Road shifters on a MTB? 5DEV offers $25,000 for winning Leadville with them

The prohibition of road handlebars in the Leadville Trail 100 MTB has lasted little as a barrier for those seeking more aerodynamic positions on a mountain bike. 5DEV has just introduced the Shredville Flatbar XC Hood Mounts, supports that allow the installation of road or gravel levers on the inside of a flat MTB handlebar. The brand is so convinced of its idea that it now offers $25,000 to be shared among those who can win Leadville using it.

5DEV finds a way to mount road levers on an MTB handlebar and offers $25,000 for winning Leadville with them

The invention is clearly conditioned by the new regulations of the American race. Leadville prohibited MTB equipped with road handlebars for 2026, a configuration that had gained much prominence during the last editions and with which Keegan Swenson had managed to win the race.

The measure did not end the interest in the advantages that those bikes offered. 5DEV has simply sought another way to achieve them.

5DEV Shredville, road levers on a flat handlebar

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The Shredville are two small machined pieces that are placed on the inside of the grips and serve as a support to install road or gravel levers.

This way, the bike retains its flat mountain bike handlebar, but the cyclist has a second position for their hands. They can lean on the levers on tracks and fast areas to bring their arms together and adopt a more aerodynamic posture, while keeping the conventional grips for descents and technical sections.

The difference compared to mounting simple extensions is that the levers themselves allow access to the brakes from that forward position.

5DEV does not hide that Leadville is behind the development. In fact, the name Shredville refers to the race itself, and the brand openly describes its supports as a solution to its new prohibition of drop handlebars.

The idea takes that mix between gravel and XC that we have seen in recent years even further, but without replacing the flat handlebar. Instead of completely transforming the front of the MTB, the Shredville only add the position that is interesting to retain.

The Shredville weigh 135 grams and cost $199.99

The mounting is designed for handlebars with the usual diameter of 22.2 mm in the grip area, and 5DEV declares a weight of 135 grams per pair.

The supports cost $199.99, to which the levers and the rest of the components necessary to complete the configuration should be added.

The brand also proposes a specific option for SRAM mounts. The internal buttons of the levers can be programmed to control the dropper post, thus utilizing those controls even when the cyclist is in the forward position.

5DEV assures that the system allows braking from both positions and presents it as a configuration designed precisely to alternate long fast sections with technical terrain.

But one thing is to design a component to gain seconds, and another to demonstrate that it can really help win one of the most important MTB races in the United States. And that’s where the story has become much more interesting.

Keegan Swenson tested them, but was not completely convinced

To promote the Shredville, 5DEV turned to Keegan Swenson, the rider who best represents recent aerodynamic experimentation in Leadville.

Swenson appeared on a Specialized S-Works World Cup equipped with the new system, but his participation in the campaign does not seem to have turned him into a defender of the invention. As 5DEV itself acknowledges, the American “was not exactly convinced”.

The situation has quite a bit of irony. Swenson had won Leadville using a road handlebar and later admitted to having proposed its prohibition. Now he has been one of the first big names used to showcase a solution designed precisely to regain some of the advantages that configuration offered. In light of his doubts, 5DEV has decided to respond in an unusual way.

$25,000 if someone wins Leadville with the Shredville

The brand has just announced the Shredville Challenge and has put $25,000 on the table to prove that its invention can work at the highest level.

This is not a single prize. 5DEV offers $12,500 to the man who wins Leadville using the Shredville and another $12,500 to the woman who does the same.

The challenge is open, and the company has publicly invited interested riders to contact them to prepare the setup.

The Leadville Trail 100 MTB 2026 will take place on August 15, so we will soon know if any aspiring winner accepts the challenge.