2018 Racing Rumors

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sspomer
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sspomer 1/12/2018 8:43am
1/12/2018 8:43am
some bikeage.
bavshredder 1/12/2018 8:47am
1/12/2018 8:47am
Zakarias Johansen in Cube Action Team



sambrody
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sambrody 1/12/2018 8:51am
1/12/2018 8:51am
So... Hope cranks and cassettes on TFR? Looks to be SRAM shifty bits. I agree with the above, a bit wild to see the mass Shimano exodus...
LTrumpore
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LTrumpore 1/12/2018 9:02am
1/12/2018 9:02am
Brock_Fisher wrote:
Sram dumped a ton of riders a year or two back as well. More of them were slopestyle and freeride guys and what not, others were...
Sram dumped a ton of riders a year or two back as well. More of them were slopestyle and freeride guys and what not, others were racers.

I think if you listen to that inside line podcast episode The chick from sram kina explained it as a necessary evil. Maybe same thing happening with Shimano.
'the chick from sram' also goes by the name Elayna Caldwell. She's SRAM's Brand Director for MTB
Euan_Mackenzie 1/12/2018 12:06pm
1/12/2018 12:06pm
Reece Wilson on Commençal/100% as well.



iceman2058 1/12/2018 12:50pm
1/12/2018 12:50pm
Here is the full 2018 announcement for the Commencal / 100% team (formerly Commencal / Lac Blanc):
--------------------------------
New Blood, New Name!

We’re stoked to welcome Bruce Klein (20 year old, Los Angeles, CA) and Reece Wilson (21 year old, Gordon, Scotland), who join Thomas Estaque in the COMMENCAL / 100% Team! These three riders, already familiar with World Cup top 20s, are a real explosion of style and motivation.



Of course we’re also super stoked to strengthen our relationship with 100%. The attractive Californian brand has been supporting us for two years now and we feel very close to their cutting edge products. Special thanks to Lac Blanc Bike Park for a wonderful decade of partnership and support! The team grew thanks to this French resort, they’ve been there since the beginning. We will never miss the opportunity to ride again in their wonderful place during summer!



We had an eventful 2017 season, a mixture of international podiums and injuries. Amaury Pierron and Thomas Estaque showed us we had the tools to get on the podiums along with COMMENCAL’s drive for racing. However, now it’s time to turn a page and we hope the coming years will be even more exciting because we love this sport!

Can’t wait for the action!

Pierre-Charles GEORGES
COMMENCAL / 100% Team Manager

Brock_Fisher 1/12/2018 2:56pm
1/12/2018 2:56pm
Brock_Fisher wrote:
Sram dumped a ton of riders a year or two back as well. More of them were slopestyle and freeride guys and what not, others were...
Sram dumped a ton of riders a year or two back as well. More of them were slopestyle and freeride guys and what not, others were racers.

I think if you listen to that inside line podcast episode The chick from sram kina explained it as a necessary evil. Maybe same thing happening with Shimano.
LTrumpore wrote:
'the chick from sram' also goes by the name Elayna Caldwell. She's SRAM's Brand Director for MTB
Couldn't remember her name. Thank you!
Salespunk
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Salespunk 1/12/2018 7:00pm
1/12/2018 7:00pm
tlax88 wrote:
Mitch Ropelato competing in the full EWS season this year. The guy has incredible skill, I can't wait to root for him. https://www.instagram.com/p/Bd2xhAdH8UQ/?hl=en&taken-by=mitchropo
Best news so far this year. Great kid and seriously talented! Hopefully he gets over his dislike for international travel this year.
kwapik
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kwapik 1/12/2018 7:24pm
1/12/2018 7:24pm Edited Date/Time 1/12/2018 7:25pm
longroadtonowhere wrote:
[img]https://p.vitalmtb.com/photos/forums/2018/01/12/5846/s1200_Screen_Shot_2018_01_12_at_10.13.48_AM.jpg[/img] Finally official. Bruce Klein riding for new Commencal/100% team.


Finally official. Bruce Klein riding for new Commencal/100% team.
Stoked for Bruce Klein. He had a great 2017. I'm curious how the Commencal team will influence his results in 2018. He's hoping for a bunch of top tens on the big stage.
Dylan
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Dylan 1/12/2018 7:36pm
1/12/2018 7:36pm
Fresh lid for Yoann


watchcwgo
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watchcwgo 1/12/2018 7:49pm
1/12/2018 7:49pm
Shimano picked up two top previously Sram XC teams this season, Topeak ergon and cannondale factory racing. Maybe their sponsorship priorities have shifted with a new xtr release on the horizon.
anotherbikerguy 1/12/2018 8:51pm
1/12/2018 8:51pm
watchcwgo wrote:
Shimano picked up two top previously Sram XC teams this season, Topeak ergon and cannondale factory racing. Maybe their sponsorship priorities have shifted with a new...
Shimano picked up two top previously Sram XC teams this season, Topeak ergon and cannondale factory racing. Maybe their sponsorship priorities have shifted with a new xtr release on the horizon.
They've also become the dominant component sponsor in top-level road cycling (at least on the men's side) in the last couple of years. From CyclingNews:"Of the 18 WorldTour teams, 14 use Shimano drivetrain components either fully or partly..." Maybe that push is partly responsible for cutbacks on the mountain biking side.
watchcwgo
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watchcwgo 1/12/2018 9:14pm
1/12/2018 9:14pm
The road side of sponsorship is different, in that many times, some teams don’t have an official component sponsor and they actually buy their choice of drivetrain. This is true for several world tour teams on Shimano. I think you can look up official partners on Shimanos site. The top teams can have somewhere in the range of 40-60 bikes built at any given time, that’s a whole lot of $$$$$
JCL
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JCL 1/12/2018 10:11pm
1/12/2018 10:11pm
I think they've worked out that DH is dead.
matt.greenwood001 1/13/2018 8:41am
1/13/2018 8:41am Edited Date/Time 1/13/2018 8:43am
oddly enough, seems Gwin is riding shimano stuff.. check Jacob Gibbins' instastory
Hambo
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Hambo 1/13/2018 8:48am
1/13/2018 8:48am
matt.greenwood001 wrote:
oddly enough, seems Gwin is riding shimano stuff.. check Jacob Gibbins' instastory
matt.greenwood001 wrote:
[img]https://p.vitalmtb.com/photos/forums/2018/01/13/5850/s1200_IMG_8415.jpg[/img]


