2024 TEAM RUMORS

Oz_Taylor
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12/6/2023 8:32am
From robskopps insta-  

From robskopps insta-

 

IMG 6838

puddings wrote:
'comes down to Leadership' & 'wrong people in place' - to me that reads as a jibe at Peaty because as I understand it, that is...

'comes down to Leadership' & 'wrong people in place' - to me that reads as a jibe at Peaty because as I understand it, that is who Rob put in to replace Kathy S when she stepped back. Looking back to Loris and Luca moving on - in both cases there were rumours that Peaty was over bearing and treated them like kids which is why they wanted out.

I don't think you're correct there. In that sentence, Rob is talking about SCB (Santa Cruz Bikes) not the Syndicate. There is recent history there. 

13
TayRob
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12/6/2023 9:13am
From robskopps insta-  

From robskopps insta-

 

IMG 6838

puddings wrote:
'comes down to Leadership' & 'wrong people in place' - to me that reads as a jibe at Peaty because as I understand it, that is...

'comes down to Leadership' & 'wrong people in place' - to me that reads as a jibe at Peaty because as I understand it, that is who Rob put in to replace Kathy S when she stepped back. Looking back to Loris and Luca moving on - in both cases there were rumours that Peaty was over bearing and treated them like kids which is why they wanted out.

Oz_Taylor wrote:

I don't think you're correct there. In that sentence, Rob is talking about SCB (Santa Cruz Bikes) not the Syndicate. There is recent history there. 

I fully agree. I don’t think this was about the Syndicate, but was aimed at PON mostly. Rob built Santa Cruz bikes into the “core” brand it was. I’ve worked at a handful of Santa Cruz dealers of the years, and until recently you couldn’t keep those things in stock. They started losing foothold when they got behind the times with ebikes and released that outdated and under gunned first gen. Heckler ebike. They kept losing foothold when their pricing got out of hand for the part spec you were getting, and now they got even more behind the ball by waiting to discount their bikes far after the other big brands had already dropped prices. Not to mention that, at least in my area, really the only way to get them is to go to Mikes Bikes, which no one really does because everyone looks at Mikes as a corporate store for your average enthusiast not the place you go for top end parts and service. I would reckon from about 2013 to 2020 a Santa Cruz was every third bike I saw, now a days, it’s probably one in 10. He is watching his brain child and hard work fall off the map and turn into yet another drop in the moderately premium mass produced bicycle market. I would be bitter, too.

11
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luckymixes
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12/6/2023 9:16am
bizutch wrote:
Unno always made the most sense to me.   At this point, GM is probably wanting something to invest in that he can call his own. UNNO...

Unno always made the most sense to me.  
At this point, GM is probably wanting something to invest in that he can call his own.
UNNO Collective focuses on developing new and novel & pulls in outside money to develop new tech, a lot not even bike oriented.
With Roskopp having ties there, I can see GM wanting to be rid of the corporate overlords at PON Syndicate & be free to tinker.


 

I think the same. Unno is a brand that is sponsoring some spanish riders and they seem to have the cash to throw in a big deal.

Headquarters reasonably close to Andorra where Greg (and Angel spend most of their time) will help

Also Unno is a boutique brand that can produce custom frames, linkages very fast, since all the production is made locally in Spain. We know Greg will need this, and frankly he hasn't got three years to develop a bike from scratch.

I could see him making a Gwin move and owning a piece of the whole project too.

Lastly, FOX

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Primoz
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12/6/2023 9:32am

Unno is not a made in Spain brand anymore, the current bikes (ebike and bicycle of the same design language) are made overseas. 

5
All-MTN-MTB
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12/6/2023 9:37am Edited Date/Time 12/6/2023 10:11am
puddings wrote:
'comes down to Leadership' & 'wrong people in place' - to me that reads as a jibe at Peaty because as I understand it, that is...

