Getting a Pro Contract & New Bike Day: The Privateer Episode 1

May 7, 2018 at 10:29
by Pinkbike Staff  


Getting a pro contract makes all the difference to be successful at racing. Support means not having to worry about parts, getting in peak physical condition and fine-tuning every detail of preparation leading up to race day. But what sort of difference does it actually make on race day? Introducing a new series from Pinkbike - "The Privateer."




If you re going to be pro getting used to those model shots is crucial.
If you're going to be pro, getting used to those model shots is crucial.

Looking forward to getting the season started....
Looking forward to getting the season started...

You probably won t see this combo of brands on one bike - what do you think of it
You probably won't see this combo of brands on many bikes. What do you think of it?

Not a bad machine eh Adam couldn t be more stoked on getting a fresh steed for the year.
Adam couldn't be more stoked on getting a fresh steed for the year.


Many thanks to all the below sponsors for supporting Adam and this series:



MENTIONS: @pinkbikeproductions / @SCOTT-Sports / @mavic / @Fox-Head-Inc / @box-components / @schwalbe / @stages-cycling / @CamelBak / @Spank-Ind / @RydersEyewear / @TRPCyclingComponents / @OneUpComponents / @timecycling


Author Info:
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Member since Jul 22, 2013
3,460 articles

102 Comments
  • 117 2
 Gets given amazing bike, dream opportunity - first thing he does: cutties in parking lot! Love it Smile
  • 6 0
 That's Adam for ya!
  • 30 1
 Less drifting. More tread. Less money on tires. Better cheese. Solved your troubles, Adam.
  • 5 0
 @PNWmorden: A better cheese belongs with a better wine too, need to save elsewhere!
  • 1 0
 @payze: Less breaking, fewer brake pads . Less money on brake pads. More money to buy wine and cheese.
  • 85 11
 Oh man, that privateer life of working 9-5 for Pinkbike, living in Squamish, having to do reports and ride brand new unreleased test bikes must be brutal. Can't imagine how you do it all.
  • 14 1
 just another cog in the wheel... a 32tooth, oval shaped, anodized purple cog attached to raceface cranks.
  • 49 0
 Adam's job isn't to ride and test the bikes, but he does get to enjoy those sweet spreadsheets!
  • 41 2
 @paulhaysom: Fair enough....but he gets to enjoy those spreadsheets while working for one of the world's foremost mtb websites while living and working in mtb mecca. Im just jealous and salty.
  • 12 9
 @ianswilson815: somebody's always got it better. Suck it up.
  • 12 1
 "working 9-5"

working part time - that would be nice!!!!
  • 18 1
 @paulhaysom: so is Adam's job up for grabs? I know my way around an excel spreadsheet...
  • 23 5
 @YouHadMeAtDrugs: Says the 17 year old kid who still has yet to experience a true 9-5 office job. Come back with that response after you have graduated and had a real job for a few years and can't ride your bike every afternoon after english class haha. You'll understand my jealousy a bit better then.
  • 16 30
flag zede (May 7, 2018 at 13:30) (Below Threshold)
 @ianswilson815: honestly 8hours minus lunch time office jobs are the easiest kinda jobs. Most kids at school/university are probably working harder
and non-office kinda jobs are like ten level above
  • 9 3
 @zede:

