Slack Randoms: The New Tony Ellsworth Bike is Very Different

Oct 16, 2020
by James Smurthwaite  
We use Slack as our workplace communication tool at Pinkbike and we have a #randoms channel which we use to share an assortment of videos and stories from all corners of the cycling world and beyond... We thought a couple of the moments from the past week were too good not to share with a wider audience, so here are some of the highlights.

Tony Ellsworth's 'The Ride Radiant Carbon'


You'll no doubt be aware of the work of Tony Ellsworth and his Ellsworth bike brand. The American gravity brand has been making mountain bikes since 1991 and its achievements include building the first sub-22 pound mountain bike, being early adopters of EPS carbon molding and the patented Active Energy Efficient Suspension (AEES) system. In recent years though, the brand seems to have become easy pickings for snarky internet commenters despite making some bikes that have impressed us.

Since selling the brand to the ASG Group in 2016, Tony Ellsworth hasn't rested on his laurels. Instead, he's formed a new company 'The Ride' and his first bike is definitely not what you'd expect. It's called the Radiant Carbon and it's an asymmetric, carbon, belt-driven cruiser ebike. That's 2020, folks.

photo

The Radiant Carbon uses a Class 1 electric bike with a claimed range of 100 miles and it also uses Nuvinci Optimized Enivolo hub with a Gates belt drive to provide stepless automatic gearing. Only one size is available but Ellsworth has designed it with Universal Fit Carbon Fiber that apparently means it will fit anyone from 5’ to 6’4”. Finally, there's a kickstand built into one of the pedals, which is actually pretty cool.

photo

The bike will retail for $6,995 but one can be preordered on IndieGoGo from $4,995.

James May Builds a Bike


bigquotesHe has recently shown off his bicycle maintenance skills, but now James May is going a step further. With great excitement, he is building a bicycle straight out of the box for our Producer's son. Stay tuned for part 2...Drive Tribe

Julian Alaphilippe Gives a Masterclass in Celebrating too Early


Is there anything more satisfying than watching someone celebrate too early, only to have the victory snatched away from them at the line? That's exactly what happened with newly crowned road World Champion Julian Alaphilippe at the Liege Bastogne Liege race this year. In the end, it was academic as the Frenchman was demoted for chopping across Hirschi's wheel, which also ruined Pogacar's sprint. Either way, it was a great redemption victory for Roglic after the Tour de France slipped through his grasp on the final competitive stage.

Tyler Bereman's Rampage Inspired Motocross Freeride Course


bigquotesTyler Bereman is one of freeride's best and most creative riders, and he's long had a dream for what the ultimate freeride motocross course could be — drawing inspiration from action sports, from slopestyle snowboarding to the freeride mountain biking of Red Bull Rampage. It would let the world's most creative, expressive riders push the limits of what they could do on a dirt bike.

Now that dream is becoming a reality at Red Bull Imagination. And it all starts here: the course build. Watch as Bereman and expert track builder Jason Baker of Dream Traxx head to Kansas to turn empty plains into a dream freeride course for Red Bull Imagination. As the course starts to take shape, Bereman turns guinea pig and breaks in the freshly shaped dirt, and shows friend and fellow Imagination competitor Tom Parsons a sneak peek at the course as it rounds into its final form. And that final form is, in Tyler's words, "a bad mammer jammer."

Watch the first of the three-part Imagination all-access series here, and stay tuned for episode 2 on October 17.
Red Bull Motorsports

Seth Stevens Hucks to Flat off a School Bus


eMTB Jorts are a Thing Now, Apparently

photo

So, you've bought yourself an eMTB, maybe you've upgraded it with an eMTB specific saddle or maybe you've bought an eMTB specific helmet to keep you safe. The next question is, what can I wear to ride my eMTB? The answer, according to Jeanstrack, is a jort. The brand believes that ebikers are a different type of customer to a regular mountain biker, ones who want riding clothes that are, "less colourful, calmer, more appropriate to [their] age".

Jeanstrack describes its jort as a "stretch baggy jean" that offers abrasion resistance as well as a casual look. The jort has an adjustable waist with velcro straps, a snap close fly, six pockets (two with zips) and side zips for extra ventilation.

