Thanks for the comment. Like I said, I'd been doing a very similar job role for over two decades - and change was needed to keep me fresh. Everything in the past is remembered fondly, Im very proud of so much I've done. But I'm very lucky and immensely proud to now be working for a brand I've loved for years. And theres lots to do!

A change is as good as a rest so they say.

Thanks! What you see is what you get! In it for life!

Right? The dude can read a bedtime story any evening to my kids. He's just a wonderful host of a subject that is life giving. @DoddyMTBtech - all the best wishes for you, you keep on keeping on and we'll all be here to 'you'. Thanks Doddy.

@@MrMatthias03 haha, totally!

Ha ha, this made me chuckle! I can talk, sometimes it’s a problem 😂

You know me - I LOVE the old stuff! I have so much stuff tucked away to talk about, and am also off to the Malverns again in a few weeks. I'll shoot loads of retro stuff there, and will probably make a few videos off the back of it!

@@DoddyMTBtech Right on, looking forward to seeing more. I’m working on a couple of neo-retro builds currently and plan on doing some late 80s/early 90s hardtail/fully rigid builds. Can’t wait to see more inspirations from you.

No way! That’s a cool story! I was just a part of a great team there - the founder of the magazine, Tym Manley was my mentor. He taught me so much, and I’ll always be thankful for it!

I've been asked about the workshop for a while, so will do that, and perhaps just add a bit in about the van. That's nothing special (except to me!) I think. I've made a few mods, and have more planned. But I guess it's kind of cool!

Thanks! I didn't really plan this video tbh! I'm usually a very planned person with filming, but I had some bullet points of things to talk about, and a few questions. Most of it was free-flowing talking. Felt quite nice to make though, as was quite easy!

Despite having been in contact with Mike over the years, I only recently met him at our open house event at the US HQ. Such a great guy. I’ve followed him for years, so was really cool chatting to him!

Thanks. Last time I had a digital was a Fox one, went missing on a shoot and never replaced it!

my understanding is aside from the nicer valve adapter the digital name brand ones use the same bits as the cheap ones. just look for the ones that look exactly like the fox or rockshox ones

Ah you should have said hi! Were all cut from the same in the MTB world! Say hi next time 👍

@DoddyMTBtech I don't know if you remember, you were at the opening of QE country park mtb trails, I think around May 2012. There was an MTB race. I was on the point of throwing in the towel and wondered if racing was a thing for me. You rode up next to me, and we chatted for a wee bit, and you gave me some encouragement. I finished the race and went on to do more races, even being part of an amateur XC team.

I have a few more of those stickers - saving them for the right thing, whatever that is! Love Mint Sauce!

p.s i'd love another pair of 1200 mk2's, still got my 90s/2000's house/trance 12" collection. 😎

It was strange watching other people's coverage. I'd forgotten how many people put out content

Yeah was a muddy few days! New brakes pads all round, and a deep clean. Looking like new again!

Thanks, it’s a very liberating time for me. Really appreciating life at the moment. I use the watch for typical stuff including health; tracking rides, checking messages etc. I have used it for navigation but tbh I prefer an actual Garmin on the bike for longer rides and navigation. You can on certain Garmin use the watch as a second screen, which is useful. I really love the watch though, and find it makes me use an onboard Garmin less and less

I’ll pass this on to the US crew 👍

As I said in another comment above - we’re all cut from the same! You sound really similar to me! 🔊🔊

I hear that completely! Glad you’re still in to bikes!

Unlucky, hopefully you heal up fast and fully. Great choice on bike, it's my personal favourite!

@@DoddyMTBtech thanks! I told myself to just test some bikes before i even consider a new bike. Mondraker raze was the first on my list, I've heard great stuff about it and it's one of the few bikes that still looks great in the size XL. When I tested one I felt an immediate connection to it and not long after that I bought one

It’s literally just opened! New staff etc. we are in the middle of sales and dealer presentations so I’m sure that will happen in time!

@@DoddyMTBtech Sweet!! I'll keep my eyes peeled 👀

Thanks, I'm really enjoying things at the moment! What do you mean 'too much' with the DJ stuff? I was just sharing what I like outside of bikes!

Hi! Thanks for watching and adding a comment. Sounds like you have some issues getting used to the new bike - I hope that's not ruining the experience. Q-Factor will probably be fairly close to DH bikes with the wider BB, but the position of it will be quite different from your old bike. Firstly, your old bike was a DH bike, so it would have had a very slack seat angle - as they were never geared up for seated riding. Modern trail bikes (E and regular) have quite steep seat angles, to put the BB in the most efficient position for both pedalling and weight balance when climbing. On mountain bikes this is under the hips - so yes it will feel very different, but it is a better position. You can get back some of the older feel by moving your seat back on the rails, but this will also lengthen your cockpit, so you might find it a little long. Persist with your new bike, and you will end up loving it. Although it has loads of low down grunt from all that Bosch torque, it will respond best to spinning a faster cadence. When you get used to how the power kicks in, you can manage your pedalling around it really well. And as for the suspension, even entry point EMTB's benefit from the sprung/unsprung mass ratio - so they feel amazing on the descents. Your new bike will likely outperform your old Giant, but not just down - everywhere! Good luck!

is there a mouse in your BB?

@@DoddyMTBtech Sounds like a family of mice... a family of angry mice.

@@Superteastain Ha ha, at least it's mice. I have a friend whose bike sounds like it has a donkey living in it 😆

Well, it’s important that the people selling the bikes understand them and have all the information they need to do their job. It’s part of a chain. We do this with country teams; who then implement dealer training and then do customer demos. The one I visited in Germany was previewing 2025 ahead of launch, for dealer pre-sales. There are plenty of demo opportunities - but doing something on this scale would need to translate to sales, as it costs a lot to do. Hence it being focussed at dealers/distributors. If you want to demo bikes, I can point you in the right direction..

@@DoddyMTBtech please point me in the right direction then, because in my experience especially German bike shops have stopped providing test bikes or try to charge €100 for a test ride. If I don’t pay to test drive a car or boat, I’m sure as hell not paying to test a bike!