'comes down to Leadership' & 'wrong people in place' - to me that reads as a jibe at Peaty because as I understand it, that is who Rob put in to replace Kathy S when she stepped back. Looking back to Loris and Luca moving on - in both cases there were rumours that Peaty was over bearing and treated them like kids which is why they wanted out.

Oz_Taylor wrote:

I don't think you're correct there. In that sentence, Rob is talking about SCB (Santa Cruz Bikes) not the Syndicate. There is recent history there. 

TayRob wrote:
I fully agree. I don’t think this was about the Syndicate, but was aimed at PON mostly. Rob built Santa Cruz bikes into the “core” brand...

I fully agree. I don’t think this was about the Syndicate, but was aimed at PON mostly. Rob built Santa Cruz bikes into the “core” brand it was. I’ve worked at a handful of Santa Cruz dealers of the years, and until recently you couldn’t keep those things in stock. They started losing foothold when they got behind the times with ebikes and released that outdated and under gunned first gen. Heckler ebike. They kept losing foothold when their pricing got out of hand for the part spec you were getting, and now they got even more behind the ball by waiting to discount their bikes far after the other big brands had already dropped prices. Not to mention that, at least in my area, really the only way to get them is to go to Mikes Bikes, which no one really does because everyone looks at Mikes as a corporate store for your average enthusiast not the place you go for top end parts and service. I would reckon from about 2013 to 2020 a Santa Cruz was every third bike I saw, now a days, it’s probably one in 10. He is watching his brain child and hard work fall off the map and turn into yet another drop in the moderately premium mass produced bicycle market. I would be bitter, too.

You're probably right, but at the end of the day wasn't it his choice to cash out and sell to PON? You can't have it both ways and to me, he comes off as an entitled asshole stuck in his version of "the good ol' days". I don't know how the decision to cut Greg happened, but I think it would be smart build the future of the team around Jackson and there's only so much a brand can budget for a race team.

Speculating that the budget was set, and the decision was between keeping Greg and cutting support staff for the team, or dropping Greg and giving the remaining riders the staff they need to be fully supported, I would choose to cut Greg even with his history.

27
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Mr.Nally
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12/6/2023 10:38am
You're probably right, but at the end of the day wasn't it his choice to cash out and sell to PON? You can't have it both...

You're probably right, but at the end of the day wasn't it his choice to cash out and sell to PON? You can't have it both ways and to me, he comes off as an entitled asshole stuck in his version of "the good ol' days". I don't know how the decision to cut Greg happened, but I think it would be smart build the future of the team around Jackson and there's only so much a brand can budget for a race team.

Speculating that the budget was set, and the decision was between keeping Greg and cutting support staff for the team, or dropping Greg and giving the remaining riders the staff they need to be fully supported, I would choose to cut Greg even with his history.

Nailed it in one! 

6
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owl-x
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12/6/2023 11:14am

all these guys are going to be fine...

that said: you keep Greg Minnaar on your bike racing squad! 

2
bizutch
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12/6/2023 1:24pm Edited Date/Time 12/6/2023 1:26pm

I just want to hear a podcast where GM in his very polite and respectful South African accent sets fire to Santa Cruz and burns all bridges with his PON corporate overlords in a scorched earth "Tell All" rivaling the Milli Vanilli scandal and C&C Music Factory debacle where he unveils that his last 2 wins were using an EEB motor that had been secretly developed in his Honda days that he never offically raced.

But then, once Father Time came calling, he folded to PON's relentless pressures to win at all cost & electric motored his way to a hollow victory...only now relieving himself of the guilt and burden of endless shame.  And from this point forward, he sets out on a path of motorless redemption to claim ONE LAST VICTORY from age itself.

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JamesR_2026
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12/6/2023 1:26pm Edited Date/Time 12/6/2023 1:47pm
Nico_Hrndz wrote:
There was a time when Greg would have joined the Lapierre team alongside with Loris and Loic (according to a recent interview of Laurent Delorme).  I...

There was a time when Greg would have joined the Lapierre team alongside with Loris and Loic (according to a recent interview of Laurent Delorme). 

