Funny how associations work. I still connect Specialized with Shaun Palmer’s appearance at Bike Live (Plymouth?) just after they let him go.

He Hammerited his bike and raced in jeans and a black T-shirt. Racing for himself, big finger to the big S. But I still remember the ‘tude, and that the big S were involved. Somehow S did OK in my mind, despite everything.

Still don’t have any of their bikes in my top 5 next purchases, but who knows what’s going to be in the back of my mind when I’m buying kids’ bikes in 5 years time?

wow! it continues! they really are being dicks about this!

I bet that letter of intent would have got ripped up pretty quick if he’d injured himself and couldnt race before the contract was signed. **** em.

Trek are looking like serious dicks. Big error of judgement in their handling.

That’s it! all my specializeds are getting hammerited..

Big finger indeed! ha ha… what a tool!

Would you want to ride for the same brand as Armstrong?

being paid to ride some of the best bikes available all over the world with an unlimited supply of drugs?

WTF do you think?

well that clears up a few things… I’m going to predict TWR becomes 23degrees world racing next year riding walmart bikes

From vitalmtb

January 9 – Gwin publishes a letter saying that he didn’t break any contract.

“I’m writing this public note to hopefully shed a little light on what’s actually going on with my move to Specialized.

Reports that I broke my contract with 23 Degrees/Trek World Racing are false.? My contract expired.? The one-page letter of intent I signed said there would be a “full length contract” with “precise terms” coming in the future.? The 16-page contract that showed up in late November was not signed by me because it was not the deal we had made. I have moved on to a team that gave me the contract I wanted, and these are the facts.

The press reports are inaccurate, unfair, and one-sided. Because 23 Degrees has hired lawyers and threatened to sue me, my lawyers have told me not to say anything for now.

While riding for Trek, I lived up to my contract and gave them my 100% effort and full commitment.? I intend on doing the same for Specialized.

As for now, I want to let my fans know that my offseason training has been going great. I love my new bikes and I’m more excited to race this year than I ever have been. Big thanks to the Specialized family for such an amazing opportunity and support.

I hope everyone understands that I cannot talk any further about this at this time, but I felt like I needed to clear the air a bit, without getting too much into the legal stuff.

Thanks to all the fans who have stood behind me.” — AG

zangolin – Member
Interesting video from Trek on Youtube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q30G67w0iPM

video now removed by the user, at least they finally did something right

Letter of Intent?

Are Trek serious?

Would you take a job offer seriously without seeing and signing a contract?

It took them two months to get a contract to him. That would unsettle anyone.

hora – Member

Are Trek serious?

Not Trek remember, Trek World Racing which is a 23 Degrees (Martin Whitely) team.

However, as title sponsor, the Trek brand is also really being dragged through the mud by this

As far as I can see, whiteleys **** up big time.
I wouldnt he surprised if trek and 23degrees part ways soon.
Would you be happy if your team manager let prob the best dh racer in the world go, because of a contract balls up?

I think he assumed he had a better relationship with Aaron than he thought he had.

What was the video then? A pisstake?

The plot will continue to thicken, I reckon. Though I strongly doubt it’ll end up in court.

Nope it was Gwin signing the actual non-contract as part of a documentary

video now removed by the user, at least they finally did something right

Shame, the amount of negative comments on that video was hilarious

Someone has re-posted it…
[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=p8K5UUmsQJU[/video]

Very childish of TWR to post that up at this point. I get the impression Whiteley is used to getting his own way.

Trek got what they deserve – anyone that uses the phrase ‘reach out’ should be shot, let alone have a rider who hasn’t signed a contract leave.

Gwin on Oprah ?

As mentioned above Trek must be seriously annoyed by the way 23degrees (Trek World Racing) and Martin Whiteley have handled this. I don’t see Trek hanging around as title sponsor with 23 degrees for long.

Interesting opinion piece on Pink Bike:
http://www.pinkbike.com/news/Aaron-Gwin-Karma-vs-Drama.html

Who’s to say this wasn’t done with Trek’s knowledge? Basically Gwin’s statement says that the contract wasn’t what was expected, impossible to say who knew about it.

Was thinking about this… There’s 2 things that make Gwin so bankable- one is that he’s the best downhill racer in the world, obviously.

But the other is that he’s a marketing man’s dream- all-american, straight-talking, respectful, all that. You’d take him home to meet your mum. So up til now, when he says something like “Working with Shimano is brilliant, they listen to us, they make the brakes we want so the brakes you buy will be better, and the failure at the worlds was just bad luck and doesn’t reflect on them at all”, people listened. He’s a convincing dude and his word carries a lot of weight.

But now, when he says things like “I love Specialized, I’ll be racing here for years, Avid are the best man”, people are more likely to think “hmm”.

So I reckon it’s maybe an attack on the Gwin brand- they know it’s a done deal but they can reduce his value to Specialized.

Either that or it really is just childish knobbery. Unsure.

Is that one of those legally-binding Youtube videos? These chumps are embarrassing themselves. They got the guy to sign something to say they would form an agreement, then they failed to come to an agreement.

unfortunately Northwind’s second theory falls apart as he’s somehow forgotten all about hair colour.. No one listened to anything Rennie had to say when he was the fastest downhill rider in the world, everyone still wanted to be Kovarik then moved on to Hill skipping poor old renoir forcing him to hit the drink.

It’s all an enormous ploy to pull heat away from that other former trek rider, Lance thingymajig

Can’t remember where I read it but is says about specialized supplying the frames so he might still be on fox/shimano/redbull etc. Think there will be a few of these mixed up teams in 2013 with people staying on their induvidual component deals etc

Very good interview with martin whiteley here