Agreed, but the truth hurts sometimes.He's right.
But probably not the most professional thing to say.
Watching him riding in the last Rampage was kind of scary, he was on that Felt POS with a Boxxer. Just looked way sketchy, props to him for being able to make that thing work.hahahah, good publicity for felt!
Hahaha! What a clown. Check out this quote from 2008 when he was super stoked to be riding for Felt:
"I am super-excited to be heading to Felt. Their products and reputation are absolutely first-rate", says Cam. "After speaking with their design and engineering group, it is very clear to me they really know what they are doing and are into continually developing their bikes and ideas with direct rider input. Look at what they have done in other areas of the sport. The whole thing is a bit of a dream come true."
He just committed suicide in the bike sponsorship world. Whoops.
Money talks. In a small sport like freestyle/freeride mtb, any paycheck is a good paycheck. I'm sure any of you would say some foolish stuff about x brand of bikes if it let you ride 7 days a week, paid the bills, and kept you from pushing papers in an office or hauling someone else's trash.Not very professional, but he doesn't seem to give a f*ck for bad publicity (past Decline photos?). If the Felts are as bad as he says, props to him for making it look good. Video parts the last few years have been good in my opinion.
Ahhhh, no. Because it is such a small sport I wouldn't say something stupid and I doubt Corsair is paying him to dis other companies. You don't $hit where you eat and I am sure the next time he is looking for a sponsor the companies will remember this and wonder if after they invest so much in him if they are going to regret it. It's one thing to over embellish about the brands you support and are paying you, it is another thing to trash the brands you used to support. I can see why some are raising an eyebrow. Anyway, I may be making a bigger deal out of this than it is but I think it was a laps in judgment on Cam's part and he could have been more professional.Money talks. In a small sport like freestyle/freeride mtb, any paycheck is a good paycheck. I'm sure any of you would say some foolish stuff about x brand of bikes if it let you ride 7 days a week, paid the bills, and kept you from pushing papers in an office or hauling someone else's trash.
well put, exactly what i was thinking, if someone is paying you to promote the brand YOU PROMOTE THE BRAND...all this 'selling out' stuff is crap, money is tough to find in this industry...Money talks. In a small sport like freestyle/freeride mtb, any paycheck is a good paycheck. I'm sure any of you would say some foolish stuff about x brand of bikes if it let you ride 7 days a week, paid the bills, and kept you from pushing papers in an office or hauling someone else's trash.
Not blaming him for taking money or shilling products, but you can promote a brand without talking crap about a prior sponsor. It's a small world and people move around - someone at Felt could end up being a key decision-maker at his next potential sponsor. But whatever, Cam has found a way to survive as a pro and that's more than a lot can say. Hell, we wouldn't be talking about him if not for this comment, so maybe he figures any publicity is good.well put, exactly what i was thinking, if someone is paying you to promote the brand YOU PROMOTE THE BRAND...all this 'selling out' stuff is crap, money is tough to find in this industry...
Very fair point, there is definitely a side to the story we aren't hearing and may never hear. It may be justified but it is still a slippery slope. Hopefully this won't come back to him down the road.it's a two way street... if a brand signs is able to court an athlete based on promises they have made, and then do not deliver, shame on them
i am sure there are more sides to this and you are all reading into it way too much.
it would be one thing if Felt had held up there end of it, but none of you seem too concerned about that and are just jumping to conclusions
good for Cam moving on and speaking his mind
I have little respect that for companies that sign a rider to exploit their name but do nothing to support their career after the ink dries.
True, and I'm not trying to argue that what he did wasn't unprofessional - it certainly was, but there was obviously something about his relationship with that company (or their bikes) that left him so unhappy and bitter that he could not hold his tongue.Not blaming him for taking money or shilling products, but you can promote a brand without talking crap about a prior sponsor.
Eh not so sure about this one. Felt doesn't seem particularly focused on the mountain sector, yet alone the DH/FR/Street/DJ sector.It's a small world and people move around - someone at Felt could end up being a key decision-maker at his next potential sponsor.
What's good about complaining about previous sponsors? I am no PR expert but focusing on you future and staying positive seems like a smarter move in this small business. I am all for speaking my mind but when its business it often pays off being a little more strategic.good for Cam moving on and speaking his mind
There was def. a lot of "buzz" about Felt after they signed Cam Zink, I remember watching videos if their equilink suspension soon after Zink was signed. But I looked at their bikes like 6 months later and didn't see a single FR/DH-related bike(just checked today, and still don't).. I wouldn't be suprised if that was the case, they made promises and never followed through. I really don't think Felt has much respect(if any) in the FR/DH segment, so I doubt anybody would really disagree with what he said about their bikes.it's a two way street... if a brand signs is able to court an athlete based on promises they have made, and then do not deliver, shame on them
i am sure there are more sides to this and you are all reading into it way too much.
it would be one thing if Felt had held up there end of it, but none of you seem too concerned about that and are just jumping to conclusions
good for Cam moving on and speaking his mind
I have little respect that for companies that sign a rider to exploit their name but do nothing to support their career after the ink dries.
Well, the horse is dead or dying here, but honesty? Flip-flopping as soon as the deal is done allows him to maintain his cred? Where was the honest opinion during the sponsorship? What about the groms that bought a felt 'cuz he was riding one and talking about how awesome it was? (There must be 2 or 3. )It's also good to see some honesty, it's hard to come by "real" opinions on products in the MTB industry. Everybody seems to be too afraid to hurt manufacturer's "feelings". I don't expect pro riders to start bashing their sponsor's bikes, but it's refreshing..
Plus who really cares at the end of the day. This is all forgotten when this thread lands on page two.Uumm, how much money is there in actually doing a couple of slopestyle contests a year and a video segment?
Maybe he is not worrying about about his next contract, because it may just be for 9 peanuts instead of 10.
turns out I am a PR expert...has become part of my R&D job...and 100% for sure anyone who understands how these things work knows that his choice of words benefited no one, for reasons that have already been listed in this thread.What's good about complaining about previous sponsors? I am no PR expert but focusing on you future and staying positive seems like a smarter move in this small business. I am all for speaking my mind but when its business it often pays off being a little more strategic.
I stand corrected. Very professional thing to do.Due to the serious backlash by my "quote" ...
Thanks for stepping up and addressing things! I'll delete my post.Due to the serious backlash by my "quote" I am finding myself doing my first post on RideMonkey... Or any Mountain Bike forum.
The quote was talking, jokingly in a casual situation, with absolutely no intention of it going anywhere. Of course it is irresponsible to even let words like that come out of my mouth, and the majority of the hating I've received on the forum is well deserved. In contrast, thanks to all the people who have my back and defended my "official quote." It means a lot to me!
Truthfully, Felts bikes were not crap. People thought I was probably insinuating they are sub-par for what Freeriders are doing nowadays. Regardless, that isn't why it was said, intended to be confidential. It was said jokingly to make someone at Corsair laugh, letting them know in excess of how truly stoked I am to be riding their bike.
Other news blogs refused to post it because they know it isn't professional and didn't want something like this getting out with my name on it; they know me better than that.
I don't know how it slipped by the sites that did post it.
On a positive note: The hold on loosely tour is back this year. Here is the show produced from the last tour. I hope I didn't leave too bad of taste in your mouth to enjoy it.
http://vimeo.com/3243788
Thesensus.com