Have any of you actually ridden an Amflow bike? I have (gen 1), and the frame rides great for its intended purpose. Its an all mountain...
Have any of you actually ridden an Amflow bike? I have (gen 1), and the frame rides great for its intended purpose. Its an all mountain bike, not super-enduro. I'd say it rides as good or better than something like the Levo. The flexiness is just fine. About right for a bike of that travel and intended terrain.
Not to get too off track, but people aren't buying it because of how it rides. They don't really care about how it rides, the geo or flex characteristics. They're buying it because of how powerful the motor is
Not to get too off track, but people aren't buying it because of how it rides. They don't really care about how it rides, the geo...
Not to get too off track, but people aren't buying it because of how it rides. They don't really care about how it rides, the geo or flex characteristics. They're buying it because of how powerful the motor is
This convo is in context of the maturity of Chinese engineered frames, of which the Amflow excels
Not to get too off track, but people aren't buying it because of how it rides. They don't really care about how it rides, the geo...
Not to get too off track, but people aren't buying it because of how it rides. They don't really care about how it rides, the geo or flex characteristics. They're buying it because of how powerful the motor is
This convo is in context of the maturity of Chinese engineered frames, of which the Amflow excels
They've been engineering frames for many bike companies for decades. Many US bike brands don't have engineers on staff, they have an industrial designer and the engineer who rubber stamps the design works for the Chinese/Taiwanese firm
Have any of you actually ridden an Amflow bike? I have (gen 1), and the frame rides great for its intended purpose. Its an all mountain...
Have any of you actually ridden an Amflow bike? I have (gen 1), and the frame rides great for its intended purpose. Its an all mountain bike, not super-enduro. I'd say it rides as good or better than something like the Levo. The flexiness is just fine. About right for a bike of that travel and intended terrain.
I have not, but did ride with a buddy who was demoing a v1 Amflow. He said he was impressed with the motor but would not buy an Amflow to get it. He said the bike itself was unimpressive - nothing terrible but not worth spending money on. He'd consider getting the Mondraker or some other version. He said the standout things of the demo were the motor system and the Shredda Rear tire the shop owner had mounted up front.
Afterwards, we talked to the shop owner whose bike it was and the co-owner who also had one. They both pretty much said, yeah we got them for the motor and to hang better parts off of. They said the frames are ok for trail riding but if you're expecting Santa Cruz quality, you'll be disappointed. They said rear end is about as flexy as a gen3 Levo (which I found to be very flexy and hated). They both had mounted 170mm Zebs on theirs because they said 38 crowns hit the downtube. Even with the Zeb, the guy who had a size medium frame had to remove the compression adjuster knobs because they would contact the downtube. They said they had 13 bikes (v2) on order for customers who wanted the new motor, but no ETA on when they'd ever get them.
Is there any way to look at the Chinese market itself? I remember a cahal video where the went to china and it seemed the majority of bikes were Chinese brands. Are brands like amflow even building for the western market or is it an afterthought? Also I bet that too flexy frame was a result of testing with riders who are smaller than in the west.
Is there any way to look at the Chinese market itself? I remember a cahal video where the went to china and it seemed the majority...
Is there any way to look at the Chinese market itself? I remember a cahal video where the went to china and it seemed the majority of bikes were Chinese brands. Are brands like amflow even building for the western market or is it an afterthought? Also I bet that too flexy frame was a result of testing with riders who are smaller than in the west.
The Chinese market is the one place where traditional mountain bikes are selling. Brands are also doing "China" spec models where they spec Chinese brands that may not land in western markets, like LTWOO. And yes, it would seem domestic brands are doing well there.
Is there any way to look at the Chinese market itself? I remember a cahal video where the went to china and it seemed the majority...
Is there any way to look at the Chinese market itself? I remember a cahal video where the went to china and it seemed the majority of bikes were Chinese brands. Are brands like amflow even building for the western market or is it an afterthought? Also I bet that too flexy frame was a result of testing with riders who are smaller than in the west.
The Chinese market is the one place where traditional mountain bikes are selling. Brands are also doing "China" spec models where they spec Chinese brands that...
