Nowadays, the big man from Chapeltown, Sheffield, splits his time between his head coach role on the Santa Cruz Syndicate race team and running his own company, Peaty\u2019s<\/a>, which sells accessories, maintenance and cleaning products with an eco conscience.<\/p>\n We decided it was time for a proper catch-up with the fun-loving, down-to-earth legend once his post-awards hangover had worn off. So, in early December, I jumped in the MBUK van with our videographer Max Wilman and headed up north to Sheffield to chat racing and look back at some of Peaty\u2019s favourite bikes from over the years. Oh, and maybe even ride a bit too\u2026<\/p>\n Collectors\u2019 paradise After almost three hours of driving, we rumble along a farm track and pull up outside Peaty\u2019s \u2018man shed\u2019, where Steve greets us and welcomes us in. This place is impressive \u2013 he\u2019s got a fully stocked workshop, kitchen, office, lounge and, of course, lots of bikes, helmets and other memorabilia. It\u2019s a mountain biker\u2019s dream.<\/p>\n Before any cameras are taken out and the real work begins, we get chatting. Steve may not be racing World Cups any more, but as head coach of one of the world\u2019s most successful teams, he still lives and breathes it. His winning ways were no fluke, and the knowledge and experience he gained from decades on the circuit are now being transferred onto the next generation.<\/p>\n It\u2019s funny, though. Peaty\u2019s laidback take on life and calm demeanour are somewhat misleading. Even now, it\u2019s clear he hasn\u2019t lost his competitive spirit or his edge. He still knows what it takes to win at the highest level, and it\u2019s interesting to hear his take on all the goings-on from the past season.<\/p>\n We also discuss the few national races he completed in 2025, with great success, although he assures me he doesn\u2019t miss racing at the top level. He\u2019s more than happy competing with his peers and with his youngest son George, who, Steve says, is yet to beat him. Not that there\u2019s a family rivalry or anything…<\/p>\n Over coffee, we take a look around his workshop while Steve has a little tidy-up, ready for filming. Alongside the bikes that have made history \u2013 and that isn\u2019t an exaggeration \u2013 there are all sorts of treasured trinkets, including Steve\u2019s 2002 invite to Downing Street to meet then-Prime Minister Tony Blair. It\u2019s easy to forget just how big an impact Peaty had on mountain biking in the UK.<\/p>\n As well as the lofty accolades, there are all sorts of other cool bits and pieces on display. Anyone remember Steve\u2019s Troy Lee Designs \u2018Thirsty Work\u2019 D2 helmet, with two cans of Stella Artois mounted on top with tubes sticking out from them so he could stay \u2018hydrated\u2019? That was from Livigno, Italy, in 2004, where Peaty raced safe in the knowledge he\u2019d already wrapped up the series title. It\u2019s amazing to see all of this in the flesh.<\/p>\n Then, of course, there\u2019s the 2018 Mountain Bike Hall of Fame award, hordes of medals and trophies, as well as his invite to the BBC Sports Personality of the Year in 2003. Just wild!<\/p>\n But nothing compares to the bikes. Steve\u2019s not long mounted them on the wall and I feel bad asking him to get them down, but he kindly obliges so we can take a closer look. I\u2019ve asked him to choose just three, but bear in mind that Peaty\u2019s kept at least one bike from every year he\u2019s competed, so there\u2019s a lot to choose from.<\/p>\n The buzz First up is the Bumblebee, or at least that\u2019s what Steve affectionately calls it. This Orange 224 prototype was the bike that Steve piloted to his first and only Fort William World Cup victory in 2005. I was there, screaming as he crossed the line and watched him lift his bike over his head in celebration. Just thinking back gives me goosebumps. Seeing the bike here right in front of me is hard to fathom.<\/p>\n I quiz Steve about the sizing and if there was anything custom going on. \u201cEvery Orange I had was handbuilt in Halifax, so every one of them was custom,\u201d he replies.<\/p>\n He also tells me that Orange continued to extend the front and rear triangles of the bike as their partnership continued but, despite this, \u201cit was still really small to ride, but it was one of the bigger ones at the time\u201d.<\/p>\n For those who know their Oranges, it\u2019s clear this isn\u2019t run-of-the-mill. The brand\u2019s characteristic single pivot is positioned far lower than on the production 223 of the time, and tucked in just in front of the chainring.<\/p>\n As one of the few riders on the RockShox BlackBox programme, a product-development project reserved for the fastest racers on the planet, Steve was sometimes given kit that might not even make it into production.<\/p>\n \u201cI think we started things off with brakes, then maybe bars, then they moved into suspension and things like that,\u201d Steve explains.<\/p>\n Bolted to the front of the Bumblebee is one of the first RockShox BoXXer<\/a> forks that used an air spring<\/a>, since they\u2019d been built around much heavier coil springs up until that point.