Bikes & Big Ideas: Recent Episodes
BLISTER
Bikes & Big Ideas is the weekly podcast from BLISTER (blisterreview.com) that's dedicated to the most interesting conversations and ideas from the bike world — and beyond.
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Today on The Vault, we’re sharing one of Simon’s favorite moments from a Bikes & Big Ideas conversation where Hayden Zablotny talks about poaching the Proving Grounds event on his way to getting invited to — and then winning — Red Bull Rampage.
Note: We Want to Hear From You!
We’d love for you to share with us the stories or topics you’d like us to cover next month on Reviewing the News; ask your most pressing mountain town advice questions, or offer your hot takes for us to rate. Email us at: info@blisterreview.com
RELATED LINKS:
Get Yourself Covered: BLISTER+
Order our 26/27 Winter Buyer’s Guide
Enter Our Free Weekly Gear Giveaways
For the Full Episode: 2025 Red Bull Rampage Winner, Hayden Zablotny (Ep.307)
CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:
Blister Podcast
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
Bikes & Big Ideas
GEAR:30
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Mike and Simon break down the bike racing in July, including the World Cup MTB racing in La Thuile and Andorra, the Tour de France, and the Canadian Open DH at Crankworx Whistler. They talk about Trek’s decision to limit all their eMTBs to 20 mph, and debate whether we’ve had bike shoe design all wrong, plus a whole lot more.
Note: We Want to Hear From You!
Please let us know if there’s a topic you’d like us to cover or a guest you’d like us to have on Bikes and Big Ideas. Email us at info@blisterreview.com to weigh in.
RELATED LINKS:
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
Get Our Free Newsletter & Gear Giveaways
BLISTER+ Get Yourself Covered
Mike’s The Grimy Handshake Substack
Manitou on the New Mezzer & Mezzer LT (Ep.328)
TOPICS & TIMES:
Simon’s Trip Across the Pond (1:17)
World Cup MTB Racing Recap (3:28)
Mike & Simon’s Take on the Tour de France (21:02)
Canadian Open DH Recap (32:00)
Trek’s Voluntary eMTB Speed Limit (35:48)
Are Bike Shoes Too Stiff? (44:06)
Einstein’s Saddle (48:51)
New Products (55:43)
Mike’s Pump Off (1:07:17)
CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:
The Blister Vault
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
A lot of recently updated bikes have felt like relatively subtle refinements of their predecessors, but there are also a bunch of brands still taking big swings. The new Yeti LT, Orbea Rallon, and Devinci Spartan are all very, very different from the bikes they replaced, and we’ve been testing all of them.
So David Golay sat down with Xan Marshland to offer up some thoughts on this new crop of long-travel bruisers, discuss some of the shorter-travel rigs they’ve been testing — across a vast range of price points — and get into some bigger picture discussions about the direction of the bike industry and mountain bike design along the way.
Note: We Want to Hear From You!
Please share with us the questions, topics, or stories you’d like us to cover on Bikes & Big Ideas. You can email us at: info@blisterreview.com
RELATED LINKS:
Momentous: livemomentous.com use code: Blister
OneSkin: oneskin.co/BLISTER
Get Yourself Covered: BLISTER+
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
TOPICS & TIMES:
Ibis Ripley AF (1:18)
Specialized Epic 9 (11:57)
Revel Ranger V3 (18:06)
Yeti LT (24:16)
Orbea Rallon (36:16)
Devinci Spartan (47:13)
CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
PeopleForBikes’ City Ratings are more than just a list of which cities have the best bike paths; they are a comprehensive look at how a city manages bike infrastructure, and have become a tool cities use to identify areas needing improvement, and a valuable resource for for individuals interested in advocating for change in their own communities.
City Ratings is a massive undertaking, so we sat down with PeopleForBikes’ Martina Haggerty and Grace Stonecipher to get a behind-the-scenes look at what goes into producing them and how they’re reshaping the ways some cities approach bike infrastructure.
Note: We Want to Hear From You!
Please share with us the questions, topics, or stories you’d like us to cover on Bikes & Big Ideas. You can email us at: info@blisterreview.com
RELATED LINKS:
Momentous: livemomentous.com use code: Blister
OneSkin: oneskin.co/BLISTER
Get Yourself Covered: BLISTER+
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
TOPICS & TIMES:
Who Are PeopleForBikes and What They Do (0:38)
Why & How City Ratings Got Started (2:20)
How Many Cities are Included (3:41)
City Ratings Methodology (4:10)
Best Cities (11:12)
Pushback? (13:03)
How to get involved to help your city become more bike-friendly (18:04)
Biggest Challenges (21:43)
International Cities (24:35)
Ebike considerations? (26:36)
Next year’s ratings (28:28)
What advice can you offer a city to help improve its score? (29:27)
Other PFB Initiatives (30:25)
CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
After 22 years, Cam McCaul and Trek parted ways, leading to a new partnership with Revel Bikes, so Simon caught up with his old friend Cam to get the inside story on how his new Partnership with Revel came to be.
And it’s not all bike and sponsor talk. Fans of Red Bull Rampage have been listening to Cam’s commentary for years, and today he also talks about how hard it was being on the mic when Adolf Silva got injured, what he thinks about the future of Rampage, and much more.
Note: We Want to Hear From You!
Please share with us the questions, topics, or stories you’d like us to cover on Bikes & Big Ideas. You can email us at: info@blisterreview.com
RELATED LINKS:
Episode Sponsor: oneskin.co/BLISTER
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
BLISTER+ Get Yourself Covered
TOPICS & TIMES:
Cam & Simon’s Elevator Show (3:27)
Signing with Revel (6:09)
Cam’s Take on MTB Design (16:46)
Broadcasting (19:59)
Kissing the Blarney Stone (21:21)
Stunt Work (24:10)
Adolf Silva’s Rampage Injury (36:34)
The Future of Rampage (42:34)
Worst Injury (47:42)
What Gets Cam Fired About Bikes? (51:23)
Cam’s Music Recs (1:00:10)
CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:
Blister Cinematic
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
CRAFTED
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Hunt Bike Wheels has been building durable, affordable wheels since 2015, so Simon caught up with their Brand Manager, James Stokoe, to talk about about their early days based in a garage, their first gravel wheels, moving into the MTB market, rider-focused engineering, why wheels make the most sense when upgrading a new bike, some highly entertaining stories from James, and more.
Note: We Want to Hear From You!
Please let us know if there’s a topic you’d like us to cover or a guest you’d like us to have on Bikes and Big Ideas. Email us at info@blisterreview.com to weigh in.
RELATED LINKS:
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
BLISTER+ Get Yourself Covered
Hunt Bike Wheels
TOPICS & TIMES:
Hunt’s History (3:41)
First Gravel Wheels (8:36)
The move into MTB Wheels (13:31)
Rider-Focused Engineering Approach (15:40)
Aluminum & Carbon Wheels (20:01)
Hub Design (27:40)
Why Durability is so Important (35:08)
Hunt’s Customer Service (45:07)
Upcoming events for Hunt (52:29)
CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In the midst of some of the most dangerous fire conditions ever seen in the American West, Mike and Simon discuss wildfire prevention and what the different levels of fire restrictions mean.
From the bike industry, there's the shocking news from Cannonale to shutter their factory racing program next year, SRAM’s plan to build a massive factory in Portugal, and Mike gives a heartfelt tribute to the late Charlie Cunningham.
The World Cup DH and XC stop in Lenzerheide delivered exciting racing, giving Mike and Simon plenty to get fired up about, and with the La Thuile World Cup right around the corner, they offer up some predictions, too.
Note: We Want to Hear From You!
Please let us know if there’s a topic you’d like us to cover or a guest you’d like us to have on Bikes and Big Ideas. Email us at info@blisterreview.com to weigh in.
RELATED LINKS:
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
Get Our Free Newsletter & Gear Giveaways
BLISTER+ Get Yourself Covered
Mike’s The Grimy Handshake Substack
TOPICS & TIMES:
Monarch Crest Ride (1:24)
Wildfire Prevention & Fire Restrictions (7:18)
Tribute to Charlie Cunningham (19:30)
Cannondale Shutting Down Factory Racing Program (23:00)
New SRAM Factory in Portugal (28:00)
Overlanding E-Bikes (30:31)
Lenzerheide World Cup Recap (39:39)
La Thuile World Cup Predictions (49:57)
CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
It’s never been easy to make it as an independent framebuilder, and it’s only getting harder. Chris Blandford knows the struggle well, and might well be doing more than anyone else currently to support small US builders, from founding Firsthand Framebuilding to resurrecting Paragon Machine Works, and more. He’s here to tell us all about it.
Note: We Want to Hear From You!
Please share with us the questions, topics, or stories you’d like us to cover on Bikes & Big Ideas. You can email us at: info@blisterreview.com
RELATED LINKS:
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
BLISTER Digital Access Pass
TOPICS & TIMES:
Introducing Chris (2:40)
The Portland, OR framebuilding scene (6:26)
Chris’ introduction to framebuilding (10:22)
Founding Firsthand & the Firsthand vision (13:20)
Framebuilding classes (18:25)
Acquiring Paragon Machine Works (31:18)
What’s next? (44:59)
CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
We tend to think of maps as objective representations of the physical world around us, but they're subject to the biases, goals, and editorial choices of the folks making them — just like any other piece of writing, film, or method of communication. Dillon Osleger's excellent new book, Trail Work, lays out how the erasure of trails from historic maps erodes our collective access to public lands; how and why those maps have evolved over the decades; the biggest challenges facing public land advocates, especially in the American West; and a whole lot of other topics that are vitally important to anyone who likes spending time outside. He joins us to discuss all of it.
Note: We Want to Hear From You!
Please share with us the questions, topics, or stories you’d like us to cover on Bikes & Big Ideas. You can email us at: info@blisterreview.com
RELATED LINKS:
Trail Work
Dillon Osleger on Historic Trails, Changing Climates, & Evolving Communities (Ep.133)
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
BLISTER Digital Access Pass
TOPICS & TIMES:
Trail Work (2:14)
Inspiration & goals for the book (6:52)
The evolution of MTB trail access (9:09)
Mixed-use trails & managing user interactions (13:10)
The deliberate disappearance of trails (16:47)
The trail degradation feedback loop (21:31)
Maps as a language (29:06)
The erasure of place names & their history (35:37)
Stewardship & how we can do better (40:08)
CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Like most small framebuilders, Ashley King launched Significant Other making custom rigid frames, but she turned that model on its head by launching the Ded Reckin full-suspension XC/Trail bike, and taking it to serial production. And if that’s not enough, she’s already built prototypes of two more full-suspension models, too. So we brought Ashley back on the show to tell the whole story, from deciding to build the original Ded Reckin show bike to offering it as a production model, material selection and opting for a mix of steel and titanium, developing the Doom Scroll Prophecy prototypes, and a whole lot more.
And for a lot more on Ashley’s background, the founding of Significant Other, and her path into frame building, check out Ep.253 of Bikes & Big Ideas.
Note: We Want to Hear From You!
Please share with us the questions, topics, or stories you’d like us to cover on Bikes & Big Ideas. You can email us at: info@blisterreview.com
RELATED LINKS:
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
BLISTER+ Get Yourself Covered
TOPICS & TIMES:
Moving from custom rigid frames to production full-suspension bikes (3:00)
The Ded Reckin show bike (10:37)
Design brief & details (17:30)
Looking like a Significant Other (21:43)
Production readiness & refining the details (25:05)
3D printed parts & mixing construction techniques (31:27)
The preorder model (35:41)
The Doom Scroll Prophecy (38:27)
Naming the bikes (52:19)
CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Mike had to make a trip back to Mexico to help his 97-year-old Mom move, and amidst spider bites, broken windows, explosive dog diarrhea, and the usual technical issues (he needs his own full-time tech support department), he miraculously joined Simon to go over a very busy month — from racing to the courtroom, they have a lot to get through.
Paragon Machine Works' reopening is the best news, and looks poised to keep frame builders stocked with crucial parts. Niner Bikes has been “paused”, whatever that means. Kona has a new boss (Mike is skeptical). The Loudenvielle DH World Cup was a crash-fest, but Luca Shaw emerged from the carnage on the top step, and Vali Holl continued her dominance on the notoriously tricky track. SRAM’s legal win against the UCI sets a precedent, and tons more.
Note: We Want to Hear From You!
Please let us know if there’s a topic you’d like us to cover or a guest you’d like us to have on Bikes and Big Ideas. Email us at info@blisterreview.com to weigh in.
RELATED LINKS:
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
Get Our Free Newsletter & Gear Giveaways
BLISTER+ Get Yourself Covered
Mike’s The Grimy Handshake Substack
Manitou on the New Mezzer & Mezzer LT (Ep.328)
TOPICS & TIMES:
Mike’s Dumpster Fire
Loudenville World Cup Highlights
Luca Shaw Finally Gets a Win
Vali Holl Dominates
Nova Mesto XC World Cup Insights
Tom Pidcock Owns the Nova Mesto Course
Giro D’Italia Recap & Durango’s Sepp Kuss’ Stage Win
SRAM’s Precedent-Setting Legal Victory
Leadership Changes at Kona
Industry News: Company Closures and Reopenings
New Products: Manitou’s New Mezzer
Upcoming RockShox Flight Attendant Video Teaser
CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The long-travel single-crown fork landscape has shifted a ton since Manitou unveiled the original Mezzer in 2019, and the new second-generation version has seen a lot of changes to better match modern bikes — including splitting the lineup into the standard Mezzer and the beefier Mezzer LT. Both get a host of intriguing performance-oriented changes, too, so we brought Manitou Product Manager Phil Ott back on the show to discuss them, and tell the development story of the new forks.
Note: We Want to Hear From You!
Please share with us the questions, topics, or stories you’d like us to cover on Bikes & Big Ideas. You can email us at: info@blisterreview.com
RELATED LINKS:
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
BLISTER+ Get Yourself Covered
TOPICS & TIMES:
Goals for the Updated Mezzer (2:29)
Versions & Splitting the Lineup (4:39)
Chassis Stiffness & Friction (8:50)
Dropouts & Alignment (21:41)
Spring Design (28:14)
Damper (35:42)
Adding High-Speed Rebound Adjuster (42:20)
Compression Damping (47:35)
CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Spot’s Ryan Palmer and Simon Stewart have been talking about bikes for years, so when Spot dropped their new Diggity 125 Trail bike, Simon quickly wound him up for a chat. Ryan shares details about their design decisions, why Spot’s Living Link suspension layout gives them more kinematic control throughout the travel, their interesting take on size-specific chainstay length, the lightweight Trail bike trend, and a whole lot more.
Note: We Want to Hear From You!
Please share with us the questions, topics, or stories you’d like us to cover on Bikes & Big Ideas. You can email us at: info@blisterreview.com
RELATED LINKS:
Spot Bikes
Outerbike
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
BLISTER+ Get Yourself Covered
TOPICS & TIMES:
What’s With the Name Diggity? (2:40)
What Were the Design Goals? (8:13)
How Did You Land on 125 mm? (13:06)
How Important was Weight? (14:35)
Why it's More Than a Shorter Travel Mayhem 140 (23:17)
Geometry (29:43)
Spot’s Take on Size-Specific Chainstays (32:44)
Where Can You Ride One (50:47)
Spot’s 30 Day Return Guarantee (53:15)
CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Gravel Hall of Famer Yuri Hauswald is coming out of retirement at age 55 to raise money for the Life Time Foundation by racing the Unbound Gravel 200, a race he won over a decade ago. Tune in to find out why he’s starting dead last, what’s changed in his training approach, his bike setup, and why he’s passionate about kids’ charities, plus some bonus gravel tips & tricks for one of the most challenging gravel races in the world, by one of the best to ever do it. Don’t miss this one.
Note: We Want to Hear From You!
Please share with us the questions, topics, or stories you’d like us to cover on Bikes & Big Ideas. You can email us at: info@blisterreview.com
RELATED LINKS:
Donate to Chase The Race with Yuri Hauswald
Lifetime Foundation
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
BLISTER+ Get Yourself Covered
TOPICS & TIMES:
Specialized’s Ride to Vegas (1:18)
Yuri’s Bike Racing History (3:13)
Winning the Unbound 200 in 2015 (5:35)
Why Come out of Retirement to Race it Again (9:23)
Why Emporia Kansas Changed Yuri’s Like (11:53)
Training & Fundraising (18:37)
Having a Coach and Fueling (26:43)
What the Hell is a Mud Stick (30:21)
Yuri’s Unbound Gravel 200 Tips & Tricks (33:16)
Bike Setup & Tire Choice (41:47)
How Can We Find You in the Race (46:52)
CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Mike and Simon unpack the first DH and XC World Cup of the season, and there’s a whole lot to talk about, including course drama, fast Frenchies, DH hardtails, belt drives, tons of flats, just as many crashes, and Vali Holl and Asa Vermette's insane winning runs, not to mention the XC race mudfest the day after. Plus, we sprinkle in a bit of industry news, and Mike lays out his plan to make poison oak pepper spray.
Note: We Want to Hear From You!
Please let us know if there’s a topic you’d like us to cover or a guest you’d like us to have on Bikes and Big Ideas. Email us at info@blisterreview.com to weigh in.
RELATED LINKS:
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
Get Our Free Newsletter & Gear Giveaways
BLISTER+ Get Yourself Covered
Mike’s The Grimy Handshake Substack
TOPICS & TIMES:
Air Travel & Spirit Airlines (2:36)
Mike’s Poison Oak Spray (13:20)
The 1st World Cup DH of the Season (17:00)
Course Drama (30:56)
Asa Veremette has Arrived (31:37)
Women’s Elite (34:52)
Vali Holl’s Run (39:18)
The XC Race Mudder (43:18)
Mike’s Sea Otter Recap (50:21)
The Evolving eMTB Landscape (57:44)
Another Surron Parent Charged (1:08:15)
CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Hannah Otto has been reeling off an impressive streak of mountain biking FKTs over the past few years, and now she’s added a road bike one to the list: the 14,000’ climb up Mauna Kea, Hawai’i. So we brought Hannah back on the show to tell the story behind the effort, discuss the differences in FKT culture across disciplines, and a whole lot more.
Note: We Want to Hear From You!
Please share with us the questions, topics, or stories you’d like us to cover on Bikes & Big Ideas. You can email us at: info@blisterreview.com
RELATED LINKS:
Hannah on the Whole Enchilada FKT (Ep.143)
Hannah on the Kokopelli Trail FKT (Ep.232)
‘Chasing the Triple Crown’ (Blister Cinematic Ep.49)
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
BLISTER+ Get Yourself Covered
TOPICS & TIMES:
Taking on Mauna Kea (2:17)
The route & elevation profile (6:43)
Choosing which FKT to attempt (10:11)
The Mauna Kea FKT history (13:15)
Weather concerns (14:41)
Pre-riding & prep (18:59)
Pacing & power numbers (25:08)
The turn & getting back on pace (28:25)
Bike setup (33:06)
Road vs. MTB FKT culture (35:13)
Training on a road bike as a MTB / gravel racer (47:17)
CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
We’re back and (mostly) recovered from Sea Otter, so David and Simon sat down to discuss the highlights and main trends from the show. And we’re busy as ever testing bikes, so we give some updates on a bunch of them, from the Pivot Mach 4 SL to the Devinci Spartan, the Specialized Levo R to the Pivot Shuttle AMP’d, and more.
Note: We Want to Hear From You!
Please share with us the questions, topics, or stories you’d like us to cover on Bikes & Big Ideas. You can email us at: info@blisterreview.com
RELATED LINKS:
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
BLISTER+ Get Yourself Covered
Hans Rey (Ep.319)
Chris Cocalis (Ep.321)
TOPICS & TIMES:
Sea Otter Recap (1:37)
Transition Spur (9:31)
Pivot Mach 4 SL (12:37)
Atherton A.150.M (19:25)
Specialized Turbo Levo R (26:29)
Devinci Spartan (34:04)
Pivot Shuttle AMP’d (39:54)
CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
There aren’t a lot of options for truly custom full-suspension frames out there, and the few that do exist tend to be very expensive. But Vessel Bike Project is offering US-made high-pivot steel frames with truly custom geometry and kinematics (and a massive amount of adjustability) for a surprisingly modest $3,300. So, how are they doing it? What does the customization process look like? And what is the general design philosophy behind Vessel? We dive into all of that and more with Vessel Founder, Jack Harle.
Note: We Want to Hear From You!
Please share with us the questions, topics, or stories you’d like us to cover on Bikes & Big Ideas. You can email us at: info@blisterreview.com
RELATED LINKS:
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
BLISTER+ Get Yourself Covered
TOPICS & TIMES:
Vessel’s backstory
Suspension kinematics & the baseline Vessel frame design
Frame layout
Anti-rise & its impact on performance
Selling bikes
The customization process
Leverage curves & tailoring them for different riders
Jack’s philosophy on bike design
Geometry
Suspension setup
Pricing & the ordering process
CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Pivot just launched their new Avinox M2S powered Shuttle AMP’d, so today Pivot founder Chris Cocalis talks us through the development process, the decision to spec the controversial high-powered Avinox drive system, early prototypes, and the challenges of implementing a motor with that much power. He also gets into why he loves XC bikes, his thoughts on 32” wheels, and who he thinks is going to win the Supercross title, Eli Tomac, Ken Roczen, Hunter Lawrence, or?
Note: We Want to Hear From You!
Please let us know if there’s a topic you’d like us to cover or a guest you’d like us to have on Bikes and Big Ideas. Email us at info@blisterreview.com to weigh in.
RELATED LINKS:
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
BLISTER+ Get Yourself Covered
TOPICS & TIMES:
New Shuttle AMP’d (1:58)
Why Avinox? (2:13)
Motor Swaps & Early Prototyping (5:52)
Adding Some Beef to the Chassis (8:57)
New Shuttle LT (28:59)
New Mach 4 SL (32:45)
Chris’ Take on 32” Wheels (42:11)
Who’s Going to Win Supercross (48:42)
CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:
Blister Cinematic
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
CRAFTED
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The frame building community lost an integral parts supplier with the closing of Paragon Machine Works, so today, Mike and Simon talk about what happened and what's next for frame builders. The first race of the Monster Pro Downhill series had some surprises, leading them to throw out some predictions for what is shaping up to be one hell of a World Cup DH season. We also discuss the dangers of kids riding Surrons and why parents might want to pay attention, plus a solid rant on crazy high hotel pet fees, and more.
Note: We Want to Hear From You!
Please let us know if there’s a topic you’d like us to cover or a guest you’d like us to have on Bikes and Big Ideas. Email us at info@blisterreview.com to weigh in.
RELATED LINKS:
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
Get Our Free Newsletter & Gear Giveaways
BLISTER+ Get Yourself Covered
Mike’s The Grimy Handshake Substack
TOPICS & TIMES:
Hero Dirt (3:28)
Crazy High Hotel Pet Fees (5:17)
32” Wheel Momentum (16:38)
Paragon Machine Works Closes (26:47)
Knolly Bikes Restructuring (32:16)
The Danger of Kids on Surrons (33:52)
More recalls (41:14)
Racing updates (42:38)
Will this be Luca Shaw’s Year? (47:11)
Mike Waxing His… (51:12)
What we’re reading & watching (1:03:20)
CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Hans Rey joins Simon to discuss the letter he wrote to the bike industry about crazy-high eBike power numbers and the total disregard for the existing Class 1 eBike power limits we’re seeing currently. Hans is worried, and rightfully so, that the eBike power war is out of control, and what it means for rider safety and future trail access needs to be considered.
Note: We Want to Hear From You!
Please let us know if there’s a topic you’d like us to cover or a guest you’d like us to have on Bikes and Big Ideas. Email us at info@blisterreview.com to weigh in.
RELATED LINKS:
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
BLISTER+ Get Yourself Covered
TOPICS & TIMES:
The eBike Power War (4:28)
Class 1 vs Class 3 (8:45)
Defining What an eBike is (14:14)
Who Makes the Rules? (15:31)
How Much Power is too Much? (18:48)
Are Chinese Brands to Blame? (24:48)
Should the Industry Self-Regulate? (27:12)
Preserving Trail Access (29:46)
Are Bike Brands Being Irresponsible? (34:41)
Moving the Goal Post (37:34)
Impossible Climbs Made Possible (43:04)
What’s Next for Hans (52:12)
CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:
Blister Cinematic
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
CRAFTED
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Are 32’’ wheels going to take over the MTB world, or become a flash in the pan like plus-sized tires did a decade ago? How did the bike industry take sudden interest in a unicycle wheel size — and are 32’’ wheeled-bikes even truly new? And, maybe most importantly, how do the big wheels actually ride? We’re joined by Daniel Yang of Neuhaus Metalworks to discuss the burgeoning wheel size, the challenges of designing a bike for bigger wheels, and get a history lesson on the evolution of MTB wheel sizes.
RELATED LINKS:
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
BLISTER+ Get Yourself Covered
TOPICS & TIMES:
The history of MTB wheel sizes
The first 29er tire
Tubeless MTB tires
First production 29er
The first 32’’ bike
Neuhaus 32’’ prototypes
Testing 32’’ wheels
Predictions for the future of 32’’ wheels
CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Today, Mike and Simon discuss what's happening, and not happening, with the investigations into the shooting deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Good, and Kristi Noem’s complete lack of accountability.
On the bike news side, there’s an ongoing power war taking place among eBike drive system manufacturers; bike companies suing to get much-needed tariff money back; Tadej Pogacar dominating the Strade Bianche again; new bikes from Pivot, Specialized, and Kona; plus a whole lot more.
Note: We Want to Hear From You!
Please let us know if there’s a topic you’d like us to cover or a guest you’d like us to have on Bikes and Big Ideas. Email us at info@blisterreview.com to weigh in.
RELATED LINKS:
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
Get Our Free Newsletter & Gear Giveaways
BLISTER+ Get Yourself Covered
Mike’s The Grimy Handshake Substack
TOPICS & TIMES:
Accountability for the Deaths of Alex Pretti & Renee Good (3:42)
Will Bike Companies Get Money Back From Tariffs? (9:32)
Hans Rey’s Letter to the Bike Industry (16:26)
Emil Johansson Rampage Injury Update (33:35)
Tadej Pogacar’s Strade Bianche Dominance (38:09)
A Drop Bar Kona Mountain Bike (44:07)
Turbo Levo R (50:04)
New Pivot Mach 4 SL (57:35)
What We’re Reading & Watching (1:02:05)
CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The current Kavenz VHP bikes come with a sticker that says “Made from aluminum: we give a shit,” a nod to the recyclability and (purportedly) lower environmental impact of aluminum compared to carbon fiber.
But Kavenz is also openly developing the next-generation VHP platform — and it’s using carbon tubes bonded to aluminum lugs. So, why change materials, especially when aluminum is such a big part of the brand’s image and ethos? Why document the whole process for the public, rather than developing a new bike in secret, as most brands do? Is the environmental impact of aluminum even really lower? We sat down with Kavenz founder Giacomo Großehagenbrock to discuss all that and much more.
RELATED LINKS:
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
BLISTER+ Get Yourself Covered
TOPICS & TIMES:
Founding Kavenz & Documenting Frame Design (2:41)
Why Update the VHP? (8:07)
Material Options & Refining the VHP X (12:49)
Filament Winding & Carbon Tubes (15:50)
Environmental Impact of Carbon Fiber (18:51)
Bonding a Frame (22:22)
Sample Testing & Next Steps (28:32)
Availability & Pricing (38:28)
CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
How many times have you attempted a trick or a move in a row before finally getting it? It’s probably a lot fewer than 400. Today, Danny MacAskill breaks down the trick that taught him how to persevere and overcome the impossible.
Danny’s Inspired Bicycles video was a sensation. Everyone was talking about it, sharing it, and our minds were blown. What happened after that video is well known, and to say it went a wee bit viral is an understatement, since it has amassed over 40 million views, launching Danny’s prolific career that has now spanned over 16 years, and has given us so many memorable moments.
Danny talks about other challenging tricks, like front flipping off Edinburgh Castle, as well as his worst injuries, exploring new terrain on his eBike, trials riding with a motor, creative jogging, and why he should be in the next James Bond film.
RELATED LINKS:
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
BLISTER+ Get Yourself Covered
TOPICS & TIMES:
Being a Hero to Kids (2:18)
Danny’s Bike Idols (3:47)
Trials Riding on eBikes (12:04)
James Bond (15:40)
The “Spiky Fence” Trick (16:53)
Front Flipping off Edinburgh Castle (25:38)
His Long Injury List (32:03)
Is Danny Slowing Down Moving into his 40s? (39:50)
Why Nipple Height is Important (40:33)
Keeping Soul in his Riding & What he’s Producing (43:42)
His Love of Music & What He’s Listening to (50:46)
CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:
Blister Cinematic
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
CRAFTED
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
David Golay shares why he hasn’t jived with any of the eMTBs he’s ridden so far, and if the new light-assist bikes from Orbea and Norco he’s been spending time on might have a chance of changing his mind. Simon, on the other hand, is a big fan of eMTBs, regardless of whether they have a full-power or light-assist drive system, and has a couple of full-power beauties from Pivot and Norco to talk about. And to avoid a whole episode on bikes with motors, they throw the Atherton A.150.M in the mix, too.
Note: We Want to Hear From You!
Please let us know if there’s a topic you’d like us to cover or a guest you’d like us to have on Bikes and Big Ideas. Email us at info@blisterreview.com to weigh in.
RELATED LINKS:
Blister Craft Collective
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
Get Our Free Newsletter & Gear Giveaways
BLISTER+ Get Yourself Covered
CHECK OUT OUR YOUTUBE CHANNELS:
Blister Studios (our new channel)
Blister Review (our original channel)
TOPICS & TIMES:
Blister+ (1:27)
Atherton 150m (2:01)
Pivot Shuttle LT (13:02)
Orbea Rallon RS (24:47)
Norco Sight VLT TQ (39:41)
Norco Sight VLT CX (45:59)
CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:
Blister Cinematic
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
CRAFTED
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Today, Mike and Simon discuss the invasion of Minneapolis, the killing of fellow cyclist Alex Pretti by ICE, and how the cycling community united in solidarity worldwide.
They also talk about some bike industry news, like Revel Bikes relocating, and more fires to put out for Rad Power Bikes. Downhill racing kicked off with Red Bull Hardline in Tasmania, so they put in their picks, plus Mike recaps the Cyclocross World Championships, and more.
Note: We Want to Hear From You!
Please let us know if there’s a topic you’d like us to cover or a guest you’d like us to have on Bikes and Big Ideas. Email us at info@blisterreview.com to weigh in.
RELATED LINKS:
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
Get Our Free Newsletter & Gear Giveaways
BLISTER+ Get Yourself Covered
Mike’s The Grimy Handshake Substack
TOPICS & TIMES:
Mike’s Latest Substack Story (7:13)
Simon’s Return To Bike Racing (12:29)
Alex Pretti (22:28)
Revel is Relocating (30:28)
Rad Power Bikes on Fire (Again) & Their New Ownership (32:47)
Red Bull Hardline Tasmania Preview (37:08)
Cyclocross World Championships Recap (43:38)
First Impressions of the New Pivot Shuttle LT (52:57)
Are Lightweight Trail Bikes Making a Comeback? (59:50)
CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Frameworks has just added Aaron Gwin — the most successful American DH racer of the modern era — to an already-stacked lineup of Asa Vermette and Anna Newkirk, launched updated versions of their Enduro and DH bikes, and more. So we brought Neko Mulally back on the show to tell us about all of it, including the behind-the-scenes contract challenges with a rider of Aaron’s stature; the new bikes and what has (and hasn’t) changed; team dynamics and offseason prep; and a whole lot more.
RELATED LINKS:
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
BLISTER+ Get Yourself Covered
TOPICS & TIMES:
Signing Aaron Gwin (1:53)
The 2026 Frameworks Roster (12:43)
Bike Setup for the Team (17:25)
The 2026 DH Bike (24:41)
2026 Frameworks Enduro (31:18)
Preseason Prep (32:09)
Team Goals for 2026 (34:42)
CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
We’re wrapping up our Best Bikes of the Century series, so today, Blister reviewers Zack Henderson, Xan Marshland, David Golay, and Simon Stewart reveal their top three selections. We also share picks and insights from a number of bike industry luminaries and legends, along with some listener opinions, before trying to narrow it down to a final podium.
Note: We Want to Hear From You!
Please let us know if there’s a topic you’d like us to cover or a guest you’d like us to have on Bikes and Big Ideas. Email us at info@blisterreview.com to weigh in.
RELATED LINKS:
Best Bikes of the Century Survey
Blister Craft Collective
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
BLISTER+ Get Yourself Covered
TOPICS & TIMES:
Industry Picks (1:23)
Our Picks (26:56)
Listener Comments (58:25)
The Final Countdown (1:03:20)
CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Will 32’’ wheels have staying power, or will they be another flash in the pan like plus-sized tires? Either way, they’re coming, and we sat down with Manitou Product Manager, Phil Ott, and Reynolds Director of Wheel Development, Todd Tanner, to discuss what it takes to design parts for 32’’ bikes; how to avoid a mess of competing standards as 32’’ bikes come online; where we are (and aren’t) likely to see 32’’ wheels in a few years; and a whole lot more.
RELATED LINKS:
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
BLISTER+ Get Yourself Covered
TOPICS & TIMES:
Introductions (1:19)
When did Hayes start taking 32’’ wheels seriously? (3:02)
What made it clear that 32’’ wheels were happening? (5:57)
The importance of the UCI sanctioning 32’’ wheels (8:43)
Early prototyping (11:13)
Refinements & limitations of the wheel size (16:29)
Fork offset & other details (32:07)
Phil and Todd’s wish lists (33:55)
What’s the ceiling for 32’’ wheels? (38:43)
CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:
Blister Cinematic
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
CRAFTED
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
We’ve got a lot of interesting drivetrain-related testing going on right now, from our just-published roundup of chain damping devices to multiple gearbox bikes, the Supre Drive-equipped Lal Katana, and more. David and Zack sat down to discuss what they’re learning, debate the pros and cons of these novel options, and give a rundown on some more conventional bikes they’ve been spending time on, too.
RELATED LINKS:
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
BLISTER+ Get Yourself Covered
TOPICS & TIMES:
Kavenz VHP G2 (2:11)
Evil Offering (16:59)
Lal Katana (30:29)
Transition Regulator SX (38:45)
Chain Damper Roundup (47:56)
CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Today, Mike joins us from Loretto, Mexico, and on his way down there, he stopped in Los Algodones to get his rotten teeth fixed in what's become known as Molar City. Mike recounts his experience with Mexico’s booming low-cost dental industry and how, at one point, he thought he might be in a Quentin Tarantino film.
On the bike news front, we talk about more struggling companies, including Rad Power Bikes and Campagnolo, as well as a few recalls, before getting into World Cup DH athlete team changes, Mike’s take on 32” wheels, and more.
Note: We Want to Hear From You!
Please let us know if there’s a topic you’d like us to cover or a guest you’d like us to have on Bikes and Big Ideas. Email us at info@blisterreview.com to weigh in.
RELATED LINKS:
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
Get Our Free Newsletter & Gear Giveaways
BLISTER+ Get Yourself Covered
Mike’s The Grimy Handshake Substack
TOPICS & TIMES:
Mike’s Back in Mexico (1:22)
Getting his Teeth Sorted in “Molar City” (2:33)
RIP Joe Montgomery (14:14)
Rad Power Bikes Files Bankruptcy (15:52)
New Ducati eMTBs, Gravel & Road Bikes (21:24)
Giant Moving to Boulder, Colorado (25:18)
Chinese Counterfeit Bike Bust (28:59)
Campagnolo Cuts Workforce by 40% (34:14)
Bike Recalls (37:42)
Mike’s 32” Wheels Predictions (38:59)
New Products (46:02)
World Cup DH Athlete News (1:00:59)
CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Hayden Zablotny showed up at Red Bull Rampage and became the first rookie to win since Brandon Semenuk did it back in 2008. Hayden’s path to the top step of the podium is a fascinating story chronicling a young, talented rider struggling to get noticed. Today, he joins us to talk about that journey, how he became known as “the poacher,” finally getting the coveted Rampage invite, his winning run, and how he kept his head in the game during one of the heaviest injury-laden Rampages ever.
RELATED LINKS:
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
BLISTER+ Get Yourself Covered
TOPICS & TIMES:
Getting started on Two Wheels and his BMX Legend Dad (4:14)
Racing BMX and Building Skills (6:43)
Moving to BC and Discovering Mountain Biking (8:14)
Finding His Niche in Freestyle (10:09)
Poaching Proving Grounds and Getting Noticed (24:11)
Getting the Rampage Invite (35:49)
Building His Line (41:48)
Staying Focused Amidst all the Injuries (43:30)
Breaking Down His Winning Run (46:34)
Hayden’s Biike Setup (51:45)
What’s next? (58:46)
CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Vali Höll is in the midst of one of the most dominant runs we’ve seen in World Cup DH racing, taking her third consecutive overall title and fourth consecutive World Championships win in 2025. And she did it despite her team, the YT Mob, shutting down mid-season amidst YT’s ongoing financial struggles. Vali joins us to tell the story of her season, what happened with the Mob, how she pressed on regardless, how she ended up signing with Commencal for 2026, and a whole lot more.
RELATED LINKS:
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
BLISTER+ Get Yourself Covered
Blister Podcast Ep.388
TOPICS & TIMES:
The YT Mob & YT’s insolvency (2:50)
Team contracts & how the season unfolded (5:13)
Racing after team funding was cut (18:11)
Talks with other teams & moving to Commencal (23:45)
Consistency & race results (25:25)
Racing for a new contract & managing pressure (27:52)
Bikepacking & gravel bikes (31:20)
Vali’s goals for 2026 (35:21)
CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
We’re currently testing a huge array of bikes, from the super-efficient Norco Revolver, to the long-travel, Bosch CX-equipped Yeti LTe, with a whole lot in between — including the Lal Katana, with its novel Supre Drive. David and Simon sat down to share our thoughts on all of those and more, and along the way, we got into some debates about wheel sizes, geometry preferences, and more.
RELATED LINKS:
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
BLISTER+ Get Yourself Covered
TOPICS & TIMES:
Yeti LTe (1:37)
Cannondale Moterra (15:39)
Norco Sight VLT (24:51)
Trek Fuel MX (34:40)
Lal Katana (49:51)
Norco Revolver (58:22)
CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Gamux has never done things the conventional way and takes pride in that. But they aren’t being different for the sake of being different, either. Founder Pascal Tinner is back on the show to talk about what they’ve been up to, from their partnership with Reece Wilson’s AON Racing, to the ‘Trophy Truck’ prototype race bike, and a whole lot more.
RELATED LINKS:
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
BLISTER+ Get Yourself Covered
TOPICS & TIMES:
AON Racing & Reece Wilson (1:45)
The Sego (14:44)
DH prototypes (22:38)
Body types & bike design (29:03)
The Trophy Truck (33:40)
Riders & building a team (36:32)
2026 & beyond (45:10)
CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
For November’s Reviewing the News Episode, Mike clues us in on what's been going on in the Cyclocross season so far. Then we have a bunch of bike industry recalls to wade through — some of which are legitimately dangerous — which segways into Mike and Simon trying to understand why Rad Power Bikes is not issuing a recall for batteries that could burn down your house.
Note: We Want to Hear From You!
Please let us know if there’s a topic you’d like us to cover or a guest you’d like us to have on Bikes and Big Ideas. Email us at info@blisterreview.com to weigh in.
RELATED LINKS:
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
Get Our Free Newsletter & Gear Giveaways
BLISTER+ Get Yourself Covered
TOPICS & TIMES:
Mike’s Cyclocross Season Update (5:32)
Rad Power Bike’s Battery Problems (15:01)
Can Trek’s Coaster Brake Failures Make Better Cyclists? (24:52)
You Can Still Get Injured on a Peloton (32:56)
Lezyne Floor Pumps at Risk of Exploding (38:58)
Will the Bike Industry Ever Go Back to Normal? (42:44)
Mike’s Madrone Derailleur (46:30)
Charging eBikes Off-Grid (59:27)
Mike’s Heading to Mexico to Fix his Teeth (1:07:02)
CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In Part 2 of our series on the Best Bikes of the Century, Simon Stewart, David Golay, and Xan Marshland are back, plus Zack Henderson also joins them to dig into 16 more brands as they continue the hard work of trying to single out the best bikes from the last 25 years. Since they focused on many prominent brands from the early 2000s in Part 1, they take a closer look at newer brands, direct-to-consumer bike companies, plus a couple of OG ones, just to mix it up.
Note: We Want to Hear From You!
Please let us know if there’s a topic you’d like us to cover or a guest you’d like us to have on Bikes and Big Ideas. Email us at info@blisterreview.com to weigh in.
RELATED LINKS:
Best Bikes of the Century Survey
Blister Craft Collective
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
BLISTER+ Get Yourself Covered
TOPICS & TIMES:
Pivot (0:59)
Canyon (7:03)
YT (12:59)
Forbidden (16:44)
Norco (22:02)
Mondraker (27:16)
Scott (33:06)
Salsa (38:38)
Orbea (43:33)
Commencal (47:04)
Transition (50:15)
Evil (56:56)
Devinci (59:55)
Revel (1:02:13)
Marin (1:05:31)
Surly (1:12:01)
CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:
Blister Cinematic
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
CRAFTED
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Today, we’re kicking off a new series for Bikes and Big Ideas: we’re setting out to identify the best bikes of the 21st century from over 30 brands. We’ve done a similar series over on our Gear:30 podcast for skis, but that was easy compared to doing the same for bikes.
Over the next couple of weeks, you’ll be hearing about our choices. We’re also including a survey, as we want to hear from you. Additionally, we’ll be sending the same survey to some bike industry luminaries, too.
Once we've reviewed an array of brands, we’ll discuss how our selections align with your answers.
And for our grand finale of this series, we’re going to offer our choices for the Very Best Bikes of the Century. It may seem like an impossible task, but we’re hoping we can agree on a top 10, maybe even a top 3, and if the stars align, one single bike. Or, we may never speak to each other again, but we’re willing to take that risk.
Part 1 kicks off with Simon Stewart, David Golay, Dylan Wood, and Xan Marshland.
Note: We Want to Hear From You!
