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dv56 0.080629
As far as insurance, just never have an event in the U.S., am I right??
It will undoubtedly be disastrous if we send money crowdfunds and they blow it on strippers and/or rely only on sponsors or out-of-pockets.
So much can be done here if we step ahead of the "it's just a bro session kinda deal" mentality. Web series or full length features of days leading up to a Fest event and the bro sesh after can be used for subscribers, etc.
Just sayin, since out-of-pocket can only go so far
"...but the following Monday morning after the event we got to do a private session with no one around and the boys absolutely slayed it! So yes, I believe it was another successful year of The Reunion!"
The best part for Aggy was when all the fans, all the media and everyone went home and it was just the riders, on their own, riding together. I would love more comprehensive coverage as I love watching amazing riding like that go down but it would change the nature of the event.
"We put too much hard work and personal income into these events to hand it all over for free. Websites like to try and send their own photographers and film crews to cover the events for their personal gains, but this doesn't really help us at all. We pay for our own media crews to be there and we have a set media plan at each event. The content that we create we then send out to our media outlets, this includes all the major bike websites. Magazines aren't going to run our shots if the same shots are already all over the Internet"
Sounds like they want to make some money to me. Like theminsta said, if the money is managed well, an event like this could become massive. This in turn will keep freeride alive while making these guys some dough.
"I feel that if we didn't create this we risked losing a major core culture of our sport. Who knows, maybe this will help keep 26" bikes alive, so far they seem to be the right tool for the job for us. It’s up to us to fight for freeride when the rest of the industry is all about enduro."
I prefer this type of riding (watching only - I'm not capable of doing a fraction of this stuff) so I appreciate the FEST series efforts.
I'm not in any position to give an opinion on wheel sizes (I have only ever ridden a 26" and a 24/26" combo and don't intend on buying a new bike any time soon). These guys have had opportunities to try anything they want and have decided for themselves on what to use for their style of riding.
I couldn't ever do this kind of stuff; I would end up in a wheelchair and wimp out on kickers a 10th of the size. I get more than that from this interview.
The point is because other people show me what CAN be done if you put some time and effort into it and dig into your pocket if you have to, it means that I will not ever give up trying to get better either.
At 47 years old, that may be pie in the sky. The thing is though, that spark for riding makes me feel 10 years younger. And it reminds me that the bike under me is just perfect for giving me that feeling.
It happens to be 26 and 9 speed; I just I hope the industry keeps making components for us!
Simply put, the stuff that makes 27.5 and 29ers fast on the trail, enduro, & downhill courses (rollover) has *nothing* to do with manicured bmx, slopestyle, or FEST courses.
According to their own maniFESTo, the goal of FEST is to push progression under optimal conditions: that means easy stuff on the ground, crazy hard stuff in the air. I salute them for it, and am in awe of their talent & dedication.
The riding on a FEST course, however, has zero to do with my real world riding on the trail: I ditched my old, hammered 26" because 27.5 was *measurably* faster over any natural trail I've ever ridden. The WC DH guys, who also like going fast, have come to the same conclusion.
The FEST guys, who care more about style than speed, are prefer the maneuverability of 26", & good on them.
Aggy & co. *do* all have bike sponsors, by the way. The fact that those sponsors are willing to provide them with the tools they want shows the industry is not as monolithic as conspiracy theorists believe.
That's great that you want to ride trails. There's a segment of the mtb market, however small, that prefer freeriding over trails and for that the greatest freeriders in the world are telling us that 26" is superior. It's not a bike industry telling us what's superior, it's actual riders.
Kona was the DH team that stuck to 26" the longest, and look at their results after everyone else went 27.5. They were so far off the back, they couldn't even see the podium.
DH is a race against the clock, opinion & style are irrelevant. If a superior technology produces more speed, that's what the engineers produce, and that's what gets sold.
If DH riders could win on 26, manufacturers would give them those bikes, and sell them to amateurs just as gladly as anything else.
It's wise to be skeptical about marketing hype, but top competitors get what performs best, even if that means replacing a sponsor's inferior product with a relabeled/sharpied competitor's product (this happens in all cycling disciplines on a daily basis with tires, rims, you name it).
We didn't need Fest to tell us 26" is superior for Freestyle riding. FMB had already made that point with a bullet, and it's *not* because TREK forced Semenuk & Reeder to tell us so.
I've already said it *twice*, and I'll say it again:
Aggy is right: 26" is superior for freestyle & slopestyle riding. FEST is slopestyle on 'roids & crystal meth.
