Chris Smith moving on from EMBN

[galaga187]

Just watched EMBN and sad to hear that Chris Smith is moving on. They did a highlights reel and so many of the clips sparked memories of stuff he’d done to showcase what eebs are capable of.

Good luck in the future Mr Smith

 

[LJR69]

I wonder where he's off to. Nice chap though and sorry to see him go, but wish him all the best.

 

[Expidia]

Same here. I watched it just last night. Looked like a fun job to have testing all those various emtb's but it probably didn't pay him much especially if he had a family to support (I don’t know much about his background) but hopefully someone will report back here if they find out where he ends up. Their channel aside from some of the other channels they are affiliated with on it’s own only pulls 225k subscribers. In today’s Youtube market thats not very big. But ebiking is still a niche market I guess. Some cooking shows I’ve watched pull millions of subscribers! Gordon Ramsay as example has like 20 million subscribers and 1.3k videos posted.

So with only 225k subscribers I doubt EMBN the channel Chris was at is taking down much revenue to afford to pay decent salaries. But I don’t know how they get paid. I do know Youtube channel owners with a decent subscriber base get paid by Youtube something like 60% of the revenue each ad brings in. Thats why there are so many ads on many of these Youtube channels. And thats why some drag out their videos to like 45 min to an hour so they can have more ads creating them more revenues.

 

[Expidia]

Watch this EMBN Youtube back when Chris started as an EBN presenter. Gives good background on who he is and why it’s sad to see him leaving the channel: https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwjPxvKWrqD8AhUnIjQIHUXeDGgQtwJ6BAgJEAI&url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WE4ZLHvA54&usg=AOvVaw1leyGkYjxftVjj4ENzqbzB

 

[andyb2]

Hambini mentioned the decline of the GCN network in a recent video:

 

[RustyMojo]

Trouble with all GMBN or EMBN content is they need to generate traffic, which means they chuck out absolute horse shit. Which means people like me unsubscribe and kiss the genuinely great stuff the do. I still stumble across some great stuff, but most of it is nonsense.

 

[Expidia]

Chris worked at EMBN (E-MTB channel). The GCN channel IMO leans mostly towards analog bikes not E-bikes.
After covid the analog bike industry is starting down again in viewer interest as it did after the gas crunch years ago when people were turning to their bikes again during rising oil prices. After gas started dropping again, biking interest in the U.S. fell off quickly which is happening again. Back then, you could see beautiful 10 speed analog bikes just sitting on peoples lawns with "Free" signs on them.

IMO E-bikes are still a growing sector vs analogs, so the EMBN channel is still in a good position for rising viewership. But they have gotten very commercial oriented and are pushing a lot of crap at us now which I just fast forward over it.

 

[RustyMojo]

Chris worked at EMBN (E-MTB channel). The GCN channel IMO leans mostly towards analog bikes not E-bikes.
After covid the analog bike industry is starting down again in viewer interest as it did after the gas crunch years ago when people were turning to their bikes again during rising oil prices. After gas started dropping again, biking interest in the U.S. fell off quickly which is happening again. Back then, you could see beautiful 10 speed analog bikes just sitting on peoples lawns with "Free" signs on them.

IMO E-bikes are still a growing sector vs analogs, so the EMBN channel is still in a good position for rising viewership. But they have gotten very commercial oriented and are pushing a lot of crap at us now which I just fast forward over it.

They kept the two split (GmBN and EMbN) I believe due to the complete polarisation of the two forms of MTB. Basically you were a complete leper in the MtB world if you owned an EMtB early on (I’m guilty of this BTW) I’m glad they stuck with the split as some of the content is good. But like I say it’s been diluted with absolute dross

 

[galaga187]

Hambini mentioned the decline of the GCN network in a recent video:

He spoke a lot of sense on that. I’ve been playing around with Chat GPT a lot recently and many of the videos cover the “creative” process of YouTubers and the like. It’s no wonder they all copy each other to generate clicks on trending keywords.

 

[Yamanote]

It was my impression that EMBN has been the go to network for brands to introduce bikes and get some buzz going. So they have some income from sponsorships other than Youtube. I'm not sure the business model of this channel, it seems like doing a lot of videos on different bike categories using a central production core to keep costs low and get loyal viewers. The production quality is amazing for what they do. Some of the videos have been breath taking, I recall the intro of the Specialized SL in South Africa being particularly noteworthy. Most the other emtb YouTubers are single guy shops with a camera assistant. Plus the EMBN presenters are an interesting yin-yang of amazing pro and average guy (even though he's a great rider too) so the the things they talk about seem achievable for even a rank amateur like me.

 

[PennywiseTheDancingClown]

Trouble with all GMBN or EMBN content is they need to generate traffic, which means they chuck out absolute horse shit. Which means people like me unsubscribe and kiss the genuinely great stuff the do. I still stumble across some great stuff, but most of it is nonsense.

Problem I find is that there is no honest impartiality anymore. Every review watches like a paid advertisement and conclusions are always the same 'horse shit'. Can't remember the last time they actually put out a video with a properly negative feeling toward the product.. even when the rest of us know it deserved it. It takes away from their credibility and makes watching their content utterly pointless.

