Hello Vital MTB Visitor,
We’re conducting a survey and would appreciate your input. Your answers will help Vital and the MTB industry better understand what riders like you want. Survey results will be used to recognize top brands. Make your voice heard!
Five lucky people will be selected at random to win a Vital MTB t-shirt.
Thanks in advance,
The Vital MTB Crew
Hope you are well Mike! Good to hear from you.
Cheers.
He is here everyday and just in every department just making sure everything is dialed-it's not micromanaging, he just cares that much "My name is on the building and the packaging, what was I thinking!???" haha.
It's a heavy load for the dude, but man he loves to have fun, and is the biggest smart ass, good hearted dudes i'll ever know, with one of the most creative brains i've ever seen-him and Jeff Steber, the 2 greatest artists in the biz.
We set out to make the safest trail helmet on the market that fit the best, we achieved that. Moving forward, our design group has been testing some different liner shapes and materials that will be in the future line, we are also working on shortening up our time to market with new helmets in the future. When I am surveying people around the world about our brand, more often than not people know us for COLOR first and foremost, and helmets-our helmet launches are the biggest web traffic for our website, so we are listening to all of this.
Thanks bro's
Thanks VitalMTB.com
Happy Trails and Happy Holidays everyone.
Not so much a question, but had the chance of meeting you at interbike and really appreciated the outgoing friendliness, despite the fact things were busy.
You are killing it, and love that you keep in touch with riders and recieve and deliver feedback so well, no doubt the 2016 lines are gonna be sick.
-Brock
Interbike, what a shit show that is! Everyone is always so flat out. It is a great time to meet bike people, especially dealers/customers who are the lifeblood and pick they brain on what they need, so glad we got to chat.
Troy Lee is killing it, our riders are killing it, its a great time for sure, business is good!
Thanks man.
Some questions for you:
1) Is funding the largest hindrance to supporting, organizing, and setting up a race series? Is it the venues and their funding? I seem to hear some of the same complaints about the GES and ESC that I used to hear about the NORBAs back in the day.
2) Some of my favorite helmet graphics were the Palmer lids, the 09' TLD Kabuki SE2's, the 06' Wardy, Pinstripe, and Razor collections, and the 09' Eagle D2 Collection. The current early 70's lowrider/van graphics are kind of... meh - not to mention the "Squirt" and "Speeda" designs... I think it would be pretty rad if the D3 series returned to a specific motif and played off that - like the 09 SE2 Kabuki for example... Art is subjective, but what do you think? I also agree that some of the TLD branding for the cycling line has gone WAY over the top. I'm not saying it should be completely subdued like POC, but it would be nice to have smaller branding for the bike division - I'd say the "Air" gloves are a good place to start in this regard.
1) I'd rather a race promoter answer that, and I am certainly no race promoter. But, It seems like it was easier to get funding to put on an event years ago, from outside the industry and even within the industry than it is now. VISA, Coors Light, Chevy, etc etc all were putting in vast amounts of cash back then. Hell, when I was with GT/HYUNDAI, Hyundai paid us 3 million (for GT and Schwinn, and for the freestyle, MTB and BMX programs) for example, those kind of deals are not happening anymore.
2) Man, you are throwing out some history lids!, loved all of those, except the wardy one haha. Troy is the leader of the ship, he is an artist and he is influenced by so many things in the world. We also birth a lot of helmet designs in our paint shop, so the guys down there create some great pieces that Troy just falls in love with and wants to see come to life in production helmets. I want to see a tighter story line with the designs, MTBing lends itself so well to that. Troy could create a collection of gear based on a sick ride trip, with inspired helmets and gear, etc....
As I said before, TLD's core is in art, design, use of COLOR and our ATHLETES, so we have to honor our roots of that and we will always be wild, different and take risks-but we also know most MTBers are pretty low key and chill. Like I said, we are listening, and that is key. Nothing I love more than hearing perspectives of our brand.
Sorry, bit of a rambling reply, sorry, trying to finish a TPS report while replying haha.
2. What could mtb learn from the moto industry, and vice-versa?
I got to that point from experience and relationships. Internships seem to be the avenue of choice for marketing gigs as well, but you have to network with people in the industry ultimately...I don't want to say its 'all who you know' but that is important. Having big ideas, even if they are crazy seems to be sticky (memorable) for people hiring. A lot of marketing is how well you can build smoke and mirrors, I am way too honest and forthcoming to be a 'great' marketer, I can't lie to people-thankfully I work for brands that have a product I believed in before I even was getting a paycheck from them. We are still building the bike side of TLD, I have a long range plan to build a larger team, and I want people who live and breathe the sport, but also are paying attention to other cool things from other industries, people who aren't afraid to work, people who don't think social media is the end all-be all of 'marketing' because at the end of the day we deposit profits, not likes! haha.