Please let us know if there’s a topic you’d like us to cover or a guest you’d like us to have on Bikes and Big Ideas. Email us at info@blisterreview.com to weigh in.
RELATED LINKS:
Best Bikes of the Century Survey
Blister Craft Collective
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
BLISTER+ Get Yourself Covered
TOPICS & TIMES:
Yeti (1:58)
Klein (8:20)
GT (11:11)
Turner (13:57)
Titus (18:40)
Intense (22:05)
Ibis (23:41)
Rocky Mountain (28:05)
Kona (31:40)
Giant (36:14)
Santa Cruz (40:08)
Cannondale (49:48)
Specialized (54:28)
Gary Fisher (1:05:25)
Trek (1:08:36)
CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The days are getting short and the weather is turning foul, but we’re still testing a ton of new bikes and gear. David Golay and Zack Henderson sat down to discuss a bunch of it, including the very burly Priority Vanth, the super lively Propain Hugene, a bunch of wet-weather apparel, and more.
RELATED LINKS:
SennzaFinne
Blister Craft Collective
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
BLISTER+ Get Yourself Covered
TOPICS & TIMES:
Wet weather gear (2:47)
Propain Hugene (18:00)
Priority Vanth (29:14)
FSA KFX i28 XC/Trail wheels (40:05)
MRP Lift V2 damper (46:31)
CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Since its inception in 2001, Red Bull Rampage has demanded athletes walk a fine line between risk and reward, and the unfortunate injuries that go with that have been numerous. But with four riders heli-evac’d with serious injuries, this year’s Rampage was arguably the heaviest we’ve seen, and has left us with many questions about how, and if, the event should continue.
Shortly afterward, several of our reviewers weighed in with their thoughts in our “Debatable” series, which asked the question, “should Rampage be shut down?” Today, we continue that conversation with an open (and quite passionate) discussion on what we think needs to happen to make the event safer for the athletes, more transparent to the fans, and ideally better to watch, too.
RELATED LINKS:
Debatable: Should Rampage Be Shut Down
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
Get Our Free Newsletter & Gear Giveaways
BLISTER+ Get Yourself Covered
TOPICS & TIMES:
Xan: The Venue (1:07)
Dylan: Let the Athletes Course Correct (11:04)
Simon: On-Site Medical Assessments (19:09)
Zack: Expand the Event (28:34)
David: Make it a Jam instead of a Comp (35:58)
Jonathan: Increase Transparency, Cover Athletes (46:27)
The Athlete's Decision (55:12)
Our Consensus: Changes for Next Year (1:01:29)
CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Priority Cycles may be a new brand to the full-suspension MTB world, but they’ve got a ton of experience building belt-drive, gearbox bikes — and now they’ve launched the Vanth, a remarkably affordable high-pivot Pinion gearbox-equipped Enduro bike. So, why did Priority decide to enter the full-suspension bike market now, how did they come up with the wild-looking Vanth design, and what makes the Vanth so much more affordable than most other full-suspension gearbox bikes? We dive into all that and much more with Eddie Meek of Priority and Mike Schwartz, who served as an engineering consultant on the project.
RELATED LINKS:
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
Get Our Free Newsletter & Gear Giveaways
BLISTER+ Get Yourself Covered
TOPICS & TIMES:
Introducing Eddie (3:20)
The Priority brand (4:38)
Introducing Mike (6:34)
Why a high-pivot Enduro bike? (11:20)
Other prototypes (16:01)
Marketing the Vanth as a brand not known for MTBs (20:55)
Belt vs. chain drive for a gearbox (27:53)
The Vanth (38:10)
Kinematic goals (45:00)
Frame materials (51:43)
Pricing & availability (56:45)
CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Madrone Cycles got its start making parts to repair a variety of SRAM mountain bike derailleurs, but now they’re taking on a much more ambitious project: building their own derailleur from the ground up. Third-party derailleurs had a brief run in the earlier days of mountain biking, but SRAM and Shimano have completely dominated the market for decades now. So why is Madrone taking on the big players now, and what sets their new Jab derailleur apart? We sat down with Madrone founder, Aaron Bland, to discuss all that and more.
RELATED LINKS:
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
Get Our Free Newsletter & Gear Giveaways
BLISTER+ Get Yourself Covered
TOPICS & TIMES:
Founding Madrone & starting with SRAM derailleur rebuilds (1:57)
Electronic shifting & the resurgence of third-party mechanical derailleurs (4:02)
The hardest details to get right (12:57)
Evolution of the Jab design (17:25)
Serviceability & Madrone’s rebuild service (22:58)
Clutch & pivot designs (27:43)
Modularity (32:26)
Jab options (41:34)
What’s next from Madrone? (47:37)
CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Rocket Ramps built a progressive bike park in the sovereign nation of Picuris Pueblo in northern New Mexico that has grabbed headlines and the attention of slopestyle athletes. We caught up with Rocket Ramps founder Henry Lanman to get the story behind the project and to find out what else they’re up to. Henry talks about their mission to grow the action sports scene in New Mexico, the science of ramp building, and why building a rad mountain bike trail is like cooking an amazing dinner for your friends (that lasts a lot longer).
RELATED LINKS:
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
Get Our Free Newsletter & Gear Giveaways
BLISTER+ Get Yourself Covered
TOPICS & TIMES:
How Rocket Ramps got Started (2:33)
The Most Important Part of a Good Ramp (14:20)
The First Flat Packed Ramp Kits (18:09)
Dirt vs Wood (22:13)
Building Action Sports Infrastructure (26:18)
The Crazy Big Lines of the Picuris Pueblo Bike Park (29:54)
Funding Trail Development in New Mexico (39:04)
What's Next for Rocket Ramps? (43:55)
CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Paladin Bikes was founded by a group of robotics engineers who love bikes and wanted to build their own — and do it in the US. The AM1 is the result, and while it’s a relatively conventional All-Mountain bike when it comes to its geometry and specs, there’s a ton about it that stands out, from its machined construction to its suspension layout, and in a lot of the smaller details.
So we sat down with Paladin co-founder and General Manager, Stefan Klein, to get the rundown on Paladin and the AM1, from the decision to found the company in the first place, to opting for machined construction, the challenges of founding a bike company in 2025, and a whole lot more.
RELATED LINKS:
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
Get Our Free Newsletter & Gear Giveaways
BLISTER+ Get Yourself Covered
TOPICS & TIMES:
Introducing Stefan (1:49)
Founding Paladin (4:18)
Why machine a frame? (6:22)
The AM1 & forgoing clamshell construction (9:25)
Tradeoffs in manufacturing techniques (12:49)
AM1 design details (22:11)
Next steps & refinements (28:00)
Flex testing (32:19)
FEA vs. physical strength tests (33:57)
Bringing the AM1 to market (34:40)
Future plans & models (36:50)
Entering the bike industry in 2025 (40:05)
Standing out in the market without being too out there (42:08)
CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
September delivered some incredible bike racing, featuring the Mountain Bike and Road Bike World Championships, the Lenzerheide World Cup DH and XC, and the US Open Downhill, providing us with plenty to discuss. News on the bike industry side was a familiar affair, with YT going through a rough patch and retail sales being slow. There was also some rather shocking news about Giant regarding alleged labor law violations in Taiwan. Dylan and Simon go over all that, plus some cool new products we’re testing, and we give our thoughts on the potential new mountain bike wheel size that looks to be gaining traction. All this and more in this month’s Reviewing the News episode.
RELATED LINKS:
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
Get Our Free Newsletter & Gear Giveaways
BLISTER+ Get Yourself Covered
TOPICS & TIMES:
Are 32” Wheels Coming? (2:01)
Markus Flossman Buying Back YT (8:07)
Giant’s Alleged Labor Law Violations (14:33)
MTB World Championships Recap (18:01)
XC World Championships Recap (22:25)
Road World Championships Recap (30:21)
US Open in Killington (33:35)
Has Dakota Norton Found His Form? (33:58)
New Products (37:03)
Off-Grid eMTB Battery Charging (52:53)
Handlebar width? (58:18)
CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
We sat down to talk about Chromag’s growing full-suspension lineup, and how the new Reazon slots into it; Trek’s surprising move to turn the Fuel into a modular platform, including adding a second 160+mm-travel Enduro bike in the Fuel LX; a couple of new eMTBs from Yeti and Propain; Hope’s new GR4 brakes; and a bunch more.
RELATED LINKS:
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
Get Our Free Newsletter & Gear Giveaways
BLISTER+ Get Yourself Covered
TOPICS & TIMES:
Norco Revolver 120 (1:12)
Chromag Reazon (7:01)
Trek Fuel LX (13:24)
Propain Sresh SL (26:30)
Yeti LTe (36:02)
Hope GR4 Brakes (44:54)
CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
With their athletes taking wins at the Tour de France and Red Bull Hardline, Enve has been having a hell of a summer. So today we’re talking with Enve’s Jake Pantone about what they’ve been up to, the increasingly blurry lines between bike categories, how wide Gravel tires should be, and why you might want to put a suspension fork on your drop bar bike. And Jake also shares exciting news about their plans to make Mountain Bikes.
RELATED LINKS:
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
Get Our Free Newsletter & Gear Giveaways
BLISTER+ Get Yourself Covered
TOPICS & TIMES:
Winning the Tour de France & Red Bull Hardline (1:31)
Having the GOAT as an Enve Athlete (2:47)
Blurry Lines Between Bike Categories (7:57)
How Wide Should Gravel Tires Be? (16:40)
Bigger Tires vs Suspension Forks (21:40)
Gravel Bikes as a One Bike Quiver (24:47)
Going From Wheels to Road & Gravel Frames (33:02)
Enve to Make Mountain Bikes? (40:13)
What’s Next for Enve (41:39)
Investing in R&D (43:54)
CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The list of world-class cyclists that have come out of the Durango Devo junior cycling program is astounding. Christopher Blevins is on a tear and is currently leading the UCI XCO overall. Riley Amos crushed the XC U23s last year. Sepp Kuss made a name for himself shepherding Jonas Vingegaard through the mountains and then went on to win a Grand Tour himself, and Quinn Simmons’ aggressive attacks made headlines during this year's Tour de France. So today, we catch up with Durango Devo co-founder Chad Cheeney to find out what the secret is to consistently turning out some of the best bike riders in the world.
RELATED LINKS:
Durango Devo
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
Get Our Free Newsletter & Gear Giveaways
BLISTER+ Get Yourself Covered
TOPICS & TIMES:
Culture & Passion (1:43)
Paying Attention to Kids (3:15)
OG Durango XC History (3:35)
Athletes Having Kids (5:50)
What is Durango Devo? (9:30)
Finding Coachable Moments (12:05)
Raising Money as a Non Profit (13:34)
Super Athletes of Durango Devo (15:52)
Little & Scrawny Christopher Blevins (17:41)
Sepp Kuss’s La Vuelta España Win (21:44)
Life as a Fort Lewis Cycling Coach (36:40)
Up and Coming Talent (38:56)
What bike are you riding? (44:08)
CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
For this month's Reviewing the News Episode, Mike and I start with a topic that hits close to home: we both know extremely fit people who have passed away recently while riding their bikes. So, today we talk about how it's common for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease to go undiagnosed, especially in athletes, and what you can do, and should do, to protect yourself. Plus, we just had a fantastic, wet, and muddy weekend of racing in Les Gets, France, which gives us plenty to go on about, like the amazing Alran brothers, Gracy Hemstreet looking unbeatable, Ronan Dunne’s comeback, and road superstar Mathieu van der Poel getting back on the mountain bike for another crack at World Cup XCO, and more.
RELATED LINKS:
The Grimy Handshake
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
Get Our Free Newsletter & Gear Giveaways
BLISTER+ Get Yourself Covered
TOPICS & TIMES:
Mike’s Grimy Handshake (3:26)
Heart Disease in Athletes (13:52)
Les Gets Mud Bath (26:29)
You Need Skills to Win (33:54)
The Amazing Alran Brothers (39:24)
Can Durango Kid Asa Veremette Ride in Mud (41:15)
Ronan Dunne Didn’t Leave in a Helicopter (43:57)
Specialized’s Most Expensive Bike Ever (49:42)
What We’re Reading & Watching (56:43)
CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Fox’s new Podium inverted fork has understandably garnered a lot of attention, and we’ve got an update on how our testing of it is going, along with the updated Float X2 and DHX2 shocks. But it’s not all gravity suspension on the docket, as we weigh in on the very good and very light Fox 34 SL fork; the ultra-versatile Trek Fuel EX; Revel’s first eMTB, the ReRun; and a bunch of brakes from brands large and small.
RELATED LINKS:
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
Get Our Free Newsletter & Gear Giveaways
BLISTER+ Get Yourself Covered
Casey Brown on the Inaugural Women’s Red Bull Rampage (Ep.246)
TOPICS & TIMES:
Revel ReRun (1:13)
Trek Fuel EX (9:34)
Fox 34 SL (17:37)
Fox Podium (27:47)
Fox Float & DHX2 Update (34:46)
SRAM Motive Ultimate (37:47)
HEL Advocate (43:01)
Trickstuff Maxima (47:30)
Magura Gustav Pro (51:43)
CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
For today’s Gear Therapy episode, the team gets together to try to solve Jonathan’s pedal dilemma. Like many riders out there, Jonathan is questioning his current pedal choice, and not surprisingly, he’s considering ditching his clipless pedals and replacing them with flats. Sascha and Zack bring a valuable mountain bike coaching perspective to the conversation, and together with Simon’s years of experience in the industry and bike shops, they look at the advantages and disadvantages of both styles of pedals and do our best to guide Jonathan’s decision. They know he’s not alone, and anyone in a similar pedal conundrum will benefit from tuning in.
RELATED LINKS:
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
Get Our Free Newsletter & Gear Giveaways
BLISTER+ Get Yourself Covered
TOPICS & TIMES:
Pedal Horror Stories (1:24)
Why the Hell are They Called “Clipless”? (13:29)
Jonathan’s Pedal Issues (18:49)
Clips are Jonathan’s Security Blankie (24:39)
Pros & cons of flats (27:25)
Clipless Pedals Promoting & Masking Bad Habits (35:50)
Cornering Technique & Flat Pedals (36:40)
Sascha Calls Simon Out (40:15)
New Flat Pedal and Shoe Design (42:18)
Jonathan’s Pedal Prescription (47:21)
Uphill Technical & Pedal Strikes (1:02:36)
CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Last year, we sat down with Casey Brown right after the first iteration of Red Bull Rampage to feature a women’s category to chat about what it meant to finally break that particular glass ceiling, what it took to do it, and how the event went.
Casey is, once again, among a stacked roster of women who will be dropping in for this year’s competition, but she’s been up to a whole lot more than just preparing for Rampage — from bringing back Dark Horse, now on her own property; working with D3O to develop better women’s protective gear; and putting together a bunch of other projects in between. So we brought her back on the podcast to talk about all of it, the state of women’s freeride & the generation of riders following in her footsteps, and a whole lot more.
RELATED LINKS:
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
Get Our Free Newsletter & Gear Giveaways
BLISTER+ Get Yourself Covered
Casey Brown on the Inaugural Women’s Red Bull Rampage (Ep.246)
TOPICS & TIMES:
The return of Dark Horse (2:51)
The new venue(7:12)
What’s next for Dark Horse? (14:50)
Louise Ferguson at Hardline (16:11)
The state of women’s freeride & Casey’s role in shaping it (18:32)
Planning for Rampage (21:38)
Opportunities to help women’s freeride grow (30:41)
Working with D3O & making better women’s protective gear (36:47)
CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Why didn’t Jackson Goldstone race Red Bull Hardline in Wales and give us the highly anticipated showdown between him and Asa Vermette? Dylan and I dive right into our opinions on that, and then break down the rest of July’s incredible racing results, including a quick recap of one of Simon’s favorites — the Tour de France. And itt wouldn’t be a Reviewing the News episode without some tariff chaos, and unfortunately, also some bike companies in trouble. Still, thankfully, there’s a bit of good news in here, too, since Chris King is apparently going to make internal headset cable routing better (we’re doing our best to be open-minded), and we have a new tire valve standard to get excited about (we’re actually not kidding).
RELATED LINKS:
BLISTER+ Get Yourself Covered
TOPICS & TIMES:
Dylan’s Beer League Race
Why Strava Might be the Best Social Media Platform
Redbull Hardline
Where Was Jackson Goldstone?
World Cup DH racing in July
Tom Pidcock’s Impressive Cross-country Win
Tour de France Recap
Tariffs Again
Chris King is Taking a Crack at Headset Cable Routing
YT Restructuring
New Products
What we’re Reading and Watching
CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Our new Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide is live, and while it takes some cues from our Winter Buyer’s Guide — the eleventh edition of which is in the works right now — it’s very much its own beast. So we sat down to talk about what’s in the Guide, how it’s structured, and why; how the mountain bike market has evolved; the return of ‘All-Mountain’ as a class of bikes; and a whole lot more.
RELATED LINKS:
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
Get Our Free Newsletter & Gear Giveaways
BLISTER+ Get Yourself Covered
TOPICS & TIMES:
The new MTB Buyer’s Guide & how it’s structured (1:48)
What makes our Buyer’s Guide different (5:35)
Reviewing bikes now vs. a decade ago (9:06)
Zack’s worst bike purchase (15:23)
Direct-to-consumer models & the evolution of bike sales (16:32)
Classifying bikes & the return of ‘All-Mountain’ as a category (23:26)
Which All-Mountain bike would we each buy? (34:19)
CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Stashed founder Elliot Tanner has many talents, like making ultra-light climbing gear and designing components for Marker’s Kingpin touring binding. But that’s not all: he also built his own high-pivot, gearbox-equipped Enduro bikes, and that was before high-pivots or gearboxes were cool.
But it wasn’t until his family had amassed more bikes than they had room for that he got the inspiration to create a bike storage solution. We caught up with Elliot to chat about that first design, and how it went from something he built to solve his storage problem to the Spacerail Bike Storage System that is the foundation of Stashed, plus a whole lot more.
RELATED LINKS:
BLISTER+ Get Yourself Covered
Stashed
TOPICS & TIMES:
Elliot’s Engineering Background
Designing Climbing Gear
Making Marker KingPin Components
Elliot’s High-Pivot Gearbox Bikes
Designing his First Bike Storage System
Founding Stashed
Manufacturing in Wales
What’s hanging on Elliot’s Spacerail
Favorite Place to Ride
CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:
Blister Cinematic
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
CRAFTED
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The Pivot Firebird and Propain Tyee don’t look super different on paper — they’ve got about the same suspension travel, generally similar geometry, and both can convert between 29’’ and MX setups — but they ride quite differently from one another.
So what sets them apart? We wade into that topic, offer our early take on a couple of new pieces of Italian suspension, argue about what does (and doesn’t) make for a good mixed wheel bike setup, discuss Bosch’s output-boosing software upgrade for their Gen 5 CX motor, and a whole bunch more.
RELATED LINKS:
Get Our Free Newsletter & Gear Giveaways
BLISTER+ Get Yourself Covered
TOPICS & TIMES:
Pivot Firebird (2:29)
Propain Tyee (21:12)
Salsa Blackthorn (25:24)
EXT Vecta (33:23)
Formula Selva V (40:04)
Bosch CX Software Upgrade (51:11)
CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Our Bike Editor, David Golay, has a long history with BTR. Back when 26’’ wheels were still the norm, he found them while making a wide search for a builder who made a hardtail with the sort of aggressive geometry he had in mind at the time — and the Ranger was, by far, the most promising option.
Over a decade later, he’s on his third Ranger, having ordered two more with increasingly custom geometry as his preferences have evolved — and they’ve consistently been fantastic. But they’re also quite expensive, with build quality, finishing details, and construction to match.
So it immediately caught our attention when Paul ‘Burf’ Burford, the man behind BTR, launched a new project to build affordable, simple frames, by hand, in the UK: Rat Bikes. And for this week’s episode, we sat down with Burf to hear all about it.
RELATED LINKS:
Skratch Labs
Rat Bikes
Get Our Free Newsletter & Gear Giveaways
BLISTER+ Get Yourself Covered
TOPICS & TIMES:
The Rat Bikes concept (3:00)
How to make affordable, UK-built frames? (7:54)
Cutting costs in frame design (15:59)
The Dad Rat (24:13)
Prototyping & next steps (35:25)
CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In the June edition of Reviewing the News, we start with some good news regarding the GOP’s withdrawal of the proposal to sell millions of acres of public land. We move on to discussing the merger of We Are One Composites and Industry Nine, followed by a recap of all the exciting World Cup DH, XC, and Enduro racing that happened in June, plus some Tour de France predictions, a selection of new products, and a whole lot more.
RELATED LINKS:
Dustin Adams on Racing, Manufacturing, & We Are One’s Next Big Thing (Ep.19)
BLISTER+ Get Yourself Covered
TOPICS & TIMES:
Mike’s ride on the Monarch Crest Trail (2:12)
The GOP’s Public Lands Sale Proposal (11:46)
Don Cook’s Passing (16:45)
We Are One Composites and Industry Nine’s Merger (20:54)
Leogang and Val di Sole DH and XC Racing Recap (25:47)
Amaury Pierron and Anna Newkirk’s Injuries (29:54)
The State of Enduro Racing (36:48)
Tour de France Predictions (41:45)
New Products (48:21)
What we are Reading and Watching (58:33)
CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Since 2008, Portland Design Works (PDW) has quietly been designing products that inspire people to commute by bike, ride to the grocery store, or to simply hop on and go somewhere fun. Today, we’re catching up with founder Erik Olson about his history in the bike industry, why being fluent in Chinese was integral in building relationships in Taiwan, his first products and getting PDW off the ground, his commitment to sustainability, what’s in his coffee mug, and more.
RELATED LINKS:
BLISTER+ Get Yourself Covered
TOPICS & TIMES:
Coava Coffee (1:04)
Riding with his Dog in the Basket (2:17)
Erik’s history in the bike industry (3:11)
Studying and working in China (7:44)
Transitioning from Planet Bike to starting your own business (10:01)
Starting PDW in Portland (12:36)
PDW’s First Products (14:41)
Expanding the catalog (19:55)
Sustainability (24:40)
Navigating challenging times in the industry (27:15)
Development & distribution (30:37)
Their Most Popular Products (35:48)
E-bike specific products (38:33)
What’s the future look like for PDW? (44:47)
Donating to Grassroots Advocacy Organizations (47:22)
What Erik’s Riding (49:50)
CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:
Blister Cinematic
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
CRAFTED
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
We’ve been testing a massive range of bikes, from the XC-oriented Kona Hei Hei to the long-travel, full-power Santa Cruz Bullit, so David, Simon, and Dylan sat down to talk about a whole bunch of them. We also dive into Shimano’s long-awaited XTR Di2 wireless drivetrain and the Deore and XT versions that just launched, the consistency of Shimano’s new brakes, and a whole lot more.
RELATED LINKS:
BLISTER+ Get Yourself Covered
TOPICS & TIMES:
Kona Hei Hei (1:46)
Yeti MTe (10:46)
Pivot SL/AM (22:36)
Specialized Turbo Levo 4 (31:45)
Santa Cruz Bullit (40:13)
Salsa Blackthorn 145 (46:17)
Esker Woodsy (52:48)
Santa Cruz Hightower & Bronson (1:02:51)
Shimano XTR Di2 & Deore / XT versions (1:17:48)
CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Ultra-fast long-distance bike rides have garnered a lot of attention of late, headlined by Lael Wilcox’s record-setting circumnavigation of the planet. But as impressive as many of those efforts are, there’s something lost in moving so quickly. Seeing the world by bike is a great way to slow down, take it all in, and have an experience that other methods of transportation can’t replicate.
Chris McCaffrey finished a seventeen-month ride around the world last fall, and we sat down to hear his whole story, from the trans-Atlantic rowing effort that sparked his interest in long-distance human-powered travel, to the incredible places he saw and people he met along the way, and a whole lot more.
RELATED LINKS:
BLISTER+ Get Yourself Covered
TOPICS & TIMES:
Why ride around the world? (2:29)
Trans-Atlantic rowing attempt (6:23)
Chris’s first big bikepacking trip (17:56)
Lessons learned from that trip (24:03)
Bike setup for the ride around the world (26:45)
The route (32:10)
Setting off (39:01)
North America (43:22)
Europe (49:12)
Asia (51:03)
Getting sick (1:04:44)
Favorite places & next destinations (1:25:20)
CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In the May edition of Reviewing the News, we start with some good news regarding the return of Revel Bikes and the acquisition of Rocky Mountain by four Canadian investors. World Cup DH racing kicked off with two exciting races with vastly different conditions, Christopher Blevins continued his XC winning streak in Nova Mesto, and the incredible Giro d’Italia was one we won’t soon forget, plus a whole lot more.
RELATED LINKS:
BLISTER+ Get Yourself Covered
TOPICS & TIMES:
Revel Returns (3:13)
Rocky Mountain’s New Owners (13:01)
Christopher Blevins’ Domination (16:22)
Mathieu Van Der Poel Crashed and Burned (24:01)
The Fantastic Giro d’Italia (34:23)
Visma’s Stage 20 Tactical Masterpiece (53:00)
Simon Yates’ Redemption (39:47)
Terrible Conditions at the Bielsko-Biała DH World Cup (58:59)
A Dry, Blown-Out Track in Loudenville (1:05:31)
Jackson Goldstone’s Incredible Race Run (1:08:25)
Gracey Helmstreet’s First Win For Canada (1:14:13)
Recent favorite products (1:17:44)
CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Esker Cycles came on the scene in 2018 with a couple of sleek carbon fiber mountain bikes featuring an unknown Dave Weagle suspension platform called Orion. Weagle’s design was originally conceived for motorcycles and was dependent on a single front sprocket layout, which, back when Orion was developed, didn’t include mountain bikes since multiple chainrings and front derailleurs were still the norm. Orion was shelved until Esker founder Tim Krueger approached Weagle looking for a suspension design, and the first Esker bikes started to take shape. Steel and Titanium hardtails followed as Esker expanded its product portfolio, and while Esker’s first suspension bikes were carbon fiber, Tim had aluminum in mind from the beginning, with the dream of offering high-quality, affordable mountain bikes.
A lot has changed since the early days of Esker, so today we’re catching up with Tim Krueger — and he doesn’t disappoint — essentially pulling back the curtain on what it’s been like to be a small bike brand during a volatile time in the bike industry. Tim also discusses their decision to abandon carbon fiber bikes in favor of aluminum, focusing on affordability, his take on geometry, their new metal bikes, and much more.
RELATED LINKS:
BLISTER+ Get Yourself Covered
Esker Cycles
TOPICS & TIMES:
Tim’s First Bike Shop Job
Teaching Was Not for Tim
Getting Hired as a Product Manager for Salsa
Adventure by Bike
Tim’s Time Guiding Bike Packing Tours
Meeting Dave Weagle
Blowing the Dust off Orion Suspension
Bootstrapping Esker
Scraping Together $250K
Manufacturing in Taiwan vs China
All in for Metal
Esker’s New Aluminum Bikes
Direct and Bike Shop Sales Strategy
Box of Bikes
Esker’s Conservative Approach to Growth
CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
There is big news in the bike world today: Revel Bikes is back. And Revel’s founder, Adam Miller, is now once again the owner of Revel. It was almost exactly five years ago that I was sitting down with Adam in Blister HQ talking about Revel’s meteoric rise. A lot has transpired since then, including the company announcing that it was shutting down just a few weeks ago. But today, Revel is back, Adam Miller is back, and I sat down with Adam to get the whole story.
RELATED LINKS
Get Yourself Covered: BLISTER+
Jonathan’s talk w/ Adam from 2020
David Golay’s talk w/ Adam in 2022
TOPICS & TIMES:
Shout Out: New BLISTER+ Members (1:23)
The News: Revel is Back (2:35)
Refresher: Adam’s Background (6:26)
Why Did You Sell in 2021? (12:12)
What Caused Revel’s Meteoric Rise? (22:43)
How Was Retirement? (41:57)
Getting the News that Revel was Done (48:15)
The Decision to Try to Buy Revel Back (50:29)
What’s the Current State of Revel? (57:59)
What’s Different Going Forward? (1:02:19)
Inventory, Logistics, & Tariffs (1:05:19)
Customer Confidence? (1:10:00)
Biggest Lessons You’ve Learned? (1:12:46)
What Happens Now? (1:21:15)
CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Fox has launched a ton of new suspension over the last month or so, and we’ve been testing just about all of it. So David and Zack sat down to chat about how that’s going so far, and how the new forks and shocks stack up against their predecessors; chat about our respective experiments with long-shocking and dual-crown-equipping our personal Enduro bikes; check in on Pivot’s new Trailcat SL & LT, and a bunch more.
RELATED LINKS:
BLISTER+ Get Yourself Covered
TOPICS & TIMES:
Fox 36 & 36 SL (2:08)
Fox Float X2 and DHX2 (11:03)
Pivot Trailcat SL & LT (14:19)
Trickstuff Maxima (28:47)
Kavenz VHP 18 & Geometron G1 DH mode (38:33)
OneUp Wave Pedals & Clip Pedal Update (56:56)
CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In April of 2024, Kona Bikes set up their tent at Sea Otter, then promptly tore it back down when Kent Outdoors, who owned Kona at the time, pulled the rug right out from under them and declared that Kona was no longer in business. A year later, we sit down with Kona founder Jacob Heilbron about why he and other Kona founder Dan Gerhard sold Kona to Kent Outdoors; what happened at Sea Otter; how things have been going since buying Kona back; rebuilding the brand image; what their future plans look like; and a whole lot more.
RELATED LINKS:
BLISTER+ Get Yourself Covered
Kona Bikes
TOPICS & TIMES:
A Quick Kona History
The Decision to Sell Kona
Kent Buys Kona
From Record Sales to No Sales
Kent Blows it with Direct-to-Consumer Strategy
Kent Blows it Again with BOGO Sale
The Kona Sea Otter Debacle
Jake and Dan buy Kona Back
What Motivated Dan and Jake to Buy it Back
Kona’s Future
Tariffs’ Affect on Kona
What Jake is Riding
New Bikes on the Way
CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
There’s no doubt that Spring is a busy time in the bike world, with lots of news, early-season racing, new products being launched, and the consistently shaky state of the bike industry, giving Mike and Simon no shortage of things to talk about. It seems like every month there’s a sad story of hard times for a bike brand, and April’s bummer news is Revel Bikes closing its doors. Thankfully, bike racing gives the lads something positive to chat about since the season is off to a fantastic start for mountain bike World Cup XC racing, not to mention we’re witnessing true road racing greatness as Tadej Pogačar rips through the Spring Classics in a way not seen since the likes of Eddie Merkcx, Fausto Coppi, and Sean Kelly. All of this and more in the April edition of Reviewing the News.
RELATED LINKS:
BLISTER+ Get Yourself Covered
TOPICS & TIMES:
Revel Bikes Closes Its Doors (3:00)
Specialized’s Turbo Levo’s High Speed Limit (19:32)
What’s Happening with GT (33:28)
OuterBike Down to One Event (34:48)
Tariff Updates (37:38)
Canyon Reduces US Workforce (38:59)
RIP Arni Nashbar (44:30)
First Two UCI World Cup XC Races of the Year (48:00)
Road Racing Spring Classics (54:56)
Mike’s Starling Murmur (1:02:56)
Santa Cruz Bullit (1:11:57)
New Bosch Race Motor (1:14:06)
What We’re Reading and Watching (1:21:57)
CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
There’s a fine line to walk in developing a new product, especially as a new brand without an existing track record. Make something plain and in line with existing options, and you risk getting lost in the noise; go too weird and unconventional, and it can be hard to find willing early adopters.
Outlier MTB took a chance with their wild-looking Void and Pendulum pedals, but they’re not just different for the sake of being different — there’s sound thinking behind the designs. So we sat down with Outlier founder Cam Belisle-O’Donnell to chat about where the concept came from in the first place; what their prototyping and development process looked like; the initial public reception & coming to market with something that looks so novel; some other projects they have in the works; and a whole lot more.
RELATED LINKS:
BLISTER+ Get Yourself Covered
TOPICS & TIMES:
Founding Outlier & the pedals’ notable features (4:36)
“The Lefty of MTB pedals” (12:42)
The first prototypes & early testing (19:50)
Pendulum vs. Void & the tradeoffs (24:24)
Manufacturing challenges & running a small company (44:54)
Future Outlier products? (50:17)
Ramping up production (52:33)
Lab testing (56:25)
CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
High-pivot bikes are generally thought of as super planted, smashy, gravity-oriented bikes, but that isn’t inherently true, as some shorter-travel high-pivot Trail bikes have demonstrated in recent years. But isolating the main reason for going high-pivot — a more rearward axle path than can realistically be achieved with a more conventional suspension layout — from all the other variables that go into designing a bike is hard to do in practice.
Cascade Components wanted to learn more about what a more rearward axle path does while changing as few other variables as possible, and their new high-pivot conversion kit for the Specialized Stumpjumper is the result. They’re also offering a limited run of 20 of the kits, so we sat down with founder and engineer, Jimmy Davis, to hear all about the project, including why Cascade chose to take it on; why they used the Stumpjumper as the basis for it; what they learned; and more.
RELATED LINKS:
BLISTER+ Get Yourself Covered
TOPICS & TIMES:
The Stumpjumper 15 High-Pivot Conversion Kit (1:53)
Why make a high-pivot conversion? And how? (3:01)
What goes into the kit? (7:12)
Ride characteristics vs. the stock bike (15:48)
Chassis stability & the Genie shock (18:49)
Leverage curves & suspension tuning (25:29)
Relating different kinematic variables (30:06)
Why use the Stumpjumper as the basis for the kit? (33:48)
Versatility & tradeoffs of the conversion (37:30)
Pricing (40:22)
Who’s it for? (40:54)
Generating anti-squat from the axle path vs. chain growth (44:49)
Data acquisition & lessons learned (46:18)
CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Lal Bikes’ Supre Drive offers some compelling upsides over a conventional derailleur drivetrain, but it also needs a frame built around the system. Lal began by partnering with Nicolai on the Nucleon 16, but now they are ready to launch their first bike under the Lal Bikes brand. So we sat down with Cedric Eveleigh, the founder of Lal and inventor of the Supre Drive, to hear all about the new Katana, get the story of its design and development, chat about material selection and ride feel, and a whole lot more.
RELATED LINKS:
BLISTER+ Get Yourself Covered
Lal Katana
Cedric Eveleigh of LAL Bikes on Reinventing the Derailleur (Ep.94)
Lal Bikes on Making the Supre Drive a Reality (Ep.179)
TOPICS & TIMES:
The Supre Drive (2:32)
Nicolai Nucleon 16 (3:57)
The Katana’s development (8:56)
Initial concepts for the Katana (18:11)
Ride feel of steel frames (19:00)
Performance goals for the Katana (24:48)
Handling & geometry (26:54)
Suspension kinematics (31:23)
The Supre Drive and parts compatibility (38:37)
Pricing & availability (55:05)
Final details (58:33)
CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Spring is here, and things are busy in the bike world, giving Dylan and Simon lots to talk about in our March edition of Reviewing the News. They kick things off with a fun conversation about which pro athletes shred on both bikes and skis, which leads them into a recap of the very well-attended Red Bull Tennesee National DH race and who’s going into the season with good speed. This time of year typically means lots of new products to get excited about, and the lads go over some of their favorites. Plus, they get into the head-scratching news about Rocky Mountain deciding to sell their bikes in REI, other industry news, and a whole lot more.
RELATED LINKS:
BLISTER+ Get Yourself Covered
TOPICS & TIMES:
Athletes Who Shred on Both Bikes and Skis (4:40)
Red Bull Tennessee National DH Race (8:28)
Red Bull Cerro Abajo (17:03)
Rocky Mountain Bikes in REI (22:17)
Yamaha Buys Brose (25:31)
Tariffs on Steel Affect Chain Prices (28:17)
Specialized lost a Ton of Money Last Year (32:33)
Flatbike Pop-off Pedals (36:39)
SRAM’s New Cable Actuated Drivetrains (40:57)
The Future of Brake Fluid? (46:41)
The Year of Lightweight Full-Power eMTBs (48:07)
What We’re Reading and Watching (56:04)
CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS
Blister Cinematic
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
CRAFTED
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Mountain bike gearboxes have had a small but vocal set of proponents for over a decade but have yet to see widespread adoption. That might be changing, at least in World Cup DH, and Atherton Racing is one of several teams debuting, or at least testing, a gearbox bike for this season.
So we sat down with Rob Gow, the Head of Design at Atherton Bikes, to talk about the new A.200.G and what spurred its development in the first place; what it took to adapt the A.200.M to accept a gearbox; what Atherton’s design process looks like in general; the pros and cons of gearboxes — both for DH racing and more broadly — and a whole lot more.
RELATED LINKS:
BLISTER+ Get Yourself Covered
TOPICS & TIMES:
Introducing Rob (3:00)
The A.200.G concept & why go gearbox? (6:17)
The development timeline & process (13:58)
Comparing the A.200.M and A.200.G (28:45)
Gearing & setting up a gearbox vs. a conventional drivetrain (36:51)
The future of gearboxes (42:47)
CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Finding period-correct tires has become next to impossible or prohibitively expensive when restoring vintage mountain bikes. Bike industry veteran and vintage bike enthusiast, Wakeman Massie, recognized this void and founded House of Looptail to fill it. Wakeman has painstakingly recreated some of the most iconic tires in mountain bike and BMX history.
In today’s Bikes and Big Ideas conversation, Wakeman talks about some of the other well-known products he designed before getting into vintage tires, like the Travel Agent, Tooth Fairy, 1x1 Blowerdrive, Surly Singleator, and the legendary Surly 1x1 frame. Wakeman and Simon discuss the challenges of recreating tires when the drawings and molds no longer exist, why the new tires are better than the old ones, why vintage mountain bikes deserve to be ridden and not thrown in the landfill, and a whole lot more.
RELATED LINKS:
BLISTER+ Membership
This Week’s Gear Giveaway
House of Looptail
TOPICS & TIMES:
Starting out in Bike Shops (2:31)
Industrial Design Degree and Working for QBP (4:11)
Earning Trust with the Travel Agent (8:52)
Designing the Surly 1x1 (11:18)
Starting House of Looptail (23:53)
The Snake Belly Tire (30:53)
Working with Panaracer (34:40)
The New Tires are Better (37:56)
The Ritchey Megabite Z-Max (45:04)
How to Remake a Tire with No Drawings or Molds (48:53)
What's Next (52:24)
What Wakeman is Riding (55:33)
CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:
Blister Cinematic
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
CRAFTED
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
David Golay and Zack Henderson sat down to chat about a ton of the new gear we’re currently testing, including bikes across the travel spectrum, some suspension products, and a bunch more. Plus we dive into the merits of active chain devices and talk about our early impressions of the Rimpact Chain Damper and how it stacks up against an Ochain.
RELATED LINKS:
BLISTER+ Get Yourself Covered
TOPICS & TIMES:
Pivot Trailcat LT (1:44)
Transition Sentinel (7:31)
Santa Cruz Bronson (15:23)
Ochain vs Rimpact Chain Damper (23:46)
Ibis Oso 1.1 (28:46)
RockShox Zeb Charger 3.1 (37:09)
RockShox Vivid Coil (44:18)
Outlier Void & Pendulum Pedals (56:27)
CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Off The Couch
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Another month has gone by, giving Mike and Simon plenty to talk about in the latest edition of Reviewing the News. In the last episode, they were super excited about the upcoming Red Bull Hardline in Tasmania, and today they get into the results, the insane speeds throughout the course, Asa Vermette’s rise to elite-level racing, and Jackson Goldstone’s redemption. It wouldn’t be a Reviewing the News episode without some bike industry news, so the lads discuss the recently imposed tariffs, the return of Nukeproof, and what’s happening with Rocky Mountain, plus a fun conversation about some new cycling startups. All of this and more in our February edition of Reviewing the News.
RELATED LINKS:
BLISTER+ Membership
BLISTER+ Real World Testimonials
Blister Labs
This Week’s Gear Giveaway
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
TOPICS & TIMES:
Mike’s Looking Fit (1:29)
Hardline Tasmania (4:27)
Gates 100k purse predictions for ‘25 (12:31)
Atherton Racing vs Aon Racing (20:00)
Nukeproof Rising From the Ashes (25:45)
Tariffs Again (34:01)
Rocky Mountain Bikes Update (40:45)
Arkansas Cycling Startup Accelerator (42:42)
What We’re Reading and Watching (1:02:16)
CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS
Blister Cinematic
Off The Couch
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
CRAFTED
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
George Brannigan announced his retirement from World Cup Downhill at the end of the 2024 season — but he’s not done racing, and just put up a very strong result at Red Bull Hardline Tasmania, finishing 11th despite a minor crash.
So we sat down with George to talk about his decision to step away from World Cups to race other events; his move to Transition that went alongside it; his thoughts on the state of World Cup racing; and a whole lot more.
RELATED LINKS:
BLISTER+ Get Yourself Covered
TOPICS & TIMES:
Retiring from World Cup racing (2:32)
One last season & gaining a new perspective (7:57)
Finding a team for 2025 (11:51)
The state of World Cup DH (16:41)
Looking back on George’s 15-year World Cup career (21:21)
Hardline Tasmania 2025 (25:18)
Hardline Wales & evolution of the track (29:36)
George’s 2025 plans and goals (41:52)
Filming (45:34)
The Motorhead edit (53:33)
CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Off The Couch
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Following his 2020 DH World Championships win, Reece Wilson’s downhill racing career got a massive boost that helped land him a spot on Trek’s Factory DH team. Unfortunately, several challenging, injury-marred seasons followed. But 2025 is shaping up quite differently with the introduction of his newly formed AON Racing team, so we sat down with Reece to find out what inspired him to build a team from the ground up; his decision to partner with Gamux; why belt-driven gearbox bikes are the future; his insane new Lotus; and a whole lot more.
