It is interesting that they are cutting these ambassadors in the first place, but not cutting any of their racers' support. I could see how before the rise of social media racing would be a great way to advertise and sell bikes since it seems like a lot more people would go to the races. Though the thing that the brands seem to miss, as other commenters have pointed out, influencers have more of an impact when it comes to selling bikes (who else has looked at the Propain website after Remy got sponsored by them?).
I wonder if a possible reason for hanging on to the mentality that the more race teams you support, the more bikes you will sell, is largely pushed by the white middle-aged white men who hold the power and money. These brands will need to change or die, the mountain biker demographic is changing.
That is one reason why I support smaller brands and shops that are trying to change mountain biking for the better like Dialed Bike Service, or brands like Transition.
Jan. 13, 2023, 12:01 p.m. - Sethsg
It is interesting that they are cutting these ambassadors in the first place, but not cutting any of their racers' support. I could see how before the rise of social media racing would be a great way to advertise and sell bikes since it seems like a lot more people would go to the races. Though the thing that the brands seem to miss, as other commenters have pointed out, influencers have more of an impact when it comes to selling bikes (who else has looked at the Propain website after Remy got sponsored by them?). I wonder if a possible reason for hanging on to the mentality that the more race teams you support, the more bikes you will sell, is largely pushed by the white middle-aged white men who hold the power and money. These brands will need to change or die, the mountain biker demographic is changing. That is one reason why I support smaller brands and shops that are trying to change mountain biking for the better like Dialed Bike Service, or brands like Transition.