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What happened to Gwin Racing?
I'm not even from the USA and I'm stoked as hell for this!
I can only assume the reason Gwin is on this team is because he bought a stake in the company.
ya this is a weird one, would have been cool to see Gwin in Fox gear, two true icons. The Renen stuff in the press release photos looks pretty cheap too IMHO, but that's just my opinion.
Either way insane to see Gwin on Frameworks. We've got some serious American talent on an American brand. ::eagles
biggest team surprise of the silly season for sure IMO. plus 2-3 year contract sounds more like a serious mission and not the last dance… REALLY STOKED!!! 🤩
Just thinking aloud here. In the beginning of the little podcast, Gwin mentions Mikey (Delesalle?) flew down to test. So, can we expect more announcements/riders on the extended Frameworks family? Any juniors on Frameworks Racing, this year? Future Frameworks will (presumably) continue?
I wonder what this means for the other, less headline riders? Aaron said Mikey Delesalle was testing with him on Frameworks, and he appears in some of the photos. Also Frida Ronning is supposedly on Crestline based on the pod with Dak and his insta story. Crestline's team was owned by Gwin, so does this mean she will still be privateering, just with a frame sponsor?
since it looks like AGs off e13 and öhlins the money has to come from somewere. plus i‘m pretty sure they have their kits custome fitted so it doesn‘t really matter if the logo on it is fox, tld, dharco or in this case renen. just my 2 cents
Oh yeah, forgot about the Frida-Crestline thing, too. Super curious how all of the ancillary and adjacent people/teams/sponsors shake out.
Definitely one move that seemed to be a bit too crazy to happen... But, damn... Gwin looks to be going all in with the races... It will be fun to watch this season...
It was not on my 2026 DH bingo card.
I saw the wildest thing ever. I saw him testing the bike and there was a bald eagle following him the whole way each lap! It was incredible. Never seen anything like it. The American dream team growing
This is the image that flashed in my brain as I read the news this morning.
Anyone notice Grice in the pics as well. I think there’s definitely a second squad worth of really good riders floating around that crowd. Chris, Frida, Mikey, future frameworks crew, and a bunch I’m probably forgetting. I think we see GR continue but with new management. Maybe a John Hall or someone like that. I don’t know. I’m just yapping
Grice is local and always at Windrock, Rock Creek, and Kanuga. I wouldn't be surprised if they sponsor him primarily for the US circuit, but also there could be nothing more in it than him just being friends with them all and hanging out.
The kit is actually a big deal. Aero is an important part of racing these days. If Asa and Aaron put the EXACT same run down and Aaron is in that baggy Renen kit, and Asa is in his bodysuit, Asa is going 1+ second(s) faster over the whole track and winning.
That’s true. I just remember seeing recently that he had parted ways with specialized
Regarding Crestline---This all points to AG divesting from Crestline in terms of being an investor, OR possibly more likely, he's still invested but shifting to a completely silent partner. To the point he will actually ride Specialized E-bike while on Frameworks.
Reasons being:
-The "Team" e-bike sponsor is Specialized. Crestline is not under Aaron's list of personal sponsors. Which means he's going to be riding Specialized E-bikes. Or unbranded Crestlines, which is awkward either way.
-Specialized hasn't seen Frameworks as a competitor to this point, but Crestline may be a bridge too far, so Gwin had to 'go dark' on Crestline to be part of Frameworks.
-Clearly there was a strict "Don't ask about Crestline" request for the Vital interviews with Gwin and Neko. It's a very obvious question, and it's not been asked/talked about yet. Likely, in a future podcast with someone else, they can pull more info out.
-There's nothing wrong with Gwin being invested in Crestline but not promoting them while his race career continues. It's just awkward, which is why there was probably a 'no ask' policy. At least in this initial press release.
No Specialized logo on AG's jersey like the rest of the Frameworks jerseys. My guess would be he'll still be running his Crestline E-Bike but trying to avoid any content.
To throw more gas on this grease fire.
Remember in the b-practice podcast Dak said that he was going to put a bike that he wasn't riding in the background of his pics? And that bike belonged to someone who lives with him.
Maybe Gwin racing stays around and is still on crestline. IDK shits weird.
He also mentioned he didn't want to give up Frida's deal for 2026 either. So my thought is maybe between recording the podcast and taking the pic, he reached out to a few nearby friends to see who might have a frame laying around and it's actually one of Gwin's old frames?
Maybe Gwin racing will rebrand into a continental team under Crestline with Frida and crispy. idk
I can't wait to see Gwin at Hardline!
Who said Maples to Pivot?
Still a few loose ends, but looks like this thread is pretty much wrapped up. And you know what that means?
Time to head over to Vital MX for Supercross Season!
If anything can top Gwin to Frameworks, it's the 2026 SX team changes.
Tomac to KTM, Sexton to Kawi, Roczen & El Hombre kick starting it together on Suzukis, Bam Bam on a Ducati, brand new Yamahas for the Coopers, and Jett to possibly miss the entire SX series. It's going to be nuts on Saturday! 🤘
I'm wondering if the supply of Crestline DH frames is getting low? Going off that recent podcast, Troydon intended for Crestline to be an Emtb company from the get go.. They managed to get more frames than anticipated out of the prototype molds, but now if he wants to continue the DH bikes, a large investment will have to be made.. Gwin might still have a stake in the company, hence no Specialized logo on his jersey.. Definitely more to come on this story..
Ohhhh this was a deeper one than I thought, maple syrup = brown sugar, I thought it was Tuhoto-Ariki Pene, who Ed Masters calls "Brown Sugar"
Looks stoked
Pretty sure both form of sugars were referenced going there haha.
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