Bike Check: Dustin Adams’ prototype We Are One DH rig from Canada Cup finals

There were all kinds of interesting bikes flying down Sun Peaks for Canada Cup finals but one stood out more than the rest. We Are One Composite’s founder Dustin Adams was not only racing, winning his Masters Men’s 35-44 category, but racing on a prototype downhill rig from his Kamloops, B.C.-based company.

The raw-carbon frame looked almost like a finished product, other than the word “prototype” lettered on the top tube in We Are One’s font. A closer look shows the Kamloops, B.C. brand’s downhill prototype has such a finished look as it is currently based around parts from an Arrival frame. The rear triangle is a stock XL Arrival rear end. The front triangle is the front half of an XL Arrival frame with a custom back end. The linkage connecting the two halves is also entirely new.

We Are One DH prototype

The prototype is still in the testing phase, though based on Adams’ win, clearly quite far along in that process. As such, it is quite modular. Adaptable linkages and shock mounts allow the shock to move on two axes, up and down and side to side. There’s also a flip-chip in the rear triangle and the ability to swap out different dogbone links and linkages. All of this lets We Are One engineers fine-tune kinematics on the frame, shifting leverage ratio, progression and geometry.

We Are One's downhill prototype has a familiar shape, borrowing heavily from the Arrival, but with all kinds of new things going on in the middle.

The bike currently uses a stock XL Arrival rear triangle, which certainly makes prototyping easier.

The test mule obviously looks a bit industrial, but the modular parts - manufactured in-house by We Are One in Kamloops - takes the testing process out onto the trails

The linkage is completely different than the Arrival. It's also highly modular, so WAO can experiment with the design on the trail, not just in CAAD

Of course Adams is running We Are One's new Convergence wheels, here in 30-mm internal width

SRAM XO Dh drirvetrain dwarfed by some huge rotors

Adams didn't just show up to We Are One's local bike park to show off the prototype. He raced it in the Dunbar Summer Series first Sun Peaks stop in years.

You can just see where the stock frame is cut and joined to the hand-laid prototype frame section by the seat, but it is still impressively clean work.

“Like everything we do, it’s entirely in-house. Engineering to design to production,” Adams said of the bike. And, with the WAO founder winning his category on his home course, racing too. However, he adds that you should probably expect to see other riders really start to open the throttle at races as more prototype frames are created. While it’s just a prototype right now, Adams does want to see it in production eventually. The timeframe for that, and what exactly the final frame will look like, are still up in the air, though.

Bringing We Are One fully into the DH scene

With Adams being a former World Cup downhill racer, it’s exciting to see We Are One taking another step into the world of DH. The Canadian brand’s Made-In-Kamloops wheels already have a strong presence, of course. Adams is also excited to be getting more involved in downhill, especially with the DH scene enjoying a renaissance at home and impressive levels of success internationally.

“Looking at the under-17, under-15 and younger categories, downhill in Canada is set to blow up in the next few years. Another four or five years and it’s going to be huge,” Adams said. “We came to this event last year and were blown away by the scale,” Adams added of the Dunbar Summer Series. “We were at every event this year and we’ll be back next year.”

Those younger riders may still have to wait a few years before they can join the World Cup ranks as juniors. Until then, they’ll have to stick to showing off their impressive talent on the Canada Cup circuit. In fact, Dunbar Summer Series is scheduled to bring 2024 Canadian downhill national championships to We Are One’s back yard, landing at Sun Peaks next year. Who knows, maybe by then there will be a few more, and more finalized, We Are One DH frames on the mountain by then.