Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you can’t have missed that Identiti released their enduro bike, the Mettle earlier in the year.
With the bikes having landed in the UK, the Identiti chaps were on the hunt for a pro rider to fly the flag for the new bike. Fort William local, Dudes of Hazzard regular himself, James Shirley is the man riding the purple Mettle on the World stage.
Check out the full press release below.
We know, we know, It’s almost June so why put out a team release now?
Well, we’re super excited and proud to announce the James Shirley will be riding our bikes this season! The talented Scottish rider will not only be racing our new Mettle bike, but he’ll also be helping with development on our next generation of products. We’re just about to take delivery of the production Mettle frames which is why we’re late getting James on board.
James has already had success on the bike, having raced the Macavalanche on Glen Coe mountain as his first ride on the bike, finishing 2nd on the blind qualifying stage and 5th in the mass start event. Following this he flew straight out to Madeira to race the EWS this last weekend and finished an impressive 59th amongst some of the world’s greatest riders.
“I’ve not had the bike for long but first impressions are great. Straight out of the box I put the bike in the stand and the back wheel wouldn’t stop spinning. I can’t believe how smooth that freehub is! The bike climbs well yet the back end is still super plush and it feels planted on the downs. It inspires confidence and I’m looking forward to getting to know it better.” – James Shirley
“We’re so excited to be able to get a world class rider on our bikes as we relaunch the brand into the world with our latest products. We’ve spent such a long time developing the Mettle and it’s great to be able to showcase it from the start on a world level. James is the perfect fit for the brand and a top rider!” – Pat Campbell-Jenner – Identiti Bikes and Gusset Components Brand Manager
About James: I grew up on a croft, which is small farm, just outside Fort William in the Scottish Highlands. Long before the World Cup came to Nevis Range I always enjoyed cycling as a kid. I raced some cross country with my family but I ventured towards downhill style riding with my friends as we started building trails in the woods and pushing ourselves to get faster. These days I’m fortunate enough to keep myself afloat through Sponsorship and I’m excited to working with the British brands Identiti Bikes, Halo Wheels, and Gusset Components alongside my clothing sponsor, BBB, and other sponsors Ergon, 100% and Bawbags.
About Identiti Bikes: Identiti hails from the south of England, where we’re short on hills, but big on enthusiasm for UK riding and that loam we all love to roost. Founded 20 years ago we focused on BMX and Dirt Jump building a loyal following and racing success and as time has moved on so has our riding and staff. As we move into a new era we will build the bikes we want to have fun on now. Driven by passion and enthusiasm, as well as a young, innovative design team we’re working on delivering some cool projects across many different genres of riding. Welcome to the new Identiti.
