When we first went independent, I didn't know what would happen. I actually thought it would take a few months, if not a full year, for any of our content to gain traction. I also did not think the website would be a very crucial aspect of the next chapter of our life. We live in a short form content era where it seems like algorithms show favor to quick 10 second pieces of content and I personally didn’t think anyone would be too interested in longer form written pieces. I also wasn’t sure if I would be able to provide a unique perspective given the saturation within the bike content space.
Hannah was actually the one who really was pushing for our website, and so we ran for it and I started typing. Quickly we realized some people out there still prefer to read longer form written content and luckily for me I was somewhat decent at it. Every day when I sit down to type these articles, it’s just my thoughts and opinions on paper, or a computer in this case. There is no malice in my pieces. If you talk to me in real life you know i'm very opinionated as well as passionate about bikes.
Well some of these pieces, as well as content I have shared on instagram, have created somewhat of a controversy. You see, I'm passionate about bikes, so I write about bikes. This same passion for bikes has allowed me to make many friendships with other riders who also share a deep passion for bikes. Their passion also runs deep allowing them to make a career through that love as well. However, I'm starting to realize that some of those careers include working for brands whom I share my opinion on, making things somewhat complicated.
Once again I go back to the having no malice aspect. I'm not writing any of these pieces from a place of ill intent. All of the things I share I truly do feel passionately about. I hate SRAM Transmission with a passion as I do the elitist attitudes that are emitted from Shimano North America. I also feel like SRAM has been the greatest innovators of the last few years in mountain biking and Shimano has the best e-bike motor currently, as well as XT brakes.
I genuinely do not like my Yeti SB 140 that is in for testing, even though I believe it is the fastest 140mm 29er on the market. I also think Yeti is screwing over the local bike shops in favor of a quick buck when it comes to a hybrid direct to consumer approach.
I feel very passionately that the Pivot Switchblade is hands down my favorite 29er on the market currently and the Pivot Shuttle LT is the best e-bike I have tested yet. But I also truly believe they need to move away from superboost, even if it allows them to achieve their shorter chainstays.
I think Ibis is about 2.5 years behind when it comes to new bikes and this is a "do or die" year for them. There are only so many times you can re-sell someone the same bike, just with a different paint job. I also think that if they release a Ripmo this year that is in line with the HD6, they might just win bike of the year!
I think Specialized has lost the patent somewhere along the lines to “innovate or die”. Currently it seems like they own the patent to “blow out existing bike inventory and destroy the used bike market”. However, I also truly feel that they have some of the best bikes on the market when they are able to not think about inventory levels and market strategies. They also make the best bike equipment on the market.
I believe Fox apparel feels cheap, and Rapha is overpriced. However I think the marketing from both of these companies is amazing, and I like what they do for the bike community. I think Bentonville is not the capital of mountain biking but I also think Bentonville is paving the way for other cities to develop their own MTB infrastructure.
I used to be anti e-bikes and then I rode a Chinese city electric cargo bike and something clicked in my head, showing me the potential of battery powered bikes. I thought Shimano was dead and then I tried Shimano freeshift and realized they just might be ahead of SRAM in the wireless space.
I don’t think anyone needs double-down tires on a enduro bike and I also believe 18t engagement hubs should be criminal, punishable by running tubes for the rest of your life.
I could go on for days sharing each and every one of my opinions and I just might do that here on our website and on my Instagram. But before I do I just want to make one thing clear. I apologize to anyone I offend with any of my content. These are just my opinions and how I feel about whatever I am talking about.
And you know what they say about opinions…
-Mo Awesome
