Neko Mulally explains how he goes about testing his new self-designed bikes. Find out where the high pivot version shines and where he prefers the low pivot.
Author Info:
alicialeggett
Member since Jun 19, 2015
745 articles
@labiker9: I think the point is more that the articles are behind a paywall in the first place. It’s cool if you can hide them but you still can’t read it.
It's Henry I feel especially bad for; he learns the ropes of being in front of camera, but is kinda stifled from showing his personality on a very clean facing, family friendly image channel. Makes the big leap, not only in publishing groups, but to a whole other continent to follow the BC mtb dream, gets through probation with some hilarious articles, gets a video series going with good promise and some room for improvements in future editions, and then BAM! He's not only competing with his fellow editorial staff for headlines in amongst the constant stream of advertorials and puff-pieces, but the new overlords dilute the precious nugs even more with paywalled spam from other sites in their collection of sanitised shadows of former journalism.
Felt like a prize idiot clicking on it mindlessly hoping to read an interesting article.
Guess I'll have to ask Yeti owners what the article said. I can't afford much of anything after getting my bike lol
Everyone was getting along with Pinkbike Plus subscription just fine. There is absolutely NO sense in hating Outside Plus option that is essentially the proud successor of PB Plus — something that every Pinkbike veteran would appreciate!
To me the pay walled articles are just adds. I never click on an add, so I will never click on the pay walled articles. As we get more of these on the front page I will just be reading less PB articles. I guess at some point there will be enough of these that PB front pages become irrelevant to me and I only use the site for the forums and the buy-sell.
Sigh...
@CheryBomb: Nah man been on here since 2012 or half my life, unbelievable how much it has changed. The niche site to corporate buyout transition was slow but it’s more apparent than ever nowadays. Maybe Pb plus supported a small team and was justifiable but outside plus supports a corporation that capitalizes off a culture it does nothing to propagate and then blocks the people keeping the sport alive behind a paywall.
@keatonistheguy: Something I can't tollerate with is the fact so called "pinkbikers" keep critisizing Outside for paid content while this noble platform directs a signifiicant part of their revenue into fighting racial injustice. As a person of color I am eternally greatful for these efforts and take hate speech towards Outside personally.
Neko’s thing is some of the best content right now in MTB -can’t wait to see it progress through race season
Yet the top comment is someone b*tching about the paywall. I wouldn’t care on any other article but this one… seriously this content makes MTB exciting… a World Cup racer on his own bike. Too sick.
@labiker9: You can go one step further and block the paywall and read the story lmfao. Its pretty rubish though, wouldn't recomend. Its literally just a recap of the main team changes this year with some empty filler.
You could also enter this into your address bar after the page has loaded: javascript:$('.beta-item').remove()
But you would have to this every time. I've tried to find the ID of the "Beta MTB" Tag, then you could try to add this as a blocker by sending a specific request to www.pinkbike.com/wosFormCheck.php ... couldn't find it though
@sino428: but if you hide them then you will never know they were there and you will never want to read them in the first place. Ignorance is bliss. Also ignorance is ignorance. So take this advice how you will.
This is hardly the point of this article and frankly it's kinda rude to shit on Nekos story like that. Don't make an article about Nekos great project about something it's not!
@mi-bike: People are by making this entire comment section about pinkbike and outside when it should be about his bike and story. Nobody is actively talking trash but you're disrespecting it by talking about a petty fight and making it not about the actual subject
@asapyohanes: By this point it definetely looks like full-on assault on Outside with means of Chinese bots. Look how agressively they react on any post in support of Outside — honorable platform, that promotes healthy lifestyle, celebrates divercity and fights racial injustice. Pinkbike and Beta users must unite to whithstand 我的 the unslaught of Vitla MTB and Mrtb that want to set dissaray in our Outside family!
@brook3000: yeah man it's crazy. Years ago us East coast kayakers had Boatertalk.com as a way to share news and water levels then along came Facebook groups and something I had been a part of and using since almost the 90's was almost completely wiped out. Let's hope some of the old PB survives the onslaught of paywall articles.
