2021 Mountain Bike Team Rumors

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grambo
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grambo 1/20/2021 11:58pm
1/20/2021 11:58pm Edited Date/Time 1/21/2021 12:00am
JerseyMojo wrote:
Wouldn't be a surprise. Joystick are virtually impossible to get hold of in the UK now. Everyone is out of stock. I've contacted Joystick in the...
Wouldn't be a surprise. Joystick are virtually impossible to get hold of in the UK now. Everyone is out of stock. I've contacted Joystick in the US a number of times asking about a European distributor with no response.
TruckeeRiverTroll wrote:
Honestly I've always been quite surprised that they were with Joystick for as long as they were. I don't understand how Joystick was possibly paying them...
Honestly I've always been quite surprised that they were with Joystick for as long as they were. I don't understand how Joystick was possibly paying them. We've never once had a customer come into the shop asking questions about the stuff or inquiring about ordering it. I have only once seen a handlebar in person. Maybe in some regions its popular enough to turn a profit but that definitely ain't NorCal. Not dinging them on quality or content either...seems like they make high end stuff and the design and graphics are cool.
Came to say this. I live in Vancouver and ride in Whistler a fair amount, barely ever see Joystick stuff, didn't even realize they were Canadian. Seemed odd to see them sponsor such a big team for many years.

Edit: Contact page says they are based in Roberts Creek (Sunshine coast BC)
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JoseMPM
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JoseMPM 1/21/2021 12:11am
1/21/2021 12:11am
JxRx wrote:
So now that Emily Batty and half the field in all disciplines are on Canyon I’m going to give them a call and take my chances...
So now that Emily Batty and half the field in all disciplines are on Canyon I’m going to give them a call and take my chances. Next years default answer for any move has to be Canyon. Crazy... They must be selling a lot of bikes!
Commençal, them of the 5 WC teams and multiple privateers, would like you to re-think that statement :D
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1
Mr.Nally
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Mr.Nally 1/21/2021 12:33am
1/21/2021 12:33am
mwolpin wrote:
Interesting that they're not covering the rear shock like they did on his and Finn's bike during the 2020 race season. Maybe some new Ohlins rear...
Interesting that they're not covering the rear shock like they did on his and Finn's bike during the 2020 race season. Maybe some new Ohlins rear squishiness?

(and yes, I know they've been on Ohlins for a while).
Finn's shock was never covered in the 2020 season. Only Loïc. Bets are that it was mainly psych warfare for his fellow French competition.
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DH_Speedster 1/21/2021 2:26am
1/21/2021 2:26am Edited Date/Time 1/21/2021 2:27am
mwolpin wrote:
Interesting that they're not covering the rear shock like they did on his and Finn's bike during the 2020 race season. Maybe some new Ohlins rear...
Interesting that they're not covering the rear shock like they did on his and Finn's bike during the 2020 race season. Maybe some new Ohlins rear squishiness?

(and yes, I know they've been on Ohlins for a while).
Mr.Nally wrote:
Finn's shock was never covered in the 2020 season. Only Loïc. Bets are that it was mainly psych warfare for his fellow French competition.
It was because of the lock-out function.

And still on blacked out Maxxis!
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jamesdunford 1/21/2021 2:59am
1/21/2021 2:59am
mwolpin wrote:
Interesting that they're not covering the rear shock like they did on his and Finn's bike during the 2020 race season. Maybe some new Ohlins rear...
Interesting that they're not covering the rear shock like they did on his and Finn's bike during the 2020 race season. Maybe some new Ohlins rear squishiness?

(and yes, I know they've been on Ohlins for a while).
Mr.Nally wrote:
Finn's shock was never covered in the 2020 season. Only Loïc. Bets are that it was mainly psych warfare for his fellow French competition.
DH_Speedster wrote:
It was because of the lock-out function.

And still on blacked out Maxxis!
Always think it's so cool they don't have a tyre sponsor. Gives them so much more freedom, for arguably the part of the bike which can have an enormous impact on performance depending on the different conditions. Remember he ran Michelin's blacked out at some point too.

