Sam Hill to Specialized?

[DaveM]

Nothing like firing up the www gossip column with unsubstantiated rumours!

http://www.ridemonkey.com/forums/showthread.php?t=207087

It would be a wise move by Specialized, they've got the bike, all they need is the rider with the biggest fanclub to sell it to the world.

[nouseforaname]

It would be a wise move by Specialized, they've got the bike,

No they don't. What they HAVE is a need to introduce a new rig for 2010 that is worth someone like Hill riding. No more sub seatstay nonsense. Time for the SW Dh bike to make a reappearance.....

[apeshape]

I just read that too. Seems likely given that Kyle Strait is their only racer and he is more of an all rounder. Wonder if/when the bushy-eyebrowed one will announce his ride for next year.

[sb knurc]

hes not the only racer specialized has a whole team america race team

[apeshape]

Ha, yeah sorry I forgot about them because they are so well promoted (http://www.specializedfactoryracing.com/)...

[bighitter]

hes not the only racer specialized has a whole team america race team

umm team america is more decline mag then it is specialized...isn't it?

i think it'ed be great if Sam rode for Specialized....return of the horstlink to world dominance

[bighitter]

http://www.declineteamamerica.com/

[connor]

shit they could save tons of cash and just pull one of these out of the back for him, it's not going to matter what he rides.

http://westernmass.craigslist.org/bik/740928327.html

[Darryl]

After a cetain "Team America" rider pulled a hissy fit at the Arduum Challenge, would have a hard time cheering for anyone on a Demo.

Team America rider: "That last gap seems pretty dangerous, maybe there should be a case pad"

organizer: "Well there is a ridearound that you can take, but I see you ride a custom painted Demo"

Said rider left shortly after. got a big fat DNS

[DaveM]

Yeah but didn't Tyler Morland and Kenny Smith do the same thing?

What bikes were they riding? :lol:

[jzogaris]

After a cetain "Team America" rider pulled a hissy fit at the Arduum Challenge, would have a hard time cheering for anyone on a Demo.

Team America rider: "That last gap seems pretty dangerous, maybe there should be a case pad"

organizer: "Well there is a ridearound that you can take, but I see you ride a custom painted Demo"

Said rider left shortly after. got a big fat DNS

said rider did not race because of the fact he didnt like the gaps as much as he got 3 pre-runs in 8 hours

[billytalented]

I just read that too. Seems likely given that Kyle Strait is their only racer and he is more of an all rounder. Wonder if/when the bushy-eyebrowed one will announce his ride for next year.

i heard the reason why he started racing is because specialized thought he was getting fat



also, i find it more beleiveable to see him riding a trek. since i can imagine them wanting to find much more household name than nico vink to represent their latest and greatest in technological advances.

[Tom]

After a cetain "Team America" rider pulled a hissy fit at the Arduum Challenge, would have a hard time cheering for anyone on a Demo.

Team America rider: "That last gap seems pretty dangerous, maybe there should be a case pad"

organizer: "Well there is a ridearound that you can take, but I see you ride a custom painted Demo"

Said rider left shortly after. got a big fat DNS

Hey, that ridearound can be dangerous too! :lol:

[connor]

said rider did not race because of the fact he didnt like the gaps as much as he got 3 pre-runs in 8 hours

Where's the race he's building/organizing next year??

[Jerry-Rig]

No they don't. What they HAVE is a need to introduce a new rig for 2010 that is worth someone like Hill riding. No more sub seatstay nonsense. Time for the SW Dh bike to make a reappearance.....


The geo is pure DH and the frame is lighter than most. The axel path is very similiar to the Sunday as well. The bike can out turn anything out there with its short stays... just because the Big S doesn't throw tonnes of money into WC racing doesn't mean its not DH worthy.

And with Kyle Strait, he makes his own decision whether to ride SS or DH. The kid is one of the most talented all around rider out there.

