[Orfen]

from www.jillkintner.com

"ne of the biggest companies in the Bike world, Specialized, just dropped their gravity race program. That means Anneke Beerten, and Chris Powell are out of jobs. I do not know the whole story behind this decision, but I do know that they are planning on keeping their XC crew of Kaleen and Sauser, and the freeriders.

I suspect that since they are having a stab at creating their own suspension line, that the budget probably had to be cut, and usually the race department is the first to go.

Both Anneke and Powell are podium 4x racers, so if you know anyone looking to fill a team with top contenders, let those guys know anneke has a website up and running.Annekebeerten.com

Powell is recovering really well from his spleen accident this summer and has spent his time enhancing his brain at school. He is nearly done with his business degree down in SanDiego. Smart and fast"

 

[jake133]

Wow, that sucks.

 

[Transcend]

That news came out of Specialized last week. Gotta say, is it really a surprise? Who wants to waste money on a team comprised entirely of 4x only racers (anneke was supposed to do DH as well) and then have them not really have a chance. Both are fast racers in their own right, but Prokop/Lopes/Kintner dominate the event. Forget the fact that only 8 women have been showing up for the events.

It does suck to see more big name teams pulling out, but specialized has never REALLY been a big gravity player. Even when palmer was on the Spec / Mountain Dew team With Katya, you could always tell it was an afterthought behind the XC racers.

 

[SuspectDevice]

When Specialized had Palmer they also had Voreis and one or two fast spainards. I think it was '98 that they were 2nd in UCI team rankings behind Sunn. I was recently loudly bemoaning the fact that Specialized is an evil soulless corporation when it comes to supporting US gravity racers, and now it is gravity racing in General. Those kids do huck for pennies on the dollar, or so it seems.

 

[bizutch]

Pennies is right. It seems most of the international events are paying to fly these guys to the events so some teams aren't even having to pay for the kids to fly.

 

[hbfrdh]

Hmmm...I was just thinking how Specialized has not been really pushing to get somebody really fast (and by that I mean one of the top DH racers) on their team. Guess I'm not gonna buy that Demo afterall.

BOOOOOO SPECIALIZED!!!!!

 

[dropmachine]

Wait, you aren't going to buya demo because they don't support a DH race squad? That seems kind of silly.

I would say the team they had was a complete waste of money. The general public pays attention to the top 5, and those two weren't it. Waste of funds for sure..

 

[S.K.C.]

Transcend:

It does suck to see more big name teams pulling out, but specialized has never REALLY been a big gravity player. Even when palmer was on the Spec / Mountain Dew team With Katya, you could always tell it was an afterthought behind the XC racers.

...yup - and Palmer and the rest of that crew got the axe too...

I always felt like those guys (Anneke Beerten & Chris Powell) could have used more support from Spesh - they are both GREAT riders. This really sucks, and it's a shame. I thought Brandon helped re-deisgn the Demo 8 to be more of a DH race machine? Now this?... It would be nice to see Spesh on the podium at a UCI DH event, but I guess they figure they've got the gravity/X-Games crowd with Freeriding, so why bother? What a waste of talent, but I'm sure both of them will get picked up by someone next year.

 

[driftsrfun]

i still see some Specialized riders on the Norba circuit and around other races, but they probably dont get payed or anything. But they seem to be doin pretty well racing, the norba semi pro dh overall champion was sponsored by Specialized, and he pretty much smoked me everyrace...

 

[wikitypooshlag]

F*** spesh. There's so many other great bikes. Support a company that supports racing. I love freeriding but I think it's BS that a company as big as spesh can't even fork out the pennies it takes (for them) to run a race team.

 

[roberts]

I love DH: riding and watching. I watched every event on OLN when they covered it 3-4 years ago.

Now, I do not even know who is leading the ratings. What good is a team if they get no exposure?

I have been saying it for 2 years: WEBCASTS.

Obviously, tv networks do not want it. Thus, DH should follow surfing and broadcast their own events online. Go to aspworldtour.com during the next surf contest and see what I mean - or -watch the event highlights.

Webcasts have absolutely revitalized pro surfing.

If they cannot manage a live broadcast, DH race organizers could at least post footage of the top ten runs or something like that.

Right now, it is a joke.

 

[atrokz]

If the case for droping them is suspension development, they might have gotten rid of the proper platform for development: Racing.

You can freeride race bikes, but ever try to race a freeride bike?

