Commencal Speaks Up for Peace, Unity, and Solidarity with Worlds Bikes 18

Commencal, we salute you.

iceman2058
10/7/2020 1:00pm
s1600 cover commencal 871028

We take our hats off for Commencal, using their World Champs special edition bikes as a platform to promote love, peace, unity, and solidarity. Nothing could be more important during these troubled times, and we are happy to see such a strong statement from a company that has always been about the human adventure as much as they are about selling bikes. Chapeau!

From Commencal:

"Every year we like to work on special artwork for the frames of our riders selected to race the DH World Champs.

For Leogang 2020, we have gone with understated and classy designs. For this ‘special' year we also wanted to add a message. A message of tolerance and unity. COVID 19 has sowed doubt in many minds, distanced us from each other and with far more profound consequences than we imagine.

Now is the time to be more united, solid, closer and caring. We wanted to pass on this message, more utopian than political, because it represents us and what's on our minds. In addition, it embodies the values of our sport. And that's a way to get the message out again, as widely as possible.

Let’s never stop having this conversation!"

-Yannick COMMENCAL

Myriam Nicole's Supreme DH

Greg Williamson's Supreme DH

Thibaut Daprela's Supreme DH

Camille Balanche's Supreme DH

Monika Hrastnik's Supreme DH

Benoit Coulanges' Supreme DH


Related:
Thibaut Daprela
2020 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships
Benoit Coulanges
Greg Williamson
Myriam Nicole
Monica Hrastnik
Leogang, Austria
Downhill
Commencal
18 comments

View replies to: Commencal Speaks Up for Peace, Unity, and Solidarity with Worlds Bikes

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Big Bird
4 years ago
Well done Commencal. Ignorance and intolerance are a worldwide problem and those that disagree can just go TossOff!
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jeff.brines
4 years ago
Wait, this is supposed to bring us together? How is suggesting "No Justice. No Peace" a message of unity? Sounds more like a message of conflict. All the while showcasing a message "Racism is the Pandemic"?

Sigh.

I'd really like to keep politically aimed messages out of bike racing (or all sports). Everyone should have a voice, I clearly am expressing one right here.

...but printing something on a bike does nothing. Its the utimate virtue signal. If you truly believe there is a problem, articulate it, and show us a path to change. Lets have a conversation.

Otherwise, I feel we're all at each other's throats enough. If you want to express a message of tolerance, there are (far) better ways.

...awaiting the mob to showup with tiki torches and downvotes.
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t-stoff
4 years ago
I'm still baffled by this idea that a mob (right or wrong) will overthrow by force what they're suppose to defend, the three pilars of democracy; legislature, executive and judiciary. When will they stop? Who is right? Do they fear justice? The outcome? Do they want a tailored outcome? What precedent will they open? :|
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ccolagio
4 years ago
and here we are. commenting on a bicycle forum. about race. thus having a conversation about it.

whether you agree or not, having words like this in "seemingly useless or non-applicable place [ie - mt bikes]" gets more people talking about race. and not talking about race is the issue...

i live in a major US city. this isn't going away anytime soon. have more conversations that make you feel uneasy! i love the paint jobs. keep on, commencal!
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t-stoff
4 years ago
Uneasy? lol, people are so full. With all this cancel culture, I'm certainly not in the "uneasy" team, quite the opposite. I'll talk, and I think most of the people do, they normally just get shut by those who accuse them of "unease".
And for starters US is certainly not the world, and Commencal lives and breathes in a part of the world where your problems are not even felt like you feel, we have our own problems and virtue signalling across the Atlantic is certainly an hypocrisy by them.
So OP is right.
And btw, In my case I was just talking about simple democracy points, no matter what people push for, If they don't want to want talk and WAIT on justice (and all that's implied in their own process) , and don't really feel like waiting for a verdict that doesn't (or does) suit their own views, I'm afraid they're in for a revolution that will bite them really fast. Today they it's their views, tomorrow something else on the other side of the spectrum.
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ccolagio
4 years ago
i mean it was pretty dang incredible to see/hear/read about the same types of protests being held in london and italy and all over the world. in a lot of ways, this did bring people all over the world together with things theyve been feeling for a while. you got to admit - there is a lot of strength and unity in that. no?
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t-stoff
4 years ago
Nah, it's just a ripple effect on the same ol' professional protest people who drag clueless youth into it, it's been happening forever.
There are daily protests about everything. Is it climate? is it BLM? is the opposition? Antivaxx? Or about the nuclear power? antiabortion?
But I will insist, we don't have your problems, sorry to say. We have problems, we do, but it's not even close or similar to your drama.
Of course there is people pushing the same agenda, but it's not the same thing. It's a way of living, you import a problem, you study it, phd, and stuff, get a newspaper to publish your agenda and you build your way into something. That doesn't mean it exist.
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Shishka
4 years ago
Can wipe my ass without getting political? Commencal needs to come out with WC toilet paper with this nonsense printed on it.
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_Lan
4 years ago
I'm disappointed that you hold this viewpoint Jeff.

