Oz they use the custom kits in practice runs and for photos. When it comes down to the line, in the final run, they wear their national team jersey.
If they want in-team diversity, paint each rider's bike differently, give each a different helmet, etc. All of that is being done as it is.
The core problem of Santa Cruz is three different clothing sponsors, if they were on the same clothes line, they would have the same kits and there would be no problem. As simple as that.
Most people, as far as personal sponsors go, limit it to helmets, shoes, goggles and other miscellaneous sponsors (a Red Bull rider won't join a Monster team, obviously). Having personal clothing sponsors is rare. And as said, those that do have it that way, are not in a trade team - Spec, Giant and i think Scott was mentioned as well due to Fairclough (well, there are only him and Neko this year anyway).
Santa Cruz? Really!?! All this over your riders in personal kits? Gimme a break! If your going to compete at the highest levels of professional mountain...
Santa Cruz? Really!?! All this over your riders in personal kits? Gimme a break! If your going to compete at the highest levels of professional mountain biking and you employ professional athletes then it makes sense to have a uniform to represent your team/organization. Who wouldn't be stoked to wear a team kit? This "ragtag" image that is perpetuated by the syndicate as well as much of the bike industry, is in my opinion a huge disservice to the athletes that work hard to compete at World Cup levels. All the professional sports leagues have uniforms and we still celebrate their individual accomplishments. I think professional mountain biking should be more professional at the highest levels and the athletes should be paid more by the teams employing them.
Downhill is an individuals sport so the reference to sports leagues is irrelevant in this case.
I really don't see how preventing riders having their own...
Downhill is an individuals sport so the reference to sports leagues is irrelevant in this case.
I really don't see how preventing riders having their own personal kit and/or equipment sponsors will equate to more earnings for them. As the most successful team on the world cup circuit for the past decade, SC Syndicate must be doing something right. Their success has done so much for popularity of the sport that I feel this decision is very short sighted.
It is the individual personalities and style of each rider that makes downhill what it is. Look at Ratboy last year - a long haired Mancunian with a wild style totally dominating the world cup, and he has become the most popular rider in a very long time. Imagine if his look and personality had been stifled by commercial intervention and silly rules. These riders are doing this for a living, they are fighting for exposure and to prevent them being individuals is doing them a disservice.
Take the world champs race as an example. How much more media interest is there when each rider turns up with personalised kit and custom bikes/graphics representing their individual countries.
I don't think anyone can argue the success of the syndicate team. I guess we all watch pro mtb events for different reasons. It seems being able to identify some kid's bike and kit is the reason people watch. Honestly, this fashion debate sounds like teens at the mall...omg, did you see what he's wearing, omg. Any athlete at this level can ride a bike better than most of us, I just find it difficult to take it seriously when this rebel without a cause image crap is what people weigh in on.
What about Brendog and Neko? Brendog is on TLD and Neko is on Royal clothes! How are they gonna solve this problem?
My opinion is that the team should wear same kit (jersey and shorts/pants) or at least jersey, that's why your on a team!?
For example look at Sam Hill he was sponsored by TLD from the begining, and now he is wearing Royal clothes (this year Mavic maybe?) because this is the team sponsor and all other members of CRC wears the same clothes!
So I don't see a reason why the Syndicate can't do the same? If they are so good, they won't have any trouble finding the team clothing sponsor. Just the opposite manufacturers should fight to be sponsors for such a good team! Who wouldn't be sponsor to Peaty, Ratboy and Minnaar at the same time.
Isn't Peaty part owner or along that line for Royal? Why would he want to risk all the exposure he gives the company by running a different brand of apparel? Unless, Royal became the main sponsor, but having 3 top riders means big contracts.
Why don't they wear their specific sponsors kits but have them printed with the same sponsor as per the team with minor brand logos for the actual make? It would be just like the M1 back in the day; how many riders rode a rebranded M1 that said it was something different. They usually has an Intense logo on the stays to show the true brand.
sunkidh they won't be a trade team? Are you even following, the whole problem (for some) here is that SCS doesn't have a trade team status, so no guaranteed prime 80 m^2 pit spot, no automatic over the internetrace signup with UCI, they have to do it with each race organiser, they won't compete in the team standings, etc.
No biggie when the line is drawn in the bottom.
brimmergj i think he's the co-founder or sth like that?
Theres 2 things that make the Santacruz ruling a farce.
The first is that their Jerseys look more like each other than last year and apparently the UCI was ok with them then.
The second is that the UCI is quite happy for team Astana to race this year as a full fledged team even though they're lead by an unrepentant doper and 3 of their extended team has failed doping tests in 6 months.