The Chinese market is the one place where traditional mountain bikes are selling. Brands are also doing "China" spec models where they spec Chinese brands that may not land in western markets, like LTWOO. And yes, it would seem domestic brands are doing well there.
Maybe this'll be like automotive how Buick and Porsche did really well for years and now are getting completely annihilated by the more-advanced Chinese competition.
Not bike related, but there are some interesting perspectives on Chinese manufacturing that parallel the discussion here, covered by Patrick Boyle in his most recent video. It seems the Chinese are iterating at a rate that the west can't keep up with in almost every industry in their quest to overcome (or, in the case of battery EVs, simply sidestep) the advantages of incumbency. And have the advantage of a very large, exploitable, non-unionised workforce.
Incidentally, I believe China's now only a few years behind in semiconductor manufacturing too. Once they've fully cracked that and can compete head to head... Edit: of course it might be a few more years again before the complexity and performance of their indigenous CPU and GPU designs (and driver support) compete with AMD/Intel/Nvidia.
It reminds me of Abe telling Joe in Looper "I'm from the future. You should go to China."
The Chinese market is the one place where traditional mountain bikes are selling. Brands are also doing "China" spec models where they spec Chinese brands that...
The Chinese market is the one place where traditional mountain bikes are selling. Brands are also doing "China" spec models where they spec Chinese brands that may not land in western markets, like LTWOO. And yes, it would seem domestic brands are doing well there.
1 thing with China is that they have enough people that they don't really need to sell internationally to survive...
“The Athletic understands that Nike are planning a more focused return to the sport in the near future, which could have an impact on Pogačar and others in the coming years.”
Talking about road cycling obviously. But Nike spends nearly $5B a year on marketing, and I’m sure they are seeing what Adidas is doing, so there’s potential that they could be looking at entering the MTB side as well. Would be a big deal for WC teams, venues, and WB to land a whale like Nike. Problem for them is MTB is such a small market they might struggle to care. They’ve seemingly struggled to handle non-core categories. They’ve waxed and waned on even soccer over the years, which is a ridiculously huge category.
Nike has been in cycling a few times. Late 90’s and early 00 they had the Cairns and some other shoes. They were pretty good. Nike had a huge influence in snowboarding for a few years. Best boots ever and then just stopped.
Nike has been in cycling a few times. Late 90’s and early 00 they had the Cairns and some other shoes. They were pretty good. Nike had...
Nike has been in cycling a few times. Late 90’s and early 00 they had the Cairns and some other shoes. They were pretty good. Nike had a huge influence in snowboarding for a few years. Best boots ever and then just stopped.
I still have a set of Kaiju's in rotation, spent years trying to find replacement boots from "real" snowboard brands that fit and feel like they do. They also bought and sold Bauer to get into then out of hockey, sponsored the Indian cricket team and produced some awesome cricket equipment, had a whole golf hardware division that they ended up shuttering. Coming into a niche sport, making a splash with some actually well made equipment and then realising "Welp, the numbers don't actually work in this sport" is kind of an ongoing thing they like to do.
Is there any way to look at the Chinese market itself? I remember a cahal video where the went to china and it seemed the majority...
Is there any way to look at the Chinese market itself? I remember a cahal video where the went to china and it seemed the majority of bikes were Chinese brands. Are brands like amflow even building for the western market or is it an afterthought? Also I bet that too flexy frame was a result of testing with riders who are smaller than in the west.
The Chinese market is the one place where traditional mountain bikes are selling. Brands are also doing "China" spec models where they spec Chinese brands that...
The Chinese market is the one place where traditional mountain bikes are selling. Brands are also doing "China" spec models where they spec Chinese brands that may not land in western markets, like LTWOO. And yes, it would seem domestic brands are doing well there.
The dealers aren't smoking the crack, just selling it. But eventually they'll partake, and that, coupled with unbridled ambition, will be their downfall.
Nike has been in cycling a few times. Late 90’s and early 00 they had the Cairns and some other shoes. They were pretty good. Nike had...
Nike has been in cycling a few times. Late 90’s and early 00 they had the Cairns and some other shoes. They were pretty good. Nike had a huge influence in snowboarding for a few years. Best boots ever and then just stopped.