RELATED LINKS:
BLISTER+ Get Yourself Covered
Join Us! Blister Summit 2025
TOPICS & TIMES:
Leogang 2020
Curse of the Rainbow Stripes
Worst Injury
Reece’s “Niggle”
AON Racing
Gamux Partnership
How the Team Riders were Chosen
Gates Belted Purse Chances
Benefits of Gear Boxes and Belt Drives
Reece’s Sweet New Lotus
DH Training on eBikes
Nicolai eMTB Partnership
CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Off The Couch
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Camille Balanche had an outstanding 2022 race season, winning the World Cup Overall title, and carried that momentum into 2023 before a horrifying crash in Andorra ended her season. We sat down with Cami to talk about her recovery and continued injury struggles in 2024; her move to Yeti and their re-emergence in World Cup Downhill; the state of the sport and the myriad rule changes for this season; how much longer she hopes to keep racing; and a whole lot more.
RELATED LINKS:
BLISTER+ Get Yourself Covered
Join Us! Blister Summit 2025
TOPICS & TIMES:
Cami’s move to Yeti (2:30)
Learning about the 2025 rule changes (8:02)
Qualifying in 2025 (13:22)
Team status & restructuring (15:53)
Pay in women’s DH (20:06)
Re-establishing Yeti in World Cup DH (22:47)
Cami’s monster crash in Andorra & returning to form (27:40)
Cami’s 2024 season & injury struggles (29:59)
The conversations around head injuries & how to better care for them (37:22)
Cami’s goals for 2025 (42:26)
The 2025 race calendar (44:06)
How much longer will Cami race? (45:59)
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Trump’s tariffs on China, Canada, and Mexico are high on Mike and Simon’s lists of topics to talk about — and it looks like there will be some uncertain times ahead for the bike industry. Speaking of Mexico, we’re hearing some good things are going on down there in regard to trail building, and since Mike is spending the winter in Baja, it’s the perfect opportunity to have the conversation about Mexico as a mountain biking destination. Red Bull Hardline is just a few days away, so be sure to tune in quickly for a preview. The start list is insanely stacked and Mike and Simon can’t wait to see who has the best early-season form, plus they throw out some predictions. All of this and a whole lot more in our first Reviewing the News episode of 2025.
RELATED LINKS:
BLISTER+ Membership
Blister Labs
This Week’s Gear Giveaway
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
Join Us! Blister Summit 2025
TOPICS & TIMES:
Mexico as a Mountain Bike Destination (1:37)
Walton Money in Mexico (14:32)
Trump’s tariffs impact on the Bike Industry (30:01)
De Minimis Loophole Closed (35:06)
Good Bye to Richey’s Rainbow Stripes (38:04)
RedBull Hardline Tasmania Preview (45:09)
What We’re Reading & Watching (52:48)
CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:
Blister Cinematic
Off The Couch
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
CRAFTED
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The Kona Process 153 and Transition Sentinel V3 have about the same suspension travel, not super different geometry, and were both developed by companies based in the same part of the world. They also ride very, very differently. So we sat down to talk about both of them and why they differ, some other new components we’re testing, including the Vorsprung Telum and OneUp Clip Pedals, and a bunch more.
RELATED LINKS:
BLISTER+ Get Yourself Covered
Join Us! Blister Summit 2025
TOPICS & TIMES:
Transition Sentinel V3 (2:07)
Kona Process 153 (9:14)
Vorsprung Telum (20:59)
OneUp Clip Pedals (29:26)
Enve M6 Wheels (40:37)
CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Off The Couch
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
When we last spoke with Chris Currie — the man behind Ministry Cycles and the striking Psalm 150 frame — he had just sent a prototype frame off for lab testing, hoping to move into production if all went to plan. Unfortunately, things didn’t work out that way, but Chris made some design changes and is still working toward offering frames for sale.
With the latest V3 frame off for testing, it was a good time to check back in with Chris to hear all about what’s happened over the last two years to get here; what goes into lab testing & why it’s important; what he’d do differently with the benefit of hindsight; and a whole lot more.
RELATED LINKS:
Ministry Cycles on Suspension Design, Machining Frames, & Launching a Bike Company (Ep.157)
BLISTER+ Get Yourself Covered
Join Us! Blister Summit 2025
TOPICS & TIMES:
The Psalm 150 (2:56)
Lab testing the earlier prototypes (4:51)
What goes into lab testing? (8:42)
The limitations of computer modeling & importance of physical testing (11:49)
Refinements of the V3 frame (18:42)
The pros and cons of various construction methods (26:13)
Bike industry struggles going into 2025 (35:34)
20/20 hindsight & the path to the V3 frame (43:18)
Welded front triangle versions (49:29)
CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Off The Couch
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Mountain bikes are, in many ways, better than ever, but we’re also seeing fewer and fewer bikes that feel like truly specialized tools for a specific job. And for many folks, that’s great — many big Enduro bikes climb pretty well, plenty of more versatile Trail bikes still hold their own in burly terrain quite effectively, and so on.
Being well-rounded is certainly one way for a bike to stand out, but it can also make for a bike that doesn’t truly excel in any specific area. So we got a bunch of our bike reviewers together to talk about — and argue over — the bikes and other gear we were most impressed with from 2024, and talk about what makes them stand out.
RELATED LINKS:
BLISTER+ Membership
This Week’s Gear Giveaway
TOPICS & TIMES:
Cannondale Moterra SL (2:41)
Santa Cruz Vala (4:26)
Kavenz VHP16 V7 (9:06)
Deviate Highlander II (13:58)
Privateer 161 V2 (16:23)
Spot Mayhem 140 (21:42)
Specialized Stumpjumper 15 (25:20)
Specialized Epic Evo (28:54)
Trek Top Fuel (32:19)
Yeti ASR (34:15)
Chromag Lowdown (39:42)
Schwalbe Radial Tires (43:45)
Michelin Wild Enduro MS & DH22 (51:15)
Michelin DH16 (56:12)
Manitou Mara Pro PB (58:38)
CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Off The Couch
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
When we last sat down with Steve Mathews from Vorsprung, he shared a lot of the high-level details of their then-unreleased Telum shock. But he needed to keep some of the most interesting details under wraps — until now. So we sat back down with Steve to get the full rundown — first and foremost, how the Telum’s novel Rapid Revalve system (which is meant to make re-valving the shock take only a few minutes) works. And Steve shares a lot of good info on the Telum more broadly, his approach to suspension tuning, and a whole lot more.
RELATED LINKS:
BLISTER+ Membership
This Week’s Gear Giveaway
TOPICS & TIMES:
Re-introducing the Telum
Damper design (2:10)
The Rapid Revalve system (7:19)
How Rapid Revalve differs from standard adjusters (14:01)
The Tuning Hub (23:24)
Damping curves & what Rapid Revalve can (and can’t) do (31:50)
“Placebo dials” & Steve’s tuning philosophy (35:54)
Hydraulic bottom-out & changing shock stroke (41:00)
Spherical bearings (44:59)
CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Off The Couch
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
2024 was an interesting, strange year for the bike industry, with the challenging retail landscape dominating a lot of the news. Thankfully, there has been plenty of good news to discuss, too. Dylan and Simon sat down on New Year's Eve to wrap up the last Reviewing the News for 2024, and they recapped some of the memorable stories from across the whole year, sprinkled in a bit of recent news from December, discussed their picks for best racing moments, and reminisced about their best rides of the year.
RELATED LINKS:
BLISTER+ Membership
BLISTER+ Real World Testimonials
Blister Labs
This Week’s Gear Giveaway
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
TOPICS & TIMES:
Norco’s 2025 DH Team (3:31)
GT Bikes to Pause Operations (7:09)
Rocky Mountain Restructuring (10:22)
Explore Act Passes Senate (15:38)
Lithium-ion Batteries Still Unregulated (18:29)
2024 Industry News Recap (22:28)
2024 Racing Highlights (34:02)
Favorite Riding Moments of ‘24 (41:13)
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
Blister Cinematic
Off The Couch
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
CRAFTED
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The last time we spoke to Braydon Bringhurst, he’d just wrapped up his hugely ambitious ‘8600FT’ project and put out an excellent film on the effort. He’s now taking on another huge project of a very different sort, so we sat down with him to hear all about his newly founded Hard MTB League.
RELATED LINKS:
BLISTER+ Membership
This Week’s Gear Giveaway
TOPICS & TIMES:
What is Hard MTB? (1:16)
Where did the idea come from, and why start it? (2:57)
The courses & varying disciplines (13:48)
October’s testing event (17:27)
The response from riders (19:28)
Timing & other details (24:55)
Who’s likely to excel? (28:12)
Plans for 2025 and beyond (31:25)
OUR OTHER PODCASTS:
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Off The Couch
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Sometimes a chance encounter can wildly reshape someone’s life, and the series of events that led Ashley King to frame building, and later founding Significant Other Bikes, is a wild one. So we sat down with Ashley to hear her story and get her take on frame building, running a business, and a whole lot more. We also discuss the importance of bringing in outside perspectives and folks with diverse backgrounds — and how that plays into the Significant Other name.
RELATED LINKS:
BLISTER+ Membership
This Week’s Gear Giveaway
TOPICS & TIMES:
Ashley’s discovery of the magic of bikes (1:37)
Building hydroponic systems & learning fabrication (4:14)
Ashley’s time as a bike messenger in NYC & what brought it to an end (5:04)
Fixed gear bikes (15:11)
Making the leap to frame building (18:01)
United Bicycle Institute’s frame building class (25:18)
COVID & small builders (30:34)
Founding Significant Other (35:46)
The MADE show (41:15)
Ashley’s intro to mountain biking (45:12)
Significant Other’s frame offerings (47:59)
The custom frame process (53:58)
The Significant Other name (55:31)
OUR OTHER PODCASTS:
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Off The Couch
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Mountain biking when it’s cold and rainy out might not sound very appealing, but our Pacific Northwest-based bike reviewers have a lot of experience on that front — and having a good time doing it. So we sat down to chat about how to make the most of the less appealing part of the riding season, from layering strategies to glove selection, tire choices and bike setup, and more.
RELATED LINKS:
BLISTER+ Membership
This Week’s Gear Giveaway
TOPICS & TIMES:
How to deal with humidity (3:08)
Shoe selection & tradeoffs (8:39)
Glove strategies (14:25)
Jackets & layering (18:54)
Bike setup (34:16)
Brake pads (36:47)
Tire selection (39:51)
OUR OTHER PODCASTS:
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Off The Couch
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Bike news slowed down a bit in November, allowing Mike and Simon to get into some fun topics, like the history of multitools, and Mike’s fifty-year-old truck project/money pit. But there was still plenty of bike industry conversation, too, thanks to the seemingly limitless discounts that continue to disrupt the retail landscape. They also discuss the not-so-fun topic of bike theft and offer some insight on how to protect your bikes and recover them if they are stolen, and a whole lot more.
RELATED LINKS:
BLISTER+ Membership
Blister Labs
This Week’s Gear Giveaway
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
TOPICS & TIMES:
Mike’s Fifty-Year-Old Truck Project (0:50)
The Bike Industry's Global Discounts Continue (6:43)
Deepest Discounts We’ve Ever Seen (8:51)
How Can The Bike Industry Reset (13:37)
De Minimis Reform (23:08)
Bike theft (28:04)
The History of Multitools (43:12)
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
Blister Cinematic
Off The Couch
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
CRAFTED
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Simon Stewart and David Golay are back for their first joint Reviewer Reports episode in a while, to talk about a whole bunch of what they’ve been testing lately. There’s a lot to cover, from three very different Trail bikes to a couple of lightweight eMTBs, the ultra-adjustable Geometron G1, two very different takes on electronically-controlled suspension, and more.
RELATED LINKS:
BLISTER+ Membership
This Week’s Gear Giveaway
TOPICS & TIMES:
Nicolai G1 (2:19)
Rocky Mountain Instinct Powerplay SL (13:23)
Canyon Spectral:ONFly (23:42)
K.I.S chat (27:38)
Kona Process 153 (34:49)
Spot Mayhem 140 (39:43)
Forbidden Druid V2 (46:59)
Fox Live Valve Neo vs. RockShox Flight Attendant (58:17)
OUR OTHER PODCASTS:
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Off The Couch
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Getting more people on bikes, and building better bike infrastructure to facilitate it, is something of a chicken-and-egg problem. People need to feel safe to get out in the first place; getting municipalities to take the issue seriously often takes a demonstrated need for better infrastructure.
PeopleForBikes is doing a lot to advocate for bike riders of all stripes — from casual commuters to dedicated mountain bikers, urban delivery riders to weekend roadies, and everyone in between. So we sat down with their CEO, Jenn Dice, to hear all about what PeopleForBikes does, and why it’s important; chat about what you can do to advocate for better bike infrastructure in your community; how the proliferation of eBikes has changed the landscape; and much more.
RELATED LINKS:
PeopleForBikes
BLISTER+ Membership
This Week’s Gear Giveaway
TOPICS & TIMES:
PeopleForBikes & their mission (1:21)
Infrastructure & policy to facilitate bike access (4:04)
City Ratings (7:35)
The Great Bike Infrastructure Map & community engagement (13:21)
E-Bikes and their infrastructure needs (14:45)
E-Bike classifications & regulations (17:59)
MTBs & trail access (29:57)
Managing shared use trails (31:04)
The LA Olympics & car-free goals (36:12)
Tariffs & the bike industry (41:58)
Getting involved with PeopleForBikes (45:21)
OUR OTHER PODCASTS:
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Off The Couch
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Matthew Fairbrother’s wild effort to bikepack through the entire 2022 EWS season was an incredible accomplishment, and he’s just kept stacking up bonkers feats of endurance on a mountain bike in the years since. So we once again sat down with Matthew to talk about what he’s been up to of late, including winning the NZ Rally despite forgoing all the assisted transfers; kayaking one of them with minimal experience in a kayak; more animal encounters (check out our earlier episode with Matthew for a real all-timer there); how he manages to switch between race mode and getting in the right mindset to just grind out massive miles and elevation; and a whole lot more.
RELATED LINKS:
Matthew’s 2022 EWS Tour (Ep.139)
BLISTER+ Membership
This Week’s Gear Giveaway
TOPICS & TIMES:
Taking on the NZ Rally (2:23)
Transferring by… kayak? (12:35)
Animal encounters (15:56)
Toggling between a focused race mindset and gutting out massive miles and elevation between stages (20:14)
Winning the NZ Rally despite forgoing all the assisted transfers (17:49)
The North Shore Triple Triple Crown (22:50)
The Triple Triple Crown ride (29:28)
Matthew’s bike setup (30:11)
Ranking the difficulty of Matthew’s exploits (38:10)
Food & planning (39:19)
OUR OTHER PODCASTS:
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Off The Couch
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
October is always an exciting month because of Red Bull Rampage, but this year was extra special due to the historic first women’s competition. Dylan and Simon recap this truly amazing event in the Utah desert and offer their take on some of the results. They also cover the usual industry news — some good, some bad — some exciting new products, and a whole lot more.
RELATED LINKS:
BLISTER+ Membership
BLISTER+ Real World Testimonials
Blister Labs
This Week’s Gear Giveaway
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
TOPICS & TIMES:
Dylan’s Grand Canyon Trip (1:10)
Red Bull Rampage Women’s Competition (4:29)
Brendog Robbed Again? (14:33)
Number Five for Brandon Semunuk & A $500 Bike Cleans Brendog’s Line (17:43)
The Green River Classic (25:31)
The Pro’s Closet is Back (32:01)
Dylan’s Costco Master Plan (51:59)
Simon’s Latest Crash (57:01)
New Rocky Mountain Light-Assist eMTB (1:00:59)
Other New Products (1:04:44)
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Off The Couch
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Red Bull Rampage finally included a women’s category this year, with Casey Brown doing a whole lot to spearhead it, and the event was spectacular. If you haven’t watched it yet, well, you should. Casey’s run starts at 29:25, but do yourself a favor and watch the whole thing.
We sat down with Casey to hear how it felt to finally have the door opened to women; talk about what goes into getting yourself to Rampage as an athlete, and everything it takes to actually be there and put a run together; the process of scouting, building, and testing her line; the competition day and what all went down; how to make the event even better next year; and what’s next for women’s freeride beyond Rampage.
RELATED LINKS:
BLISTER+ Membership
This Week’s Gear Giveaway
TOPICS & TIMES:
Learning that the women’s event was finally on (2:07)
Casey’s training & prep, and the logistics that go into competing (6:48)
The new venue & building a line (7:46)
Scouting a line & coordinating with other riders (14:28)
The format of the women’s event (18:28)
Casey’s line (20:21)
The crux (25:45)
Potential changes for next year(31:55)
The next frontier in women’s freeride (36:57)
OUR OTHER PODCASTS:
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Off The Couch
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Ethan Eggert is hard at work refining his Arid Cycles Spade Enduro bike, which has gone through three different suspension layouts, numerous geometry and kinematic tweaks, and one catastrophically broken frame — and he’s just 19 years old. We sat down with Ethan to get the whole story — including his plans to eventually offer bikes for sale — and it’s a good one.
RELATED LINKS:
BLISTER+ Membership
This Week’s Gear Giveaway
TOPICS & TIMES:
Ethan’s background & the inspiration behind Arid (1:30)
The Spade V1 & learning how to design a frame (7:02)
Geometry, suspension kinematics, & radical experimentation (13:37)
The Spade V2 & refining the recipe (21:53)
Frame failure (24:46)
The Spade V3 (28:56)
Commercialization & next steps (37:27)
OUR OTHER PODCASTS:
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Off The Couch
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
A lot of mountain bike hip packs are pretty cheaply made, and/or lightly tweaked versions of basic casual designs. High Above does things differently, from focusing on MTB-specific designs to making all their packs in the US from top-quality materials. So we went down to High Above HQ to chat about all of it, get the rundown on some upcoming High Above products — including some non-hip-pack models — and see how they go about designing, testing, and making their bags and other gear.
RELATED LINKS:
BLISTER+ Membership
This Week’s Gear Giveaway
TOPICS & TIMES:
Introducing Kyle and Spencer (1:46)
High Above’s history (2:36)
Kyle and Spencer taking the reigns & their backgrounds (4:23)
The pros and cons of US manufacturing (10:26)
Designing, testing, and refining packs (15:49)
High Above’s current product lineup (23:13)
Upcoming High Above products (35:48)
Potential future offerings (39:29)
High Above’s mission and company ethos (43:02)
OUR OTHER PODCASTS:
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Off The Couch
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Enve’s new fifth-generation M-Series wheels are a big departure from earlier iterations, with dramatically different rim profiles — and some very wild claims about improved compliance — new, Enve-built hubs, and a whole lot more. So we sat down with Enve’s VP of Product, Jake Pantone, to pull back the curtain on their long development process, the goals for the new wheels, the athlete feedback that drove those changes, and get the full story of Enve’s new MTB wheel lineup.
RELATED LINKS:
BLISTER+ Membership
This Week’s Gear Giveaway
TOPICS & TIMES:
Design goals for the new wheels (2:15)
Prototyping carbon wheels (5:43)
Testing & development with the Commencal Muc-Off team (7:40)
Bike changes & the evolution of wheel designs to match (20:18)
The M-Series lineup (25:56)
Rim profiles & ride quality (36:23)
Impact testing (42:40)
Enve’s Innerdrive hubs (53:15)
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
September was an interesting month in the bike industry with one the biggest retail bike stores in the country announcing its closing; Motion Instrument’s future looking grim; and news of Rad Power Bikes’ bizarre plan to sell eBikes in Best Buy stores. Simon and Mike have plenty to talk about on the industry side alone, not to mention all the exciting bike racing like the inaugural Lake Placid UCI XC World Cup; the US Cup DH; and the mind-blowing win by Tadej Pogacar at the UCI Road World Championships; plus a whole lot more.
RELATED LINKS:
BLISTER+ Membership
This Week’s Gear Giveaway
TOPICS & TIMES:
Asheville’s Hurricane Aftermath (2:39)
The Pro’s Closet Closing (4:29)
Rad Power Bikes in Best Buy (16:11)
Motion Instruments Out of Business (28:17)
Road World Championships (34:35)
Tadej Pogacar’s Dominance (39:27)
Lake Placid World Cup XC (44:09)
US Cup DH (49:57)
Bosch Updates CX Motor (53:44)
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Off The Couch
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Dylan Wood and Simon Stewart have been busy testing bikes and filming head-to-head comparisons, which means they’ve also been spending a lot of time on the same bikes. So, they got together to go over everything from longer-travel eMTBs like the Cannondale Moterra SL and Mondraker Dune XR to XC race bikes like the Yeti ASR and Cannondale Scalpel, then went down some geometry rabbit holes and a few other tangents.
RELATED LINKS:
BLISTER+ Membership
This Week’s Gear Giveaway
TOPICS & TIMES:
Cannondale Moterra SL (2:43)
Mondraker Dune XR (14:02)
Yeti ASR (22:29)
Cannondale Scalpel (32:22)
Specialized Stumpjumper (39:51)
Spot Mayhem 140 (45:12)
Slack Head Angles (51:54)
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
Blister Cinematic
Off The Couch
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
CRAFTED
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Alex Showerman’s new short film ‘Coming Home’ tells her story of doing just that — both in literally returning to her hometown in Vermont, and in finding community and acceptance in the women’s freeride scene after coming out as trans. You can, and should, stream the film for free now.
We sat down with Alex to dive deeper into her story and hear more about some of the themes that the short-film format didn’t leave time for. Alex’s retelling is touching, funny, and full of insights about what it really means to be at home in your own skin, the women’s freeride scene, and a whole lot more.
RELATED LINKS:
BLISTER+ Membership
This Week’s Gear Giveaway
TOPICS & TIMES:
Alex’s childhood in Vermont (1:25)
Getting into MTB (4:19)
Finding & building community in the freeride world (6:28)
Coming out as trans (10:52)
The women’s freeride scene (16:50)
Alex’s three-year road trip out West & back injury (18:28)
Navigating the pressure to perform, and finding joy in riding again (55:53)
Coming home (26:12)
Foundation (30:06)
OUR OTHER PODCASTS:
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Off The Couch
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Maxxis’ new High Roller doesn’t look much like High Rollers of old, and Maxxis is talking a very big game about how widely their DH racers are using it. So we sat down with the Manager of their Bike division, Aaron Chamberlain, to talk about the impetus to update the High Roller; hear the story behind its development; peel back the curtain on how Maxxis manages their product line; and a whole bunch more.
RELATED LINKS:
BLISTER+ Membership
This Week’s Gear Giveaway
TOPICS & TIMES:
The concept for the new High Roller (3:12)
Maxxis’ tire development and testing process (10:04)
Adding new tires & balancing options vs. simplicity in the lineup (14:45)
The High Roller name (27:58)
Upcoming High Roller variants (31:26)
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Off The Couch
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Mike Ferrentino is back behind the microphone in this episode of Reviewing the News, and Mike and Simon get right into what happened in the bike industry in August. They recap the exciting UCI MTB World Championships in Andorra; Mike gives his take on the interesting Specialized and Frameworks partnership; and they both agree that cross-country mountain bike courses should be longer. Simon puts Mike on the spot about his racing history, and they wonder if the bike retail landscape is ever going to return to ‘normal’, and lots more.
RELATED LINKS:
BLISTER+ Membership
BLISTER+ Real World Testimonials
Blister Labs
This Week’s Gear Giveaway
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
TOPICS & TIMES:
The Breck Epic (1:49)
Howard Grotts’ Crash (4:02)
MTB World Championships (10:58)
Mike’s Microphone Looking Safe 24:58)
Spot Bikes vs Gates Lawsuit (25:57)
Scott’s Two CEOs (30:35)
Specialized/Frameworks Partnership (34:18)
Lifetime Events and Races Doing Well (41:10)
Mike’s Racing History & the Leadville 100 (43:21)
Amazon Accountability (57:33)
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
We’re hard at work testing a huge range of bikes and other gear, as always, and David Golay sat down with Zack Henderson to talk about a whole bunch of it, from the Trek Top Fuel to the Marin Alpine Trail, the Forbidden Druid V2 to the Trek Slash+, and a whole bunch more. Plus we get off in the weeds about bike geometry, and wrap things up by issuing a big “I told you so” to a certain manufacturer.
RELATED LINKS:
BLISTER+ Membership
This Week’s Gear Giveaway
TOPICS & TIMES:
Trek Top Fuel (1:40)
Trek Slash+ (7:32)
Knolly Fugitive 140 (16:06)
Forbidden Druid V2 (20:51)
Marin Alpine Trail (33:34)
Privateer 161 V2 (43:22)
Manitou Mara Pro PB vs Formula Nebbia (52:11)
OUR OTHER PODCASTS:
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Off The Couch
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
More and more women are riding mountain bikes, so why are there so few women-specific bike brands out there? It’s not just about making bikes for everyone — though that’s important, too. Kara Williard and David Golay sat down with Ludi Scholz, the Off-Road Category Manager at Liv, to hear all about it.
RELATED LINKS:
BLISTER+ Membership
This Week’s Gear Giveaway
TOPICS & TIMES
Ludi’s Background & Role at Liv (2:53)
Women-Specific Bikes (7:14)
Why This Matters (11:31)
Frame Design / R&D (15:14)
Suspension Tuning (21:09)
Liv’s Lineup (25:40)
Pique & Intrigue X (29:12)
What’s Next for Liv (32:02)
The Industry at Large (32:43)
OUR OTHER PODCASTS:
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Off The Couch
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Gearboxes have some clear advantages for more gravity-oriented mountain bikes — less unsprung weight, the ability to shift while not pedaling, no derailleur to damage, and more — but have yet to reach widespread adoption. Zerode is perhaps the company best known for making gearbox mountain bikes, and we sat down with founder Rob Metz and Ali Quinn of Zerode to hear the story of Rob founding the company, and the homemade gearbox that kicked it all off; why they’re fans of gearboxes; their new World Cup DH race team; and a whole lot more.
RELATED LINKS:
BLISTER+ Membership
This Week’s Gear Giveaway
TOPICS & TIMES:
Zerode’s backstory & history (3:46)
Why gearboxes? (6:29)
Early production bikes (12:58)
Ali’s introduction to the company (17:01)
Pinion vs. Effigear (25:01)
Standard Pinion vs. Smart Shift? (28:50)
Selling gearboxes to the public (35:33)
The G3 & the DH team (43:01)
Future direction and new products? (45:58)
OUR OTHER PODCASTS:
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Off The Couch
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Vermont Mountain Bike Association is one of the leading organizations in the country in the assessment, funding, and building of adaptive trails — and in collaboration with Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports, they are creating an inspiring network of adaptive accessible trails. We sat down with Kenzie Brunner from VMBA, and Jeff Alexander from Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports to get the story on what they’ve been up to.
RELATED LINKS:
BLISTER+ Membership
This Week’s Gear Giveaway
TOPICS & TIMES:
What is VMBA? (2:23)
How VMBA is Structured (4:53)
Vermont Adaptive Ski And Sports Overview (10:00)
Adaptive Trail Access In Vermont (12:30)
The Kelly Brush Foundation (15:11)
ADA Compliant vs Adaptive Accessible (17:36)
Adaptive Trail Assessment (20:33)
Adaptive eMTB-friendly trails (30:06)
Biggest Challenges (35:28)
What Does the Future of Adaptive Trails Look Like? (40:47)
Adaptive Tourism (42:48)
Non Adaptive and Adaptive Riders Riding Together (45:29)
How to Plan an Adaptive MTB trip to Vermont (48:18)
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Off The Couch
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In this month's episode of Reviewing the News on our Bikes & Big Ideas Podcast, Simon welcomes freeride legend Wade Simmons as his guest co-host. Wade gives a recap of Crankworx Whistler and claims he can’t do tricks, then Wade and Simon try to sort out why they keep crashing, and the unfortunate reality of not being as fast as they once were. They get into the wild Les Gets World Cup and XC Mountain Bike racing at the Olympics, Wade’s spat with Rémy Métailler and Yoann Barelli over who rode the gnarliest lines first, and Wade gives an education on chain lube, plus a whole lot more.
RELATED LINKS:
BLISTER+ Membership
BLISTER+ Real World Testimonials
Blister Labs
This Week’s Gear Giveaway
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
TOPICS & TIMES:
Crankworx Whistler recap (2:10)
Women competing in slopestyle (3:40)
Big-ring wheelies (7:31)
Getting old and crashing (9:44)
Machine built trails (16:35)
Checks and balances (19:33)
Wade’s spat with Rémy Méttailer and Yoann Barelli (29:09)
Shimano’s huge trail building donation (35:32)
Les Gets World Cup DH (44:30)
Amuary Pierron’s winning run (46:19)
Olympic mountain bike races (50:29)
Singletrack-eating bikes (57:47)
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Off The Couch
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Hannah Otto’s obliteration of the Whole Enchilada FKT a couple of years ago was already hugely impressive, but she went much bigger — double the elevation and well over double the mileage — in her follow-up pursuit of the Kokopelli Trail FKT.
She came painfully close to pulling it off on her first attempt, despite horrific weather and trail conditions, before finally getting redemption with her second attempt this spring. So we sat down with Hannah to chat about what inspired her to choose the Kokopelli Trail for her next FKT attempt; hear the story of her brutal first go-round; discuss going back for her ultimately-successful second attempt this spring; and much more.
RELATED LINKS:
BLISTER+ Membership
This Week’s Gear Giveaway
TOPICS & TIMES:
Chasing the Kokopelli FKT
Why Kokopelli?
Hannah’s prep for her first attempt
The cold, snowy first attempt
Regrouping & the second attempt
Gear selection
Managing fear
Training for long-distance FKTs vs. racing
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Off The Couch
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The first production batch of the Frameworks DH bike is sold out, but they’ll soon be opening preorders for the Enduro version. So we brought Neko Mulally back onto the show to tell us all about the new bike; the variants of the DH bike he’s been testing; the expanded Frameworks race team with Angel Suarez and Asa Vermette; and a bunch more.
RELATED LINKS:
BLISTER+ Membership
This Week’s Gear Giveaway
TOPICS & TIMES:
Recapping the 2024 race season to date (2:16)
The expanded Frameworks team (6:20)
Tuning the DH bike for different racers (11:56)
Frame materials & testing other variants (20:14)
The Enduro bike (34:13)
Balancing racing with team management / mentorship & Neko’s evolving role (57:29)
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Off The Couch
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Geometron arguably did more than any other bike brand to kick off the geometry revolution of the late 2010s, but they weren’t content to leave their longstanding G1 alone — even though its geometry still looks pretty up to date five years after it first launched. So we sat down with Sam Robson and Marcel Lauxtermann from Geometron to talk about the development of the new G1, their goals for the updated bike, the testing that informed the updates they made, and a whole lot more.
RELATED LINKS:
Geometron G1
BLISTER+ Membership
This Week’s Gear Giveaway
TOPICS & TIMES:
Introducing Sam and Marcel (3:29)
Updating the G1 (6:32)
Refining geometry (9:04)
“Loading patterns” and bike setup for customers (13:57)
The new G1 (18:11)
David’s bike setup preferences (25:52)
Headtube angles and front wheel loading (30:47)
Stem lengths and steering feel (37:29)
Bottom bracket drop and geometry adjustability (41:31)
Other updates (43:25)
Suspension kinematics (47:39)
Sam & Marcel’s personal bike setups (51:42)
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Off The Couch
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In this month's episode of Reviewing the News on our Bikes & Big Ideas Podcast, Mike Ferrentino and Simon Stewart debate the polarizing topic of bikes in Wilderness areas. There's plenty of bike racing to talk about — including the biggest one in the world, the Tour de France. And they’re excited to talk about Red Bull Rampage including a women’s category, Simon winds Mike up about a new tire valve standard, plus a whole lot more.
RELATED LINKS:
BLISTER+ Membership
BLISTER+ Real World Testimonials
Blister Labs
This Week’s Gear Giveaway
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
TOPICS & TIMES:
Simon’s recent crash (0:53)
Bikes in wilderness areas (7:30)
Women’s competition at RedBull Rampage (18:41)
World Cup DH racing in June recap (22:15)
Nino Schurter wins his 36th XCO (29:18)
Tour de France (30:32)
The great bike valve debate (42:10)
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Off The Couch
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
We’ve been testing a big spectrum of bikes from the XC-race-derived Specialized Epic Evo to big Enduro sleds including the RAAW Madonna V3 and Marin Alpine Trail, so David Golay and Zack Henderson sat down to chat about a whole bunch of them, and along the way we take a deep dive into tire design & a variety of options we’ve been testing; discuss the wide variety of mid-travel high-pivot bikes on the market, and a bunch more.
RELATED LINKS:
BLISTER+ Membership
This Week’s Gear Giveaway
TOPICS & TIMES:
Deviate Highlander II (2:00)
RAAW Madonna (11:14)
Specialized Epic Evo (21:38)
Marin Alpine Trail (27:44)
Schwalbe Tacky Chan (37:48
Michelin Wild Enduro and DH (45:19)
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Off The Couch
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Bryan Hance is a bike enthusiast and web developer who combined those two interests in co-founding Bike Index, a database that tracks ownership to help recover bikes that end up stolen. Through that work, Bryan uncovered a sprawling bike theft and trafficking operation, which he traced back to one man, operating out of Jalisco, Mexico — and the story only gets crazier from there. So we sat down with Bryan and Chris Solomon, who wrote a piece for Wired on Bryan’s work, to hear all about it.
RELATED LINKS:
Bag Balm
BLISTER+ Membership
This Week’s Gear Giveaway
TOPICS & TIMES:
Bike Index & Bryan’s interest in bike theft (2:14)
Constru-Bikes’s operation (7:46)
What did this network look like? (13:41)
How Bryan uncovered Constru’s trafficking (22:20)
Arrests in the US (29:11)
How to shut this down? (34:56)
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Off The Couch
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Bike companies file a lot of wild patents, spanning from “nearly released product” to “outrageous pie-in-the-sky idea.” Dan Bacon of Wheelbased chronicles many of the more interesting ones, and we brought him back on the show to talk about some recent highlights, from Bilstein’s proposed fork damper to Shimano’s multiple electronic brake concepts, a carbon fiber cooler from Yeti (the BIKE company), and a whole bunch more.
RELATED LINKS:
Bag Balm
BLISTER+ Membership
This Week’s Gear Giveaway
TOPICS & TIMES:
Bilstein’s wild fork damper (2:28)
SRAM’s gravel linkage fork (7:48)
Fox’s new Live Valve (17:04)
Shimano’s piezoelectric shifters (25:10)
Shimano’s electronic brake (31:11)
Yeti (the bike company) making a cooler?? (38:45)
Dan’s Big Idea (43:48)
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Off The Couch
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Mike Ferrentino is back again as co-host for this month’s iteration of Reviewing the News, and Simon is delighted to have him in the studio to help try and make sense of the Red Bull Hardline drama. There were two exciting DH World Cup races to talk about, as well as an XC World Cup in Nova Mesto to cover. And in a fun change of pace, they get into the recent Giro d'Italia and the upcoming Tour de France. And there’s much more than just racing to go over, including an exciting update about Kona and a whole bunch more.
RELATED LINKS:
BLISTER+ Membership
BLISTER+ Real World Testimonials
Blister Labs
This Week’s Gear Giveaway
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
TOPICS & TIMES:
The MegaVolt eMTB festival (1:10)
Red Bull Hardline’s insane canyon gap (3:52)
Moto rider Johnny Walker’s mindblowing run down the Hardline course (15:22)
Mike’s microphone is safe (for now) (20:59)
Loic Bruni dominates (23:24)
Ronan Dunne and Mondraker (27:07)
Bike theft (31:07)
Nova Mesto XC World Cup (34:02)
Tom Pidcock (35:11)
Nino Shurter’s incredible career (35:54)
The Giro D’Italia (42:51)
The Pog (43:51)
Tour de France predictions (46:34)
The return of Kona (54:08)
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
We’ve been very impressed with the EXT Storia V3 on a whole bunch of different bikes over the years, but EXT is launching a new V4 iteration soon, and they’ve found a lot to tweak. So we brought EXT founder, Franco Fratton, back to Bikes & Big Ideas to give us a rundown on the new Storia and Arma V4; talk about the potential for truly “active” suspension systems in the bike world; tease some more upcoming EXT products; discuss the state of patents in MTB suspension; and a whole lot more.
RELATED LINKS:
Bag Balm
BLISTER+ Membership
This Week’s Gear Giveaway
TOPICS & TIMES:
The Storia & Arma V4 (2:27)
Aria vs. Storia (26:55)
Active suspension in MTB (41:27)
Future EXT products? (46:45)
Patents & the bike industry (48:59)
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Off The Couch
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
When it comes to rear shocks for mountain bikes, there are tons of options for both air- and coil-sprung versions, but the Cane Creek Tigon is both — an “air-charged coil shock,” as Cane Creek describes it. So we sat down with Cane Creek’s Will Hart to get the rundown on the Tigon, including why Cane Creek decided to make it; what its pros and cons are relative to their other shock offerings; who it’ll work best for; and more.
RELATED LINKS:
BLISTER+ Membership
This Week’s Gear Giveaway
TOPICS & TIMES:
Introducing Will (1:38)
The Tigon (3:34)
“Air-charged coil” shock (10:29)
Setting sag & air / coil interplay (15:31)
Cane Creek’s shock lineup & choosing between their offerings (18:50)
Suspension kinematics & what the Tigon is best suited for (22:56)
The Tigon damper (27:03)
Base tunes vs. wide adjustment ranges (34:18)
Durability (40:26)
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Off The Couch
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
We’ve been testing a huge variety of bikes, from the E-Gravel Scott Solace to a bunch of high-pivot Trail bikes (including the Deviate Highlander II), plus several new forks, some new tires, and a whole bunch more. So we sat down to chat about all of it; recap the World Cup DH season opener; recount being repeatedly heckled on the local trails; and argue about the relative merits of tire inserts vs. beefier casings.
RELATED LINKS:
BLISTER+ Membership
This Week’s Gear Giveaway
TOPICS & TIMES:
World Cup DH season opener (1:44)
Norco Fluid VLT & Canyon Neuron:ONFly (12:34)
Bosch SX Motor (13:21)
Deviate Highlander II (24:51)
Yeti ASR (30:25)
Michelin’s new Enduro and DH tires (41:34)
Fox 38 Grip X2 (57:51)
Formula Belva (1:05:31)
Scott Solace (1:11:04)
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Off The Couch
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Carbon fiber bike frames have become ubiquitous in the high-end world, but metal bikes are making a comeback — and the number of steel full-suspension bikes we’ve reviewed in the last few years is a testament to that. So we sat down with Daniel Yang and Nick Neuhaus of Neuhaus Metalworks to chat about the case for metal bikes; hear the story of their respective journeys into frame building; talk about bike sizing and size-specific geometry; and discover that Daniel and our Bike Editor, David, are maybe secretly the same person (?)
RELATED LINKS:
Bag Balm
BLISTER+ Membership
This Week’s Gear Giveaway
TOPICS & TIMES:
Introducing Nick and Daniel (2:50)
Are Daniel and David secretly the same person? (13:57)
Group learning & sharing info (15:24)
Metal bikes (18:40)
Carbon fiber frames & industrial design (26:12)
The UDH (35:00)
Frame sizes & size-specific geometry (50:37)
Making biking more inclusive (58:20)
The case for custom bikes (1:03:29)
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Off The Couch
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Simon welcomes guest co-host Mike Ferrentino to go over a busy, weird month in the bike world. Of course, they have to talk about what happened to Kona, which leads to a discussion about the negative effect Venture capital and investment companies seem to have on the bike industry. But there’s also fun stuff going on with companies like Gates, and Mike places a bet with eating his microphone as the stakes. Plus they get into the incredible start to the XC World Cup season for U.S. athletes, the new Canyon lightweight eMTB, the scourge of poison oak, and, naturally, some discussion of zombies.
RELATED LINKS:
BLISTER+ Membership
BLISTER+ Real World Testimonials
Blister Labs
This Week’s Gear Giveaway
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
TOPICS & TIMES:
What's going on with Kona? (0:41)
Enve is being sold again (9:25)
Rapha closed their U.S. office (14:42)
The Mountain Bike capital of the world (18:03)
Gate’s 100k belt drive prize & Microphone eating (29:00)
Recap of the first two XC World Cups (34:46)
New Yeti ASR (42:22)
XC bike amnesia (52:03)
Canyon Neuron:ONfly first ride (56:04)
Poison Oak (1:03:30)
28 Days Later sequel and Zombies (1:04:47)
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Off The Couch
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The Norco Factory Team has a new DH race bike, and the story of its development is an interesting one. So we sat down with engineers Adrian Ward and Kirk McDowall to hear their take on the goals and design intent of the bike; what they learned from the development of the existing Enduro bike, the Range (and its modified DH version); the original test mule for the new race bike; working with Greg Minnaar to continue the bike’s development; and a whole lot more.
RELATED LINKS:
BLISTER+ Membership
BLISTER+ Real World Testimonials
Blister Labs
This Week’s Gear Giveaway
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
TOPICS & TIMES:
Introducing Adrian and Kirk (2:03)
Origins of the DH bike project (3:59)
Racing DH on the Range (6:35)
The next steps (13:27)
Kirk’s testing (17:28)
Building “the fastest race bike” (22:53)
The design of the bike (28:41)
Wheel sizes & going MX (32:33)
Suspension layout (41:07)
Greg Minnaar & reconsidering 29’’ wheels (46:52)
Future development (56:26)
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Off The Couch
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
We’ve been testing a massive assortment of new bikes and other gear, and David Golay and Zack Henderson sat down to chat about a whole bunch of them, including the high-pivot Norco Optic and Sight, the new Specialized Epic Evo, the newly-mulleted Yeti SB165, and more.
RELATED LINKS:
BLISTER+ Membership
BLISTER+ Real World Testimonials
Blister Labs
This Week’s Gear Giveaway
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
TOPICS & TIMES:
Yeti SB165 (1:29)
Norco Sight & Optic (8:46)
Kavenz VHP 16 V7 (22:43)
Rocky Mountain Instinct (31:52)
Rocky Mountain Altitude (38:33)
Ibis HD6 (45:46)
Specialized Epic Evo (53:18)
SRAM Maven brakes (58:58)
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Off The Couch
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
March was an interesting month for bike news. There was a dispute at Crankworx Rotorua which resulted in the men not competing in the finals, Scott is having crazy management drama, there are a bunch of interesting new lightweight eMTBs, and Simon had a recent trip to ride in Tuscany. In our third installment of Reviewing The News, Ryan and Simon get into all of this and more.