YOU are missing the point though: it is *not* the "industry" or team "sponsors" who are forcing competitive MTB athletes to ride other wheelsizes: 27.5 & 29 have distinct competitive advantages for all applications outside of FMB, & that has led to their adoption by top tier competitive athletes & their teams.
Aggy is right to be nervous about the commercial viability of 26" in the future: the freeriding branch of FMB has gone so big that for FEST events & Rampage, they need big-hit DH bikes.
Problem is, no one is going to produce 26" DH bikes, because they can no longer win DH races. Aggy recognizes that he's facing a situation where manufacturers have to decide whether it makes dollars & cents to produce big-hit 26" "monster-slopestyle" bikes for the tiny, select segment of riders who actually *need* them to push the envelope at events like FEST. That becomes a big "if" when even that select few don't always want to compete on smaller wheels:
roughly 1/3 of competitors at last year's Rampage chose to ride 27.5 over 26, because Rampage is not a manicured slopestyle course, and rollover is relevant.
I empathize w/ Aggy. I hope freerider pioneers like the FEST crew get the gear & treatment they deserve - starting w/ a prize purse at Rampage that actually reflects the fact that these guys are laying their lives on the line.
In the meantime, anyone who loves 26" big-hit gear, would be wise to stock up on what's available now. I don't know if the numbers are there to sustain this as a niche market segment.
First & Second on 26" - Ratboy and Minnaar - Kona's Connor Fearon, who's an up and coming rider getting better results every year in 9th on 26"
As long as a rider feels comfortable on a Bike, he'll be fast, doesn't really matter which wheelsize.
Just one short comment on your view towards the industry - to survive, they need to make money - to make money they need innovation - but what how do you improve a bike that's already good, without using the same marketing arguments every year? - 'Invent' and establish a new standart, stop producing the old standart, let your marketing do the rest - 27.5 is not a real innovation, it's a way to make money, marketing just did a damn good job brainwashing their customers...
For the record I think that all of the wheel sizes have a time and a place and that the wheel size debate is idiotic. I can say this because I used to be a die-hard 26'er fan and used to shit on 27.5 and 29'ers. I've come to realize that none of that really matters. At the end of the day its all about having fun on a bike that you like. Now I'm gonna go ride my bike with wheels that are circular.
P.S. one race doesn't definitively prove your point one way or another. It's just way too small of a sample size to draw any meaningful correlation.
To me, YOUR replies are bizarre and verbose as you are trying to argue what really isn't an argument. I said 26" are the best for these riders and you went on some huge diatribe about how blah blah 27.5 in DH blah blah faster on trails blah blah. I don't give a damn about those areas, I'm talking about freeriding.
I realize that you never said there is no place for 26". Your last post FINALLY touched on what I was trying to say all along - why is it getting harder every day to buy anything 26" when these riders want them? I feel that the industry is pushing for planned obsolescence. Even PB tech editors (guys who should be fanboys of the latest/greatest) are saying the introduction of new standards that make such a negligible difference is ridiculous.
YOU are missing the point. If you think that sponsors can't dictate a majority what riders are doing/using you are being naive. I've been involved in corporate life far too long to think any different.
"If DH riders could win on 26, manufacturers would give them those bikes, and sell them to amateurs just as gladly as anything else." - Veloscente
They can win, that's what i wanted to say with the leogang race example.
"so wait there is no difference between 26" and a 27.5" wheel in how it rolls? I think your argument is a little ridiculous."
don't know where i would have said this. I even said that on a highspeed track like leogang a 27.5 should give you an advantage...
"For the record I think that all of the wheel sizes have a time and a place and that the wheel size debate is idiotic. I can say this because I used to be a die-hard 26'er fan and used to shit on 27.5 and 29'ers"
I'm a fan of 26er and 29er bikes, i just don't see the point in 27.5ers. The difference between 26 and 27.5 is so small, most people wouldn't even notice. It's not like i'm against every new 'invention', but there are some, that i honestly don't see any
sense in...
"You're acting like the Bike industry just "invents" a new standard to make money with complete disregard as to whether our not it's an actual innovation."
I do see new standarts very critical and most of the time i don't see real innovation in them. If you bought a bike 4 years ago and want to update it, your hubs won't fit, because of new axle standarts, your steertube might not fit etc.
So even though you really like your old frame, you might aswell buy a new one, because all the new and good stuff doesn't fit on the old one. And then you get to the point where you ask yourself: was the old standart so bad, that we really need (thats what they tell us) a new one?
For me innovations were things that make your ride easier and more comfortable. Dropper posts, 1xdrivetrains, Procore. Because "At the end of the day its all about having fun on a bike that you like".
Have fun riding, i have to be the angry internet guy at the moment, due to a broken collarbone
no worries - anyone who rides a mtn bike has to be a somewhat decent human being, right? just have to remember to not be a 'bro'..
