A Thank You To Joel Smith & Tomac Bikes

Joel has been amazing. To sponsor a bunch of dirt-bags like us and get behind us all so completely has been a welcome addition to the constant battle of team ownership. Despite the production delays and snafus of a new product launch, we have actually had a couple of our frames for almost a complete year now! Bert's frame showed up at the Camp-N-Ride last year in early November, and Bob's arrived not long after that.








After a million e-mails and impatient riders calling him, he calmly and dutifully fulfilled his obligation to everyone on this team....despite having an AMAZING World Cup squad to look after. At Sea Otter last year, Joel PERSONALLY attended to a derailleur hanger issue Bob was having. The riders from Europe actually tore down their Black Primer frame on Joel's behalf so Taylor would have a bike to race on. Anyone else getting that level of support?












We received seven frames (4 Carbide, 3 Primer) from TOMAC this year, and as they came available, bought several more. I am looking to get either the TYPE X frame or a SNYPER as my wedding gift! He believed in the team enough, and the riders (some of them Expert Class who got frames!) to grant them a wish many Pro's don't see. It has made a huge impact on all of them. Vegas Bob actually turned his first podium as an EXPERT aboard his Carbide, taking 4th in Short Track at Sea Otter (the largest race in North America!). He would later WIN the race at Santa Barbara!

]










Taylor has been racing DH for years, having been backed by some of the largest names in cycling. Ever get a frame? Nope. TOMAC hooked him up though. Since that frmae came in, he has been jumping into the Pro ranks and has upped his game exponentially.
Ryan Nolan and HIS Primer will be seeing EIGHT races in the next EIGHT weeks! He's dabbling in some Pro races as well!









Jim Roff has been doing things he never dreamed of on his Primer out in Colorado. The pix he provides are something a guy that old really shouldn't be trying. It's a great nod to how confidence inspiring the frames are!












Vanessa's Carbide is the 2nd lightest one I have seen, weighing in at 22.5 lbs! Bert Blanchette has been loving his Carbide, coming from a lifetime of racing XC on hardtails. He's a believer, and has his son racing on his OLD RLX POLO team issue hardtail!













The kind of support we have received from Joel has made me a TOMAC guy for good. Karl still has at least TWO of the old ones from 2005 in his stable in Orange County! That devotion to racing in North America is amazing, and was put to the test today.













Taylor called me Saturday crying. He managed to put a "pressure reduction joint" in his prototype, pre-production black PRIMER in Tahoe. Thinkng he was ass-out for the year, he e-mailed Joel. Joel said he's have it replaced in two weeks. He doesn't actually OWE us anything, and that bike was free...but he he is replacing it anyway. That's what you like to hear as a rider, but ESPECIALLY as a consumer.













I wanted to take a quick minute to say THANK YOU to everyone at TOMAC bikes for supporting everyone here at Backbone for keeping us fast.