Nike’s final pullout from snowboarding is even more crazy because the program was making money (very decent money by most standards, like several million a year) but the actual ROI percentage wasn’t enough for the main corporate bean counters so they just cut it all off one day.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Nike already had some plans on MTB with the relaunch of ACG this past winter. However, we’ve seen that come an go at least once before.
I have a solid half dozen pair of Nike road and xc shoes squirreled away from the 1998-2005ish period. The Cairns mtb shoe was half designed for Nico Vouilloz and half designed for the ringleader of the largest sporting fraud case ever prosecuted by the US department of Justice. They adress a large format spd mighty dang well and had long cleat pockets for their day. Mine are squirrel’d away for the right moment of masters dual slalolm racing glory.
DMT the Italian boot maker made the shoes then, eventually under a license to Trek. Trek also imported non-dmt built swoosh shoes that kinda ruined the brand mystique.
Nike has been sponsoring random roadies with one-off shoes off and on ever since the end of Trek’s licensing agreement. An ACG re-launch definitely doesn’t signal a re-entry into the cycling space, but it may mean a few marketing dollars for an offroad athlete…
Apologies if there is any redundancy in what I'm posting, I've fallen behind in my efforts to keep up with the discussions here. I've been up in Whistler for a bit during our annual escape here and bikeconomics is on my mind frequently. There is the cost associated with vacationing here, amplified by the costs of keeping a 16 year old rolling down the trails. My willingness to empty my wallet here just because I like Canada and Canadians. The relationship of tariffs to the cost of bike products. The overall sense of cost cutting visible at the resort itself. And some of the biggest news is the exit of Sram and Redbull from Crankworx. It's interesting to watch the build up for the event and how scaled back some things are and curiosity about where the efforts of the resort staff and contractors are directed during the build up. Are staff neglecting the paying customer needs to focus on event prep? It's getting close and it seems like they are behind schedule and that many things are being scaled back possibly including bike industry participation. Let me know if there is already discussion about these topics as I'm way behind on following mtb media lately. I'm just here immersed in the bike park life, observing, listening and asking questions. I will get on the keyboard when I can and share some anecdotal info.
If anyone is interested in who I am and what's been keeping me busy lately you can read what I shared I've shared on PB with the intent to do a proper bike review here on Vital soon.
Apologies if there is any redundancy in what I'm posting, I've fallen behind in my efforts to keep up with the discussions here. I've been up...
Apologies if there is any redundancy in what I'm posting, I've fallen behind in my efforts to keep up with the discussions here. I've been up in Whistler for a bit during our annual escape here and bikeconomics is on my mind frequently. There is the cost associated with vacationing here, amplified by the costs of keeping a 16 year old rolling down the trails. My willingness to empty my wallet here just because I like Canada and Canadians. The relationship of tariffs to the cost of bike products. The overall sense of cost cutting visible at the resort itself. And some of the biggest news is the exit of Sram and Redbull from Crankworx. It's interesting to watch the build up for the event and how scaled back some things are and curiosity about where the efforts of the resort staff and contractors are directed during the build up. Are staff neglecting the paying customer needs to focus on event prep? It's getting close and it seems like they are behind schedule and that many things are being scaled back possibly including bike industry participation. Let me know if there is already discussion about these topics as I'm way behind on following mtb media lately. I'm just here immersed in the bike park life, observing, listening and asking questions. I will get on the keyboard when I can and share some anecdotal info.
If anyone is interested in who I am and what's been keeping me busy lately you can read what I shared I've shared on PB with the intent to do a proper bike review here on Vital soon.
Cheers!
Wait, you're not Moose? I had that wrong for years, too funny 😂 🤙 I guess that explains wreck vs ron.
“The Athletic understands that Nike are planning a more focused return to the sport in the near future, which could have an impact on Pogačar...
“The Athletic understands that Nike are planning a more focused return to the sport in the near future, which could have an impact on Pogačar and others in the coming years.”