I can't really see Specialized Gravity get Greg on the roster but what if?

Primoz wrote:
They don't have a bike big enough. Unior Sinter was supposed to run Specialized frames a few years back (Tanja actually did in XC), but there...

They don't have a bike big enough. Unior Sinter was supposed to run Specialized frames a few years back (Tanja actually did in XC), but there wasn't a big enough Demo available for Jure (S5) , so they went with Senders. They could make a custom size for the like of Greg, but what does that look like for the marketing department? 😜

They made a custom xxl demo for Jordan this year. Besides that, Greg's bikes have never actually been that big anyway. He likes a long chainstay but the reach numbers aren't that big.

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JamesR_2026
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12/6/2023 1:44pm
Oz_Taylor wrote:

I don't think you're correct there. In that sentence, Rob is talking about SCB (Santa Cruz Bikes) not the Syndicate. There is recent history there. 

TayRob wrote:
I fully agree. I don’t think this was about the Syndicate, but was aimed at PON mostly. Rob built Santa Cruz bikes into the “core” brand...

I fully agree. I don’t think this was about the Syndicate, but was aimed at PON mostly. Rob built Santa Cruz bikes into the “core” brand it was. I’ve worked at a handful of Santa Cruz dealers of the years, and until recently you couldn’t keep those things in stock. They started losing foothold when they got behind the times with ebikes and released that outdated and under gunned first gen. Heckler ebike. They kept losing foothold when their pricing got out of hand for the part spec you were getting, and now they got even more behind the ball by waiting to discount their bikes far after the other big brands had already dropped prices. Not to mention that, at least in my area, really the only way to get them is to go to Mikes Bikes, which no one really does because everyone looks at Mikes as a corporate store for your average enthusiast not the place you go for top end parts and service. I would reckon from about 2013 to 2020 a Santa Cruz was every third bike I saw, now a days, it’s probably one in 10. He is watching his brain child and hard work fall off the map and turn into yet another drop in the moderately premium mass produced bicycle market. I would be bitter, too.

You're probably right, but at the end of the day wasn't it his choice to cash out and sell to PON? You can't have it both...

You're probably right, but at the end of the day wasn't it his choice to cash out and sell to PON? You can't have it both ways and to me, he comes off as an entitled asshole stuck in his version of "the good ol' days". I don't know how the decision to cut Greg happened, but I think it would be smart build the future of the team around Jackson and there's only so much a brand can budget for a race team.

Speculating that the budget was set, and the decision was between keeping Greg and cutting support staff for the team, or dropping Greg and giving the remaining riders the staff they need to be fully supported, I would choose to cut Greg even with his history.

I read it as being aimed at Joe Graney, who was promoted from head of engineering to CEO of Santa Cruz when Rob stepped down.

3
Norcal
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12/6/2023 2:09pm
TayRob wrote:
I fully agree. I don’t think this was about the Syndicate, but was aimed at PON mostly. Rob built Santa Cruz bikes into the “core” brand...

I fully agree. I don’t think this was about the Syndicate, but was aimed at PON mostly. Rob built Santa Cruz bikes into the “core” brand it was. I’ve worked at a handful of Santa Cruz dealers of the years, and until recently you couldn’t keep those things in stock. They started losing foothold when they got behind the times with ebikes and released that outdated and under gunned first gen. Heckler ebike. They kept losing foothold when their pricing got out of hand for the part spec you were getting, and now they got even more behind the ball by waiting to discount their bikes far after the other big brands had already dropped prices. Not to mention that, at least in my area, really the only way to get them is to go to Mikes Bikes, which no one really does because everyone looks at Mikes as a corporate store for your average enthusiast not the place you go for top end parts and service. I would reckon from about 2013 to 2020 a Santa Cruz was every third bike I saw, now a days, it’s probably one in 10. He is watching his brain child and hard work fall off the map and turn into yet another drop in the moderately premium mass produced bicycle market. I would be bitter, too.