/end of rant

[Robot]

I'm no fan of the Horst-link but it's hard to deny that Specialized has a solid, elite-level race program. Their xc men kick ass (Sauser = world champ, Killeen = 4th in world champs, 1st in British nationals) and, for freeride, they've got a couple guys I've heard about before (Berrecloth, Strait, one or two others...). I can't imagine adding a top-level downhill racer would hurt the company's sales...

The Demo bikes are legit too, they just don't have the race pedigree of the Sunday, Orange, V-10, Commencal, mostly because they've been tied to whatever riders were hitting up in The Collective and films like that...

[APT]

No they don't. What they HAVE is a need to introduce a new rig for 2010 that is worth someone like Hill riding. No more sub seatstay nonsense. Time for the SW Dh bike to make a reappearance.....

64.5* HA & 14.0" BB seems like a very legit DH geometry to me.

[Hobzai]

Since Sam's contract with Iron Horse ends in 2009, it doesn't surprise me that he's been seen in any number of big bike companies' offices. After many years with Iron Horse and with a couple of World's titles decorating the wall in Mundaring, perhaps he is testing the market to see what he's worth to other companies. I'd expect Specialized and Giant at the very least to be interested in retaining his services, particularly as Specialized have the money but not the DH presence; and Giant have the presence, the money and mediocre results. The funny thing is - neither company needs Sam Hill to sell more bicycles.

There is also another option open to Sam which hasn't been discussed yet - a move to another form of off-road two wheeled racing in which he has a commonality of personal sponsor. He wins a few of those races as well in his off-season.

Struggling for motivation? Switch disciplines.

[SIDESHOW]

Yeah but didn't Tyler Morland and Kenny Smith do the same thing?

What bikes were they riding? :lol:


come on lets here the juice? who was the whiny Decline rider?

[DaveM]

come on lets here the juice? who was the whiny Decline rider?

:lol: I think it was Curtis Keen on the Specialized.

I didn't hear it personally so it's kinda 4th hand news but Keen (along with Morland and Smith) didn't feel they could get enough practice time to be competitive on the course.

[SIDESHOW]

seems like that may make some sense considering how gnarly it was. Same reason alot of people dont want to race them in Wis. Pretty tough to beat locals on home turf.

It sucks to get beat when you know you can win???

[SIDESHOW]

seems like that may make some sense considering how gnarly it was. Same reason alot of people dont want to race them in Wis. Pretty tough to beat locals on home turf.

It sucks to get beat when you know you can win???

[apeshape]

Super showed up day of and did 2 practice laps and still managed to podium without any complaints. I would think 3 world class DH racers should have been able to be good enough sports to put together a run...

[Skogland]

Where's the race he's building/organizing next year??

Nice response, but what in the f*ck does that have to do with anything? Anyone ripping on Curtis is as clueless as they come. Stop coming to conclusions and judging someone when it has nothing to do with you.



By the way Darryl, I don't think you have any right to rag on people about Arduum when you sandbagged a category on your home turf and still couldn't pull out a win..

[DaveM]

Of the top 5 elite men, Ewan had the definite advantage being the course builder, but Skogland beat him last year and hadn't seen much of the course, and came in second this year. Of the remaining 3, Bartkowski, Pendrel and Bryson, I don't think they had seen the course before the race weekend either.

[SIDESHOW]

what class do did Super T race??

[apeshape]

Super got a day of licence and did Citizen 19-30. Got 3rd wearing a Kokannee cool pack i hear ;]

[big_perm]

sam hill is going to the syndicate. gunna be like the sunn chip days of the 90's, only without the women dh, or xcness

[DaveM]

what class do did Super T race??

19-29 Citizen Men

I didn't even know he raced, I thought he was just a hucker and personal friend of Brian Park.

[seand]

seems like that may make some sense considering how gnarly it was. Same reason alot of people dont want to race them in Wis. Pretty tough to beat locals on home turf.

It sucks to get beat when you know you can win???

