Athertons' New Kit!

[cam@nsmb.com]

A lot of press releases find their way to my inbox. Some are about XC riders, some about road and some about cyclo cross. Others still might be about a women's line of surf clothing. A few releases are aimed right at us - whoever we are. Some are interesting and well-executed and I manage to post them. Some are interesting and well-execute and for whatever reason - too much content to go up or because things have hit the fan - they don't make it up on the site. Others don't quite hit the nail on the head despite being aimed directly at riders like you and I.

This is a press release about new, re-designed lycra, nylon and cordura. Designed by Animal's in house design team. Not much about the riders but there is a fair bit about the new kit. I don't normally comment on this sort of thing but I found myself wondering if this is the best way to leverage sponsored athletes.

Why not speak to the riders themselves - and get them to say something that veers from the usual regurgitated marketing speak? Tell us how old they are, how they all became mountain bikers - and maybe even articulate a few of their strengths and accomplishments. Maybe it's just me but I'd like to hear that stuff. The pictures are pretty but that doesn't ice the cake. The top border with the team name and rider name is kind of cool. I thought initially about cropping it out but I elected to show it to you instead. The design is fresh and it looks good I have to say. I guess the design was designed by the in house design team - they're designers.

I'm not that keen on the style of the release either - but I realize that writing in marketing tongue can be just short of Chinese Water Torture. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_water_torture) I'm also quite sure there are times when stuff I write about t shirts or a new DVD is absolute drivel. It's a tough thing to do well. The good news is that usually the people writing press releases about mountain biking are riders themselves - so even if it doesn't turn like the Claw's roadgap 360 - you can bet it came from the right place. Animal obviously puts a big chunk of dough into DH mountain biking - a fringe sport to be sure - and that proves they are first rate individuals, despite being inspired by a watch strap from 1987.

Gee and Dan are great lads and I wish them the best. I've never met Rachel but I'd wager she's a first rate lass as well.

Thanks for letting me run off on a tangent,
Cam

Read about the New Kit. (http://www.nsmb.com/shore_news/atherkit2_03_07.php)

[pete@nsmb.com]

True dat, Cam-o. Now this is what I call a press release:

SWOBO(dot)COM has all of the details.
Like your sisters hot friend, they are mesmerizingly beautiful in an ugly kind of way, theyll always do the trick, and you can lock up a mean skid and never drop your sixer.
I mean sure, you can go bar crawling on your Nagasawa, get drunk and forget where you locked it.
Of course you can ride your Masi to the store to pick
up a perfect avacado, and leave it outside the market unattended for 'just a
second'.
Youre perfectly capable of engaging in an impromptu derby atop your custom Landshark one speed, and we have no doubt you could ride your vintage P.K. Ripper down the escalator at the train station.
You could do all of these things.
But you wont, cause we have faith youre not stupid. Mostly.
The new Swobo bikes.
A battering ram you can ride to the movies.

[the flying moose]

looks cool.

[cam@nsmb.com]

True dat, Cam-o. Now this is what I call a press release:

SWOBO(dot)COM has all of the details.
Like your sisters hot friend, they are mesmerizingly beautiful in an ugly kind of way, theyll always do the trick, and you can lock up a mean skid and never drop your sixer.
I mean sure, you can go bar crawling on your Nagasawa, get drunk and forget where you locked it.
Of course you can ride your Masi to the store to pick
up a perfect avacado, and leave it outside the market unattended for 'just a
second'.
Youre perfectly capable of engaging in an impromptu derby atop your custom Landshark one speed, and we have no doubt you could ride your vintage P.K. Ripper down the escalator at the train station.
You could do all of these things.
But you wont, cause we have faith youre not stupid. Mostly.
The new Swobo bikes.
A battering ram you can ride to the movies.

That's awesome. Cool bikes too. (http://www.swobo.com)
I'd wager a post-ride weiss beer that Ferrentino had something to do with that text. What the hell is a Nagasawa (http://www.businesscycles.com/nagasawa.htm)? How about a Landshark? The only problem is that I'm pretty sure MF knows how to spell avocado and how to place an apostrophe.

[stuart@nsmb.com]

How about a Landshark?

"I'm a dolphin, ma'am."

:D

[DanB]

If all press releases were like Swobo's, the world would be a less tedious place. I haven't seen a Santa Cruz press release since Mike joined, hopefully they'll be equally awesome.

[therealminton]

all i have to say is those stripes are sick!

[pete@nsmb.com]

That's awesome. Cool bikes too. (http://www.swobo.com)
I'd wager a post-ride weiss beer that Ferrentino had something to do with that text. What the hell is a Nagasawa (http://www.businesscycles.com/nagasawa.htm)? How about a Landshark? The only problem is that I'm pretty sure MF knows how to spell avocado and how to place an apostrophe.

Perhaps but they had that kind of attitude before they had anything to do with SC, or he did for that matter. But the wager is on and the best part is that when you lose, you'll actually be able to pay up with genuine article Deutsch Weizen when you're over here in June.

Landshark is a custom brand. Nagasawa I don't know. Masi I"m sure you do, hence you didn't mention as a question mark. I want a battering ram I can take to the movies, though - that just sounds spiffalish.

[Mic]

kit looks nice. and your thoughts are "to the point" and as thorough as always, cam. :)