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Your right, 3sixty sports distribute forbidden in nz, but wide open distribute deity
Oli Davis Spotted on a pretty trick looking Commencal over the weekend.
Yeah, but someone will always ruin it. The age we live in, there will always be “that guy”.
It's almost February. WTH are teams still playing footsie with "secret" new signings?
Gee Atherton just posted a story at a Saudi investment fund meeting, pretty sad if that is where they will be getting money fromhttps://www.instagram.com/stories/gee_atherton/3286042004994581973?igsh=MXI2eWd1Y210cnRjeQ==
Interesting point from Neko on the Worldwide cyclery podcast. Angel had this year of his contract paid out by Uno which is why Neko / Frameworks could afford him this year.
I wonder if Angel is on a 1 year deal.
Based off the Vital MTB podcast, he is.
Something I learned this year was how difficult the timing is - a few things I never considered.
Not all of a rider's sponsors line up to end on the same date. Can't takea pic in your new TL kit if Alpine was doing your old and you are still under contract for them...so multiply that my all the support a team has for the existing and new riders.
Then, once all that is finally squared, the logistics of an announcement have to match up...got to plan the photo, video, place...hope it's not raining etc.
Here is a big one: teams are always trying to capture that dollar, so the hustle to get sponsors doesn't end...So you cannot get the kit printed until you are fully satisfied...and size matters. Usually, the biggest $$ provided is bigger than a smaller dollar provider...then of course you need to get the kits to the riders...
Until this season, I just assumed you get the bike and take a picture. LOL....
I respect the hustle.
I also wish we could get more outside the sport sponsor money rolling in for these guys. They definetly desrve it. ESO just needs to figure out a way to make it more spectator friendly I suppose...but damn, Ford was a sponsor in Freecaster days...what happened...
Tom Wilson (formally riding enduro for Orange) is now on a Deviate.
Pretty sure that is the Fully Loop
Based on the Vital MTB interview I watched last night, sounds like Angel is on a 1 year deal
and to me the most surprising thing Neko said was a 400k USD budget.
Hard to keep things a secret when you have huge factory rigs/ezups set up next to the trail and other crews rolling 15 deep and throwing it on you tube.
Hopefully this means Kyle Strait has found a frame sponsor after being collateral damage due to the CRC wiggle debacle.
I imagine that the $400k goes pretty quick when you consider all the flights, hotels, food, transportation rentals, entry fees, etc. Then there are salaries paid to a lot more than just the riders, there's the mechanics and manager too.
Back in 2022 it was $12,000 for team entry, but I'm not sure if that includes costs for each event or not.
If I had to guess, they probably spend somewhere close to $8k-$10k per event, not including salaries.
Looks like a Fezzari
Funny, Fezzari was my first thought too.
The visible shock compression knob is a Fox DPX2 knob--not sponsor-correct for Strait (I'm sure it'll be replaced by the time we see the full bike) and also mostly superseded by the new Float X now for OEM spec. Which, to me, suggests somebody pulled out a previous model-year frame (leftover stock, or maybe unused warranty stock) to get him rolling on a bike as quickly as possible. Curious to see what it turns out to be.
My guess on Strait is Commencal. Their trail bikes have the high horizontal shock, and they also make DH bikes.
Would be interesting if he went back to Commencal, I feel like I remember him on the other site podcast talking about signing with virus and how he hadn't vibed with Commencal. But could be totally off in my memory..
Was my first thought.. Outline looks exactly like their Delano model. Would be a big win for Fezzari
Why are we assuming it's Kyle's? Because of Vitus dropping him? Is Rachel still on GT?
Looks like a Transmission mech but maybe a non-SRAM cassette?
I really thought the budget would have been substantially more than 400k USD
like you said, travel, accommodation etc etc physio person, all the other salaries
He mentioned that someone here guessed a budget of $1M and said that it looked great, he just needed to figure out where to get the $1M
Too true.
All the YouTuber trail narcs & Strava KOM lorders have to brag to the world for the clicks.
Even if a team rig rolls up...without the narcs, you'd still have to find it, test it out and do work to get to and from.
DH trails are dead now though. "Trinidad" and all the others are now the domain of the SurRon urban vape douches and their next IG reel featuring ASAP Rocky and their comments to outraged locals of "you seem turnt bruh. chill"
When you think about the fact that he's pulling $400k without factory support, it makes you wonder what kind of budget the factory teams are working with. I don't think anyone on the Framesworks team is making more than $100k, and I'd highly doubt anyone is making more than $80k. If we suppose the salary mix is $50k-$100k, with Saurez, Whitley and Neko averaging $75k, thats $225k, plus Asa at say, $50k, and a mechanic at $50k, we're only leaving $75k for travel expenses and event fees. Even that seems kinda low. Especially as they are paying a crew to film for social media, and they need money left over to buy and produce frames.
I’d guess frames come out of Framworks-the-business’s budget, not Framworks-the-team’s. They have 2 mechanics iirc from the podcast and I’d bet if anyone’s getting stiffed on salary it’s Neko…
I think you're overestimating the salaries of DH riders and support staff by quite a bit. The top 5 or 10 in the world might average $100k salary with a capped bonus structure but after that, the top 10-25 probably make $25k with good bonus structure or $40k with a small bonus structure. Outside the top 25 and juniors is probably $15k salary or less. Mechanics are probably paid at most what you're suggesting, but realistically a little lower. All that said, Neko's budget sounds lean, but very doable when you have smart minds like his and Martin's running things.
Based on personal experience I would say you are underestimating what the top 20 riders make by quite a bit. I dont think it is as bad out there as people think. Just based on personal experience and very close relationships.
Surprising but good to hear!
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