You're probably right, but at the end of the day wasn't it his choice to cash out and sell to PON? You can't have it both...

You're probably right, but at the end of the day wasn't it his choice to cash out and sell to PON? You can't have it both ways and to me, he comes off as an entitled asshole stuck in his version of "the good ol' days". I don't know how the decision to cut Greg happened, but I think it would be smart build the future of the team around Jackson and there's only so much a brand can budget for a race team.

Speculating that the budget was set, and the decision was between keeping Greg and cutting support staff for the team, or dropping Greg and giving the remaining riders the staff they need to be fully supported, I would choose to cut Greg even with his history.

I read it as being aimed at Joe Graney, who was promoted from head of engineering to CEO of Santa Cruz when Rob stepped down.

Careful what you ask for.

SupremeShreder42
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12/6/2023 2:37pm
puddings wrote:
'comes down to Leadership' & 'wrong people in place' - to me that reads as a jibe at Peaty because as I understand it, that is...

'comes down to Leadership' & 'wrong people in place' - to me that reads as a jibe at Peaty because as I understand it, that is who Rob put in to replace Kathy S when she stepped back. Looking back to Loris and Luca moving on - in both cases there were rumours that Peaty was over bearing and treated them like kids which is why they wanted out.

Oz_Taylor wrote:

I don't think you're correct there. In that sentence, Rob is talking about SCB (Santa Cruz Bikes) not the Syndicate. There is recent history there. 

TayRob wrote:
I fully agree. I don’t think this was about the Syndicate, but was aimed at PON mostly. Rob built Santa Cruz bikes into the “core” brand...

I fully agree. I don’t think this was about the Syndicate, but was aimed at PON mostly. Rob built Santa Cruz bikes into the “core” brand it was. I’ve worked at a handful of Santa Cruz dealers of the years, and until recently you couldn’t keep those things in stock. They started losing foothold when they got behind the times with ebikes and released that outdated and under gunned first gen. Heckler ebike. They kept losing foothold when their pricing got out of hand for the part spec you were getting, and now they got even more behind the ball by waiting to discount their bikes far after the other big brands had already dropped prices. Not to mention that, at least in my area, really the only way to get them is to go to Mikes Bikes, which no one really does because everyone looks at Mikes as a corporate store for your average enthusiast not the place you go for top end parts and service. I would reckon from about 2013 to 2020 a Santa Cruz was every third bike I saw, now a days, it’s probably one in 10. He is watching his brain child and hard work fall off the map and turn into yet another drop in the moderately premium mass produced bicycle market. I would be bitter, too.


I would agree with you for santa cruz being late to the party. But also they did a big favor for swallowing the bitter pill them selfs and not passing it on to the dealers?
But yeah lets see how the whole industry develops over the next years! 

Thats sounds like you might visit the guys from @thespiritproject / @radsportlang . Not that close to you but worth the visit! Also they are Santa Cruz dealers now, along with other brands like Forbidden. 

1
DB.MTB
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12/7/2023 2:26am
jofish wrote:
Norco sounding likely but I could also see Greg talking to someone local to him in Andorra. There’s always been a lot of mutual respect between...

Norco sounding likely but I could also see Greg talking to someone local to him in Andorra. There’s always been a lot of mutual respect between him and Max Commencal? Or I’d be equally unsurprised if Greg/Roskopp/Whitely are working on something with Unno in Barcelona.

Whitely is managing Frameworks now. 

5
12/7/2023 6:11am

unofficial insight info:

Szymon and Dawid Godziek on specalized next year

 

Snfoilhat wrote:
Riding Demos and P.3s you reckon? I'm just curious. Some years specialized has more niche bikes (freeride, entry-level (?) DH, slalom, slopestyle, freestyle BMX) and some...

Riding Demos and P.3s you reckon? I'm just curious. Some years specialized has more niche bikes (freeride, entry-level (?) DH, slalom, slopestyle, freestyle BMX) and some years not, and it's been a bunch of years of not.