GCN are a joke, put simply.

 

[Expidia]

I watched a Youtube EMBN vid (link in post #4 above) where Chris was telling, as a presenter, his background. Looks like he has a family and two small kids. He said he's broken a lot of bones and his back over the years doing his high flying tricks. I'm sure just for the sake of his family he needed to get a safer job and be around his family more as they do a lot of far off shoots on EMBN.

I bet he winds up getting a job as a manufactuer's rep for a well known E-bike manufacturer. which would be a safer and a higher paying job (and probably come with a free, new and state of the art E-bike as a bonus ).

 

[Peter Hill]

Problem I find is that there is no honest impartiality anymore. Every review watches like a paid advertisement and conclusions are always the same 'horse shit'. Can't remember the last time they actually put out a video with a properly negative feeling toward the product.. even when the rest of us know it deserved it. It takes away from their credibility and makes watching their content utterly pointless.

GCN are a joke, put simply.

I totally agree about the reviews. It's also sad sometimes when popular presenters move on but that's life I guess.........I do watch these channels and mostly enjoy the content, but like others have said some episodes just seem to be 'what can we do next' without thinking it would be of interest or relevance to the people who watch. I also find the so called reviews on YouTube not at all useful as they all seem to contain paid content or are sponsored and never a 'bad' word is ever said about the products? I understand they need to generate revenue for the channel but 'honest' reviews are almost impossible to find now on YouTube! I would love to see a channel where someone actually said a low powered e-bike is pointless unless your as as a fit as a butchers dog! only joking but hopefully you get the point.

 

[steve_sordy]

.....................l but 'honest' reviews are almost impossible to find now on YouTube! I would love to see a channel where someone actually said a low powered e-bike is pointless unless your as as a fit as a butchers dog! only joking but hopefully you get the point.

The problem is that if they are testing bikes for a living, then they probably are as fit as a butcher's dog and completely take it for granted.

Later edit: About 8 years ago, before arthritis started in my knees, I met up with two guys who were lost on the network of trails. I offered to show them where they wanted to be as it was quicker than explaining. They were at least 20 years younger than me and had decent bikes, so I set off at a quickish pace only to find them struggling to keep up. As they were working guys with families, they only got to ride once/week. I was riding 3-4 times per week on my mtb and although I knew that I was fit for someone my age, I hadn't realised quite how fit and leg strong I actually was. They were both a bit embarrassed about being left behind so easily by an "old guy" as they so charmingly put it. I was quite pleased.

 

[Expidia]

I totally agree about the reviews. It's also sad sometimes when popular presenters move on but that's life I guess.........I do watch these channels and mostly enjoy the content, but like others have said some episodes just seem to be 'what can we do next' without thinking it would be of interest or relevance to the people who watch. I also find the so called reviews on YouTube not at all useful as they all seem to contain paid content or are sponsored and never a 'bad' word is ever said about the products? I understand they need to generate revenue for the channel but 'honest' reviews are almost impossible to find now on YouTube! I would love to see a channel where someone actually said a low powered e-bike is pointless unless your as as a fit as a butchers dog! only joking but hopefully you get the point.

As I mentioned above . . . Youtube's business model is for the presenter to drag out their vid, so they can put in more commercials and I read Youtube pays the channel 60% of the revenue they take in that is generated by each commercial.
On top of that, Amazon jumps into the action by having the channel create a link of a product they are hawking directly to Amazon and if a viewer uses that link the channel gets up to a 4% commission back from Amazon and also on "anything else" they buy over the next 24 hrs.
And most channels never mention they are getting paid if you use their product links or that they are getting revenues from any of the commercials/ads.

With this business model . . . Watching Youtube product reviews and putting any stock in thinking their reviews are unbiased now a days (which there are none anymore) . . . It's like watching the "fake news"

 

[Tribey]

I remember an episode where Chris was comparing his drive commute into Bath(I think) with an e-biking commute, so EMBN wasn't his main 'job'.
I'll miss him and his banter with Steve.

 

[galaga187]

Watch this EMBN Youtube back when Chris started as an EBN presenter. Gives good background on who he is and why it’s sad to see him leaving the channel: https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwjPxvKWrqD8AhUnIjQIHUXeDGgQtwJ6BAgJEAI&url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WE4ZLHvA54&usg=AOvVaw1leyGkYjxftVjj4ENzqbzB

Great video on Chris thanks for sharing - really open about inspirations and regrets.

 

[RebornRider]

I agree with the opinion that YouTube product review videos in general, and EMBN, GMBN, and GCN in particular, are just infomercials disguised as product reviews. However, if you're into tools and gadgets, check out The Torque Test Channel, Project Farm, AvE, and bigclivedotcom. And Hambini for road bike stuff, although he is very polarizing. There are some good, pro-consumer YouTube channels.

