Carson Storch's Revolutionary New Bike Sponsor

In a move that virtually nobody saw coming, Red Bull Rampage competitor and top freeride mountain biker Carson Storch has signed on with a new title sponsor: Kubota Tractor Corporation. As part of a non-endemic deal, the MTB standout is set to change the game by taking a new approach to an all-too-familiar struggle facing the sport.

The timing makes sense, the bike industry is in pretty bad shape at the moment. We have seen brands restructuring and riders struggling to keep the wheels tuning. In 2025, companies like YT Industries completely folded (and then re-emerged), and just last week Canyon announced that they were cutting 300+ jobs as part of a global restructuring initiative. Many top-name pros have struggled to maintain sponsors, and companies have similarly struggled to continue supporting the riders they’ve quietly built their brands on over the years.

As the sport continues to face financial hardship, it leaves the core culture of mountain biking at risk. Many riders and professionals who have built their lives in the industry have been forced to adapt to the sport’s tumultuous state. While many riders have moved from brand to brand, Carson took a different approach—one that meant finding a title sponsor outside of the traditional mountain bike industry.

The two have worked together for the past few years in more of an ambassador capacity, but 2026 takes the partnership to a new level. While the agreement was still formal, it was more akin to an ambassadorship—but 2026 takes their collaboration to a new level. As a freerider, building is just as much a part of the process as riding, and as the saying goes: no dig, no ride.

For Kubota, working with a rider like Storch is a natural fit. “Carson’s backroads upbringing digging dirt, building jumps, and freeride mountain biking makes this partnership a natural fit for Kubota,” said Theresa Duncan, Associate Marketing and Advertising Director, Kubota Tractor Corporation. “He’s spent his life carving new lines into mountains, and we build the kind of durable, reliable equipment that helps people move mountains. Through partnerships like this, we’re proud to keep supporting the action sports community while staying true to our mission of empowering our customers to blaze new trails, move more earth, and push past boundaries.”

Beyond that, Carson is an incredibly active member of the trail-building community, often working alongside Central Oregon Trail Alliance (COTA) and Tillamook Off-Road Trail Alliance (TORTA). He’s an active contributor to Oregon’s ever-growing network of trails, and his work plays a key role in supporting the local riding scene.

Interestingly, this partnership also opens up a unique opportunity for Carson as a rider without a traditional sponsor structure. While most riders are tied to a singular bike brand, Carson’s partnership with Kubota allows him to approach sponsorship in previously unheard-of ways. Since his primary loyalty lies with Kubota—which is a non-conflicting sponsor for most bike brands—it allows him to approach and work with industry brands in new ways. Due to the non-exclusive nature of his contract, he’s free to ride any bike he wants.

Alongside announcing his updated Kubota deal, Storch announced his first bicycle partnership for 2026. This year, he has chosen to partner with Zink Bikes and ride their Prototype DH frame as his primary bike. Zink Bikes founder and freeride legend Cam Zink said this about the recently announced deal:

“The opportunity to have an A-list, all-time-great rider like Carson Storch is unbelievable, especially for a new brand like ours,” commented Cam Zink. “Carson has always forged his own path, so it’s fitting to see him capitalize on a non-endemic title sponsor, such as Kubota, and get to ride whatever frame he chooses. Which makes this an honor for Zink Bikes—that when he has the freedom to choose whatever bike he wants, regardless of a paycheck, he is choosing to ride our bikes!”

While certainly unconventional, this type of partnership makes complete sense for Storch, Kubota, and for sport that’s being forced to rethink how it supports riders. For Carson, this is a continuation of what he’s always done: doing things his way and finding lines where they didn’t previously exist. Kubota gains a great representative of their brand, which allows invaluable access to a whole new world of potential clientele and opportunities. And given the current state of the industry, this type of deal allows top-level riders to stay involved and support its core, while also being able to operate more freely and successfully than they might be if they were tied to a traditional sponsorship structure.

Could this be the future of sponsorship? Only time will tell. But in the meantime, it means we get to continue seeing one of the sport’s best operate at the highest level and that’s the real win.