 

[Transcend]

Well to be fair, powell and annekke would be bad suspension testing platforms anyways. Find a top 5 semi pro downhiller near the office and give him a bike, use him for suspension testing.

Also roberts: look for something like that next year from Transcend.

 

[atrokz]

Hehe, I'm not going there. But, I do feel racing is a great test bed for development, as it realy pushes a bike in both performance AND durability aspects. Big drops are cool but you can re-create those stresses in a lab like specialized has.

 

[Transcend]

Sure race programs are awesome dev platforms...but not 4x racers. They run their stuff ridiculously stiff and short travel anyways.

 

[Carbon Fetish]

Hmm... that's why Chris was wearing a button down shirt and tie at Interbike. He was spending a lot of time at the Oakley booth.

 

[Mani_UT]

Wait, you aren't going to buya demo because they don't support a DH race squad? That seems kind of silly. ..

How is that silly?

We are into gravity racing, it seems logical to support companies who support what you love.
I certainly won't buy a Specialized either

 

[Kevin]

I would say the team they had was a complete waste of money. The general public pays attention to the top 5, and those two weren't it. Waste of funds for sure..

How is Anneke not a top 5 4x racer?

 

[Transcend]

How is Anneke not a top 5 4x racer?

Well when there is only 6 chicks....

 

[MMike]

Isn't this the second or third time they've done this?

 

[atrokz]

Sure race programs are awesome dev platforms...but not 4x racers. They run their stuff ridiculously stiff and short travel anyways.

Racing programs are where its at. Glad we're on the same page

 

[heikkihall]

Isn't this the second or third time they've done this?

Yea I think so. I wasnt even aware that they had a gravity race "team" in the last few years. I dont think either of their names were even on the trailer.

 

[Kevin]

Well when there is only 6 chicks....

Agreed but Anneke was usually placed 2nd on the podium at world cups.
Thats gotta be worth something in terms of publicity.
And I gotta agree with some of the folks here that Specialized is a heartless piece of ****.
A big multinational like specialized shouldnt have too much problems in funding 2 more racers and I agree that it shows they dont care about the scene but more about profits.
To me thats a totally legit reason not to buy a specialized bike...

 

[hbfrdh]

Wait, you aren't going to buya demo because they don't support a DH race squad? That seems kind of silly.

If some people think that's silly, that's fine by me; they're not spending my hard-earned dollars.

I just feel that if a company is producing a downhill bike, yet they don't want to spend dollars on supporting professional (sp?) downhill riders, then maybe they're just in it for the money. Maybe they're not, but I would just rather give my money to people who will support racers.

Whatever though, it's all good in the neighborhood.

 

[Transcend]

If some people think that's silly, that's fine by me; they're not spending my hard-earned dollars.

I just feel that if a company is producing a downhill bike, yet they don't want to spend dollars on supporting professional (sp?) downhill riders, then maybe they're just in it for the money. .

Um they are a bike company. A multinational. They are in BUSINESS to make money. They aren't some non profit, utopian think tank. Why can't 90% of the bike industry figure this out?

 

[hbfrdh]

Um they are a bike company. A multinational. They are in BUSINESS to make money.

Yes, I know this. I don't think they're here to loose dollars. I know they need to make money. It is their choice on whether or not to support racers, in whatever discipline, for whatever reason. It is also my choice not to support them for whatever my reason is.

 

[SuspectDevice]

If somebody wants to tell Powell and Berten to call Sinister we would certainly give them some of the superlightweight slalom frames we have coming out.... lol Oh wait, I think that may be close to the "deal" they had going with Specialzed anyway...

 

[Rye_Bread]

Well to be fair, powell and annekke would be bad suspension testing platforms anyways. Find a top 5 semi pro downhiller near the office and give him a bike, use him for suspension testing.

Also roberts: look for something like that next year from Transcend.

good

-Ryan

 

[profro]

Um they are a bike company. A multinational. They are in BUSINESS to make money. They aren't some non profit, utopian think tank. Why can't 90% of the bike industry figure this out?

Gimme a break...

Look at Yeti, Sinister, Morewood, Ironhorse and others. They some how design, make, and sell bikes yet find the time and money to support DH racing in their own ways. I've always hated how Specialized doesn't suppprt the DH racing scence ecspecially the US grassroots.