 

[Seven]

Shame really,
He was one the better presenters, a bit saccharin but nice enough and knowledgeable,
They really need a proper shake up of those channels,
Again, Doddy is actually sound, and watchable, knows his stuff and is actually a part of MTB history,
Unlike that daft bird they’ve got for “the diversity” who fumbles and stumbles her way through every episode and looks like the most awkward rider,
And that Welsh bloke is just plain creepy, all that inane grinning just makes my skin crawl,

 

[Mikerb]

Before the advent of You Tube, magazines...then later magazine web sites, were the main source of kit reviews ( for me re Windsurfing Kit rather than bikes). The same things applied then as many have commented a bove. There was never any open critisism of kit because the magazine relied on adverts from the industry as much as revenue from magazine circulation. They did at least however enable some reading between the lines with euphamisms like "may not suit everyone" etc but most of the You Tube channel reviewers/presenters seem to have lost that skill.

These channels are not alone however. 90% of what passes for news whether in newspapers or online is either a paid for narrative, politically motivated, or just pure click bait. So the skill becomes being able to trawl various sources to glean reality, or just (at least with You Tube channels) take what information you can from the visuals whilst being sceptical about the dialogue. With a bike review you can at least see what it looks like and its specification.

Chris struck me as a genuine "ordinary bloke" , not that comfortable in front of camera but a great rider and a good industry knowledge. I think he is also someone who would make personal relationship very easilly and naturally so the a bove idea of him being a bike rep for a major brand would be a good fit I reckon.

 

[E-MAD MALC]

Shame really,
He was one the better presenters, a bit saccharin but nice enough and knowledgeable,
They really need a proper shake up of those channels,
Again, Doddy is actually sound, and watchable, knows his stuff and is actually a part of MTB history,
Unlike that daft bird they’ve got for “the diversity” who fumbles and stumbles her way through every episode and looks like the most awkward rider,
And that Welsh bloke is just plain creepy, all that inane grinning just makes my skin crawl,

I think your being pretty unfare to those presenters
Just think if you were tuning in to the channels for the first time and not really knowing much about the modern cycling game
It sould be grest to see content you could relate too
Everyone has to start somewhere
If you think the content is no good anymore then switch off from it than just slagging them off

 

[RustyMTB]

Shame really,
He was one the better presenters, a bit saccharin but nice enough and knowledgeable,
They really need a proper shake up of those channels,
Again, Doddy is actually sound, and watchable, knows his stuff and is actually a part of MTB history,
Unlike that daft bird they’ve got for “the diversity” who fumbles and stumbles her way through every episode and looks like the most awkward rider,
And that Welsh bloke is just plain creepy, all that inane grinning just makes my skin crawl,

Anna was recruited to GMBN tech by Doddy. Over to you & your fascinating views on daft birds & diversity.

 

[E-MAD MALC]

Most of these presenters have years of experience under there belt she was brought in because this is not just a male thing and there are lots of women that also love this game.
For only being in front of a camera for less than a year
I feel she's doing ok and will only get better in time

 

[Peaky Rider]

I think your being pretty unfare to those presenters
Just think if you were tuning in to the channels for the first time and not really knowing much about the modern cycling game
It sould be grest to see content you could relate too
Everyone has to start somewhere
If you think the content is no good anymore then switch off from it than just slagging them off

Steve can be a bit Benny Hill/Carry on film though.

 

[E-MAD MALC]

This thread started missing Chris Smith and ends up running down the other presenters and channels
I thought these cycling forums and channels were meant to be a fun thing for everyone

 

[RustyMTB]

Well you're not exactly adding to the gaiety of the place are you? It so happens I agree with you on Anna Cipullo but you'd to better to aim your fire at the person who suggested she's only there to fulfil some undefined quota than whining at everyone else.

 

[dobbyhasfriends]

I noticed that when Chris started at EMBN he was quite skinny still and 5 years after he starts riding ebikes, he puts on quite a bit of weight....
coincidence?
I think not

 

[galaga187]

I noticed that when Chris started at EMBN he was quite skinny still and 5 years after he starts riding ebikes, he puts on quite a bit of weight....
coincidence?
I think not

Can eBikes have that effect? #Asking for a friend I saw Steve Jones on an Alan Milway (great coach) reel the other day - that would be good to see on EMBN.

 

[dobbyhasfriends]

Can eBikes have that effect? #Asking for a friend I saw Steve Jones on an Alan Milway (great coach) reel the other day - that would be good to see on EMBN.

I dunno, thats just facts, perhaps Chris took up competitive eating as a hobby ?

 

[MrRichardH]

Chris worked at EMBN (E-MTB channel). The GCN channel IMO leans mostly towards analog bikes not E-bikes.
After covid the analog bike industry is starting down again in viewer interest as it did after the gas crunch years ago when people were turning to their bikes again during rising oil prices. After gas started dropping again, biking interest in the U.S. fell off quickly which is happening again. Back then, you could see beautiful 10 speed analog bikes just sitting on peoples lawns with "Free" signs on them.

IMO E-bikes are still a growing sector vs analogs, so the EMBN channel is still in a good position for rising viewership. But they have gotten very commercial oriented and are pushing a lot of crap at us now which I just fast forward over it.

GCN, EMBN and GMBN are all owned by Discovery so essentially, they’re the same company. E-bikes are certainly the growth sector in cycling, particularly in Europe, where trail access seems to be less of an issue.