Says the guy with very little life experience himself..... based on your age.
  • 5 4
 @ianswilson815: I don't plan to go down that route, I'd sooner live out of a bike box.
  • 15 1
 @ianswilson815: Haha, totally! After school (just a two year diploma), I worked for 10 years or so while taking evening classes (one or two nights a week) most semesters... then decided to quite my job at the time and go back to school full time to get my degree done. Was in the unique situation where my wife could support us for the year (no kids yet). I signed up for an intense schedule of 7 classes per semester so I could finish in about a year. Even then... the amount of time I had to ride, f*ck around and leisurely drink coffee and eat muffins at Whole Foods was ridiculous! School stress?? Ha, f*ck that, it was nothing compared to previous jobs... all I had to do was read some books, remember the info and write some papers. One of the best years of my life actually... totally recommend it to anyone thinking about it. University is easy as shit compared to higher level real jobs.
  • 7 1
 @ianwish: Depends what you're studying man. Say that while you're getting your physics degree... Or any number of other fields most likely. Ain't time for shit if you are actually working at putting the pieces in place to take it somewhere.
  • 10 1
 @sspiff: business school is pretty easy Smile Hence why most people who come out of it are still utterly useless.
  • 6 6
 @WasatchEnduro: typical idiotic reply. If you work 9-5 in an office, you're not exposed to rain, cold, heat, fire, criminals, death, nightshifts, long days (...). I'm glad I work "in an office" because construction workers, policemen, military, fireman, emt, MD, lumberjacks (......) have a way tougher jobs than any office jobs I have seen. But yeah you're right I can't have an opinion because I'm not an old grumpy guy like you. Makes sense
  • 4 0
 @zede:

Hahahaha! Of course you can have an opinion and we all do. Are the Austrians a wee bit insecure?

Different work is hard for different reasons. I also think a police officer's job is harder than my office job where I help implement change within organizations. My jobs in college (e.g. construction, alaskan tour guide, planting trees in the wilderness, snowboard instructor, custodial work) were all more difficult than my current job in certain ways. But damn, it can be hard AF to get anything done in organizations that are resistant to change.

I'm not familiar with corporate culture in Austria, but I'm guessing that like me, you know lots of office monkeys who work long days, way outside the 9-5, perhaps in stressful roles that you or I wouldn't want to pursue as we'd prefer to keep our sanity as well as preserve time to ride and be with family/friends. It's hard to compare the difficulty of an IT architect, supply chain analyst, or finance director to the jobs you listed. But it sounds like any of those roles is a lot more demanding than what you've experienced.

Anyway.... hey, i rode my bike this morning so i'm not grumpy today!

Also, who says I'm not exposed to heat? It gets hot AF in my office and i sweat my balls off! Also a surge protector melted a few months back and the office filled with smoke. I had to briskly walk to an exit and stand outside in the cold while the firemen checked it out and the smoke cleared. I'll probably die early due to inhaling the smoke. The office life is brutal.
  • 3 0
 @sspiff: Getting an engineering degree as a post-bacc was much easier than my undergrad environmental science degree. Same school, both good programs, the only variable was my attitude and ability to "adult". I took an overload of credits every quarter, worked part time, and helped run a research lab, still had time to ride and socialize. Part of what makes undergrad hard is learning to live on your own; when all of that is already sorted out what's left isn't actually that challenging if you are diligent.

zede, the consequences of messing up in school are minimal, that's the big difference. Typical students don't have responsibility for the well being of others. In the real world, both white collar and blue collar worker's actions have consequences that extend far beyond themselves, that affect people's health and livelihood. People count on you to do your job competently, they bet their ability to provide for their families on it.

Canadian engineers wear a ring to remind them of their responsibility to others: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_Ring
  • 3 1
 Blue collar jobs are typically hard work, dangerous or both. They also usually pay the least. It is a general rule in life that the harder you work the less you get paid. If you want to make good money look for the jobs that have a high degree of responsibility. Sure if you are in a cubicle doing tasks that are administrative in nature you have an easy job. At higher levels the ability to manage people towards specific outcomes is incredibly difficult and stressful. Most people don't understand that being good in a management role requires both a natural talent for it and a specific set of skills. Someone who has these skills is worth a lot of money especially to bigger companies.
  • 2 0
 @CaptainBLT: I hear you, but I can come at it from the other side. I started college at 24 after being at a bike shop for several years, working up to assistant manager (whatever that means). I guess had figured out some degree of adulting.

It wasn't possible to keep working once things really got going in my studies. I admit - a lot of people had jobs or didn't spend the time truly learning the material but none of those people are physicists now... On the other hand I learned what I needed to and continued on through my doctorate and now work as a scientist doing awesome shit, which wouldn't have been possible if I hadn't put down the groundwork during the early stages.

