Are There Too Many Mountain Bike Brands? | Dirt Shed Show 470

There's too many bike brands. I've got a solution for that. Ctrl-Alt-Delete. Whoa. Steady. Yes. Welcome to this week's Dirt Shed Show with me, Martyn Ashton and- Blake Sampson. Yes. This is a tricky conversation. It's a very tricky one. I take back Ctrl-Alt-Delete. Okay. We're going to talk about, are there too many bike brands? Because Blake, I've got an amazing fact for you. There are 150 legitimate mountain bike brands out there. 150. 150? Yes. It's a lot more than I thought. I know that because we had this amazing list we found on Ksilvy10's post on Vital MTB. He listed them all out for us, so it was really helpful. You know what? This just blew my mind. It got me thinking, I'm always comparing mountain biking to the motorcycle sports that I like and how much you can get for your money in motorcycles. I think a lot of us do that. There's nowhere near the dilution of the economics of motorcycles in terms of brands. There's nowhere near that many brands. In mountain biking, we've got all of our mountain biking economy spread across 150 brands. What? The market is big, Martyn. There's money there to be taken from us suckers. Okay. Here's the disclaimer at the start. This, from here on, is a thought experiment. Yes. Thought. I do not want, and nor does Blake. Nor do I. We discussed this a lot beforehand. Yes, we did. We sat and had a coffee. We don't want anyone's jobs to go. No. Not at all. The industry is going through a very difficult time and jobs are going. We felt it too. It's tough, right? This is a thought experiment. I just want to think, how do we have this conversation about have we got too many bike brands? How would the industry be if we had less? We are spoiled. Bingers, is that more than you thought or less? I thought that was a hell of a lot there. There's a few names I don't really know. It's in alphabetical order. It's in alphabetical order and you'll be amazed how long you can say bike names before you get out of the A's and into the B's. It's unbelievable. I find it very hard to pick brands on there that I don't want around. I'm not really qualified to say. Here's my thought. You can rant because you're quite passionate. I'm going to sacrifice myself here to make this thought experiment work. Don't say it. We all know I love a Canada. I have got a heartfelt history with that brand, but I loved them before I rode for them. I just had something about them. Even I have to admit, and I don't like to admit it. If I was a normal biped man wandering around buying my own mountain bikes these days, I'd buy a Cannondale. Let me say that first because I love them. I love them. I'll keep buying them. You've got loads of them. Here's the problem. Cannondale does not exist anymore. The Cannondale I fell in love with, the American bike brand made in Cannondale in a factory where they double-welded the frames, ground them down and smoothed them out and made a bike that was very unique, different to everyone else. That's what I fell in love with. That brand or that bike hasn't existed for a long time. It hasn't, has it? Cannondale got sold. Someone bought it. Someone else bought that. Now, we buy big bicycle-shaped pieces of plastic with Cannondale written on them and we call it a Cannondale. People like me go, yes, it's a Cannondale. It could be lots of things. There is technological advancements in different bikes and Cannondale are people who try and push and come up with new things. Whether they've really had groundbreaking effect in recent years, I doubt. So what you're saying is you want to get rid of them? I don't want to get rid of Cannondale. What I'm trying to say is even a brand as established as Cannondale, it's very hard to argue that the sport and the industry needs it. If we, instead of having 150 bike brands, had let's say 50 bike brands. We suddenly take the setup and running costs of 100 companies and direct it at 50. Then suddenly, they have got so much more capital to make affordable and brilliant bicycles with. Would the bikes we'd be riding be any less good if that happened? I don't know if they would. There's a lot of people out there flooring you for going affordable bikes. That's what we all want. We want as much as we can get for our money and we want the advancement to continue. Is it not fair to say the big advancements are happening in e-bike motors and Shimano gear technology and suspension, an area where there's much fewer brands that can really do that development? I don't know. Am I talking nonsense? I feel like