A race team that's single-mindedly focussed on winning. And yes, I did buy a Demo to be like Loic. Such a sucker for marketing.
7
JoseMPM
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JoseMPM 1/21/2021 3:16am
1/21/2021 3:16am
Mr.Nally wrote:
Finn's shock was never covered in the 2020 season. Only Loïc. Bets are that it was mainly psych warfare for his fellow French competition.
Man it would be so amazing if that was the sole reason for it, the ultimate mental games haha.
5
Bob Chicken
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Bob Chicken 1/21/2021 4:24am
1/21/2021 4:24am
JoseMPM wrote:
Man it would be so amazing if that was the sole reason for it, the ultimate mental games haha.
I just pulled my Vital 2020 calendar off the wall, I'd forgotten about the picture on the back and Laughed Out Loud.

Maybe someone with the image can post it instead of me taking a crap phone photo. Seems a sure bet the frenchies like screwing with each other for laughs as much the poms or kiwis do.

Except Dan Atherton. Wouldn't want to screw with him... Whistling
JerseyMojo 1/21/2021 5:45am
1/21/2021 5:45am
Bob Chicken wrote:
I just pulled my Vital 2020 calendar off the wall, I'd forgotten about the picture on the back and Laughed Out Loud. Maybe someone with the...
I just pulled my Vital 2020 calendar off the wall, I'd forgotten about the picture on the back and Laughed Out Loud.

Maybe someone with the image can post it instead of me taking a crap phone photo. Seems a sure bet the frenchies like screwing with each other for laughs as much the poms or kiwis do.

Except Dan Atherton. Wouldn't want to screw with him... Whistling
Didn't realise Vital did a calendar - thanks - just ordered a 2021 one!
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Mr.Nally
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Mr.Nally 1/21/2021 5:56am
1/21/2021 5:56am
DH_Speedster wrote:
It was because of the lock-out function.

And still on blacked out Maxxis!
That carbon cover was on the bike long before the lock-out. ;-)
1
Maxipedia 1/21/2021 7:01am
1/21/2021 7:01am Edited Date/Time 1/21/2021 2:41pm
jamesdunford wrote:
Always think it's so cool they don't have a tyre sponsor. Gives them so much more freedom, for arguably the part of the bike which can...
Always think it's so cool they don't have a tyre sponsor. Gives them so much more freedom, for arguably the part of the bike which can have an enormous impact on performance depending on the different conditions. Remember he ran Michelin's blacked out at some point too.

A race team that's single-mindedly focussed on winning. And yes, I did buy a Demo to be like Loic. Such a sucker for marketing.
Erm, Specialized IS a tire producer, so they kind of are the tire provider for this team. I'm wondering how all of this sits with them, given the fact that they make pretty decent tires. But it also speaks volumes about Loic's leverage over there.

Don't forget that the Athertons were also running Maxxis rubber at the peak of Continental's DH tire development and Sharpie Industries was the rubber of choice for many a contending, including but not limited to Aaron Gwin.

This thread has also made me super curious about Joystick and the way they make money and handle their business. At this point it looks like this: the triple World Champ is rocking your product, but it seems you can't quite buy it. Is it a scheme to make the product more desirable? I secretly hope Joystick is actually a pot business and money laundry operation, but I might have read about those pesky Whittington brothers too much...Whistling

Mx
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Voxran
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Voxran 1/21/2021 8:05am
1/21/2021 8:05am Edited Date/Time 1/21/2021 8:24am
From the Instagram of Propain, Phil Atwill is back on their bikes as a free athlete, managing is own program !
Propain's website




