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The "logos on the kit" argument is quite perssuasive i must say. Once again the people's champ delivering sponsorship science to the masses. Respeck.
And yet, this clever hypothese opens up another can of worms. Does world Cup winner and long time TRP user ( prototype brakes included) Oisin O' Callagham not get a single dime from Tektro since he doesnt sport any TRP logos? Damm...
funny, same thing happens if i happen to stumble upon a post with your avatar next to it, coincidence?
I think most of us agree with you @sethimus
First off, I just want to personally say that I loved your podcast you did with Remy was awesome. Your perspective and optimism around the future of Enduro was heartening to hear. I hope that it does go back to "cool bikes in cool places" and that you continue to have a long career racing your bike as fast as you can on dirt. Thank you so much for being a great ambassador for the sport and for mountain biking in general.
I do wonder if you feel like the general landscape of sponsorship lends its self to be parasitic, and if you have had to bring in 3rd party people to help you make contract decisions. I think a lot about people like Asa who are young and potentially vulnerable to non favorable contracts and wonder if you feel like most actors in the space act in good faith. I've seen companies in the ski related space turn and burn athletes, leaving some of them physically broken shells with no support, and hope that the bike industry might be different.
There was "not a race" test event at Lousa with a lot of top DH riders attending, here are the results: https://results.stopandgo.pro/1648/ranking/individual/4/1
Looking for butt hurt is what you are. 🧐
I was defending @jessemelamed having made a simple statement & his intent to inform the workings of deals & hookups.
Instead of letting it sit as such, the forum rolled it into 10 pages of "well if not this...then this...".
Just looked like a bunch of ninnies trying to twist his words & create drama where there was none. Instead of Jesse getting to just say it & keep rolling, we get Alex Jones level hyperbole from the peanut gallery. 🙃
Has anyone mentioned Mondraker's switch to SRAM? Still on Fox suspension (for now?).
Yes. Mondraker publicly confirmed the switch in early February.
Apologies if I missed it (and I did look) but all of the Intense Factory team look like they’re still on tradition drivetrain bikes. Are they still planning on running gearbox bikes for World Cup races? You’d think they would want to have that all sorted out by now.
the U.S. intense team is on "regular" m16s (for now). Axess Intense will be on gearboxes at the world cups.
Looks like Danny Hart was using XTR brakes last weekend for IXS @ Fort William. Hadn’t they been on TRP brakes and drivetrain earlier?
The Norco had a set of Hopes at one point aswell
The Norco team don't seem to have many actually major sponsors. Can't find much info but seems they run what Minnaar likes regardless of if they have to buy it themselves or not?
Maybe I need to watch some of their YouTube videos?
Asa on Frameworks for the next 3 years, love to see it
Amazing news, the symbiotic relationship between Asa and Frameworks/Neko is awesome to see. Racing fans & tech nerds should be stoked for the development content to come.
Also, I love that the best "jr" rider in the world is signing with such a small home-grown team for his first few years in elites. Dude could've ridden for any team in the world and decided he wanted chill vibes lol. I love it. There's more rebelliousness and old-school mtb thinking in that than first meets the eye.
that's freaking awesome! if you didn't watch our levo vid from this week with neko and asa, it's plain to see they all seem to have a great time doing what they do best.
how rad is this photo...
Is this the cue to start the 2026 team rumors thread?
Super stoked but blown away that FW can afford this kid. Asa is legit the next very top contender that is plain to see.
Call me cynical but my guess is after some superb performances this season and a couple of elite World cups wins Asa will move to Specialized and FrameWorks will receive a huge fee to release him from his contract
Yea, I think people aren't' realizing that "Frameworks" isn't paying Asa. All the other sponsors are kicking in big cash to pay him a real (big) salary when he goes elite. And yes, I wouldn't be surprised if someone comes knocking and buys out his contract after his first year.
or maybe he just likes the low-key vibes of working with neko and has a good support system where he is. playing the long game of success, comfort, familiarity and fun vs short game of some cash but with a team that may not culturally gel or a bike that doesn't work for him right away.
👆🏻This here is why.
Neko and Logan are brilliant at getting visibility in a way that feels genuine and likeable, and Asa is benefitting. Without knowing what goes on behind the scenes, I'd wager that Logan is a huge part of that success with the video production. They might be a small, low budget team, but the long-term benefit to Asa is substantial. We feel like we know the guy already, that's huge in today's media landscape. I have nothing but respect for that whole crew.
But mountain biking and professional athletics more broadly is by definition playing a short game of cash. Asa has only 10-15 years to make money after which he has to transition to something else, a prospect many athletes struggle with. Moreover the bike industry as a whole struggling compounds this. This is why if I were in his circle, I would advise him to maximize his earning now and set himself up better in a volatile future.
That is such an epic photo and symbolic of the frameworks ethos. Rides bikes, have fun!
But yeah, I have to wonder, he would be deserving of a significant wage now. Is Whitely in his management circle?
Hopefully Asa isn't leaving too much on the table salary wise by staying on a small team. Seems kind of wild that he's signing the paperwork in a parking lot.. Does this guy even have an agent? You have to side with the athlete big time in these situations. As others have said, you never know how long someone can race at a pro level.
A few things to consider for those thinking Asa might be getting the short end of the stick. First, Neko is not going to take advantage of Asa; in fact I believe it's the opposite. He's looking out for his overall success, financially and between the tape. Those saying Asa doesn't know what he's doing or that a contract just appeared in a parking lot and he signed it w/o spending time on the details beforehand is insulting to Asa as well as Neko's motives. Second, I'd wager Asa is getting very fairly compensated. There may be some creative incentives to racing for FW, which also should be able to compete with the big teams in terms of financial compensation (but not pit setup, etc.) if they structure the team sponsorships and budget with that aim, which I'd also bet they do. Finally, Asa being super comfy going into elites and getting top results is going to lead to the biggest contracts/deals in the future. Finally finally, it's a badass move and I support it
Do you think he is getting the 1-1.5 mil that the other sites' survey says top Elite racers make? Where does that come from? It is a simple math problem and Frameworks' limited releases and YouTube views don't make those numbers feasible. I hope Fox et al is footing the bill to get him close to what the top dogs are making.
Asa will get everything he needs. The chassis is a proven winner, and Fox Factory will have him on whatever is the best available. Red Bull has to be taking good care of one of their top prospects.
If Asa needs a frame tweak, it can be done much quicker than the huge corporations allow. You couldn’t walk through the Massanutten pits last weekend without tripping over a Frameworks bike.
No one is denying his world class support, rather we are speculating about his compensation.
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