@CheryBomb: Don't need to post support for Outside, just give them your money and shut up, what's your problem? Have money to pay them, so pay and that's it. I don't want to pay them so I will just moan like others.
@rudymedea: You are making a mockery of such sensitive subject when Outside INDEED commited to combatting racial discrimination:
1) "We’re committed to diversifying our leadership and workforce with respect to race, ethnicity, and identity and are examining and adjusting our hiring practices to ensure that people from all race, ethnicities, and identities are explicitly invited to join and grow within our company.”
2) “We are hosting mandatory diversity training for all our employees including senior-level leadership.”
3) "We are constantly assessing our role as storytellers and conducting brand by brand content audits ensuring that diverse voices get heard and elevated through our platforms.”
Outside also engages with minorities through events and panels to facilitate discussions on racial injustice topics. Check their N-word webinar with five outdoor enthusiasts who joined Pocket Outdoor Media and Outdoor Industry Association for a candid conversation about if and when it's okay to use the N-word.
@conoat@mhoshal@rudymedea You're all getting trolled by @CheryBomb so easily it's hilarious Are you new to the Internet? Have you seen his profile? You bit hook line and sinker and are getting your panties twisted over a stupid joke
The paywalled articles are easy to read for free. The full article is loaded on the page, it's just being obscured by other elements on the page and some css. Same with a lot of paywalled articles elsewhere on the web.
I'm at a paywall trying to break through All of my cash I spent on merch Where have the features gone? Levy, it's all wrong Where are the plans we made for twentytwo? Yeah, I, I know it's hard to remember The users we used to be It's even harder to picture Features we’re banned to see! You say I’ve gotta subscribe, But that’s alien to me And in my time that you wasted All of our bridges burned down I've wasted my nights You turned off the site Now I'm paralyzed Still stuck in that time, when we chatted shite But even the sun sets on free Pinkbike! I'm at a paywall trying to break through All of my cash I spent on merch Where have the features gone? Levy, it's all wrong Where are the plans we made for twentytwo? If "Happy Ever After" did exist I would still be clicking sites like this All those monthly payments are completely shit One more f*cking standard, I'll be sick
Oh, you turned your back on your users 'Cause they refused to pay I gave you my details to borrow But you just “T&C’d” them away You can't expect me to be fine I don't expect you to care I know I've said it before But all of our bridges burned down I've wasted my nights You turned off the site Now I'm paralyzed Still stuck in that time, when we chatted shite But even the sun sets on free Pinkbike! I'm at a paywall trying to break through All of my cash I spent on merch Where have the features gone? Levy, it's all wrong Where are the plans we made for twentytwo? If "Happy Ever After" did exist I would still be clicking sites like this All those monthly payments are completely shit One more f*cking standard , I'll be sick
Having lived & ridden in western NC my whole life I'm a bit biased to Neko, Luca and others from the area, but as Neko has been the focus of numerous podcasts, has built several local bike parks, helped kids get their butts under bikes, and now this new bike move, the more I'm blown away by the man. Does he even get any sleep? Its all I can do to bike 4-5 times a week, but Neko's just got a huge list of plans he carries out plus shredding. Its unreal. Total role model for all ages & riding styles.
@pisgahgnar: Nay, friend: speaking of ideal week. Based on strava, only 11 rides so far this year (3x / week-ish) but an average non-shit / rain week = 4-5 rides (I dont zwift or anything). Will sometimes do rain / snow but mostly don't like filling up the joints w/ mud or cleaning for hours. BTW: sure looks like Neko did this at Kanuga (based on the vid imagery & vegetation, haha!)...I'd have thought he'd do this at Windrock. BTW - any intel on who bought Baileys? It's a huge gash to my ride life now...only live 20 mins from there. Still can't believe its gone. Heard it was a racer but no one seems to know who.
