Kyle Strait Signs with Commencal Bikes
Who better to represent Commencal USA than an American born and bred, proud of his roots, holding high the values of his country and not forgetting, an excellent rider?
That’s correct! Kyle Strait has joined us for the next two years and will ride our bikes besides being involved in promoting online sales via www.commencalusa.com.
His two victories at the Red Bull Rampage, his natural ‘freeride’ spirit and overall involvement in our sport seduced us. We are very proud to have him with us and we look forward to him lining up with our bikes at forthcoming events.
Kyle Strait, welcome!
![Kyle Strait Commencal]()
Interview with Kyle Strait:
Kyle Strait, more than just a two-times Red Bull Rampage winner in 2004 and 2013. An icon of a generation, particularly in the United States. So why have you made the decision to join COMMENCAL, an Andorran company located between France and Spain?
“As a youngster, I travelled a lot to different World Cups and events around the world. One place that I really enjoyed was Andorra. I always had fun racing there and really enjoyed the principality that is Andorra. With one of my childhood heroes being on Commencal at the time, the brand has always been in my mind as a passionate, driven, bitchin’ brand! I always thought Commencal would be a cool brand to work with. From their innovative bike designs, to their passionate love for competitions and overall prominent brand image, I am pleased to be joining the Commencal family.”
In addition to having your name associated to our Andorran company, you become our ambassador for COMMENCAL USA, a company created last September in California, in order to provide a direct sales service in the US. You'll be asked to contribute to the development and reliability of our bikes. Is this a role that you’ve always thought you might want to take on one day?
“I’ve always wanted to be a major ambassador for a brand and I feel that partnering with Commencal is a perfect fit for both of us. Since being in the industry for so long, I have been educated on what makes a bike ride well and work great. I am really excited to be able to work closely with Commencal in bike development and design. With Commencal’s move to the US it has opened up this awesome opportunity for us to work together and I couldn’t be more stoked.”
People know you well but tell us; what’s a typical day in the life of Kyle Strait (at work and play)?
“It all really depends on the day, most days would start off with feeding my dog, Frank. Then onto myself, making a smoothie, then onto catching up with emails and checking the weather for the next time it will rain. It doesn’t rain a lot where I live so I always want to be ready for when it comes to go dig some jumps. If it has been raining I like to go out and dig. Either in my yard or in the town I live in, always building trails, mega jumps and even trail maintenance. Wintertime is a great time for me. I am home a lot so I get to spend time with my old lady, ride with friends, build jumps and if there is enough time in the day I love to fish and work on my classics. I have two classic vehicles that I love to drive and work on; one being a 1969 Lincoln Continental and the other being a 1961 Chevy Apache. But once summer hits, I am traveling most of the time, which ends up working out great since it is so hot at home during the summer.”
![Kyle Strait Commencal]()
In training, what do you like working on the most? Tricks/Style/Air?
“It always depends on what events are coming up next on the schedule. So, say at this time in the winter I ride a lot of trails on the trail bike to get a decent base fitness. I also try and hit as many jump spots to keep my muscle memory on point. If a slalom or DH event is coming up, I try and ramp up my intensity training and do more sprints. I like to say style is not something you work on; it’s more of just how comfortable you feel on the bike and it translates to your riding. Feeling smooth on the bike is one of the greatest feelings ever. It’s addictive.”
You have a pretty full video schedule. What projects are you working on?
“Filming is and always has been a non-stop thing for me and I love working on film projects and riding in them. It’s a great feeling to see what you can do on your bike and to see how stoked people get watching you ride your bike. As of right of now I am in the middle of some awesome top secrets projects that will be coming out soon!”
A question from all those young Red Bull Rampage fans. How does one win twice with nearly 10 years between each victory?
“I think it has to come down to being healthy for the event. With Rampage starting in 2001 the event has changed tons over the years and it is very hard to stay ahead of the progressive curve. With myself being the only athlete to compete in every single Rampage in history I have found myself so close to winning the event many other times (besides 2004 and 2013) just to fall short because of a crash. It's part of the game and I am still very happy to be the only rider to win the event twice. It goes to show that it is a very hard event to win more than once.”
