do pro riders matter anymore?

mauidex
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10/19/2017 9:54am Edited Date/Time 10/19/2017 10:09am
does anyone buy anything anymore due to pro rider use or endorsements??? gear, helmets, boots???

not even sure it matters for bikes as Carmichael or Roczen didn't seem to do much for suzuki, but other hand is almost for sure Dungey winning helped KTM?

but with all the "sponsorship" deals for almost anyone that sends in a resume to any company anywhere, do you think anyone cares? curious to hear what y'all thinkDizzyDizzy
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JWACK
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10/19/2017 10:00am
I bought my first suzuki because of Carmichael riding one. Figured I would give it a chance.
Glad I did.
Wilson116
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10/19/2017 10:12am
I would never go out and buy product x because so and so wears it. Now if I am shopping for something and I find two products of what appears similar in quality and price and my favorite rider wears product a instead of b I will choose product a. Also, if I am shopping for something and I see a product that I do not see anyone wearing I am going to be skeptical of it right off the bat.
bradnelson
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Kokomo, IN US
10/19/2017 10:13am
I bought my zook because of Dungey..... and things I heard.

The Shop

aeffertz
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Eau Claire, WI US
10/19/2017 10:14am
For adults, no probably not. But for kids, absolutely. Then the kids go to their parents for money.
JohnnyT_983
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Dalton, GA US
10/19/2017 10:15am
I like to see gear in riders before I commit to buying some just so I can see how it looks when you are actually wearing it. Kinda diva like.
TJMX947
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10/19/2017 10:55am
Someone mentioned above that kids do this and I totally agree. I ran through the gauntlet of bikes on my wishlist pretty much based off of my favorite riders when I was 11 - 15.

Sometimes as an adult I find myself liking the way a certain brand of gear looks with a certain brand of bike, but not universally in all cases.
mjr119
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10/19/2017 10:58am
I don't buy a product because someone endorses it. But I do shop at Rocky Mountain because they support a team. Also I have GEICO insurance because they support a team. Etc.

early
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10/19/2017 11:09am
I think its more an awareness that a product is available than actually buying something because their hero has it.

Think of it like this, you may sell a product to 10% of the people that are in the market for your product and a re aware of your product. If a rider endorses your product then maybe 2x the amount of people are aware of your product but you still sell to 10% of those people. You doubled your sales because of the endorsment.

Generally I think the more expensive something is the less sales are influenced by endorsement, ie bikes.
dsmith
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10/19/2017 11:40am Edited Date/Time 10/19/2017 11:40am
I bought a pair of vans because they were poto edition ...





kage173
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TX US
10/19/2017 11:42am
- How many guys you see at the MX track wearing Moose gear?
- How many people you know in the US running Ohlins suspension?
- How many guys you see at the track smoking Camel cigarrettes?
- How many more people now are wearing Fly gear than 10 years ago?

Listen to PulpMX podcast with Pete Fox and he talks about the impact. It's a huge deal and definitely drives sales
10/19/2017 11:49am
I bought a husky because....I dunno I thought it looked like a 1990s Bike. Graphics were simple and clean.....and then when it won a sx championship it made me Think I was smart by buying one.....? Mental things. Kinda want a Honda. But not because roczen is riding one. I just get excited about new dirt bikes, new designs. I wanna ride them.....don’t care what factory is riding them.
calcoast
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10/19/2017 11:57am Edited Date/Time 10/19/2017 11:57am


One pulp podcast lasts me the whole week on my commute. Next time I buy some gear I'm going to go with FLY. Also I plan on gettin some Michelin starcross 5 tires for my 98 yz250 project. Oh and some xbrand goggles. Definitely going with pivotworks for my project as well.
IWreckALot
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10/19/2017 12:16pm
Anybody buy that polka dot gear because Seely made it look good? Lol. What about that gear that Tomac was wearing that looked like a rainbow threw up on it?

I am a fan of that retro/simple gear that Reed seemed to like a couple of years ago. Clean looking. But I wouldn't buy something solely because a rider was wearing it.
FlaNard
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10/19/2017 12:25pm Edited Date/Time 10/19/2017 12:26pm
I can't really speak to how I feel now as a 35 year old, but as a youngster did it matter to me what a guy like McGrath wore or rode? Absolutely. I was a freaking billboard for whatever Jeremy was doing at the time. No Fear everything! Now Thor everything! Helmet fin? Sure! Giant numbers for my bike? Hell yeah! I also (like the poster above) bought my first Suzuki after RC went over and am thrilled that I did. Hell, even now my son has an RC replica Stider bike. Now? Hard for me to say. I don't really ride these days. Once that changes we will see. But I sure remember a ton of people wearing whatever Fro, or MC, or RC or Bubba were wearing back in the day. The second RC took the throne from Jeremy the number of people I saw wearing the orange Fox gear was nuts.
p0wn
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Portland, OR US
10/19/2017 12:37pm
It still has a major impact. It's the reason KTM is as relevant as it is now. They weren't nearly as relevant before they started winning championships.