@Mtn-Goat-13: No idea about Bailey, I had not heard anything. The steep side of Kanuga was actually really nice Sunday through yesterday and I got a few rides in. Paint it Black was even dry and dusty like in his video. Kanuga is a title sponsor of his team so I'm sure that's why they are featured in the videos. I've only gotten a few big gravel rides in recently, 6 total rides this year :-(
@pisgahgnar: just wondering what did happen to Bailey's, I wanted to go this past summer and it's all closed and all I could find is the previous owners sold the property, what a shame but at least Neko got Kanuga up and running.
@pisgahgnar: Word on that, its a loss. Can't believe Neko / Shaw (or even Gwinn) didn't get it but - maybe someone did. Its apparently now private DH runs for a racer, but no one knows who. A bud & I debated trying to buy & build out some rental cabins (etc) but fig'd if the previous owners didn't or couldn't, it would prob be a bust.
Wish I could get to Kanuga more often, but am north of AVL so tend to stick to this side of things mostly - the traffic hell that is now the Hendo/AVL I26 corridor makes it a 2-3 hr roundtrip some days (and I'm only 25mins north of AVL). If yr ever near Ivy when its ripe, give me a holla, its my goto.
@Mtn-Goat-13: thanks for the word, I thought it may be Seth who bought it but he seems pretty involved with the park in Canton, maybe Missy Giove she's in AVL and there was a video of her riding there at one point, we can only hope 26 will get cleared up one day
@Mtn-Goat-13: I've actually never rode Big Ivy, I might take you up on that this summer. Yeah, traffic is nuts, but I live in downtown Hendo so everything from Kanuga, Mills River, Dupont and the Ranger District are all easily accessible.
I hope someone Bailey and turn it back into something public
@pisgahgnar: Hear ya on all that - will check ya next time I ride Kanuga or GRP (whatever). My Capra is a slow mo climber, but shreds the DH for sure...no other backup rides at this point tho sadly so that's it...
@Mtn-Goat-13: Kanuga just posted an interesting survey in their stories. A few of the questions: Should we offer shuttle service? Would you visit two parks in close proximity in the same visit? Would you like to see joint pass options if two parks were in close proximity?
Imagine if they expand the business and buy Bailey!?
@pisgahgnar: Saw it! Replied. Didn't totally apply to me being local (for overnites) tho I'd stay if outta town friends were. Seems too small to shuttle really...but I'd hop on I guess...I like pedaling 4-5000 ft days there, makes it seem kinda easy really. I want a giant water reservoir at the top or base so I don't have to carry my crappy strap-on (yes) bottle cage or fanny / backpack. I wish I'd thought to say Buy Back Baileys... good one!
Ummm I guess I'll put this comment here since we can't add comments to the freaking AD that was just posted on the main page to member only content on Beta. WTF.
Apparently Coors Light is one of Neko's beer of choice and the water quip is something his friends tease him with often (per his comment on IG). Another example of his self-deprecating humor.
They are technically adds to another website that is not Pinkbike. If you don't click on the advertisement to Beta you would never know it was a paywall. I generally don't click on advertisements and expect free gear to be sent to me.
This is so cool. The ABAB then BABA testing procedure he's doing is about as good as testing gets. Pretty interesting to hear that the differences are so tight.
This is awesome! I'm more excited about this series than pretty much anything else MTB-related at the moment. Regardless of your results this year Mr. Mulally, you should be darn proud.
My WAG is Beta isn't doing as well as hoped, so a link from Pinkbike might net a few subscribers. Maybe. In a way, it's an interesting business plan experiment: which website is more profitable? A totally free site dependent on ad revenue or a paywall site?
I don't really get paywall articles, do people actually pay to read beta stuff? I've just never looked at an article title and thought damn, I'd pay to read that. Guess I'm just spoilt by the internet and the thousands upon thousands of free articles to read.
Can someone get Niko a sponsor. The fact that he has to swap parts between frames to do side by side comparisons is ridiculous. He should have enough identical parts to build up 2 bikes with the same parts so he doesn't have to waste time swapping out.