I just got a big axe and ripped it through lots of brands. I don't want any brands to go, I'm not saying I can answer this question, but I am asking it. What do you think? It's really hard, Brian. Isn't it difficult? Because 150 is too many. It is too many. Well, you were very spoilt for choice, but then you were always surrounding yourself with what's on your social media. You will see a Santa Cruz, or a Specialized, or a Orbea, or a- See, I would argue like Santa Cruz, I was talking to Jack about Santa Cruz upstairs. Santa Cruz are in their moment. They're in the moment where if you were a pro rider and you got chose to ride Santa Cruz, it says something, whoa, they're on Santa Cruz. That's the place to be. Back in the day- Cannondale. Yes, well, Volvo Cannondale and Caroline Chausson moved onto it and you were like, she's on VC. Oh my God. There's been other moments like that. Santa Cruz, even though their bikes are not necessarily made very differently or stick out any more than a Cannondale, are they more valid in the industry at the moment? They're definitely the brand that everyone says the coolest when we ask that question. Like I said, I'm not brave enough to answer it. I am brave enough to ask it. I have done. I do have a point to point out why there is so many. Go on. Because it's not, it's basically by country. Different countries have their own bikes that will sell within their own country. There's a few names there that I've never even heard of in the UK. I guess they would have said the same thing for, I guess, Nukeproof and Vitus. But thing is, what country are those country's bikes made in? Oh yes, one country probably. It'll probably be somewhere in the Far East for a majority of them. Look, there's boutique brands out there making amazing bikes that are very unique. We don't want them to go. There's brands in the middle of that 150 that are using the Far East to make just bikes that they've put names on that are their names and for some reason their name will make that bike better. Will it? I don't know. Is it those that need to go? If any need to go? God, this is difficult. I'm not qualified to answer this. I think what we should do- I think we should. Is you guys out there, are you brave enough to answer it? Are there brands you think that legitimately could go? Now, be careful. You're talking about groups of people with jobs here. Take it seriously. Let us know in the comments down below. It's a serious question. Are there too many bike brands and is that one of the big problems in the biking industry that means we're paying a lot of money for bikes when we could be paying less? Less. Let's find out. Get involved in the comments down below. Be brave. Tell us what you think. Let's go. What's up, everyone? Lots on this week starting with the new Sender CFR from Canyon. Now, we've seen Troy and Tiny testing a shrouded high-pivoted sender. That one remains under wraps for now. This update features sick new Troy Lee Designs colors on two models, which will have a matching kit released by the brand. There's also a team replica build in the purple colors ready for the season. In other new releases, Transition have released new colors and UDH compatibility on the spur. Look at that purple. That's a bit of me, that is. Fizik have released their new proxy shoe built for XT and gravel racing. It's Boa with some great tread on the underside and some studs to really dig in if you are pushing up a climb. It ranks at eight on their stiffness index and will set you back 230 pounds. Michelin tires have dropped more tires in their lineup, updating the Wild Enduro racing line developed on the enduro circuit using dual-ply 55 TPI construction using their latest iteration of the Magix compound, shedding some rolling resistance and some weight too. The new range features either stealth or those classic yellow and blue hot patches, mixed soft or mixed hard compounds so you can really tailor in that feel you want based on the terrain ahead of you. The eagle-eyed among you may have noticed new components on the syndicate bikes at Hardline. One-up components will be adorning the Santa Cruz team's cockpit henceforth. RockShox have released some new Flight Attendant suspension, the newest version able to incorporate real-time power data from a crank-based power meter to influence the firmness of your suspension. The release for this also feature the new Epic 8 from Specialized which has become considerably slacker with a 65.9-degree head angle, gaining some travel to 120 mil and gaining an interesting looking rotation