More info can be found, here.

photo

Nigel Sylvester Signs with Specialized


Nigel Sylvester is one of the most recognisable BMXers on the planet thanks to his viral 'GO' series of POV edits. He's now one of the latest big BMX stars to sign with Specialized, which also has Kriss Kyle, Daniel Dhers and others on it books. We're excited to see what Sylvester can do on a mountain bike, be that a collab edit with Specialized's other riders or maybe a 'GO - Whistler Bike Park'.

bigquotesMy entire life the bicycle has served as my truest form of self-expression, a symbol of hope, and, to this day, consistently challenges me to be great. I’m thankful because it has emphatically contributed to where I am in my life today. As I embark on this next chapter of my career, I’m excited to announce that I’ve officially signed to Specialized Bikes. Year after year, Specialized continues to set the bar for quality and integrity in the bicycle industry. Together, we will push cycling forward for years to come.Nigel Sylvester

Red Bull Rampage on the New iPhone Ad


If you want to know how much mainstream appeal Red Bull Rampage has, look no further than the new iPhone advert. Skip to around the 32 second mark to see Carson Storch flipping mid-run in Utah.

Author Info:
jamessmurthwaite avatar

Member since Nov 14, 2018
1,770 articles

108 Comments
  • 264 2
 Ellsworth's ability to make utterly undesirable bikes is immortal.
  • 35 0
 I’m glad to see him bring that skill to the video editing world with copious amounts of randomly timed chromatic aberration.
  • 4 0
 There is no one close...
  • 28 12
 @ReformedRoadie: orange is a distant second....
  • 26 2
 Somehow that is the best looking Ellsworth though
  • 8 0
 So Ellgly
  • 4 0
 @ninjatarian: Yes please skip the first 1:45 of this video and well then skip the last 2:00. Also a $1500 Ride one up (also in SoCal) which I'm guessing he is stealing his name from will make just as happy as this bike ever will and you still have thousands in the bank. What a fffing crook you are.
  • 14 0
 Old Ellsworth bike: "I am the ugliest bike in the world!"

New Ellsworth bike: "hold my beer..."
  • 5 1
 It’s not an Ellsworth unless it is sponsored by Brian Lopes
  • 1 0
 That was insane comment
  • 4 0
 @kathwill: OMG that is gold
  • 2 0
 when james may is more desirable than a mtb...
  • 1 0
 At least he lost the creepy facial hair
  • 1 1
 @tonyellsworth please stop making some of the world's greatest bikes from the last 30 years and the next 30 years also.
  • 44 2
 Ellsworth is on the list of names we never need to hear from again in the MTB world.
  • 15 1
 Ellsworth quote from another article:

“I have a real desire to pack all of the quality and all of the features that I personally would want, that would deliver to my expectations in every bike I design. And after doing it for 30 years I’m pretty in touch with the quality pieces and all of the quality features that could go into a bike model.”

.... although completely incapable of designing something that looks decent.
  • 26 1
 I have never seen an Ellsworth in person. How do they stay in business to keep making ugly bikes?
  • 20 0
 You know the way a drop must be really really big in person if it looks impressive on video? Ellsworth bikes are a bit like that. They're reeeeeeeallly ugly in person.
  • 10 0
 They don't! They go bankrupt multiple times and keep finding sucker investors to recapitalize and open under new names.
  • 2 0
 Was there a time like maybe 15+ years ago when Ellsworths were somewhat cool and desirable? I honestly don't know, as I was not deeply into MTB at that time. But surely the man built up SOME capital by making bikes that rode well and that people liked?
  • 4 0
 Ellsworth had some funky, cool bikes by the standards of the early to mid 2000s. Nice custom anodized paint jobs. Gotta give it up to them back then. This video is cringeworthy, though. Who thought it would be a good idea to purposely insert all those glitches? I think I’m going to have a stroke.
  • 9 1
 For a brief, brief period in the early 2000s Ellsworth made some of the nicest bikes around, The Specialist was one of the best Four Cross frames ever, the Mk1 Epiphany was a sweet trail bike and the 'Bottle Opener' Dare was great for it's time. The rest of the time, God knows what goes on at Ellsworth, the entire business model seemed to be making a shite bike then telling the owners they were riding it wrong.
  • 5 0
 I bought one back in 2011 because it had a great spec, was brand new and dirt cheap because it was on clearance. I paid $3000 for a brand new bike with the same spec as a Specialized Demo that was retailing for $7000. But yeah, it was an ugly bike but rode very well. However when I was selling it 2 years later I expected very little for the frame. I stuck it up on ebay for €800 and it sold almost instantly. I was surprised.