Cool video though
NEKO!!!! @MulallyNeko Dude you need to figure out a way for fans to help support you. Swag or pateron or something because I think there are a ton of people that love what your doing and how you are doing it. Keep it up and best of luck.
Having 2 different frames for a single race season is not practical. At some point he has to choose a frame and then he will spend the lead up to the season tweaking that one frame until he gets every bit of speed out of the setup.
@Saucycheese: I'm sure that is possible, but when you are at the very top of any sport you get to the point where you have to lock in your gear and then start tweaking and refining it to get every bit out of it. Plus there is the costs of hand building 2 different bikes and the spare frames and that's money and time that could be spent elsewhere in his program. In the end he will choose the bike that most likely going to get him closest to the podium.
To answer your question, why not give it a shot if it feasible, what I'm saying is it's not feasible.
I think I read or maybe it was on the downtime podcast that he was never fully dialed into the Intense bikes. He was always adjusting the bikes to try and make them work for him. The intense frames are carbon, so you get what you get to a certain extent. I'm betting (and so is he) having one bike that is customised to the millimetre to his riding is going to trump any combination of bikes he had at Intense.
@IMeasureStuff: They were aluminum frames for his DH race bikes too, just never really dialed for him and in some cases not built very well. You are right, designing his own bike for him is going to absolutely be dialed. Noticing your username, are you a metrologist?
@dirtmcleod: had no idea he was on an aluminium DH with intense, I assumed it was Carbon like most their other bikes.
Yep I run my own little industrial metrology company. So Laser Trackers, industrial Photogrammetry and industrial theodolites. My kink is measuring big stuff accurately - radio telescopes, ships, Subs, aircraft, particle accelerators and the odd nuclear plant.
@Saucycheese: I think changing between races based on course might be something a rider would consider. But I don't see them bringing both bikes to each race, testing them both out, and making a last minute decision like the original poster was suggesting. .
Why not bring both bikes on the WC and determine based on individual track and feel? May be too much work but most folks I assume will have 2+ bikes at any given race??
I was expecting him to ride off with a pizza box in hand….definitely hitting that place again on my next trip down there. Fantastic pizza. Will pass on the ahem, water.
Pretty good stuff, Neko could probably add comedian to his list of skills. He should start rockin the old Oskar Blues helmet after the Coors light dig.
Looks like Intense Cycles are now copying the frame design of Neko, looking at their Insta stories it looks like 4 bar with high pivot/idler in the works for the dh team
Concerning the paywall beta thing. Guys and girls, how old are you. Have you forgotten, that 5 or so years ago, most of us had some kind of monthly prescription to some printed magazine? Now everybody wants everything for free. How come? And don't even start talking about how ads pay for everything nowadays. You know the reason one of the best if not the best magazine (dirtmag) died? Not enough money from ads. And stop calling for yeti riders. How many pairs of gloves do you own? How much did you pay for your phone? How many backpacks do you have? You guys are full of it. Save the world somewhere else but not on a mtb site. Our sport is super expensive compared to almost any other sport out there. Start running, trail running. Cheers
The reason that dirtmag died - not enough adds - is because the advertisers moved to where the eyeballs are. In this case they all came across to Pink Bike. On the front page of pinkbike (on the computer web browser version of the site) is the full list of current advertisers here. Let just copy and paste them here:
Accessories Deuter, 100%, POC, Broken Riders, Five Ten, Smith Optics, Dainese, IXS, Fox Clothing, GoPro, Leatt, Bell Helmets, Giro, Troy Lee Designs, MET, Prologo, O'Neal, Muc Off, ION, UNIORAssosWeldtiteTepui TentsDirt SprayHilx Eyewear7idpGulo CompositesWPL Bike
Coaching and Education Summer Gravity CampsSender Ramps
Online Retailers Cambria BikeDunbar CyclesJensonUSACalgary CycleTBS Bike Partsevo
Resorts/Riding Trestle Bike ParkBike Parks BCFernieCrested ButteBig WhiteSaalbach HinterglemmKeweenaw Mountain LodgeWhitefish Mountain ResortVisit TucsonMonument TrailsMountain Bike Park City
It existed for free before it became popular. Its up against quality competition that is free. There are no paper/ink/distribution costs that magazines have therefore requiring costs and advertising. Had it not been bought out, would it have continued free (ad-supported)?
