Bikes & Big Ideas

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)

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Reviewer Reports: Sea Otter Recap, eMTB Power Wars, & More

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 16:26:29 GMT

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:

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)

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Vessel Bike Project’s Ultra-Customizable High-Pivot Frames

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 16:03:38 GMT

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:

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

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Pivot Founder Chris Cocalis on Their New Insanely Powerful Shuttle AMP’d, XC Race Bike Design, 32” Wheels, & More

Thu, 09 Apr 2026 12:30:24 GMT

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:

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)

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Reviewing the News w/ Mike Ferrentino & Simon Stewart (April, 2026)

Thu, 02 Apr 2026 15:34:22 GMT

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:

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)

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Hans Rey on the eBike Power War & Why it Could Cost us Trail Access

Thu, 26 Mar 2026 15:51:34 GMT

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:

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)

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Daniel Yang on 32’’ Wheels, the Evolution of Wheel Sizes, & More

Thu, 19 Mar 2026 17:11:23 GMT

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:

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

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Reviewing the News w/ Mike Ferrentino & Simon Stewart (March, 2026)

Thu, 12 Mar 2026 16:27:03 GMT

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:

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)

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Kavenz on Developing the Bonded VHP X Frame

Thu, 05 Mar 2026 22:05:09 GMT

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:

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)

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Danny MacAskill on the Trick That Haunted Him, Creative Jogging, Nipple Height, & More

Thu, 26 Feb 2026 18:06:35 GMT

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:

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)

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Reviewer Reports: New eMTBs From Pivot, Norco, Orbea, & More

Thu, 19 Feb 2026 13:00:00 GMT

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:

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)

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Reviewing the News w/ Mike Ferrentino & Simon Stewart (January, 2026)

Thu, 12 Feb 2026 16:12:30 GMT

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:

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)

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Neko Mulally on the 2026 Frameworks Roster, Bikes, & More

Thu, 05 Feb 2026 11:00:00 GMT

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:

Best Bikes of the Century Survey

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)

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Best Bikes of the Century, Part 3

Thu, 29 Jan 2026 18:39:35 GMT

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:

TOPICS & TIMES:

Industry Picks (1:23)

Our Picks (26:56)

Listener Comments (58:25)

The Final Countdown (1:03:20)

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Manitou & Reynolds on 32’’ Wheels

Thu, 22 Jan 2026 15:35:16 GMT

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:

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)

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Reviewer Reports: Chain Dampers, Gearboxes, High-Pivots & More

Thu, 15 Jan 2026 18:07:08 GMT

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:

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)

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Reviewing the News w/ Mike Ferrentino & Simon Stewart (December, 2025)

Thu, 08 Jan 2026 16:04:06 GMT

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:

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)

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2025 Red Bull Rampage Winner, Hayden Zablotny

Thu, 01 Jan 2026 15:34:40 GMT

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:

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)

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Vali Höll on Her 2025 Season & the Dissolution of the YT Mob

Thu, 25 Dec 2025 12:00:00 GMT

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 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)

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Reviewer Reports: Lal Katana, Norco Sight VLT, Yeti LTe, & More

Thu, 18 Dec 2025 17:34:18 GMT

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:

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)

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Gamux Founder Pascal Tinner on AON Racing, the ‘Trophy Truck,’ & More

Thu, 11 Dec 2025 19:26:53 GMT

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:

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)

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Reviewing the News w/ Mike Ferrentino & Simon Stewart (November, 2025)

Thu, 04 Dec 2025 16:57:39 GMT

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:

Best Bikes of the Century Survey

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)

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Best Bikes of the Century, Part 2

Thu, 27 Nov 2025 16:16:13 GMT

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

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)

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Best Bikes of the Century, Part 1

Thu, 20 Nov 2025 17:49:12 GMT

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.

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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)

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Reviewer Reports: Bikes Big & Small, Wet-Weather Gear, & More

Thu, 13 Nov 2025 16:44:11 GMT

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

Debatable: Should Rampage Be Shut Down

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)

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The Future of Rampage & How to Fix It

Thu, 06 Nov 2025 15:41:42 GMT

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:

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)

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Priority Bicycles on the High-Pivot, Belt-Drive, Gearbox Vanth Enduro Bike

Fri, 31 Oct 2025 15:50:00 GMT

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.