If it does nothing then why are you affected by it?

It does something for me. While I'm not black, I've been at the receiving end of racist remarks. A friend hated the Chinese and said they all should be bombed and killed. Even if I wasn't part Chinese I couldn't let a remark like that go. In the end though, no one else from my group of friends stood up for me so I left. When Commencal or any other bike brand "virtue signals" like this, it gives me hope that despite my feelings being neglected by people around me for the sake of appearing impartial, at least the world as a whole is willing to take a stand.

Those of us never at the receiving end of racism and prejudice might feel that the "political" message of anti-racism is encroaching on things that we enjoy but try to be more empathic and understand that some people have to deal with this kind of bullshit day in day out.
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jeff.brines
3 years ago
_Lan,

I'm sorry to hear you had to deal with a racist remark in your lifetime. Obviously, we're aiming to stop that in full as a society. However, again, I don't think these protests are really achieving that, do you?

Virtue signaling means saying something virtuous without actually doing anything to affect the problem. Yeti dropping the word "Tribe" from their marketing comes to mind. What changed for Native Americans when they did this? Did Native Americans control the word "Tribe"? Is it unique to them? From what I can see (mind you I'm dating a 1/2 Native American woman), it did nothing to positively impact Native Americans all the while Yeti gets to dangle a card of "look how good we are".

Commencal is doing the exact same thing. They are doing nothing to actually evoke positive change, but they *seem* like they are by printing none sense on their athlete's top tubes. Talk is cheap. If they want to actually be the change, they'd donate 100 bikes to poor communities or do something to get someone who would otherwise not have the chance on a bike. THIS is something I'd go "HELL YEAH" to.

Finally, as an Asian American, I'm sure you'll deal with racism to some degree in your lifetime. That is certainly lame. That said, I'd argue the most racist thing that'll happen to you is you'll be held to higher standards to get into an Ivy League school or perhaps (in the future) find yourself employeed at Google, Facebook, or any other big tech company as everyone aims for "equality of outcome".

The truth is, Asian Americans kick ass when it comes to IQ, income and academics. So do Indian Americans. This alone actually goes to show the idea of "systemic racism" is bunk.

Again, I'm sure you'll run into bigot idiots in your life. Then again, I do too in different ways. Whatever. They are losers and I'm sure they won't overtly effect your life. You live in a time with more opportunity, more wealth, less racist policy and more "easiness" than any other point in history, probably important we all keep that in the crosshairs.

Doesn't mean we rest on our laurels, but it does mean we tread carefully, and support organizations that are actually trying to evoke positive change. Not just burn this place to the ground based on half truths and poorly thought out ideologies.

Take care
Jeff
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jeff.brines
4 years ago
Against better judgement, I'll articulate my thoughts more fully. If anyone cares to really hear me out, I'll happily link a few podcasts at the bottom, including my own. That said, I think Sam Harris has tackled this best and most closely aligns with my own thoughts.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with the idea of "unity". In fact, I see this being the biggest message we should all be aiming for right now. However, aligning your message with Black Lives Matter (which is 100% what Commencal is doing), is not actually bringing us together. Its pushing us apart, and this thread should be evidence of that.

Let me ask anyone reading this a few questions...

1) What is the aim of Black Lives Matter? I challenge you to answer this without using critical race theory within your answer. I ask you give an answer that is precise and actionable.

2) What problem, specifically, is Black Lives Matter trying to fix and how are they trying to fix this? Again, I ask if you use the answer "fix systemic racism" you go one step further and define this.

Before you say "racist police brutality, I challenge anyone to go utilize the Washington Post police shooting database. Filter by race. Filter by situation. Compare this to the FBI statistics on violent crime & murder in this country, by which black men are responsible for 50% (murder). The idea of *racist* police brutality seems far fetched (this isn't to say police reform isn't a good idea, it is, but I don't see any evidence police are in fact racist across the board).

Two statistics pop out to me. 1) There were less unarmed black men killed by police in 2019 than white men (its around 15). 2) There are thousands of black men killed at the hands of other black men. If your real goal is to prevent black men dying, this is what you'd be aiming to fix (which I'd argue is something the govt should be doing!!)

I absolutely think there are forms of inequality we should aim to fix in society. But that word "aim", a word I've used a few times now, is very important. BLM is not aiming for a specific problem/solution. They are in fact aiming to tear down, without much of an idea how or what to build in its place that in fact fixes the problem (because their problem isn't well defined).