Uhm, that is part of racing. Could you imagine if Hill didn't race on certain courses because it wasn't "his" course or one he was the favored contender? Sponsors would be thinking twice about him; as they should.

[connor]

Nice response, but what in the f*ck does that have to do with anything? Anyone ripping on Curtis is as clueless as they come. Stop coming to conclusions and judging someone when it has nothing to do with you.



By the way Darryl, I don't think you have any right to rag on people about Arduum when you sandbagged a category on your home turf and still couldn't pull out a win..

I have no idea who was complaining. I just think it's weaksauce when racerheads complain about things built/organized by volunteers, see Kamloops BC cup (which I thought was great) for more examples.


ps. nice Darryl sandbagger burn..

[bighitter]

Uhm, that is part of racing. Could you imagine if Hill didn't race on certain courses because it wasn't "his" course or one he was the favored contender? Sponsors would be thinking twice about him; as they should.

i'm taking neither side of the arguement, as i really enjoyed the course.....but....

do you think Hill would feel the same way if he only got 2-3 practice runs?

personally i would have liked to have seen how Keene,Moreland, etc. would have done, but if they felt they didn't get enough practice then so be it.

on the flip side it makes for great bench racing for the folks who did race....."yep i raced a course that was too much for some pro's"

[xy9ine]

19-29 Citizen Men

I didn't even know he raced, I thought he was just a hucker and personal friend of Brian Park.

tk has always been a ripper trail rider.

[Wayne P]

Sort of related...


The whole goal of the BC Cup DH series is the development of new racers, basically. They are trying to appeal to beginners and sport level riders in a low key, grassroots kind of feel without the pressure of national events and the types of courses that's associated with them.

Huge, potentially dangerous gap jumps and obstacles are not really apart of Cycling BC's mandate for course design. Its fine on the national or pro/elite stage but for a developmental series it doesn't quite belong. Low consequence features that allow faster riders to utilize to their own advantage would be a better fit for a BC Cup DH course.


P.S. I don't speak for the CBC. ;)

[seand]

i'm taking neither side of the arguement, as i really enjoyed the course.....but....

do you think Hill would feel the same way if he only got 2-3 practice runs?

personally i would have liked to have seen how Keene,Moreland, etc. would have done, but if they felt they didn't get enough practice then so be it.

on the flip side it makes for great bench racing for the folks who did race....."yep i raced a course that was too much for some pro's"

Didn't Hill take 1 or 2 practice runs at last year's psychosis?

I really don't want to get into it again (had some interesting pm conversations previously :) ) so I will leave it at this...

Every racer showed up, registered and shuttled as many times as the could in the given window on Saturday and Sunday. Every other racer raced with the number of laps they could muster up between both days. If practice were really that important, perhaps those racers in question should have either showed up earlier on Saturday or perhaps earlier in the week to get some runs in? *shrug*

Imagine if the conditions were like last year? Man that was a brutal race!

[SIDESHOW]

19-29 Citizen Men

I didn't even know he raced, I thought he was just a hucker and personal friend of Brian Park.


I should hope that he would podium then.

[bighitter]

Didn't Hill take 1 or 2 practice runs at last year's psychosis?


which year?he's raced it more then once, no?
i kinda figured that example would be raised and it's a good one. yes it would be hard to do multiple laps of the longer endurance DH races as would it be for all the riders...excluding locals.

Every racer showed up, registered and shuttled as many times as the could in the given window on Saturday and Sunday. Every other racer raced with the number of laps they could muster up between both days. If practice were really that important, perhaps those racers in question should have either showed up earlier on Saturday or perhaps earlier in the week to get some runs in? *shrug*

maybe they thought they would get more laps in then they realized and once they found out they would only get a few runs in, they bowed out.....although maybe not as gracefully as one should.



i thought the race was awesome, thought the organzers were awesome and thought the whole event was awesome and saw no reason what so ever to complain.please do not think that by my posts that i am.having said that....i've only been to 2 races.

