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Commencal have had their media / video / production done in-house for a long time; Leon Perrin who made that video has been there for like 10 years now I believe? In that case it is worth noting as a very different business approach to marketing from just about every other company out there. That's why ALL of the video production is so coherent, on-brand etc, they've actually invested in having that capacity rather than the "throw $X at filmer Y to make a video with athlete Z about product A" that most other brands seem to have.

Is there some possibility convert this to written form, for us readers?🙏

For each of us in the little bubble, choose a bike industry villain and be a dick about it!

to me still one of the best marketing videos was hope letting adam brayton shred in pila with their, at that time, new pro4 hubs. the sound of a 1000 angry bees plus tires ripping through corners 😍 no corny storytelling, just what mountainbikers dream of. https://youtu.be/89V3uCgfuco?si=LSdXIzSBOK94ruk5

Others already said it, but we’re a narrow niche inside the bike world. Most people buy bikes based on price, performance, and looks. Unless Markus turned out to be the literal devil, most riders won’t care. And even within our little corner, plenty of people see him as a kind of “savior,” so it’s not like there’s consensus, outside this thread. There’s also a bit of hypocrisy here. I almost always judge a product on those same factors: price, performance, and looks. I’m not doing deep research on the CEO’s ethics, whether employees were treated well, or whether vendors got...

I think Jeff's take from the pod regarding YT is a good lens to view this situation. You don't have to like the brand or Markus. However, they are back in the game and will be making bikes. Therefore, it would seem in regards to the purpose of this thread, looking at how they might operate/ what their plans are/ how vendors will respond to them is an effective lens to analyze the situation with. Again, as Jeff said in the pod speculating on this situation is interesting but there are real world consequences for many employees, consumers, and athletes...

It’s always noon somewhere in the world!

I just wish we could know to what extent this entire rug pull was planned. Well before the insolvency, maybe even before the predatory flash sale. As things go on, it seems he was quite prepared to do everything necessary when the time came. But yeah naturally it could be not dissimilar from the bosch Decoys. Already planned and ordered. May as well promote them asap. I'm quite sure the previous uncaged models were not limited to 50 units. So... Yeah, were these bikes gonna be canceled? Did they basically decide 'ok lets do 50 and if we move 50...

Thanks, subscribed! Are there really more PE firms in the US than McDonalds? Noticed this is incomplete: Update, a few people asked for data points around consumer health, though there are a gazillion, the ones that stood out the most to me include (Who heck down-voted your post?)

I'm betting the AI data center bubble bursts. But this is different than AI as a technology. Two things can be true at the same time, we've way overspent on capex around a narrow architecture (bad) but the technology shows lots of potential to be highly accretive to GDP (good). Where this comes back to bikes is if the bubble bursts and the S&P is down, we'll see a change in spending habits on the right side of the barbell (less high end stuff will move) being the people this will most impact are asset (equity) owners.

I really like the opinionated stuff coming from... People who have, at the very least, more street cred than myself. Or ideally as much as possible. In so far as, I don't expect the opinion stuff outright from pinkbike editors or vital editors, and we all roughly know why. I don't expect it. But the Vital COMMUNITY is like you say the ideal opportunity for that stuff to shine because... Every Tom Dick and Harry is gonna give their opinion on reddit and instagram and youtube and PB and vital and what not, but it will never quite hit the...

Great news for the sports and Valais IMHO. First, I really enjoyed the format. And second, having the local cycling organization in Valais this boosted, perhaps Champery will appear in the world cup calendar soon.

some insight into world champs champery economics via a PR email below Comprehensive Review of the 2025 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in Valais. Sion, 27 november 2025 - The first-ever combined Mountain Bike World Championships in Valais were a resounding success across the board, generating an economic and media impact of CHF 27 million for the Canton of Valais. Additionally, thanks to a range of development programs and initiatives, the canton now boasts a state-of-the-art infrastructure dedicated to promoting cycling. Television broadcasts of the competitions reached a total audience of over 57 million viewers, and the event stayed within...

I 100% agree with Jeff. What he is is trying to say is that discussions/disputes/debates in forums for example get heated very quickly. Sarcasm, irony, mimics, ... are not always being received the way they were sent. Words that weren't meant to be offending, are received to be. More often than not, things totally misinterpreted and cause frustration, anger, even hate. If you, on the other hand, sat with that counterpart in a bar and discussed with him while having a bee, it's usually a totally different storyWhile maybe still not agreeing with each other's views, the dispute would go...

Maybe talk to the guys at Revel or Kona.. Dustin Adams now that he's taking the helm at I9..

Yes, "overfull wheelbarrow" is very accurate. The newer versions handle better, but still fall into the BSO [Bike-Shaped Object] realm. I'm not surprised that they aren't going to replace batteries given that they are probably shutting down entirely in January. Regardless, I am impressed by the sheer number of non-bike brand e-cargo bikes on the road in my little mountain town. The value proposition is excellent compared to similar offerings from Giant, Cannondale, Trek and Specialized.

RadPower: we had one of their 1st gen cargo bikes. It had a 3 month sweet spot one summer where both kids could fit on it and it was cool, as long as you were >175lbs, experienced with overfull wheelbarrows, and determined to “all go out on the bikes, dammit!” Thing handled like a freight train funny car. And when you were loading up it’d do this cantilevered origami takedown move, a slow motion implosion of shitty steel and kid limbs and bright plastic helmets that just wasn’t cool at drop off. Retired that thing to the wet debris zone...

I don't think it correct to assume that "Supercar money" can not be made in the Bike Industry. You can make decent money in the bike industry, then reinvest that money in something that multiplies your wealth astronomically. We live in a crazy world, where you can make insane amount of money with speculation in no time, if you are smart and/or lucky. Now, that money may not directly come from the bike industry, but I would say he could have pulled off his wealth from smart investment of money that he originally made in the bike industry. I believe...

Handing someone a bill for replacement of a Campy drivetrain usually made for an easy Dura Ace sale..