Intimate question: Do you dress up in fancy dress often?
“Ha ha ha! I’ve found that when there’s the occasion to dress up “fancy” I do enjoy dressing like a cowboy. Full on boots, Wranglers, and cowboy hat.”
![Kyle Strait Commencal]()
Which American custom/tradition will you never be able to live without?
“I would say that is a pretty hard question being that there are so many I love. Although some of them may not be traditional, there is fishing, Monster Trucks, watching the Super Bowl (even though I don’t really care about football), NASCAR, Supercross, The 4th of July, pouring hot sauce on everything and being able to get and eat ice anywhere I want!”
Which European/French tradition do you like the most?
“Although I haven’t had a chance to be part of many European traditions and enjoy them, I’ve had a chance to be part of the 1st of May in Spain and have also been to Oktoberfest in Germany. Which were both a great times. I can’t wait to experience more European traditions."
![Kyle Strait Commencal]()
Discover the new Commencal USA Facebook page.
Planning 2015 season:
March 25-29th Crankworx NZ
April 16th-19th Sea Otter Classic
April 20th- 27th Santa Cruz Fest Series
June 16th -21st Highland Spring Training
July 9-12nd Crankworx Les 2 Alpes
July 14th-19th DH and DS National Championship, Mammoth Lakes
August 7-16th Crankworx Whistler
TBD Fest Series Events (Aggy's Reunion, Hoff Fest)
TBD Redbull Rampage
TBD Highland Ayr Academy Camps
That’s correct! Kyle Strait has joined us for the next two years and will ride our bikes besides being involved in promoting online sales via www.commencalusa.com.
His two victories at the Red Bull Rampage, his natural ‘freeride’ spirit and overall involvement in our sport seduced us. We are very proud to have him with us and we look forward to him lining up with our bikes at forthcoming events.
Kyle Strait, welcome!
Interview with Kyle Strait:
Kyle Strait, more than just a two-times Red Bull Rampage winner in 2004 and 2013. An icon of a generation, particularly in the United States. So why have you made the decision to join COMMENCAL, an Andorran company located between France and Spain?
“As a youngster, I travelled a lot to different World Cups and events around the world. One place that I really enjoyed was Andorra. I always had fun racing there and really enjoyed the principality that is Andorra. With one of my childhood heroes being on Commencal at the time, the brand has always been in my mind as a passionate, driven, bitchin’ brand! I always thought Commencal would be a cool brand to work with. From their innovative bike designs, to their passionate love for competitions and overall prominent brand image, I am pleased to be joining the Commencal family.”
In addition to having your name associated to our Andorran company, you become our ambassador for COMMENCAL USA, a company created last September in California, in order to provide a direct sales service in the US. You'll be asked to contribute to the development and reliability of our bikes. Is this a role that you’ve always thought you might want to take on one day?
“I’ve always wanted to be a major ambassador for a brand and I feel that partnering with Commencal is a perfect fit for both of us. Since being in the industry for so long, I have been educated on what makes a bike ride well and work great. I am really excited to be able to work closely with Commencal in bike development and design. With Commencal’s move to the US it has opened up this awesome opportunity for us to work together and I couldn’t be more stoked.”
People know you well but tell us; what’s a typical day in the life of Kyle Strait (at work and play)?
“It all really depends on the day, most days would start off with feeding my dog, Frank. Then onto myself, making a smoothie, then onto catching up with emails and checking the weather for the next time it will rain. It doesn’t rain a lot where I live so I always want to be ready for when it comes to go dig some jumps. If it has been raining I like to go out and dig. Either in my yard or in the town I live in, always building trails, mega jumps and even trail maintenance. Wintertime is a great time for me. I am home a lot so I get to spend time with my old lady, ride with friends, build jumps and if there is enough time in the day I love to fish and work on my classics. I have two classic vehicles that I love to drive and work on; one being a 1969 Lincoln Continental and the other being a 1961 Chevy Apache. But once summer hits, I am traveling most of the time, which ends up working out great since it is so hot at home during the summer.”