Some people just like odd and rare stuff.
  • 3 0
 I remember way back- 2002/2003ish- Ellsworth Dare and Joker were certainly on a lot of people's lists for boutique bikes they would try. I never owned one but there wasn't much hate I recall at the time for them.

www.mtbr.com/product/older-categories-bikes/2003-full-suspension/ellsworth/dare-362442.html

www.mtbr.com/product/bikes/freeride-full-suspension/ellsworth/joker-2003.html

However, I remember as bikes progressed the Ellsworth bikes just kinda seemed to double down on outdated shapes, geometry and sensibilities in my view. Never owned one though so can't say anything about how they ride... but also after about 2003 I've never felt the slightest urge to own one.
  • 4 0
 @snl1200: If Tony had exhibited the discipline to stay out of service and warranty issues, and instead let a competent professional customer service manager handle problem cases instead of getting into very public pissing matches with customers on the internet, Ellsworth might have carved out a more lasting niche for itself as a company. As it was, any position they had managed to secure with respect to the ride quality of the designs was short lived. It wasn't long before the options for bikes that rode well started to snowball. That left Ellsworth with a lineup of products priced at the top tier, debatable performance advantages, dubious product reliability, and a terrible reputation on the customer service side. All of which didn't make for a very compelling mix, hence the disappearance of Ellsworth from the MTB consciousness.
  • 2 0
 @snl1200: in 2000-01 I raced DH on the Joker for 2 years. Worked great. I actually really like that bike. I had the XC brother to it as well. The ISIS i believe. They were solid bikes and took some abuse.
  • 1 0
 @Ginsu2000: underrated post
  • 15 0
 That Ellsworth is like the least elegant bike of all time. Compare that to some steel mixte frame with chrome parts... oh wait, there is no comparison.
  • 8 0
 Being from S Ca I know lots of people who knew Tony. I have never met the guy but the stories from others make him sound like a colossal A-hole. 1 of his pro racers from back in the day told me that Tony made him paint his house in the off season.
  • 8 1
 Pump the god damn brakes a minute here!
Ellsworth bikes, back in the day of the Truth, Dare, etc were great looking bikes, super industrial, polished rear ends, super long link, and were fairly lust worthy in the days of RC trying to re-name freerideing as “black diamond” riding (I struggle to let that go). *shakes cane vigorously*

I wanted a Dare, complete with Romic rear shock, purple Hayes, and a big ol’ Stratos S8 so bad it still hurts. And the Truth, I mean it looked, for all intents and purposes, like every faux bar Kona that was to come after it.....

If anyone has an old Dare frame, hit me up, I’ll take it off your hands right quick

Now this E-cruiser doesn’t look bad at all. Not exactly my cup of tea, but internally geared hub, with belt drive is super clean, Shimano motor And battery looks like a nice integration, not a pregnant looking whale, colours are solid. I will say, the video edit is terrible, along with the marketing, which does not help the cause.

That Red Bull moto edit is friggin spectacular, what a jump over these trees!
  • 1 0
 Would love to have a Dare from around 1999.
  • 2 0
 Hmmmm...loved my Stratos S8 from back in the day! Had it in a 2001 Rocky Mountain RM7 with double rings and a bash guard that was my daily driver for everything! Long XC rides, Moab (full loops on the Slickrock Trail). My how times have changed. Shakes cane also!
  • 1 0
 @sledMXer: A spawning salmon with an S8 strapped to the front, delicious. I lusted after an RM-7 DH for the longest time, sold one to a friend who let me test ride it for a week while he was on vacation. I swear the rear end felt like it went around trail obstacles more than over them, still the lust is strong....
  • 8 0
 12:56 on the Red Bull Bereman vid is worth watching, gotta be a contender for biggest case in history, and just rides it out. Give his suspension guys a raise
  • 1 0
 Yes even bigger than the school bus Big Grin
  • 6 1
 @thartwig: the bus drop wasnt all that impressive tbh
  • 6 1
 I've been working on a class action lawsuit for 50,000 people going back to 2003 and it is not as big of a case as that was. I totally thought he was done for.
  • 2 0
 Gator-pitted. I'd like to see it in profile. Seems more Fest than Rampage. --'Where's the warm-up jumps?'

