"The timing makes sense, the bike industry is in pretty bad shape at the moment. We have seen brands restructuring and riders struggling to keep the wheels tuning. In 2025, companies like YT Industries completely folded (and then re-emerged), and just last week Canyon announced that they were cutting 300+ jobs as part of a global restructuring initiative. Many top-name pros have struggled to maintain sponsors, and companies have similarly struggled to continue supporting the riders they've quietly built their brands on over the years."
"The two have worked together for the past few years in more of an ambassador capacity, but 2026 takes the partnership to a new level. While the agreement was still formal, it was more akin to an ambassadorship-but 2026 takes their collaboration to a new level. As a freerider, building is just as much a part of the process as riding, and as the saying goes: no dig, no ride."
Carson Storch has signed a title sponsorship with Kubota Tractor Corporation under a non-endemic deal that gives him greater sponsorship flexibility and freedom to ride any bike brand. The bike industry is experiencing major financial strain, with companies restructuring, layoffs, and some brands folding, leaving many professional riders without stable support. Storch and Kubota previously collaborated in an ambassador capacity and are elevating that relationship for 2026 into a formal partnership. Storch remains active in trail building as well as riding, and the arrangement signals alternative support models emerging for professional mountain bikers amid industry turmoil.
Read at BikeMag
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