[connor]

Huge, potentially dangerous gap jumps and obstacles are not really apart of Cycling BC's mandate for course design.


P.S. I don't speak for the CBC. ;)

about those grass off camber corners.....

[seand]

which year?he's raced it more then once, no?
i kinda figured that example would be raised and it's a good one. yes it would be hard to do multiple laps of the longer endurance DH races as would it be for all the riders...excluding locals.


I believe he has raced psychosis twice; last year and this year. I have no idea how many practice laps he did this year. The only reason I am aware of last year is a bud of mine pointed out that he not only won but set a new course record with only one practice lap.



maybe they thought they would get more laps in then they realized and once they found out they would only get a few runs in, they bowed out.....although maybe not as gracefully as one should.


in the end, they missed out on the 2nd year of an amazing event :)


i thought the race was awesome, thought the organzers were awesome and thought the whole event was awesome and saw no reason what so ever to complain.please do not think that by my posts that i am.having said that....i've only been to 2 races.

Oh, I don't see your post as complaining at all and I could not agree more! I did not get to race this year due to being injured but I had a blast last year!

[bansheeair]

Sort of related...


The whole goal of the BC Cup DH series is the development of new racers, basically. They are trying to appeal to beginners and sport level riders in a low key, grassroots kind of feel without the pressure of national events and the types of courses that's associated with them.

Huge, potentially dangerous gap jumps and obstacles are not really apart of Cycling BC's mandate for course design. Its fine on the national or pro/elite stage but for a developmental series it doesn't quite belong. Low consequence features that allow faster riders to utilize to their own advantage would be a better fit for a BC Cup DH course.


P.S. I don't speak for the CBC. ;)

Wayne, I would like to put my interpretation out here on the board too. To develop new racers, imo, there needs to be some diversity. If the BC Cup series were all races like Race the Ranch,(good job on the course and event btw) when our BC racers try different areas of the country and world then they would be in for a big eye opener and potentially couldn't compete.
I personally feel that the BC Cup needs a good balance of high speed low consequence courses and some good ole gnar as well. When we built Arduum, it was something that we felt that the provincial series was missing. I do admit, Arduum is not a great course to begin racing on (that's why we don't have some of the younger categories) but to help DEVELOP skills needed to race on a larger scale...it will certainly add some that are missing on other courses.

As for the racers who didn't race. Hopefully next year they will be able to stay and race. I didn't hear anything from them personally so I have multiple second hand reasons of why they left. If they read these posts or if anyone talks to them please have them fire me off an email at greg@freeridedawgs.com I would like to know the reasons and if some of the rumours I heard are correct, I would love input on how to correct it.

[Wayne P]

Wayne, I would like to put my interpretation out here on the board too. To develop new racers, imo, there needs to be some diversity. If the BC Cup series were all races like Race the Ranch,(good job on the course and event btw) when our BC racers try different areas of the country and world then they would be in for a big eye opener and potentially couldn't compete.
I personally feel that the BC Cup needs a good balance of high speed low consequence courses and some good ole gnar as well. When we built Arduum, it was something that we felt that the provincial series was missing. I do admit, Arduum is not a great course to begin racing on (that's why we don't have some of the younger categories) but to help DEVELOP skills needed to race on a larger scale...it will certainly add some that are missing on other courses.

Yea I'm not bashing you guys at all - from what I hear most people loved your race course and you guys put off a great event. I only wish the Ranch could have more gnar, but it doesn't. There's definitely a lot of diversity in the terrain from region to region that's for sure.... and that's a very good thing.

This is my opinion only, as a former DH racer, but I don't like huge do-or-die gap jumps on a DH race course, just like some racers feel there shouldn't be any wooden structures on a DH race course as well. Super technical lines are perfect for training new and veteran racers alike. Even though we used them too, I'm also not much of a fan of line choices either (ride-arounds). I like a course where every single rider races the same course.

