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Hmmmm .... Racing against the clock in World Cup is one thing. Racing in traffic with dudes and sponsors that have a ton on the line is another. It's probably a good thing that a rider has to be really committed to get into big time supercross. Just cause you have some good speed doesn't really mean you should be in there dicing with the dudes that are doing it for real. There's a lot that can go wrong there. At the same time, it shouldn't be too crazy difficult to get in; but it's totally reasonable to need a...

Vital says thank you to MTB and will sign with LitterMag in 2020

this is a couple days old, but quinton spaulding retiring as TM for KHS.

It’s definitely not a ticket to sales, just lazy easy stats for marketing departments tbh. There was a podcast somewhere where the brand being interviewed was working off social media numbers rather than sales information. 🤯 I can’t remember who or where right now. Also are ig followers the biggest spenders? The ones I know certainly aren’t.

“It might seem ridiculous but we place human contact and interaction value so far beyond any social bs.” This is pure magic and I hope it’s working... we’ve recently had the pleasure of being toured around the trails of Phoenix by Darch. One of the most kind folks you could bump into on a bike and kicking A$$ on a new sentinel at 75 years young. Keep doing what you’re doing Transition!

In my opinion, the social (esp IG) influencer personality and content has a shelf life. People are going to catch on to how disingenuous it is, and it’s going to become more and more transparent how ‘advertisey’ it is. When we make a move to work with someone of any stature, be it mega pro to local ripper / good person their social reach is far from a metric we place value on. It might seem ridiculous but we place human contact and interaction value so far beyond any social bs. I find it a shame that so many companies...

And Klein to Klein. The Commencal's high pivot wasn't high enough; he's riding a Mantra for 2020.

rude to proflex.

Is there really any good reason for Yeti to sink a bunch of money into a DH program? If they want to waste that kind of cash, I'll simply send them my address... Send me a bunch of bikes and a paycheck and I'll guarantee almost zero return on investment..

It's actually pretty simple: Kyle rose to fame as a freeride prodigy, but he always felt his roots were in racing. I actually saw him ride in person at the 2004 Worlds in Les Gets, where Flo Payet won, coming in third and besting my favorite, Ben Reid, by a mere 0.001 seconds. Kyle was heading to Meersburg, Germany for a freeride event called ”Ride to the Lake” (probably the first contest done by Rasoulution) and he had a freeride-heavy agenda. He was a Red Bull athlete and an up and coming young rider, an industry darling. At some point...

Source? * secretly praying he puts a good looking TLD lid back on his head, like in the early days *

How about same tyres, say the Assegai exo+, but with variations on PSI (e.g F20 R24/ F25 R30/ F30 R36) Could even try with/without Cushcore to test their claim of better rolling efficiency ?

Its pretty clear you have not actually ridden an ebike JCL, so your comments are as usual for such fairly incorrect. If you use the mode that makes you Nino, your ride will be pretty short. I actually found it usually adds very little to distance, but is a more consistent workout due to man handling the bike more due to weight of bike, and fact your overall pace is higher meaning you must stay in it and not daydream even on the climbs. If its road climbs, well its still better than a shuttle rig, and would negate your...

Feels like a rant that was a long time coming. I am not going for popularity on Vital here, any pro ebike comments gets knocked pretty quickly online. I believe pedal assist ebikes are simply not a problem. Sure they are not as fun, most days I agree with that, and that’s why mine hasn’t been ridden even once in months. Occasionally like when I’m sick, injured, or just super lazy I would say ebikes are way more fun, at least more fun than not riding. They aren’t real MTBs? They sure aren’t motorcycles, at least not class 1 pedal...

I've been mountain biking for quite awhile now (1988). I've owned many different bikes over the years, DH, Freeride, Enduro, trai, etc. I recently bought an Ebike and I will never go back to a mechanical/traditional mtb. I've found climbing to actually be creative and FUN now!-having the ability to pop off of everything on the way up is amazing. Other than occasionally enjoying a random, easy-ish climb when your mind wanders and blends with the meandering undulations of the climb, Climbing SUCKS! (for me at least) Ebikes have turned this SUCKS into FUN!. Additionally, I've found descending, jumping etc...

Your article was enlightening. I have been struggling to understand the antipathy towards e-bikes and I think you've highlighted it - culture. There would appear to be a feeling that e-bikes don't fit an idealized notion of mountain bike culture and might bring people to the trails who aren't like “us" - who might drive a Porsche and not know who Steve Peat is. While I'm not excited for the trails to be more crowded either, living in the US, I think I've had my fill of culture wars and political tribalism the last few years and would rather at...

You’re so wrong, bud