limiter on the headset so your bars don't go full spin in a crash. The new RockShox Flight Attendant will also be available on the Orbea Oiz which looks unbelievable in chrome with that royal blue. Da Vinci Bikes have announced The Movement, a collective team uniting riders from different disciplines and walks of life, spearheaded by the Canadian cycling community of Johan Borelli, Giorgia Assel, Steve van der Hoek, and Jack Pelland. There's a background mission to support development projects like trail building and grassroots projects across the North American continent too. After a nightmare start to his season preparing to not race after not securing any sponsors, it's all turned around for Cole Lucas as he picks up Zeroed Bikes alongside Blenky as they expand their program and the UCI have announced Open Racing returning to all rounds of the 2024 EDR with an extensive list of qualifiers to get you points for the main rounds all over the world. Free riding in the desert now, but not as you know it. Saudi Freeride Flight 1 was the inaugural freeride event held in Saudi Arabia. Held just outside of Jeddah at the Suburbia Sports Complex on a course built by Clemens Caldela with the likes of the Russo brothers, Johnny Salido and Bonvenido Agardo in attendance. There will be more events to come from these guys, so keep your eyes peeled for those. Okay, it's my time this week. Over to Tov for the Sickest Thing. Tov Brothers, Sickest Thing has to be this new video part from Brandon Semenuk and SRAM called In The Know. SRAM have actually done this series for eight years now and whilst they've already featured all their most gangstrous pros, the wait is finally over, they finally have a Brandon Semenuk one. This is based in Utah and it's actually like watching a proper sick snowboard video part just with bikes. It's obviously all killer, no filler, but my favorite clips have to be the stoppy to late bar spin, that 360 step down whip, and the scrub with the bar track. So sick. I don't know what you think, but I'm claiming this to be the heaviest ender of all time ever in mountain biking just because the takeoff's just over a bike length, it's off camber, so he has to kick it topside, and it's just massive. It's got to be the biggest whip drop done ever of all time, surely. Anyway, right, that's my Sickest Thing This Week, time to go back to the shed. Thank you, Tom. Thank you, Tom. Hey, have you seen that new Brandon Semenuk video? Oh, incredible. That was my shout-out of the week, that one. I know you saw it because we watched it together. We did watch it together. Oh my God, it was that kid, that kid. The biggest tail whip drop at the end. Yes, if you haven't seen it, go and watch that. I feel like because we canceled the world of mountain biking in our little chat there, should we get onto a slightly lighter note? Yes, please. Right, three, two, one. Hacks and bodges. Hacks and bodges. Hacks and bodges. We haven't done that for you. We haven't done that for you. Yes. As I listened to it, I thought there's good reason. Yes, but the people listening to it on the podcast, which we'll point out that this is a podcast. If you can't watch it, you can listen to it whilst on the train, or driving, or wherever you are. This guy, pro. Right, first hack or bodge is from Heywood on his, well, he's working on a Fox 38. Look, he's come up with this little storage system in top of the fork. He's managed to get some chain links in there, and some valves, and he's plugged them all up and stopped them rattling with some earplugs. Do you know what? I was looking at that going, why have you put earplugs? Is where you work- Well, that's to stop the rattle. Yes, that's what I thought. I was like, wow, your bike must be really loud if you need to put earplugs in it. It might even take a look at it. That's actually a really good hack. I feel like I'd forget I'd done that. I'd snap my chain, I'd be hunting around for a link, and then about three weeks later, I'd go, there's one in that fork. You idiot. You would have sold it, and the people would have gone, why is it making a horrible noise? Yes. I don't know. It's a nice- I'm flipping like that, actually. You're flipping like that. It's a hack. It's a hack. Well done, Heywood, you're in the running for GMBN Racetop, but can you beat this week's other runner, Martin? Good name. Martin with an I, not with a Y. Y, I don't know, but that is genius. Basically, he's used a Coke can to create- What? A Mohican for his- A cooling system for his brake pads. Would it work? We don't know. Yes, no, it