Neko lives in Brevard and is going to help coach the Brevard college team. Also, Herndon is his coach and lives there as well. So, it would be a good fit for him for sure. That said, it would be a massively ballsy move for Specialized to take another top rider from Trek. If his results go backward for any reason at all, imagine the finger pointing at the Demo 8 from the mouthbreathers.Neko to Sram/TLD?? I know Neko spent a good amount of time in NC with the Shaw Bros in the off season. Maybe Sram/TLD is going to make a team comprised of East Coast riders and call it East Coast ROX World Cup Domination Squad!!!
i seem to recall hearing that Neko moved to NC for better riding in the off season, so it may be totally unrelated.Neko to Sram/TLD?? I know Neko spent a good amount of time in NC with the Shaw Bros in the off season. Maybe Sram/TLD is going to make a team comprised of East Coast riders and call it East Coast ROX World Cup Domination Squad!!!
Yes, that was the motivator, but I know he spent a good amount of time riding with the Shaw Bros. Maybe Sram/TLD saw an opportunity to have a few riders that are already friends, live close to each other, and already ride/train together.i seem to recall hearing that Neko moved to NC for better riding in the off season, so it may be totally unrelated.
isn't the current iteration of nukeproof CRC's in-house brand? or wholly owned/mainly by them?CRC/Intense is more feasible with Sam Hill. as CRC is also a dealer of intense bikes. (hoping).
Correct. CRC isn't going to be on anything other than Nukeproof.isn't the current iteration of nukeproof CRC's in-house brand? or wholly owned/mainly by them?
that's exactly where i was going. i seem to recall wanting a WC team being one of the motivations of starting their own brand.Correct. CRC isn't going to be on anything other than Nukeproof.
This is probably the most controversial and interesting speculation posted so far. I think it's a possibility. Sure, Sam had a great year on the new bike, and he seems to be happy, but CRC landing Sam was a bit of a surprise when it happened. The implication was that he got an offer he couldn't refuse, explaining his move from such a high profile team to a completely unproven one. Everyone assumed that he got big bucks from CRC, but maybe there just wasn't that much interest in Sam that offseason. He was coming off two disappointing years on Specialized and his stock was pretty low. His CRC deal may have been the best one out of a series of mediocre offers. So, now that he's hot again, he may be looking to cash in on a better deal with a legendary brand that he has ties with. This combined with an Intense desire for WC visibility makes all this very intriguing.Am I insane to think that Hill could go to Intense? If you think about it, he and Palmer have a bit of a bromance. I think he started his career on an intense and Intense and Palm are tied in pretty tight with TLD. I'm not sure it's in Intense's budget or if they're intending on fielding a WC team but I'm calling it as a wild card shot.[/QUOTE
That is where my "prediction" came from..and Palmer also made a statement about not being able to name names, but the only current world cup rider that he talked about was Sam Hill. Palmer is not a "dip you toes in the water" kinda guy. He's all or nothing, so I am sure that is something he would pursue. Whether or not it's in the budget, or whether or not SH and Jacy would give it any consideration at all remains to be seen.it was mentioned, in the Palmer article at Pink bike Intense owner Jeff Steber wants a world cup win on his intense bikes (M9).
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The Sam Hill stuff is too hot even for "Team Rumors". But seriously, my speculation has no basis in reality. Pure conjecture.Which one is Sam Hill that you think might be switching teams? Because the kangaroo is Tbro, who's contract with rockshox is up. And I heard that specialized is equipping their new demo's with some pretty nifty suspension.
Marketingwise, I'd say Hill is way more attractive then Gwin or another top dog. Hill is that flat out crazy lines riding tattoo guy, which shines on the brutalest of brutal tracks. Everyone and their mother roots for him, because you certainly know, you will see some "are you fvcking kidding me" moments in his runs.This is probably the most controversial and interesting speculation posted so far. I think it's a possibility. Sure, Sam had a great year on the new bike, and he seems to be happy, but CRC landing Sam was a bit of a surprise when it happened. The implication was that he got an offer he couldn't refuse, explaining his move from such a high profile team to a completely unproven one. Everyone assumed that he got big bucks from CRC, but maybe there just wasn't that much interest in Sam that offseason. He was coming off two disappointing years on Specialized and his stock was pretty low. His CRC deal may have been the best one out of a series of mediocre offers. So, now that he's hot again, he may be looking to cash in on a better deal with a legendary brand that he has ties with. This combined with an Intense desire for WC visibility makes all this very intriguing.
(although maybe Neko would switch to get a new chain sponsor).
Confirmed!I finally traced the lines, and it looks like Rennie (the kangaroo) is going to Intense. Stoked...