The paradigm for buying a bike has changed big time though. Consumers aren't limited to a few print publications and 2 series of pro races to decide on what bike to purchase. You've got all kinds of information available at your fingertips now with youtube, forums, etc.

Dealerships still haven't caught up with it yet. I had the worst purchasing experience of my life at Motosport Hillsboro for instance. Scumbag car dealership vibes. I already knew what I wanted, and had financing lined up. All I needed to do was go in, sign the paperwork and leave with the bike. Instead it took like 4 hours, getting ignored, then scoffed at for coming in too early... all this weird out of nowhere bs. On the other hand I went to See See KTM which is a brand new dealership and had a great purchasing experience. No hassle, no pressure.
gt80rider
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Boulder, CO US
10/19/2017 1:08pm
JWACK wrote:
I bought my first suzuki because of Carmichael riding one. Figured I would give it a chance.
Glad I did.
I essentially bought a suzi in 97 because MC was riding one, so ya it works if you have the right guy on your team.

Btw, imagine what suzi sales would be if they never had Rc, dungey, or k roc....
NorCal 50+
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Grass Valley, CA US
10/19/2017 1:15pm
KTM is a good example. Of course they will sell more bikes by winning races, and to do that, they need top riders.
Also, selling products is not the only marketing purpose of riders, in fact it is probably secondary to getting people to the races. Nobody shows up to watch a SX with racers you have never heard of.
tprice07
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Fort Dodge, IA US
10/19/2017 1:21pm
Local pro riders do I think. When I was growing up one of the local pros wore TLD gear and everyone else wore the same gear. Same for the bikes. One pro was on Honda, the other on Kawi so that is what everyone rode. I think fly racing is smart by grabbing anyone and everyone for that reason.
Titan1
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10/19/2017 1:24pm
If there is a product I’ve never tried-or brand of a product I’ve never tried l-and there are pro riders or teams running the product it’s instant credibility-I know that just because a company buys advertising space on the bike or rider doesn’t necessarily mean they are running the product, but still.

I’ve been riding long enough now-nearly 30 Year’s, Im 37-that for all the major stuff I know what I like and don’t like, and pro riders/teams have no affect on that at all. I like Klim Gear, Sidi Boots, Scott Goggles, Kenda tires, Scott grips, Acerbis Plastics, IMS tanks, Primary Drive chain and sprockets, FMF exhaust...and I shop at Rocky Mountain 99% of the time.

I have no bike brand loyalty, I buy those off of rider reviews (not magazine shootouts) of people that I ride/race with. My last three bikes were: Kawasaki, Yamaha, Honda. My next bike will probably be a YZ250X or KTM300XC-most likely the YZ.
Motofinne
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10/19/2017 1:27pm Edited Date/Time 10/19/2017 1:29pm
Not for me.

This is just my opinion, no offence but you are a complete moron if you buy a product because a rider endorses it.

Read reviews on various sites, try it at a dealer, go ride demo days, ask Keefer or Michael what they think about it, maybe someone you know has experience of that product etc.

The only thing that i understand is if you want to support Pulp MX show and buy something of one of their sponsors and at the same time get a few % off the purchase but to blindly just buy things because certain riders use certain products is something i can't understand, especially if we talk about bikes.
#76
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GB
10/19/2017 2:14pm
RV - Answer.

Will it make me buy Answer?, no.
Titan1
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10/19/2017 2:16pm
#76 wrote:
RV - Answer.

Will it make me buy Answer?, no.
I bet there is a ton of kids (mostly) who have never considered Answer, now looking for it. I’d he willing to bet we’ll all start seeing more Answer gear at the races...
Rdubs19
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Little Rock, AR US
10/19/2017 2:33pm
I started buying answer gear a few years ago because the star yamaha team was wesring it and it looked great. Couldnt even find most of the same colors they had but oh well.
boston_jorj
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Where The Blue Grass Grows, KY US
10/19/2017 2:48pm
Well after reading thru the thread so far I would have to answer yes. Pro riders do influence both young and old alike.
akmx17
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Palmer, AK US
10/19/2017 2:55pm
Bought Moose because Fil.
Bought Thor because I liked the way it looked on Coop and his Yamaha

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