Talking about road cycling obviously. But Nike spends nearly $5B a year on marketing, and I’m sure they are seeing what Adidas is doing, so there’s potential that they could be looking at entering the MTB side as well. Would be a big deal for WC teams, venues, and WB to land a whale like Nike. Problem for them is MTB is such a small market they might struggle to care. They’ve seemingly struggled to handle non-core categories. They’ve waxed and waned on even soccer over the years, which is a ridiculously huge category.
Nike seems to be sponsoring Visma right now, they're logo is on the team kit and they are selling casual branded soft goods for the team
Apologies if there is any redundancy in what I'm posting, I've fallen behind in my efforts to keep up with the discussions here. I've been up...
Apologies if there is any redundancy in what I'm posting, I've fallen behind in my efforts to keep up with the discussions here. I've been up in Whistler for a bit during our annual escape here and bikeconomics is on my mind frequently. There is the cost associated with vacationing here, amplified by the costs of keeping a 16 year old rolling down the trails. My willingness to empty my wallet here just because I like Canada and Canadians. The relationship of tariffs to the cost of bike products. The overall sense of cost cutting visible at the resort itself. And some of the biggest news is the exit of Sram and Redbull from Crankworx. It's interesting to watch the build up for the event and how scaled back some things are and curiosity about where the efforts of the resort staff and contractors are directed during the build up. Are staff neglecting the paying customer needs to focus on event prep? It's getting close and it seems like they are behind schedule and that many things are being scaled back possibly including bike industry participation. Let me know if there is already discussion about these topics as I'm way behind on following mtb media lately. I'm just here immersed in the bike park life, observing, listening and asking questions. I will get on the keyboard when I can and share some anecdotal info.
If anyone is interested in who I am and what's been keeping me busy lately you can read what I shared I've shared on PB with the intent to do a proper bike review here on Vital soon.
Cheers!
This year does seem low key so far, doesn't feel less than 2 weeks away. The boneyard is looking good but definitely not its usual self, lots of empty space and no hydroseed green grass around, it has been pretty dry though. I raced Garbo DH last year and this year it's been cancelled, so maybe I'm not as hyped in the lead up to it. Could be rose tinted glasses but looking at the basic start gate setup from 2011 to 2025, last year was pretty basic, or no one cares anymore that's why it got cancelled 😂
Apologies if there is any redundancy in what I'm posting, I've fallen behind in my efforts to keep up with the discussions here. I've been up...
Apologies if there is any redundancy in what I'm posting, I've fallen behind in my efforts to keep up with the discussions here. I've been up in Whistler for a bit during our annual escape here and bikeconomics is on my mind frequently. There is the cost associated with vacationing here, amplified by the costs of keeping a 16 year old rolling down the trails. My willingness to empty my wallet here just because I like Canada and Canadians. The relationship of tariffs to the cost of bike products. The overall sense of cost cutting visible at the resort itself. And some of the biggest news is the exit of Sram and Redbull from Crankworx. It's interesting to watch the build up for the event and how scaled back some things are and curiosity about where the efforts of the resort staff and contractors are directed during the build up. Are staff neglecting the paying customer needs to focus on event prep? It's getting close and it seems like they are behind schedule and that many things are being scaled back possibly including bike industry participation. Let me know if there is already discussion about these topics as I'm way behind on following mtb media lately. I'm just here immersed in the bike park life, observing, listening and asking questions. I will get on the keyboard when I can and share some anecdotal info.
If anyone is interested in who I am and what's been keeping me busy lately you can read what I shared I've shared on PB with the intent to do a proper bike review here on Vital soon.
Cheers!
My own feeling about Crankworx is that their drive to expand with multiple events all over the world and the 'Summer Series' events at smaller resorts has diluted their brand to the point where their flagship event in Whistler is no longer special or a draw for both international and local guests like it once was. Why travel all the way to Whistler to ride blown out trails in midsummer heat if you can see all the stars of the various disciplines doing their thing right around the corner from you.
Apologies if there is any redundancy in what I'm posting, I've fallen behind in my efforts to keep up with the discussions here. I've been up...