You're the one out of touch. These days the ad-supported free model is common. Not the old days of paying every month for a mag half full of adverts and questionable journalism/product placement.
I might try it on the laptop.
Yet the top comment is someone b*tching about the paywall. I wouldn’t care on any other article but this one… seriously this content makes MTB exciting… a World Cup racer on his own bike. Too sick.
javascript:$('.beta-item').remove()
But you would have to this every time.
I've tried to find the ID of the "Beta MTB" Tag, then you could try to add this as a blocker by sending a specific request to www.pinkbike.com/wosFormCheck.php ... couldn't find it though
hate speech. towards a....corporation?
are you mental? what is next, calling chevy guys ragging on Fords "hate speech?"
you might be ready for the oppression olympics if you keep up this utter muppetry....
Ok I’ll bite. Please provide some evidence of how this “noble, honourable platform” fights racial injustice
Genuinely curious, there must be something you’ve read somewhere to come out with that statement, seems a bit too specific to be completely made up
1) "We’re committed to diversifying our leadership and workforce with respect to race, ethnicity, and identity and are examining and adjusting our hiring practices to ensure that people from all race, ethnicities, and identities are explicitly invited to join and grow within our company.”
2) “We are hosting mandatory diversity training for all our employees including senior-level leadership.”
3) "We are constantly assessing our role as storytellers and conducting brand by brand content audits ensuring that diverse voices get heard and elevated through our platforms.”
Source: www.outsidebusinessjournal.com/issues/diversity-equity-inclusion/outside-has-committed-to-new-diversity-goals-for-2021
Outside also engages with minorities through events and panels to facilitate discussions on racial injustice topics. Check their N-word webinar with five outdoor enthusiasts who joined Pocket Outdoor Media and Outdoor Industry Association for a candid conversation about if and when it's okay to use the N-word.
www.outsidebusinessjournal.com/issues/diversity-equity-inclusion/watch-the-n-word-webinar
高级协调员批准的评论
@blackercanyons: be safe be well
All of my cash I spent on merch
Where have the features gone?
Levy, it's all wrong
Where are the plans we made for twentytwo?
Yeah, I, I know it's hard to remember
The users we used to be
It's even harder to picture
Features we’re banned to see!
You say I’ve gotta subscribe,
But that’s alien to me
And in my time that you wasted
All of our bridges burned down
I've wasted my nights
You turned off the site
Now I'm paralyzed
Still stuck in that time, when we chatted shite
But even the sun sets on free Pinkbike!
I'm at a paywall trying to break through
All of my cash I spent on merch
Where have the features gone?
Levy, it's all wrong
Where are the plans we made for twentytwo?
If "Happy Ever After" did exist
I would still be clicking sites like this
All those monthly payments are completely shit
One more f*cking standard, I'll be sick
Oh, you turned your back on your users
'Cause they refused to pay
I gave you my details to borrow
But you just “T&C’d” them away
You can't expect me to be fine
I don't expect you to care
I know I've said it before
But all of our bridges burned down
I've wasted my nights
You turned off the site
Now I'm paralyzed
Still stuck in that time, when we chatted shite
But even the sun sets on free Pinkbike!
I'm at a paywall trying to break through
All of my cash I spent on merch
Where have the features gone?
Levy, it's all wrong
Where are the plans we made for twentytwo?
If "Happy Ever After" did exist
I would still be clicking sites like this
All those monthly payments are completely shit
One more f*cking standard , I'll be sick
Wish I could get to Kanuga more often, but am north of AVL so tend to stick to this side of things mostly - the traffic hell that is now the Hendo/AVL I26 corridor makes it a 2-3 hr roundtrip some days (and I'm only 25mins north of AVL). If yr ever near Ivy when its ripe, give me a holla, its my goto.