Edit : burned..
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danposs86
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danposs86 1/21/2021 8:13am
1/21/2021 8:13am
Has anyone said that Phil Atwill is back on Propain yet?
9
Scrub
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Scrub 1/21/2021 8:31am
1/21/2021 8:31am
danposs86 wrote:
Has anyone said that Phil Atwill is back on Propain yet?
Not sure, but the Propain tank is Phil'd
16
Camber
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Camber 1/21/2021 8:34am
1/21/2021 8:34am
Max Fredriksson is off NS bikes this year
MarcusBrodysMuseum 1/21/2021 8:35am
1/21/2021 8:35am
Voxran wrote:
From the Instagram of Propain, Phil Atwill is back on their bikes as a free athlete, managing is own program ! [url=https://www.propain-bikes.com/en/phil-atwill-is-back/]Propain's website[/url] [img]https://p.vitalmtb.com/photos/forums/2021/01/21/10414/s1200_Screenshot_20210121_170230.jpg[/img] Edit...
From the Instagram of Propain, Phil Atwill is back on their bikes as a free athlete, managing is own program !
Propain's website




Edit : burned..
"managing his own program"

Ben Reid let's out a huge sigh of relief.
8
Alex1
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Alex1 1/21/2021 9:43am
1/21/2021 9:43am
Stoked for Phil and his new team with Socratis and George! Watch out, these boys are on fire!
RiderMikeCheck1 1/21/2021 10:05am
1/21/2021 10:05am
Maxipedia wrote:
Erm, Specialized IS a tire producer, so they kind of are the tire provider for this team. I'm wondering how all of this sits with them...
Erm, Specialized IS a tire producer, so they kind of are the tire provider for this team. I'm wondering how all of this sits with them, given the fact that they make pretty decent tires. But it also speaks volumes about Loic's leverage over there.

Don't forget that the Athertons were also running Maxxis rubber at the peak of Continental's DH tire development and Sharpie Industries was the rubber of choice for many a contending, including but not limited to Aaron Gwin.

This thread has also made me super curious about Joystick and the way they make money and handle their business. At this point it looks like this: the triple World Champ is rocking your product, but it seems you can't quite buy it. Is it a scheme to make the product more desirable? I secretly hope Joystick is actually a pot business and money laundry operation, but I might have read about those pesky Whittington brothers too much...Whistling

Mx
This is a team rumor thread so I'll keep this short--but wanted to clarify that Loic didn't start running Maxxis tires because of how much weight he carries:

Specialized did not make a 29" downhill casing tires when Loic and Finn switch to 29" bikes. They switched to Maxxis at that point and have been on them since. Loic was also running Michelin tires this past summer.

At the end of 2020 Specialized rolled out their first DH worthy 29" Butcher & Hillbilly tires. It's going to be quite hard at this point to pull them back to Specialized tires since they have a bunch of tread pattern options with Maxxis and success on them.



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jamesdunford 1/21/2021 10:17am
1/21/2021 10:17am
jamesdunford wrote:
Always think it's so cool they don't have a tyre sponsor. Gives them so much more freedom, for arguably the part of the bike which can...
Always think it's so cool they don't have a tyre sponsor. Gives them so much more freedom, for arguably the part of the bike which can have an enormous impact on performance depending on the different conditions. Remember he ran Michelin's blacked out at some point too.

A race team that's single-mindedly focussed on winning. And yes, I did buy a Demo to be like Loic. Such a sucker for marketing.
Maxipedia wrote:
Erm, Specialized IS a tire producer, so they kind of are the tire provider for this team. I'm wondering how all of this sits with them...
Erm, Specialized IS a tire producer, so they kind of are the tire provider for this team. I'm wondering how all of this sits with them, given the fact that they make pretty decent tires. But it also speaks volumes about Loic's leverage over there.

Don't forget that the Athertons were also running Maxxis rubber at the peak of Continental's DH tire development and Sharpie Industries was the rubber of choice for many a contending, including but not limited to Aaron Gwin.

This thread has also made me super curious about Joystick and the way they make money and handle their business. At this point it looks like this: the triple World Champ is rocking your product, but it seems you can't quite buy it. Is it a scheme to make the product more desirable? I secretly hope Joystick is actually a pot business and money laundry operation, but I might have read about those pesky Whittington brothers too much...Whistling

Mx
This team is like many others on the circuit, an independent outfit with a frame sponsor. Specialized also make kit, but they don't wear it on the team. I'm not quite sure of your point here Wink Loic for sure has leverage, but you're thinking that he's dealing with Spesh. He isn't. Spesh are simply paying a cheque for the team to run the frames, as Lappiere used to. It's that simple.

