Retrospective: the evolution of Nino Schurter’s cross-country race bikes

We chat with Nino Schurter about his bikes, tech and his Olympic hopes.

off.road.cc staff

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Apr 24 2024

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[Words by Steve Thomas]

Swiss MTB ace Nino Schurter is the greatest male cross-country mountain biking racer of all time. With a staggering 10 Elite XCO World Championship titles, an Olympic medal of every colour, 35 individual and nine overall World Cup series victories to his name, Nino is an unrivalled legend of the sport. He is also still the defending World Cup Champion and a racer who is perhaps the ultimate crowd pleaser, too.

Nino has spent most of his career under the guidance of Thomas Frischknecht and riding in the colours of the Scott-SRAM MTB Racing Team. From early 26-inch hardtails through an amazing array of cutting-edge Scott Scale and Spark bikes, Nino has always been a rider who is totally dialled into his equipment and its setup, and he has had a prominent hand in the development and testing of many innovative products over the years.

His first Olympic medal was a bronze at the 2008 Beijing Games and with the 2024 Paris Olympics on the horizon, we caught up with him to find out about how his bikes and equipment have evolved over the last dozen or so years.

Wheels of fortune

Wheel sizes – when did you stop riding 26-inch wheels, and how did the process of your own wheel size choice evolve over the years?

“It was in 2011 when I left 26-inch wheels behind when the other teams started to switch to 29-inch. I felt that for my riding style, a compromise somewhere in between this would work better. So, we created a new standard, one that was actually a very old standard that had been around for years (27.5-inch – and in 2012 he won his first World Cup round on them).

In 2016, before the Olympics in Rio, we did some intense rolling resistance tests, to learn what would be the best – and the best option was a 29-inch paired with a Maxxis Aspen tyre setup, so then I switched up and won the Olympic gold medal with this setup.

In the beginning, I could sure feel the handling not being as agile with the larger wheels. But the benefit of lower rolling resistance was something that I valued higher.”

Can you tell us about the Syncros wheels you’ve been using since 2021?

“I love to have the two options of our Syncros wheels. For the more smooth races with a lot of climbing the Sycros SL full carbon wheel is state of the art, due to its extremely low weight and super stiffness. On more rough terrain I switch to the standard carbon rim and steel spoke combo as it absorbs more vibrations.”

How has your tyre setup changed over this time?

“First, the tyre went big in diameter and then in volume. I now ride 29-inch with a Maxxis Aspen 2.4in. If you think back that was considered a trail bike tyre volume a few years ago.”

Pole position

Dropper seat posts, you were a late adaptor to them, were you sceptical at first?

“Well, at the beginning I was concerned about the weight – as the dropper was significantly heavier. Even before using one, with my skills, I was still able to go as fast downhill as the others. But once I started getting used to the dropper I noticed that I could recover more on the descents. In addition, at that time there was quite a switch to more demanding race tracks with jumps and drops, this is where a dropper sure comes in handy.”

Negative stems, when did you start using them, what was the reasoning and what are the advantages?

“I always had a very low handlebar position. In order to keep this low position on a bike with 29-inch wheels we had to go quite negative with the stem/bar combo. I was too upright on the bike with a standard stem.”

Hardtails and soft rides

For some time, you had both a hardtail and full suspension bike option, with your choice being dependent on the course. But now we rarely see hardtails on the World Cup circuit?

“My time on hardtails is definitely over. But at the time I was on a hardtail, the tracks looked much different to now. Having a light and stiff frame was key then; the downhills were manageable on a hardtail with 100mm of suspension in the fork. But, with the evolution of the more demanding race tracks I adapted the bike as well. It’s now 120mm front and rear.”

Gearing up

You started using SRAM AXS gearing in 2015. How has your drivetrain setup evolved over the years?

“During the first few years of my career, I was still on a triple chainring. Soon after SRAM went to 2x, then we switched to one chainring at the front – I think it was around 2014. With this, we eliminated a lot of the chain problems of the early days. With only one chainring in the front, the cassette in the rear also had to get bigger.”

The special one

Over the years you’ve had some amazing custom paint jobs and used other custom parts, do you have input into these, and what do they mean to you?

“It’s always extra motivation to get a special bike for a special event. This has been a certain legacy with Scott. Sometimes I’m involved in the design, sometimes they surprise me with something cool.

There are not that many custom parts on my bike but I always get to test ride and race new parts and products that are in the development phase. The RockShox Flight Attendant is the last example; in its development, I was actually involved quite a bit.”

What were your bikes for the 2012/2016/2021 Olympic bikes and what are the main differences?

“In 2012 it was the Scott Scale hartail with 27.5-inch wheels. In 2016, I rode the Scott Spark full suspension with 29-inch wheels, and the same again in 2021 but with a newer edition of the Spark.”

Do you still own and even ride any of these older bikes – is there one that means more to you than any other?

“I don’t ride or keep my older bikes but, Yanick, my mechanic saves them. He’s got the complete collection going as kind of an archive. I love seeing all these bikes next to each other. It’s crazy how things developed and it gives me great memories looking at the collection.”

The Last Fling?

What are your thoughts and plans on the 2024 Paris Olympics and your rivals?

“Right now, the focus is on getting my ticket to go to Paris. Even though it looks good so far, nothing is secured. We will see who will be at the start line later and see who’s competitive. I don’t look so much at the others but rather focus on my performance.”

Is 2024 likely to be your last year – even if you are still winning?

“We’ll see! This year the Olympics are my priority, and what’s next, I will need to think after this.”