Two of downhill mountain biking’s most stylish riders will be on new teams in 2022.

American, Luca Shaw, has announced that his journey with the Santa Cruz Syndicate is ending after five years on the team.

Luca has been riding Santa Cruz frames for the last seven years, but his immediate future no longer includes the V10.

Exiting the Syndicate

“It was a dream of mine since the beginning to be a part of this legendary team, and I can’t thank everyone involved enough for the opportunity. It’s been a hell of a ride, and I’ll always cherish the memories we made together.”

Beyond Shaw’s departure from Santa Cruz, the other big news this week, has been Connor Fearon ending his decade relationship with Kona.

The Australian flat-pedal downhill racing specialist has been with Kona since his teens.

Life after Kona?

“It was a dream come true when the Australian Kona distributor got me lined up with the Kona Factory team and I was invited to come and race the two North American World Cups in 2011. Mont St Anne was my first ever world cup as a 17-year-old junior.”

“In 2015 something clicked for me. At Leogang that year, I broke the curse and backed up a 2nd place qualifying run with a 2nd place finals run, just .04 off the win. That was the best day of my life and the feeling of relief and excitement I’ll never forget.”

Downhill mountain biking fans are waiting to see which bike brands Shaw and Fearon will be on for 2022. As popular and talented riders, they won’t be short on options.