- I'm getting something,
I'm picking something up.
I'm, that's right.
I'm predicting that I will smash Kazimer
in the enduro race so bad,
he'll never ride a mountain bike again.
(mysterious music)
The end of 2020, means it's time for Pinkbike editors,
to read the tea leaves and look into our crystal balls.
Today, we're gonna talk about our predictions for 2021,
and what we see happening.
Let's look at our "Golden Book of Fortune-Telling"
and see what Mike Kazimer has in the cards for 2021.
Well, he's definitely not gonna be
beating me in enduro race,
but he's also predicting
that we're gonna see more mullet wheel bikes next year.
And the reason for that,
he says, is that it gives shorter riders more,
but to tire clearance as well as allowing companies
to use cliche words like playful in their ad copy,
but the larger front wheel, the 29 inch front wheel,
still preserves rollover.
So, Mike Kazimer, more mullet bikes for 2021.
Kazimer also saw a prototype Saint Derailleur
at a World Cup race last year,
and Kazimer being Nostradamus at all thinks that,
that means, we're gonna see
an all new Saint group real soon.
Kazimer's other two predictions for the coming 12 months,
well, we'll see declining downhill bike sales,
but that's gonna be largely effected he says by e-bikes
and enduro bikes becoming even more capable
and more versatile.
Therefore making riders question
the need for downhill bikes.
Now contrast to that,
he is expecting to see a brand New Trek Session.
It's been over three years,
since Trek did a redesign,
Pinkbike photographer, Matt Wragg,
well, he says this pandemic,
it's chased sponsorship deals forever.
In these troubled times,
racers will need to be able to help sell bikes away
from the track as well as on it.
And that means, in order for companies
to see a good return on their investment,
these racers are gonna be more versatile than ever before.
Matt is also predicting that we're gonna see
even more e-bikes in 2021,
with sales continuing to improve,
and there's a pretty good chance of exactly that happening.
We're seeing more professionals
and more regular everyday riders
embrace e-bikes on social media,
and have more fun than ever before.
And I think that we're seeing more riders
sort of get past that I can't use it because it has a motor.
All right, let's flip some pages
and see what Brian Park, head of editorial,
has to say for 2021.
And his first prediction,
he predicts very strong bike sales
for at least the first half of the year which I think,
it's got a strong chance of happening.
Corona has meant the individualist sports
are booming more than ever before,
and the pent up demand of bike sales means that,
we're not gonna see bike shops putting anything on sale
until at least 2022.
One thing he says that we will see though
near the end of the year is innovation.
Last year, was all about companies trying to fulfill orders,
but we're gonna see some out of the box thinking
returned to the shelves in 2021.
SRAM wireless access drivetrain
was launched nearly two years ago.
So for 2021, Brian is predicting that we'll see a GX group
debut with that wireless technology.
And I bet there's a whole much of riders out there
that are hoping for exactly that.
Let's get onto some of my predictions for 2021.
And my first one,
is that more riders than ever before will be happier
with the bike that they already own.
With the pandemic messing with production cycles,
and bike shops seeing their showroom floors
being cleared out,
there were fewer bikes than ever before to buy.
And that means, that we'll just have to be happy
with what we already own.
My next prediction for the coming 12 months,
we're gonna see onshore production continue to grow.
Now, part of that will be spurred on by the inflexibility
of overseas manufacturing
and also by the unpredictability of this pandemic.
Now, because of that,
I suspect we're gonna see a few small to midsize brands,
considering onshore manufacturing.
If it works cost-wise that provides them more control
over their finished product,
and the timelines during a very uncertain time.
Another prediction for the coming year,
Shimano responds, but so does SRAM
Now let me explain what I mean by that.
When access was released almost two years ago,
Shimano's electronic Di2 group
had been out for almost five years.
And that wire drivetrain,
well, it definitely can't stand up toward access offered.
But I suspect that we'll see Shimano respond in 2021,
hopefully with a group that doesn't use any cables.
But SRAM were there not just sitting around.
If you've read any reviews of Shimano drivetrains recently,
you know they are killing it with their entry-level stuff.
Their SLX and Deore drivetrain
uses that HYPERGLIDE+ technology
that was first put to use on XTR and it means,
shift and reload is really, really impressive.
So I predict SRAM will be firing back
against those drive trains.
And that's how this works.
Somebody makes something better,
and then somebody makes something better than that.
That's it for our predictions for the coming year.
Let's hear yours.
Put your predictions for 2021 in the comments below,
and let us know what you think of ours.
My Tim Hortons sponsorship will finally come through,
Kazimer will only ride e-bikes in 2021.
(chuckling)