RELATED LINKS:
BLISTER+ Membership
BLISTER+ Real World Testimonials
Blister Labs
This Week’s Gear Giveaway
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
TOPICS & TIMES:
Simon’s recent trip to Italy (1:50)
Riding eGravel bikes in Tuscany (4:03)
Are gravel bikes just reincarnated 30-year-old mountain bikes? (4:48)
John Tomac’s drop-bar riding prowess (7:39)
How did we ride without dropper posts? (7:54)
Slow eBikes in Europe (10:38)
The Slopestyle strike (20:40)
First-ever women’s slopestyle event at Crankworx (27:32)
Scott drama (32:50)
The year of the lightweight E-bikes (38:04)
Norco Fluid VLT (39:58)
Mondraker Dune (50:11)
Short-travel high-pivot bikes (53:24)
Old brakes vs. new brakes (1:01:51)
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Off The Couch
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Racing World Cup DH isn’t easy under any circumstances, but doing so after a spinal cord injury — and needing to relearn how to walk, much less ride — is something else entirely. Brook Macdonald pulled it off, but he’s also struggled with bike setup, burnout, and more over the last couple of seasons. For 2024, though, he’s got a new team, a new bike, and a renewed hunger to race — we sat down to hear all about it.
RELATED LINKS:
BLISTER+ Membership
BLISTER+ Real World Testimonials
Blister Labs
This Week’s Gear Giveaway
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
TOPICS & TIMES:
Getting a fresh start for 2024 (2:24)
Coming back from breaking his back in 2019 (4:09)
What does (and doesn’t) work in a DH race bike (18:06)
Moving to Forbidden (23:40)
Hardline Tasmania (26:58)
Losing weight (35:44)
The evolution of DH racing (39:04)
Changing race tracks (50:05)
Brook’s 2024 goals (54:42)
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Off The Couch
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Georgia Astle is one of the many ultra-talented riders to come out of Whistler, BC — but she actually grew up kitesurfing and doing a whole bunch of other sports, rather than mountain biking. Once she fell in love with mountain biking in high school, though, her rise through the ranks was astonishingly rapid — first as a racer and later as a freerider — and we sat down with Georgia to hear all about it, including the state of Enduro racing and women’s freeride, Georgia’s goals for 2024 and beyond, and a whole lot more.
RELATED LINKS:
BLISTER+ Membership
BLISTER+ Real World Testimonials
Blister Labs
This Week’s Gear Giveaway
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
TOPICS & TIMES:
Growing up in Whistler and not mountain biking (2:44)
Getting into racing (7:51)
Georgia’s meteoric rise (13:42)
DH vs. Enduro as a privateer (21:32)
The folly of eMTB racing (31:06)
Moving to freeride (34:04)
The state of women’s freeride (39:06)
Georgia’s 2024 plans (48:52)
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Off The Couch
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Dakotah Norton finished the 2023 DH season strong, with two podiums and a 6th place finish over the final four races, but as he put it, the season started with “near failure.” We sat down with Dakotah to talk about the struggle of finding consistency at the limit; his move to Mondraker Factory Racing and the dissolution of his former team at Intense; the state of DH racing both at home and abroad; how to better develop up-and-coming American DH racers; and a whole lot more.
RELATED LINKS:
BLISTER+ Membership
BLISTER+ Real World Testimonials
Blister Labs
This Week’s Gear Giveaway
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
TOPICS & TIMES:
Getting up to speed with the new team (2:20)
The 2023 season (3:45)
Finding consistency in a chaotic season (6:34)
The dissolution of Intense Factory Racing (17:35)
Finding a new team mid-season (21:38)
The state of World Cup DH racing (22:41)
Broadcasting races (25:34)
Running World Cup DH (30:25)
Developing American DH talent (33:42)
Dak’s 2024 goals (41:09)
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Off The Couch
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Gravel racing has exploded in recent years and Sarah Sturm — who only started racing bikes in college, after burning out on competitive soccer — quickly vaulted to stardom in the sport. So we sat down with Sarah to hear the surprising and hilarious story of her path into gravel racing; chat about the struggle of not excelling at something you’ve dedicated a lot of time and energy toward; the evolution and professionalization of gravel racing; the overall state and health of the sport; and a whole lot more.
RELATED LINKS:
BLISTER+ Membership
BLISTER+ Real World Testimonials
Blister Labs
This Week’s Gear Giveaway
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
TOPICS & TIMES:
Introducing Sarah (1:25)
Racing cyclocross & moving to gravel (2:49)
Sarah’s first forays into mountain biking (6:46)
Being the “doomsday prepper of bike racing” (19:20)
The evolution of gravel racing (27:37)
“Marginal gains people” (39:22)
The health of the sport (45:51)
Sarah’s 2024 plans & goals (51:22)
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Off The Couch
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On our second episode of Reviewing The News with hosts Simon Stewart and Ryan Palmer; Ryan may have uncovered what Kyle and Rachael Strait are keeping secret before their big announcement on Friday (March 8th); Simon considers adopting Ronan Dunne’s pre-race hydration program after watching his incredible Red Bull Hardline winning run; there’s a brake lever lawsuit to talk about; Ryan’s father-in-law’s souped-up scooter; exploding lithium-ion batteries; and Cannondale’s wild Moterra SL lightweight full-powered eMTB.
RELATED LINKS:
BLISTER+ Membership
BLISTER+ Real World Testimonials
Blister Labs
This Week’s Gear Giveaway
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
TOPICS & TIMES:
Fezzari name change (2:53)
Kyle and Rachael Strait’s new bike sponsor (4:38)
Red Bull Hardline Tasmania (8:44)
The dangers of racing Hardline before a World Cup DH season (12:35)
Brake lever lawsuit & the broken health care system (22:13)
Dutch police field testing e-bikes (34:22)
Lithium-ion battery task force in NY (47:18)
Frankenstein Batteries (49:40)
Lithium-ion battery safety (50:51)
Cannondale Moterra SL (1:00:32)
The future of lightweight lower-power eMTBs (1:13:28)
Cornhole College Scholarships (1:21:37)
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Off The Couch
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
High-pivot bikes are becoming increasingly common but they’re still mostly reserved for longer-travel Enduro and DH models. Given that, Norco’s decision to move their 150mm-travel Sight and especially the 125mm-travel Optic to that layout was arguably a bit of a surprise — and it wasn’t one Norco made lightly.
So we sat down with Norco engineer, Colin Ryan, to get the rundown on the new Optic and Sight, including the decision to go high-pivot and the testing that they used to validate it; how the suspension design of the new bikes differs from their other high-pivot models (and the prior-generation Optic and Sight); their new Ride Aligned setup guides; and a whole lot more.
RELATED LINKS:
BLISTER+ Membership
BLISTER+ Real World Testimonials
Blister Labs
This Week’s Gear Giveaway
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
TOPICS & TIMES:
Introducing Colin (2:50)
The new Optic & Sight (3:47)
Test mules for the new bikes & lessons learned (10:06)
Shock spec and developing tunes (19:29)
The new Ride Aligned setup guides (23:58)
Wheel sizes (31:37)
Geometry (37:32)
Sprindex springs & making setup easier (42:51)
Idler pulley testing (44:23)
The Fluid & getting weird with the Optic (46:23)
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Off The Couch
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The first Tasmanian edition of Red Bull Hardline is coming up, so we sat down with Ed Masters to talk about the event, building and testing the course, and getting prepared to ride it. Along the way, we talk about Pivot’s wild prototype DH bike, the state of Enduro and DH racing in general, Ed’s outlook on the future, and a whole lot more.
RELATED LINKS:
BLISTER+ Membership
BLISTER+ Real World Testimonials
Blister Labs
This Week’s Gear Giveaway
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
TOPICS & TIMES:
Ed’s injury updates (3:49)
Hardline Tasmania (7:36)
The Pivot DH prototype (10:58)
Hardline course building and testing (14:47)
The state of Enduro racing (19:17)
How to fix racing? (24:39)
World Cup Downhill (37:14)
Coping with uncertainty (45:20)
Ed’s 2024 plans (48:31)
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Off The Couch
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Continental’s overhauled gravity tire lineup has had a lot of success, both on the World Cup Downhill circuit and with everyday riders (we’ve personally been huge fans of the Kryptotals).
It’s a big departure from their prior offerings, with 5 new tread patterns to go with overhauled casings and rubber compounds, and we sat down with Alexander Hänke, the product manager behind the lineup, and Dan Brown, the CEO of Atherton Bikes and Team Director of Continental Atherton Racing, to talk all about their development, hear their takes on what makes a good tire, and a whole lot more.
RELATED LINKS:
BLISTER+ Membership
BLISTER+ Real World Testimonials
Blister Labs
This Week’s Gear Giveaway
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
TOPICS & TIMES:
Introducing Alex and Dan (1:46)
Where to start when overhauling a complete tire lineup? (4:02)
Designing tires for World Cup Downhillers vs. mere mortals (9:24)
Beginning the development process (13:12)
Starting with casing designs & their importance (16:42)
Tread pattern design (22:38)
Splitting the Kryptotal into front and rear models (25:08)
The Continental gravity tire lineup (28:32)
Rubber compounds & why softer doesn’t always equal more grip (33:56)
Choosing which variants to offer (42:02)
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Off The Couch
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Blister reviewer Zack Henderson makes his Bikes & Big Ideas debut to talk with David Golay about a bunch of the bikes they’ve been testing, including the Nicolai Nucleon 16 Supre Drive, Ibis HD6, and Chromag Lowdown (and they tease some other upcoming reviews that they can’t yet talk about in detail).
RELATED LINKS:
BLISTER+ Membership
BLISTER+ Real World Testimonials
Blister Labs
This Week’s Gear Giveaway
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
TOPICS & TIMES:
Chromag Lowdown (2:10)
Orbea Rallon (8:57)
Ibis HD6 (19:36)
Nicolai Nucleon 16 (29:05)
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Off The Couch
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Simon Stewart is joined by bike industry veteran, Ryan Palmer, to kick off the inaugural bike-focused edition of Reviewing the News.
Ryan and Simon tuck into what happened to Greg Minaar and Santa Cruz; Mondraker’s new focus on the U.S market and their stacked World Cup DH Team; the state of the industry in both manufacturing and retail going into ‘24; UK bike companies that are struggling; a quick look at some new products, and more.
RELATED LINKS:
BLISTER+ Membership
BLISTER+ Real World Testimonials
Blister Labs
This Week’s Gear Giveaway
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
TOPICS & TIMES:
Introducing Ryan Palmer (2:30)
Greg Minaar, the G.O.A.T, leaves Santa Cruz (8:08)
Mondraker making a big push in the U.S market (15:50)
Mondraker also investing heavily in a stacked DH team (17:55)
Dakotah Norton and Ronan Dunne racing for Mondraker (18:19)
Dakotah Norton working with Yoshimura Cycling (19:18)
Turbulent time for UK bike companies (20:54)
Orange Bikes having difficulty (20:54)
Chain Reaction Cycles / Nukeproof also in trouble (22:42)
Fickle time for the bike industry (24:31)
How will 2024 look for new products (27:20)
Made Bike Show & Artistry of handmade bikes (27:58)
Steel full-suspension bikes (30:49)
Trail access / B.O.L.T act (34:45)
OneUp V3 Seatpost (38:36)
Muc-Off gloves (46:04)
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Off The Couch
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Moving up to Elite Downhill racing from Juniors is hard, but Rónán Dunne made that leap in 2021, and promptly started getting great results — despite only racing a handful of World Cups as a Junior and never even making it out of qualifying. After three strong years racing for Nukeproof, Rónán has moved to the new Mondraker Factory Racing team for 2024 and beyond, so we sat down with him to hear all about it, including how he started putting together such strong results so quickly; the state of DH racing in general; Hardline and its new two-race mini-series; and a whole lot more.
RELATED LINKS:
BLISTER+ Membership
BLISTER+ Real World Testimonials
Blister Labs
This Week’s Gear Giveaway
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
TOPICS & TIMES:
Rónán’s introduction to racing DH (2:11)
Joining the Nukeproof team (3:36)
Rónán’s breakout 2021 season (5:21)
Putting together consistent results (6:57)
The Snowshoe 2023 race (12:31)
Leaving Nukeproof (16:06)
The team landscape for 2024 and beyond (19:03)
Joining Mondraker Factory Racing (21:39)
Hardline (25:31)
Rónán’s track preferences (27:04)
The state of DH racing & what Rónán would change (28:42)
The semifinal format (30:04)
Rónán’s 2024 goals (33:24)
Working toward a World Cup win (34:29)
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Off The Couch
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
There are a lot of good reasons to try mountain biking at night, from simple necessity during the colder, darker months to seeking a new challenge and experience. We sat down with Outbound Lighting’s Tom Place to make the case for (safe) night riding, talk about light design, how to think about putting together a light setup for your needs, and much more.
RELATED LINKS:
BLISTER+ Membership
BLISTER+ Real World Testimonials
Blister Labs
This Week’s Gear Giveaway
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
TOPICS & TIMES:
Tom’s background & founding Outbound (7:21)
What makes a good bike light? (14:04)
How to choose a light setup (22:14)
Bar vs. helmet lights and their different requirements (30:33)
Power output, battery size, and runtime (35:59)
Features (41:52)
Why ride at night? (47:31)
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Off The Couch
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
When Ruben Torenbeek founded RAAW back in 2016, he had a clear vision for the sort of dependable, no-nonsense bikes he wanted to build. He clearly wasn’t alone in wanting a bike in that vein, because RAAW is going strong with an expanding model lineup, a bigger team, and so on.
So Ruben and David Golay sat down to chat about all of it, including why things like carbon fiber frames and fancy details don’t necessarily equate to higher performance; his philosophy on bike design and how he’s gone about designing bikes to both ride well and be easy to live with; the expanding RAAW lineup and how it’s evolved over the years; and a whole bunch more.
RELATED LINKS:
BLISTER+ Membership
BLISTER+ Real World Testimonials
Blister Labs
This Week’s Gear Giveaway
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
TOPICS & TIMES:
Founding RAAW (2:12)
The original concept for the brand (6:36)
Bike weight & its relevance (or lack thereof) (11:03)
The V1 Madonna (14:59)
Cable routing (19:34)
Ride feel and being “in the bike” (23:53)
Launching RAAW & the initial reception (30:41)
Evolution and growth of RAAW (37:15)
The Jibb (44:05)
The Yalla! (45:38)
The Madonna V3 (47:15)
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Off The Couch
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Vorsprung Suspension has been making a wide range of suspension upgrade products for quite some time now — and we’ve been very impressed with a number of them — but they’ve yet to offer a full standalone fork or shock. That’s about to change.
So we sat down with founder and engineer Steve Mathews to hear all about the new coil shock that they’re developing, including a whole lot about its design, Vorsprung’s goals for it, how the prototyping and testing process is going, and a whole lot more.
RELATED LINKS:
BLISTER+ Membership
BLISTER+ Real World Testimonials
Blister Labs
This Week’s Gear Giveaway
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
TOPICS & TIMES:
Why build a shock now? (3:05)
Designing a new shock vs. tuning products for existing ones (10:21)
The design (14:01)
High- and low-speed rebound adjustments (24:52)
Why coil? (29:10)
Will there be an air version? (32:11)
Packaging & bike fitment (33:50)
Mounting standards (38:11)
The biggest challenges (50:21)
Picking test bike platforms (55:09)
Availability & pricing (59:20)
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Off The Couch
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
We got the gang back together to recap a whole bunch of the bikes and other gear we tested in 2023, and Simon Stewart, Dylan Wood, and David Golay picked a bunch of our favorites, including bikes across the travel spectrum and a variety of softgoods. Along the way, we get into bike design and geometry tradeoffs, headset cable routing, and much more.
RELATED LINKS:
BLISTER+ Membership
BLISTER+ Real World Testimonials
Blister Labs
This Week’s Gear Giveaway
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
TOPICS & TIMES:
SCOR 2030
Transition Smuggler
Cannondale Habit
Chromag Darco
Pivot Shuttle AM
Contra MC
Fox Union Shoes
Yeti Freeland Shorts
Akta Trail Knee Pads
Velocio Trail Access Pants
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Off The Couch
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Forbidden might be the company most closely associated with high-pivot bikes, but Owen Pemberton didn’t set out with that goal in mind when he founded the company. We sat down with Owen to hear all about his journey through the bike industry, including a long tenure as an engineer at Norco; founding Forbidden; his philosophy on bike design and geometry; how he ended up settling on high-pivot suspension layouts; the new Druid V2 and Supernought; and Owen teases some future Forbidden models, too.
RELATED LINKS:
BLISTER+ Membership
BLISTER+ Real World Testimonials
Blister Labs
This Week’s Gear Giveaway
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
TOPICS & TIMES:
Owen’s path into the bike industry and tenure at Norco
Founding Forbidden
High-pivot bikes and the V1 Druid
Chainstay lengths & proportional geometry
Trifecta V2 & suspension kinematics
What’s next from Forbidden?
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Off The Couch
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
EXT founder Franco Fratton has more experience working on suspension than just about anyone, and today, we’re revisiting our first conversation with him that kicked off our “Very Deep Dive on Suspension” series, where we discuss all the details when it comes to suspension design and tech.
RELATED LINKS:
A Very Deep Dive on Suspension with EXT’s Franco Fratton, Pt. 2 (Ep. 146)
A Very Deep Dive on Suspension with EXT’s Franco Fratton, Pt. 3 (Ep.173)
Become a BLISTER+ Member
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
Blister Labs
This Week’s Gear Giveaway
TOPICS & TIMES:
Dampers vs. Shock Absorbers (1:42)
Sprung vs. unsprung mass (7:39)
Coil springs & the need for dampers (8:59)
History of damper design (9:31)
Adjustability vs. damper quality (21:28)
Orifice dampers (23:22)
Valve types (28:03)
High- vs. low-speed adjusters (29:42)
Range of adjustments (35:49)
Damping “knee” (41:47)
Twin tube vs. monotube dampers (46:55)
Damper design philosophy (59:25)
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
William Boisvert made his first bike frame — a machined front triangle for a Devinci Troy — in just seven weeks for a college project, and despite the challenges that arose (and the fact that that first frame didn’t survive very long), he’s continued the development of a CNC-machined high-pivot Enduro frame, and founded Tool to bring it to market. The prototypes are visually stunning (and quite interesting technically), and we sat down with William to hear all about their design and the concepts behind it; why he’s opting to machine and bond his frames; what’s next with their development and when they might be available to buy; and a whole lot more.
RELATED LINKS:
BLISTER+ Membership
BLISTER+ Real World Testimonials
Blister Labs
This Week’s Gear Giveaway
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
TOPICS & TIMES:
William’s first bike project (7:12)
The difficulty of building something (11:44)
William’s first ground-up design (18:12)
Suspension travel, geometry, & modularity (30:23)
Prototypes (33:42)
Machining frames & “human scale” manufacturing (36:50)
Moving toward production (44:25)
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Off The Couch
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
A lot of companies have offered bikes with a degree of adaptability in their geometry and travel configurations, but the Albatross Apogee Module is a very novel design that opens up a much wider spectrum of options than most. We sat down with founder and engineer, Will Hilgenberg, to chat about the concept; what he sees as being the advantages of the layout; frame materials and ride quality; his plans for production; and more.
RELATED LINKS:
BLISTER+ Membership
BLISTER+ Real World Testimonials
Blister Labs
This Week’s Gear Giveaway
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
TOPICS & TIMES:
Founding Albatross (3:29)
Dropped seatstays (5:51)
Recumbents? (12:30)
Frame materials & ride quality (15:07)
Full suspension bike development (16:58)
The Apogee Module (18:38)
Suspension kinematics (22:41)
Flexibility & adaptability (23:38)
Geometry options & customization (31:45)
Moving to production (34:03)
Why “Albatross”? (36:36)
Hardtails (37:42)
“Bikes for everyone” (39:00)
The ordering process & customization (40:26)
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Off The Couch
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Two races into the 2022 EWS season, Katy Winton hit a breaking point and pulled out of the rest of the series to give herself the time and space she needed to get her mental health back on track. Having made a successful return to racing in 2023, Katy is now ready to open up about the experience.
We sat down with her to talk about burnout and what her experience with it felt like; when she knew she needed to punch out and step away from racing; what her recovery process looked like; how she managed to come back in 2023; what the future holds for her career and Enduro racing more broadly; and a whole lot more.
TOPICS & TIMES:
The 2022 race season and pulling the plug (3:41)
Going public with the news (13:54)
Katy’s recovery from burnout (17:13)
Mental performance coaching (21:15)
Lessons learned (30:05)
Making a career of mountain biking (33:26)
Bike setup & feeling at home (38:03)
Getting back to racing & the 2023 season (50:52)
The 2024 season & what comes next (54:23)
RELATED LINKS:
Katy Winton on 2021, Life as an EWS Pro, & Signing With GT (Ep.103)
BLISTER+ Membership
BLISTER+ Real World Testimonials
Blister Labs
This Week’s Gear Giveaway
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
Blister Cinematic
Off The Couch
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
CRAFTED
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Founding Intend (2:18)
Fork design & the first Intend offering (5:24)
Why inverted? (7:09)
Selling inverted forks & market acceptance of things that look different (8:52)
Designing a full fork (17:16)
Damper design (20:16)
The Infinity EN (24:42)
The Bandit (38:32)
The Hover shock (43:12)
Brake design (48:17)
Deciding which projects to tackle (57:07)
What’s next for Intend? (1:00:26)
RELATED LINKS:
BLISTER+ Membership
BLISTER+ Real World Testimonials
Blister Labs
This Week’s Gear Giveaway
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
Blister Cinematic
Off The Couch
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
CRAFTED
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Neko Mulally’s Frameworks project has drawn a lot of well-deserved attention, and now he’s opening pre-orders for the production version of his World Cup DH race bike. So we sat down with Neko to hear all about everything that’s gone into the development of the bike this season; his experimentation with different frame materials; the wildly talented Asa Vermette joining the team; and a whole lot more.
TOPICS & TIMES:
Opening preorders for the DH bike (2:14)
Refining the details (10:02)
Changes from the prototypes to production (20:44)
Frame materials (31:14)
The Frameworks Enduro bike (43:00)
Injury recovery and 2024 plans (1:01:23)
RELATED LINKS:
BLISTER+ Membership
BLISTER+ Real World Testimonials
Blister Labs
This Week’s Gear Giveaway
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
Off The Couch
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
CRAFTED
Happy Hour
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The stats of the Tour Divide route — 2,670 miles and 192,000 feet of climbing, mostly on dirt — are imposing, and Lachlan Morton just covered it in a record-setting 12 days, 12 hours, and 21 minutes. So we sat down with him to hear about what it takes to plan, prepare for, and execute such a wild undertaking, how it went, why Lachlan already wants to go back and re-ride the course, but slowly, and a whole lot more.
TOPICS & TIMES:
The Tour Divide route
Record ethos & riding self-supported
Planning the attempt
Bears
Timing & mishaps
Nutrition
Payday bars
Sleep strategy
Decision-making, fatigue, and risk tolerance
Bike setup & gear
Derailleur mishap
The record
What’s next?
RELATED LINKS:
BLISTER+ Membership
BLISTER+ Real World Testimonials
Blister Labs
This Week’s Gear Giveaway
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
Off The Couch
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
CRAFTED
Happy Hour
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The Contra MC — a US-made, steel, high-pivot Enduro bike — is an ambitious project by any measure, and designing and prototyping the bike is just half the battle. So we brought Evan Turpen, the driving force behind Contra, back on the show to talk about refining a prototype design and knowing when to stop tinkering; what goes into bringing a design to production and the challenges that arise from that; what he’s learned along the way; and a whole lot more.
TOPICS & TIMES:
The MC (2:55)
Design refinement & knowing when to stop tweaking (4:29)
Ramping up to production (17:26)
Tooling and streamlining the process (32:14)
UDH compatibility & the SRAM Transmission (45:36)
The Beyond Racing team & the DH bike prototypes (52:49)
Future refinements (1:04:15)
Finishing & cosmetics (1:12:27)
RELATED LINKS:
Ep.118: Contra Bikes on Building a Bike From Scratch
Ep.176: Anna Newkirk and Abby Hogie on Beyond Racing, the Contra DH Bike, & More
BLISTER+ Membership
BLISTER+ Real World Testimonials
Blister Labs
This Week’s Gear Giveaway
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Privateer has been working on the second-generation versions of their 141 and 161 bikes for three years now, and Dan Hicks, the engineer behind the project, has a ton to share about the thought process behind the updates and bike design in general — and does a great job of explaining all of it. So we sat down with Dan for a very deep dive into the new bikes, and he shared a ton of thoughts that are going to be interesting to anyone who cares about mountain bike design — whether or not you’re in the market for a Privateer.
TOPICS & TIMES:
Dan’s background & role at Privateer (2:12)
The goals of the 141 and 161 V2 (2:55)
The E161 (6:02)
Sizing bikes & proportionality (10:13)
Geometry adjustability (25:34)
Suspension kinematics & shock tuning (29:16)
Sag & suspension setup (37:12)
Pedaling performance (44:16)
Pedal kickback vs. chain feedback (46:19)
Wheel sizes (56:26)
Cable routing (1:01:12)
Bottom-out bumpers & shock progression (1:19:46)
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
When it was announced that Red Bull Formation wasn’t happening in 2023, there was a lot of hopeful speculation that, in its place, there would be women competing at Rampage for the first time. But that didn’t happen either, so we sat down with three of the top freeriders in the world — Casey Brown, Vaea Verbeeck, and Hannah Bergemann — to get their thoughts on how we got here, why they want a women’s category at Rampage (and what they’re doing to make it happen), why representation at the top tiers of the sport is important, and a whole lot more.
TOPICS & TIMES:
Vaea Verbeeck: (1:31)
How we got here (1:55)
Postponing Formation (4:32)
Formation as a stepping stone to Rampage (7:30)
How to get to a women’s category at Rampage (12:05)
Hannah Bergemann: (19:49)
Working behind the scenes to organize the riders (20:10)
Advancing the state of women’s freeride (21:57)
Structuring a women’s category at Rampage (23:43)
The growth of women’s freeride (26:14)
How to move forward (28:31)
Formation alongside Rampage (30:07)
The response to women at Rampage (34:26)
Casey Brown: (36:12)
Casey’s interest in Rampage (36:24)
Why hasn’t a women’s category happened yet? (38:33)
Organizing a women’s category at Rampage (41:00)
Why is a women’s category important? (42:59)
Growing women’s freeride (45:23)
RELATED LINKS:
BLISTER+ Membership
BLISTER+ Real World Testimonials
Blister Labs
This Week’s Gear Giveaway
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
Off The Couch
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
CRAFTED
Happy Hour
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Simon Stewart, Dylan Wood, and David Golay sat down to talk about a bunch of the bikes they’ve been testing lately, from the short-travel Cannondale Habit to the very not short-travel Canfield One.2 Super Enduro; some eMTBs including the new Santa Cruz Heckler SL; a head-to-head comparison of high-pivot Enduro bikes from companies very large and very small; and a whole bunch more.
TOPICS & TIMES:
Cannondale Habit (1:40)
REEB Steezl (6:24)
Santa Cruz Heckler SL (11:39)
Devinci E-Troy (17:52)
Propain Tyee (21:44)
Canfield One.2 Super Enduro (29:00)
Contra MC & Trek Slash (34:57)
Irish World Cup DH Results (43:40)
RELATED LINKS:
BLISTER+ Membership
BLISTER+ Real World Testimonials
Blister Labs
This Week’s Gear Giveaway
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
Off The Couch
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
CRAFTED
Happy Hour
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
High-pivot bikes are having a moment. Mullet bikes and steel full-suspension frames are too. And while gearbox mountain bikes haven’t achieved widespread popularity (yet?) they’ve got their ardent supporters. The Archibald Cycles AC1 brings all those elements together in a Canadian-made Trail / Enduro / Park bike, and the end result looks pretty interesting. So we sat down with Archibald founder and designer of the AC1, Alex Troughton to hear all about the bike, his goals for it, when it might reach production, and a whole lot more.
TOPICS & TIMES:
The origins of Archibald Cycles (2:21)
The AC1 (4:30)
Frame design & material selection (12:37)
Alex’s fabrication background (18:09)
Geometry & adjustability (22:10)
Gearboxes (25:43)
Belt vs. chain drive (30:36)
Moving to production (34:34)
The Archibald name? (39:57)
Pricing (41:44)
Potential other models (43:18)
Tailored sizing (45:37)
RELATED LINKS:
BLISTER+ Membership
BLISTER+ Real World Testimonials
Blister Labs
This Week’s Gear Giveaway
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
Off The Couch
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
CRAFTED
Happy Hour
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
It’s rare for a small but well-established custom bike builder to make the leap to overseas-built production bikes, but Adam Sklar has done just that. While it might be easy to romanticize the idea of a custom hand-built bike made by a single builder, Adam speaks very openly about the ways running that version of Sklar had ceased to feel like the way he wanted to bring bikes into the world; the challenges (and high points) of building custom bikes; coming up with a production lineup after years of making such varied custom offerings; and a whole lot more.
TOPICS & TIMES:
Adam’s founding of Sklar (3:07)
Turning Sklar to a business from a hobby (5:22)
The custom era (6:34)
Surviving as a custom builder (7:58)
The custom bike-building process (9:33)
Evolution of Sklar’s custom business (19:22)
Adam’s North American Handmade Bike Show winning bike (21:28)
Material selection (22:33)
Working with titanium (25:26)
Moving to production bikes (28:06)
Sklar’s stock offerings (31:35)
Overseas production (34:40)
Lessons learned in production (39:18)
Dangle Supply (41:10)
RELATED LINKS:
BLISTER+ Membership
BLISTER+ Real World Testimonials
Blister Labs
This Week’s Gear Giveaway
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
Off The Couch
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
CRAFTED
Happy Hour
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
We recently launched Gear Therapy over on our GEAR:30 podcast and now we’re bringing it over to Bikes & Big Ideas, too. For our first session, we chatted with Blister Member Andy Majewski about his bike quiver and the ways it’s evolved; how he might better dial in his current bikes to suit his needs; what bike would make the most sense to add to his quiver; why he needs the Philadelphia Eagles to go back to the Super Bowl for that to happen (it’ll make sense, we promise); and more discussion of a lot of bike gear and its tradeoffs.
TOPICS & TIMES:
Meet the Patient: Andy Majewski (1:43)
Andy’s Bike Quiver (5:12)
Suspension Performance & Anti-Rise (8:44)
Suspension Setup (12:55)
Wheel Selection & Tradeoffs (21:09)
eMTBs & Andy’s Specialized Levo (28:52)
Quiver Expansion & the Philadelphia Eagles (42:51)
RELATED LINKS:
BLISTER+ Membership
BLISTER+ Real World Testimonials
Blister Labs
This Week’s Gear Giveaway
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
Off The Couch
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
CRAFTED
Happy Hour
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Trek’s new sixth-generation Slash has changed a lot from the prior-generation bike — including a high-pivot suspension layout, some big updates to the geometry and suspension kinematics, and a default mixed-wheel size setup — and we sat down with Matt Yerke, the lead engineer on the new Slash, to learn all about it. Matt walked us through the design goals for the Slash; their early experiments with high-pivot Trail bikes, including prototyping the layout on what would become the current Fuel EX; a ton of the design considerations that went into the new bike; how he sets up his personal Slash; and a whole lot more.
TOPICS & TIMES:
Introducing the new Slash (1:33)
Matt’s role at Trek (1:59)
Goals for the new Slash (2:52)
The first prototypes, and dialing in front-rear balance (4:01)
High-pivot bikes & choosing to go that route on the Slash (5:54)
Anti-squat & pedaling performance (10:38)
Idler pulleys and drag (14:20)
Geometry & other details (15:08)
Mullets & their tradeoffs (18:59)
Chainstay lengths for mullets vs. 29ers (22:35)
Axle paths & suspension kinematics (25:48)
Frame adjustability (33:33)
Matt’s personal Slash setup (36:18)
RELATED LINKS:
BLISTER+ Membership
BLISTER+ Real World Testimonials
Blister Labs
This Week’s Gear Giveaway
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
Off The Couch
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
CRAFTED
Happy Hour
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
D3O’s non-Newtonian materials are used extensively in mountain bike protective equipment from a lot of different brands, and David Golay recently sat down with their Senior Vice President of Marketing, Kevin Franks, and their Head of Product, Kevin Fleer, to talk about the state of the mountain bike armor market; the ways it’s changed in recent years; where D3O sees it going in the future; the tradeoffs inherent in designing armor; testing standards for armor and how D3O thinks about them; armor for kids + the challenges in designing it; and much more. Along the way, Kevin and Kevin talk about D3O’s use in everything from consumer electronics to Formula One, and tease some upcoming new bike products, too.
TOPICS & TIMES:
Introducing Kevin Franks and Kevin Fleer (2:09)
What is D3O? (3:13)
Differing formulations and applications of D3O (6:50)
Tradeoffs in armor design (11:08)
Testing standards for bike armor (15:26)
Limb protection standards vs. helmet ones (17:57)
D3O versions and their tradeoffs (23:06)
Areas for improvement in MTB armor (27:31)
Evolution of the MTB protection market (30:35)
Working with partner brands to design armor (32:52)
Fitting armor and army data (34:12)
Designing armor for kids (35:45)
The future of MTB protection (39:09)
RELATED LINKS:
BLISTER+ Membership
BLISTER+ Real World Testimonials
Blister Labs
This Week’s Gear Giveaway
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
Off The Couch
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
CRAFTED
Happy Hour
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Chromag has been doing things very differently from most bike companies for decades now, helping to pioneer modern hardcore hardtails — and doing so in Whistler, BC, in the shadow of the legendary bike park — not exactly classic hardtail terrain.
So when Chromag launched their first production adult full-suspension bikes late last year, it wasn’t a huge surprise that the Darco and Lowdown stood out from the rest of the bike market in a number of ways, from geometry to material selection and more. We sat down with Chromag engineer Joe Swann to get the story behind their development (which stretches back more than a decade); chat about the design goals for the bikes and the ways that Chromag went about achieving them; material selection and the ways that Chromag thinks about choosing the right one for a given application; our impressions from having spent quite a bit of time on the Darco recently (full review coming soon) and a whole lot more.
TOPICS & TIMES:
Joe’s role at Chromag (3:16)
Chromag’s first full-suspension prototype (4:02)
Hitting the reset button (7:39)
The design goals for the Darco and Lowdown (9:07)
Chromag design identity, and carrying that over to the FS lineup (11:40)
Material selection (15:21)
Tuning frame stiffness (18:04)
The Darco (22:26)
The Lowdown (27:04)
Material selection, Pt.2 (29:36)
Brand identity & going FS (31:52)
The 155 prototype (34:05)
Upcoming models? (42:02)
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
David Golay, Dylan Wood, and Simon Stewart sat down to chat about a whole bunch of the bikes we’re reviewing currently, from the Chromag Darco to the Commencal Supreme, with a ton of other ones in between, including the Pivot Shuttle AM and the Trek Fuel EXe AL. Along the way, we discuss bike design more broadly; eMTB drive systems and their tradeoffs; and a whole bunch more.
TOPICS & TIMES:
Chromag Darco (0:56)
Pivot Shuttle AM (8:28)
Trek Fuel EXe (18:31)
Rocky Mountain Instinct Powerplay (26:13)
eMTB drive systems (32:38)
Canfield One.2 (38:39)
Commencal Supreme V5 (42:30)
RELATED LINKS:
BLISTER+ Membership
BLISTER+ Real World Testimonials
Blister Labs
This Week’s Gear Giveaway
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
Off The Couch
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
CRAFTED
Happy Hour
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Aptos, CA is a small beach town that has produced an incredible number of world-class mountain bikers, and Ryan “R-Dog” Howard has a lot of great stories to share about the scene that gave rise to him, Cam and Tyler McCaul, and too many more to list — not to mention serving as the winter riding escape for the likes of Brandon Semenuk, Martin Soderstrom, and many others. And along the way, we chat about everything from Ryan’s incredible catalog of custom-painted bikes and where he gets his inspiration for them, to building community around riding, “the best trip of my life,” as Ryan put it, and a whole lot more.
TOPICS & TIMES:
Ryan’s injury update (2:30)
The Aptos, CA MTB scene (4:54)
Competitive drive & finding motivation outside of it (8:57)
Rampage (14:23)
The Post Office Jumps & Ryan’s formative years (17:28)
Going pro as a rider (24:43)
Custom-painted bikes & design inspiration (26:23)
“Roadkills” & “the best trip of my life” (35:05)
The new company vehicle (39:29)
RELATED LINKS:
BLISTER+ Membership
BLISTER+ Real World Testimonials
Blister Labs
This Week’s Gear Giveaway
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
Off The Couch
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
CRAFTED
Happy Hour
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
When Jacob Rheuban founded Prevelo in 2017, he had no engineering background and no experience in the bike industry, but identified a need for better kids' bikes, and set out to fill it. And now, more than six years later, he’s got a lot of great stories to tell and insights to share about both what it takes to start a bike company from scratch, but also what makes for a good kids’ bike, and how their needs differ from those of adults; what it took to get folks (even dedicated bike riders) to accept higher-end kids’ bikes as worthwhile; where the kids’ bike market can and should go from here, and a whole lot more.
TOPICS & TIMES:
Prevelo’s founding (2:49)
Why kids' bikes? (8:06)
Designing kids’ MTBs (12:05)
The future of kids' bikes (19:39)
Customer adoption of higher-end kids' bikes (22:05)
Kid’s bikes and weight (29:05)
What makes a good kid’s bike? (32:40)
Testing geometry and feedback from kids (36:08)
Specialization of kids’ bikes (38:22)
RELATED LINKS:
BLISTER+ Membership
BLISTER+ Real World Testimonials
Blister Labs
This Week’s Gear Giveaway
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
Off The Couch
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
CRAFTED
Happy Hour
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Miranda Miller has done a lot of different things in her career, from winning DH World Champs to racing the EWS (and now EDR), but in the last few years she’s branched out more than ever and is having more fun than ever before. So we sat down with Miranda to chat about her DVRGNT Minds project and how she charted this new course for her career; getting into gravel riding as a gravity-oriented mountain biker; the Downhill Southeast scene and the return of grassroots DH racing; and a whole lot more.
TOPICS & TIMES:
DVRGNT Minds & moving away from full-time racing (1:40)
Returning to DH? (9:35)
Getting into gravel riding (10:58)
Choosing riding destinations (16:46)
The Japanese mountain bike scene (18:27)
Racing goals (23:06)
Downhill Southeast, and the reinvention of the US DH scene (28:38)
Miranda’s 2023 plans (33:16)
RELATED LINKS:
BLISTER+ Membership
BLISTER+ Real World Testimonials
Blister Labs
This Week’s Gear Giveaway
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
Off The Couch
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
CRAFTED
Happy Hour (for Blister Members)
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
When we first had Lal Bikes founder and Supre Drive inventor Cedric Eveleigh on the show about a year and a half ago, he’d just announced the Supre Drive — a wild take on reinventing the mountain bike derailleur — to the world. A lot has happened since then, including the first production Supre Drive bikes being delivered to customers, so we brought Cedric back on the show — joined by fellow Lal engineer Alex Ham — to tell their story of launching a new company and trying to get the industry and consumers alike to adopt a seemingly radical new idea for how mountain bike drivetrains could be laid out. Cedric and Alex do an outstanding job of peeling back the curtain on everything that goes into starting a new bike company and many of the inner workings of the bike industry at large.
TOPICS & TIMES:
Introducing Alex (1:41)
Delivering the first Supre Drive bikes (3:32)
Moving the company (5:13)
Alex joining Lal (16:17)
Getting bike companies on board (19:39)
The Nicolai Nucleon 16 & Designing a frame for the Supre Drive (38:18)
Ramping up into production (44:18)
RELATED LINKS:
Lal Bikes on Reinventing the Derailleur (Ep.94)
BLISTER+ Membership
BLISTER+ Real World Testimonials
Blister Labs
This Week’s Gear Giveaway
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
Off The Couch
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
CRAFTED
Happy Hour
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Summer is in full swing and we’ve been testing a ton of new bikes and gear, so I sat down with Simon Stewart and Dylan Wood to chat about some of the things that have stood out to us the most, including a variety of bikes, SRAM’s Transmission (including the new GX version), and along the way, we veer off on a few tangents, including some discussion of the World Cup Downhill season so far.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Revel Ranger (1:56)
- Commencal T.E.M.P.O. (7:32)
- SRAM Transmission (8:28)
- World Cup DH (16:55)
- Fox Union Shoes (19:11)
- Yeti SB160 (21:18)
- Pivot Shuttle LT (27:01)
- Wolf Tooth Resolve (28:39)
- Akta Trail Knee Pads (36:49)
RELATED LINKS:
- BLISTER+ Membership
- BLISTER+ Real World Testimonials
- Blister Labs
- This Week’s Gear Giveaway
- Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
- Off The Couch
- GEAR:30
- Blister Podcast
- CRAFTED
- Happy Hour
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Deviate Cycles is well known for their high-pivot Trail and Enduro bikes, and that concept has gained a lot of traction in recent years, but getting consumers to accept new ideas can be challenging. Deviate co-founder Ben Jones has a lot to say about the balance of bringing new ideas to market without alienating potential customers; the tradeoffs of gearbox bikes and why they haven’t widely caught on; and much, much more. In this conversation, we also talk about Deviate’s recent efforts to explore bringing production to the UK, including their wild 3D-printed titanium and carbon fiber Lowlander prototype; the Moroccan MTB scene; and the importance of clarity in a brand’s model lineup.
TOPICS & TIMES:
Ben’s Eurobike recap (2:04)
The founding of Deviate (2:43)
The Guide & gearbox bikes (5:51)
Consumer acceptance of new ideas (14:34)
The Highlander (19:12)
The Claymore (22:38)
Morocco’s MTB scene (33:16)
Deviate’s model lineup & the importance of brand consistency (35:06)
The Lowlander 3D printed Ti prototype (37:32)
The challenges and benefits of onshoring production (44:58)
Why titanium + carbon fiber for the Lowlander? (49:24)
Launching the company with Asian production (54:20)
RELATED LINKS:
BLISTER+ Membership
BLISTER+ Real World Testimonials
Blister Labs
This Week’s Gear Giveaway
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
Off The Couch
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
CRAFTED
Happy Hour
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Beyond Racing started as a pipedream of Anna Newkirk and Abby Hogie: wouldn’t it be cool to have a World Cup race team that you run and race for with your best friend? Few people have the skills or determination to make it happen, though, and the story of what Anna and Abby — with the help of none other than Eliot Jackson — have pulled off is a great one. So we sat down with the two of them to hear all about the founding of Beyond Racing; why they chose to go that route rather than getting on established teams; moving to Contra Bikes for 2023 and the wild tale of how that came about; and a whole lot more.