I'm a mechanic, a builder, an analyst. My entire world is built upon looking for problems, then saying "this is how I'd fix it". If you can't offer the second part of the equation, you aren't doing much in the name of "good". Its like wishing for zero emissions flying cars when the world currently does not allow this.

What I see happening is an organization hanging their hat on "race" being the defining factor as to how inequality works. It certainly can play into it, but at this point, in 2020, there are so many other factors that also weigh into that. Your height. Your IQ. Your athletic ability. Who your parents are. How much wealth you were born into. Where you were born. Etc. Etc. Etc. Why are we simply focused in race if equality of outcome is your end goal (which seems a fool's errand in the first place). This alone makes people go "wait a minute" and pulls people apart, it pulls groups apart.

As some people on Instagram pointed out, this bike is the "White Guilt Express". It makes people who are not racist, who are not looking to put their race over someone else feel "guilty" for something they didn't do and don't do.

My aim, and solution, is this - politicians are really the ones failing us. If there is one thing we should be identifying, regardless of race, is socioeconomic areas in this country that are rife with violence. Programs need to be put into place to lift these communities up, create quality jobs, and address the single parent problems that drive a lot of this problem.

Ultimately, compassion for one and other, regardless of the color of your skin, regardless of where you come from, should be the goal. That, again, does NOT seem to be the aim of these protests, or what is really going on right now (which I'd also argue is driven by record high unemployment, and a generation that has little understanding of history).

I could go on (and on). But for a mtn bike forum, I'll end here. End of the day, this messaging is not aimed well. Its reinforcing an idea that doesn't make a lot of sense. Some will champion it, others, like me, will shake their head. Either way, it pulls us further apart.

Podcast

Sam Harris - The new religion of antiracism https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPHUu9sAGKo
Sam Harris - Can we come back from the brink https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmgxtcbc4iU
Jeff Brines (me!) - https://open.spotify.com/episode/2znHBLM8eiuuQB6uXKp7CH
Jeff Brines (me!) again - https://open.spotify.com/episode/18c7WO8wlQBAxWbLWnP1K6
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ccolagio
4 years ago
so if i am understanding you correctly:

you are pro/for the 1963 march in DC because it was called "March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom" and in your mind that march/movement had a clear goal(s) that they wanted to achieve and thus they had definable objectives

but you are against all the BLM marches/movement because they are marching against SO much (ie - general racism and what that means for non-whites from a vast multifaceted standpoint)? What you want them to say - at the end of this march, we want X, Y, and Z - but because you feel there is no singular leader or voice to BLM you dismiss the whole entire thing?
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jeff.brines
3 years ago
That's a part of it, but not my full message.

Yes, I appreciate the Civil Rights Movement because the aim was precise, the goal was rooted in a real problem, it was organized and it had strong leadership. It also was *not* violent, and did not seek to tear down the United States, but make it a better country. It accomplished this.

The current "movement" is unclear, seeks to tear down the country, is vague, does not have clear leadership, and is more or less anarchist.

But this isn't all I'm saying.

I'm also suggesting there is an "us" vs "them" mentality that is incredibly bad for this country/world. We should aim to understand each other, and to have real conversations without the rhetoric of "you are either with us or against us".

I legitimately see problems that are unique to certain black communities. I also (believe it or not) have some ideas as to how to solve these problems. But if I bring this up I'm told to check it all at the door because I'm white (and a straight male).

Its ironic a certain group that is all about racial and gender equality so commonly uses both to their advantage when they deem it appropriate for their own messaging.

End of the day, there has never been a time in the world where peering behind the headlines, and behind what seems so obviously "good" is important. There is a flip side to every coin. It has to be considered. In this case, tearing something down without a good idea of what to put in its place will not lead to the betterment of the republic, or the world.

...I'll end there.
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ccolagio
3 years ago
oh jeff, jeff, jeff. everyone here knew you were white the very moment you began to write. and if people can tell your race by the words you are writing/saying in this very day, in this very era, in this very pivotal chapter in american history...you're on the wrong side of history. and thats the bottom line. i assure you of that, my fellow mtb lover.
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jeff.brines
3 years ago
@ccolagio

Two thoughts...

1) It'd be great if you were willing to engage my ideas, as opposed to just saying "you are wrong". Show me why. Use that brain of yours. Scolding me like an authoritatrian nun doesn't do much to promote ideas of tolerance, love & unity.

2) Its *very* ironic that you brought my race into it as a way of discounting my ideas. Doesn't that remind you of something? LOL.

I've literally brought multiple sources and about 1,000 words into this. You literally just told me "i'm right and you are wrong because I say so...oh, and you are white so your ideas don't matter".

Irony, really isn't a strong enough word.
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