So Astana is fine to race at the highest level and be an ambassador for the sport of cycling but the MTB team with the current series overall winner, a 3 times overall and world champs winner plus former world champ and overall winner who happens to hold the current record for WC wins, well their jerseys aren't identical so they're out. What a crock.
Thomas (new Sunn rider) just liked some of my Instagram photos right as I was reading that press release. #Illuminati
Unrelated, I think Jerseygate has been beaten into the ground at this point gang - bigger fish to fry: Look, RRP has a cool female rider! Yeah!
And, if it's any consolation, there was a mummer that the decision to lose the trade team status was a conscious decision - while it was the UCI's ruling, do you really think that the people at SC are that thick? No, they are quite clever.
Anyways, I think we need to talk a little more about Neko rockin' an Oskar Blues helmet livery!
Agreed. I really wanted to see something big and badass. It is a little underwhelming, but wicked cool nonetheless - could have just been so much louder. Though, I understand that for the first time around it might have been a conscious decision in order to not over-shoot their mark on the first take. I'm sure there will be a radical one-off for perhaps Windham and Worlds (or I hope so at least!).
Well he's still on Kona Bikes, and if you stop the video it doesn't look like a devinci at all: [img]https://p.vitalmtb.com/photos/forums/2015/02/17/2012/s1200_Screen_Shot_2015_02_17_at_09.26.51.jpg[/img]
It looks a bit like...
Well he's still on Kona Bikes, and if you stop the video it doesn't look like a devinci at all:
Team Robot/Roadie look is not good for the uniqueness that is DH MTB racing. Hated this rule before I was at an apparel brand, hate it even more now. I hope other teams follow Syndicates move.
Their "move" was being made aware the kits would not meet the UCI criteria, and then choosing to not modify them to meet the criteria. And the message it sends is that if a major team, the one with the current men's world cup champion I might add, will not abide by this petty rule, then maybe it's time to start treating Dh/mountain biking differently and not just applying blanket rules across all disciplines.
Their "move" was being made aware the kits would not meet the UCI criteria, and then choosing to not modify them to meet the criteria. And...
Their "move" was being made aware the kits would not meet the UCI criteria, and then choosing to not modify them to meet the criteria. And the message it sends is that if a major team, the one with the current men's world cup champion I might add, will not abide by this petty rule, then maybe it's time to start treating Dh/mountain biking differently and not just applying blanket rules across all disciplines.
Gee moved to the Santa Cruz team!?! How did everybody miss that news?
Their "move" was being made aware the kits would not meet the UCI criteria, and then choosing to not modify them to meet the criteria. And...
Their "move" was being made aware the kits would not meet the UCI criteria, and then choosing to not modify them to meet the criteria. And the message it sends is that if a major team, the one with the current men's world cup champion I might add, will not abide by this petty rule, then maybe it's time to start treating Dh/mountain biking differently and not just applying blanket rules across all disciplines.
There's not enough money in the sport to preclude high-profile riders from pursuing their own individual clothing/protection sponsorships. I believe that was a notable part of Gwin's decision to leave Trek. He would have been missing out on a big opportunity from TLD if he was locked into the suite of suppliers attached to TWR.
#drool check out Marcelo Gutierrez's new Giant Glory Advanced team bike
[img]https://p.vitalmtb.com/photos/forums/2015/02/23/2017/s1200_IMG_1846.jpg[/img]
#drool check out Marcelo Gutierrez's new Giant Glory Advanced team bike
It looks like Marcelo's getting some fine tuning on the rear coil with a collar spacer similar to ex-team mate Danny Hart's 2014 Ft. Bill setup tuned by Dave Garland.
It looks like Marcelo's getting some fine tuning on the rear coil with a collar spacer similar to ex-team mate Danny Hart's 2014 Ft. Bill setup...
It looks like Marcelo's getting some fine tuning on the rear coil with a collar spacer similar to ex-team mate Danny Hart's 2014 Ft. Bill setup tuned by Dave Garland.
I heard that they are bearings to prevent coil binding , or something of that nature.
If i'm not mistaken it's just a spacer which the Vivid needs for some reason, as the Ti spring at the same stroke is shorter than a steel spring. It could also employ the thrust bearing to prevent biding. Though i'm not completely sold on the idea of the binding, can't really see how it could play a big role.
This spacer is directly connected to the spring. No bearings.
The coil itself is a brainchild from a few suspension engineers and is not a Ti spring. Danny Harts old mechanic was also involved in this. It's some special alloy. I don't actually know what the spacer is for. Looks like they will be sold this year to the public I have been told and will come with a test protocoll with the actual spring rate of the coil. They will be very accurate.