@me2menow: good enough for Field Tests, and a truer huck-to-flat
  • 1 0
 @ceecee: true. Listening @mikelevy?
  • 9 0
 The video of the ebike is satire, right?
  • 9 0
 so Ellsworth is American for fugly bikes?
  • 2 0
 For previous owners Ellsworth is synonymous with bikes of substandard build quality. Early 2000's I broke 3 catastrophically on the welds. Only frame I've broken.
  • 4 0
 @mobiller: Me too,plus they powder coated the inside bearing bores on the swingarm and just pushed the bearings in stretching the bore.f*ckin' morans.
  • 2 0
 Yes.
  • 4 0
 @davemud

No Ellsworth is American for look, laugh, and buy another brand. Tony is part of an academic white paper on how to run your small business into the ground by alienating your customer base on an Internet forum.
  • 10 3
 Ellsworth has been busy during the pandemic trying to come up with a bike as gross as covid... And has succeeded
  • 9 1
 So is specialized trying to fail at bmx bikes again?
  • 20 1
 BMX'ers on MTB's. Just to embarrass our collective skill level.
  • 5 3
 @DirkMcClerkin: Nigel hasn’t even been relevant in bmx in really long time, just really good at self promotion.
  • 2 0
 @nyhc00: Amen. He just does the occasional bar spin and that is about it.
  • 5 0
 Not sure whether the 'over the top toothpaste-commercial-smile people cycling around in an empty city at 5mph smiling about nothing and empty staring at each other like psychopaths' video is supposed to be a parody or not...
  • 9 1
 Trump / Ellsworth 2020
" Make America Break Again"
  • 7 0
 Dont show Dangerholm those jorts
  • 9 1
 way too long for him
  • 4 0
 If I noticed "Nigel Sylverter" and no one else did, does that make me more bmx than other pbers?

I'm certainly more bmx than other dentists.
  • 5 0
 Yeah I though "wow Sylverter is a surname Ive never heard before" and then realized that it's just classic pinkbike proofreading.
  • 7 1
 James! Stop putting your grubby fingers all over those disk rotors!
  • 7 0
 James: uses a torque wrench

Also James: front rotor on backwards, handlebars might be upside down, ghastly cable routing to front brake, ...
  • 2 0
 I LOVE JAMES!!! How have I never seen him before? Just mesmerizing.
  • 2 0
 I had to stop watching because that front-brake routing was triggering my OCD. And I don't have OCD. It felt a little like watching Stephen Colbert change a tube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUCVnCM8a0o
  • 1 1
 For a man notorious for his fastidiousness as Monsieur May, his attempt at 'building a bike' (and I use that term under duress for what he did), was......

....cock.
  • 5 0
 Got my ebike, my jeans, jeans shirt and jean jacket Its a moustache kind of morning
  • 1 0
 And half shell with goggles! Finally there is a group you can pitch ugly gear to,,, eBikers!
  • 1 0
 @Jvisscher: I wear a half shell with goggles...
  • 2 0
 @Supergirl56: now i feel bad....
  • 4 0
 "Year after year, Specialized continues to set the bar for quality and integrity in the bicycle industry"