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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)

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Madrone Cycles on the Jab Derailleur & Going Head to Head w/ SRAM and Shimano

Thu, 23 Oct 2025 11:00:00 GMT

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:

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)

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Rocket Ramps on Building Trails, Ramps, and Action Sports Infrastructure

Thu, 16 Oct 2025 15:14:38 GMT

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:

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)

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Paladin Bikes on the Wild-Looking AM1, Machining Frames & More

Thu, 09 Oct 2025 11:00:00 GMT

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:

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)

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Reviewing the News w/ Dylan Wood & Simon Stewart (September, 2025)

Thu, 02 Oct 2025 16:18:31 GMT

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:

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)

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Reviewer Reports: Yeti LTe, Chromag Reazon, Trek Fuel LX, & More

Thu, 25 Sep 2025 16:02:23 GMT

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:

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)

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Big Race Results & Big News From Enve

Thu, 18 Sep 2025 15:51:11 GMT

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:

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)

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The Incredible Cycling Talent Coming out of Durango Devo

Thu, 11 Sep 2025 15:24:38 GMT

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

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)

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Reviewing the News w/ Mike Ferrentino & Simon Stewart (August, 2025)

Thu, 04 Sep 2025 17:07:44 GMT

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

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)

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Reviewer Reports: Revel’s First eMTB, Tons of Suspension, Big Brakes, & More

Thu, 28 Aug 2025 15:30:23 GMT

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:

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)

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GEAR THERAPY: Flat vs Clipless Pedals w/ Jonathan Ellsworth, Sascha Anastas, Simon Stewart, & Zach Henderson

Thu, 21 Aug 2025 15:10:13 GMT

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.

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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)

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Casey Brown on Dark Horse, Rampage, Women’s Protective Gear, & More

Thu, 14 Aug 2025 12:00:00 GMT

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:

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)

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Reviewing the News w/ Dylan Wood & Simon Stewart (July 2025)

Thu, 07 Aug 2025 16:54:46 GMT

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:

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

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Our New Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide

Thu, 31 Jul 2025 15:58:06 GMT

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:

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)

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Stashed’s Elliot Tanner on Making Innovative Bike Storage Systems

Thu, 24 Jul 2025 12:17:09 GMT

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:

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

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Reviewer Reports: Enduro Bikes, Italian Suspension, & More

Thu, 17 Jul 2025 12:00:00 GMT

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.

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)

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BTR’s Paul ‘Burf’ Burford on Rat Bikes & Making Affordable UK-Built Frames

Thu, 10 Jul 2025 17:43:06 GMT

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

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)

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Reviewing the News w/ Mike Ferrentino (June 2025)

Thu, 03 Jul 2025 17:00:04 GMT

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.

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)

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Portland Design Works’ Erik Olson on Making Products for the Everyday Cyclist

Thu, 26 Jun 2025 15:16:58 GMT

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:

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)

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Reviewer Reports: New Bikes, Shimano Di2, & More

Thu, 19 Jun 2025 12:00:00 GMT

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:

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)

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Chris McCaffrey on Riding His Bike Around the World

Thu, 12 Jun 2025 15:38:43 GMT

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:

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)

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Reviewing the News w/ Mike Ferrentino (May 2025)

Thu, 05 Jun 2025 15:40:13 GMT

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:

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)

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The Transformation of Esker Cycles w/ Tim Krueger

Thu, 29 May 2025 16:00:48 GMT

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:

Jonathan’s talk w/ Adam from 2020

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

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Breaking News: Revel Bikes is Back — and So is Revel Founder, Adam Miller

Wed, 21 May 2025 15:45:00 GMT

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+

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)

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Reviewer Reports: Tons of Suspension, Long Travel Enduro Bikes, Trickstuff Brakes, & More

Thu, 15 May 2025 15:06:40 GMT

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.