TOPICS & TIMES:
Crankworx Innsbruck prep (2:18)
Starting Beyond Racing (2:52)
Naming the team (9:49)
Launching a World Cup race team (16:35)
The Beyond Racing support structure (20:17)
Coaching (25:07)
Moving to Contra bikes (28:14)
Prototyping the Contra DH bike (35:28)
The 2023 season so far (48:19)
Anna and Abby’s goals for 2023 and beyond (57:09)
RELATED LINKS:
BLISTER+ Membership
BLISTER+ Real World Testimonials
Blister Labs
This Week’s Gear Giveaway
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
Off The Couch
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
CRAFTED
Happy Hour
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
We’re testing a ton of new bikes with more on the way (stay tuned!) so David Golay recently sat down with Dylan Wood and Simon Stewart to talk about the Revel Ranger and Commencal T.E.M.P.O.; offer more thoughts on the new SRAM Transmission; and give a rundown on a whole bunch of suspension we’re testing from EXT, Öhlins, and Manitou.
TOPICS & TIMES:
Commencal T.E.M.P.O. (1:15)
Revel Ranger (7:08)
SRAM Transmission (14:20)
Orbea Wild (25:11)
EXT Aria and Era V2.1 (34:14)
Öhlins TTX Air (41:55)
Manitou Mattoc (48:08)
RELATED LINKS:
BLISTER+ Membership
BLISTER+ Real World Testimonials
Blister Labs
This Week’s Gear Giveaway
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
Off The Couch
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
CRAFTED
Happy Hour
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Making it as a World Cup Downhill racer is hard and, as we discuss in this episode, the new rule changes to the series for 2023 just might make it harder. So we sat down with Wyn Masters, whose incredible new Privateer Program — the escalation of his longstanding Privateer Award, whose past winners include Camille Balanche and Nina Hoffmann — to talk about all of it, including why he started the award in the first place, how the race landscape has changed over the course of his career, and a whole lot more.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Privateer Program (2:51)
- Successes of the Privateer Award (4:32)
- Privateer life (7:58)
- World Cup rules changes (9:41)
- Improving the format (12:25)
- Choosing winners for the Privateer Program (15:07)
- Lenzerheide 2023 (17:25)
- Changing approach for the new race format (19:10)
- Predictions (20:44)
- Rider’s Association (23:45)
- Fostering up-and-coming racers (25:27)
RELATED LINKS:
- BLISTER+ Membership
- BLISTER+ Real World Testimonials
- Blister Labs
- This Week’s Gear Giveaway
- Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
OUR OTHER PODCASTS:
- Off The Couch
- GEAR:30
- Blister Podcast
- CRAFTED
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
EXT Suspension founder Franco Fratton is a wealth of information when it comes to all things suspension, and in the third installment of our deep dive on suspension series, Franco and I cover everything from the tradeoffs between air and coil springs to the history of coil springs being used on wheeled vehicles; EXT’s new Aria air shock; inverted vs. conventional forks; and Franco teases an upcoming EXT project as well.
TOPICS & TIMES:
Air vs. coil springs & their historical uses (1:28)
EXT’s Storia vs. Aria (13:39)
Packaging limitations & the modularity of bikes as a double-edged sword (22:15)
Why EXT started with coils, and the lessons learned to get to building an air shock (32:55)
EXT’s upcoming dual-crown fork (38:59)
Inverted vs. conventional forks (39:29)
The future of MTB suspension (41:42)
Active suspension & how we could get there (52:42)
RELATED LINKS:
A Very Deep Dive on Suspension, Pt.1 (Ep.140)
A Very Deep Dive on Suspension, Pt.2 (Ep.146)
BLISTER+ Membership
BLISTER+ Real World Testimonials
Blister Labs
This Week’s Gear Giveaway
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
Off The Couch
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
CRAFTED
Happy Hour
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Designing, prototyping, testing, and refining a carbon fiber wheel is deceptively complicated. Things like weight, stiffness, vertical compliance, and durability are the standard buzzwords for talking about a new wheelset, but how do you strike the right balance between all of them, and how do you go about validating a new design? And what how does athlete feedback factor in, especially considering that the needs of top-level pros aren’t exactly the same as those of mere mortals?
We sat down with Kell Kirby and Travis Tomczak of Forge+Bond, as well as F+B athlete Jill Kintner to talk about all of that, and along the way, we get into the differences between thermoset and thermoplastic carbon fiber, why Forge+Bond uses the latter when the vast majority of carbon wheels (and other carbon fiber bike parts in general) take the thermoset path, and a whole lot more.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- The founding of Forge+Bond (2:29)
- Travis’ role (3:44)
- Kell’s intro & roll at Forge+Bond (6:10)
- How Jill got involved (7:48)
- The vision for Forge+Bond (9:35)
- Why thermoplastic carbon fiber and what is thermoplastic carbon fiber? (15:58)
- Why aren’t thermoplastics used more widely in the bike industry? (18:05)
- Where do you start designing a wheel? (20:57)
- Jill’s feedback and the role of athlete testing (30:39)
- Forge+Bond’s design philosophy (35:43)
- How to iterate on a design (39:45)
- Learning from prototyping (42:15)
- The current Forge+Bond product line & the recyclability of carbon fiber parts (46:33)
RELATED LINKS:
- BLISTER+ Membership
- BLISTER+ Real World Testimonials
- Blister Labs
- This Week’s Gear Giveaway
- Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
- Off The Couch
- GEAR:30
- Blister Podcast
- CRAFTED
- Happy Hour
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jesse Melamed won the 2022 EWS Overall, and then, despite that success, made the move to Canyon from longtime frame sponsor Rocky Mountain. So we sat down with Jesse to chat about what he changed with his mental approach and bike setup to make the 2022 season come together; why it was time for a team change despite that success; his decision-making process in choosing his new race bike from Canyon’s extensive line; the start of the 2023 season, including Jesse’s insane save at Maydena; the new EDR point structure and race format; and a whole lot more.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Jesse’s 2022 EWS Overall Title (3:18)
- Bike setup for the 2022 season (8:38)
- DH vs. Enduro (10:20)
- Bike setup for racing vs. riding for fun (11:42)
- Richie Rude & the battle for the EWS Overall (15:28)
- Jesse’s race prep and approach (21:05)
- Moving to Canyon (25:55)
- Changing bike setup & approaching getting on a new one (30:28)
- The start of the 2023 season (43:10)
- The new 2023 Enduro point structure & merging with the UCI (48:21)
- Jesse’s “near-death” save (51:02)
- Growing and managing Enduro racing (55:37)
- Jesse’s 2023 goals (1:02:27)
RELATED LINKS:
- BLISTER+ Membership
- BLISTER+ Real World Testimonials
- Blister Labs
- This Week’s Gear Giveaway
- Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
- Off The Couch
- GEAR:30
- Blister Podcast
- CRAFTED
- Happy Hour
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
After tackling broader questions like “which bike and ski brands are the current holders of their respective ‘Cool Kids Belts’” in Part One of Bikes vs. Skis, 2023 last week, we’re diving into the head-to-head comparisons: which bike company is most comparable to Rossignol skis? Who is the ski equivalent of Guerrilla Gravity? And many, many more.
And we’ll be back with a third installment next week, so let us know what your best comparisons are, what we got wrong, and/or if there’s a specific company you want us to touch on.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Santa Cruz (2:18)
- Road bikes as XC skis or frontside carvers (5:22)
- Santa Cruz, cont’d (11:24)
- Specialized (17:00)
- Major brands as innovators (20:41)
- Rossignol (25:18)
- Transition (27:33)
- Which brands have the best marketing? (29:52)
- ON3P (35:57)
- Yeti (38:32)
- K2 (51:06)
- Guerrilla Gravity (56:52)
- Atomic (1:03:38)
- YT (1:11:17)
RELATED LINKS:
- BLISTER+ Membership
- BLISTER+ Real World Testimonials
- Blister Labs
- This Week’s Gear Giveaway
- Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
- Bikes vs Skis, 4th Edition (2023): Part 1
- Bikes vs Skis, 3rd Edition (2021): Part 1
- Bikes vs Skis, 3rd Edition (2021): Part 2
- Bikes vs Skis, 2nd Edition (2020): Part 1
- Bikes vs Skis, 2nd Edition (2020): Part 2
- Bikes vs Skis, 1st Edition (2018): Part 1
- Bikes vs Skis, 1st Edition (2018): Part 2
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
- Off The Couch
- GEAR:30
- Blister Podcast
- CRAFTED
- Happy Hour
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Richie Schley is one of a kind — pioneering freeride mountain biker, former pro skier, hilarious storyteller, & much more — and in this conversation, we cover a lot of ground, from the early days of freeride MTB to the current state of the sport and what he’d like to see change, and along the way we chat about his recent bachelor party; how Richie was too early in adopting fanny packs; how hard it is to get new ideas to achieve widespread adaptation; and a ton more.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Richie’s bachelor party (2:56)
- Early freeride & the Kamloops scene (4:44)
- Pulp Traction (11:55)
- The Fro Riders & things starting to click (19:02)
- Early freeride bike evolution (23:29)
- Balancing pro skiing & MTB careers (36:04)
- Refining bikes & gear (41:03)
- Bringing about change & consumer skepticism of new ideas (45:06)
- The growth and expansion of freeride (47:35)
- The “sanitization” of freeride (53:53)
- Rider empowerment & evolution of the sport (57:18)
- Richie’s 2023 plans (1:03:35)
RELATED LINKS:
- BLISTER+ Membership
- BLISTER+ Real World Testimonials
- Blister Labs
- This Week’s Gear Giveaway
- Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
- Off The Couch
- GEAR:30
- Blister Podcast
- CRAFTED
- Happy Hour
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
When Payson McElveen rode across Iceland in a single pull a few years ago, he found something in that effort that’s not present in his racing career and immediately knew he wanted to follow it up with something in the same vein. So he dusted off his globe, and after an immense amount of planning, he put together a monster route across Tasmania, spanning 360 miles and nearly 35,000 feet of climbing — most of it on dirt — and set out to ride the whole thing straight through. And while the physical effort to do so was immense, Payson does an incredible job of telling the story through the lens of self-discovery and finding something different in this form of cycling than what he gets out of racing.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Recent race results & changing approaches (3:51)
- “Crossing Iceland” & The follow-up, “Crossing Tasmania” (6:37)
- Emma Flukes & local knowledge (11:44)
- Planning the route (18:03)
- Scouting and pre-riding (29:23)
- The ride (32:10)
- Racing mentality & switching that off (36:33)
- Payson’s takeaways from the ride (45:50)
RELATED LINKS:
- Blister + Spot Insurance
- Become a Blister Member
- Blister Labs
- This Week’s Gear Giveaway
- Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
- Off The Couch
- GEAR:30
- Blister Podcast
- CRAFTED
- Happy Hour
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
We just got back from the 2023 iteration of the Sea Otter Classic, and while we’re definitely still recovering, we sat down to chat about a bunch of the most interesting new gear we saw at the show — including Push Industries’ mysterious new fork, a bunch of new drivetrains / drivetrain components, a ton of new DH bikes, and a whole lot more. And we also discuss a few of the broader trends that we saw at the show, first and foremost the proliferation of headset cable routing.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Push’s new fork (1:38)
- TRP’s new drivetrain (5:13)
- SRAM T-Type derailleur disassembly (11:08)
- Classified’s two-speed hub (14:24)
- DH bikes galore (16:54)
- Headset cable routing (22:15)
RELATED LINKS:
- Blister + Spot Insurance
- Become a Blister Member
- Blister Labs
- This Week’s Gear Giveaway
- Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
- Off The Couch
- GEAR:30
- Blister Podcast
- CRAFTED
- Happy Hour
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Project Bike Tech was founded to answer the question “what if there was something like high school auto shop classes, but for bikes?” And now 15 years later, they’re operating in dozens of schools across a bunch of states, and are expanding rapidly. So we sat down with their Executive Director, Mercedes Ross, to talk about what Project Bike Tech does and how they designed their curriculum; what kinds of career paths their alumni have had; what it looks like setting up a new chapter & how you can get one in your community; & much more.
TOPICS & TIMES
- What is Project Bike Tech? (2:37)
- Project Bike Tech’s History (4:05)
- The Project Bike Tech curriculum (6:58)
- Expansion & opening new chapters (10:12)
- Project Bike Tech’s community impact (14:11)
- Alumni trajectories (17:36)
- Project Bike Tech’s goals (21:38)
- How to get involved (25:48)
- Project Bike Tech’s new trailbuilding arm (32:47)
RELATED LINKS
- Blister + Spot Insurance
- Become a Blister Member
- Blister Labs
- This Week’s Gear Giveaway
- Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
- Off The Couch
- GEAR:30
- Blister Podcast
- CRAFTED
- Happy Hour
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
We’ve been hard at work testing a whole bunch of new bikes and gear, and David Golay and Simon Stewart sat down to talk about a whole bunch of it, including comparisons of two very different Enduro bikes, the Yeti SB160 and Cotic RocketMAX; two long-travel, big-battery eMTBs, the Pivot Shuttle LT and Specialized Turbo Levo; the new SRAM Transmission, and a bunch more — and along the way they tease some new bike releases that are coming very soon. Keep your eyes on the site.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- SRAM Transmission (2:51)
- Yeti SB160 (9:33)
- Cotic RocketMAX (13:42)
- Pivot Shuttle LT vs. Specialized Turbo Levo (17:38)
- Forge+Bond 30 EM Wheels (30:40)
- Fox Union Shoes (37:20)
RELATED LINKS:
- Blister + Spot Insurance
- Become a Blister Member
- Blister Labs
- This Week’s Gear Giveaway
- Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
- Off The Couch
- GEAR:30
- Blister Podcast
- CRAFTED
- Happy Hour
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Bikes have become much, much better built over the last couple of decades, but Jason Quade felt like the tools to work on them hadn’t kept pace, and (sort of accidentally) founded Abbey Bike Tools to fill that gap in the market. And now more than a decade later, Abbey has an extensive catalog of some of the best-quality bike tools out there. So we sat down with Jason to look back on the founding of Abbey and have him tell the (excellent) story of how it came to be; how they’ve built out the line after starting with a single tool; what it’s like dealing with the ever-changing standards of the bike world; how the industry could make life easier for mechanics (both professional and consumer); and a whole lot more.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Abbey Bike Tools State of the Union (3:31)
- Founding Abbey & the Crombie (7:38)
- Growing & moving into a real shop (16:26)
- Jason’s background (18:10)
- Building out the Abbey lineup (22:13)
- Product development & the Abbey truing stand (25:40)
- Keeping up with ever-changing standards (28:16)
- The bike industry & streamlining things (33:26)
- SRAM Transmission (35:06)
- Origins of the Abbey name (38:49)
- Jason’s forrays into frame building (41:35)
RELATED LINKS:
- Blister + Spot Insurance
- Become a Blister Member
- Blister Labs
- This Week’s Gear Giveaway
- Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
- Off The Couch
- GEAR:30
- Blister Podcast
- CRAFTED
- Happy Hour
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
There aren’t many riders who do such a wide range of riding as well as Phil Atwill. He’s had great results on the Downhill World Cup circuit, his film parts are super varied and impressive, and on top of all that he’s also now running the Propain Positive team. So we sat down with Phil to get his takes (and stories) from all of it, including the burgeoning Greek MTB scene, the changes to the 2023 World Cup format, what it’s like running a team while also racing and filming a ton, and much more.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Phil’s intro to MTB (2:31)
- The Propain Positive Team (10:00)
- Greek MTB scene (14:13)
- Trail building (21:38)
- Phil’s filming process & “Clutch Kicking” (22:59)
- Valparaiso Urban Downhill (25:11)
- Hardline (29:52)
- Phil’s favorite events (30:56)
- Mental prep for filming (32:30)
- Doing shots with the Greek police (33:45)
- Phil’s favorite people to ride with (35:22)
- Changes to the World Cup format & the late start to the season (38:03)
- Phil interviews David (44:46)
- Running a team (48:31)
- Phil’s 2023 goals (51:44)
RELATED LINKS:
- Blister + Spot Insurance
- Become a Blister Member
- Blister Labs
- This Week’s Gear Giveaway
- Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
- Off The Couch
- GEAR:30
- Blister Podcast
- CRAFTED
- Happy Hour
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The new Eagle Transmission is a big addition to SRAM’s lineup and while it still uses a derailleur, cassette, and chain as we’re all used to, a lot of the details are very, very different. So I sat down with SRAM’s Chris Mandell to talk about the new groupsets and the thinking behind them, from the “Full Mount” derailleur, to all the ways that they’ve simplified installation and setup, the new controllers, and a whole lot more.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Why’s it called a “Transmission”? (1:58)
- The derailleur (3:50)
- Eagle Transmission tiers (14:12)
- Transmission compatibility & support for older drivetrains (20:48)
- Transmission setup (22:28)
- Shifting under load (32:08)
- Cross-compatibility (41:18)
- Cassette gearing (45:25)
- Controllers (47:15)
- New Stealth Brakes (53:52)
RELATED LINKS:
- SRAM Eagle Transmission
- Blister + Spot Insurance
- Become a Blister Member
- Blister Labs
- This Week’s Gear Giveaway
- Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
- Off The Couch
- GEAR:30
- Blister Podcast
- CRAFTED
- Happy Hour
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
There are a lot of people doing amazing things on bikes and putting together mind-blowing video segments, but nobody does it quite like Caleb Holonko. His Lights Out edit from late last year was absolutely wild, and his recent follow-up, In the Know was a very worthy sequel. So we sat down with Caleb to chat about his approach to riding, filming, and building trails; the ways that growing up in North Vancouver influenced his riding; blending classic North Shore features with modern style; how he gets ready to go huge; risk mitigation; Rampage; & a whole lot more.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- North Shore influence & Caleb’s biking idols (3:16)
- Filming & digging to film (9:52)
- The double drop in Lights Out (13:15)
- Flipping the train gap (18:53)
- Getting mentally and physically ready to go huge (25:20)
- Building big features and figuring out what is (and isn’t) going to work (28:28)
- Risk mitigation (35:24)
- Caleb’s career goals (38:41)
- Rampage (40:53)
RELATED LINKS:
- Lights Out
- In the Know
- Blister + Spot Insurance
- Become a Blister Member
- Blister Labs
- This Week’s Gear Giveaway
- Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
- Off The Couch
- GEAR:30
- Blister Podcast
- CRAFTED
- Happy Hour
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Cotic Bikes was an early pioneer in the UK’s hardcore hardtail scene, and now 20 years later they’re still doing things their own way — including making a line of (mostly) steel full-suspension bikes to go with those hardtails. So we sat down with their founder, Cy Turner, to get the super interesting story of Cotic’s founding and development; Cy’s approach to bike design and why they do things pretty differently from a lot of other brands; why Cotic puts such an emphasis on custom builds, and a whole lot more.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- 20 years of Cotic (2:51)
- Cotic moving from a side project to a career (3:17)
- Cy’s first real mountain bike (12:10)
- The first Cotic Soul (17:20)
- UK’s culture of hardcore hardtails (20:05)
- Cotic’s first full-suspension bike (22:34)
- Steel full-suspension bikes (28:02)
- The first Cotic Rocket (29:38)
- Suspension layouts & single pivots (35:06)
- Droplink suspension (39:31)
- Frame stiffness (49:12)
- Cotic build specs & customization (57:03)
- Our upcoming RocketMAX review (1:02:02)
RELATED LINKS:
- Blister + Spot Insurance
- Become a Blister Member
- Blister Labs
- This Week’s Gear Giveaway
- Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
- Off The Couch
- GEAR:30
- Blister Podcast
- CRAFTED
- Happy Hour
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Magnus Manson is just 24 years old, but his racing career has largely been on hold for the last few years as he’s battled cancer. And despite his young age, Manson has taken on his fight with remarkable poise and maturity. So David Golay sat down with Magnus — who is now officially in remission — to talk about his experience; how he used bikes as a motivational tool through chemotherapy and a stem cell transplant; racing while undergoing treatment; his 2023 plans and goals; and a whole lot more.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Magnus’ cancer diagnosis (2:22)
- Starting chemo (5:25)
- Returning to racing (12:26)
- Racing with cancer (19:33)
- Motivation (23:32)
- Training through treatment (26:42)
- Chemo, part two (30:35)
- Stem cell transplant (35:13)
- Magnus’ 2023 goals (41:06)
RELATED LINKS:
- Blister + Spot Insurance
- Become a Blister Member
- Blister Labs
- This Week’s Gear Giveaway
- Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
- Off The Couch
- GEAR:30
- Blister Podcast
- CRAFTED
- Happy Hour
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The most interesting segment of the current mountain bike market just might be the 140–150 mm travel Trail bike range, with huge diversity in the on-trail performance and feel of the various options available. And so we sat down to chat about a bunch of the very different bikes in that class that we’ve been spending time on recently, including the Esker Rowl, Trek Fuel EX, Ibis Ripmo V2S, and the Starling Murmur. And we also touch on our impressions of the new Transition Smuggler and Pivot Shuttle LT, too.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Esker Rowl (1:55)
- Trek Fuel EX (11:06)
- Ibis Ripmo V2S (17:50)
- Starling Murmur (24:10)
- Transition Smuggler (28:28)
- Pivot Shuttle LT (32:53)
RELATED LINKS:
- Blister + Spot Insurance
- Become a Blister Member
- Blister Labs
- This Week’s Gear Giveaway
- Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
- Off The Couch
- GEAR:30
- Blister Podcast
- CRAFTED
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Chris Currie has worn a lot of different hats over several decades in the bike industry, and his latest venture, Ministry Cycles, is making big headway on a very, very interesting-looking machined aluminum frame, the Psalm 150. And so we sat down with Chris to hear about the origins of the project — which has its beginnings back in the 2000s — and along the way Chris shares a lot about his philosophy on suspension design; what goes into starting a bike company; how he’s gone about product development; why he named the company Ministry; and a whole lot more.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Chris’ ribs (2:28)
- 3VO suspension (4:08)
- Suspension design for early 29ers (7:49)
- Patenting a suspension system (12:43)
- Building sample frames (26:10)
- Licensing 3VO (34:41)
- Founding Ministry (43:58)
- Engineering a frame (48:24)
- Machining a frame (48:24)
- The Psalm 150 (59:41)
- What’s next for Ministry? (1:15:25)
RELATED LINKS:
- Blister + Spot Insurance
- Blister Summit 2023
- Become a Blister Member
- Blister Labs
- This Week’s Gear Giveaway
- Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
- Off The Couch
- GEAR:30
- Blister Podcast
- CRAFTED
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Racing World Cup DH is hard. So is designing a bike to do it at the top level, and running a team isn’t exactly a cakewalk either. But after a season of doing all three concurrently, Neko Mulally is still having a blast, and is running his Frameworks team and self-designed bike back for a second season. And so we sat back down with Neko to catch up on how the 2022 season went, what he learned from year one, what’s changed with the bike (it’s a lot), and a whole lot more.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Lessons learned from the Gen 1 bikes (2:48)
- Mid-pivot bike (10:18)
- Neko’s broken finger & the start of the WC season (17:23)
- The mental battles of racing (21:19)
- Regrouping between Lourdes and Fort William (23:18)
- Bike updates & development (25:40)
- Carbon fiber rear triangle (40:59)
- Steel front triangle? (56:16)
- Rock Creek (1:03:41)
RELATED LINKS:
- Neko Mulally (Ep.100)
- Blister + Spot Insurance
- Blister Summit 2023
- Become a Blister Member
- Blister Labs
- This Week’s Gear Giveaway
- Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
- Off The Couch
- GEAR:30
- Blister Podcast
- CRAFTED
- Happy Hour
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Climbing 8,600 feet is a pretty big day on the bike no matter how you slice it, but it balloons into something else entirely when it’s going up the Whole Enchilada trail in Moab, Utah, with a commitment to pedaling every inch, and cleaning every move. But Braydon Bringhurst pulled off that wild feat, and produced the excellent 8600FT film about the effort, so we sat down with him to get the whole story, including a ton of insights into his mental approach, the immense level of preparation that went into the climb, his bike setup, and a whole lot more.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Climbing the Whole Enchilada?? (3:03)
- Sports psychology & mental preparation (8:58)
- The crux moves (17:36)
- The Snotch (30:18)
- The Snaggle (38:11)
- Scheduling & planning (43:02)
- Gear & nutrition (49:01)
- Bike setup & Training (53:35)
- Overcoming doubts (1:00:07)
RELATED LINKS:
- 8600FT
- Blister + Spot Insurance
- Blister Summit 2023
- Become a Blister Member
- Blister Labs
- This Week’s Gear Giveaway
- Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
- Off The Couch
- GEAR:30
- Blister Podcast
- CRAFTED
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Geoff Kabush has been racing bikes professionally for longer than just about anyone — and at 45, he’s still going strong. So we sat down with Geoff to hear about his unconventional beginnings in mountain biking; how the sport has changed over the course of his career; what’s kept him motivated nearly three decades into his career; skiing; social media; and much, much more.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Starting “mountain” biking on a 10-speed (3:25)
- Social media & athletes (11:01)
- World Cup XC to a more varied schedule (20:41)
- Geoff’s favorite events (26:44)
- Underbiking (29:32)
- The evolution of XC racing (34:53)
- Product development (38:55)
- Longevity (43:17)
- Skiing (46:08)
RELATED LINKS:
- Blister + Spot Insurance
- David’s Spot Testimonial
- Blister Summit 2023
- Become a Blister Member
- Blister Labs
- This Week’s Gear Giveaway
- Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
- Off The Couch
- GEAR:30
- Blister Podcast
- CRAFTED
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Just a few years ago, Jakob Jewett thought he wanted to be a professional skier — and was racking up strong results in freeride competitions. But fast forward to 2023, and he’s now got his first season of Elite World Cup Downhill racing under his belt, and has just signed on as the newest member of Pivot Factory Racing. So we sat down to chat with Jakob about his move to racing bikes and what flipped that switch for him; his approach to racing & learning consistency from the one and only Troy Brosnan; the upcoming 2023 season, including the new qualification rules and race format; and a whole lot more.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Joining Pivot Factory Racing (2:53)
- Jakob’s 2022 season (4:17)
- Race Weekend Prep (7:40)
- Offseason prep, training, and mental resets (12:24)
- Bike setup (14:49)
- Track preferences (16:17)
- 2023 season changes (18:18)
- Evaluating risk and achieving consistent race results (19:46)
- Jakob’s 2023 goals (26:48)
- Racing DH vs. branching out (28:29)
- Freeride skiing (32:58)
RELATED LINKS:
- Blister + Spot Insurance
- David’s Spot Testimonial
- Blister Summit 2023
- Become a Blister Member
- Blister Labs
- This Week’s Gear Giveaway
- Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
- Off The Couch
- GEAR:30
- Blister Podcast
- CRAFTED
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Most small bike manufacturers don’t dive straight into running a World Cup race team, but Gamux isn’t most companies. So we sat down with their founder Pascal Tinner to talk about all the ways that Gamux is doing things differently — from putting such a strong emphasis on racing, to building a fully-machined DH frame, with a Pinion gearbox and a belt drive to boot. And along the way, we get into frame geometry, mullet bikes, some teasers of upcoming Gamux models, and a whole lot more.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Pascal’s lifetime in racing (3:10)
- Frame development (7:40)
- Andreas Kolb & working with athletes (12:08)
- 2021 Prototype (16:09)
- Pascal’s engineering background (28:03)
- Belt drives & gearboxes (35:49)
- Mullets (43:15)
- Frame geometry (46:28)
- Running a race team (51:12)
- Upcoming production bikes (57:11)
RELATED LINKS:
- Blister + Spot Insurance
- Blister Summit 2023
- Become a Blister Member
- Blister Labs
- This Week’s Gear Giveaway
- Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
- Off The Couch
- GEAR:30
- Blister Podcast
- CRAFTED
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
2022 was Blister’s busiest ever year for bike reviews, and we’ll have even more coming your way in 2023. But before we dive headlong into the new year, we wanted to sit down and recap a bunch of our favorite bikes and gear that we tested last year, including suspension, brakes, tires, and more. And along the way, we chat about bike versatility vs. specificity, tease some upcoming reviews, and a bunch more.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Orbea Rallon (6:30)
- Revel Rail 29 (9:37)
- Pivot Shadowcat (11:56)
- Kavenx VHP 16 & Canfield Jedi 29 (16:50)
- TRP DH-R Evo (23:59)
- Hope Tech 4 V4 (28:43)
- SRAM GX AXS (31:44)
- RockShox ZEB (35:53)
- Ride Concepts Tallac Boa (39:10)
- Rimpact Pro (43:49)
- Continental Kryptotals (48:00)
RELATED LINKS:
- Eric Olsen (Ep.126)
- Matthew Fairbrother (Ep139)
- Blister + Spot Insurance
- Blister Summit 2023
- Become a Blister Member
- Blister Labs
- This Week’s Gear Giveaway
- Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
- Off The Couch
- GEAR:30
- Blister Podcast
- CRAFTED
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Velocio co-founder Andrew Gardner enjoys biking in many different forms, and earlier this fall, he and Jonathan Ellsworth went on a gravel ride through New England — which Jonathan, something of a gravel biking skeptic, found to be delightful. So Andrew, Jonathan, and David Golay sat down to talk about gravel riding and how / why mountain bikers might find it to be more enjoyable than we think; the ways that the various biking communities silo themselves off, and how that serves many people poorly; why “gravel” riding is a lousy term; and a whole lot more.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Jonathan’s introduction to gravel riding (4:50)
- David’s (lack of) gravel experience (9:58)
- Andrew’s background in all bike disciplines (12:11)
- Why the term “gravel” isn’t very accurate (20:36)
- Gravel as a race discipline vs. just a way people ride bikes (24:35)
- Identity as a bike rider & siloed cliques (31:22)
- Re-defining the term “gravel” (35:17)
- The case for mountain bikers trying gravel riding (44:17)
- Velocio (54:53)
RELATED LINKS:
- Blister + Spot Insurance
- Blister Summit 2023
- Become a Blister Member
- Blister Labs
- This Week’s Gear Giveaway
- Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
- Off The Couch
- GEAR:30
- Blister Podcast
- CRAFTED
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Ed Masters is always good for an entertaining story — and his recap of his extremely wild Vallnord race run from earlier this year is reason enough to tune into this episode. But Ed also has a whole lot of insights to offer into what makes a race season come together; how he approaches race day — on both the Enduro and DH bikes; the delicate balance of risk vs. reward and where to push the limit; and the importance of consistency and stability for a successful team. So we get into all of that, plus the upcoming management of World Cup DH by ESO and the pending rule changes; some of our favorite moments from the 2022 season; mentoring up-and-coming talent; and much more.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Hitting the reset button after 2021
- Goal setting for 2022
- Finn Iles’ Mont Sainte Anne run
- Bernard Kerr & Pivot Factory Racing
- The “extra 0.5%”
- Race tactics
- Fear
- Ed’s wild Vallnord run
- Risk vs. reward & taking chances
- ESO & the 2023 season
- Up-and-coming riders on Pivot
- Team dynamics & staying loose
RELATED LINKS:
- Blister + Spot Insurance
- Blister Summit 2023
- Become a Blister Member
- Blister Labs
- This Week’s Gear Giveaway
- Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
- Off The Couch
- GEAR:30
- Blister Podcast
- CRAFTED
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Ellie Smith is the reigning Australian National DH Champion (having won the race on an Enduro bike, no less), and that was just the start of her 2022 season. So we sat down with Ellie to chat about her breakout year and what she learned over the course of the season; racing many different disciplines; bike setup and European vs. Australian DH tracks; her mental approach to racing and what does (and doesn’t) work for her; welding food manufacturing equipment for Mars Foods (!?!), and a whole lot more.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Getting introduced to MTB at school sports day (2:42)
- Clicking with racing (6:23)
- Australian National Champs & winning on an Enduro bike (8:39)
- Crankworx & forming a plan for the 2022 season (13:09)
- Bike setup (20:41)
- European vs. Australian DH tracks (22:42)
- Norco Range DH (25:06)
- Racing Enduro vs. DH & the mental side of both (28:23)
- Lessons learned from 2022 (35:16)
- Coping with pressure (37:53)
- Crankworx (39:17)
- Ellie’s 2023 plans (41:47)
- Privateer life (43:29)
- Welding & working on food equipment (47:59)
RELATED LINKS:
- Blister Summit 2023
- Become a Blister Member
- Blister Labs
- This Week’s Gear Giveaway
- Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
- Off The Couch
- GEAR:30
- Blister Podcast
- CRAFTED
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Though ski season is well underway in much of the Northern Hemisphere, we’re still testing a lot of bikes, too, and have updates on what we’ve been spending time on. So we sat down to chat about the especially-aggressive Canyon Spectral 125, the super-adjustable Trek Fuel EX, the impressive (and surprising) Santa Cruz Nomad, and a bunch more. And we also discuss some of the upcoming bikes that we’re most excited to spend time on soon.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Canyon Spectral 125
- Trek Fuel EX
- Ibis Ripmo V2S
- Fezzari La Sal Peak
- Revel Rail 29
- Santa Cruz Nomad
- Most exciting new bikes
RELATED LINKS:
- Blister Summit 2023
- Become a Blister Member
- Blister Labs
- This Week’s Gear Giveaway
- Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
- Off The Couch
- GEAR:30
- Blister Podcast
- CRAFTED
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
We’re continuing our deep dive on suspension technology with EXT’s Franco Fratton, and this week, it’s all about dampers: how they’re built, how they work, how EXT goes about designing them, and more. And along the way, we debunk some common misconceptions about damper performance and design, too.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- How a damper is built (3:13)
- Orifice dampers (10:03)
- Oil displacement (16:33)
- Damper consistency (21:33)
- Hysteresis (30:48)
- Choosing targets for damper design (33:11)
- Critical damping (38:16)
- Rebound vs. compression damping rates (42:36)
- Mountain bikes vs. other off-road vehicles (47:31)
- Heat & dampers (53:46)
- “Living inside a damper” (1:05:14)
- Valve design (1:07:13)
- Shims vs. poppet valves vs. spool valves (1:14:11)
RELATED LINKS:
- Franco Fratton (Ep.110)
- A Very Deep Dive on Suspension, Pt.1 (Ep.140)
- Blister Summit 2023
- Become a Blister Member
- Blister Labs
- This Week’s Gear Giveaway
- Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
- Off The Couch
- GEAR:30
- Blister Podcast
- CRAFTED
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
A lot of small frame builders start out just making the bikes they wanted to ride, but not many come up with anything nearly as polished-looking — or involving as many exotic construction techniques — as Machina Bikes. So we sat down with Tom and Sion to talk about their wild carbon fiber / titanium / aluminum Enduro bike (which also features a gearbox and mullet setup for good measure). Along the way, we chat about their process of developing and refining the bike; how and why they settled on the design they chose; what they still want to refine; discuss potential plans for production; and a whole lot more.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Tom and Sion’s backgrounds (3:04)
- Tom’s original park bike (9:35)
- Development of the Enduro bike (15:27)
- Jointly deciding on specs & design (17:43)
- Prototyping & lessons learned (32:44)
- Choosing a gearbox (42:18)
- Mullets (50:21)
- Racing-driven product development vs. building bikes for fun (1:05:27)
- Production? (1:07:14)
RELATED LINKS:
- Introducing: CRAFTED
- Introducing: Open Mic
- Become a Blister Member
- Blister Labs
- This Week’s Gear Giveaway
- Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
- Off The Couch
- GEAR:30
- Blister Podcast
- CRAFTED
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
We’ve been following the development of the Trinity MTB with a great deal of interest, and Mic Williams is back on the show to talk about the latest developments — of which there are many — including the now-operational custom gearbox, which is poised to pick up where Honda left off with their famous RN-01; some updates to the frame construction; and a lot of other details. And along the way we get into it about his experience testing the V3 prototype at Crankworx; “mistaking the way to perfection”; brain chemistry (?); the prototyping process; & much more.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Crankworx Cairns (3:16)
- Product testing on a public stage (10:57)
- “Mistaking my way to perfection” (13:19)
- The Gearbox (25:38)
- Prototyping & refining ideas (37:31)
- Status of the V3 Prototype (44:30)
- Handcrafted bikes (47:54)
RELATED LINKS:
- Trinity MTB (Ep. 125)
- Introducing: CRAFTED
- Introducing: Open Mic
- Become a Blister Member
- Blister Labs
- This Week’s Gear Giveaway
- Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
- Off The Couch
- GEAR:30
- Blister Podcast
- CRAFTED
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The Whole Enchilada in Moab is one of the best-known mountain bike trails in the world, but most folks take a shuttle to the top. Hannah Otto just demolished the FKT for the full loop, including the road climb to the top — for men or women — breaking the prior record by almost a full hour. So we sat down with Hannah to get the whole story, including her planning, nutrition, bike setup, and a whole lot more.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- The Whole Enchilada trail (1:46)
- Planning the FKT attempt (7:26)
- Gear selection (11:55)
- Bike setup (15:20)
- Attempting the FKT (17:52)
- Pacing and goal setting (24:39)
- On-bike nutrition (29:47)
- FKT culture & setting personal goals (33:10)
- Hannah’s 2022 race season & becoming a privateer (35:15)
- 2023 plans & goals (44:13)
RELATED LINKS:
- Introducing: CRAFTED
- Introducing: Open Mic\
- Become a Blister Member
- Blister Labs
- This Week’s Gear Giveaway
- Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
- Off The Couch
- GEAR:30
- Blister Podcast
- CRAFTED
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The Pacific Crest Trail is well known in the hiking world and beyond, but what if there was a mountain biking version? Gabe Tiller has ambitions to establish a route — predominantly on dirt — from British Columbia all the way to the southern tip of Baja Mexico, and founded the Orogenesis Collective to make it happen. With the trail taking form — and slated for a “soft opening” in 2023 — we sat down with Gabe to get the whole story, including his vision for the trail and where the idea first took root; what’s gone into building and planning the trail; what still needs to be done; how you can help; and a whole lot more.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Origins of Orogenesis (2:20)
- Planning & the Orogenesis Collective (3:53)
- The importance of local relationships (8:43)
- Route finding (17:12)
- The route (21:28)
- How Orogenesis will be used (27:22)
- The name “Orogenesis” (31:21)
- The Pacific Crest Trail as a template (32:42)
- Challenges of building a 5,000+ mile trail (37:19)
- How to get involved in the project (42:27)
RELATED LINKS:
- Introducing: CRAFTED
- Introducing: Open Mic
- Become a Blister Member
- Blister Labs
- This Week’s Gear Giveaway
- Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
- Off The Couch
- GEAR:30
- Blister Podcast
- CRAFTED
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Traumatic brain injuries are an unfortunate reality of many outdoor sports, and after professional snowboarder Kevin Pearce suffered one that derailed his career, Kevin founded LoveYourBrain, along with his brother Adam, to provide resources and support for others going through their own journey of recovery. And so we sat down with Adam to talk about everything that LoveYourBrain does, the conversations around TBIs in the action sports world, and a whole lot more — including their fundraising raffle where you can win a Revel Rail29 or Rover.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- LoveYourBrain history & Kevin’s injury (1:57)
- The LoveYourBrain mission (7:19)
- Fostering community (9:31)
- TBI recovery & making peace with a new normal (12:35)
- Changing the perception of TBIs (17:58)
- Improving conversations about TBIs in the action sports world (20:55)
- Prevention education (23:20)
- Supporting someone recovering from a TBI (27:04)
RELATED LINKS:
- Introducing: CRAFTED
- Introducing: Open Mic
- Become a Blister Member
- Blister Labs
- This Week’s Gear Giveaway
- Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
- Off The Couch
- GEAR:30
- Blister Podcast
- CRAFTED
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
When we first had EXT founder Franco Fratton on Bikes & Big Ideas back in Ep. 110, we had plenty to cover with just the story of his long and remarkable career in suspension design and didn’t delve too far into the technical side of things. But Franco is an incredible wealth of knowledge when it comes to suspension design, so we’ve got him back on the show to share a whole bunch of that knowledge, in part one of a multi-episode series with Franco. So strap in, you’re going to learn some stuff in this one.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Dampers vs. Shock Absorbers (2:21)
- Sprung vs. unsprung mass (8:12)
- Coil springs & the need for dampers (9:32)
- History of damper design (10:04)
- Adjustability vs. damper quality (22:01)
- Orifice dampers (23:55)
- Valve types (28:36)
- High- vs. low-speed adjusters (30:15)
- Range of adjustments (36:22)
- Damping “knee” (42:20)
- Twin tube vs. monotube dampers (47:28)
- Damper design philosophy (59:58)
RELATED LINKS:
- Franco Fratton (Ep.110)
- Introducing: CRAFTED
- Introducing: Open Mic
- Become a Blister Member
- Blister Labs
- This Week’s Gear Giveaway
- Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
- Off The Couch
- GEAR:30
- Blister Podcast
- CRAFTED
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Matthew Fairbrother showed up in Scotland for the 2022 EWS season opener, at age 17, having never left New Zealand before, and with no plan for what was going to follow that first race. And in what is one of the wildest mountain bike stories of the year, he wound up bikepacking over 3,400 km between races over the course of the season — and still finished 13th overall in the U21 Men’s category. So we sat down to get the whole story, which somehow just gets even crazier from here.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Planning the tour (2:17)
- Matthew’s gear (7:37)
- Bike setup & weight (10:55)
- Matthew’s approach to sufferfests (13:32)
- Hallucinations and “fluffy animals” (15:20)
- Motivation & the mental game (17:40)
- Sleep, nutrition, and animal attacks (22:20)
- Scotland to Switzerland to Slovenia & diving into races (26:17)
- Making it to North America (32:05)
- Other racer’s reactions (34:27)
- Whistler & over-enthusiasm (35:46)
- Moose encounters & crossing the US border (42:44)
- Burke & Sugarloaf races (46:28)
- Wrapping up the EWS circuit in Europe (48:00)
- Lessons learned (54:11)
- The MTB community (58:07)
- Matthew’s 2023 plans (58:53)
RELATED LINKS:
- Eric Olsen (Ep.126)
- Introducing: CRAFTED
- Introducing: Open Mic
- Become a Blister Member
- Blister Labs
- This Week’s Gear Giveaway
- Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
- Off The Couch
- GEAR:30
- Blister Podcast
- CRAFTED
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
We’ve been testing a ton of new bikes and gear (as always) and we’ve got updates on a bunch of it including the new Santa Cruz Tallboy and the RockShox Pike that came on it; the Intense Tracer 279; the Kavenz VHP 16; we chat about crank length and Hope’s new super-short 155 mm option; we offer some updates on our upcoming brake shootout, and thoughts on brake selection in general; and a whole bunch more.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Intense Tracer 279 (2:21)
- Revel Rail 29 (15:27)
- Kavenz VHP 16 (18:36)
- Santa Cruz Tallboy (20:55)
- RockShox Pike (23:59)
- Continental Tires (32:39)
- Crank length & Hope 155s (42:14)
- Brake shootout (48:05)
RELATED LINKS:
- Introducing: CRAFTED
- Introducing: Open Mic
- Become a Blister Member
- Blister Labs
- This Week’s Gear Giveaway
- Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
- Off The Couch
- GEAR:30
- Blister Podcast
- CRAFTED
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
BTR Fabrications has a well-earned reputation for building burly, aggressive hardtails, and we sat down with Paul “Burf” Burford (the “B” in “BTR”) to talk about his design philosophy and pioneering aggressive hardtail geometry; racing DH on a hardtail; their wild one-off Gasser DH bike; racing with the Athertons; and a whole lot more.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Burf’s background & founding BTR (2:06)
- BTR’s history & the Belter DH hardtail (9:08)
- Hardtail geometry (15:34)
- The BTR customer (25:53)
- The Pinner Trail full suspension bike (32:39)
- The Gasser DH bike (45:43)
- Burf’s Big Idea (52:17)
RELATED LINKS:
- Ep.125: Trinity MTB
- Ep.93: Williams Racing Products
- Introducing: CRAFTED
- Introducing: Open Mic
- Become a Blister Member
- Blister Labs
- This Week’s Gear Giveaway
- Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
- Off The Couch
- GEAR:30
- Blister Podcast
- CRAFTED
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Pete Fowler’s path to founding Pinner Machine Shop was an unconventional one, including teaching himself how to be a machinist, running a mill in his kitchen while his partner was at work, and a whole lot of other twists and turns. So we sat down with Pete to get the whole story, and chat about how and why he keeps Pinner running on top of holding down a job at Chromag; saving countless vacations from Whistler bike park carnage; where his product ideas come from; and a whole lot more.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Founding Pinner Machine Shop (2:17)
- Learning machining & kitchen milling (8:24)
- Sustainability & keeping bikes running (14:26)
- Pete’s design process (19:04)
- Learning, growing, and staying motivated (21:13)
- Chromag (27:59)
- Pete's favorite part of running Pinner (32:14)
RELATED LINKS:
- Introducing: CRAFTED
- Introducing: Open Mic
- Become a Blister Member
- Blister Labs
- This Week’s Gear Giveaway
- Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
- Off The Couch
- GEAR:30
- Blister Podcast
- CRAFTED
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
One of the biggest stories of the World Cup Downhill season that just wrapped up has been the formation of the new rider’s association to better collectively advocate for their interests and those of the sport. So we sat down with newly-appointed rider representative Emilie Siegenthaler to talk about why the riders decided to band together, what they hope to get out of the association, how the 2023 season is shaping up, and a whole lot more.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- What is the association, and why form one? (2:46)
- How Emilie got involved (7:21)
- Goals for the association (10:33)
- Rider safety & concussions (25:47)
- Discovery/ESO & establishing new lines of communication (28:17)
- What we know about the 2023 season (36:04)
- Voting structure of the association (40:42)
RELATED LINKS:
- Introducing: CRAFTED
- Introducing: Open Mic
- Become a Blister Member
- Blister Labs
- This Week’s Gear Giveaway
- Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
- Off The Couch
- GEAR:30
- Blister Podcast
- CRAFTED
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Vaea Verbeeck has had a very impressive and varied mountain bike career as a racer (across a wide range of disciplines), a freerider, and a whole lot more. And so just before she headed off to this year’s iteration of Proving Grounds, we sat down to hear her story about the wild early days of her mountain biking odyssey in Bromont, Quebec; the tragedy that got her to refocus and commit to being a full-time pro; what keeps her motivated, and how her ever-evolving riding style is a key to that; injuries and riding without an ACL; and a whole lot more.
