DOWNIEVILLE, CA (BRAIN)—“Epic” was the word to describe this July’s Downieville Classic.
“I can honestly say I’ve never had so much fun at a bike race,” said Dain Zaffke, marketing coordinator for WTB. “A lot of people were saying it was the best Downieville Classic ever.”
Some of the biggest names in the industry were in attendance. Chris King Precision Components released its 150-millimeter rear ISO hub model. Designed for freeride and downhill bikes, the ISO 150 is the latest addition to the line of King hubs. King, himself, made pancakes and grilled fajitas for the Downieville crowd while marketing man Chris DiStefano washed dishes.
"The whole thing was a kick," DiStefano said. "We had a great time. Nobody's in a hurry. There was no cell phone service [in Downieville] and two pay phones, one of which was broken."
SRAM brought its truck and trailer to the event. Although, they didn’t show any new product, Downieville is still a very important event for the company.
“It’s a quality event for us,” said Eric Schutt, mountain bike public relations manager for SRAM. “We always use the racing scene as a way to measure our product.” —Jason Norman