Must have been a big change around I didn't hear about.
  • 2 0
 It's for cruising and commuting. Not for mountain biking. The bike looks very cool. It would unfortunately get ripped off very quickly locked out side because it looks so good. Thus for me perfect cruiser for pub crawls. As for Electric for dirt. Fuck the crank and the gears . Put on a bigger motor , some pegs. Race up the road rip down the trails! Yeah boi!
  • 2 0
 1996ish Ellsworth bikes were lusted over. Shaun's March ripping it up on the DH circuit. I forgot all about them before reading this. What the hell happened? Made me think of Turner. Same thing. What the hell happened?
  • 6 2
 The Ride: when you're an Instagram influencer/cross fitter/vegan and need a smug for of transportation.
  • 1 0
 Tuesday afternoon in the PinkBike editors room: “this is pretty good stuff but it seems fairly pedestrian. What could be more edgy and provocative?”
*long pause
“Drop the odd Ellsworth eBike”
“My god it’s brilliant”
  • 3 0
 Super excited to see what Nigel does on a big bike. He was one of my favorite riders as a kid.
  • 4 0
 How is this any different from the other ugly Ellsworth bikes?
  • 6 0
 well, it's an e-bike and costs more than most good-looking, functional bikes that have things like suspension and quality components. Tough to come up with this big of a turd in all categories...
  • 4 1
 nice to see mtb getting mainstream attention, but that 1/2 second shot was so so random
  • 3 1
 No matter what Ellsworth comes out with, I'd never ever buy one, as Tony has a decades long history of treating his costumers like shit.
  • 6 0
 Why though? Is it because he doesn't like his wardrobe?
  • 3 0
 Most E-Bikes are ugly. Ellsworth: Hold my beer.
  • 2 0
 After buying this Ellsworth my wife and I will instantly be more attractive and live in Newport Beach. Priceless!
  • 3 0
 I thought drops to flat went out years ago.
  • 3 0
 Tony Ellsworth used to be a giant pretentious douche. He still is.
  • 1 0
 The only thing that makes that bike more undesirable than the bike itsel, is the marketing video to go along with it.
  • 1 0
 Please tell me it's 100% efficient, and he'll be suing lots of other manufacturers over it.
  • 1 0
 Cannondale has a project similar to this one that they were supposed release this year
  • 1 0
 eMTB jorts...what the hell...

I like my eBike, but man, the "lifestyle" they are trying to market with them is awful.
  • 1 0
 Jorts? That even worth the Ellsworth, article deliver utter bottom of the internet, i could even imagine to dig dipper
  • 1 1
 before falling asleep with boredom, anyone pick up that James May has the front brake cable on the bike installed the wrong way?.... gonna have to call him Wrong Way May...
  • 1 0
 Seriously no comments on "jorts" omg. in stonewash so you can relive your youth from the 90s..
  • 4 2
 is it April 1st?!
  • 1 0
 Nigel Sylvester signing to Specialized is the coolest!
  • 2 0
 JAMES! Stop filing!
  • 2 0
 Ghastly.
  • 1 0
 ellsworth? more like ellsnotworthit.
  • 1 0
 the red bull imagination seems to owe more to Audi 9s than rampage
  • 1 0
 Headbadge/logo design appropriated from Revel Bikes.
  • 1 0
 I have ticked the box to NOT see ebike news. Why am I seeing this?
  • 1 0
 S dont loot or shops we support ....
  • 3 4
 So much hate, I would love to know how many of these people have ever ridden an Ellsworth..
  • 5 1
 I have ridden one. I would compare it to that really nice girl you met after college. You laughed at the same jokes, you enjoyed each others company and were comfortable around each other. But that moment when you see her from across the street and she starts to walk towards you, you look at her and think "...eh". Does it make you a shallow jerk? Yep. But at some point you need to accept these feelings otherwise you'll probably end up regretting your choices down the road.
  • 3 0
 I've ridden technically two Ellsworth bikes the one Dare i bought and the warranty replacement, absolute garbage bikes.
  • 3 0
 @rideonjon: Back in the day you didn't just have one Ellsworth. You had the bike you bought, then warranty frames after they broke from welding defects. I broke 3. Only frame I've ever broken.
  • 1 0
 @DirkMcClerkin: My seatube sheared off the bottom bracket and you could see it was barely holding on from the factory.Brutal bikes,also the most expensive frame i have ever bought.
  • 2 0
 For a very small brand, and given the amount of hate represented in just a few comments, how good of a company do you think Ellsworth could possibly be?
  • 2 0
 @rideonjon: One of the warranty frames broke off of a thigh high drop during the street test ride after assembling it, down tube sheared completely from the bottom bracket. Note with the next warranty frame said "keep going big". lol
  • 2 0
 In the late 90s I owned a shop that sold a lot of Ellsworth. They rode great, as good or better than anything at the time but they were expensive. Then they started to break and every warranty was turned down. We never sold anymore after that. You do not want to know my opinion of Tony Ellsworth!
  • 1 0
 Lefty??? Huh?
  • 1 1
 Why do they use a model who always skips leg day?
  • 2 3
 Btw, James May is awesome. Wouldn't let him work on my bike, but awesome nonetheless.







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