Shimano MTB Marketing Specialist, Joe Lawwill was one of the first people to ride a full-suspension mountain bike. His father, the legendary motorcycle racer, Mert Lawwill, made the bike some 30 years ago. From a budding motocross career that organically grew into a life in the cycling industry, Joe has been immersed in our sport for decades after being turned on to the speed of mountain biking while riding the infamous Repack trail with a young Myles Rockwell. Joe's pedigree of helping develop and test some of the most influential bikes of our sport's history has led him to a position at Shimano where he manages mountain bike racers and athletes in an effort to develop world-class product. Kyle Warner conducts this enlightening interview, filled with great stories about the past, as well as diving into where Joe sees mountain biking's future headed.

Thank you - Maxxis Tires
A big thanks goes out to Maxxis Tires as they continue to support The Inside Line. The Vital test crew just finished a short-travel 29er Test Sessions in the Phoenix area last week and each of the 5 bikes was outfitted with a 2.5 Assegai EXO+ tire up front and a 2.3 Aggressor tire with DoubleDown casing out back. No flats, no tears, no problems throughout the entire testing period despite the sharpest rocks, plenty of hucks to flat and cacti galore. The Test Sessions video will be out in late February.

Thank you - Jenson USA
New Year, New Gear, JensonUSA.com, supporter of The Inside Line since day one, has a special promotion going on. Use Code NEWYEAR at checkout and get 15% off one full-priced item. You can also find the latest Shimano products at Jenson USA. There are sale items and the new 12-speed XTR, XT and SLX drivetrain components to get your mitts on.

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