Agreed on Joystick though. Seems bizarre, the industry seems to have gone wild but I've never seen products on any bike, anywhere. Weird a f.
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JerseyMojo 1/21/2021 10:45am
1/21/2021 10:45am
I’ve run Joystick parts - at one point a few years ago i was on their bars, stem and saddle. There bars are really good - if I could find another 31.8 Carbon Analogue I’d snap it up, but nope, cant find one anywhere.
1
mixmastamikal
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mixmastamikal 1/21/2021 11:09am
1/21/2021 11:09am Edited Date/Time 1/21/2021 11:10am
The joystick thing is pretty interesting because I recall seeing them in the wild a few times. But on thinking about it harder the only people I can remember running those components were either sponsored by them bought a bike from someone that was.
O1D4
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O1D4 1/21/2021 12:13pm
1/21/2021 12:13pm
mixmastamikal wrote:
The joystick thing is pretty interesting because I recall seeing them in the wild a few times. But on thinking about it harder the only people...
The joystick thing is pretty interesting because I recall seeing them in the wild a few times. But on thinking about it harder the only people I can remember running those components were either sponsored by them bought a bike from someone that was.
It might just be a regional thing... I've run Joystick products on a bunch of my bikes (their super short 35mm stem is still my go-to on my builds) and you can definitely find their products here, but then again I live in Vancouver where they are based.
Verbl Kint
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Verbl Kint 1/21/2021 12:38pm
1/21/2021 12:38pm
In the Far East, the only time I've seen a Joystick cockpit was in Queenstown during the off-season, used by this pretty fast french kid riding a Demo.
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Maxipedia 1/21/2021 1:35pm
1/21/2021 1:35pm
@RiderMikeCheck1 @jamesdunford Thanks, what you say makes a lot of sense. I add one thing here: even though they are ran through Pure Agency, they are the de facto Specialized Downhill FACTORY Team. There is a tight connection there and development runs through them etc. They are separate entities, but it's not like a privateer team that happens to run Specialized frames. The Öhlins deal must have tight connections with Specialized too, thinking about their initial exclusivity deal. Plus I also remember that during Sam Hill's days over there there was a similar deal going on, but it was run by Sean Heimdal. Actually, the team was called Monster Energy / Specialized. They all ran Specialized tires and Troy was the only one to sport the Specialized Dissident helmet, when Sam and Brendan were on rocking D3's. Gwin was also on Specialized tires. Again, it all makes sense with the 29” DH casings and racers' habits, but I'm sure Specialized has a word to say in all of that.

Otherwise, I'm really disappointed that people didn't follow my Whittington lead, sniff... Sad I'm fantasizing about some drug lord being passionate about DH, having endless money and just picking up some good riders and saying: ”Yeah, you can run pretty much whatever you like, but let's make it look professional. I fact, let me make up a fake brand to sponsor you!”.

Excuse this rant, back to team rumours a.k.a. Waiting For Vali And The Rest.

Mx
1
trpfanboy
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trpfanboy 1/21/2021 1:37pm
1/21/2021 1:37pm
Rémy Métailler's new frame sponsor does not have a road bike in their lineup, so maybe a more MTB specific brand.
1
1994canucks 1/21/2021 1:48pm
1/21/2021 1:48pm
trpfanboy wrote:
Rémy Métailler's new frame sponsor does not have a road bike in their lineup, so maybe a more MTB specific brand.
Based on?
Primoz
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Primoz 1/21/2021 1:55pm
1/21/2021 1:55pm Edited Date/Time 1/21/2021 2:04pm
Maxipedia wrote:
Erm, Specialized IS a tire producer, so they kind of are the tire provider for this team. I'm wondering how all of this sits with them...
Erm, Specialized IS a tire producer, so they kind of are the tire provider for this team. I'm wondering how all of this sits with them, given the fact that they make pretty decent tires. But it also speaks volumes about Loic's leverage over there.