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was always nice to get something that not many of the other riders had got. Always made you feel a bit better about yourself. And it was cool seeing what they\u2019d come back with after your feedback and test sessions.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s wild seeing just how spindly those 32mm BoXXer stanchions are compared to the upper legs on the far chunkier Fox 40 fork that Steve uses now.<\/p>\n Sticking with suspension, Steve was also one of the few riders using the Progressive 5th Element shock, which he had Tim Flooks, RockShox suspension tech and founder of TF Tuned suspension, tune for him.<\/p>\n Then there\u2019s a host of mods you wouldn\u2019t find anywhere else in the pits. As a Race Face-sponsored rider, Steve had to run what was available from the brand at the time. With no direct-mount stem<\/a>, Steve used a regular one. But, to prevent it from twisting, his mechanic screwed cut-off, headless bolts into the fork\u2019s top crown, tight against the stem.<\/p>\n On top of that, grease was stripped from his Hadley hubs and replaced with thinner oil to ensure they spun as fast as possible. Other little details include laser-etched reservoir caps on the Hope brakes, with one featuring the date of birth of his eldest son, Jake, which makes this bike even more special.<\/p>\n If ever a product was to date a bike, aside from the 26in wheels<\/a>, it has to be the dual-plate, twin-roller MRP chain guide. While we take things like chain retention for granted now, back then, the MRP was one of the only foolproof chain devices going, and for the most part, it worked a treat. Well, it clearly did for Steve on that infamous day in 2005 when he pipped Greg Minnaar to the win.<\/p>\n Chasing rainbows If you\u2019ve followed Steve\u2019s career, you\u2019ll know all about his relationship with the World Championships. Up until 2009, Peaty had won four silver medals. And no one will forget that day in 2004, in Les Gets, when, after being up at the final split, he crashed out, handing the title to Fabien Barel.<\/p>\n The year 2009 marked Steve\u2019s 17th World Championships. Despite winning World Cups in Andorra and France in the lead-up to the big race in Canberra, Australia, Steve felt like this might not be his year. Again.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d had a bad back a couple of weeks before, didn\u2019t feel good going out there and just thought I was [attending] to make up the numbers,\u201d he says. But as we now know, that wasn\u2019t the case.<\/p>\n The bike Peaty raced that weekend was similar to the one he\u2019d been on throughout the 2009 season, but with the track in Canberra being so fast and relatively flat, Steve and his mechanic, Ricky Bobby, set about making some tweaks to make it as rapid as possible.<\/p>\n Officially speaking, the bike seen here would be the Santa Cruz V10 Mk3, though Steve\u2019s actual bike would have been custom, which used an alloy frame with a carbon fibre upper link, 26in wheels, and offered up a massive 254mm of rear-wheel travel.<\/p>\n When it came to the frame, Steve says: \u201cWe\u2019d gone a bit bigger and I felt like it was finally getting to a decent size where it fitted me a little bit better\u201d.<\/p>\n The Syndicate were still sponsored by SRAM and RockShox at this point, with Steve continuing to be a key part of the BlackBox programme, which explains all the little, not-for-production touches you\u2019ll see in the pictures.<\/p>\n While Steve generally preferred to stick with a suspension setting for the season, it was firmed up for this particular race, to help him carry as much speed as possible.<\/p>\n One particular area of focus for Steve was the tyres. \u201cA semi-slick on the back, and I cut the tread down on the front tyre,\u201d he says, referring to the Maxxis High Roller that\u2019s seemingly been shaved, specifically for the race. This was all done to maximise rolling speed.<\/p>\n Onto the brakes and, unlike the rotors<\/a> you\u2019ll find on most downhill bikes now, Peaty\u2019s 2009 V10 sports a pair so small you\u2019d be unlikely even to see them on cross-country rigs these days. With a 160mm rotor up front and a 140mm at the rear, it\u2019s clear Steve didn\u2019t intend on slowing down much.<\/p>\n He knew he needed to pull some time in the more technical upper part of the track, because he\u2019d be giving some away on the lower, more pedal-y stretch towards the end.<\/p>\n \u201cI knew I wasn\u2019t that fit, so I hammered the top of the track and put something like 1.25 seconds into everybody else there and luckily, managed to hold the lead all the way to the finish line,\u201d Steve reminisces.<\/p>\n Weight was also something many racers took into account back then, and explains the three, rather than six, rotor bolts at either end, which is terrifying to consider. <\/p>\n The patriotic paint job needs mentioning, as do the hand-polished DT Swiss rims, the rear of which has some battle scars. The dings around the edge of this rim are so deep, Steve confesses, \u201cI was lucky to make it down the track\u201d.