In training, what do you like working on the most? Tricks/Style/Air?
“It always depends on what events are coming up next on the schedule. So, say at this time in the winter I ride a lot of trails on the trail bike to get a decent base fitness. I also try and hit as many jump spots to keep my muscle memory on point. If a slalom or DH event is coming up, I try and ramp up my intensity training and do more sprints. I like to say style is not something you work on; it’s more of just how comfortable you feel on the bike and it translates to your riding. Feeling smooth on the bike is one of the greatest feelings ever. It’s addictive.”
You have a pretty full video schedule. What projects are you working on?
“Filming is and always has been a non-stop thing for me and I love working on film projects and riding in them. It’s a great feeling to see what you can do on your bike and to see how stoked people get watching you ride your bike. As of right of now I am in the middle of some awesome top secrets projects that will be coming out soon!”
A question from all those young Red Bull Rampage fans. How does one win twice with nearly 10 years between each victory?
“I think it has to come down to being healthy for the event. With Rampage starting in 2001 the event has changed tons over the years and it is very hard to stay ahead of the progressive curve. With myself being the only athlete to compete in every single Rampage in history I have found myself so close to winning the event many other times (besides 2004 and 2013) just to fall short because of a crash. It's part of the game and I am still very happy to be the only rider to win the event twice. It goes to show that it is a very hard event to win more than once.”
Intimate question: Do you dress up in fancy dress often?
“Ha ha ha! I’ve found that when there’s the occasion to dress up “fancy” I do enjoy dressing like a cowboy. Full on boots, Wranglers, and cowboy hat.”
Which American custom/tradition will you never be able to live without?
“I would say that is a pretty hard question being that there are so many I love. Although some of them may not be traditional, there is fishing, Monster Trucks, watching the Super Bowl (even though I don’t really care about football), NASCAR, Supercross, The 4th of July, pouring hot sauce on everything and being able to get and eat ice anywhere I want!”
Which European/French tradition do you like the most?
“Although I haven’t had a chance to be part of many European traditions and enjoy them, I’ve had a chance to be part of the 1st of May in Spain and have also been to Oktoberfest in Germany. Which were both a great times. I can’t wait to experience more European traditions."
Discover the new Commencal USA Facebook page.
Planning 2015 season:
March 25-29th Crankworx NZ
April 16th-19th Sea Otter Classic
April 20th- 27th Santa Cruz Fest Series
June 16th -21st Highland Spring Training
July 9-12nd Crankworx Les 2 Alpes
July 14th-19th DH and DS National Championship, Mammoth Lakes
August 7-16th Crankworx Whistler
TBD Fest Series Events (Aggy's Reunion, Hoff Fest)
TBD Redbull Rampage
TBD Highland Ayr Academy Camps
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An Andorran bike company making bikes in Taiwan trying to make us believe this is now 'merican,cuz a dude is in a cowboy hat?
This is what Europe thinks we are.
It pisses me off so much , I'm gonna go out in the desert and shoot some cactus with my AR.
Sometimes we look a bit too deep into marketing tricks. Marketing people make loads of half arsed attempts at achieving certain perception/ effect that you'd never notice. People see what they want to see. It works on a basic principle that If your wallet is itchy, you want to buy something, then you are just looking for an excuse, anything will do, even long chainstay.
cdn-jpg.si.com/sites/default/files/styles/si_article_main/public/images/miss-canada-hockey-tribute.jpg
I think you mixed up Austria and Germany, although the southern part of Germany (Bayern-Bavaria) share a lot of things with Austria, Lederhosen is some stuff from the mountainous regions (Austria, Bavaria...). So it is not a typical german thing to wear Lederhosen and eat Wiener Schnitzel.
But I don´t want to be so hard on you, as long as you don´t say Australia instead of Austria it´s fine :-).