Don't forget that the Athertons were also running Maxxis rubber at the peak of Continental's DH tire development and Sharpie Industries was the rubber of choice for many a contending, including but not limited to Aaron Gwin.

This thread has also made me super curious about Joystick and the way they make money and handle their business. At this point it looks like this: the triple World Champ is rocking your product, but it seems you can't quite buy it. Is it a scheme to make the product more desirable? I secretly hope Joystick is actually a pot business and money laundry operation, but I might have read about those pesky Whittington brothers too much...Whistling

Mx
AFAIK Specialized doesn't have a 29er DH ready tyre and that this is the reason for the team running sharpied Maxxis.

Before Maxxis sponsored Santa Cruz (this deal has been on for.. over 10 years now?) they also ran sharpied Maxxis. And yeah, Athertons being sposored by Continental ran Maxxis tyres when the Contis were still being developed.

EDIT: and of course this was covered... Smile
Didn't know they now have DH grade 29er tyres though.
Plus forcing them to run Spec tyres would be in line with the Toyota corporation forcing the (Cologne based Toyota Motorsport Gmbh run) F1 team to switch from Michelin to Bridgestone tyres for the 2006 season (because Japan...), killing any chances they had with a supposedly good car designed for completely different tyres. It was more extreme in that case (Bridgestones and Michelins were VERY different in that case), but it can also play with the mind if you think you don't have the right grip, destroying confidence. And confidence is the king.
1
1994canucks 1/21/2021 2:00pm
1/21/2021 2:00pm
Maxipedia wrote:
Erm, Specialized IS a tire producer, so they kind of are the tire provider for this team. I'm wondering how all of this sits with them...
Erm, Specialized IS a tire producer, so they kind of are the tire provider for this team. I'm wondering how all of this sits with them, given the fact that they make pretty decent tires. But it also speaks volumes about Loic's leverage over there.

Don't forget that the Athertons were also running Maxxis rubber at the peak of Continental's DH tire development and Sharpie Industries was the rubber of choice for many a contending, including but not limited to Aaron Gwin.

This thread has also made me super curious about Joystick and the way they make money and handle their business. At this point it looks like this: the triple World Champ is rocking your product, but it seems you can't quite buy it. Is it a scheme to make the product more desirable? I secretly hope Joystick is actually a pot business and money laundry operation, but I might have read about those pesky Whittington brothers too much...Whistling

Mx
Primoz wrote:
AFAIK Specialized doesn't have a 29er DH ready tyre and that this is the reason for the team running sharpied Maxxis. Before Maxxis sponsored Santa Cruz...
AFAIK Specialized doesn't have a 29er DH ready tyre and that this is the reason for the team running sharpied Maxxis.

Before Maxxis sponsored Santa Cruz (this deal has been on for.. over 10 years now?) they also ran sharpied Maxxis. And yeah, Athertons being sposored by Continental ran Maxxis tyres when the Contis were still being developed.

EDIT: and of course this was covered... Smile
Didn't know they now have DH grade 29er tyres though.
Plus forcing them to run Spec tyres would be in line with the Toyota corporation forcing the (Cologne based Toyota Motorsport Gmbh run) F1 team to switch from Michelin to Bridgestone tyres for the 2006 season (because Japan...), killing any chances they had with a supposedly good car designed for completely different tyres. It was more extreme in that case (Bridgestones and Michelins were VERY different in that case), but it can also play with the mind if you think you don't have the right grip, destroying confidence. And confidence is the king.
Pretty sure it’s rider preference. In the 90’s racers loved to blackout items. Had too, to remain competitive.
Primoz
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Primoz 1/21/2021 2:05pm
1/21/2021 2:05pm
In the case of Santa Cruz it was just a thing about not marketing a brand that didn't pay for it.
1
Maxipedia 1/21/2021 2:42pm
1/21/2021 2:42pm
Primoz wrote:
In the case of Santa Cruz it was just a thing about not marketing a brand that didn't pay for it.
Weren't they on Kenda for a brief time in the early days of the Syndicate, before Greg came?
1

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