Earlier this week, Animal Bikes announced that longtime team rider and employee Mike Brennan was no longer riding or working for Animal. Brennan, who started riding for Animal in the mid '00s and was featured in such Animal videos as "Cuts," as well as "Don't Quit Your Day Job 2" (though not officially an Animal video), thanked Animal for their time together via Twitter.
"Thanks for an amazing time. It was a great time and everyone over there is still family," said Brennan, who not only rode for the company, but also worked in the office and on the road doing sales, handling team needs and whatever else fit into his schedule.
Brennan's other sponsors include Wethepeople Bike Co., under which he still has a signature frame (the Warriors frame, shared with Max Gaertig), signature grips and handlebars.
So what's Mike Brennan got in store now that he's parted ways with Animal? He's joined forces with former Animal designer Sean Curran on a new project called Merritt BMX. Merritt has been in the works for the past month or so, with small glimpses of the company emerging on the web via Twitter and Instagram. Their first photo: a picture of Brennan and Curran's bikes parked outside a sandwich shop with the caption reading "The start."
Additional photos include shots of Brad Simms (which could infer his addition to the team) and newly arrived stickers, but not much else. As details emerge, we will update Merritt's progress.
In the meantime, Brennan still has clips in Animal's newest video "Foreign and Domestic," which is available via digital download on the Animal site, and well worth the $5 cost.
Use a Facebook account to add a comment, subject to Facebook's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Your Facebook name, photo & other personal information you make public on Facebook will appear with your comment, and may be used on ESPNâs media platforms. Learn more