And you can watch Vaea and the rest of the athletes at Proving Grounds starting on September 23 at noon Pacific on NaturalSelectionTour.com, and then on ESPN2 on September 25.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Vaea’s Background (2:10)
- The Bromont MTB scene (3:24)
- Stevie Smith & riding with legends (10:34)
- Privateer racing (15:41)
- World Cup racing (22:42)
- Career evolution & keeping things fresh (34:25)
- Formation (40:37)
- Injuries & riding without an ACL & Heading to Proving Grounds (49:28)
- Vaea’s Big Idea (56:09)
RELATED LINKS:
- Introducing: CRAFTED
- Introducing: Open Mic
- Become a Blister Member
- Blister Labs
- This Week’s Gear Giveaway
- Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
- Off The Couch
- GEAR:30
- Blister Podcast
- CRAFTED
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Dillon Osleger is a man who wears many hats — he’s a professional mountain biker, the head of the Sage Trails Alliance, a climate scientist, a founding member of the Protect Our Winters Bike Alliance, and more. So we sat down with him to talk about all of that, and along the way, we get into how the mountain bike community is growing and evolving for the better; how cool historic trails can be (and how to resurrect them); and much more.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Rezduro (2:35)
- POW Bike Alliance (7:05)
- Dillon’s background in MTB (9:17)
- Sage Trail Alliance (17:34)
- Climate science (25:21)
- Resurrecting historic trails (31:38)
- Usufruct (36:04)
- Dillon’s Big Idea (48:59)
RELATED LINKS:
- Protect Our Winters’ Mario Molina on the New Climate Bill (Blister Podcast Ep.222)
- Introducing: CRAFTED
- Introducing: Open Mic
- Become a Blister Member
- Blister Labs
- This Week’s Gear Giveaway
- Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
- Off The Couch
- GEAR:30
- Blister Podcast
- CRAFTED
Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.
We’ve been testing a ton of bikes, suspension, brakes, and other gear, so Dylan Wood and I sat down to chat about a whole bunch of it, including the Pivot Shadowcat, Intense Tracer 279, Canfield Jedi 29, multiple versions of the Manitou Dorado, plus a whole lot more — and we tease a very big upcoming project that is going to be of interest to a whole lot of folks.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- David’s mustache (1:42)
- Rossignol Mandate (2:49)
- Pivot Shadowcat (8:45)
- Intense Tracer 279 (15:06)
- Santa Cruz Megatower & shock testing (20:15)
- RockShox SuperDeluxe Air vs. Coil (27:38)
- Canfield Jedi 29 (38:38)
- Manitou Dorado (45:45)
- O-Chain (50:51)
- Hope Tech 4 brakes (59:13)
Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.
Reynolds is one of the biggest names in steel and titanium bike frame tubing, and they’ve just released a very interesting report on the environmental impact of their various product lines. So we sat down with their General Manager, Martin Shepherd, to talk about why Reynolds went through the effort to produce the study and what they hoped to learn from it; what Reynolds is doing to curb their own emissions; how and why all recycling isn’t created equal; and along the way we get into Spitfire airplanes, Jaguar race cars, Roman swords, and a whole lot more.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Starling Cycles & the impetus for Reynolds’ study
- Spitfires, Jaguar race cars, & the lifecycle of steel
- Goals for the study
- What Reynolds learned
- Recycling, bulletproof cars, and Roman swords
- Reynolds’ next steps
- Where other companies should start
- Steel vs. other materials
- Martin’s Big Idea
RELATED LINKS:
- Protect Our Winters’ Mario Molina on the New Climate Bill (Blister Podcast Ep.222)
- Starling Cycles on Simplicity, Design, & Building Bikes in a Shed (Ep.105)
- Introducing: CRAFTED
- Introducing: Open Mic
- Become a Blister Member
- Blister Labs
- This Week’s Gear Giveaway
- Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
- Off The Couch
- GEAR:30
- Blister Podcast
- CRAFTED
Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.
Dillon Flinders has some very lofty goals for himself — both on a bike and on skis — so we sat down to talk about them, and how he’s arranging his life to chase both at once. Along the way, we get into the differing cultures of both sports; how a mindset change improved Dylan’s DH race performance; mentorship and fostering the next generation of American DH racers; & much more.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Dylan’s intro to MTB & Tuning skis to buy a DH bike(3:26)
- Juggling biking and skiing (6:53)
- Mental approach to racing DH, the Outlaw Bike Team, Injuries & recovery (15:49)
- Ski vs. bike race culture (29:10)
- Mentorship & American DH racing (39:09)
- Racing World Cup DH and competing on the Freeride World Tour (46:50)
RELATED LINKS:
- Introducing: CRAFTED\
- Introducing: Open Mic
- Become a Blister Member
- Blister Labs
- This Week’s Gear Giveaway
- Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
- Off The Couch
- GEAR:30
- Blister Podcast
- CRAFTED
Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.
Rae Morrison has been at the pointy end of the EWS circuit for the better part of the series’ existence, and we caught up with her shortly before the upcoming Whistler EWS race to talk about how the series has evolved over the years, and what Rae would do differently if she were in charge; the injury and recovery that spurred her to pursue a career as a pro racer in the first place; her bike setup preferences; her unique team setup and balancing both sides of her relationship with her husband and mechanic, Jesse; and a whole lot more.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Rae’s MTB origins (2:06)
- Injuries & committing to racing (10:08)
- Racing as a privateer (15:53)
- Making the leap to a factory team (19:54)
- EWS over the years (28:20)
- Rae’s favorite places to ride & race (35:32)
- The 2022 EWS season (36:45)
- Relationship dynamics (43:22)
- Bike setup preferences (51:22)
- Rae’s Big Idea (57:35)
RELATED LINKS:
- Become a Blister Member
- Blister Labs
- This Week’s Gear Giveaway
- Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
- Off The Couch
- GEAR:30
- Blister Podcast
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Crestline Bikes has been teasing some extremely interesting-looking prototypes — especially their high-pivot VPP DH bike — but details on the project have been scarce. So we sat down with founder Troydon Murison and suspension designer Jimmy Davis (of Cascade Components) to talk about the project, including a whole lot of details on their upcoming lineup; founding the company & involving some big names, including Jimmy and Cesar Rojo; getting advice from Greg Minnaar and Neko Mulally; & much more.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Origins of Crestline (3:43)
- Building the team & The GOAT (14:09)
- Jimmy getting involved (17:28)
- Model lineup (18:11)
- High-pivot VPP DH bike (25:07)
- Adaptability & bike design (28:50)
- When will it be available? (38:03)
- The e-bike (39:18)
- Wheel sizes (42:46)
- The Crestline name (46:30)
- Troydon’s Big Idea (47:16)
- Jimmy’s Big Idea (50:28)
- Bonus Big Idea (52:21)
RELATED LINKS:
- Become a Blister Member
- Blister Labs
- This Week’s Gear Giveaway
- Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
- Off The Couch
- GEAR:30
- Blister Podcast
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
We sat down with Troy, Paul, Pierce, and Jonah from Over The Edge — our Blister Recommended Shop in Fruita, CO; Hurricane, UT; Todos Santos, Mexico; and Melrose, Australia — to talk about the unique history of OTE; building trails in the early days of mountain biking; the development of mountain bike towns; travel & MTB destinations; servicing bikes at Rampage; and a whole lot more.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Over The Edge’s origin story (4:13)
- Expansion & the growth of MTB towns (6:12)
- Trail building (13:25)
- Paul’s involvement & maturation (20:50)
- The OTE customer (25:30)
- Service turnarounds & saving trips (30:11)
- Travel & MTB towns (32:39)
- The Hurricane shop (35:53)
RELATED LINKS:
- Over The Edge
- Become a Blister Member
- Blister Labs
- This Week’s Gear Giveaway
- Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
- Off The Couch
- GEAR:30
- Blister Podcast
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Racing the EWS for the first time is a daunting prospect, but Eric Olsen decided to spice things up by bike touring between the first three rounds to boot. So right after his return from Europe, we sat down with Eric to talk about where the idea came from and what his goals were for the trip; how things went, including encountering golf-ball-sized hail & (almost) running over a bunch of schoolchildren; raising money for World Bicycle Relief & the idea of bikes as transportation; how his fellow racers reacted; his company, Jank Components; and a whole lot more.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Tour de EWS inspiration (3:25)
- Goals for the trip (6:01)
- Route & itinerary (9:53)
- Golf-ball-sized hail & other memorable moments (14:50)
- People’s reactions (18:20)
- Packing a bike & gear (25:48)
- Racing after bike touring (33:37)
- EWS prep & track walks (35:45)
- Running over schoolchildren (37:37)
- Race support & self-sufficiency (43:13)
- European bike touring culture (44:43)
- World Bicycle Relief fundraiser (46:56)
- Lessons learned & teasers for the future (48:50)
- Jank Components (54:19)
- Eric’s Big Idea (57:25)
RELATED LINKS:
- Tour de EWS Blog
- Become a Blister Member
- Blister Labs
- This Week’s Gear Giveaway
- Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
- Off The Couch
- GEAR:30
- Blister Podcast
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Trinity MTB’s V2 high-pivot prototype can serve dual-duty as an Enduro or DH bike, with or without a gearbox — to say nothing of the 3D printed construction, or any of the other fascinating design details. So we sat down with Trinity’s Chase Warner and Mic Williams to hear all about what is one of the most interesting bikes out there; learn the story behind its development; and get some teasers about the V3 bike, which they promise will be even wilder.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- The origins of Trinity & Chase’s initial concept (2:30)
- Getting Nigel and Mic on board (5:10)
- The V1 prototype (12:20)
- Revisions, refinements, & V2 (42:42)
- V3, what comes next, & bringing the bike to market (1:02:55)
RELATED LINKS:
- Ep. 93: Williams Racing Products
- Become a Blister Member
- Blister Labs
- This Week’s Gear Giveaway
- Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
- Off The Couch
- GEAR:30
- Blister Podcast
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
We’ve got a ton of bikes in for testing right now, so David Golay and Dylan Wood sat down to talk about a bunch of the stuff they’ve been spending time on across the travel spectrum, including the new Santa Cruz Hightower and Megatower; some shorter-travel options from Niner and Rocky Mountain; and a couple more Enduro bikes from Kavenz and Pivot.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Niner JET 9 RDO (2:05)
- Rocky Mountain Element (5:40)
- Santa Cruz Hightower (12:49)
- Santa Cruz Megatower (15:47)
- Kavenz VHP 16 (26:27)
- Pivot Firebird (37:19)
RELATED LINKS:
- Reviewer Reports (E.120)
- Kavenz (Ep.117)
- Become a Blister Member
- Blister Labs
- This Week’s Gear Giveaway
- Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
- Off The Couch
- GEAR:30
- Blister Podcast
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Betty Birrell picked up mountain biking nearly 30 years ago and at 73, she’s still riding serious trails on the North Shore. So David Golay and Kara Williard sat down with Betty to talk about her trajectory as a mountain biker; motherhood; how the sport has (and hasn’t) changed; and the North Shore Betty documentary short that Patagonia released recently. Along the way, Betty shares some great insights on staying motivated and continuing to do the things we love in the outdoors long after a lot of folks have hung it up.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Betty’s introduction to MTB (2:50)
- The early North Shore riding scene (5:57)
- Motherhood & having an “adventure buddy” (13:54)
- Perseverance & keeping going (22:22)
- Risk tolerance & aging (26:29)
- Role models and mentorship (32:05)
- Keeping current (36:15)
- Self-identity & athletics (42:14)
- Betty’s Big Idea (48:01)
RELATED LINKS:
- Episode sponsor: Over the Edge
- North Shore Betty
- Become a Blister Member
- Blister Labs
- This Week’s Gear Giveaway
- Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
- Off The Couch
- GEAR:30
- Blister Podcast
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Hope has been making mountain bike disc brakes for longer than just about anybody, and earlier this year they launched their new Tech 4 lineup of brakes. So we sat down with Hope’s design engineer, Sam Gibbs, to talk about the new brakes & what changed from the prior Tech 3 models; how to choose the right brakes, rotors, and pads for you; and along the way we go pretty deep on the finer points of brake tech and all the tradeoffs inherent to designing them.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Sam’s role at Hope (1:39)
- New Tech 4 lineup (3:55)
- The Tech 4 lever (7:48)
- Caliper design & piston materials (17:18)
- Brake design & tradeoffs (21:57)
- Choosing the right brake for you (32:28)
- Rotor sizes & heat management (39:11)
- Brake pad options & tradeoffs (42:18)
- Sam’s Big Idea (53:32)
RELATED LINKS:
- Introducing: Blister Labs
- This Week’s Gear Giveaway
- Become a Blister Member
- Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
- Galfer on MTB Brake Tech (Ep.81)
- Fanatik
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
- Off The Couch
- GEAR:30
- Blister Podcast
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Mountain bikes and beer are a classic combination, but there aren’t many bike companies that were literally founded in a brewery. REEB is one, though (the name is a clue there), and as you might expect from a bike company with as interesting an origin story as theirs, REEB does a lot of things differently. So we sat down with Jeff Lenosky and Adam Prosise to get the rundown on the company history; talk about their model lineup and how each one came about; discuss their manufacturing ethos, and a whole lot more.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- REEB’s origin story (3:16)
- Jeff & Adam joining REEB (7:01)
- REEB’s design philosophy (15:38)
- Redikyelous (20:11)
- Sqweeb (21:45)
- SST (28:09)
- BREWser (38:32)
- Jeff’s Big Idea (49:27)
- Adam’s Big Idea (50:16)
RELATED LINKS:
- Introducing: Blister Labs
- This Week’s Gear Giveaway
- Become a Blister Member
- Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
OUR OTHER PODCASTS
- Off The Couch
- GEAR:30
- Blister Podcast
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
We’ve been busy testing a whole lot of new suspension from RockShox, as well as bikes across the whole spectrum, from XC to Enduro, so Jonathan Ellsworth and David Golay sat down in Blister HQ to talk about all of it, including the new Santa Cruz Megatower V2, the Rocky Mountain Element, and a whole lot more.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- RockShox Flight Attendant (4:48)
- RockShox’s new 2023 lineup (12:38)
- YT Capra (17:33)
- Santa Cruz Megatower (19:30)
- Orbea Rallon (22:56)
- Antidote Carbonjack (25:02)
- Orbea Occam LT (28:36)
- Rocky Mountain Element (31:26)
RELATED LINKS:
- Become a Blister Member
- Blister Labs
- This Week’s Gear Giveaway
- Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
OUR OTHER BLISTER PODCASTS
- Off The Couch
- GEAR:30
- Blister Podcast
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Jess Blewitt first rode a mountain bike in 2018, but her list of accomplishments is already extensive — including being the two-time New Zealand DH National Champ and having earned a top-ten finish at World Championships — and she’s only 19. So we had Jess on to talk about how she’s put it all together so quickly and how her background as a ski racer helped; her career highlights to date; her brutal crash at Snowshoe and how she recovered from it so quickly; what she’s got planned for 2022 — including a very intriguing teaser — and much more.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Ski racing & transitioning to MTB (2:21)
- Learning to ride a DH bike & starting to race (6:54)
- Jess’ incredible 2021 season (12:18)
- Formation (15:11)
- Snowshoe crash & recovery (22:54)
- NZ National Champs (27:41)
- Fort William update (30:54)
- Racing vs. freeriding & doing both (33:34)
- What’s next? (37:55)
RELATED LINKS:
- Become a Blister Member
- Introducing: Blister Labs
- This Week’s Gear Giveaway
- Gear Giveaway / Newsletter Signup
- Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
OUR OTHER BLISTER PODCASTS
- Off The Couch
- GEAR:30
- Blister Podcast
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Lots of mountain bikers have idly thought about designing their own frame, but actually doing it is an entirely different matter. But ex-pro racer Even Turpen took the leap, and his Contra Bikes prototype is nearing production readiness (and was perhaps the coolest thing we saw at Sea Otter this year). So we brought Evan on the show to talk about the bike design and what he wanted to accomplish with it; the a-ha moment that sparked the project in the first place; learning to design and fabricate a bike starting from square one, and a whole lot more.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Growing up skateboarding & pivoting to mountain biking (2:19
- Working in a bike shop & the a-ha moment (5:54)
- Learning to design a bike (14:10)
- First single-pivot prototype (19:02)
- Learning fabrication (27:04)
- Patent infringement & heading back to the drawing board (40:36)
- Production bike design & status (50:39)
- The Contra name (58:38)
- Evan’s Big Idea (1:01:57)
RELATED LINKS:
- Introducing: Blister Labs
- This Week’s Gear Giveaway
- Gear Giveaway / Newsletter Signup
- Become a Blister Member / Get our new Buyer’s Guide
- Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
- Ep. 117: Kavenz
OUR OTHER BLISTER PODCASTS
- Off The Couch
- GEAR:30
- Blister Podcast
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Kavenz founder Giacomo Großehagenbrock got an early start in the mountain bike industry when he landed an internship at Nicolai when he was just 17. He followed that up by founding 77designz, making chainguides, stems, and more, but he still had the itch to design his own bike — so Kavenz and the VHP16 were born. But the story is a lot more complicated — and interesting — than that, so we sat down with Giacomo to get the full rundown, including the trials and tribulations of starting a bike company; the design goals for the VHP16 and all the tradeoffs inherent to bike design; the new VHP18; and a whole lot more.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Giacomo’s introduction to the mountain bike industry (2:22)
- Founding 77designz (7:12)
- VHP16 design philosophy (10:14)
- High-pivot bikes & their tradeoffs (20:01)
- The new VHP18 (34:49)
- Mullets (38:41)
- Giacomo’s Big Idea (43:15)
RELATED LINKS:
- Introducing: Blister Labs
- This Week’s Gear Giveaway
- Gear Giveaway / Newsletter Signup
- Become a Blister Member / Get our new Buyer’s Guide
- Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
OUR OTHER BLISTER PODCASTS
- Off The Couch
- GEAR:30
- Blister Podcast
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
We sat down with Rich Frough of Fanatik, our Blister Recommended Bike Shop in Bellingham, WA to talk about bike gear trends, the local mountain bike scene, and Fanatik’s amazing custom bike and wheel building programs.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Fanatik’s history (1:25)
- Rich’s role at Fanatik (3:11)
- The Fanatik customer (4:47)
- Bellingham’s mountain bike scene (7:13)
- Gear trends — locally and globally (9:08)
- Fanatik staff’s favorite gear (20:59)
- Service (25:30)
- Rich’s Big Idea (32:37)
RELATED LINKS:
- Fanatik Website
- Introducing: Blister Labs
- This Week’s Gear Giveaway
- Gear Giveaway / Newsletter Signup
- Become a Blister Member / Get our new Buyer’s Guide
- Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
OUR OTHER BLISTER PODCASTS
- Off The Couch
- GEAR:30
- Blister Podcast
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
A few years ago, Kitsbow undertook an incredibly ambitious plan to move to Old Fort, North Carolina, and bring all of their apparel production to the United States, after years of working with overseas factories. And not only did they do just that, but in doing so they trained an entirely new workforce and spearheaded the revitalization of their new hometown, which had been losing manufacturing jobs for decades. So we brought their CEO, David Billstrom, back onto the show to talk about how they did that while weathering a global pandemic; how doing so has been a boon to the brand, their customers, and their local community; and how they hope to be a blueprint for other companies to do the same.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Covid shields and facemasks (2:22)
- Moving to North Fort, NC (7:58)
- The Toyota Way (22:37)
- Domestic manufacturing & efficiency (29:14)
- Revitalizing a community (35:25)
- Employee purchase as a Public Benefit Corporation (50:12)
- David’s Big Idea (57:46)
RELATED LINKS:
- Ep. 20: How the Outdoor Industry is Helping Fight Covid
- Introducing: Blister Labs
- Getting Here: Gunnison & Crested Butte
- This Week’s Gear Giveaway
- Gear Giveaway / Newsletter Signup
- Become a Blister Member / Get our new Buyer’s Guide
- Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
OUR OTHER BLISTER PODCASTS
- Off The Couch
- GEAR:30
- Blister Podcast
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Revel Bikes recently launched the new Rail 29, so we sat down with their founder, Adam Miller, to get the rundown on the new bike and its development process; navigating COVID & the maturation of the bike industry; the rest of the Revel lineup; wheel sizes and mullet-skepticism; and a whole lot more.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Check-in since last time (Ep. 25) (2:10)
- Revel’s new Rail 29 (5:51)
- Growth & navigating COVID (12:17)
- The maturation of the bike industry (27:21)
- Revel bike lineup (31:19)
- Wheel sizes (37:50)
- Adam’s Big Idea (48:53)
RELATED LINKS:
- Revel Rail 29
- Ep. 25: Adam Miller
- Introducing: Blister Labs
- Getting Here: Gunnison & Crested Butte
- This Week’s Gear Giveaway
- Gear Giveaway / Newsletter Signup
- Become a Blister Member / Get our new Buyer’s Guide
- Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
OUR OTHER BLISTER PODCASTS
- Off The Couch
- GEAR:30
- Blister Podcast
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Chelsea Kimball got a later start in MTB than a lot of pro riders, but she’s making up for lost time and is part of the inaugural class of women participating in Darkfest, among a whole lot of other huge accomplishments. So we sat down with her to talk about all of it, including her longtime commitment to van life, Freeride Fiesta and getting props from Yoann Barelli, the state and future of women’s freeride, and a whole lot more.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Growing up climbing & getting introduced to MTB (1:16)
- Van life & Chevy Astros (7:04)
- Freeride Fiesta (17:54)
- Darkfest & getting women into freeride events (22:14)
- The state and trajectory of women’s freeride (24:00)
- Future riding goals (28:04)
- 2022 plans (29:12)
- Windrock (32:04)
- Path to success in the MTB industry (33:51)
- Chelsea’s Big Idea (39:36)
RELATED LINKS:
- Ep. 108: Yoann Barelli
- Introducing: Blister Labs
- Getting Here: Gunnison & Crested Butte
- This Week’s Gear Giveaway
- Gear Giveaway / Newsletter Signup
- Become a Blister Member / Get our new Buyer’s Guide
- Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
OUR OTHER BLISTER PODCASTS
- Off The Couch
- GEAR:30
- Blister Podcast
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Rotational impact protection in bike helmets has deservedly gotten a lot of attention in recent years, and MIPS has long been the pioneering technology in that space. But Lazer thought there was a lighter, more comfortable, more breathable way to accomplish the same goals, and developed KinetiCore to do just that. And so we sat down with Lazer’s Head of Marketing for North America, Chris Smith, to get the rundown on what KinetiCore is supposed to do and how it does it; why Lazer went to the effort to develop their own technology; helmet testing standards and safety; and a whole lot more.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- KinetiCore design goals (1:37)
- Helmet testing standards around the world (14:22)
- KinetiCore design details (22:45)
- Virginia Tech’s helmet testing & KinetiCore helmet lineup (26:15)
- Jackyl KinetiCore MTB helmet & Accessory mount safety (35:28)
- Chris’ Big Idea (46:34)
RELATED LINKS:
- GEAR:30 on Helmet Tech, Pt. 1: Sweet Protection
- GEAR:30 on Helmet Tech, Pt. 2: Giro / Bell
- GEAR:30 on Helmet Tech, Pt. 3: Pret
- GEAR:30 on Helmet Tech, Pt. 4: POC
- GEAR:30 on Helmet Tech, Pt. 5: WaveCel
- Introducing: Blister Labs
- Getting Here: Gunnison & Crested Butte
- This Week’s Gear Giveaway
- Gear Giveaway / Newsletter Signup
- Become a Blister Member / Get our new Buyer’s Guide
- Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
OUR OTHER BLISTER PODCASTS
- Off The Couch
- GEAR:30
- Blister Podcast
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Lea Davison announced her retirement from international racing after the final World Cup of the 2021 season, but she’s definitely not walking away from bikes or racing. So we sat down with the two-time Olympian and 20-plus year XC pro to talk about the career that’s taken up her entire adult life to this point; the highs and the lows; the state of XC racing; mentorship & career evolution; what comes next, and a whole lot more.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Getting started in bike racing & qualifying for World Championships at 17 (2:06)
- Racing first full pro season without an ACL (6:34)
- Evolution of the XC race scene (11:23)
- What could be improved? (18:56)
- Racing World Cups (21:10)
- Mentorship & development (23:57)
- Competing in the Olympics (27:10)
- Postponement of the 2020 Games (35:28)
- Favorite moments and proudest accomplishments (40:50)
- Career evolution & team roles (45:31)
- What’s next after announcing retirement? (49:13)
- Lea’s Big Idea (54:22)
RELATED LINKS:
- Introducing: Blister Labs
- Getting Here: Gunnison & Crested Butte
- This Week’s Gear Giveaway
- Gear Giveaway / Newsletter Signup
- Become a Blister Member / Get our new Buyer’s Guide
- Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
There are a lot of smart people working in bike suspension, but EXT founder Franco Fratton might have the most impressive resume — which includes working for the Ferrari and Lotus Formula One teams. And so we sat down with Franco to chat about his career and life story; his suspension design philosophy; how he went from focusing on motorsports to making some of the best bike suspension out there; and a whole lot more.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Franco’s background in suspension and EXT history (2:34)
- Getting started in bike suspension (15:31)
- Upcoming EXT air shock (24:51)
- Twin tube vs. mono tube dampers (34:08)
- Coil vs. air springs (48:12)
- Novel ideas & gaining acceptance (55:08)
- Franco’s Big Idea (57:56)
RELATED LINKS:
- Introducing: Blister Labs
- Getting Here: Gunnison & Crested Butte
- This Week’s Gear Giveaway
- Gear Giveaway / Newsletter Signup
- Become a Blister Member / Get our new Buyer’s Guide
- Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
- EXT Era Review
- EXT Storia Review
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Martin Maes practically grew up in the GT pits with his father, and had raced for them since he was a teenager. But he made the move to Orbea for 2022, and so we sat down to chat about his career trajectory and the value of a change of pace; the mental aspects of racing & injury recovery; becoming a father; bike setup for Enduro and DH racing, and a whole bunch more.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Fatherhood & the 2021 season
- Concussions & rider safety
- Finishing the season strong
- Signing with Orbea
- Bike setup, sizing, & parts spec
- Racing DH & Enduro
- 2022 Plans
- EWS format & doubleheaders
- Martin’s Big Idea
RELATED LINKS:
- Introducing: Blister Labs
- Getting Here: Gunnison & Crested Butte
- This Week’s Gear Giveaway
- Gear Giveaway / Newsletter Signup
- Become a Blister Member / Get our new Buyer’s Guide
- Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Yoann Barelli just announced the formation of his Into The Gnar Progression Team — so we got him back on Bikes & Big Ideas to talk about it. And along the way we talk about Yoann’s career shift into freeriding; what he’s learned about coaching & training in recent years; his plans for 2022 — including teasing some very big news — and a bunch more.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- One year on Guerrilla Gravity (2:10)
- Moving away from racing & into freeriding and building (6:48)
- Sponsorship responsibilities & new opportunities to be a pro
- Getting back into training (11:54)
- Coaching Update (17:03)
- Into the Gnar Progression Team (21:19)
- 2022 plans (46:09)
- Freeride Fiesta recap (51:44)
- Yoann’s Big Idea (58:18)
RELATED LINKS:
- Introducing: Blister Labs
- Getting Here: Gunnison & Crested Butte
- This Week’s Gear Giveaway
- Gear Giveaway / Newsletter Signup
- Become a Blister Member / Get our new Buyer’s Guide
- Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Push Industries is one of the best-known suspension tuners and manufacturers of high-end shocks out there, and their founder, Darren Murphy has a whole lot to say on the topic of suspension. And so we sat down with Darren to chat about his background and how he got into suspension in the first place; the Eleven Six shock and what makes it stand out; his approach to product development and tuning; making everything in-house in Colorado; how to set up your suspension; and a whole lot more.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Darren’s background in MTB & suspension (1:36)
- History of Push (17:31)
- Eleven Six Shock (26:46)
- Push’s product development process (33:18)
- Shock tuning for a given bike (38:38)
- How to set up your suspension (53:16)
- Darren’s Big Idea (1:03:30)
RELATED LINKS:
- Introducing: Blister Labs
- Getting Here: Gunnison & Crested Butte
- This Week’s Gear Giveaway
- Gear Giveaway / Newsletter Signup
- Become a Blister Member / Get our new Buyer’s Guide
- Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Mountain bike suspension has improved immensely in recent years, but designing rear suspension kinematics is inherently a game of tradeoffs, with no ideal one-size-fits-all solution. Cascade Components founder and engineer Jimmy Davis saw an opportunity to make his personal Santa Cruz Nomad better for where and how he rides, and soon a new business was born, making aftermarket suspension links for an ever-growing range of bikes. And so we sat down with Jimmy to talk about suspension design and the inherent tradeoffs that come with each decision; what their links do and who they’re for; working with Neko Mulally on his Frameworks DH race bikes; brakes & chain guides; and a whole lot more.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Origins of Cascade Components (1:46)
- First aftermarket link (6:42)
- Suspension design philosophy (13:11)
- Neko Mulally's custom links (26:38)
- North Fork Brakes (30:25)
- Chain Guides (39:36)
- Jimmy’s Big Idea (43:23)
RELATED LINKS:
- Introducing: Blister Labs
- Getting Here: Gunnison & Crested Butte
- This Week’s Gear Giveaway
- Gear Giveaway / Newsletter Signup
- Become a Blister Member / Get our new Buyer’s Guide
- Register for the 2022 Blister Summit
- Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
- Ep. 101: Neko Mulally
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Joe McEwan had a career as an aerospace engineer working with composites, but when he started building bikes, steel was his material of choice. So we sat down with the founder of Starling Cycles to get his take on frame materials, and why steel is an under-appreciated one; why single-pivots can ride really well; go really deep on the tradeoffs between wheel sizes, & why mullets maybe aren’t the best of all worlds; and a whole lot more.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Joe’s background as an aerospace engineer to founding Starling & building bikes in a shed (1:32)
- Why steel? (7:56)
- Single pivots & suspension kinematics (12:26)
- Starling’s “Core” lineup (20:43)
- Wheel sizes & tradeoffs (24:31)
- Starling’s “Rare” lineup (33:48)
- Carbon e-bike prototype (43:11)
- Joe’s Big Idea (48:14)
RELATED LINKS:
- Introducing: Blister Labs
- Getting Here: Gunnison & Crested Butte
- This Week’s Gear Giveaway
- Gear Giveaway / Newsletter Signup
- Become a Blister Member / Get our new Buyer’s Guide
- Register for the 2022 Blister Summit
- Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Ed Masters often looks like he’s having more fun than anybody else on the EWS and World Cup DH circuits, but that belies just how seriously he takes racing at the top level, and how much thought he’s given to the sport. And so we brought Ed onto Bikes & Big Ideas to talk about the incredible end to the 2021 World Cup season (and get hyped for racing to fire back up in 2022); catch up on his injury-laden 2021 season and how he’s doing these days; the similarities and differences between Enduro and DH, and the challenges of racing both; and a whole lot more.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Ed’s 2021 season & injury recoveries (2:37)
- The World Cup season & performing under pressure (9:55)
- Injuries & Ed’s 2021 season, cont’d (29:05)
- 2022 plans (49:12)
- DH vs. Enduro, & racing both at the top level (55:23)
- Ed’s Big Idea (1:05:30)
RELATED LINKS:
- Introducing: Blister Labs
- Getting Here: Gunnison & Crested Butte
- This Week’s Gear Giveaway
- Gear Giveaway / Newsletter Signup
- Become a Blister Member / Get our new Buyer’s Guide
- Register for the 2022 Blister Summit
- Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Katy Winton has reliably been one of the top contenders on the EWS circuit, but she found herself without a factory ride in 2021 and had to put together her own team at the 11th hour to keep racing. And despite all that chaos, she had another strong season, which culminated in her signing with GT Factory Racing for 2022. So we sat down with Katy to get the whole story, and she did a remarkable job of peeling back the curtain on day-to-day life as a professional racer during the season; contract negotiations and managing a career; and a whole lot more.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Katy’s 2021 season & being left out of a factory ride (2:19)
- Putting together Moxie XI (15:47)
- Racing as a privateer after years on factory teams (25:16)
- Mindset & balancing training with running a team (30:57)
- Managing the season & traveling with Joe Nation (35:04)
- 2022 team talks & signing with GT (42:49)
- Goals for 2022 (50:42)
- Katy’s Big Idea (52:17)
RELATED LINKS:
- Introducing: Blister Labs
- Getting Here: Gunnison & Crested Butte
- This Week’s Gear Giveaway
- Gear Giveaway / Newsletter Signup
- Become a Blister Member / Get our new Buyer’s Guide
- Register for the 2022 Blister Summit
- Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
RockShox announced their new Flight Attendant electronically-controlled suspension system a few months ago, so we brought Chris Mandell back on Bikes & Big Ideas to tell us all about what the system is and how it works; who it will benefit the most; what the tradeoffs are; and Chris wraps it all up with a really important Big Idea.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- What is Flight Attendant? (1:58)
- How does Flight Attendant work? (4:40)
- What forks, shocks, & bikes is it available on? (23:35)
- Why no aftermarket sales? (25:09)
- What are the tradeoffs? (32:49)
- Who’s the target customer? (37:43)
- Chris’ Big Idea (39:02)
RELATED LINKS:
- Introducing: Blister Labs
- Getting Here: Gunnison & Crested Butte
- This Week’s Gear Giveaway
- Gear Giveaway / Newsletter Signup
- Become a Blister Member / Get our new Buyer’s Guide
- Register for the 2022 Blister Summit
- Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
BMC has a strong heritage in road and cross country bikes but isn’t as well known for gravity-focused offerings. Mariano Schoefer and Christof Bigler — an engineer and designer, respectively, at BMC — were looking to build the bikes they personally wanted to ride and started modifying existing models as an after-hours side project. Their tinkering caught the attention of their bosses, and long story short, their efforts spawned an entirely new bike brand, SCOR. So we sat down with Mariano and Christof to get the full backstory and the rundown on the bikes themselves.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Mariano and Christof’s roles at BMC
- Background as riders
- Project origins
- Management catching on & growing momentum
- Design ethos & bike details
- Launching SCOR
- Mariano & Christof’s Big Ideas
RELATED LINKS:
- Introducing: Blister Labs
- Getting Here: Gunnison & Crested Butte
- This Week’s Gear Giveaway
- Gear Giveaway / Newsletter Signup
- Become a Blister Member / Get our new Buyer’s Guide
- Register for the 2022 Blister Summit
- Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
- SCOR 4060
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Neko Mulally has had a very successful career racing for some of the biggest teams on the World Cup circuit, so we were surprised — and excited — when he announced that he was launching his own team for the 2022 season, and racing a bike that he designed himself. So we had to get Neko on Bikes & Big Ideas to talk about how he decided to take on such an ambitious project; designing the bike(s) and working with Frank The Welder to build them; starting his own team; and a whole lot more.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Project origins & initial concepts (1:31)
- Making the leap & leaving Intense (16:00)
- Working with Frank the Welder (19:00)
- Design goals & tradeoffs (28:09)
- Going from kinematics & geometry to a real bike design (35:07)
- Testing & refining the design (48:37)
- Sponsorship & starting a team (59:00)
- Neko’s Big Idea (1:06:17)
RELATED LINKS:
- Neko's video series, FRAMEWORKS
- Getting Here: Gunnison & Crested Butte
- This Week’s Gear Giveaway
- Gear Giveaway / Newsletter Signup
- Become a Blister Member / Get our new Buyer’s Guide
- Register for the 2022 Blister Summit
- Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
2021 was Blister’s busiest year ever for testing mountain bikes and gear, and there were some real standout products among that crop. So we rounded up a bunch of our reviewers to give a rundown of the highlights of the last year — including a bunch of bikes all over the travel spectrum, some suspension products, and tires, inserts, pants, and more. And since we’re so excited to build on all that momentum into 2022, we make some predictions for the year to come and talk about a bunch of the bikes and gear that we’re most excited to spend time on soon, too.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Dylan Wood (1:45)
- Luke Koppa (17:20)
- Eric Freson (36:00)
- Noah Bodman (49:43)
- David Golay (1:03:35)
RELATED LINKS:
- Getting Here: Gunnison & Crested Butte
- This Week’s Gear Giveaway
- Gear Giveaway / Newsletter Signup
- Become a Blister Member / Get our new Buyer’s Guide
- Register for the 2022 Blister Summit
- Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
- Pivot Trail 429
- Norco Range
- Commencal Meta TR
- Canfield Lithium
- Ibis Ripley AF
- We Are One Arrival
- Marin El Roy
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Guerrilla Gravity just celebrated their 10th anniversary, so we sat down with co-founders Will Montague and Matt Giaraffa to talk about what inspired them to start a bike company in the first place; going from aluminum single-pivot DH bikes to pioneering an entirely new way of making carbon fiber frames; weathering the Covid-19 pandemic; and doing all that while building every single frame in Denver, CO.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- GG’s origin story (3:10)
- Growth, new models (18:48)
- Current Guerrilla Gravity lineup (23:52)
- Modular Platform and converting models (25:22)
- Will & Matt’s personal rides (28:28)
- Build customization & staying flexible (30:47)
- What’s next for GG? (33:02)
- US manufacturing & predictions for the future of the bike industry (33:57)
- Favorite parts and other gear? (41:42)
- Will & Matt’s Big Ideas (45:40)
RELATED LINKS:
- Ep. 3: Guerrilla Gravity’s New Bikes & Big Ideas
- Guerrilla Gravity Trail Pistol
- Guerrilla Gravity Smash
- Guerrilla Gravity Gnarvana
- Getting Here: Gunnison & Crested Butte
- This Week’s Gear Giveaway
- Gear Giveaway / Newsletter Signup
- Become a Blister Member / Get our new Buyer’s Guide
- Register for the 2022 Blister Summit
- Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Clipless vs. flat pedals is a hotly debated topic in the mountain bike world, but now there’s a third choice — Hustle Labs’ Avery magnetic pedals. We were, frankly, a bit skeptical about this new in-between option, but we’ve had three reviewers spending time on the Avery, and they’ve wildly exceeded our expectations. So we sat down with Hustle’s Design Engineer, Tripp Hurt, to talk about where the concept originated; how the pedals work; who they are (and aren’t) for; what’s next from Hustle; and a whole lot more.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Origin story & Craig’s “ecliffany” (2:14)
- Avery pedal design (4:36)
- Weight & Who are they for? (12:31)
- Tripp’s background & bike shoe ergonomics (16:57)
- What’s next from Hustle? (28:31)
- Tripp’s Big Ideas (30:12)
RELATED LINKS:
- Hustle Avery REM Tech Pedals
- Getting Here: Gunnison & Crested Butte
- This Week’s Gear Giveaway
- Gear Giveaway / Newsletter Signup
- Become a Blister Member / Get our new Buyer’s Guide
- Register for the 2022 Blister Summit
- Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Cannondale has a long history of doing things their own, quirky way, and the last couple of bikes they’ve rolled out — the Jekyll and Scalpel HT — are no exception. So this week, we’re joined by Cannondale’s Scott Vogelmann and Travis Tomczak to talk about those bikes, Cannondale’s weird streak, the wild dual-shock DH bike prototype that informed the Jekyll development, and a whole lot more. And along the way, they drop some teasers for what’s next from Cannondale, too.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Scott and Travis’ intros (1:44)