On another note, since the city of Kamloops has taken over the reigns at the Ranch, we'll see what happens next year. I'm not sure if we will be allowed to work in the park anymore. On the bright side, maybe now we can get some large boulders hauled in by heavy equipment. hmm...

[Cammm]

After a cetain "Team America" rider pulled a hissy fit at the Arduum Challenge, would have a hard time cheering for anyone on a Demo.

Team America rider: "That last gap seems pretty dangerous, maybe there should be a case pad"

organizer: "Well there is a ridearound that you can take, but I see you ride a custom painted Demo"

Said rider left shortly after. got a big fat DNS

Id agree, thats last jump took what 21+ rear wheels a couple frames and a couple shocks, keen didnt have a problem with it. and that wasnt the reason he pulled out, like a morland and kenny those 3 decides they would rather ride whis.

[Lady Gravity]

Id agree, thats last jump took what 21+ rear wheels a couple frames and a couple shocks, keen didnt have a problem with it. and that wasnt the reason he pulled out, like a morland and kenny those 3 decides they would rather ride whis.

riders were hitting it BLIND, what do they think is going to happen.
one guy on his race run had absolutely zero speed but figured he'd try anyways and fell into the hole.

[big-ted]

The whole goal of the BC Cup DH series is the development of new racers, basically. They are trying to appeal to beginners and sport level riders in a low key, grassroots kind of feel without the pressure of national events and the types of courses that's associated with them.

Yet without paying the $150 CBC ask for a senior license, such racers are required to compete in their own "special" citizen category...

Nothing at all against you Wayne, but how CBC can make claims like this about their mandate with their current policy is beyond me.

[Wayne P]

Yet without paying the $150 CBC ask for a senior license, such racers are required to compete in their own "special" citizen category...

So where's the problem? The citizen category is great to have and is there for those who don't care about points or moving up categories, thus they pay less. People who want the extras, pay for a license.

[bansheeair]

Anywho...how about Sam Hill and Specialized? It looks like Ridemonkey didn't want to continue ther umour and the thread was deleted.

[Cammm]

Nice response, but what in the f*ck does that have to do with anything? Anyone ripping on Curtis is as clueless as they come. Stop coming to conclusions and judging someone when it has nothing to do with you.



By the way Darryl, I don't think you have any right to rag on people about Arduum when you sandbagged a category on your home turf and still couldn't pull out a win..

ahahah so true

[xy9ine]

yep. seems odd to shut down a speculative thread (and warn against any further mention). sweet freedom of speech. evidently specialized must have gotten wind. their sinister legal team is not to be messed with. (don't cave cam!)

[DaveM]

(don't cave cam!)

considering the bike sponsor for Team NSMB, I don't think he would have a choice in the matter.

It's all just gossip anyways.

http://www.ridemonkey.com/forums/showthread.php?t=207087

That's f-in strange though

[SIDESHOW]

maybe its that $150 is too steep for a license. CMA- $60, CMRC $75?( I havent bought one for a couple years). ABA $60.

The #1 reason people dont race is the dollar ratio. Whistler day pass $45 for 10am-8pm of pure shred. BC Cup, $150 CBC license, and $50-100 race fee for 2 days and less than an hour of ride time. Simple.

[apeshape]

Good thing he's in Italy away from all his emails...

[Trini-dad72]

shit they could save tons of cash and just pull one of these out of the back for him, it's not going to matter what he rides.

http://westernmass.craigslist.org/bik/740928327.html

OMG!!!!!!!!! That is still one of my all time dream bikes. Yes, Sam Himm would most likely win everything on that bike. Just put a set of BOS forks/shock or some such on it and it'd be a winner!

[0_o]

Don't believe everything you read on Ridemonkey IMO.

[Hunter]

hill took a cruiser first run with morland and smith at psychosis in 07. next run was race run and he killed it. no matter where he is he will do good.