does. Of course, it works. That would direct airflow down onto your disc brake pads, and they would be cooler thus. I think that's an amazing idea, Martin. It's so simple. Very. I think both are very simple. You can spend a lot of money on some pretty cool brakes that add that design into them. I want to say the SRAM brake's got that, hasn't it? I was going to say the SRAM, the new SRAM brake, the one with Semenuk. It looks like that. Can that work? Blake, I'm going to let you- Can that work? That was weak. That was weak. As weak as that? You know what, Martin? You win this week because it's not only a great hack, it provoked thought, didn't it? It really made us think. For two dummies like us, that's always a good exercise. Well done. You've won yourself a GMBN race top. Nice. I've probably got one here that I could throw at you. No. I can't reach it. It's over there. Oh, really? Unlucky. You're not getting that one. Anyway, if you've got any more hacks and bodges, and you want to get involved, there's a link in the description down below. Upload them to there. More the bodge, the better. Serious moment, quick shout out for the GMBN shop, important part of our world. We love that you get involved. If you want to head over there, you can pick yourself up one of my favorites, a GMBN oversized emblem tee in green, I really like. I really like, just seen this, core vintage cap in olive. Need one of those. Little man's got one of those, but we are doing multiple other things. We're doing bundles. Love the bundle. You can buy a tee, you can get another tee. You can buy two tees for the price of one. I can go on, but anyway, this is the Horizon. You can get it with the sprocket as well. You can chop and change whatever tee you want. Yes. Bundle? Yes. Anyway, you can't buy that bundle, but head over to our shop, and you can get yourself a good bargain. Things we like this week, Mr. Ashton, kick us off. Grant Allen all day long on the bowhead. I like the color. He's done it all out like a KX250, but of course, it is the flagship hand bike from Bowhead, the RX, so it's an RX on the side. This is Grant Allen racing in, I think this is in Australia this weekend, and man, that guy is a tank. He's so good. I ride one of his bikes. I love it, but I can't ride it like that. So, so good. I tell you what else I've got. You're going to love this. This is my new favorite sport. Look at that. Oh my, I want to have a go at that. I would love to have a go at that. We've got to get you doing that. No, that would be cool. Measure around Silverstone. I mean, it's not a mountain bike, and it's not off-road, but I feel like you will end up off-road. I can ride a unicycle now. Can you? No. Can you? I can't believe how bad you were on a unicycle. God, come on. I just tried it. It was my first ever time. Yes. Okay, next up, I've got a Blake build for you. Look at this. Look at the state of that. Look at this. I think this is amazing. So, you can basically power your derailleur. No, that can't be right. This is outside Brendan showing us how to turn two oranges. I guess it would work with lemons. These look like lemons, but they're oranges apparently. To basically, I guess you've turned them. I don't really know. Is it like you've turned them into an anode and a cathode? I don't know my electrics, but basically, I feel like we could now create fruit-powered Blake's electronic brakes. Whoa, that's a mouthful. It doesn't roll off the tongue, does it? Fruit-powered brakes. What do you think? Electric brakes. We just created another brand the whole industry doesn't need. Electric brakes. Well done. Well done. I've got one for you. Go on. Take a look at this. Imagine that happening to you. Oh my God. They could have blown his head clean off. Imagine that happened to you on the trail with your forks come out like that. Oh my God. I didn't even know that could happen. That would be hilarious if it just took an eyeball. What happened? Amazing. Let's go on to the caption contest. Here's the photo from last week. It's Anna holding me up. Yes. Look at you, mistress. I think you do need to be shot. I put on everything silly I could find. This is for the stunt mug. This is an original stunt mug right here. Oh, it's a thing of beauty. You could win one like that this week by getting the best caption, but who's won this week? First one is from Frontier Fishing with Ryan Mack, 1981. He says, Anna's way of convincing Martin to let her talk the dirt and run the show. Yes, quite. What's up next, Blake? Oh, I'm going to go with DJ Simple Seth. Yes. Says, say