- Cannondale lineup highlights (4:36)
- Upcoming product teaser (7:20)
- Keeping Cannondale weird (8:51)
- Jekyll development (14:20)
- High-pivot bikes (18:20)
- Dual-shock DH bike prototype (25:39)
- Travis’ promise on supply chain woes (30:05)
- Decision making behind athlete team (30:59)
- Travis’ Big Idea (36:00)
- Scotts’ Big Idea (38:21)
RELATED LINKS:
- Cannondale Jekyll
- Cannondale Scalpel HT
- Getting Here: Gunnison & Crested Butte
- This Week’s Gear Giveaway
- Gear Giveaway / Newsletter Signup
- Become a Blister Member / Get our new Buyer’s Guide
- Register for the 2022 Blister Summit
- Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
We’ve been testing a ton of bikes, and have a whole lot of updates to share, so Jonathan Ellsworth and David Golay sat down to discuss all of it. We get into it about high-pivot Enduro bike comparisons (with some surprising conclusions), offer some early impressions of an ultra-efficient long-travel Trail bike, and David talks about the frontrunner for his favorite bike of 2021. And along the way we talk about some of the most exciting recent developments in bike tech and break a little news about some upcoming Blister bike content, too.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Recent BBI Highlights (1:58)
- We Are One Arrival (16:16)
- Norco Range (22:10)
- Nicolai G1 (26:21)
- Cannondale Jekyll (31:24)l
- Orbea Occam LT (35:44)
- Sneak Peek: Upcoming Content (40:01)
RELATED LINKS:
- Ep. 89: Mick Hannah
- Ep. 92: Jordi Cortes
- Ep. 93: Williams Racing Products
- Ep. 94: Cedric Eveleigh of LAL Bikes
- Getting Here: Gunnison & Crested Butte
- This Week’s Gear Giveaway
- Gear Giveaway / Newsletter Signup
- Become a Blister Member / Get our new Buyer’s Guide
- Register for the 2022 Blister Summit
- Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Mountain bike derailleur drivetrains haven’t fundamentally changed for just about as long as there have been mountain bikes — until now, anyway. Cedric Eveleigh has a very promising idea for how to rethink the derailleur and founded LAL Bikes to make it a reality. So we brought Cedric on to talk about the limitations of existing derailleurs; why gearboxes (still) haven’t taken off; prototyping and refining the Supre Drive; what’s next for LAL Bikes, and more.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- The origins of the Supre Drive concept (1:35)
- How the Supre Drive works (2:58)
- The limitations of gearboxes (5:25)
- Prototyping & refinement (15:15)
- What’s next for the Supre Drive (35:44)
- The LAL Bikes & Supre Drive names (41:56)
- Cedric’s (other) Big Idea (43:39)
RELATED LINKS:
- Ep. 93: Williams Racing Products
- Getting Here: Gunnison & Crested Butte
- This Week’s Gear Giveaway
- Gear Giveaway / Newsletter Signup
- Become a Blister Member / Get our new Buyer’s Guide
- Register for the 2022 Blister Summit
- Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Mic Williams was racing as a privateer when Covid hit and racing went on hold. But instead of binging Netflix, he used his free time to start a very unusual bike company — Williams Racing Products. Mic has a whole lot of ideas for how to make bikes better and WRP has offered a lot of out-there products, including what can only be described as the reincarnation of the Honda RN-01 downhill bike. So we sat down with Mic to talk about all the big ideas he has for WRP; the Privateer Parts Program and privateer racing in general; and much more.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- The origins of WRP (1:27)
- Mullet links (8:24)
- The heyday of garage-built bike parts (14:21)
- Centre Hub (20:12)
- The return of the Honda RN-01? (28:04)
- Privateer Parts Program & racing as a privateer (38:36)
- Custom stems & future projects (50:54)
- Mic’s (next) Big Idea (58:42)
RELATED LINKS:
- This Week’s Gear Giveaway
- Gear Giveaway / Newsletter Signup
- Become a Blister Member / Get our new Buyer’s Guide
- Register for the 2022 Blister Summit
- Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Jordi Cortes spends much of the year on the road, working with Fox’s top racers on their suspension setups, and that has left him with both a wealth of knowledge about suspension setup and a unique perspective on the mental aspects of racing at the top level. So we sat down with Jordi to talk about all that, as well as the importance of consistency; developing working relationships with a huge range of athletes; how the pros’ setups differ from those for mere mortals; and a whole lot more.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Offseason, testing and development (1:28)
- How to approach setup for a new track? (3:40)
- Suspension tuning as relationship building (8:57)
- Personal preferences, & variations in setup (10:41)
- Tuning as a distraction, & the mental battle in racing (19:00)
- Feeling good vs. being fast (21:20)
- The myth of the ultra-stiff racer setup (24:48)
- Incremental changes vs. quantum leaps (27:21)
- Enduro dual crown forks (36:27)
- Coil forks (46:55)
- Fork offset (51:08)
- Jordi’s Big Idea (55:27)
RELATED LINKS:
- Fox Dialed Video Series
- This Week’s Gear Giveaway
- Gear Giveaway / Newsletter Signup
- Become a Blister Member / Get our new Buyer’s Guide
- Register for the 2022 Blister Summit
- Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Sealant-based tubeless systems are now ubiquitous on mountain bikes, but how did we get here? We sat down with Mike Bush, the President of Stan’s, to talk about the early days of tubeless development; why we still use rim tape and sealant; rim profiles; tire inserts; sealant formulation and how it actually works; and a whole lot more.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Origins of Stan’s No Tubes (1:18)
- UST vs. tape and sealant (4:03)
- Tubeless rim stips & why Stan’s dropped them (6:04)
- How does sealant work? (13:06)
- Tradeoffs in sealant design (20:19)
- Rim design for tubeless (24:19)
- Tire inserts (30:10)
- What’s next for tubeless systems? (33:34)
- Mike’s Big Idea (38:53)
RELATED LINKS:
- Getting Here: Gunnison & Crested Butte
- This Week’s Gear Giveaway
- Gear Giveaway / Newsletter Signup
- Become a Blister Member / Get our new Buyer’s Guide
- Register for the 2022 Blister Summit
- Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
We’ve been testing a lot of bikes of late, so we sat down to provide a rundown on what we’ve been riding, including the Santa Cruz Bronson, We Are One Arrival, Norco Range, and more.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Canfield Lithium (1:11)
- Guerrilla Gravity Trail Pistol (5:55)
- Canyon Spectral (9:13)
- We Are One Arrival (16:52)
- Santa Cruz Bronson (21:02)
- Norco Range (31:45)
RELATED LINKS:
- Getting Here: Gunnison & Crested Butte
- This Week’s Gear Giveaway
- Gear Giveaway / Newsletter Signup
- Become a Blister Member / Get our new Buyer’s Guide
- Register for the 2022 Blister Summit
- Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Mick Hannah just concluded a 20-plus year career racing World Cup DH, but he’s far from being done in the bike world. So we caught up with Mick to look back on two decades of top-level racing; discuss how the sport has (and hasn’t) changed; racing alongside his sister, Tracey; retirement; what comes next, and more.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Life at home & unwinding from race season (0:40)
- Early days in BMX & racing World Champs at 11 (1:54)
- Transition to MTB (4:29)
- Slalom, 4X, & focusing on DH (10:15)
- US race scene & development of up-and-comers (15:35)
- Decision to retire (24:52)
- Proudest memories & biggest accomplishments (33:00)
- Cairns World Champs, 2017 (36:37)
- Racing with Tracey (39:00)
- What’s next? (43:19)
- Mick’s Big Idea(s) (47:18)
RELATED LINKS:
- This Week’s Gear Giveaway
- Gear Giveaway / Newsletter Signup
- Become a Blister Member / Get our new Buyer’s Guide
- Register for the 2022 Blister Summit
- Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
It’s wrong to call Vinny Armstrong “up and coming” — she’s won multiple Crankworx Whip-Offs, ridden at every year of Red Bull Formation to date, and firmly cemented herself on the world freeride stage. But Vinny is only 22, and with a bright future ahead of her, we sat down to hear her thoughts on what it holds — both for her personally, and the sport at large.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Growing up on a bike (0:51)
- Crankworx Whip-Offs, & getting on a global stage (1:51)
- Formation & the boom of women’s freeride events (4:25)
- The future of women’s freeride, & progression vs. competition (16:00)
- Travel restrictions & 2022 plans (17:33)
- Vinny’s Big Idea (22:35)
RELATED LINKS:
- This Week’s Gear Giveaway
- Gear Giveaway / Newsletter Signup
- Become a Blister Member / Get our new Buyer’s Guide
- Register for the 2022 Blister Summit
- Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
- Hannah Bergemann (Ep. 69)
- Casey Brown (Ep. 62)
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
We catch up with Greg Minnaar, the greatest DH rider of all time, about this past season and his World Champs victory; keys to his high-level longevity; his mental approach to racing; Tom Brady; and more.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Update: Andora, Greg’s shoulder, & Eliot Jackson (1:26)
- Vali Hӧll’s question for Greg (6:53)
- World Champs week in Val di Sole (8:48)
- Mindset / mental approach going into races (16:40)
- Greg’s Bike setup (20:56)
- Language / communication & bike setup (24:47)
- Biggest changes over the years to World Cup? (30:59)
- Keys to your high-Level longevity (35:11)
- Alternate paths / the road not taken? (42:40)
- Tom Brady (48:45)
RELATED LINKS:
- This Week’s Gear Giveaway
- Gear Giveaway / Newsletter Signup
- Become a Blister Member / Get our new Buyer’s Guide
- Register for the 2022 Blister Summit
- Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Matt Manser (of GEAR:30 fame) and Jonathan Ellsworth talk to the very impressive (and very candid) Vali Höll about her remarkable season; race tactics; racing styles; Greg Minnaar & whether she can imagine still racing in 20 years; and more.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- How Vali & Matt met (3:47)
- Do you remember your 1st bicycle? (6:45)
- Vali's ski background (8:33)
- Choosing biking over skiing (11:14)
- Sport parents, ranked (14:39)
- Processing this past season (18:11)
- Winning Juniors vs winning Elite World Cup (26:48)
- Tactics (30:11)
- Greg Minnaar / winning 20 years from now (34:31)
- Assessing yourself as a rider (39:57)
- Style / Styles (48:32)
- Lenzerheide (53:52)
- 29ers vs. Mullets (56:00)
- School (1:00:00)
- Vali’s Big Idea (1:08:10)
RELATED LINKS:
- Vali’s YouTube Channel
- This Week’s Gear Giveaway
- Gear Giveaway / Newsletter Signup
- Become a Blister Member / Get our new Buyer’s Guide
- Register for the 2022 Blister Summit
- Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Mountain bike tech is evolving rapidly, and patent applications are a great window into what’s coming down the pipeline. So we talked to someone who's very keyed into this world: Dan Bacon of Wheelbased. We discuss cockpit integration (and why some of us hate it); electronic brakes(?!?!); active suspension; automakers joining the fray; and more.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- SRAM integrated brakes (6:28)
- Shimano electronic brakes (13:35)
- Ohlins active suspension (19:27)
- SRAM active suspension (27:13)
- Shimano automatic dropper post (38:16)
- Automakers getting into bikes (41:02)
- Dan’s Big Idea (48:26)
RELATED LINKS:
- Wheelbased
- Shimano Electronic Braking
- SRAM Integrated Braking
- Ohlins Active Suspension
- SRAM Active Suspension
- Shimano Active Seatpost
- Become a Blister Member
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Alex Desmond is an engineer, and when a friend of his suffered a stroke and was no longer able to ride a bike, Alex decided to do something about it. Six years later, the fruits of that project are here — as the Orange Phase AD3. Not only is the end result remarkable, but the story of how it came to be might be even wilder, so we sat down with Alex to get the rundown on the project, including a whole lot of the technical details; getting the likes of Martyn Ashton and Lorraine Truong involved; the limitations of other adaptive mountain bikes; and how Alex ultimately used the project to land a job at Orange.
- TOPICS & TIMES:
- Origins of the AD3 project (1:40)
- AD3 design (3:39)
- Early prototyping (13:15)
- Getting Lorraine involved & Alex’s job at Orange (26:42)
- Plans for the AD3 (32:49)
- Alex’s Big Idea (37:07)
RELATED LINKS:
- Orange Phase AD3
- Alex Desmond
- Lorraine Truong
- Become a Blister Member
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
When we last checked in with We Are One’s Dustin Adams, he broke the news that they’d be making a bike. Now 18 months later, it’s here. So we figured it was a great time to get Dustin back onto Bikes & Big Ideas to talk about The Arrival, including balancing versatility vs. focusing on specific attributes; the modular frame platform and plans for future models; frame repairs, and making things in North America. And if that’s not enough, Dustin also drops several bonus big ideas in this one.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- The Arrival (0:47)
- Modular frame platform (3:58)
- Suspension kinematics (7:56)
- Superboost rear, & the peril of new standards (13:18)
- Builds & supply chain drama (17:44)
- Building in North America, and Big Idea #1 (22:52)
- Repairing frames (30:42)
- Internal cable routing & problems with tube-in-tube guides (35:04)
- Dustin’s other Big Ideas (39:46)
RELATED LINKS:
- We Are One Arrival
- Dustin Adams on Racing, Manufacturing, and We Are One’s Next Big Thing (Ep. 19)
- Become a Blister Member
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
The last few weeks have been jam-packed with outstanding Downhill racing, so Noah Bodman and David Golay sat down to talk about all the action at World Champs, including Greg Minnaar further cementing his status as the GOAT; the incredible Val di Sole course; mind-blowing saves & returns from injury; the Lenzerheide World Cup, including utter domination by the French; Vali Holl finding her form, and more. We also discuss a whole bunch of new suspension bits that we’ve been testing from Fox, including the updated 34 fork and both the new DHX and Float X rear shocks.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Update on Noah’s twins (0:46)
- World Championships & the GOAT (1:31)
- Lenzerheide & French domination (16:56)
- New Fox 34 (25:09)
- Fox DHX and Float X (27:22)
RELATED LINKS:
- 2022 Fox 34
- Become a Blister Member
Mountain biking with inadequate brakes is terrifying, if not downright unsafe, but the role of pads and rotors is often underappreciated. So we sat down with Daryl Simmons of Galfer USA to go deep on brake pads and rotors, including differences in pad materials and why the classic metallic vs. organic debate doesn’t tell the whole story; what factors influence wet-weather performance and heat resistance; rotor design and how to think about choosing rotor sizes; and a whole lot more.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- History of Galfer (1:18)
- Sintered vs. organic brake pads (2:35)
- Tradeoffs with pad materials (5:01)
- Wet-weather brake performance (8:32)
- Brake fade & heat resistance (13:38)
- Galfer’s pad lineup (19:23)
- Rotor sizes & reasons to size up (or not) (24:04)
- Choosing relative rotor size (front vs. rear) (30:58)
- Rotor shapes & cutouts (35:20)
- Daryl’s Big Idea(s) (40:09)
RELATED LINKS:
- Galfer
- Become a Blister Member
- Camping in Gunnison & Crested Butte
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Chris Porter is one of the most interesting and most opinionated figures in the mountain bike world, he’s back on Bikes and Big Ideas this week. There was a lot we weren’t able to cover in our first conversation a few months ago, so this week we discuss the Geometron G1 & how Chris chooses to set up his personal bike; dual-crown Enduro forks & how we both wish they were more common; EXT suspension, including the Era fork and custom G1-spec Storia shock; & much more.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Nicolai / Geometron G1 & G1-spec EXT Storia (1:10)
- Chris’ bike setup (4:35)
- Mullet bikes vs. 29ers (6:16)
- Dual crown Enduro forks & bikes as fashion pieces (21:52)
- MORC 36 dual crown conversion (22:30)
- Formula dual crown prototype (38:08)
- Development with EXT (42:06)
- EXT Era (56:32)
- Chris’ Big Idea (1:08:28)
RELATED LINKS:
- Ep. 64: Mojo Suspension & Geometron Bikes founder, Chris Porter
- Nicolai / Geometron G1
- EXT Storia
- EXT Era
- Become a Blister Member
- Camping in Gunnison & Crested Butte
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Our summer biking season is flying by and we’ve been spending a ton of time on a lot of very interesting bikes and gear — with a lot more to come. So we decided to check in with several of our reviewers to hear about the gear they’ve been most impressed by so far this year; the new products they’re most excited to check out; and along the way we talk about mullet bikes, bike shop pranks, and unveil several genius new ideas that we definitely shouldn’t be giving away for free.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Pivot Trail 429 (1:01)
- Commencal Meta TR, bike weight, & shop pranks (3:02)
- Privateer 161 & tradeoffs in seat tube angles (13:22)
- Pedals: flat vs. clipless vs. magnetic (21:15)
- Shimano Deore 12 speed (30:54)
- Vorsprung Secus & “NOS for your bike” (31:57)
- Pivot Firebird (34:35)
- Mullet bikes (36:53)
- High-pivot bikes — Forbidden Dreadnought, GT Force, & Trek Session (38:37)
- RockShox ZEB (40:50)
- Specialized Status & shady cryptocurrency purchases (41:12)
- Nicolai G1 (45:23)
- Öhlins RXF38 (46:21)
- We Are One Arrival (46:55)
RELATED LINKS:
- Pivot Trail 429
- Commencal Meta TR
- Privateer 161
- Vorsprung Secus
- Pivot Firebird
- Forbidden Dreadnought
- GT Force
- Trek Session
- RockShox ZEB
- We Are One Arrival
- Become a Blister Member
- Camping in Gunnison & Crested Butte
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Our guest this week is Steve Vanderhoek, who just put out one of the best video edits of the year, in which he and Yoann Barelli rode nearly all of the gnarliest features in the Sea to Sky Corridor in one truly wild day. So we sat down with Steve to talk about everything that went into making that day happen; the mental challenges of riding scary, high-consequence lines; filming and riding with Yoann and Remy Metailler; balancing all that with his career as a paramedic and firefighter; and a whole lot more.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Injury update (0:53)
- Riding & filming in the golden age of freeride (4:37)
- Starting a career as a firefighter and paramedic (6:24)
- Balancing riding with a separate career (14:42)
- Riding with Remy and Yoann, & the importance of riding partners (18:55)
- Le Tour de Gnar (25:55)
- The mental aspects of pushing boundaries & knowing when to walk away (27:45)
- Scouting & building huge lines (40:22)
- Steve’s Big Idea (48:22)
RELATED LINKS:
- Le Tour de Gnar
- Le Tour de Gnar GoPro Footage
- Remy Metailler Squamish Edit
- BBI Ep. 49: Yoann Barelli on his move to Guerrilla Gravity; Coaching; Comfort Zones; & More
- BBI Ep. 56: Remy Metailler on Doing Stupid Stuff, Responsibly
- Become a Blister Member
- Camping in Gunnison & Crested Butte
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Today we have Blister Bike Editor David Golay talking to reviewer Dylan Wood about all the bikes and gear they’ve recently been spending time on, including some A-B comparisons of short-travel, DW-link bikes at both ends of the price spectrum; a range of longer-travel Enduro bikes both fairly conventional and quite unusual; some very intriguing pedals; and they mix in some thoughts on the importance (or lack thereof) of bike weight, and the current state of the Shimano vs. SRAM drivetrain wars.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Pivot Trail 429 (1:03)
- Ibis Ripley AF (2:30)
- Shimano drivetrains (7:37)
- Canfield Lithium (12:05)
- Commencal Meta TR (17:43)
- Forbidden Dreadnought (27:41)
- Hustle REMtech magnetic “clipless” pedals (35:48)
RELATED LINKS:
- Pivot Trail 429
- Ibis Ripley AF
- Canfield Lithium
- Commencal Meta TR
- Forbidden Dreadnought
- Become a Blister Member
- Camping in Gunnison & Crested Butte
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Sabra Davison grew up ski racing and running, but when she got into mountain biking, she saw girls participating at far lower rates — so she decided to do something about it. Sabra (along with her sister, World Cup XC racer and two-time Olympian, Lea) founded Little Bellas to get girls into riding bikes, and develop the confidence to keep with it. We sat down with Sabra to talk about Little Bellas; how to make skill building fun; removing barriers to participation in what is an expensive sport; and a whole lot more.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Little Bellas’ mission (1:03)
- Sabra’s riding background & switching gears (2:02)
- World Champs qualification (3:45)
- Founding Little Bellas; ski racing & running vs. mountain biking (5:38)
- Little Bellas programs & “disguised fun” (8:13)
- Girls’ attitudes to exercise and the outdoors (12:31)
- Pro ambassadors & downplaying competition (17:53)
- Gear Up program & removing barriers to participation (24:06)
- How to get involved (27:49)
- Sabra’s Big Idea (29:21)
RELATED LINKS:
- Little Bellas
- Become a Blister Member
- Camping in Gunnison & Crested Butte
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
When he was in his 20s Matt Gilman lost his sight due to diabetes, but that hasn’t stopped him from riding trials — and maybe even more remarkably, working as a bike mechanic. His story is an incredible one, so we sat down with Matt to talk about his approach to riding; how he manages to ride by feel; his career as a bike mechanic and how he adapted to doing that blind; and a whole lot more.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Matt’s biking background (0:41)
- Vision loss & getting back on a bike (4:25)
- Blind trials & riding by feel (23:46)
- Mechanic work (37:18)
- Matt’s Big Idea (50:17)
RELATED LINKS:
- Matt’s Website
- Become a Blister Member
- Camping in Gunnison & Crested Butte
The first-generation Manitou Dorado turned a lot of heads more than 20 years ago, in large part thanks to its inverted layout and wild-looking carbon chassis. The all-new, fourth-generation Dorado is a major update to what Manitou calls “the longest-standing inverted downhill fork” — including a return of the carbon chassis, after more than a decade hiatus. But there’s a whole lot more going on, too, so we sat down with Manitou’s Phil Ott to discuss the past and present of the Dorado; the advantages and disadvantages of inverted forks; fork offset; and a whole bunch more.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- History of the Dorado
- The new 4th Generation
- Dorado Pro
- Dorado Expert
- Dorado Comp
- Why inverted?
- Fore-aft vs. torsional stiffness
- Fork offset
- Upcoming projects from Manitou
- Phil’s Big Idea
RELATED LINKS:
- New Manitou Dorado
- Blister Mountain Biking 101: Fork Offset
- Become a Blister Member
- Camping in Gunnison & Crested Butte
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Few (if any) riders have the power, balance, & creativity of Brad Simms. So you might assume it’s been a pretty quick and easy path to prominence for someone this unique. But it hasn’t been an easy road, and in this conversation, Brad spells it all out; talks about how close he came to calling it quits; his new partnership with Canyon bikes; his interest in all types of riding; and more.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Brad’s history (1:53)
- Early influences & riding styles (14:33)
- Fear (22:39)
- Competing against yourself (24:45)
- Riding in 100+ countries (28:26)
- Partnering with Canyon Bikes (36:35)
- Filming for Taco Bell (42:19)
- Future plans (43:33)
RELATED LINKS:
- Impossible Wallride
- 2020 Compilation
- Become a Blister Member
- Camping in Gunnison & Crested Butte
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Which ski brand is most similar to Transition? Guerrilla Gravity? Specialized? Which bike company is most like K2? ON3P? Moment? We answer all of these questions and more in Part 2 of Bikes vs. Skis. Check it out, and let us know your answers in the comments section on our site.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Transition (2:04)
- Propain (5:35)
- Guerilla Gravity (7:08)
- Commencal (11:22)
- Q: Cool Kid Co.s: Does size matter? (15:03)
- Rossignol (20:31)
- Trek (23:28)
- Head Skis (24:49)
- Giant (28:21)
- Santa Cruz (29:14)
- Salomon (32:41)
- K2 Skis (32:13)
- YT Bikes (37:52)
- Canyon (41:10)
- Volkl Skis (43:49)
- Ibis (45:14)
- Yeti (50:07)
- Coalition Snow (53:54)
- Evil (56:17)
- Privateer Bikes (59:00)
- Banshee (1:00:46)
- Revel (1:02:04)
- Which bike company will see the most growth in the next 5 years? (1:04:28)
- Pole Bikes (1:07:32)
- Starling (1:11:14)
- Canfield (1:13:18)
- Forbidden (1:17:10)
- Which industry is currently weirder? (1:23:51)
- The role of team athletes (1:29:12)
RELATED LINKS:
- Become a Blister Member
- Camping in Gunnison & Crested Butte
- Bikes vs. Skis, 2021: Part 1
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Which bike & ski company would you buy stock in right now? Which company is currently holding the “Cool Kids Belt”? Who is currently overhyped, and who is flying under the radar? Who do other brands secretly wish they could trade places with? We answer all these questions and more in our latest edition of Bikes vs. Skis. Check it out, and tell us your answers to these questions in the comments section of the show notes to this episode on our website.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Who is offering the most bang for your buck (bike) (1:36)
- Best bang for your buck? (ski) (5:42)
- Who has the best complete lineup? (bike) (9:58)
- Who has the best complete lineup? (ski) (14:10)
- Current holder of the Cool Kids Belt? (bike) (21:05)
- Current holder of the Cool Kids Belt? (ski) (26:36)
- Who do all the others want to trade places with? (bike) (32:58)
- Who do all the others want to trade places with? (ski) (36:38)
- Who is flying under the radar? (bike) (43;38)
- Who is flying under the radar? (ski) (48:04)
- Who is currently overhyped? (bike) (52:39)
- Who is currently overhyped? (ski) (56:57)
- Who has the strongest brand loyalty? (bike) (1:05:11)
- Who has the strongest brand loyalty? (ski) (1:08:59)
- Who would you buy stock in right now? (bike) (1:14:00)
- Who would you buy stock in right now? (ski) (1:22:38)
RELATED LINKS:
- Become a Blister Member
- Camping in Gunnison & Crested Butte
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
This week on Bikes and Big Ideas, Jonathan Ellsworth, David Golay, and Eric Freson sit down to give an update on their various injuries; discuss the latest news in races big and small; discuss the bikes they’ve been spending time on; go deep on mullets; and get weird talking about the bike analog of telemark skiing.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Injury Updates (1:38)
- Race News (8:20)
- New Trek Session (15:00)
- Pivot Trail 429 (17:30)
- Ibis Ripley AF (19:03)
- Santa Cruz Nomad (22:26)
- Santa Cruz Bronson goes mullet (25:17)
- David’s Big Idea (35:41)
RELATED LINKS:
- Trek Session Flash Review
- Pivot Trail 429 Flash Review
- Santa Cruz Nomad Flash Review
- Marin El Roy Review
- Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
- Become a Blister Member
- Camping in Gunnison & Crested Butte
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Hannah Bergemann just got back from the 2nd year of Red Bull Formation, so we caught up with her to get her take on the event; hear how it was similar to andhow it was different from the 1st year of Formation; talk about her work with Transition; and her future plans.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- The evolution of Formation (2:47)
- Collaboration vs. Competition (7:44)
- Digging & building lines (12:35)
- Traction & bike mods for desert riding (14:44)
- Line choices (17:26)
- Coaching & visualization (19:35)
- Sketchiest & favorite moments from Formation? (24:34)
- Predictions for Year 3 (31:55)
- Riding for & working at Transition (34:08)
- Winning the Evolution in Action / Rider’s Choice Award (37:52)
- Hannah’s Big Idea (39:57)
- 2021 plans (43:06)
RELATED LINKS:
- Highlights from Formation 2021
- Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
- Become a Blister Member
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Yesterday, we talked with Claudio Caluori who had just returned from Israel. The conflict between Israel and Palestine had escalated whileClaudio was there, and we wanted to learn more about the work he was doing in Israel; why he stayed to finish the project; and what he learned by virtue of being on the ground there. We also discuss a really exciting project that Claudio breaks the news about during this conversation.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Velosolutions update (1:48)
- Building pump tracks in Israel (4:11)
- Being on the ground during the conflict (15:00)
- Plans to build in Palestine (21:54)
- Grow Cycling pump track update (22:47)
- 2021 plans & race season predictions (27:54)
- Everesting on E-Bikes (30:13)
- Filming with Danny MacAskill (32:24)
RELATED LINKS:
- Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
- Become a Blister Member
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
We’re talking with Miranda Miller about starting her new YouTube channel, MGM Alternative, with Remi Gauvin and Jesse Melamed; choosing riding partners; racing Enduro vs. racing DH; espresso machines & World Cup wins; books; & more.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Getting injured riding bikes (1:41)
- MGM Alternative (6:28)
- Choosing our riding partners (11:04)
- Brutus vs Poacher (13:06)
- Best & trickiest parts about making videos (18:58)
- Miranda’s background & getting into bikes (23:46)
- DH World Cup circuit (35:33)
- Racing Enduro vs racing DH (39:45)
- 2021 plans (47:54)
- Espresso machines & World Cup wins (51:34)
- Favorite books & dinner with Tom Robbins (56:17)
- Miranda’s Big Idea (1:02:58)
RELATED LINKS:
- Blister Mountain Bike Guide
- Become a Blister Member
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
We justreleased our first-ever Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide. You can find it for free on our website, and here, you can listen to David Golay, Kristin Sinnott, and Jonathan Ellsworth talk about why it isn’t your typical buyer’s guide; how long it's been in the works; and why we thought that something like it was really needed by everyone from brand-new to expert riders.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- The story behind our new MTB Buyer’s Guide (1:58)
- How we organized the guide (11:34)
- How it works with our Bike Brand Guides (16:26)
- Our Recommended Bike Shops (18:46)
- Our personalized bike-gear recommendations (20:24)
RELATED LINKS:
- Blister Mountain Bike Guide
- Become a Blister Member
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Vero Sandler just competed in the first-ever REAL MTB event, so we caught up with this Kiwi with the French name who lives in Wales to talk about the experience and get her thoughts on being the first (and only) female in the comp; the importance of checking your junk (???); the art of “getting slidey”; her current big idea; and more.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Electric fences, sharks, & cows (1:54)
- X Games Real MTB (5:59)
- Check Your Junk! (9:34)
- Being the only woman in REAL MTB (13:52)
- Women’s freeride (18:12)
- Favorite dance moves (23:47)
- Getting Slidey (27:21)
- Digging (34:11)
- 2021 plans & signing with Santa Cruz (37:37)
- Formation (41:12)
- Vero’s Big Idea (44:15)
RELATED LINKS:
- Vero Sandler: REAL MTB 2021
- Vero Sandler: Behind the Scenes REAL MTB
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Chris Porter has long been known as one of the earliest and most vocal proponents of the longer/lower/slacker trends in mountain bike geometry, and his Geometron bikes have pushed the envelope further than just about anything else out there. Chris has opinions on a whole lot more than just bike geometry, though, and in our recent conversation we got his takes on wheel sizes, eBikes, suspension tuning, Vladimir Putin(?), and a whole lot more.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Background & motorcycles (2:16)
- Founding of Mojo & trashing a rental house (5:46)
- Experimenting with geometry (10:24)
- Mondraker & Fabien Barel (17:47)
- Partnership with Nicolai (26:42)
- Trail Nirvana (34:35)
- “eBikes ruined it” (36:37)
- Geometron Bikes (44:32)
- Tradeoffs in bike design (50:38)
- Craft vs. Math in bike setup (55:58)
- Wheel sizes & the death of 27.5? (58:12)
- Chris’ Big Idea (1:11:51)
Carson Storch is one of the most talented freeriders in the world, but it is his intense passion for mountain that might actually be the most notable thing about him. We recently caught up with Carson about how his recovery is going from a recent injury — and how he approaches rehab in general; his background and his ascendance in slopestyle and freeride mountain biking; his plans for 2021; and more.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Injury update (0:00)
- The MTB scene in Bend, OR (15:04)
- Slopestyle (22:21)
- First trip to Crankworx (27:15)
- The mentality & preparation of a pro rider (30:26)
- Red Bull Rampage (41:34)
- Risk tolerance: filming vs comps (45:56)
- Black Sage Fest (49:39)
- Quarterpoint teaser & 2021 Plans (53:52)
- Carson’s Big Idea (58:25)
We talk with the pioneer of women’s freeride about growing up in the bush of New Zealand; her first bike (it was a mullet??); moving to Revelstoke; choosing mountain biking over skiing; career detours; being “toothless & ruthless”; Rampage; Formation; the future of women’s freeride; & more.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Growing up in the bush of New Zealand (3:00)
- First bike: a mullet?? (10:49)
- Moving to Revelstoke (15:16)
- Choosing mountain biking over skiing (21:03)
- Gaining support as a mountain biker (23:50)
- Career detours and a breakout year (28:19)
- Training & the Gym (33:13)
- Toothless & Ruthless (38:22)
- Advice for people coming up in the industry (42:31)
- Inspirations & Red Bull Rampage (46:55)
- When to send & when not to send (54:03)
- Formation (57:00)
- The future of women’s freeriding (59:09)
- Casey’s big idea (1:03:20)
Blister reviewers David Golay and Noah Bodman talk about trends in modern bikes, including a possible ceasefire in the geometry wars; the relative consistency of Downhill bike geometry; the decline of weight weenie-ism; an outrageously long bike from 30 years ago; how all bikes should be sized to fit Noah Bodman; and a whole bunch more.
TOPICS & TIMES
- Trail bike geometry, and a ceasefire in the geometry wars
- Downhill bikes, and their progression
- Trails changing bikes, or vice versa? A chicken or egg problem
- The decline of weight weenie-ism
- Rich Williams — a man ahead of his time
- Size-specific chainstay lengths — a passing fad, or good idea?
- All bikes should be sized for Noah?
- The resurgence of high-pivot bikes, and their tradeoffs
RELATED LINKS
- Ep. 59: Reviewer Reports: Longer-Travel Enduro Bikes
- First Look: 2022 Trek Session
We talk to Steve Mathews of Vorsprung Suspension about moving to Whistler and breaking everything in the bike park; studying automotive engineering as the closest thing to getting a degree in bikes; founding Vorsprung and developing suspension products; leprechauns(??); magic bikes(???) and a whole lot more.
TOPICS & TIMES
- Growing up in Melbourne & racing DH (1:37)
- Studying automotive engineering as the next best thing to a degree in bikes (2:18)
- Founding Vorsprung to avoid working outside in the winter in Whistler (3:44)
- The Corset, Luftkappe, & making air suspension not terrible (14:50)
- Competition in the suspension industry (25:17)
- The Smashpot and Secus — the next steps (35:04)
- Tractive & Fractive (42:01)
- Electronic suspension & leprechauns in your bottle cage (50:39)
- Dual-crown enduro forks, linkage forks, & the future of suspension (1:00:02)
- Steve’s big idea (1:24:24)
RELATED LINKS
- Ep. 38: The Strangest Bike? Structure Cycleworks founder, Loni Hull
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
We talk to Blister bike editor, David Golay, about 4 longer-travel enduro bikes from Privateer, Santa Cruz, Rocky Mountain, & Marin that he’s been spending time on in the PNW.
TOPICS & TIMES
- Privateer 161 Update (1:10)
- Rocky Mountain Altitude (3:25)
- Marin Alpine Trail (8:01)
- Santa Cruz Nomad (13:53)
- Bikes & Ice Cream (19:01)
RELATED LINKS
- Ep. 51: Privateer: Origins, Philosophy, & Trajectory
- Ep. 53: Privateer 161, Suspension, & Wheel Size
We talk to Kera Linn about her rather meteoric rise in the mountain biking world — from her first time on a mountain bike, to her recent signing with Cannondale. We also talk about her equally interesting backstory (which includes playing all of the sports and going to all of the colleges), so we cover all of that and more in this really fun conversation.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- PSA: Mango Mouth (1:44)
- Current MTB interests (8:10)
- Kera’s background (11:12)
- Falling in love with DH in Crested Butte (30:36)
- From 1st ride to becoming a pro (39:36)
- Living in a minivan in California to race (50:30)
- Signing with Cannondale (53:15)
- Kera’s big idea (58:57)
Cassie Abel is the co-founder and CEO of Wild Rye, which is a company that creates apparel for women-identifying outdoor-lovers, regardless of age, background, size, or skill level. But Cassie is not only running a women's apparel company, she is working to change the entire business landscape for women.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- What is Wild Rye & why the name? (2:11)
- Cassie’s background (3:49)
- Operating out of Ketchum, Idaho (10:48)
- Call-out culture (24:50)
- Sustainability (31:47)
- Women-Led Wednesday (33:17)
- Receiving the Tory Burch Foundation Fellowship (38:36)
- Pivot Cycles x Wild Rye collab (42:14)
- Another big idea from Cassie (50:53)
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Rémy Métailler has described himself as someone who is “just trying to be as responsible as he can while doing stupid stuff.” So we wanted to talk to him about his approach to riding super steep, gnarly lines, and what allows him to get comfortable on these “stupid” lines. We also talk about his background, filming, Rampage, mullet bikes, and a whole lot more.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Growing up in France riding bikes & skiing (10:13)
- Moving to Whistler / the bike park scene (18:18)
- Red Bull Rampage (25:56)
- Filming on an enduro bike (35:26)
- Hip-hop (40:01)
- Gambling in Vegas (42:59)
- Calculating line choices (46:53)
- Propain bikes (50:42)
- Riding mullets & Remy’s bike quiver (52:32)
- 2021 plans (56:08)
- Rémy's big idea (58:15)
RELATED LINKS
- Rémy's YouTube Channel
- Rémy's Instagram
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
There’s a whole lot of talk these days about becoming more “sustainable,” but there’s a big difference between talking and actually taking action. And Endura is a bike brand that is taking concrete steps to dramatically reduce their carbon footprint.
We’re talking with Pam Barclay about Endura’s pledge to plant one million trees every year for the next 10 years to cancel out all of the emissions produced over the entire history of the company; how Endura is working to offset their transportation and shipping emissions; what we all can do to mitigate the carbon footprint of the apparel we use, and much more.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Endura’s history & brand (1:35)
- Planting trees to become carbon negative (13:17)
- Offsetting raw materials emissions (28:18)
- Transportation & Shipping footprint (32:22)
- Better ways to wash MTB gear (37:34)
- Endura’s repair service (40:13)
- Pam’s big idea (42:22)
Blister editors Noah Bodman and David Golay join Jonathan Ellsworth to talk about the major rider and team moves in the world of men’s DH and women’s DH; we place our $1000 bets on the upcoming season; and we discuss some of the news and moves in the freeride and enduro scene, too.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Big changes in the DH world (1:38)
- Our $1,000 bets for men’s DH (16:29)
- More news in women’s DH (20:50)
- Our $1000 bets for women’s DH
- Freeride news (27:03)
- EWS Updates (32:24)
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
We discuss the Privateer 161; offer more fork and shock comparisons; wrap our heads around Marin’s ‘aggressive hardtail’ called the El Roy; and our bike editor makes the case for why you might want to reconsider swearing allegiance to one particular wheel size.
TOPICS & TIMES
- Privateer 161 (1:11)
- Suspension Roundup(14:06)
- Ohlins RXF36 m.2 Air (14:31)
- Ohlin TTX22 (19:34)
- Marin El Roy (23:01)
- David’s Big Idea: Wheel Size (32:55)
Our guest today is Brooklyn Bell, who is a mountain biker and a skier and an artist and a former figure skater and a future frog scientist (maybe). So we talk about all of that and a whole lot more, including Brooklyn’s current big idea.
TOPICS & TIMES
- Preacher, teacher, or frog scientist? (2:20)
- Brooklyn’s hobbies as a kid (5:06)
- Art & “Mountain Art” (10:25)
- Getting into biking in Bellingham (18:54)
- Skiing vs mtn biking as boyfriend types (25:50)
- Becoming Ruby (33:48)
- Current favorite type of riding? (44:57)
- Brooklyn’s TV & music recommendations (48:28)
Today our guest is Sam Meegan of Privateer Bikes, which is a company that has been pushing forward certain aspects of bike design that have been gaining broader acceptance in the bike industry and growing in popularity among riders.
So come to learn more about the origins, philosophy, and trajectory of Privateer, but stick around to hear Sam’s big idea about how to revolutionize a whole other product category.
TOPICS & TIMES
- Privateer Bike’s philosophy & origins (4:25)
- Designing the Privateer 161 with Matt Stuttard (14:40)
- Design & Play (23:06)
- Working with Ali Beckett (29:06)
- Adjusting wheel size based on frame size (32:16)
- Finding design inspiration outside of the bike industry (44:01)
- The Privateer 141 (48:25)
- What’s next for Privateer? (53:26)
- What’s Your Big Idea? (57:02)
PeopleForBikes is one of the most important organizations in the bike world that you might not be too familiar with. So we caught up with Jenn Dice to talk about what the organization is up to; working with a new administration; and what each of us can do to get involved.