Light+cheaper than a Ti spring+accurate spring rate= yay science!
Taken from BikeRadar coverage from fort bill last year:
'The new Stendec Extreme coil spring was developed jointly with an Italian automotive company who were keen to explore the bicycle market. The new springs, which are considerably lighter than titanium, are made of a composite alloy with an ABS section designed to prevent abrasion against the shock collar. With a variety of sizes and weights soon to be available and prices ranging from £75 to 80 with 25lb increments, these could be the next must have upgrade for your downhill bike.'
Full press release here - http://www.vitalmtb.com/news/press-release/SUNN-introduces-its-Enduro-T…
Oz they use the custom kits in practice runs and for photos. When it comes down to the line, in the final run, they wear their national team jersey.
If they want in-team diversity, paint each rider's bike differently, give each a different helmet, etc. All of that is being done as it is.
The core problem of Santa Cruz is three different clothing sponsors, if they were on the same clothes line, they would have the same kits and there would be no problem. As simple as that.
Most people, as far as personal sponsors go, limit it to helmets, shoes, goggles and other miscellaneous sponsors (a Red Bull rider won't join a Monster team, obviously). Having personal clothing sponsors is rare. And as said, those that do have it that way, are not in a trade team - Spec, Giant and i think Scott was mentioned as well due to Fairclough (well, there are only him and Neko this year anyway).
full PR here.
http://www.vitalmtb.com/news/press-release/BIGGER-BETTER-GHOST-RRP-TEAM…
My opinion is that the team should wear same kit (jersey and shorts/pants) or at least jersey, that's why your on a team!?
For example look at Sam Hill he was sponsored by TLD from the begining, and now he is wearing Royal clothes (this year Mavic maybe?) because this is the team sponsor and all other members of CRC wears the same clothes!
So I don't see a reason why the Syndicate can't do the same? If they are so good, they won't have any trouble finding the team clothing sponsor. Just the opposite manufacturers should fight to be sponsors for such a good team! Who wouldn't be sponsor to Peaty, Ratboy and Minnaar at the same time.
Why don't they wear their specific sponsors kits but have them printed with the same sponsor as per the team with minor brand logos for the actual make? It would be just like the M1 back in the day; how many riders rode a rebranded M1 that said it was something different. They usually has an Intense logo on the stays to show the true brand.
No biggie when the line is drawn in the bottom.
brimmergj i think he's the co-founder or sth like that?
The first is that their Jerseys look more like each other than last year and apparently the UCI was ok with them then.
The second is that the UCI is quite happy for team Astana to race this year as a full fledged team even though they're lead by an unrepentant doper and 3 of their extended team has failed doping tests in 6 months.
So Astana is fine to race at the highest level and be an ambassador for the sport of cycling but the MTB team with the current series overall winner, a 3 times overall and world champs winner plus former world champ and overall winner who happens to hold the current record for WC wins, well their jerseys aren't identical so they're out. What a crock.
Unrelated, I think Jerseygate has been beaten into the ground at this point gang - bigger fish to fry: Look, RRP has a cool female rider! Yeah!
And, if it's any consolation, there was a mummer that the decision to lose the trade team status was a conscious decision - while it was the UCI's ruling, do you really think that the people at SC are that thick? No, they are quite clever.
Anyways, I think we need to talk a little more about Neko rockin' an Oskar Blues helmet livery!
http://instagram.com/p/zMHc8AILvr/?modal=true
It looks a bit like Konas beginner Park bike the Precept:
http://www.konaworld.com/precept_200.cfm
So maybe it's a new Operator on the base of their Process and Precept bikes?!
full details
http://www.vitalmtb.com/news/press-release/Team-Chain-Reaction-Cycles-P…
http://www.pinkbike.com/news/2008ObtainiumPerformanceProducts.html
The coil itself is a brainchild from a few suspension engineers and is not a Ti spring. Danny Harts old mechanic was also involved in this. It's some special alloy. I don't actually know what the spacer is for. Looks like they will be sold this year to the public I have been told and will come with a test protocoll with the actual spring rate of the coil. They will be very accurate.
Light+cheaper than a Ti spring+accurate spring rate= yay science!
'The new Stendec Extreme coil spring was developed jointly with an Italian automotive company who were keen to explore the bicycle market. The new springs, which are considerably lighter than titanium, are made of a composite alloy with an ABS section designed to prevent abrasion against the shock collar. With a variety of sizes and weights soon to be available and prices ranging from £75 to 80 with 25lb increments, these could be the next must have upgrade for your downhill bike.'
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