Best Downhill Bikes From Hardline Tasmania 2024: Six Pro Race Setups

Introduction

Hardline Tasmania 2024 was the first time the invite-only downhill and freeride event travelled outside the United Kingdom. Built from Australian dirt, the course packed in 75 ft gap jumps, huge drops and a high-speed race line that punished even small mistakes.

Because entry is by invitation, the start list reads like a who’s who of downhill and freeride, and the equipment matches. Some riders raced production frames with race-spec builds, while others rode prototypes that may never reach a shop floor.

This guide looks at six of the most interesting bikes from the event, what each build does differently, and which details are worth thinking about if you are shopping for a downhill bike of your own.

What These Hardline Tasmania Builds Have in Common

Several patterns show up across the pits. Mullet setups, with a 29-inch front wheel and a 27.5-inch rear wheel, were close to universal, and coil shocks appeared on nearly every bike.

Quiet running mattered just as much. Sound deadening, rubber chain guides and carefully managed chain lines turned up on multiple bikes, because a quiet bike is a fast bike.

Braking was another shared theme. Rotors ranged from 203mm up to 223mm, and every build used four-piston calipers or better. Tire pressure was tuned carefully for the deep Australian dust, with riders trading rolling speed for traction.

Mondraker Summum: The Race Winning Build

The fastest bike of the weekend belonged to Ronan Dunne, who took the win. He switched to the Mondraker Summum for this race after a change of sponsor and bike.

The frame is carbon, matching the Summum sold in shops, but the build goes further. An idler wheel sits above the chainring, which appears to change the anti-squat behaviour of the Mondraker Zero suspension layout. The paint is a custom job.

The bike runs a mullet setup on Maxxis Minion DHR2 tires in downhill casing. The rear wheel is an e13 downhill wheel, while the front rim looks like it could be carbon. A Shimano Saint drivetrain and Saint brakes handle drive and stopping.

Fox suspension sits at both ends, with a Fox 40 up front and a coil-sprung Fox DHX2 at the rear. Sound deadening and an STFU chain guide keep the chain quiet, and there is no lower chain pulley.

NS Fuzz: A Prototype Six-Bar Linkage

Third place went to George Brannigan on a prototype NS Fuzz, custom painted for the 2023 World Championships at Fort William in Scotland.

The frame uses a six-bar linkage that appears similar in operation to the current Supreme DH V5 layout. It runs a mullet setup with carbon e13 wheels, a Kenda Hellcat up front and a Kenda Pinner at the rear.

Tire pressures were set low, 24 PSI in the front and 26 PSI in the rear, favouring maximum traction over high-speed stability.

Braking comes from Trickstuff Maxima brakes with impressive machining and very large 220mm rotors front and rear, which should handle the braking energy in Australian heat. A sprung floating spider connects the cranks to the chainring and provides up to 12 degrees of elastomer-sprung float between the rider’s feet and the chain, cutting pedal feedback and smoothing out the suspension.

Zerode G3: High Pivot, Gearbox, Belt Drive

Zerode is known for high pivot gearbox bikes, and the new G3 took eighth place. It is one of the most unconventional downhill bikes on the circuit.

The G3 combines a high pivot suspension design with a Pinion gearbox and a Gates carbon belt drive, making it one of the quietest bikes in the pits.

SR Suntour suspension handles the course, with a custom-tuned RX fork running 88 PSI and five volume spacers, plus a coil shock with a 500 lb spring and all dials set fully open.

The wheelset is a mullet setup, with a DT Swiss front wheel and a Maxxis Assegai 29-inch tire, alongside a Minion DHR2 27.5-inch rear tire. Deity Black Label bars at 790mm wide and a Deity stem complete the cockpit.

GT Fury: Custom Paint and 210mm of Travel

Thomas Genon’s GT Fury is built around a 210mm travel frame that was stripped down and recoloured by the painters at Fat Creations, a custom finish that becomes the centrepiece of the build.

Suspension comes from SR Suntour, with what looks like a Rux air spring fork up front and an RS24 Tria Air 3CR shock at the rear. That rear shock is catalogued as an enduro model, yet it clearly handles the mammoth hits of the Hardline Tasmania course.

The bike appears to run a mullet setup. Stickers show Novatec rims front and rear, with a Diablo XL graphic on the rear marking the model. Tires are Schwalbe, and the front carries a first ride hot patch, which suggests a custom compound or casing or both to tame the corners of the Hardline track. The rear tire wears a custom hot patch with the rider’s own name on the sidewall.

Transition TR11: Stealth Fighter Style Freeride Build

Johnny Salido is one of the rising stars of freeride and the first Mexican rider to qualify for Red Bull Rampage. His Transition TR11 wears a paint job by Tony Bauman from Washington that mimics the clean lines of an F-22 Raptor stealth fighter.

The build uses Shimano Saint finishing kit, along with a rubber STFU chain guide to stop the chain rattling. Interestingly, the brakes appear to be Shimano XTR Trail units rather than the Saint calipers, which points to a preference for lighter weight or a specific lever feel.

Suspension is a Marzocchi Bomber 58 fork up front and a Bomber air shock at the rear. DH22 tires handle traction in the dust, wrapped around Industry Nine Grade 310 wheels with carbon rims and notably loud hubs. Flat pedals and cockpit parts come from Anvil Components.

Atherton AM200: Carbon and Titanium From the UK

The Atherton AM200 is an exotic carbon and titanium machine made in the UK and designed with the help of former world champions Gee and Rachel Atherton. This particular bike belongs to World Cup downhill racer Jim Monroe.

The AM200 is offered in 12 frame sizes, and Jim runs the seventh, with 470mm of reach for a balance of stability and manoeuvrability.

Fox suspension manages the 200mm of travel, with a DHX2 coil shock and a 550 lb spring at the rear. At 75kg, Jim describes it as the firmest suspension he has ever run. Up front, a Fox air fork runs 200mm of travel with 94 PSI of air and six volume tokens to make it progressive and resist big landing impacts.

Braking comes from Hayes Dominion brakes with purple anodising, and large rotors dissipate heat, with 203mm at the rear and 223mm at the front. An FSA cassette, chain and chainring handle the drive, with a SRAM 7-speed derailleur and shifter for quick cog swaps and an MRP G5 chain device to keep power on. Cranks are 165mm FSA Gradient units with Crank Brothers Mallet pedals. Continental Kryptotal tires run 27 PSI front and 32 PSI rear, with sealant as insurance against pinch flats.

Buying Advice: What These Race Builds Teach You

Race bikes are not shop bikes, but the patterns are still useful. If you ride steep, rough terrain, a high pivot or idler-driven design paired with a coil shock is a proven combination, and the extra hardware is worth the maintenance.

Braking capacity matters more than most riders expect. Large rotors and four-piston calipers are the norm at this level for a reason, and they are one of the easiest upgrades to carry over to a bike you already own.

Quiet details are cheap and effective. Chain guides, rubber bumpers and sound deadening do not change the numbers on a spec sheet, but they reduce fatigue on long descents. Tire pressure is the other free adjustment: riders here dropped pressure for traction in loose dust, then ran a firmer rear tire when they needed more support on landings.

Conclusion

Hardline Tasmania 2024 showed how far downhill and freeride bike design has moved, from idler pulleys and gearboxes to belt drives and custom-tuned suspension. The Mondraker Summum took the win, but every bike in this list carried ideas that eventually filter down to bikes anyone can buy.