Bell helmet too, could confirm that he’s off tld
tmano2
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tmano2 1/13/2018 9:09am
1/13/2018 9:09am
matt.greenwood001 wrote:
oddly enough, seems Gwin is riding shimano stuff.. check Jacob Gibbins' instastory
probably nothing as his team doesn´t have a drive train sponsor , and the new jeffsy come with shimano whit e.thirteen cassette
Mineral_Wasser 1/13/2018 9:47am
1/13/2018 9:47am
matt.greenwood001 wrote:
oddly enough, seems Gwin is riding shimano stuff.. check Jacob Gibbins' instastory
tmano2 wrote:
probably nothing as his team doesn´t have a drive train sponsor , and the new jeffsy come with shimano whit e.thirteen cassette
I agree, he runs X0 on his tues
Robin_Schaub 1/13/2018 10:01am
1/13/2018 10:01am
matt.greenwood001 wrote:
oddly enough, seems Gwin is riding shimano stuff.. check Jacob Gibbins' instastory
tmano2 wrote:
probably nothing as his team doesn´t have a drive train sponsor , and the new jeffsy come with shimano whit e.thirteen cassette
Mineral_Wasser wrote:
I agree, he runs X0 on his tues
I think that‘s because YT specs Shimano 11-speed drivetrains with E13 cassettes on their Jeffsy models, Sram X0 and GX on thr Tues DH bikes.

The YT-Mob doesn‘t have a derdailleur/shifter sponsor. At least that was the case last year.
depeche4
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depeche4 1/13/2018 1:10pm
1/13/2018 1:10pm
What happened to Matt Simmons?
JayDawger
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JayDawger 1/13/2018 2:26pm
1/13/2018 2:26pm
Rumors of Gully going to Focus and Schley getting dropped by Rotwild.
OneManArmy 1/13/2018 7:28pm
1/13/2018 7:28pm
Petder wrote:
I smell a shimano-crisis.... it seems they are dumping quite a few teams.... Scott on trp brakes, trek with renthal and hope.... Wondering whats going on...
I smell a shimano-crisis.... it seems they are dumping quite a few teams....
Scott on trp brakes, trek with renthal and hope....
Wondering whats going on there...
Sram dumping people too.
Holditflat_mitch 1/14/2018 2:37am
1/14/2018 2:37am
Young 16yo Kye Ahern from Aus has dropped all his sponsors, Norco factory, shimano, ion and deity, and has been tagged leaving for france for two weeks for team camp.

Who is in france atm? Done a quick insta check and cant see anyone but commencal, but someone commented saying Troy is heading there aswell. Dont know if that means Brosnan?
bavshredder 1/14/2018 3:09am
1/14/2018 3:09am
NEW rider on the Canyon DH Team - "new kid on the block"



iceman2058 1/14/2018 4:52am
1/14/2018 4:52am
Devinci reloaded for the EWS season:
---------------------------------------------------
Devinci Riders Bring Speed, Skill to the Enduro World Series Stage.



With a new Enduro World Series (EWS) season in sight, Cycles Devinci is proud to present this year’s team roster, ready to dominate podiums while piloting the latest iteration of the race-winning Spartan.

Frenchman Damien Oton, the “Catalan Eagle,” once again leads the charge - entering his fifth year as a pro and celebrating his fifth year with the Devinci family. Oton snatched a trio of podium finishes in 2017, capping a remarkable season in Finale Ligure, Italy, by landing on the highest step of the box.

"I’m stoked to continue with the team, and I’m looking forward to kicking off the season with a talented and highly motivated teammate." - Damien Oton

Alongside Oton, 21-year-old Kiwi phenom Keegan Wright joins the Devinci ranks—with impressive results in tow. In 2016, he won the New Zealand Enduro overall title. And riding that momentum, last year Wright captured overall honors at the Downhill National Cup. He also pocketed podiums at the New Zealand Elite Downhill National Championship and in front of a riotous home crowd at the Crankworx Rotorua Pump Track Challenge.

"I’m absolutely over the moon to be racing for such an amazing bike brand. Ever since I hopped on a Spartan last fall, I’ve felt right at home. My ultimate goal is to be on that podium, and I can’t wait to blast into the international season with all cylinders firing." - Keegan Wright
dombarber1 1/14/2018 6:45am
1/14/2018 6:45am
bavshredder wrote:
NEW rider on the Canyon DH Team - "new kid on the block" [img]https://p.vitalmtb.com/photos/forums/2018/01/14/5851/s1200_IMG_7900.jpg[/img]
NEW rider on the Canyon DH Team - "new kid on the block"



Kye Ahern

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