Mondraker (Spain) - Press Release: You are a XC fanatic and you want to ride to your very best. Surrender is not in your vocabulary. You want to win.

Then we know the secret. Okay, it’s not much of a secret: ride the fastest bike possible and push your skills till you can get the best from it. But how do you know which is the fastest bike in its class?

Cast your mind back to the first and most important advice you heard when you were starting out in cross-country: “get the lightest frameset you can afford”. 

That old advice still holds true. And when the oldest principles meet the newest design ideas and materials, that’s where the magic happens. The new 2021 Mondraker Podium frameset is just 775g (size M) - the lightest production hardtail in the world.

With Podium there’s no trade-off in handling, reliability, spec or price – quite the opposite. It’s just smart design, great materials and the know-how that comes from 20 years of cutting edge mountain bike innovation, all dialed in by input from our top-flight riders from PMX Team who have put the Podium where it belongs – on the World Cup and World Champs podiums.

Still not sure? To make that lightweight advantage really count you need a bike that handles brilliantly, and that brings together the most effective and efficient components at every price point in the range... 

The 2021 Podium is available to buy as a frameset, or as one of four complete builds: Podium Carbon, Podium Carbon R, Podium Carbon RR and Podium Carbon RR SL. A frameset this good deserves to be equipped with the optimum choice of components available.

And of course, the best way to start is a fast, stiff wheelset – check out the Mavic CrossMax Carbon SLRs. You need an efficient, light drivetrain with gearing ratios to match your ride – SRAM’s X01/GX Eagle 1x12s (Podium is 1x-only – minimising both weight or fuss) duly oblige. And the best way to stop, well, with some of the best XC stoppers on the planet – the SRAM Level Ultimates grabbing 160mm rotors – because fast braking means fast riding.

Throw in a host of neat new touches such as the hidden cable housing guide, the rock solid stability of Boost axles, and the convenience of a new Universal Derailleur Hanger and you have an all-round unbeatable XC package.