Sergio Avanto, now at FOX MTB, talks about the innovations in MTB that could work in moto, his path in and out of the motocross industry, working with James Stewart, Chad Reed, Ryan Villopoto, Ken Roczen and others, the politics in factory racing, his accomplishments, regrets and more.--- CHAPTERS ---00:02 Show intro & sponsor rundown01:18 Guest intro: Sergio Avanto02:36 Sergio's return to mountain biking with FOX04:28 MTB suspension customization, fork tech & OEM testing14:52 Fork tech evolution & the e-bike suspension challenge20:20 Specialized's Genie Shock & American vs European rider styles24:05 Ad reads & FOX's Live Valve NEO system31:58 USD forks, Answer Manitou & breaking into Factory Yamaha38:20 Learning suspension from John R and Ross Maeda44:27 James Stewart's photographic memory & Kawasaki whoop curve52:24 Adapting bikes to riders (Barcia) & Kawasaki's data problems59:46 James' L&M fork stiffness debate & Suzuki's frame edge1:07:34 Ad reads & the pivot-point/AMP-link history1:13:10 Honda's 2027 bike, leaving Yamaha & Keith McCarty1:19:02 Kawasaki/RCH suspension politics: Barcia and Roczen1:31:19 Roczen's low-maintenance Suzuki title & building FOX's MotoShock1:35:22 Aftermarket suspension struggles & the L&M/Larry Brooks fallout1:41:31 Ad reads & what made elite riders special1:44:29 Toughest riders to reach & why data-driven setups fail1:53:15 Kawasaki's inflexible setups & leaving for RCH1:57:34 Toxic Suzuki team rivalry & Villopoto as best tester2:03:43 Happiest career moments & would Sergio return to moto2:09:58 Custom NEO tune requests & sign-off2:12:16 Outro