Not that I wouldn't sell out in a heartbeat if some halfway-decent company offered me money to ride bikes for a living, but geez, this is a little over the top. And the cowboy stereotype is weak.
he's being paid to ride a bike
so he'll ride an andorran bike made in taiwan as well
doesn't matter, as long as he's being paid enough
he would also ride a dutch bike with Durex (condom brand) stickers on it
Because his appearance is not even a bit like those long haired side combed starbucks woosies in too tight jeans playing macho on a bike. He looks like a man and that is a problem nowadays, not a typical looking dude compared to some kids bike heroes. Steroid fed beef maybe had something to do with it (the great USA - fake food, GMO and usury loans) but still he's a manly beast and deserves all the best from whatever sponsors. He also seems to be a great guy.
We are actually really open minded over here, I grew up with all kinds of nationalities in my school and racism never was an Issue in my Environment. The reason Germans get offended with comments like that is because we are just tired of defending ourselves.
That said I love Schnitzel and Beer. And you would too if you ever tried it.
And cool that Kyle is riding for Commencal, it's a great company with a good attitude.
Kyle loves his country and he's proud of it! The true facts are that Kyle was in charge of his own ‘style’ for our launch together and we just thought it was perfect! Don’t take all of this so seriously, it’s just for fun, like our sport.
Our French riders are coming to visit next week but we promise not to dress them in a beret and take pictures of them holding baguettes!
Have a good day and don’t forget to ride!
Why are we talking about Nazis? and if we are talking about the German people's involvement with the Nazi party, do you people not realize that the German people were victimized by the Nazi party as well?
saying someone is a Nazi just because they are German is racism,
saying someone is intolerant/ignorant just because they are American is racism
ect. ect.
can't we all just be friends?
Had to be done
bonus:entertaining and harmless
Now I may have had some wine tonight ( and then some ) but that in no way means that I have a less valid opinion that the rest of the politicians who have posted here these last few days.
For example, I like when kids have Wendy houses in the back garden because it looks like the house has had a baby.
Now you talk...
As an aside consider how inefficient this business model is. Manufacturer-marketing-distribution-sales rep-shop, with each of these needing to take a cut. The markup is what, 200% on a top end Trek, Specialized or Santa Cruz?
Hopefully the wave of direct selling should be good for bikers.
I was lucky because Zink was buzzing so hard after pulling the dirtiest trick in history that he forgot to ride the bottom half. Thanks Cam!
Last off - curious to see how the direct sales model to the US market works out and who else from overseas (eg. Canyon, YT) will make a run at it also. Will be interesting to see how this plays out in the coming years and what affect it may have on the industry. I'll be taking a closer look at Commencal now.
Now maybe his contract coincidentally was up, but I wonder about rampage results/sea otter etc.
Jill Kintner & Brian Lopes: Best 4X duo in the game, suddenly no longer a part of GT after multiple World Cup and World Champ titles on their hard tails!
Jamie Bestwick: Multiple X-Games and Dew Tour medals. By far the most dominant vert bmx rider of his time possibly ever, and one day suddenly he was gone.
Mick Hannah/Marc Beaumont: Helped develop the previous carbon fury, enabled GT to be one of the first to have a carbon bike on the circuit. Marc even won a world cup on the bike, and Mick had a 3rd place at world champs in Canberra. Both athletes weren't as dominant as the ones above, but they still did a lot to develop and earn the bike some recognition.
There are more instances like this, but I think these are the most recent and are pretty high caliber names to suddenly be dropped by GT. In the MTB industry, its as if once you make a name for yourself few people want to or can pay you top dollar for being the best! I'd expect to see GT keep the Atherton's, for another year or 2 but expect that the current GT lineup will be non-existent within a few years time.
Its all $ and cents folks, there is only so much money to pay the riders who are at the top of their game and maybe want more cash. Maybe PB could do a story of riders/ bike companies and riders to WC teams history changes...
Ain't that the truth Cowboy.