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.

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