I'm a former industry guy. I know how it works. You are right, we're not arguing wheelsize.
My objection is to sweeping conspiracy theories by someone who has *never ridden* 27.5 or 29.
You assume it's purely a top-down marketing decision, but if you would actually ride the new bikes, you'd understand there will be sustainable consumer demand because they ride better on the ground.
FMB is the exception because it's all about the air.
Big-mountain "freeride" a-la Rampage has yet to be sorted out because you have to ride the gnar to get to the airs.
You object to the "verbosity" of analyzing the actual facts of the case.
I object to unsubstantiated opining divorced from first-hand experience.
Time to turn off the computers and go out & ride.
I'm glad this has stirred so much debate though, good to see that there are still so many people out there that want to keep 26 alive, cheers!
Me personally don't really have an interest in any other wheel size.
A 26" DH bike may be perfect for FEST or the park at Whistler.
On a WC DH you will lose to a guy on 27.5. Simple physics.
Different courses require different horses.
I want 26", and from what I gather on PB so do a lot of other people.
DH racer's don't want 26: 27.5 is faster.
XC & marathon racers don't want 26: 27.5 and 29 are faster.
I own 26 bikes but don't ride them any more: I ride trail & all-mountain: 26" hangs up: it's simply slower, 27.5 is more capable technology for riding mountain bikes in the MOUNTAINS.
I don't ride freestyle, but if I did, I would be on 26", smaller wheels: more I flick it, the smaller the laws of physics want my wheels.
Ride what you like. You like 26", and the self-selecting demographics of PB mean that you will find good company here.
As long as there are competitive freestyle mtb events, there will be 26" bikes. This is dictated by the laws of winning, not some fictional, malignant cabal called "the industry."
If you don't want to do either, that's cool: I've got plenty of older gear I'm happy with across a variety of sports, and I'm not interested in replacing it either.
You are not going to understand why MTB design is evolving the way it is without recognizing that the very vocal, gravity-oriented demographic that posts on PB represents a very limited, niche segment of the overall MTB market.
No one can force you to do the research & big-picture thinking, but there's not much point in showing up here to post if you can't be bothered.
The saying I read often '26" hangs up' is true enough but you could also boost across the piece of tricky terrain?
Different riding styles maybe...
If I were able to huck 70ft cliffs like Aggy, I wouldn't need to ride down on the ground.
The man himself has weighed in to say the issue is choice, not the absolute superiority of one format.
Nevermind the factual merits of the case, ad hominem attacks are easier than (self)reflection.
@elong801: stop projecting. YOU are the one who weighed in here w/ your agenda for the industry.
I'm not for or against your agenda - my replies have merely spoken to why the industry is going the way it is.
Take a deep breath, neither "the industry" nor other riders are out to get you...
You've got it upside down: FMB/freeride is a subculture inside of gravity inside of MTB inside of cycling.
That's how the industry functions: their development dollars follow the demographics of the sport, & that's what I spoke to. Period.
There is no "must." Posting here is voluntary. If you want to make a point, however, that' s based on anything other than attitude & bias, there's no way around the inconvenience of thinking about what the actual issue is & what ground the thread has covered.
This thread starts with this: "I don't understand why the industry so badly wants bigger wheels sizes to be the norm..."
Bracket 95% of the industry for a moment, and just focus on gravity; my point is this: gravity bike design bifurcated when DH designers went all-in on 27.5 for the 2014 season.
DH is going in one direction, FMB & park another. You can scream about it, or reflect on what you can do to turn the tide.
Aggy's sponsor, Kona, is a major manufacturer holding it down for long-travel 26". Celebrate them for that, & fight for freeride by buying Kona's stuff & supporting events they sponsor.
If enough people buy 8" travel Konas w/ 26" wheels, other manufacturers will follow suit.
You can pretend that the niche demographics of "most PB posters" are what drive the entire industry, & shoot the messengers who don't reinforce that fantasy, or you can exercise *actual* influence on events by voting with your dollars: buy new 26" gear, attend & participate @ FMB events, buy FEST merchandise.
If you don't want to do something productive, but would just rather use the rest of this thread to complain or pat others who reinforce your pet biases on the back, have at it.
I'm logged out & gone.
Well that took up my allotted 5 mins a day for peoples BS..
Cheers to you racer man!
DH/Enduro racing & FMB comps are cool and all, but these events are truly something special...
Take note snowboarders... this is how it should be.
What is it??????
Haha the OGs. Like 50% SoA & 50% Metal Mulisha. 100% Awesome. About time we had something like this. \m/
I propped ya son.