goat on- One more time. My England wasn't that great there. Yes, you've got terrible England. Yes, I did say goat in that particular show more than- And then he probably just said, stick it up. Yes. There's another one here from TheBodger74 and he says, We sung it today. And it was beautiful. Incredible. It was amazing. I bet all of those people listening to the podcast were like, what the hell is going on? Should we stop singing? Probably. I don't know who to pick. Who should we give the stunt mug to? I'm going to say Frontier Fishing with Ryan Mack, 1981. You are a winner. Stunt mug on its way to you. Oh, he nearly took the camera. That was good. If you would like to win yourself a stunt mug like this one, then please give us a caption for this photo. That'll be a good one. You can get the chance to win one of these. Well done. Broke it, didn't I? Tell us, we've got some incredible stuff coming up. We have, yes. GMBN Game of Bike V-Tyre Special. Oh, that's a good one. You had a good time on that one, didn't you? We had a really good time. Yes. Yeah, that looks good. Really good time in Surrey Hills. Are these EMTBs for people who dislike e-bikes? Controversial. Very nice. We've got one here called the Asma, A-S-M-A. Bike clean. Bike cleaning. I just watched that upstairs and it's very, it drags you in. Oh, that's good. Yeah, I didn't expect it. I was like, I've been watching this bike getting cleaned for a long time. Yeah, it's really cool. Things you should do after every ride. That's going to be useful. Wash your bike. Well, that's one of them. And mastering the art of the bunny hop. Oh, yes. Everyone struggles with that. Can you bunny hop? If you can't, watch that video and you won't believe the difference. Oh, the difference a bunny hop makes. Doesn't it make a difference? Does. Do you know when you get bigger on the bunny hop, is it called a hair hop? Because a bunny, a hair will jump further than a bunny. A general rule for you should be not to talk. Right. Sorry. Bike vault. Blake, what have we got first? We've got one here. It's James's On One Big Dog XL frame. Look at it. It does look massive. Nice shot. It's beautiful. It does look like it's a mixed wheel size bike. I'd say nice. It's nice. Nice. Nice hardtail. Nice. Next up, uh-oh, two bikes in one shot. But what's onesie pushing? Stuart is pushing his Commencal Meta HT and the Ragley Big. Right, well, we can't give you a super nice because you can't have two bikes in the bike. Can I give it? It's super nice. They're both nice. They're both nice. Super nice shot. Yeah, I do like- But it's nice bikes. I like the Commencal. Barry, talk about a Commencal. Got some good hardtails. There's a Meta hardtail right here. Meta hardtail. I'm going to give that a super nice. Super nice. I do like the Meta hardtail. Well done, Nils. Very, very nice. Right, next up is- Don't that look like a- Great big piece of plastic. I thought I was going to say it was a Yeti. Yeah, I mean, I think it's- But it's not. It's a YT. The top tube screen's YT for me, which it is, of course. In that colorway, though, it does make me think, are we just buying great big bits of plastic? I don't know. You guys answer it. This is Arlo's 2021 YT Capra. Really? Yeah, I like it. Even with my disc? Yeah. Okay. Ignore me. Next up, we have got a Merida from- Israel, mate. And it is a Merida 1996 RC5000. I think it's probably better than an ice. Tell you what, Nils, I just tricked you there. The pedals aren't at three o'clock. Oh! Too late. You super-niced it. Next up, a- Dog in a Bike Vault. This is Albert's Canyon Spectral. We haven't got a great view of it, but I love the colorway. I love the color. Yeah, I love the colorway. Oh, the color's really nice. Well done, Albert. From Romania, that was. Next up, a Cube Stereo 150. Flow state, man. Another colorway I like. I like that colorway, too. That's beautiful, isn't it? Yeah. I think it looks handsome and strong. What are you saying? Super nice. Super nice. Well done, Trey. You've got yourself a super nice. Where are the Bike Vault? Oh, that was a short bike. That was a very short Bike Vault. Stingy. I'll tell you what. I like Trey's flow state sticker on his top tube. There was some nice bikes in there and all very valid brands that should also exist in the world of mountain biking. What a problem. Pick all we've made for ourselves. You guys out there, decide this week. Let us know what you think about that question. Just simply answer it. Are there too many bike brands? Who knows? If there is, are you brave enough to suggest some?