Apologies if there is any redundancy in what I'm posting, I've fallen behind in my efforts to keep up with the discussions here. I've been up in Whistler for a bit during our annual escape here and bikeconomics is on my mind frequently. There is the cost associated with vacationing here, amplified by the costs of keeping a 16 year old rolling down the trails. My willingness to empty my wallet here just because I like Canada and Canadians. The relationship of tariffs to the cost of bike products. The overall sense of cost cutting visible at the resort itself. And some of the biggest news is the exit of Sram and Redbull from Crankworx. It's interesting to watch the build up for the event and how scaled back some things are and curiosity about where the efforts of the resort staff and contractors are directed during the build up. Are staff neglecting the paying customer needs to focus on event prep? It's getting close and it seems like they are behind schedule and that many things are being scaled back possibly including bike industry participation. Let me know if there is already discussion about these topics as I'm way behind on following mtb media lately. I'm just here immersed in the bike park life, observing, listening and asking questions. I will get on the keyboard when I can and share some anecdotal info.
If anyone is interested in who I am and what's been keeping me busy lately you can read what I shared I've shared on PB with the intent to do a proper bike review here on Vital soon.
My own feeling about Crankworx is that their drive to expand with multiple events all over the world and the 'Summer Series' events at smaller resorts...
My own feeling about Crankworx is that their drive to expand with multiple events all over the world and the 'Summer Series' events at smaller resorts has diluted their brand to the point where their flagship event in Whistler is no longer special or a draw for both international and local guests like it once was. Why travel all the way to Whistler to ride blown out trails in midsummer heat if you can see all the stars of the various disciplines doing their thing right around the corner from you.
I would agree. Vail taking over the resort didn’t help things either. They clearly didn’t give a shit about the event and made it harder and more expensive to do just about anything. I have a lot of respect for the small CWX team but they had zero pull with the Vail team. Not great conditions for a successful event.
Apologies if there is any redundancy in what I'm posting, I've fallen behind in my efforts to keep up with the discussions here. I've been up...
Apologies if there is any redundancy in what I'm posting, I've fallen behind in my efforts to keep up with the discussions here. I've been up in Whistler for a bit during our annual escape here and bikeconomics is on my mind frequently. There is the cost associated with vacationing here, amplified by the costs of keeping a 16 year old rolling down the trails. My willingness to empty my wallet here just because I like Canada and Canadians. The relationship of tariffs to the cost of bike products. The overall sense of cost cutting visible at the resort itself. And some of the biggest news is the exit of Sram and Redbull from Crankworx. It's interesting to watch the build up for the event and how scaled back some things are and curiosity about where the efforts of the resort staff and contractors are directed during the build up. Are staff neglecting the paying customer needs to focus on event prep? It's getting close and it seems like they are behind schedule and that many things are being scaled back possibly including bike industry participation. Let me know if there is already discussion about these topics as I'm way behind on following mtb media lately. I'm just here immersed in the bike park life, observing, listening and asking questions. I will get on the keyboard when I can and share some anecdotal info.
If anyone is interested in who I am and what's been keeping me busy lately you can read what I shared I've shared on PB with the intent to do a proper bike review here on Vital soon.
My own feeling about Crankworx is that their drive to expand with multiple events all over the world and the 'Summer Series' events at smaller resorts...
My own feeling about Crankworx is that their drive to expand with multiple events all over the world and the 'Summer Series' events at smaller resorts has diluted their brand to the point where their flagship event in Whistler is no longer special or a draw for both international and local guests like it once was. Why travel all the way to Whistler to ride blown out trails in midsummer heat if you can see all the stars of the various disciplines doing their thing right around the corner from you.
I would agree. Vail taking over the resort didn’t help things either. They clearly didn’t give a shit about the event and made it harder and...
I would agree. Vail taking over the resort didn’t help things either. They clearly didn’t give a shit about the event and made it harder and more expensive to do just about anything. I have a lot of respect for the small CWX team but they had zero pull with the Vail team. Not great conditions for a successful event.
What a bummer. We'll see what happens when Vail Resorts inevitably goes bankrupt and/or has to start offloading properties in the next 2-3 years.
Apologies if there is any redundancy in what I'm posting, I've fallen behind in my efforts to keep up with the discussions here. I've been up...