<\/p>\n Fortunately, he made it down, and what\u2019s more, took the win, ahead of Greg Minnaar again, by just 0.05 seconds.<\/p>\n Name game Our final piece of Peaty history is the Stella bike, affectionately named after one of Steve\u2019s favourite drinks. This is the current, eighth-generation Santa Cruz V10, which sports 208mm of travel, 29in wheels in a size XL and far longer and slacker geometry than any of its predecessors.<\/p>\n As Steve looks at it adoringly, he confesses: \u201cThis is a bike that finally fits me really well. Everything has been refined a little bit and this bike is just bigger, better and faster.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s the first of our three that includes the Santa Cruz Syndicate race team\u2019s current sponsors, Fox and Shimano. The broad, chunky-tubed Fox 40 fork is the biggest contrast to the skinnier RockShox BoXXers bolted to the other two bikes, and no doubt a fair bit stiffer too.<\/p>\n While Steve\u2019s drivetrain<\/a> is from the Shimano Saint stable, he opts not to run the Saint brakes. \u201cI\u2019ve always preferred the XTR brakes,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s down to the way that I brake. I come into a corner, brake really late and get on the brakes really hard. And for me, a Saint on the front is a little too grabby.\u201d<\/p>\n He\u2019s used the Saint brakes in the past, but had to de-tune them in order to achieve his desired feel.<\/p>\n I quiz him on the suspension and ask him for his take on the evolution of this rather complex part of the puzzle. \u201cEverything just gets refined and gets a little bit better every year \u2013 it\u2019s just those small steps. It\u2019s the same with suspension. Fox are constantly upgrading the dampers and chassis.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n![\"Steve](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Steve-Peat-MBUK_83.jpeg\")
Peaty\u2019s helmet collection is a reminder of just how long he spent at the sharp end of downhill racing, and how much personality he brought to the sport along the way. Mick Kirkman<\/p>\n![\"Steve](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Steve-Peat-MBUK_133.jpeg\")
Peaty\u2019s 2018 Mountain Bike Hall of Fame plaque sits among a lifetime of race trophies and memorabilia from one of British downhill\u2019s most influential careers. Mick Kirkman<\/p>\n
\n![\"Steve](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Steve-Peat-MBUK_91.jpeg\")
Peaty rode this custom Orange 224 prototype to his famous Fort William World Cup win in 2005, making the Bumblebee one of the most significant bikes in his collection. Mick Kirkman<\/p>\n![\"Close-up](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Steve-Peat-MBUK_127.jpeg\")
Peaty\u2019s Orange 224 used a regular stem rather than a direct-mount design, with cut-down bolts added to the fork crown to stop it twisting under load. Mick Kirkman<\/p>\n![\"Close-up](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Steve-Peat-MBUK_121.jpeg\")
The Bumblebee\u2019s dual-roller MRP chainguide is pure mid-2000s downhill tech, from a time when keeping the chain on was far less guaranteed than it is now. Mick Kirkman<\/p>\n
\n![\"Steve](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Steve-Peat-MBUK_62.jpeg\")
Peaty\u2019s 2009 Santa Cruz V10 was set up for maximum speed at the Canberra Worlds with cut-down tyres and tiny brake rotors. Mick Kirkman<\/p>\n![\"Close-up](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Steve-Peat-MBUK_39.jpeg\")
The signed number board is a celebration of Peaty\u2019s long-awaited 2009 World Championships win in Canberra, where he finally claimed the rainbow jersey. Mick Kirkman<\/p>\n![\"Close-up](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Steve-Peat-MBUK_53.jpeg\")
Details matter. Peaty cut down the tread on his front tyre for the fast, relatively flat Canberra Worlds track, chasing every bit of rolling speed he could find. Mick Kirkman<\/p>\n![\"Close-up](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Steve-Peat-MBUK_60.jpeg\")
Peaty\u2019s 2009 V10 used Santa Cruz\u2019s VPP suspension layout and huge rear travel, but was firmed up for the fast, pedally Canberra Worlds track. That, and a semi-slick rear tyre. Mick Kirkman<\/p>\n
\n![\"Steve](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Steve-Peat-MBUK_33.jpeg\")
The Stella bike shows how far downhill design has moved on since Peaty\u2019s early race machines, with bigger wheels, modern geometry and a chassis that finally fits him properly. Mick Kirkman<\/p>\n
![\"Close-up](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Steve-Peat-MBUK_22.jpeg\")
The Stella name is more than a joke \u2013 Peaty\u2019s custom V10 wears a Stella Artois-inspired head badge as a nod to one of his favourite post-race beers. Mick Kirkman<\/p>\n![\"Three](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/George-Peat-MBUK_149.jpeg\")
The day ended with a local Sheffield ride, where the bikes, stories, and family connection behind Peaty’s illustrious career are rooted. Mick Kirkman<\/p>\n