That said, I agree with you in that I personally probably would have flunked out at 18... Just like everything I guess it all depends where you want to go and the capacity of that market. Ain't too many physicist jobs floating around so you got to know your shit.
  • 1 0
 @paulhaysom: spreadsheets!! I can help remove the need for them!
  • 69 1
 Really awesome idea Pinkbike, pretty cool to see what it really takes to make the dream work for some of us average Joes! Probably a dream come true for Adam.
  • 26 6
 is this the best serie ever ? So good !!
  • 67 0
 Do you write titles for Buzzfeed?
  • 33 0
 @spankthewan: Trainers hate him
  • 13 1
 I think there are a lot of fast riders in the world, but not everyone can afford to take part in level competitions because of their costs, and train like the pros do. Even with equal support, individuals and pros will not be all the same strong, talent is not denied to anyone, but there are many cases where money decide the fate of a rider who deserves to be supported for his skills and speed, not only for how many photos upload to instagram.

Anyway, Adam, hope you can demonstrate that you are worthy and take advantage of the opportunity that has been given to you, just in case, full gas always!!

PS: I envy you :-)
  • 4 1
 Be your own brand and sponsors will come. If you produce interesting social media content and videos you will be much better for a brand. The smaller brands can't afford many marketing specialists and filmers. Give them a good all inclusive package and you'll find sponsors.
  • 1 0
 @Brightside: true, but this doesn't suit everyone's capabilities or skillsets. The question this series may answer is what if the riders near the top are the best riders, not just the ones who were also good at selling themselves?
  • 17 0
 Yess Adam! Champ!
  • 16 0
 Pabst Blue Ribbon, that's what you get for answering with "the cold kind"
  • 5 0
 Exactly what I was thinking....."what kind of beer do you like?" "ummm....Westvleteren XII, St. Sixtus Abbey, from Vleteren, Belgium"
  • 5 0
 Lmao that was brutal
  • 1 0
 man i laughed so hard at that comment, i was hoping someone would comment on the pbr hahah
  • 10 0
 Tf is he doing with a Hans Dampf in the front instead of a magic mary?
  • 2 0
 my thoughts exactly. I had a HD on the rear and it wasn't even worthy there. MM front and rear now.
  • 6 0
 Hmm, a clipped Magic Mary as a semi slick rear tire is something I've been thinking about trying...similar to a Rock Razor but better climbing/braking traction. Shall we call it the Shralpin' Ralph?
  • 6 0
 Oh Adam actually tried this! He can tell you more about it.
  • 2 0
 @paulhaysom: Yeah, I saw it in the pic of his bike. I'm curious to hear his thoughts.
  • 3 1
 Just ride a rock razor, they kick ass. Why would you want to butcher a MM?
  • 10 0
 @warmerdamj:

Um..... for science!
  • 3 0
 @warmerdamj: "similar to a Rock Razor but better climbing/braking traction" There are places I ride where that is a definitive benefit.
  • 4 0
 I have one I clipped last summer. No longer have a 27.5. Throw me some shipping cash and it’s yours. It’s pretty sweet. I called it the skunk piss
  • 1 2
 @m-t-g: But if you trim it down to the point where its a semi slick would you not have the same issue. I get that the RR has terrible climbing traction but I actually don't find it to bad on braking like a lot of people say. Can you really expect good centre knob traction out of any tire with short centre knobs?
  • 1 0
 @mtnoak I ride the same bike you have on order Smile I just need to buy a 29 MM and try it out.
  • 5 0
 Is he going to get new free parts as and when he wears them out/breaks them? It would be good to explain how long it would have taken him to earn the money to replace said parts (i.e 1 months pay (after boring bills have been paid))
  • 4 0
 Thought to myself this guy is the luckiest mountain biker ever~ He gets to ride on my dream bike the Scott Genius 2018 Tuned model and gets all the nice components for free!

