Aaron Gwin?

So is Gwin going to YT as rumored? I can't believe Specialized let him go. Seemed like the perfect fit. Richie Rude is racing DH so he's got to fit somewhere too.

He's %99 going to YT. From what I can see specialized just didn't want to invest more money into dh which is why they signed Graves. Let's face it, spec sells more enduros than demos.

I'm wondering if he he riding for yt or using their frame and collecting his own sponsors. I think this is a good move for him and am excited to see the impact on other racers because of it.

I rode up Fitz the same time as someone on his ex-team in Sept. It was mentioned back then he wasn't coming back…

From the very little research I did on the subject it appears KTM bicycles do NOT have a DH bike on their website. Radon looks to have a DH bike though but mercy their bikes are ugly.

The YT Tues looks really nice I just have no desire to support the people in that company so Gwin would be a good fit there. Sell metric butt tons of YT bikes to PJ clad groms parents at no real cost reduction, because Jesus!

Full carbon bike with BOS suss for $6k CAD? Not bad. Surely not in the same value proposition of Spec's $7,000 frame, but what can you do…

Zink just tweeted 'man I wonder who @aarongwin1 is riding for next season…'

Its amazing how little he was making with Specialized. He went after what most think would be a reasonable salary (quite a lot more than his current salary), but Specialized evidently wouldn't bite.

Good on whomever signs him and pays they man a wage worthy of a World class athlete.

How much was he being payed? It's funny how hockey/football/basketball player salaries are advertised but pro biker salaries are kept quiet.

I don't see why it's a big deal for either Specialized or Gwinn. Their contract was up, he wanted what he wanted, Specialized had a figure they had budgeted for him. They couldn't agree so they parted ways. Pretty much like any other job, it's all part of business.

Well if YT agrees to his salary request then I guess it wasn't out of line.

a buddies kid is in the dirt jumping end of the sport , he is a low level deal for sponsorship and gets around $30k to $50k depending on the number of primary sponsors he has . these are not cash sponsorship but parts , his parents help with travel costs and the likes .

if he places well at a event a box full of parts shows up .

some of the higher level guys get a cash amount ( been told $40K to $60K) and the parts deals as well , for a guy at Gwinn's level i bet he,s $180k to $300k per season plus other endorsements .

as for them parting as Dave stated it's business , they have what they feel is a fair # and it was not in the cards so they mutually parted ways

if Gwinn gets $500k from someone, it doesn't mean Specialized necessarily didn't feel he was worth it, just that they weren't spending that much on a dh rider and he was welcome to pursue someone that would.

I have to wonder about the payback from the cost of a dh racing season. That's a lot of demos to sell. I'm sure signing Jared Graves wasn't cheap, but the booming enduro market may foot the bill a bit better.

How much was he being payed? It's funny how hockey/football/basketball player salaries are advertised but pro biker salaries are kept quiet.

I'm sure people could find some info by digging through publicly traded companies financing.

I don't see why it's a big deal for either Specialized or Gwinn. Their contract was up, he wanted what he wanted, Specialized had a figure they had budgeted for him. They couldn't agree so they parted ways. Pretty much like any other job, it's all part of business.

The feels are strong in the bicycle industry. When an entire industry appears to be run by and for children this is likely often the case.

I guess we find out for sure who Gwin signs with tomorrow.