Apologies if there is any redundancy in what I'm posting, I've fallen behind in my efforts to keep up with the discussions here. I've been up in Whistler for a bit during our annual escape here and bikeconomics is on my mind frequently. There is the cost associated with vacationing here, amplified by the costs of keeping a 16 year old rolling down the trails. My willingness to empty my wallet here just because I like Canada and Canadians. The relationship of tariffs to the cost of bike products. The overall sense of cost cutting visible at the resort itself. And some of the biggest news is the exit of Sram and Redbull from Crankworx. It's interesting to watch the build up for the event and how scaled back some things are and curiosity about where the efforts of the resort staff and contractors are directed during the build up. Are staff neglecting the paying customer needs to focus on event prep? It's getting close and it seems like they are behind schedule and that many things are being scaled back possibly including bike industry participation. Let me know if there is already discussion about these topics as I'm way behind on following mtb media lately. I'm just here immersed in the bike park life, observing, listening and asking questions. I will get on the keyboard when I can and share some anecdotal info.
If anyone is interested in who I am and what's been keeping me busy lately you can read what I shared I've shared on PB with the intent to do a proper bike review here on Vital soon.
My own feeling about Crankworx is that their drive to expand with multiple events all over the world and the 'Summer Series' events at smaller resorts...
My own feeling about Crankworx is that their drive to expand with multiple events all over the world and the 'Summer Series' events at smaller resorts has diluted their brand to the point where their flagship event in Whistler is no longer special or a draw for both international and local guests like it once was. Why travel all the way to Whistler to ride blown out trails in midsummer heat if you can see all the stars of the various disciplines doing their thing right around the corner from you.
I would agree. Vail taking over the resort didn’t help things either. They clearly didn’t give a shit about the event and made it harder and...
I would agree. Vail taking over the resort didn’t help things either. They clearly didn’t give a shit about the event and made it harder and more expensive to do just about anything. I have a lot of respect for the small CWX team but they had zero pull with the Vail team. Not great conditions for a successful event.
To give them their due, Vail don't seem to give a shit about anything to do with the guest experience, not just Crankworx. I could go full old man yelling at the clouds about all of the cost cutting, nickel and diming nonsense (WATER FOUNTAINS COST NOTHING!!!) that irks me these days.
Nike has been in cycling a few times. Late 90’s and early 00 they had the Cairns and some other shoes. They were pretty good. Nike had...
Nike has been in cycling a few times. Late 90’s and early 00 they had the Cairns and some other shoes. They were pretty good. Nike had a huge influence in snowboarding for a few years. Best boots ever and then just stopped.
Nike’s final pullout from snowboarding is even more crazy because the program was making money (very decent money by most standards, like several million a year)...
Nike’s final pullout from snowboarding is even more crazy because the program was making money (very decent money by most standards, like several million a year) but the actual ROI percentage wasn’t enough for the main corporate bean counters so they just cut it all off one day.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Nike already had some plans on MTB with the relaunch of ACG this past winter. However, we’ve seen that come an go at least once before.
well in the big launch video for ACG 5 months ago there was a rampage style mountainbike segment with a female rider (robin goomes?) and even a snowboarding segment so nike might be launching something in that regard in the future.
Not to get too off track, but people aren't buying it because of how it rides. They don't really care about how it rides, the geo or flex characteristics. They're buying it because of how powerful the motor is
This convo is in context of the maturity of Chinese engineered frames, of which the Amflow excels
They've been engineering frames for many bike companies for decades. Many US bike brands don't have engineers on staff, they have an industrial designer and the engineer who rubber stamps the design works for the Chinese/Taiwanese firm
I have not, but did ride with a buddy who was demoing a v1 Amflow. He said he was impressed with the motor but would not buy an Amflow to get it. He said the bike itself was unimpressive - nothing terrible but not worth spending money on. He'd consider getting the Mondraker or some other version. He said the standout things of the demo were the motor system and the Shredda Rear tire the shop owner had mounted up front.