TOPICS & TIMES
- What is PeopleForBikes (2:50)
- Lobbying for bike legislature (6:16)
- Obstacles & challenges (14:14)
- Current progress (17:55)
- Working with the new Biden administration (23:57)
- E-bikes (27:17)
- How you can get involved (34:34)
RELATED LINKS
- Ashley Korenblat, founder of Public Land Solutions
- Dave Wiens, exec director of IMBA, on e-bikes
- Dave Ochs on Solutions to Increased Trail Use
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Yoann Barelli just signed on with Guerrilla Gravity, so we thought this would be a good time to catch up with him and talk about why he thinks GG is a great fit. (And for some important context here, we highly recommend checking out the conversation I had with the founders of GG and their composites engineer.)
Yoann and Jonathan Ellsworth also discuss the coaching he’s been doing (see barelliconcepts.com) and he offers some good coaching tips; we talk about his first introduction to bikes and to racing, and his plans for 2021 and beyond.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Comfort Zones (9:00)
- Yoann’s introduction to mountain biking (19:04)
- Coaching (barelliconcepts.com) (31:31)
- New partnership with Guerrilla Gravity (40:40)
- Dialing in a bike: feeling good vs making it fast (48:14)
- Recovering from injury & 2021 plans (55:27)
- Yoann’s big idea (59:30)
RELATED LINKS
- Bikes & Big Ideas ep. 3: Guerrilla Gravity’s New Bikes & Big Ideas
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
We talk with Blister’s bike editor, David Golay, about some of the gear he’s recently been testing; some of the most surprising products of the past year; some of the standoutproducts of 2020; and a few predictions for 2021.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Canyon Stoic (2:36)
- Ohlins suspension (8:13)
- Most Surprising Products of 2020 (9:36)
- Standout products of 2020 (11:56)
- Predictions for 2021 (17:15)
Sage Cattabriga-Alosa is one of the best big line skiers of all time, and he’s an extremely good — and extremely passionate — mountain biker, too. So we talked with Sage about how he thinks about the similarities of skiing & mountain biking; riding lines in Virgin, Utah back in 2004; riding with Cam McCaul; what aspect of mountain biking he is most focused on improving; and his film, Balance.
TOPICS:
- Transitioning between biking & skiing (3:54)
- When did you first really get into biking? (15:00)
- Parallels between biking & skiing (19:57)
- Filming Balance & riding with Cam McCaul (38:16)
- What aspect of riding are you working to improve? (43:19)
RELATED LINKS:
- Survivor Endurance phone case
- Our experience with the Survivor Endurance
- Blister Podcast, Ep. 41: Sage Cattabriga-Alosa on Skiing Spines
- Bikes & Big Ideas, Ep. 28: Cam McCaul on Preparing for Big Lines
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Noah Bodman is back to offer his review of parenthood (he’s a new dad); discuss carbon wheels; Sweet Protection’s convertible full-face helmet; and a number of forks that Noah has been spending time on.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Parenthood (3:06)
- Hunt Impact Carbon Wheelset (7:39)
- Sweet Protection Arbitrator MIPS (18:56)
- Forks (20:25)
RELATED LINKS
- Survivor Endurance phone case
- Our experience with the Survivor Endurance
We talk to Lance Canfield about their new Tilt and Lithium bikes and the rest of the Canfield Bikes 20/21 lineup; the origins story of Canfield; the evolution of Rampage and competing in the first Rampage comps; the mountain bike industry today; and more.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Origins of Canfield Bikes (3:35)
- Getting into bikes, jumping off roofs (8:49)
- Competing at Rampage in its first years (16:49)
- Move to Fruita (26:23)
- Describe the Canfield customer (28:28)
- The 20/21 Canfield lineup (32:25)
- Thoughts on the mtn bike industry today (46:28)
- What’s your current big idea? (51:30)
RELATED LINKS
- Survivor Endurance phone case
- Our experience with the Survivor Endurance
Anneke Beerten was on episode #34 of Bikes & Big Ideas, and we did not expect to have the 2 x world champion BMX rider, 3-time Four Cross world champion, and Queen of Crankworx (who hails from the Netherlands) back on the show under these circumstances. Anneke was in an accident and suffered a serious concussion, so we wanted to check in with about what happened; get a firsthand report of her recovery; and present a public service announcement that we all need to hear.
But we then shift gears and talk about her time at Travis Pastrana’s very own theme park, where she participated in the Pastranaland Pit Bike Championships. So this is both a serious andsuper fun conversation.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Anneke’s accident (2:44)
- Concussions (10:49)
- Anneke’s recovery progress (22:32)
- Advice for others (27:31)
- Pastranaland Pit Bike Championships (32:44)
- Project updates & the upcoming season (37:00)
RELATED LINKS
- Bikes & Big Ideas, ep. 34: Anneke Beerten on Racing, ‘Badass’ Books, & Big Ideas
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
For many of us, it’s shoulder season, where the riding conditions are either wet, muddy, cold — or all of the above. And some of us live in places where we just regularly encounter wet, muddy, or cold conditions.
So today we’re talking about why some of the gear that’s intended for wet/muddy riding sucks; which products have worked the best for us; and we then turn to a conversation about forks from Fox, RockShox, and Manitou.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Wet-weather MTB Gloves (0:49)
- Why are MTB jackets often bad? (3:10)
- Fox Flexair NeoShell (5:48)
- 7Mesh Skypilot (10:23)
- Endura MT500 II (12:21)
- Long-travel single-crown forks (15:41)
- 2021 Fox 40 (20:15)
RELATED LINKS:
- Biking 101: Mountain Bike Fork Offset
- GEAR:30 podcast on “Waterproofness” & Comfort
Trainers? Trainers?? Roadies have been using them forever, but many mountain bikers dismiss them (like we did). But Simon Stewart (aka, Mr. Tank Driver / co-owner of BV Bike Company) lays out a compelling case for why all cyclists — including mountain bikers — should reconsider their stance on the modern, indoor trainer.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Why Simon got a trainer (2:53)
- What do you like about it? (6:35)
- Weekly training schedule? (16:57)
- Where to demo one / closing thoughts (22:49)
RELATED LINKS:
- See the Wahoo Kickr
A bike without pedals? Dog mushing? Surfing mountains? Today’s episode is a mindbender, and the backstory here all starts with episode #22 of Bikes & Big Ideas, so you should listen to it if you haven’t already.
We’re talking today with Jordi Ponti from Barcelona-based Gravity Scooters, and we discuss how the idea of a gravity scooter came to be; the advantages of ditching your pedals — and seat posts; designing a DH scooter; dog mushing; and more.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Origins of Gravity Scooters (3:13)
- Coming up with the downhill scooter (5:48)
- Advantages of ditching the pedals (8:48)
- Designing a DH oriented scooter (11:59)
- Where are people riding these? (15:52)
- Mushing (17:17)
- Most common questions & reactions (21:04)
- Brakes & wheel size (26:56)
- Price (28:55)
- Where can people demo a scooter (31:26)
- Find Gravity Scooters on the web(32:46)
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
We check in with reviewers Dylan Wood (who gets to keep his seat at the bar), David Golay (who is now reconsidering what makes brakes good or bad), and Eric Freson (who still enjoys a sick jazz soundtrack) to get their updates on the Trek Slash, EXT Storia shock, Hayes Dominion A4 brakes, and the Banshee Phantom V3.
TOPICS & TIMES:
DYLAN WOOD
- Trek Slash: General ride impressions (2:32)
- RockShox Super Deluxe Ultimate Thru Shaft (3:32)
- Geometry - is it radical enough? (7:55)
- Climbing (9:21)
- Sizing (11:48)
- Slash vs Megatower (15:19)
DAVID GOLAY
- EXT Storia Rear Shock (20:41)
- Hayes Dominion A4 Brakes (27:22)
ERIC FRESON
- Cowboy Bebop (35:49)
- A bit about Banshee (38:31)
- Banshee Phantom V3 (39:59)
- How niche is this bike? (45:12)
What if you could buy a bike without immediately looking to swap out a bunch of the stock parts? And what if this dream build of yours was competitively priced? Sherpa Custom Mountain Bikes is a brand-newcompany that allows you to customize every part and color of your new bike, with over 1,000,000 combinations to choose from; their “photorealistic 3D dream builder” provides life-like graphics that allow you to scrutinize every detail of your custom build; and they’re also offering a life-time warranty on their frames and rims. Sound too good to be true? We sat down with the founders of Sherpa to question them about this intriguing ambitious new venture.
BE SURE TO CHECK OUT: https://blister.getspot.com
TOPICS & TIMES
- What is the concept of Sherpa (5:19)
- Sherpa’s 3D Bike Builder (9:23)
- Market Research (13:32)
- Component Options (17:41)
- When can people start ordering (21:29)
- Supply chain (23:11)
- Sherpa’s 1st bike: the Everest (30:42)
- Wheel sizes (34:52)
- Riding in Crested Butte (35:32)
- Future plans? (37:41)
- Closing Thoughts (40:22)
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Structure Cycleworks arguably makes the coolest bikes out there — or the ugliest bikes out there. So we talked to Structure Cycleworks founder, Loni Hull, about why he introduced a front-linkage suspension design; why rear-linkage designs are everywhere, while front-linkage designs are utterly uncommon; and the pros and cons of bringing such an unorthodox bike to market. So whether you are a true bike dork or you just appreciate outside-the-box thinking and design, consider this is a ‘Must-Listen.’
BE SURE TO CHECK OUT: blister.getspot.com
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Your background (8:42)
- When & why did you start Structure? (13:53)
- Learning curve? (27:32)
- First racers on the bike (31:05)
- Geometry & hard tails (31:58)
- Benefits of Structure’s design (38:38)
- Wheel sizing (45:22)
- Durability (46:57)
- Warranty (50:59)
- Trajectory of the bike industry (53:08)
- Market acceptance & adoption (55:45)
- Loni’s Big Idea (1:00:53)
Today, Trek officially released an update of their enduro-focused Slash, so we offer our initial impressions of the new bike and ask what this big new release might be able to tell us about where we are in terms of the evolution of bike geometry. To this end, we also talk about a couple other examples, including the Pivot Switchblade and the Rocky Mountain Instinct BC.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- The new Trek Slash (1:34)
- Bike geometry (5:21)
- Pivot Switchblade (14:17)
- Rocky Mountain Instinct BC (19:11)
- Caveat for Gunnison Valley Riding & Testing (21:34)
- Closing Thoughts (23:27)
Mountain bikers Eliot Jackson and Katie Holden just launched the Grow Cycling Foundation, so we caught up with Eliot to talk about Grow Cycling; their plan to get a Velosolutions Pumptrack built in downtown Los Angeles; how to create a more welcoming bike culture; his terrific podcast, Reggy Radio; and more.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Night Owls vs. Early Birds (2:23)
- What is the Grow Cycling Foundation? (5:24)
- Putting a Velosolutions Pumptrack in LA (20:50)
- How to develop a more welcoming bike culture (28:59)
- How Eliot got started mtn biking (41:56)
- On being “the biggest nerd of all time” (47:42)
- On becoming entrepreneurial (51:38)
- On being a podcast host / Reggy Radio (57:28)
- Future plans for Grow Cycling (1:04:42)
- How to get involved with Grow Cycling (1:13:16)
- Eliot’s Big Idea / Bad Idea? (1:18:29)
ELIOT’S ARTICLE IN OUTSIDE MAGAZINE
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Any One of Us, the film about Paul Basagoitia and spinal cord injuries, just won an Emmy! So we are reposting the conversation we had with Paul, who was the first back-to-back winner of Crankworx Slopestyle; participated in Red Bull Rampage numerous times; and was one of the top riders in the game. But one tiny mishap led to a crash that left him paralyzed, and Paul’s life was changed in an instant. But that’s not the end of the story — Paul is currently making an absolutely incredible comeback.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Paul’s film, Any One of Us (5:13)
- Winning Crankworx on Cam Zink’s bike (7:08)
- Competing at Rampage & managing fear (15:08)
- Paul’s crash (29:20)
- Are you scared watching friends drop in at Rampage? (36:08)
- Spinal injuries & stem cell research (37:08)
- Wings for Life (wingsforlife.com) (39:00)
- Paul’s recovery & current status (44:17)
Anneke Beerten was born in the Netherlands, started racing BMX when she was 4 years old, then became a 2-time world champion in BMX, a 3-time Four-cross world champion, the Queen of Crankworx, and she’s won, podiumed, and top 5’d many enduro, DH, DS races. She also just won the So Cal Enduro and Snow Summit DH. So Blister reviewers Dylan Wood and Jonathan Ellsworth caught up with Anneke to talk about racing; what she’s up to these days; ‘badass’ books; business ideas; and you’ll get to hear ‘the story of Dylan and Anneke.’
TOPICS & TIMES
- Racing the So Cal Enduro & Snow Summit DH (1:57)
- The Story of Dylan & Anneke (4:32)
- Favorite type of terrain to race (9:47)
- Growing up & getting into racing (11:35)
- Who did you look up to as a young racer? (14:39)
- Favorite EWS stops (22:45)
- Riding for Specialized (24:35)
- Bike setup: what are you pickiest about? (26:58)
- Racing in the time of Covid (32:09)
- Ten Beers (36:53)
- Badass Books & Big Ideas? (37:51)
- Racing to get a green card (45:01)
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Bike sales are through the roof this season, and all around the world, a lot of people are hitting the trails. So we talked to the executive director of the Crested Butte Mountain Bike Association, Dave Ochs, to discuss the implications of — and potential solutions to — increased trail use.
TOPICS & TIMES
- Dave’s background (3:00)
- CBMBA state of the union (6:20)
- Implications of higher use of trails (13:23)
- Infrastructure & Education (15:38)
- ‘Opposite Use’ Policies (24:21)
- Fat Bike World Championships (33:14)
- Dave’s ‘Big Idea or Bad Idea?’ (37:44)
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
David Golay and Jonathan Ellsworth discuss the backstory of the new ZEB fork and why RockShox built it; who it’s for; its available configurations and compatibility; the ZEB vs. the Lyrik and more, with RockShox’s Chris Mandell.
TOPICS & TIMES
- Chris’ background (3:39)
- ZEB backstory (12:40)
- Different ZEB models (21:57)
- ZEB vs RockShox Lyrik (26:49)
- ZEB compatibility (37:31)
- Drivetrains vs Brakes vs Suspension (38:51)
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Everybody’s favorite bike-POV-commentator is back to talk about chasing Nino Schurter down trails in Switzerland; his thoughts on e-bikes (now that he’s been riding one frequently); his company, Velosolutions’ first “all-electric” build; the status of the Red Bull UCI Pump Track World Championships; and more.
TOPICS & TIMES
- Claudio’s life these days (2:07)
- Chasing Nino Schurter (6:11)
- Claudio’s thoughts on his e-bike (9:45)
- Velosolutions’ “all-electric” build (18:47)
- Status: Red Bull UCI Pump Track World Championships (31:02)
- What’s the best question I haven’t asked you? (34:50)
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Elorie Slater runs the marketing department for Pivot Cycles, and we talk about her unusual path to becoming the head of marketing for Pivot; her take on the bike industry in the time of COVID, and where the industry goes from here; bike prices and “entry level” pricing; and the notion of women-specific gear and female participation in mountain biking.
TOPICS & TIMES
- Elorie’s background (4:12)
- Current bike industry trends (16:04)
- “Entry level” prices (25:23)
- Pivot’s frames (31:52)
- Ride Tuning (35:22)
- ‘Women Specific’ bikes (38:34)
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
We talk with Dean Payne, the president and co-founder of the BC Bike Race, about the origins and evolutionof one of the most epic bike races and events in the world. And Simon Stewart (aka, Mr. Tank Driver) is sitting in as co-host to discuss all things BC Bike Race, and what goes into putting together a complex and great event like this.
TOPICS & TIMES
- History of the BC Bike Race (3:14)
- Creating an “alternate universe” (12:59)
- Russell Crowe & the World’s Largest Hockey Stick (22:03)
- Managing the race (27:24)
- On the cancelation of this year’s race (31:34)
- Communicating with the racers (42:37)
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
We caught up this week with the one and only Cam McCaul to talk about some of the bike films that made the biggest impression on him; the new TGR film he’s in called, Accomplice (some of which was shot in our little corner of the world, Crested Butte); how he prepares for riding big lines; his work as a commentator; and which discipline he thinks many people fail to really appreciate: slopestyle, DH, or big-mountain riding.
- Cam’s (most excellent) YouTube Channel
- Tour Dates for Accomplice
- Watch the Trailer for Accomplice
TOPICS & TIMES
- Cam’s life these days (3:22)
- The current “bike boom” (5:46)
- Cam’s “favorite” bike films (11:40)
- Preference: photo shoots or video shoots? (18:56)
- TGR’s new film: Accomplice (25:06)
- Preparing to ride big lines (31:15)
- The process behind hitting features (37:20)
- Cam’s work as an announcer (41:35)
- Slope, DH, Big-Mtn: most underappreciated type of riding? (45:18)
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Today we’re talking with bike-industry veterans Simon Stewart (Mr. Tank Driver, of Bikes & Big Ideas ep. #18 fame) and Joe Parkin (author, former pro cyclist, and our editor-in-chief’s new dealer) at their bike shop in Buena Vista, Colorado. First, we announce their brand-new shop name, then we talk about what it’s like to own and operate a bike shop in these times, and finally, we discuss Joe’s wildly addictive new creation that our editor-in-chief calls, the “Crack Waffle.”
TOPICS & TIMES
- Introducing: Buena Vista Bike Company (1:59)
- Bike Shops in the Time of Covid (7:03)
- Silver Lining? COVID & Bike Use (10:07)
- BV Bike Co’s Crack Waffles (14:08)
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Which bike company is currently the most like which ski company? Here in part 2, we get into more arguments and offer more of their parallels and analogies between these two industries to get a better sense of the current position, reputation, and trajectory of a bunch of different brands in these sports.
Andwe want to hear from you — where do you agree or disagree, and can you come up with better, more accurate analogies than the ones we’re proposing? Let us know in the Comments Section on our site.
- Listen to Part 1 of Bikes vs. Skis (2020 edition)
- Listen to Bikes vs. Skis (2018 edition)
TOPICS & TIMES
- ‘Eyes Wide Shut’ Skis (3:37)
- Listeners’ analogies (9:19)
- Transition (18:53)
- Orange (20:05)
- Pivot Cycles (21:35)
- Guerilla Gravity (24:21)
- Bold Cycles (35:48)
- Banshee Bikes (29:36)
- Commencal (30:59)
- Zerode (32:12)
- Cannondale (33:39)
- Kona (37:19)
- Intense (38:49)
- Santa Cruz (48:02)
- Specialized (49:22)
- Trek (50:39)
- Giant (52:24)
- Ibis (53:51)
- DPS Skis? (58:49)
- Evil (1:03:57)
- YT (1:05:23)
- Pole & Nicolai (1:08:08)
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
By the time he was in his mid-20s, Adam Miller had already founded threebike companies — Borealis Fat Bikes, Why Cycles, and Revel Bikes. It’s a pretty wild backstory, and Adam sat down with us in Blister HQ to spell it all out like he never has before.
We talk about growing up in Alaska, starting — and running — his first bike company as a 21 year old college kid; selling that same company and going on to found Why Cycles and Revel; and what makes Revel bikes different and, what he believes makes them better.
TOPICS & TIMES
- Growing up in Alaska (3:47)
- Studying in Africa (13:24)
- Starting Borealis Fat Bikes (16:29)
- Why did you leave Borealis? (25:00)
- Starting Why Cycles (34:37)
- Starting Revel Bikes (43:42)
- What differentiates Revel’s bikes? (50:41)
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Which bike company is currently most like which ski company? And which bike and ski company do most other bike and ski brands secretly wish they could trade places with? Today, Noah Bodman, Jonathan Ellsworth, David Golay, and Eric Freson make parallels and analogies between these two industries to get a better sense of the current position, reputation, and trajectory of a bunch of different brands in these sports.
Andwe want to hear from you — where do you agree or disagree, and can you come up with better, more accurate analogies than the ones we’re proposing? Let us know in the Comments Section on our site, and then we’ll incorporate some of your answers into Part 2, which will air in a couple weeks.
TOPICS & TIMES
- Who is providing the most bang for your buck? (5:11)
- Current “cool kids” bike & ski brands? (9:58)
- Which brand do other companies want to be? (16:59)
- Which brands have the most upside? (24:45)
- The bike equivalent of Kastle & Stockli? (40:54)
- "Custom" in the bike & ski worlds? (46:35)
- Whose reputation is better than their products? (50:50)
- Which companies have the most brand loyalty? (57:27)
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
What, exactly, does it mean for a company to be a Certified B Corporation business, and why should anyone care? To learn more, we reached out to Chris King Precision Components, which just completed the process of becoming one of the very few B Corp manufacturing companies in the entire bike industry.
Chris King’s general manager, Chris (aka, “Kirby”) Bedsaul talked with us about what the process of becoming a B Corp entails, why they decided to do it, and along the way, we also discuss Chris King’s approach to manufacturing out of their homebase of Portland, Oregon.
TOPICS & TIMES
- What is Chris King Components? (3:00)
- How is the company doing during COVID? (3:57)
- Kirby’s role at Chris King (7:56)
- Why become a B Corp? (10:12)
- The process (17:15)
- Most surprising part of the process? (33:14)
- Environmental steps Chris King is taking (35:32)
- Favorite Chris King product? (50:15)
- King’s Lifetime Warranty (54:55)
- The Chris King Open House (57:24)
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
As a way to show our appreciation for our Bikes & Big Ideas listeners, we discussed our best / worst ideas for the bikes edition of our Blister ‘Crash Course’ video series — and some of the ideas are truly magnificent. So check it out, and then please feel free to suggest your own best / worst ideas for these Blister ‘Crash Course’ bike videos.
TOPICS & TIMES
- Blister ‘Crash Course’ Videos? (5:12)
- Round 1 Ideas (8:04)
- Round 2 Ideas (13:42)
- Round 3 Ideas (18:05)
- Round 4 Ideas (21:48)
- Round 5 Ideas (29:05)
- Round 6 Ideas (33:03)
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Bill Walton is not only one of the greatest basketball players of all time, his passion for bikes is all-time, too. In his book, “Back from the Dead, he writes, “My bike is the most important thing I have. It is my gym, my wheelchair and my church all in one.
So it was a joy to talk to Bill about his life-long love affair with bikes, and about his upcoming event, Bike For Humanity, which is a virtual event that Bill created as a way for all of us to show our solidarity in these times.
We also discuss the top-5, all-time, NBA ‘bike’ guys; music, Bob Dylan, the Grateful Dead; and more.
TOPICS & TIMES
- Bill’s life-long love of bikes (5:21)
- Bike For Humanity (12:13)
- Top 5 NBA ‘bike’ guys? (18:35)
- Best cardio guys in the NBA? (23:11)
- Music, Bob Dylan, & the Dead (25:00)
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
As the COVID-19 pandemic rages on, a number of companies in the outdoor industry are pivoting away from their normal operations and product offerings to provide healthcare workers with critical gear.
So we talked to physician assistant and Blister reviewer, Sascha Anastas, about the scope of the problem, and we then talk to Kitsbow, Industry Nine, & Shaggy’s Copper Country Skis about how they are each helping the cause. This is an inspiring conversation.
TOPICS & TIMES
- Sascha Anastas on the PPE Shortage (1:34)
- What Kitsbow is doing (13:53)
- What Industry Nine is doing (33:53)
- What Shaggy’s Skis is doing (47:03)
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Many of you remember Dustin Adams from his DH-racing days (the guy was fast), and others of you know of Dustin as the guy behind We Are One, the company making carbon rims, wheels, and other bike stuff in British Columbia.
So we talked to Dustin about what it’s like being a composites manufacturer in Kamloops, BC; Dustin’s path from racing DH to starting We Are One; manufacturing in the time of COVID-19; and we talk about the big new thing they’re currently working on.
TOPICS & TIMES
- How do you describe We Are One? (2:49)
- How is COVID-19 affecting your manufacturing? (5:04)
- Dustin’s life before We Are One (9:17)
- Current product line (23:11)
- Teaming up with Industry Nine (30:08)
- What’s the story with the Kona WC Team? (31:26)
- The Next Big Thing from We Are One (35:02)
- What’s Your Big Idea? (41:30)
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
For many of us, it will soon be time to dust off our bikes and get back to riding. So what are some of the most important things you can do to your bike if you haven’t been riding it?
To answer this, we talked to Simon Stewart, who has a wealthof knowledge about servicing bikes that comes from his experience working at bike shops; being a mountain bike guide; writing and reviewing for Bike Magazine and Dirt Rag magazine; working for SRAM as a technical ambassador and a SRAM Technical University Instructor; and from currently owning and running the bike shop, Boneshaker Cycles, in Buena Vista, Colorado.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Simon’s background: Ireland, Tanks, & Harleys (4:59)
- Bike Prep: Avoid Catastrophe / Best ‘Bang for the Bother’ (28:15)
- Tires (30:58)
- Brakes (33:14)
- Critical Fasteners (33:59)
- Drivetrain (35:52)
- Suspension (42:58)
- Tire Sealant (48:51)
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
The World Cup Downhill season starts in just a couple of weeks, so we checked in with Blister reviewers Noah Bodman, David Golay, and Ben Sims to get their thoughts on and predictions for the upcoming season. We also discuss the future prospects and popularity of World Cup DH racing versus the popularity and trajectory of Enduro World Series racing, and we place one very big wager on the upcoming season.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Upcoming Men’s DH Season (1:57)
- Upcoming Women’s DH Season (17:35)
- WC DH vs Enduro World Series (24:30)
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Moab’s Slickrock Trail is one of the best-known and most iconic mountain biking trails in the world. And yet, a preliminary proposal from the Bureau of Land Management was put forward to auction the right to drill for oil and natural gas under the trail. Now, the good news here is that, just as I was speaking last Friday to our guest, Ashley Korenblat, a preliminary hold was put in place by the Bureau of Land Management to stop the sale for the right to drill for oil and gas under Slickrock Trail, but this should very much ought to get our attention, first, because if this could happen to a trail as famous as Slickrock, we all ought to realize that this same thing could happen to many of our favorite trails around the US.
And so the important thing for all of us in the bike community is to understand how the current energy system works in the US; how fragile and susceptible our trail systems truly are; why we all need to get educated about the energy policies of our local areas and be contacting our local representatives, and more. And our guest today, Ashley Korenblat, is one of the best people out there to help us understand the current system, and what each of us needs to be doing to protect the places where we love to ride and recreate.
Among other things, Ashley the founder and managing director of Public Lands Solutions, and I would strongly encourage you to check out the important work they’re doing.
Ashley was also a guest at our Blister Speaker Series at Western Colorado University last year, and you can listen to my Speaker Series conversation with Ashley over on our BLISTER Podcast channel, episode 86, to learn more about her own extremely interesting background, and to get more of a general background on the specific topic she and I will be discussing today.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- What exactly is going on here? (5:22)
- Is there precedence for this? (8:17)
- What’s the Trump administration’s case? (11:19)
- What would you propose happens? (13:38)
- What can residents of Moab and / or residents of Utah do? (18:24)
- What can the rest of us do? (21:24)
- Breaking news re: Slickrock (23:49)
- What is the future of this debate? (28:30)
- What we need to know re: energy issues (31:04)
- Public Land Solutions (33:03)
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
We talk to Ibis Cycles founder, Scot Nicol, about the new Ripmo 2; the current Ibis lineup; Scot’s background in the early (and awesome) days of mtn biking; the history and trajectory of Ibis; and a whole lot more.
TOPICS & TIMES
- The Ripmo 2 (4:55)
- The current Ibis lineup (16:55)
- More Ibis metal bikes? (23:44)
- 25: 15 The Ibis Tranny
- 28:00 The Ibis Trans-Fat
- 28:50 Scot’s favorite Ibis bike name
- 32:11 Ripley vs Ripmo
- 34:57 Scot’s bike background
- 41:36 The evolution of bikes in the past 15 years
- 55:53 What will mtn biking look like in the next ~40 years?
- e-bikes (1:02:12)
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
What will the mountain biking industry look like 10 years from now? What current product categories currently have the most room for improvement, and where will the actual advances in bike tech have happened by the end of 2029? What categories of riding will have grown, and which will have shrunk? Will we have fewer or more bike parks? We discuss all of this and more — including our wildest predictions for this next decade.
And in the Comments Section below, we’d love to hear what you predict the bike industry will look like in 10 years.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Follow up on last episode ‘Gear Awards’ (1:35)
- Predictions for 2020 - 2029 (3:42)
- What gear has the most room for improvement? (20:22)
- Where will we actually see the most improvement? (32:04)
- Are we in a golden age of bike design? (39:40)
- Will # of mtn bikers increase or decrease? (43:40)
- Which types of riding will get bigger or smaller? (44:34)
- Will we see fewer or more bike parks? (52:14)
- Fewer or more riders pedaling up bike parks? (53:12)
- Wildest predictions for the next decade? (1:00:40)
Of the entire past decade, what was the most influential bike or bike part? What were the best bikes or bike parts? What were the biggest gear trends? And what was our selection for the Best Product of the Decade? We cover all of this and more with Noah Bodman and David Golay.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Most Influential Mtn Bike, 2000-2009 (3:10)
- Most Influential Mtn Bike, 2010-2019 (11:45)
- Most Influential Components (20:00)
- Best Mtn Bike (24:10)
- Best Components (36:25)
- Biggest Mtn Bike Gear Trends (46:40)
- Best Product of the Decade (41:11)
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Paul Basagoitia was the first back-to-back winner of Crankworx Slopestyle, participated in Red Bull Rampage numerous times, and was one of the top riders in the game. But one tiny mishap led to a crash that left him paralyzed, and Paul’s life was changed in an instant. So we talk to Paul about his ascension in the sport, the events surrounding his accident, his road to recovery, how he views Rampage today, and his new Red Bull / HBO film, Any One of Us that chronicles it all — and provides an unfiltered look at life after a spinal cord injury.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Paul’s new film, Any One of Us (1:45)
- Winning Crankworx on Cam Zink’s bike (5:16)
- Competing at Rampage & managing fear (13:17)
- Paul’s crash (15:12)
- Are you scared watching friends drop in at Rampage? (32:30)
- Spinal injuries & stem cell research (33:36)
- Wings for Life (wingsforlife.com) (38:15)
- Paul’s recovery & current status (39:05)
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
These days, a lot of brands — and especially a lot of outdoor brands — like to talk about sustainability. But what concrete steps are companies taking to measure, reduce, and offset their carbon emissions? And what can be done to holdcompanies more accountable?
Climate Neutral is a non-profit that enlists brands to reduce and pay for their emissions, and that helps consumers identify which companies are taking real action.
So we talk to Climate Neutral CEO, Austin Whitman, about how Climate Neutral got started; his (impressive) background; the problem of “greenwashing”; the lower-than-you’d-think costs of reducing carbon emissions; the legitimacy of carbon offsets; and what individuals & companies can do right now.
Check out Climate Neutral’s current Kickstarter campaign
TOPICS & TIMES:
- What is Climate Neutral? (2:43)
- How did Climate Neutral get started? (3:45)
- Austin’s (impressive) background (9:24)
- What Climate Neutral does & doesn’t do (20:40)
- Greenwashing & how to avoid it? (28:32)
- Costs / Price of reducing carbon emissions? (36:11)
- Carbon offsets — are they legit? (44:22)
- Near-term goals of Climate Neutral? (52:22)
- What should individuals & companies do right now? (58:16)
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Reviewers Luke Koppa, Jonathan Ellsworth, Dylan Wood, and David Golay discuss our new BLISTER Brand Guide to Mountain Bikes; why we saw a need for it; the trends and takeaways we’ve seen in the process of building it; and … the revolutionary new Badonkadonk bike.
See our Mountain Bike Brand Guides (many more coming soon)
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Dylan’s Crash = Your Gain (1:27)
- Why do a guide like this? (4:22)
- Market Trends (11:10)
- Components, Suspension, & Tires (19:13)
- Mullet bikes & the Badonkadonk (20:31)
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Coming straight to Crested Butte after an amazing World Cup season finale, Claudio Caluori sits down with Jonathan Ellsworth in BLISTER HQ to recap this incredible World Cup Downhill season; discuss whether this was the best WC DH season ever; talk about Loic Bruni and Amaury Pierron’s epic battle; and frame Danny Hart’s season. Claudio also offers his biggest takeaways from the men’s and women’s seasons; how the sport has evolved in terms of trails, equipment, and talent; and what, if anything, could be done to make the series even better.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Was this the best WC season ever? (1:54)
- “Perfect” Riding vs. Pushing the limit (7:18)
- Framing Danny Hart’s season (20:33)
- Biggest takeaways from the men’s season (23:52)
- Loic & Amaury’s battle (25:55)
- Biggest takeaways from women’s season (29:00)
- Thoughts on women riding Rampage? (33:35)
- What changes would you make to the WC series? (36:12)
- Are riders better than ever? (43:56)
- Predictions for next year? (50:55)
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
What do politics, religion, and e-Bikes have in common? They’re all topics that get people extremely worked up, often result in name calling, and are rarely productive. And this needs to change, because e-Bikes are not going away, so we need to figure out fast how to have more constructive conversations about e-bikes — and, in particular e-mountain bikes.
To this end, we’re talking today to Dave Wiens, the executive director of the International Mountain Biking Association, to help clarify what all the fuss is about; identify what the biggest issues are with e-mountain bikes; present the concerns that advocates — and the opponents — of e-bikes most need to understand; and lay out what the best way forward looks like.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Current debates about e-Bikes (2:26)
- IMBA’s role and stance (6:03)
- What groups does IMBA hear from the most? (11:42)
- Arguments against e-bike trail access (13:13)
- Arguments for e-bike trail access (24:11)
- Why distinguish between classes of bikes? (26:47)
- Have there been many on-trail issues with e-bikes? (36:12)
- What’s the best way forward? (41:10)
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
For many of us, bikes are primarily fun. But for many others, bikes are major drivers of economic development, critical sources of transportation and health care, vehicles of educational opportunity, and instruments of equality.
World Bicycle Relief was started by the founder of SRAM to provide bikes to some of the communities around the world that could use them the most, and in today’s conversation, you’ll learn exactly how and why bikes are such a significant and life-changing tool.
Our guest today is Dave Neiswander, the CEO of World Bicycle Relief. Dave has been with WBR for over a decade, and as you will see, he is an impressive guy with an impressive background, and he does an excellent job talking about the origins of World Bicycle Relief; its trajectory and challenges; the bikes themselves and all the product design that goes into them; and what each of us can do to support the mission of World Bicycle Relief.
Take Action: Go to worldbicyclerelief.org to sign up for one of their upcoming events, make a donation, and share what they are up to with your friends and colleagues.
TOPICS & TIMES
- Origin Story of World Bicycle Relief (3:49)
- How Dave first got involved with WBR (8:41)
- Why bikes matter so much (16:24)
- Mission Statement of WBR (19:25)
- How does WBR select new locations to assist? (21:21)
- Important Stats & Results (37:13)
- Winning the Wharton / Lipman Prize (43:53)
- The bikes / designing for particular performance (49:03)
- The Buffalo Bike (54:07)
- The Charger Bike (55:51)
- Future plans for World Bicycle Relief (59:17)
- Biggest lessons learned that others might benefit from? (1:05:07)
- Best ways for individuals and companies to get involved? (1:07:31)
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Sometimes, “different” is better. Other times, it’s just dumb. So today we’re discussing a number of very unconventional bike products and asking: Why does this product exist; what problem is it trying to solve; who is its target audience; and … is the product more likely to become the next big thing, or, is it more likely destined for the dustbin of history?
Jonathan Ellsworth talks to Blister’s new ‘oddities expert,’ David Golay, about the Trust Message linkage fork; Structure Cycleworks’ SCW1 linkage fork / frame system; high-pivot Trail bikes and the Forbidden Druid; Starling Cycles’ ‘Jack Drive’ bikes; and Tannus Armour tire inserts.
TOPICS & TIMES
- Introducing David, our ‘Oddities Expert’ (2:35)
- David’s Nicolai G16, Mojo Special Edition (3:12)
- Trust Message linkage fork (4:20)
- Structure Cycleworks’ SCW1 linkage fork/frame system (13:20)
- High-Pivot Trail Bikes / the Forbidden Druid (19:12)
- Starling Cycles’ ‘Jack Drive’ bikes (25:55)
- Tannus Armour Tire Inserts (30:55)
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Anthill Films recently released their latest movie, Return to Earth, and it once again displays the sick cinematography and sick bike riding that Anthill is known for. But in Return to Earth, the guys who brought us breathtaking bike films like unReal are going after some bigger stakes.
So we talk to Anthill’s Darcy Wittenberg and Ian Dunn about those stakes; the origins & early days of Anthill Films; some of the locations, riders, and cinematography in Return to earth; and more.
And after you listen to this conversation, go ride your bike, then check out ep. #95 of our Blister Podcast, because we talk with the world-renowned neuroscientist, Dr. Michael Merzenich, about a lot of the themes and issues that Darcy and Ian bring up. It is a terrific supplement to this conversation, and it very much underscores the message of Return to Earth.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- The origins & early days of Anthill Films (3:10)
- Return to Earth: How do you describe it? (10:37)
- Locations in the film (21:55)
- The (unbelievable) kid riders (26:26)
- Brett Rheeder throwing down (32:40)
- Explaining some of the cinematography (35:57)
- 30-Day Challenge (39:30)
- The current landscape of mountain-bike films (42:57)
- What’s the best question I haven’t asked you? (44:53)
- Why bikes themselves are big ideas (48:30)
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
We talk to Dave Wiens about skiing with Doug Coombs; participating in the early days of mountain biking; winning the Leadville 100 six times in a row — while beating Floyd Landis and Lance Armstrong along the way; and we get a fresh update from Dave on the current agenda and plans of the International Mountain Bike Association.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Dave’s background in adventure sports (1:58)
- Extreme skiing & meeting Doug Coombs (12:00)
- The early days of mountain biking (14:55)
- Competing withNed Overend, Mike Kloser, & John Tomac (16:20)
- Founding Gunnison Trails (23:43)
- Leadville 100 — and winning it 6 times in a row (31:10)
- Leadville 2007: racing Floyd Landis (35:45)
- Leadville 2008: racing Lance Armstrong (39:19)
- Dave's take on the current state of mtn biking (46:52)
- Update on IMBA’s current agenda & project (55:02)
- What should mtn bikers be doing to protect trails? (1:06:13)
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
How do you square the fact that a small bike company with a very heavy-metal vibe is making extremely big claims about the cutting-edge materials they are using to manufacture bikes — right here in the USA, in Denver, CO — and doing all of this at a pretty modest price point? Are these guys full of crap, or are they truly onto something here? And if so, how big of a deal is this?
Jonathan Ellsworth went to the Guerrilla Gravity headquarters in downtown Denver to try to get some answers, and he sat down with co-founder and president, Will Montague; co-founder and chief engineer, Matt Giaraffa; and Guerrilla Gravity’s director of composites engineering, Ben Bosworth. Will and Matt and Ben discuss the principles that Guerrilla Gravity was founded upon, and how sticking to those principles helped put them in the position that they are in today. They also do an excellent job of explaining the significant advantages of what they call their ‘Revved’ carbon, and you are going to want to hear about all of it.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Backstory: Getting started, doing things different (7:50)
- Refusing to use carbon — and how that paid off (19:37)
- “Revved” carbon — or, the benefits of Carbon 2.0 (27:00)
- Cutting-edge tech + heavy-metal branding?? (35:32)
- The ‘Elevator Pitch’ that won them multiple grants (38:16)
- ‘Revved’ carbon vs other types of carbon (41:24)
- On Guerrilla Gravity’s modular designs (52:37)
- Which bikes are Will, Matt, and Ben riding? (1:04:52)
- Production: how are you handling all the orders? (1:07:54)
- Ambitions: How big are yours for Guerilla Gravity? (1:09:07)
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
We talk with BLISTER senior bike editor, Noah Bodman, about Guerrilla Gravity’s modular designs; the emerging category of ‘Downcountry’ Bikes; whether ‘mullet bikes’ are just a fad; and whether the lingo used to market and sell bikes is in need of a refresh.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Guerrilla Gravity’s modular design (1:55)
- Downcountry Bikes (8:27)
- Which bike categories are shrinking? (15:20)
- Mullet Bikes: just a fad? (17:04)
- Bike industry marketing lingo (20:22)
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
We talk to Bikes & Big Ideas co-host, Claudio Caluori, about the origin story of this podcast; his background in XC & DH racing, how Velosolutions got started, experiments with food & diet; the #pumpforpeace project, and more.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Biggest takeaway from the World Cup in Maribor (2:16)
- Origin story of Bikes & Big Ideas (4:00)
- Claudio’s background in XC & DH racing (12:24)
- When did you first start thinking about environmental issues? (16:50)
- Experiments with food, diet, and fasting (20:21)
- Claudio’s company, Velosolutions (35:12)
- How #pumpforpeace is serving underprivileged communities (43:24)
- Sponsoring the Izimbali South African women’s race team (51:39)
- Pump Track World Championship (54:45)
- Claudio’s current big ideas (57:33)
BIKES & BIG IDEAS is the new podcast from BLISTER that will be focusing on both of those things — bikes AND big ideas.
The bike world is full of a lot of smart and fascinating people who are really passionate about bikes. But so many in our community are also really passionate about protecting and being good stewards of the places we love to ride, and finding ways to create a more sustainable future.
So the aim of BIKES & BIG IDEAS is to bring you the most interesting conversations and stories from across the bike world, while also on occasion going way beyond bikes per se to take a look at some of the biggest ideas and potentially game-changing innovations in the areas of sustainable design, cleaner energy, biotech, and more.
The one and only Claudio Caluori will be joining me regularly to co-host BIKES & BIG IDEAS, and we are going to be interviewing folks within the bike community — athletes, company founders, product managers, engineers, trail advocates et cetera — and then in some episodes, we’ll be taking a look at the latest developments, biggest breakthroughs, and emerging industries that could help to improve the present and the future.
Our first episode of BIKES AND BIG IDEAS drops next week, and in episode #1, Claudio and I will talk more about the impetus for this podcast and how it came to be. So subscribe today where ever you get your podcasts to catch episode number 1 with me and Claudio, and we will talk to you next week.
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.