Looking amongst the top pros racing Leadville 100, it's tough to spot a wholly standard mountain bike. Even when a potential race favorite hasn't done the drop bar dirty, you'll surely still see a deeply dropped handlebar and perhaps even some road pedals.
In the second part of our pro bike coverage, we look at the rides belonging to Dylan Johnson, Melisa Rollins, Brendan Johnston, Cameron Jones, and Stella Hobbs. Take a close at any of these bikes and you're sure to see a whole lot of interesting customisations and component choices.
Want more? In Part 1 we looked at Alexey Vermeulen's Scott Scale, Andrew L'Esperance's Ibis DV9, Lauren De Crescenzo's Factor Lando, Sarah Sturm's Specialized Epic World Cup, Cecily Decker's drop-bar Specialized Epic World Cup, and Sarah Lange's Pivot Mach 4 SL.
Cameron Jones' Scott Spark RC SL
The winner of Unbound Gravel 200, Cameron Jones, has opted for a hardtail with an aggressively dropped mountain bike handlebar.
While an exact weight is not known, it's likely one of the lighter bikes in the field. The top-tier Scott Scale RC SL frames have been known to tip the scales at just 850 grams (in a medium size, Jones is riding a large). Add in the supremely light Syncros Silverton SL wheels (1,255 g claimed), Schwalbe Rick XC tires (2.4in width), rigid post, Fox 32 Step-Cast 100 mm fork, and it's sure to be a delight on the event's steep climbs.
There's a full Shimano M9200 XTR Di2 drivetrain. Jones is running shorter 165 mm length cranks, fitted with a 4iiii powermeter on the left arm. Shimano Dura-Ace road pedals show Jones doesn't plan to be off the bike much.
Like many, the New Zealander is running an aggressive riding position, largely made possible through the Syncros one-piece handlebar/stem that pitches down at a -40 degree angle along its 80mm stem length. The bars are cut down to 700 mm with.
Melisa Rollins' Liv Pique Advanced
As the winner of last year's Leadville 100, Melisa Rollins is sure to have her wheel marked. For 2025, Rollins has made the move to drop bars on a fully Flight Attendant-equipped Liv full suspension.
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