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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)

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The Resurrection of Kona w/ Jacob Heilbron

Thu, 08 May 2025 15:31:15 GMT

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:

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

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Reviewing the News w/ Mike Ferrentino (April 2025)

Thu, 01 May 2025 15:59:16 GMT

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:

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)

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Outlier MTB on Product Design, Founding a Company, & Their Wild Looking Flat Pedals

Thu, 24 Apr 2025 15:58:24 GMT

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:

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)

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Cascade Components’ Stumpjumper High-Pivot Conversion

Thu, 17 Apr 2025 12:00:00 GMT

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:

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)

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Lal Bikes on the Supre Drive & Katana Trail Bike

Thu, 10 Apr 2025 16:00:00 GMT

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:

Cedric Eveleigh of LAL Bikes on Reinventing the Derailleur (Ep.94)

Lal Katana

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)

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Reviewing the News w/ Dylan Wood & Simon Stewart (March 2025)

Thu, 03 Apr 2025 15:52:29 GMT

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:

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)

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Atherton Bikes on Their Development Process, Gearboxes, & the A.200.G

Thu, 27 Mar 2025 15:50:49 GMT

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.

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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)

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House of Looptail on Remaking Vintage Mountain Bike and BMX Tires

Thu, 20 Mar 2025 18:10:13 GMT

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:

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)

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Reviewer Reports: Tons of Bikes, Chain Damper Shootout, & Much More

Thu, 13 Mar 2025 16:15:28 GMT

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:

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)

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Reviewing the News w/ Mike Ferrentino (February 2025)

Fri, 07 Mar 2025 00:14:15 GMT

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:

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)

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George Brannigan on the State of World Cup DH, Hardline, the Motorhead Edit & More

Thu, 27 Feb 2025 12:30:00 GMT

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:

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)

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Reece Wilson on forming AON Racing, Partnering with Gamux, Belt Drives, Gearboxes, & More

Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:43:14 GMT

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:

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

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Camille Balanche on Yeti’s Return to World Cup DH, the State of the Sport, Injuries, & More

Thu, 13 Feb 2025 22:43:18 GMT

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:

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)

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Reviewing the News w/ Mike Ferrentino (January 2025)

Thu, 06 Feb 2025 17:39:05 GMT

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:

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)

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Reviewer Reports: Bikes, Shocks, Wheels, & More

Thu, 30 Jan 2025 13:00:00 GMT

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:

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)

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Ministry Cycles on Testing, Production Challenges, & the Psalm 150 V3

Thu, 23 Jan 2025 13:00:00 GMT

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.

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)

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Gear of the Year, 2024

Thu, 16 Jan 2025 16:25:16 GMT

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:

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)

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Vorsprung on the Telum, Rapid Revalve, Shock Tuning & More

Thu, 09 Jan 2025 15:10:54 GMT

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:

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)

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Reviewing the News w/ Dylan Wood (December 2024)

Fri, 03 Jan 2025 15:10:19 GMT

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:

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)

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Braydon Bringhurst on the Concept, Format, and Goals of the Hard MTB League

Thu, 26 Dec 2024 17:04:27 GMT

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:

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)

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Ashley King of Significant Other Bikes on Custom Frames, Finding a Home in the Bike Industry, & More

Thu, 19 Dec 2024 12:00:44 GMT

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.

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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)

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Gearing up for Winter Riding

Thu, 12 Dec 2024 17:16:36 GMT

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.

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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)

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Reviewing the News w/ Mike Ferrentino (November 2024)

Thu, 05 Dec 2024 17:21:08 GMT

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:

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)

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Reviewer Reports: Lightweight eMTBs, Ultra-Adjustable Enduro Bikes, Electronic Suspension Battle & More

Thu, 28 Nov 2024 20:33:36 GMT

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:

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)

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PeopleForBikes CEO, Jenn Dice, on Assessing, Advocating For, & Building Better Bike Infrastructure

Thu, 21 Nov 2024 18:24:23 GMT

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

Matthew’s 2022 EWS Tour (Ep.139)

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)

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Matthew Fairbrother on His Self-Supported NZ Rally Win, the North Shore Triple Triple Crown, & More

Thu, 14 Nov 2024 16:50:43 GMT

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:

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)

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Reviewing the News w/ Dylan Wood & Simon Stewart (October 2024)

Thu, 07 Nov 2024 18:32:49 GMT

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:

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)

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Casey Brown on the Inaugural Women’s Red Bull Rampage

Thu, 31 Oct 2024 12:00:35 GMT

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:

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)

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Arid Cycles on Self-Taught Frame Design, the Spade Enduro Bike, & More

