If you followed racing or freestyle motocross in the late nineties and onwards, the Shift brand is something you, in one way or another, have some relationship with. You either liked the brand or you didn’t…
But Shift has disappeared from the market. What happened?
The site, ShiftMX.com is down. But we can see that the domain is still owned by Fox Head.
If we head over to Facebook and their page we can see that the last update was in August 2021.
So, is Shift done?
Shift was a subsidiary of Fox Racing. Our best guess is that Fox just didn’t see the two brands, Shift and Fox, as two separate brands anymore.
In the beginning, they were clearly focusing on different markets within the mx industry. But over the last couple of years, they were more or less just the same stuff with different names.
Running two brands is expensive and we believe one had to go. And choosing between Fox and Shift, well then the choice is pretty obvious.
How it started – about Shift MX
In their own words:
We are the brand for the bold and fearless, the armor for the purist. We are different. We are Shift.
Shift was founded in 1997 as a subsidiary of Fox and has since specialized in advanced race wear for off-road sports with an emphasis on motocross.
In 1995-1996 Greg and Pete Fox (FOX founders) were discussing what the future of motocross gear would be. Greg felt that the baggy-pants freestyle movement was going to be popular but Pete felt that, especially for racing, the traditional-style pants and jersey combo was where it was going to stay.
They then decided to form an all-new brand. A brand that would have the freedom to follow the trend that was happening with the freeride movement and just see where it would go.
When they launched Shift they did it with just two riders; Seth Enslow and Jeff Emig.
Over the years, many riders collaborated with Shift. Chad Reed, Davi Millsaps, Josh Hansen and, Blake Williams are some of the most successful riders that have been associated with Shift.
But for us: Shift is Jeff Emig! (and maybe some 22Motorsports Chad Reed..)
Jeff Emig and Shift MX no more!
For over 25 years, Jeff Emig and Shift have been synonymous in the mx world.
But no more. According to a post on Jeff Emig’s Instagram that partnership is now ending.
Looking to buy Shift MX gear?
You can however buy “old” Shift gear.
In a post over at VitalMX one of the owners (our guess) of MX South – an established dealer (online and a physical store) of 39 years- has purchased all of the existing Shift MX products that were in stock at Fox. Plus some new Shift gear that came in 2024. This was delayed gear from the Pandemic.
They sell the stuff at reduced prices over at a dedicated shift-moto store.
From the looks of it, new Shift racing gear isn’t on the horizon.
But, who knows, later down the line we might see a comeback. Like the, also, iconic brand One Industries just did!