 

[bizutch]

OK...so everybody is slamming the DH side of things but I don't see anywhere in that snippet where it says they won't be paying for Kyle Strait to race World Cups or NORBA's next year? Not saying they haven't nuked it...but it would be nice to know that detail. Just that the article on mentions the 2 MTNX racers.

But it would be weird to see kids in Am class and privateers racing full blown Honda's at Supercross and knowing none of them are paid by Honda?

 

[MDJ]

Um they are a bike company. A multinational. They are in BUSINESS to make money.

I think the point people are trying to make is that Spec supported something that people here are interested in (DH racing), that they could sell more DH bikes and therefore make MORE money.

Look at Iron Horse. They have four complete DH bikes for sale and fully support racing. Guess where my money is going this year?

 

[binary visions]

I think the point people are trying to make is that Spec supported something that people here are interested in (DH racing), that they could sell more DH bikes and therefore make MORE money.

Look at Iron Horse. They have four complete DH bikes for sale and fully support racing. Guess where my money is going this year?

Specialized is a pretty big company to have not done a cost-benefit analysis on what is and is not going to pay them well.

People should always spend money on what makes them feel good. If spending money on a brand who supports racing makes you feel good, you should definitely do it... but I highly doubt that the money that Specialized loses from the handful of people who switch brands because of reasons like yours will make up for the money they were dumping into the racing program.

 

[dropmachine]

Look at where the future lies. It ain't in racing. The kids are into freeriding, hucking, street, and downhill in general, but not so much the racing. Looks like Specialized is going in that direction, which is just fine. If that works for them, cool.

And funny, myself I try to choose bikes based on how they perform. Short of a company performing racial genocide and enviromental rape, i could care less what their stance on racing was. IF they build a good bike thats dependable, does what i want and is a good deal, I'm in.

And last time I checked, those specialized bikes, they were pretty damn ok.

 

[c2001]

Look at where the future lies. It ain't in racing. The kids are into freeriding, hucking, street, and downhill in general, but not so much the racing.

specialized can do what they do, but some kids are into racing...at blast the mass race alone (colorado) there were 120 racers who were 18 or under that got finishing times...jr beginner thru jr x classes. i'd say that kids are into racing.

 

[dropmachine]

Some are for sure, I'm not saying that no kids race. There will always be racers, and thank god cause racing rocks. But compare that to the number of kids that are just out riding, huckin around or doing whatever...and the numbers kind of speak for themselves.

Don';t make me challenge you to an internet fight! I have the high score!

 

[bizutch]

...

Don';t make me challenge you to an internet fight! I have the high score!

yeah, but Spomer has so many cool points you're gonna get blasted....

 

[Jeremy R]

specialized can do what they do, but some kids are into racing...at blast the mass race alone (colorado) there were 120 racers who were 18 or under that got finishing times...jr beginner thru jr x classes. i'd say that kids are into racing.

Yep, I agree.
Specialized's product manager is a fast semi-pro racer.
All the changes they made to the Demo 8 for next year
were to make it a better DH race bike.
And from seeing the new one in action yesterday, I say they did a good job.
Like Dropmachine said, unless they are killing babies or something for me it is about the bike. When they quit making a good race bike, then I will look elsewhere. Until then....

 

[k9handler]

Well Anneke was at Winterberg this past Saturday and I missed her...arggg. But she doesn't mention all this on her site...but she can ride for my team! =o)

 

[dropmachine]

yeah, but Spomer has so many cool points you're gonna get blasted....

I admit, I cannot fight the one known as Spomer. He is wise, and knows kung fu. He would beat me int he bathing suit competition too.

 

[Transcend]

Specialized is a pretty big company to have not done a cost-benefit analysis on what is and is not going to pay them well.

People should always spend money on what makes them feel good. If spending money on a brand who supports racing makes you feel good, you should definitely do it... but I highly doubt that the money that Specialized loses from the handful of people who switch brands because of reasons like yours will make up for the money they were dumping into the racing program.

Bingo. I bet more kids bought a demo to freeride than those who bought it specifically to race on.

Orange no longer has a full world cup team either, and they are born and bred on racing. Why? It isn't worth the $$ at the moment, and they are sinking it into development. They can give smaller teams free bikes and, in the long run, get much more publicity and many more bikes under riders than paying the salaries and expenses of 2-3 riders.

Besides, DH bikes (or freeride bikes) aren't where the market is. The market and money makers are the $400 specializeds that mom and pop yuppie buy to ride around the neighborhood.