The new Fluckiger's Lightrider R3 Worldcup bets on the safe values of XC

With the 2024 UCI XCO World Cup calendar just a few weeks away from its debut, one of the most powerful teams on the grid has just been presented, the Thömus Maxon. In addition, the Swiss squad, which includes the current number 1 in the UCI ranking Mathias Fluckiger, Allessandra Keller, and Lars Forster, has unveiled their new mountain bike for this season, the Thomus Lightrider R3 Worldcup.

The new Thomus Lightrider R3 Worldcup comes with an "unbeatable weight-to-stiffness ratio"

Despite its limited distribution outside of Switzerland, it seems that due to commercial agreements with other manufacturers, the Thomus brand has become well known worldwide thanks to the achievements of its factory team. For example, the Thomus Lightrider has been one of the most successful models in the World Cup in recent years and climbed the Olympic podium in Tokyo with Mathias Fluckiger.

The Thomus Maxon starts the 2024 season with the hope of being back at the top of the upcoming Olympics in August and does so with a powerful team full of XCO stars and a new version of the Thomus Lightrider R3 Worldcup.

Up until now, we had seen that Thomus and the Spanish brand Berria shared the design and development of their full-suspension mountain bikes, but for this generation, both brands have gone their separate ways and the Swiss brand is focusing on continuing and evolving their flagship model. The brand ensures that the Lightrider R3 Worldcup sets "new standards in many aspects".

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The new Lightrider R3 Worldcup maintains the general lines in its aesthetics but introduces significant innovations in its frame to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the model.

The new frame weighs only 1.8 kg with the included DT Swiss shock absorber, but thanks to the use of ultra-high modulus carbon fibers, the bike's stiffness is not compromised but actually increases while reducing weight.

Regarding the rear suspension system, it features the best performance at low weight, a virtual pivot point in the rear triangle supported by a more flexible vertical tube that enhances sensitivity. Additionally, the center of gravity has been lowered while improving the integration of the assembly with a new internal cable routing system.

Regarding the team members, there will be no changes for the new year. Leading the Thomus Maxon will continue to be the current number 1 in the UCI ranking Mathias Flückiger alongside Alessandra Keller, Lars Forster, Vital Albin, and Luke Wiedmann. Additionally, Kathrin Stirnemann will represent the team in the E-MTB category.

The team led by team manager Ralph Näf has confirmed that the main goal will be the Paris Olympics (end of July), and among the major goals of the season will be the World Championships in Andorra (end of August) and the entire World Cup, which will start in mid-April with two events in Brazil.