Then I saw the end of the video...umm...maybe he's not so lucky haha
  • 4 0
 Great stuff Pinkbike! As an XC privateer I already can't wait for the next episode. More! The people want MORE! Git'in therrr Adam!
  • 4 0
 How are the TRP's working out in the wet? Sounding pretty loud around 10:50(ish) mark. Or maybe just the elusive Squampton Turkey Gobbler?
  • 2 0
 Cool idea, I can see an honest fascination in him. I was working in a bike industry once, sure not as enormous as PB but still. Tbh it was leaving the dream, dong your job and passion in the same time, cheaper parts, access to brand new things etc. Did I have more time to ride? no. Did I received smth for free? yes, brand t-shirts Smile Every job has its pros and cons
  • 2 0
 This is a very cool idea. That said, I think Adam is probably a pretty decent rider already, i.e probably a lot better than most of us. Be good to see if the training and equipment pushes him up the leader board at the highest level however...
  • 5 0
 Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy, good luck fella!
  • 5 0
 Great idea for a series! I'm looking forward to the next episode already
  • 3 0
 Yes yes yes! I have nothing but support for Adam. He works so hard and I can't wait to see his progress. It's pretty amazing to have such badass friends! ????
  • 5 0
 can't wait for the next episode!
  • 6 0
 What a great idea!
  • 1 0
 This is such a good idea for a show. I've often wondered exactly the same thing. What happens if you take a normal decent rider/racer but still every day guy and hook him up completely? I'm stoked to see this. Stoked for you too Adam. You look fast dude. Got the cutties down! My hamstring mobility sucks too. Comes from too much riding and not enough time to work out and do yoga stretches. Those TRP brakes though... they sound noisy. They must be channelling the ghost of Avid!
Good job PB for doing this one.
  • 4 0
 Great idea! Looking forward to new episodes.
  • 1 0
 Sam Hill better watch his backside. Adam's coming!

He should have to ride in an all red/pink kit and have Pinkbike plastered everywhere. @pinkbike Is he blogging about his experiences anywhere?
  • 2 0
 Stoked for you Adam!! I'm real excited to see where this will take you! Also excited to see more cutties.
  • 3 0
 This is a brilliant idea pinkbike!!!
  • 4 1
 6:19 .. gotta get me one those 3 way torque wrenches.
  • 7 0
 Do you not have a torque sensor built into your wrist like the rest of us?
  • 6 0
 @DonDP:

"getting snug..... nice n tight..... oh sh*t guess i need new fork lowers now"
  • 3 0
 Results will be skewed and ruined by a flat, no doubt.
  • 2 0
 Great idea for a series, really looking forward to following. That bike is sick! Good luck Adam.
  • 2 0
 My new favourite show...by a long shot.
  • 2 0
 This is super awesome! I can't wait for more!!!!!!
  • 2 0
 Yeah Adam!

P.S thanks for the video credit Pinkbike Wink
  • 1 0
 You didn't even put a single place with his name AND surname so anyone can check for him on results lists.
  • 1 0
 Anyone know if he’s running the stock 150mm fork just black instead of orange or switched to a 160mm?
  • 1 0
 Would be cool to see a timed run on a local trail before and after all of the training etc.
  • 2 0
 This guys gona be super depresed next season good luck fella
  • 2 0
 This awesome. I am looking forward to more videos!
  • 2 0
 Fantastic idea for a program! Love to see it!
  • 2 0
 Still running the Devon sticker on the car! Yes Pinner!!
  • 2 0
 Cool series!
  • 2 0
 that was cool to watch
  • 1 0
 He's looking pretty fast...
  • 1 0
 Shame he is from Devon, Cornwall rules!
  • 1 0
 really cool i love that your doing this for him
  • 1 1
 Give up at 27?

I'm 32, nowhere near fast enough to become a pro and still think about it every few months.
  • 1 0
 Where t'chuff is episode 2??
  • 2 0
 I wanna new bike too!
  • 2 1
 Attention all core-ha's: Performx is procoregnar to the gilz
  • 1 0
 I can't tell if he's fast or slow
  • 1 0
 Awesome awesome stuff PB!
  • 1 0
 "what beers do you like guys?" "cold"
  • 1 0
 Awesome idea!
  • 1 0
 what trail is that ?
  • 3 0
 Crouching Squirrel with one or two largely forgotten offshoots.
  • 1 0
 Great concept.
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