Thu, 24 Oct 2024 15:03:32 GMT

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:

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)

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High Above on US Manufacturing, Pack Design, Expanding Their Lineup, & More

Thu, 17 Oct 2024 18:08:13 GMT

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:

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)

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The Design, Development, & Testing of Enve’s new M-Series Wheels

Thu, 10 Oct 2024 14:55:04 GMT

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:

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)

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Reviewing the News w/ Mike Ferrentino (September 2024)

Thu, 03 Oct 2024 18:03:48 GMT

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:

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)

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Reviewer Reports: Lightweight eMTBs, XC Race Bikes, and Slack Head Angles

Thu, 26 Sep 2024 19:43:29 GMT

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:

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)

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Alex Showerman on ‘Coming Home’ and Finding One in Women’s Freeride

Thu, 19 Sep 2024 16:05:23 GMT

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:

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)

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Maxxis on the New High Roller, Tire R&D, & More

Thu, 12 Sep 2024 15:17:27 GMT

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.

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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)

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Reviewing the News w/ Mike Ferrentino (August 2024)

Thu, 05 Sep 2024 16:40:43 GMT

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:

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)

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Reviewer Reports: Battle of Unconventional Air Shocks, High-Pivot Trail Bikes, & More

Thu, 29 Aug 2024 15:52:33 GMT

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:

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)

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Liv Cycling’s Ludi Scholz on Women-Specific Bikes, Suspension Tuning, & More

Thu, 22 Aug 2024 12:00:35 GMT

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:

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)

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Zerode on Gearbox Bikes, World Cup DH Racing, & Building Stuff in a Shed (Ep.235)

Thu, 15 Aug 2024 11:00:49 GMT

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:

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)

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Vermont Mountain Bike Association on Assessing, Funding, & Building Adaptive Bike Trails

Thu, 08 Aug 2024 15:55:20 GMT

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:

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)

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Reviewing the News w/ Wade Simmons (July 2024)

Thu, 01 Aug 2024 19:16:31 GMT

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:

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

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Kokopelli Trail FKT: Failure & Redemption w/ Hannah Otto

Thu, 25 Jul 2024 13:00:55 GMT

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:

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

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Neko Mulally on the Upcoming Frameworks Enduro Bike, DH Bike Testing & More

Thu, 18 Jul 2024 13:30:05 GMT

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:

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

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Geometron Bikes on the Design & Development of the New G1

Thu, 11 Jul 2024 12:00:55 GMT

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

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

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Reviewing the News w/ Mike Ferrentino (June 2024)

Thu, 04 Jul 2024 13:00:46 GMT

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.

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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)

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Reviewer Reports: Specialized Epic Evo to the RAAW Madonna, Lots of Tires, & More

Thu, 27 Jun 2024 13:27:40 GMT

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.

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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)

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The Wild Tale of Constru-Bikes & Their Massive Bike Theft and Trafficking Ring

Thu, 20 Jun 2024 14:09:59 GMT

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.

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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)

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Dan Bacon of Wheelbased on the (Potential) Future of MTB Tech

Thu, 13 Jun 2024 15:24:21 GMT

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.

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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)

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Reviewing the News w/ Mike Ferrentino (May 2024)

Thu, 06 Jun 2024 17:13:28 GMT

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.

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TOPICS & TIMES:

The MegaVolt eMTB festival (0:59)

Red Bull Hardline’s insane canyon gap (3:46)

Moto rider Johnny Walker’s mindblowing run down the Hardline course (15:10)

Mike’s microphone is safe (for now) (20:47)

Loic Bruni dominates (23:13)

Ronan Dunne and Mondraker (26:56)

Bike theft (30:56)

Nova Mesto XC World Cup (33:51)

Tom Pidcock (34:59)

Nino Shurter’s incredible career (35:49)

The Giro D’Italia (42:39)

The Pog (43:39)

Tour de France predictions (46:46)

The return of Kona (53:57)

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EXT’s New Storia and Arma V4 Shocks

Thu, 30 May 2024 15:19:08 GMT

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.

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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)

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Cane Creek on their “Air-Charged Coil” Tigon Shock

Thu, 23 May 2024 15:26:35 GMT

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.