Afterwards, we talked to the shop owner whose bike it was and the co-owner who also had one. They both pretty much said, yeah we got them for the motor and to hang better parts off of. They said the frames are ok for trail riding but if you're expecting Santa Cruz quality, you'll be disappointed. They said rear end is about as flexy as a gen3 Levo (which I found to be very flexy and hated). They both had mounted 170mm Zebs on theirs because they said 38 crowns hit the downtube. Even with the Zeb, the guy who had a size medium frame had to remove the compression adjuster knobs because they would contact the downtube. They said they had 13 bikes (v2) on order for customers who wanted the new motor, but no ETA on when they'd ever get them.
It also looks like the frame is from 2012 so there’s that.
Is there any way to look at the Chinese market itself? I remember a cahal video where the went to china and it seemed the majority of bikes were Chinese brands. Are brands like amflow even building for the western market or is it an afterthought? Also I bet that too flexy frame was a result of testing with riders who are smaller than in the west.
Dutech Holding LTD. is in the process of buying the accell group. It is currently under anti trust investigation.
https://www.finanznachrichten.de/nachrichten-2026-06/68899320-laufende-…
The Chinese market is the one place where traditional mountain bikes are selling. Brands are also doing "China" spec models where they spec Chinese brands that may not land in western markets, like LTWOO. And yes, it would seem domestic brands are doing well there.
Maybe this'll be like automotive how Buick and Porsche did really well for years and now are getting completely annihilated by the more-advanced Chinese competition.
Not bike related, but there are some interesting perspectives on Chinese manufacturing that parallel the discussion here, covered by Patrick Boyle in his most recent video. It seems the Chinese are iterating at a rate that the west can't keep up with in almost every industry in their quest to overcome (or, in the case of battery EVs, simply sidestep) the advantages of incumbency. And have the advantage of a very large, exploitable, non-unionised workforce.
Incidentally, I believe China's now only a few years behind in semiconductor manufacturing too. Once they've fully cracked that and can compete head to head... Edit: of course it might be a few more years again before the complexity and performance of their indigenous CPU and GPU designs (and driver support) compete with AMD/Intel/Nvidia.
It reminds me of Abe telling Joe in Looper "I'm from the future. You should go to China."
1 thing with China is that they have enough people that they don't really need to sell internationally to survive...
“The Athletic understands that Nike are planning a more focused return to the sport in the near future, which could have an impact on Pogačar and others in the coming years.”
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7415911/2026/07/04/tadej-pogacar-tour-de-france-sponsors/?source=athletic_user_shared_article_copylink&smid=url-share-ta
Talking about road cycling obviously. But Nike spends nearly $5B a year on marketing, and I’m sure they are seeing what Adidas is doing, so there’s potential that they could be looking at entering the MTB side as well. Would be a big deal for WC teams, venues, and WB to land a whale like Nike. Problem for them is MTB is such a small market they might struggle to care. They’ve seemingly struggled to handle non-core categories. They’ve waxed and waned on even soccer over the years, which is a ridiculously huge category.
Nike has been in cycling a few times. Late 90’s and early 00 they had the Cairns and some other shoes. They were pretty good.
Nike had a huge influence in snowboarding for a few years. Best boots ever and then just stopped.
I still have a set of Kaiju's in rotation, spent years trying to find replacement boots from "real" snowboard brands that fit and feel like they do. They also bought and sold Bauer to get into then out of hockey, sponsored the Indian cricket team and produced some awesome cricket equipment, had a whole golf hardware division that they ended up shuttering. Coming into a niche sport, making a splash with some actually well made equipment and then realising "Welp, the numbers don't actually work in this sport" is kind of an ongoing thing they like to do.
The dealers aren't smoking the crack, just selling it. But eventually they'll partake, and that, coupled with unbridled ambition, will be their downfall.
Nike’s final pullout from snowboarding is even more crazy because the program was making money (very decent money by most standards, like several million a year) but the actual ROI percentage wasn’t enough for the main corporate bean counters so they just cut it all off one day.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Nike already had some plans on MTB with the relaunch of ACG this past winter. However, we’ve seen that come an go at least once before.
