Shaping the Technology That You Ride – Chris Hilton, CTO of YT Industries

December 15, 2020

Chris Hilton has spent his career shaping the technology that we get to ride, and his journey has now taken him to Chief Technology Officer at YT Industries. We sat down to find out about his incredible career. From his early days as a racer through numerous roles, not just within the bike industry, right up to today. We chat about some of the innovation that he has been a part of, as well as finding out about some of the challenges of the modern mountain bike industry. What’s it like developing products to please customers, athletes and media at the same time, what impact do patents have, and plenty more. So hit play above and give this episode with Chris Hilton a listen.

To find out more, head to yt-industries.com.

Supporting Partners

YT Industries

YT has recently opened the YT Mill near Guildford, in the awesome Surrey hills. They are welcoming mountain bikers to drop by for a coffee, chat bikes and to have the opportunity to demo the whole YT range.

The staff at the YT Mill can help with anything from bike sizing, to suspension set up. They can even help you get your bike set up perfectly for you when it arrives from YT. They are also going to be handling all UK customer service from the Mill.

The Mill is basically like walking inside the website, and you can check out all of YT’s models in the flesh, including their new IZZO trail bike, and the well known and loved Capra. If you want to demo the bikes, then you can, just contact the staff at the mill to take your dream bike for a ride for free. Good times at the YT Mill Surrey Hills are available Tuesdays to Saturdays from 9am to 5pm. You can find out more over at yt-industries.com.

We Are One Composites

This episode is supported by We Are One Composites. We Are One have been big supporters of what I’m doing from the start, and for that I’m really grateful. They also make amazing carbon fibre wheels which are hand made in Canada, and have recently added their DaPackage bar and stem to their line up. I’m running their Faction 29er rims on my bike, and they look and feel amazing. They’ve managed to find the sweet spot between stiffness and compliance, making a wheel that tracks, but doesn’t feel harsh to ride.

They’ve got a whole line up of wheels, so there is always something to suit your needs. Head to weareonecomposites.com and check out what they have to offer. If you’re tempted, then as a Downtime listener, and because it’s nearly Christmas, they are offering you 20% off during December. All you need to do is enter the code ‘santagives20‘ at the checkout.

Podcast Stuff

If you want to support the podcast, and represent, then my webstore is the place to head. All products are 100% organic, shipped without plastics, and made with a supply chain that’s using renewable energy. So check it out now over at downtimepodcast.com/shop. The new t-shirts are super soft and a lovely fit, so treat yourself and help the podcast at the same time. We’ve got sweatshirts and hoodies too!

For everything video, including riding videos, bike checks and more, subscribe over at youtube.com/downtimemountainbikepodcast.

Are you enjoying the podcast? If so, then don’t forget to subscribe. It’s free and means you’ll get every episode delivered to your device as soon as it’s available. You’ll find all the links you need at downtimepodcast.com/subscribe. You can find us on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Google and most of the podcast apps out there. While you’re there, why not join our newsletter, to get our Weekend Warm-Up email every Friday, full of interesting bike-related stuff, competitions, product recommendations and more.

If you want to share tips and advice with other podcast listeners on anything mountain bike related, you can join our Facebook group, head to www.facebook.com/groups/mtbperformance/ request permission to join the group and get involved!

Our back catalogue of amazing episodes is available at downtimepodcast.com/episodes

Photo – YT Industries