I hope someone Bailey and turn it back into something public
Imagine if they expand the business and buy Bailey!?
What did you say?
"Medium Rare-ward"
Missed opportunity
An energy drink?
They are both f**king near water
"What brand of tires are those?"
"MayPops"
"What the heck brand is that?"
"May Pop at any mother F***ing time ! "
What a great venture!
To answer your question, why not give it a shot if it feasible, what I'm saying is it's not feasible.
I think I read or maybe it was on the downtime podcast that he was never fully dialed into the Intense bikes. He was always adjusting the bikes to try and make them work for him. The intense frames are carbon, so you get what you get to a certain extent. I'm betting (and so is he) having one bike that is customised to the millimetre to his riding is going to trump any combination of bikes he had at Intense.
Yep I run my own little industrial metrology company. So Laser Trackers, industrial Photogrammetry and industrial theodolites. My kink is measuring big stuff accurately - radio telescopes, ships, Subs, aircraft, particle accelerators and the odd nuclear plant.
The picture in the café is squint! Once you have noticed it, you cant un-see it.
The results are interesting from the testing and its a pretty good test too.
And stop calling for yeti riders. How many pairs of gloves do you own? How much did you pay for your phone? How many backpacks do you have?
You guys are full of it. Save the world somewhere else but not on a mtb site. Our sport is super expensive compared to almost any other sport out there. Start running, trail running.
Cheers
Brands
Bikes
Trek, Specialized, Pivot, DiamondBack, Devinci, Rocky Mountain, Giant Bikes, Scott, Cannondale, Kona, Norco, Commenca, lNS Bikes, Niner, Santa Cruz, Orbea, Yeti, YT Industries, Polygon,
Bikes,Jamis, Cube, Radon Bikes, Marin, Guerrilla Gravity, Salsa Cycles, RSD Bikes, Propain Bikes, Cotic, DMR Bikes, Canyon
Components
SRAM, Shimano, Race Face, Magura, Renthal, FormulaHayes, SDG, Deity, Hunt Wheels, One Up Components, KS, e *thirteen, FSA, Rotor Bike Components, Box Components, Stan’s NoTubes, Reverse Components, SQlab, RideWrap, PROLOGO, Yoshimura Cycling, TRP Cycling, Galfer USA, Pembree, Bikeyoke, Crankbrothers, Prot, TaperMTB
Suspension
RockShox, X-Fusion Shox, Fox Racing, MRPSR Suntour, Manitou
Tires
Maxxis, Bontrager, Hutchinson, Kenda, Schwalbe, VEE Tire Co, Teravail Tires, Pirelli, Continental Tires
Accessories
Deuter, 100%, POC, Broken Riders, Five Ten, Smith Optics, Dainese, IXS, Fox Clothing, GoPro, Leatt, Bell Helmets, Giro, Troy Lee Designs, MET, Prologo, O'Neal, Muc Off, ION, UNIORAssosWeldtiteTepui TentsDirt SprayHilx Eyewear7idpGulo CompositesWPL Bike
Coaching and Education
Summer Gravity CampsSender Ramps
Online Retailers
Cambria BikeDunbar CyclesJensonUSACalgary CycleTBS Bike Partsevo
Resorts/Riding
Trestle Bike ParkBike Parks BCFernieCrested ButteBig WhiteSaalbach HinterglemmKeweenaw Mountain LodgeWhitefish Mountain ResortVisit TucsonMonument TrailsMountain Bike Park City
Its up against quality competition that is free.
There are no paper/ink/distribution costs that magazines have therefore requiring costs and advertising.
Had it not been bought out, would it have continued free (ad-supported)?
You're the one out of touch. These days the ad-supported free model is common. Not the old days of paying every month for a mag half full of adverts and questionable journalism/product placement.
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