[xy9ine]

OMG!!!!!!!!! That is still one of my all time dream bikes. Yes, Sam Himm would most likely win everything on that bike. Just put a set of BOS forks/shock or some such on it and it'd be a winner!

yep. those bikes were the hotness. this guy built a palmer replica:

http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/files/build_4_165.jpg

[seand]

After a cetain "Team America" rider pulled a hissy fit at the Arduum Challenge, would have a hard time cheering for anyone on a Demo.

Team America rider: "That last gap seems pretty dangerous, maybe there should be a case pad"

organizer: "Well there is a ridearound that you can take, but I see you ride a custom painted Demo"

Said rider left shortly after. got a big fat DNS

:lol: Don't you dare put him on our team you sandbagging hippy!

[Darryl]

Nice response, but what in the f*ck does that have to do with anything? Anyone ripping on Curtis is as clueless as they come. Stop coming to conclusions and judging someone when it has nothing to do with you.



By the way Darryl, I don't think you have any right to rag on people about Arduum when you sandbagged a category on your home turf and still couldn't pull out a win..

Well Dan... thats because I'm not good enough to win. :rocker:

Sorry for the thread derailment.

Maybe Sam on Specialized would be good. Get another big company putting lots of money into DH. This is Kinda like with Palmer. Specialized wasn't in the DH game, Palmer was huge so they dropped the cash. and bang! they are in the DH scene.

Don't forget Sam rides for Monster energy, and Iron horse is the frame sponsor. Specialized would be the frame sponsor, he will still be riding for team Monster Energy.

[DaveM]

Don't believe everything you read on Ridemonkey IMO.

Hill on Banshee????

[jzogaris]

hill on team specialized monster engergy or monster energy specialized depends whos paying more gets their name first

[bighitter]

Hill on Banshee????

i was thinking the same thing....

[Rampager]

said rider did not race because of the fact he didnt like the gaps as much as he got 3 pre-runs in 8 hours

[extreme sarcarm] Because whats the point in racing if you wont win???? [/extreme sarcasm]

[Cammm]

sam is on specialized for 09 if the money is right !!

[bighitter]

the thread is back, although still closed, on RM.......'
actually it says it should be open today,WTF.
i guess the thread just needed some time alone to sort things out.

[seand]

the thread is back, although still closed, on RM.......'
actually it says it should be open today,WTF.
i guess the thread just needed some time alone to sort things out.

i got lots of hate mail for my anti-specialized sentiments in that thread. It made me EL OH EL a few times at work :)


So here is a question...does Hill's contract end at the end of this season or at the end of the 09 season? I assume with all this talk about him on this bike or that for 09 it ends at the finish of 08 but I don't recall ever knowing the answer to that. Since the 09 Sunday is the last Sunday, it would be pretty neat to watch Hill end his contract on the last Sunday to be made.

[SIDESHOW]

I always laugh at all the "inside" information on the net.

For the record Sean I think that the Demos are lousy DH bikes as well. I've ridden a bunch and it was ho hum, especially compared to the Sunday.

For all the Specialized lovers out there, get over it. They are largely known for pushing goofy technology and marketing it as innovation. How about the Big Hits that came with 24" rear ends- the Smart Shock- lots of show doesnt always mean alot of go.

Also for all you granolas, I believe they were the first to push concept store, that means all Specialized, from tubes to gloves to bikes. Killing small shops along the way to corporate domination. Back in the day the were the first to kill off Downhill bikes.

There are so many good reasons to support bike companies other than Specialized. Buy a Transistion, or a COVE.

I'm done, if you flame me your a nerd.

[DaveM]

I always laugh at all the "inside" information on the net.

I sometimes like to make up rumours and then see how many forums the "inside tip" winds up on :lol:

Remember the DW link/Norco rumour??

ahh, that was amusing.

[M13]

Sam Hill is quitting MTB in '10 to ride Motocross full time.


I read it on the internet somewhere. MUST BE TRUE.

[SIDESHOW]

DW Link, that reminds me of a certain DiscoWitch that Im glad I seldom see links for around here.

