Brook Macdonald Partners With Velduro On New Downhill MTB Project

Brook Macdonald is joining the crew at Velduro Bikes in NZ. The former Junior World Champion and UCI Downhill World Cup winner is getting stuck into testing and development across our current range, and helping us build our first downhill mountain bike, the Bulldog.

If you follow downhill, you'll know the name. Brook's from Hawke's Bay and based in Rotorua now, and he's been one of the best in the world for over a decade, taking gold at the 2009 Junior World Champs in Canberra and a World Cup win at Val d'Isere in 2012. Then in 2019 he faced real adversity, a spinal injury that would've ended most careers, but he fought back to win Crankworx Rotorua in 2021, proof he's never been a rider who takes the easy line.

Co-founder Dan Wallace put it simply.

“Brook has always been one of the riders we all look up to. His approach to riding has never been about taking the easy line, it's about pushing harder, riding faster, and defying the limits. That's exactly the kind of rider we want testing our bikes.”

This isn't a logo-on-the-jersey deal either. Brook's giving feedback on our current models, the Rogue and Phantom, and helping test new prototypes here in NZ, on some of the roughest terrain going around. It's an ongoing role, not a one-off, and he'll keep working with us on current and future bikes as the range grows.

“As a new brand, we know trust has to be earned. You don't earn it with marketing, you earn it by building bikes that perform when it matters most. New Zealand's terrain is some of the toughest in the world, so if our bikes can stand up to the way Brook rides, we know they'll give riders here, and around the world, the confidence that every Velduro is built to last.”

Part of Brook joining Velduro is that he's working with our design team to help create our first analogue downhill model, aptly named the Bulldog. It's a first for us in a few ways. It's our first bike without the Avinox drive system that powers the Rogue and Phantom, and it's our first proper crack at pedal only downhill racing. We launched our first bikes back in November 2025 and we're already in 24 countries, so this is the next chapter.

The name isn't random. Brook's carried the nickname “The Bulldog” for most of his career, earned from riding that never backs down. Felt like the only name that fit.

The Bulldog is a big part of what Brook's doing with us, but it's not the whole picture. He'll also be involved in the ongoing development of the Rogue and Phantom, now and as we keep building the range out.

Brook says he'd had his eye on Velduro for a while.

“Being a company from New Zealand is a huge step for our mountain biking scene. You don't see many, if any, bike companies come out of here. I love the design and the way they have built the bikes.”

What sold him on getting involved properly was the chance to actually shape the bike, not just ride it.

“I get to work alongside like-minded people that are trying to achieve the same goal, developing bikes for people to ride faster, feel more confident and keep progressing. I'm excited to have the opportunity to create a downhill bike.”

We're excited to have Brook on the team. The Bulldog prototype will start testing over the New Zealand summer riding season, so keep an eye on our socials and this blog for updates as he puts it through its paces.