@PING 7

Ping digs in about Adidas in motocross, knee braces vs. knee pads, and the possible future for Aaron Plessinger.

@PING is brought to you by Troy Lee Designs, Eks Brand, and VP Racing Fuels.


Ping,

Over the last few years, we have seen some collaboration between Adidas and TLD. As an Adidas junkie, this excites me. As a TLD guy, could you explain how the collabs work and what this might mean for the future? Does Adidas have complete control of the design and then let TLD produce the gear at their facility? We all remember the Nike boots that were exclusive to JS7 and Dunge. While I never thought the Nike boots looked that cool compared to the other brands, it is always exciting to see big-name brands showing interest in moto. Is there any chance we could see an Adidas boot in the future? Or even a full-on Adidas line of gear?

Give er' the berries,

Mason 

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Mason,

Troy Lee and a gentleman called Al Van Noy from Adidas became friends over their appreciation for design and innovation. Al is a long-time motocross fan and he happened to drop into the TLD offices one day. Troy wasn’t there, but he called back a couple days later and the two immediately became friends. That relationship has turned into a partnership between the two brands where they have helped each other with design and engineering concepts, sharing of materials and fabrics, and collaboration of projects from the painting of Notre Dame helmets for their homecoming game to the TLD/Adidas gear you’ve seen in limited edition. I haven’t heard anything about Adidas getting into the gear or moto boot market; it’s small potatoes for them and quite flooded with good products at the moment. However, I think we’ll continue to see the brands work together and continue to innovate when it comes to design, style and manufacturing. 

- PING


Hey Ping,

Thanks for your involvement in the sport as you're still a great asset. A while back you said Ryno was telling you that riding without knee braces gives you better control and feel of the bike (or something like that). You said you tried it and that he was right. I have been riding with knee braces since around 1995 and think about trying to ride without them but have yet to pull the trigger. My question is this… Do you ride with or without knee braces now and your reasoning why?

Thanks

Eric “Race Ace McCann”

Eric,

Thanks for the compliment… much appreciated. I take Ryno’s suggestions with a grain of salt… sometimes a spoonful. However, he’s also been around a long time and when he explained his theory about body mechanics and how bracing actually weakens your joints, it made sense to me. If you haven’t listened to his episode of The Whiskey Throttle Show, it was fascinating. Also, I’ve had three new ACL’s put in and every single time I hurt my knees I was wearing the very best custom fitted brace you could buy. So why did I continue to hurt my knees? Well, many times it is rotational injury in our sport that does your ACL in, and there is nothing that a standard knee brace can do to prevent that. I’ve mentioned before that Asterisk makes a brace attachment that connects your boot to the brace, making them one unit, and that does prevent some rotation of the foot and leg. I figured I would try it and see how it felt. The first two or three rides I felt completely naked; it was somewhere between riding without a helmet or that nightmare where you wake up and you’re at school butt-naked. It was weird! But right away I could feel that I had a better connection with the bike through my knees and ankles. I could also tell that my feet were tucked in closer to the bike and much less likely to get snagged in a rut or dirt clod on the track, which meant my knees were actually safer. So, to answer your question, I’m going on one year without wearing knee braces. I’ve been using neoprene knee sleeves in conjunction with traditional TLD knee cups, and I don’t think I’ll ever go back. It’s a personal choice, but I highly recommend giving it a try. Now, should you sit in a sauna until you’re dried up like a piece of beef jerky? Should you live in a commune where you do yoga all day and farm organic beets and chard? Uh, I’ll have to get back to you on all that.

- PING

 


What’s up Ping!  

I guess I’m supposed to start my question with something witty, or possibly kiss your a** in some manner, but at 45 and working a real job, I just don’t have time for that horse sh*t. So, here’s my question: Does Aaron Plessinger have more value to Yamaha as GNCC champion or 7-13 place at Supercross and Motocross? Keep in mind Kailub Russell says he is done after this year, leaving a huge void and opportunity for someone and/or another manufacturer to grab that title. Yamaha also needs to find a spot for Ferrandis and I believe Barcia has proven better at Supercross and Motocross than AP 7 on the 450. Thoughts????

Ryan 

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Ryan,

Ha, no need for kissing ass or witty repartee… I just appreciate the question and the fact that you’re back on the job in a time when people would rather collect unemployment than get back to work. I would point you to Cooper Webb for a little perspective here. Jumping up to the 450 class is not easy, and Aaron has had some injuries that have kept him from realizing his potential. I still think he has what it takes to be a player in that class, he just needs some things to fall his way. For Cooper, it was a change of scenery that elevated him to champion status. Maybe Aaron needs the same thing, or maybe he just needs more time? I guess it’s all about what you’re passionate about, and if Plessinger wanted to go race off-road, he would have done that. Maybe he could return to it when his opportunities run dry in this sport, but that’s down the road for sure. I do, however, see the vacancy being left by Russell next year, and I think you could see some folks from the moto world jump over and try to be the next GNCC king. Davalos, Friese, Reed, Bloss, Bowers, Chisholm, Tickle, Cunningham, Noren, Sipes… I would be nudging those guys to start making some calls to the folks at KTM, etc., to see what opportunities might be there if they enjoy longer motos. Much longer motos… through the trees. 

- PING

Do you have burning questions that need answering? E-mail Ping at ping@vitalmx.com. Want more? Click the @PING tag below to quickly find all the previous columns.

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