[bansheeair]

I sometimes like to make up rumours and then see how many forums the "inside tip" winds up on :lol:

Remember the DW link/Norco rumour??

ahh, that was amusing.

evil evil man. +rep for you. keep up the good work :)

[SIDESHOW]

there is a lot more moola in moto, and from what I've heard he could make a go of it. Apparently he rides his moto more in the off season and he's f-in quick.

[DaveM]

I heard someone saw Sam Hill riding a Sideshow's Norco while doing some secret filming for next CKD

[bighitter]

I always laugh at all the "inside" information on the net.

For the record Sean I think that the Demos are lousy DH bikes as well.

Inside word has it, that Sam Hill has been on the hunt for a better DH bike since his first loss this year. Word also has it that Specialized has refused to offer any salary but Sam has finally talked them into a huge swap....lifetime supply of Monster for the Specialized prez and VP inturn for the use of 2 demo8 for the 09 season and the use of the company van on weekends......

[V.I._WARRIOR]

I wonder if the additional seatstay will play a part in getting Sam back to total WC dominance

[bighitter]

I wonder if the additional seatstay will play a part in getting Sam back to total WC dominance


don't be silling....of course it will.

[JCL]

He's riding for Canadian Tire. It'll be announced over Crankworks.

[apeshape]

I heard Sam trimmed his eyebrows before his race run at the World's anticipating a photo op and then soon after crashed. That'll teach him!

[Tom]

I heard Sam trimmed his eyebrows before his race run at the World's anticipating a photo op and then soon after crashed. That'll teach him!

thats like flying a plane without a rudder!

[Lady Gravity]

thread's back
http://www.ridemonkey.com/forums/showthread.php?t=207010&highlight=%22sam+hill%22

entertaining read for sure. i like the old school pic (tomac?)

[xy9ine]

thread's back
http://www.ridemonkey.com/forums/showthread.php?t=207010&highlight=%22sam+hill%22

entertaining read for sure. i like the old school pic (tomac?)

yep. totally awesome:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v237/xy9ine/Tomac90Redcreek.jpg

[Rufus]

Supposedly confirmed at interbike

http://www.bikeradar.com/news/article/sam-hill-to-specialized-marc-beaumont-to-gt-18694

[Darryl]

I wonder who's bike this is????

Blackbox boxxer 1 of 3 in existence
with rainbow colours

http://content.ridemonkey.com/media/ridemonkey/0/pub/u/6/2//62/6/a/a/2/u39d78336-11c9600da82--7fb8.jpg

[bighitter]

i'm guessing that was just for the show, or did he lose his monster contract?

interesting that the stock demo 8 has a 1 1/8 headtube and that one has a 1.5....so it begs the question, one off demo 8 frame(with custom geo) or is it a stock demo7 frame.

[DaveM]

^^^rainbox stripes on the non drive chainstay too

[Darryl]

I bet they just threw his parts on whatever frame they had just for the show. I think he is still with Monster.

[mp_rider]

Light Guide on a Specialized? No Gamut? What had the world come to? Oh right its Sam Hills!

[sAFETY]

I'm guessing if it was more thought through, that bike would be sporting some of those anodized XOs we've been seeing as well.

[sheffy]

I wonder who's bike this is????

Blackbox boxxer 1 of 3 in existence
with rainbow colours

http://content.ridemonkey.com/media/ridemonkey/0/pub/u/6/2//62/6/a/a/2/u39d78336-11c9600da82--7fb8.jpg

That bike looks awesome!!!!

[J-Kwon]

I bet they just threw his parts on whatever frame they had just for the show. I think he is still with Monster.

cam said in the article, there was a demo with monster stickers on them.

[simon@nshore]

wonder if he'll ride specialized tires as well... and change up his aussie/monster green/yellow theme...

[seand]

Darryl -

Monster Energy is teaming up with Specialized (from what I am told anyways) in the same way they were teamed up with Ironhorse.

So Hill is still riding for Monster.