They have a budget freeride option with the status. But there isn't anything in this niche with more than 160mm travle.

They just released the new p3 dirtjumper a couple of months ago

29
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12/7/2023 6:26am

IMG 7147 1

 

what does this mean for team rumors 

 

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RadAxSmirch
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12/7/2023 7:04am
29 wrote:
  what does this mean for team rumors   

IMG 7147 1

 

what does this mean for team rumors 

 

Nothing. Australian school summer break starts this weekend.

3
4
ssk
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12/7/2023 7:39am
29 wrote:
  what does this mean for team rumors   

IMG 7147 1

 

what does this mean for team rumors 

 

Only Fans?

24
12/7/2023 9:18am

unofficial insight info:

Szymon and Dawid Godziek on specalized next year

 

Snfoilhat wrote:
Riding Demos and P.3s you reckon? I'm just curious. Some years specialized has more niche bikes (freeride, entry-level (?) DH, slalom, slopestyle, freestyle BMX) and some...

Riding Demos and P.3s you reckon? I'm just curious. Some years specialized has more niche bikes (freeride, entry-level (?) DH, slalom, slopestyle, freestyle BMX) and some years not, and it's been a bunch of years of not.

They have a budget freeride option with the status. But there isn't anything in this niche with more than 160mm travle. They just released the new...

They have a budget freeride option with the status. But there isn't anything in this niche with more than 160mm travle.

They just released the new p3 dirtjumper a couple of months ago

There is current Enduro with cascade link that is 180mm rear travel if I remember corrrectly and with the (really early) rumours of a new Enduro coming..

owl-x
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12/7/2023 10:28am

Ok we get it. GM is off SC. Blah blah..... But who is Dak riding for? 

Dak rides for us, the podcast listeners. 

and probably Vidal Sassoon, deal announced Jan 1?

28
FullSend
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12/7/2023 10:29am

Ok we get it. GM is off SC. Blah blah..... But who is Dak riding for? 

He said on the podcast that he's "going racing" next year but can't reveal anything before January 1st.

1
Mwood
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12/7/2023 1:07pm

Never mind all the team rumours ,Mike Levy has left pink bike!   

Wouldn't it be great if it came out one of the posters on this thread was him....

2
jofish
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12/7/2023 2:03pm

Greg off Syndicate, Levy off Pinkbike. Don’t even think about it Spomer. 

29
Primoz
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12/7/2023 2:32pm

Spomer to Syndicate, Minnaar to PB Racing, Levy to VitalMTB?

19
Glory831Guy
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12/7/2023 2:52pm

If Jackson Goldstone didn't have his appendix issue this year he probably would have won the overall title, and people wouldn't be questioning SC's decision. The Kid absolutely wiped the floor with the competition at the last round, which at his age is pretty insane. If Pierron can't stay healthy in the coming years, I honestly don't see anyone giving him much of a challenge.

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1
12/7/2023 5:56pm

Ok we get it. GM is off SC. Blah blah..... But who is Dak riding for? 

Just saw an Instagram post from Intense Factory Racing featuring a video of Dak. 
 

I hope he sticks with Intense Factory and I think Gwin will just be team owner maybe team manager too. Or just be a team owner and just focus on his new bike park he just purchased and is expanding 

5
Losifer
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12/7/2023 7:14pm

Ok we get it. GM is off SC. Blah blah..... But who is Dak riding for? 

Just saw an Instagram post from Intense Factory Racing featuring a video of Dak.    I hope he sticks with Intense Factory and I think Gwin...

Just saw an Instagram post from Intense Factory Racing featuring a video of Dak. 
 

I hope he sticks with Intense Factory and I think Gwin will just be team owner maybe team manager too. Or just be a team owner and just focus on his new bike park he just purchased and is expanding 

On his Downtime Podcast interview a couple of months ago, Gwin seemed to indicate that he was planning to continue racing next season.

3

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