I have a solid half dozen pair of Nike road and xc shoes squirreled away from the 1998-2005ish period. The Cairns mtb shoe was half designed for Nico Vouilloz and half designed for the ringleader of the largest sporting fraud case ever prosecuted by the US department of Justice. They adress a large format spd mighty dang well and had long cleat pockets for their day. Mine are squirrel’d away for the right moment of masters dual slalolm racing glory.
DMT the Italian boot maker made the shoes then, eventually under a license to Trek. Trek also imported non-dmt built swoosh shoes that kinda ruined the brand mystique.
Nike has been sponsoring random roadies with one-off shoes off and on ever since the end of Trek’s licensing agreement. An ACG re-launch definitely doesn’t signal a re-entry into the cycling space, but it may mean a few marketing dollars for an offroad athlete…
Apologies if there is any redundancy in what I'm posting, I've fallen behind in my efforts to keep up with the discussions here. I've been up in Whistler for a bit during our annual escape here and bikeconomics is on my mind frequently. There is the cost associated with vacationing here, amplified by the costs of keeping a 16 year old rolling down the trails. My willingness to empty my wallet here just because I like Canada and Canadians. The relationship of tariffs to the cost of bike products. The overall sense of cost cutting visible at the resort itself. And some of the biggest news is the exit of Sram and Redbull from Crankworx. It's interesting to watch the build up for the event and how scaled back some things are and curiosity about where the efforts of the resort staff and contractors are directed during the build up. Are staff neglecting the paying customer needs to focus on event prep? It's getting close and it seems like they are behind schedule and that many things are being scaled back possibly including bike industry participation. Let me know if there is already discussion about these topics as I'm way behind on following mtb media lately. I'm just here immersed in the bike park life, observing, listening and asking questions. I will get on the keyboard when I can and share some anecdotal info.
If anyone is interested in who I am and what's been keeping me busy lately you can read what I shared I've shared on PB with the intent to do a proper bike review here on Vital soon.
Cheers!
Wait, you're not Moose? I had that wrong for years, too funny 😂 🤙 I guess that explains wreck vs ron.
Nike seems to be sponsoring Visma right now, they're logo is on the team kit and they are selling casual branded soft goods for the team
This year does seem low key so far, doesn't feel less than 2 weeks away. The boneyard is looking good but definitely not its usual self, lots of empty space and no hydroseed green grass around, it has been pretty dry though. I raced Garbo DH last year and this year it's been cancelled, so maybe I'm not as hyped in the lead up to it. Could be rose tinted glasses but looking at the basic start gate setup from 2011 to 2025, last year was pretty basic, or no one cares anymore that's why it got cancelled 😂
My own feeling about Crankworx is that their drive to expand with multiple events all over the world and the 'Summer Series' events at smaller resorts has diluted their brand to the point where their flagship event in Whistler is no longer special or a draw for both international and local guests like it once was. Why travel all the way to Whistler to ride blown out trails in midsummer heat if you can see all the stars of the various disciplines doing their thing right around the corner from you.
Open bath dampers, short wheelbases, baggy clothes, things were better in the past
You just summed up most of my time at Marzocchi.. Although, I didn't wear the baggy pants..
I would agree. Vail taking over the resort didn’t help things either. They clearly didn’t give a shit about the event and made it harder and more expensive to do just about anything. I have a lot of respect for the small CWX team but they had zero pull with the Vail team. Not great conditions for a successful event.
What a bummer. We'll see what happens when Vail Resorts inevitably goes bankrupt and/or has to start offloading properties in the next 2-3 years.
To give them their due, Vail don't seem to give a shit about anything to do with the guest experience, not just Crankworx. I could go full old man yelling at the clouds about all of the cost cutting, nickel and diming nonsense (WATER FOUNTAINS COST NOTHING!!!) that irks me these days.
FWIW, Bike24 is discounting 2025 Trek Fuel EXe bikes by 52%. Not sure if there's a deeper meaning, but it's only 2600 eur...
well in the big launch video for ACG 5 months ago there was a rampage style mountainbike segment with a female rider (robin goomes?) and even a snowboarding segment so nike might be launching something in that regard in the future.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bRgc9Kv0iU
Its been goin on for a while. Bought my slash 9.8 for 2999. i can hardli imagine them making a profit of that.
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