From professional bodybuilder to founding a legendary brand of modern mountain biking

This is the story of a German who went from dreaming of competing in professional bodybuilding to revolutionizing mountain biking from a garage.

From Bodybuilding to MTB: A Lesson That Changed Everything

Before YT, Markus Flossmann was linked to the fitness world. He was the marketing manager of a large German gym chain and dedicated his life to preparing to become a professional bodybuilder. In 1996, he was the German national bodybuilding champion, but everything changed with a serious back injury. In an interview with Pinkbike, he recalled that “I injured myself doing heavy squats. I suffered a double herniated disc, and my doctor advised me to stop weightlifting and do something else, for example, mountain biking.” That medical recommendation ended up being the starting point of a passion that would eventually drive his entire professional career.

In the late 90s, Flossmann began to ride frequently and visit dirt jump circuits. There, he encountered a situation that deeply marked him. In another interview for Enduro-MTB, he remembered it this way: “I met two teenagers at our local circuit… It was impressive, even more so when I realized they were riding cheap supermarket bikes.” That image made him see that many talented young people were completely limited by the price of bicycles. He summarized it this way in the same interview: “High-end mountain bikes were too expensive, leaving out a large part of potential riders, especially young ones.” That was the seed of it all: the desire to create “Young Talent”, a brand whose very name spoke for itself.

A Humble Beginning: 150 Frames, a Garage, and the First Test

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Convinced that he could offer something different, Flossmann decided to make it himself. He ordered 150 frames from Taiwan, imported them to Germany, and began assembling them on his own. With one of the bikes fully assembled, he went to the editorial office of Freeride magazine, where after testing it, they concluded that, for less than €500, it was the best model you could buy at that time in terms of quality-price ratio. 

In Pinkbike, he explained it this way: “I managed to bring 150 bikes to Germany, I assembled them all myself with a friend, in my home garage… After ten days, those 150 units were sold out.” 

Flossmann had just imported the direct-to-consumer model to freeride, which, combined with competitive prices and an aggressive design, propelled YT in the following years. Freeride was experiencing a boom, and the brand established itself as a benchmark with its own identity in the following years. 

To Die of Success?

In 2020, the brand's success attracted the entry of the Ardian Expansion fund, which professionalized the structure and led Flossmann to step back from daily management while remaining close to the company he had built. But after the pandemic, there were too many abrupt turns in the market. Excess stock, supply issues, erratic decisions in the U.S. market, natural disasters, and the fall of a key supplier hit YT hard.

The company was already facing previous losses and several rounds of investment, and the situation ultimately pushed it into a self-administered restructuring in July 2025. In a message to the community, Flossmann tried to convey hope by stating that “this is not the end, it is a new beginning,” something he has ultimately fulfilled.

The Brand Returns to Its Roots and Continues Driven by the Same Passion

Four months later, the most awaited news arrived: Flossmann repurchased YT and created a new corporate structure under the name Young Talent Industries GmbH. The headquarters remains in Hausen, and a good part of the historic team is retained, preserving the technical knowledge and the brand's DNA. The operation has allowed for the reactivation of logistics, reordering of processes, and getting the machinery back up and running.

In this initial phase, the new management has focused on a priority objective: stabilizing the company and resolving all the orders that were blocked during the insolvency. At the same time, Flossmann has promoted the strengthening of the global support network, the review of internal processes, and the recovery of YT's original essence, with powerful bikes, honest prices, and a direct relationship with riders. The models are gradually returning to the European and British markets, while the United States will have to wait a few more weeks.

Flossmann has explained that he will soon detail how the brand was rebuilt after one of the most delicate moments in its history. For him, this repurchase is more than a rescue: it is returning to the point where it all began, to that vision that was born when he saw two young people jumping with bikes that were not up to their talent.