kept sketching ideas and debating designs. By 2024, an exciting partnership with Gates Carbon Drive made their gearbox dreams a reality. Rob Gow explains, “The new mid-pivot suspension platform gives us optimal racing performance. Using a belt and gearbox drive system allows for a simple single idler setup, delivering the best performance in the most streamlined design.” Getting the bike from concept to prototype was no small feat, but AM technology sped things up dramatically. Instead of years, it took months—though that still meant countless hours of hard work. A massive shoutout goes to Dave Weagle, Rob Gow, and designers Scott Aisthorpe and Will Carne, whose relentless effort pushed the project forward.
The result? The A.200.G, a pure race machine. Dan explains, “It’s a bit heavier than the A.200, but the weight is more centralized. Traditionally, the derailleur system adds weight to the rear axle, but with this design, the unsprung weight is lighter, so the suspension moves more freely. It’s a planted bike—not super playful, but dynamic enough to go fast. For bike park laps, I’d still choose the A.200, but on a World Cup track, this belt-driven beast gives Charlie a huge advantage. He’s already loving it.”
Rob adds, “The A.200 was already a fantastic platform after five seasons of racing and tons of detailed feedback. For the A.200.G, we made two major changes: replacing the derailleur with a belt and gearbox and moving to a mid-pivot suspension system while keeping the DW6 kinematic. Both brought significant engineering challenges, but we’re thrilled with the outcome.” Building the first prototype was a full team effort. Everyone pitched in, from the Athy Bikes crew to Charlie Hatton, race team manager Lloydy, and head tech Ben Lovell. Finally, the day came to put it to the test at Dyfi Bike Park. The goal for that first ride? Simple: make sure everything worked and nothing fell off. Despite some nerves about such a new design, Charlie’s grin said it all after his first run. “I kept telling myself to slow down, that it was the first run, but it just wanted to go. I don’t want to jinx it, but it feels f’king amazing.”
You can learn a whole lot more on this project right here.
Ten World Cup rounds in a season leaves very little downtime to focus on development and progressing the product but CEO Dan Brown isn’t shy of touting their achievements.
The boys are doing an amazing job, Luke grabbed that top 10 at Loudenvielle, Charlie the 12th in Leogang and our Junior rider George Madley delivered his second top 5 and 4th top ten of the season this weekend. That they’ve been able to achieve that on a prototype bike that’s continuously changing deserves all of our respect.”