[apeshape]

*clang. What's that sound? The sound of Sundays the world over hitting the dumpster.

[connor]

*clang. What's that sound? The sound of Sundays the world over hitting the dumpster.

won't the Bondo kind of make more of a *thud?

[seand]

bondo does not go clang!

[apeshape]

No, it goes - "oooooooooouch!"

[mudpuppy]

Yeah, it said in Cams article that they had monster stickers on that bike but took them off (unless my reading comprehension is crap...lol).

[Brad Dawg]

SO... "If" Hill is on the specialized rigs for 09... that means they "might" have to cut a freerider. Who out of Darren B, Matty H or KYLE STRAIT would they get rid of? hehehe...

[Cammm]

kyle strait is gone

[kperras]

kyle strait is gone

Source?

[jzogaris]

the bike on display at interbike was just a demo 7 for show, sams bike will have a similar paint job tho as specialized being the main sponsor now wants more of the coverage opposed to when he was riding for iron horse monster provided most of the cheddar

[Ed von Schleck]

Source?

I can't find the article right now but if I recall correctly I remember in some article either on NSMB or Pinkbike it said that despite Kyle Strait still riding a Demo 8 for Rampage, he would soon to be seen riding for another company.

Kyle Strait racing the world cup on an Evil?

[Qn'r]

You'll see...once 23 Degrees announces the Trek DH team I'm sure you'll see the follow-out of all the other team annoucements. Bryn to where? Amiel Cavalier to Where? Trek team get's ? Yeti Team remains the same, Monster team becomes specialized, Syndicate stays the same or does Rennie leave as his contract is up with SC??? Saab Salomon Lapierre Team? they back? CRC/Intense team, they all stay the same? Iron Horse support a team (Playbiker maybe? Local NA atheltes?) Team America, still the BIG S as a backer or does all that change?

Lot's of question, too early for answer. January is usually when all the "team" news hits the stands.

[cam@nsmb.com]

I can't find the article right now but if I recall correctly I remember in some article either on NSMB or Pinkbike it said that despite Kyle Strait still riding a Demo 8 for Rampage, he would soon to be seen riding for another company.

Kyle Strait racing the world cup on an Evil?

That was a rumour I heard. It's been circulating for some time but I have no idea if it's true or not. Time will tell.

Rennie's contract up? He didn't have a great year so it'll be interesting to see what happens there.

[xy9ine]

Rennie's contract up? He didn't have a great year so it'll be interesting to see what happens there.

4th @ ft bill & 2nd @ canberra - though he wasn't consistently at the top, it's not what i'd call a bad season (at least compared to any riders from this continent).

[gary j]

I can't find the article right now but if I recall correctly I remember in some article either on NSMB or Pinkbike it said that despite Kyle Strait still riding a Demo 8 for Rampage, he would soon to be seen riding for another company.

Kyle Strait racing the world cup on an Evil?

gabe is running evil, so expect to see all canadians as the premier riders, steve smith cough.

note: no source, just my guess.

g

[SIDESHOW]

EVIL Canada cough....

[xy9ine]

hill riding his new demo:

http://p1.pinkbike.com/photo/2642/pbpic2642762.jpg

[King of Fasia]

hill riding his new demo:

http://p1.pinkbike.com/photo/2642/pbpic2642762.jpg

Can't wait to see his results on that bike, 2009 is gonna be interesting to watch.

[.Robinson]

Can't wait to see his results on that bike, 2009 is gonna be interesting to watch.

Basically if you have the skill Sam has, you can ride almost any mountain bike and still have the same results.

[King of Fasia]

Basically if you have the skill Sam has, you can ride almost any mountain bike and still have the same results.

I fully aware of that fact but I've never seen a Demo place very high on the World Cup circuit and it would be cool too see it. As far as being interesting, with all the people moving teams and so forth, it will prove to be an interesting season to watch.

[Darryl]

Why no official announcement? If he is racing on a Demo then there is nothing to hide.