2. I think moto takes itself way too seriously, they could learn from us MTBers, to have a little more fun and realize they are just riding a motorcycle. I know more money is at stake, but, its a bit ridiculous sometimes how serious and important they all think they are. I think I answered the question backwards. MTB could learn from the MOTO calendar, its a healthy dose of season long racing that seems to never end, i'd love that. Moto could learn from bike in terms of the technical apparel, fit, and protection too. We are lucky that all of this is shared between bike and moto at TLD, designs, protection, materials, etc....
MTB also learned from MOTO in regards to race teams, and SRAM TLD RACING was born out of the TLD Moto team, that started out for Troy as a pipe dream, almost bankrupted him over a decade ago, but it's now become a major factory team (TLD/KTM) and between all of the sponsors Troy is bringing in, is a large source of revenue and a tremendous marketing tool for the brand-more MTB teams could follow in Troy's footsteps, that team is the model to follow.
I just want to say I don't believe that for a second! You are one of the nicest, most awesome, genuine guys on the forums. The fact that a guy from one of(the most) legendary brands out there is so engaging and ready to talk everything bikes with random strangers on the internet is really refreshing.
On the point about Troy doing one of these...I'm sure he would like to do one, at least from what you've said about the guy, I imagine him being down. But instead of him sitting down to do it by himself, maybe you could/should moderate it for him and ask him the questions, and type for him kind of deal.
My question is, the D3 has been around since 2009/10(not sure exactly), and I know the D2 had a long service life before the D3 was released. If you are allowed to speak about it, do you guys have an idea for how long you want the D3 to be the flagship DH helmet? Are there plans to implement a MIPS system into the D3, or would that be on the table for the next flagship helmet(if MIPS are even in the plans at all)?
1. Looking back on your time on the NORBA National circuit, if you had known that handing me your wash bucket and letting me use your "Pros Only" hose out the back of the team pit was going to result in me stalking, harrassing, pissing you off.and leeching off of you from time to time.....if you had that moment back, do you wish you'd have just told me no? If so, why?
2. During the golden age of downhill, what do you think was the absolute greatest event you ever attended on US soil?
A. Durango World Cup
B. Helen, Georgia racers protest of the uphill mud bog DH give more swag away than could fill a landfill in China
C. Seven Springs "we are rock stars" Cannondale Semi, GT Semi, Palmer F-ing bus, Shaums desperately hucking for dollars
D. Park City Bender's gonna huck himself and obviously die day
E. Snowshoe monsoon on a cliff and everything doused in mountain poo for a week of Staf Infection
F. Mt. Snow we're all gonna die on a deadly grass hill somehow from mystery moss rock
G. Big Bear East Coast don't care but heh it's the mecca of sandy dirt roads so F' it
H. Squaw Valley holy crap when did Australia get here and what the F' is a Rocket Parts?
I. Mammoth Mtn sure it's fun, but dusty and nowhere near anything relevant
J. Snoqualmie how do we even get down this
3. Why the hell would you mention @Acadian and @Kidwoo and leave me out? We're the 3 douche Amigos...well...at least me and woo. Acadian's a douche because he's just always right about stuff...like too much.
Also, thanks for what you do. I love TLD and I have a feeling you are a major part of the authenticity of the brand and the quality of the gear. Superb.
Now for my real question! Can you let us in on the creative process? How do you decide on neon leopard print or khaki and orange? What are the sources of inspiration? How do you know you have "it"?
Thanks man.
I think it was 2011, I was working in the booth with Rob at few world cups, but, I wanted to be more of an assistant because my on air voice is horrific, I sound like death, so providing data, stats, sounds (like a Fred on Howard Stern)....so we were in Mt St Anne, rooming together, and I lasted one night in the hotel, because he was so disgusting, pee all over the bathroom, spitting, staying up all night doing research and yelling "Holy fuck stik! did you know Peaty has entered (X) amount of races and finished (X) percentage of them, incredible mate!".
I was trying to have a holiday, and he interrupted it.
I am a great fan of Rob and his work, TLD is a proud partner of his, but he is a disgusting human often times.
With helmets now being developed to suit the higher speeds and meaner terrain (Parachute and Super 2R spring to mind) trailbikes are being ridden and raced on these days do you have an opinion on these lighter / halfway house lids that split the difference between trail helmet and a traditional DH Full Facer? Is that something Troy Lee are likely to get into at some point or do you see them as neither one thing nor the other?
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