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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)

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Reviewer Reports: World Cup DH Recap, Tons of Bikes, Suspension, Tires, & More

Thu, 16 May 2024 15:46:04 GMT

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:

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)

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Neuhaus Metalworks on Metal Bikes’ Resurgence, Learning to Build Frames, Size-Specific Geometry & More

Fri, 10 May 2024 19:21:39 GMT

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:

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)

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Reviewing the News w/ Mike Ferrentino (April 2024)

Thu, 02 May 2024 22:54:03 GMT

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:

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)

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Norco's New DH Race Bike

Thu, 25 Apr 2024 13:00:47 GMT

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.

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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

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Reviewer Reports: So Many New Bikes

Thu, 18 Apr 2024 15:05:40 GMT

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.

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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

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Reviewing the News w/ Ryan Palmer (March 2024)

Thu, 11 Apr 2024 17:00:11 GMT

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.

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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

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Brook Macdonald on Fresh Starts, DH Race Bike Design, Moving to Forbidden, & More

Thu, 04 Apr 2024 16:05:55 GMT

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:

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)

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Georgia Astle on Racing, Freeriding, & Finding Her Way to MTB

Thu, 28 Mar 2024 16:50:54 GMT

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.

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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)

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Dakotah Norton on Finding Consistency, Moving to Mondraker, the State of US DH Racing, & More

Thu, 21 Mar 2024 16:22:16 GMT

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.

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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)

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Sarah Sturm on Her Unconventional Path to Gravel-Racing Stardom

Thu, 14 Mar 2024 16:20:14 GMT

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.

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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)

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Reviewing the News w/ Ryan Palmer (February 2024)

Thu, 07 Mar 2024 19:15:04 GMT

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.

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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)

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Norco on their New High-Pivot Optic and Sight

Thu, 29 Feb 2024 16:33:32 GMT

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.

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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)

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Ed Masters on Hardline, the 2024 Race Landscape, Pivot’s Prototype DH Bike, & More

Thu, 22 Feb 2024 16:28:56 GMT

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.

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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)

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Continental on Designing, Developing, & Testing Their Overhauled Tire Lineup

Thu, 15 Feb 2024 16:44:43 GMT

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.

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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)

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Reviewer Reports: Nicolai Nucleon Supre Drive, Ibis HD6, & More

Thu, 08 Feb 2024 15:22:46 GMT

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).

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TOPICS & TIMES:

Chromag Lowdown (2:10)

Orbea Rallon (8:57)

Ibis HD6 (19:36)

Nicolai Nucleon 16 (29:05)

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Reviewing the News w/ Ryan Palmer (January 2024)

Thu, 01 Feb 2024 17:15:59 GMT

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:

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)

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Rónán Dunne on Joining Mondraker Factory Racing

Thu, 25 Jan 2024 20:25:28 GMT

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.

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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)

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Outbound Lighting on Night Riding, Light Design, & More

Fri, 19 Jan 2024 02:07:46 GMT

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.

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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)

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RAAW Bikes Founder Ruben Torenbeek

Thu, 11 Jan 2024 16:34:49 GMT

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.

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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)

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Vorsprung’s New Coil Shock & Development Process

Thu, 04 Jan 2024 16:53:33 GMT

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:

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

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2023 Gear of the Year

Thu, 28 Dec 2023 16:52:50 GMT

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:

TOPICS & TIMES:

Cannondale Habit

Velocio Trail Access Pants

OUR OTHER PODCASTS

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Forbidden Bikes Founder Owen Pemberton

Thu, 21 Dec 2023 16:38:16 GMT

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:

A Very Deep Dive on Suspension with EXT’s Franco Fratton, Pt. 3 (Ep.173)

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

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EXT’s Franco Fratton on the History, Basics, & Details of MTB Suspension

Thu, 14 Dec 2023 20:31:24 GMT

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.

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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)

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Tool on Their Radical Machined High-Pivot Bike

Thu, 07 Dec 2023 15:58:35 GMT

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:

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)

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Albatross Bikes on the Super-Adaptable Apogee Module

Thu, 30 Nov 2023 16:44:25 GMT

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:

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

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Katy Winton on Burnout, Recovery, & Returning to Racing

Thu, 23 Nov 2023 16:54:19 GMT

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)

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Cornelius Kapfinger on Founding Intend, Inverted Forks, and Doing Things Differently

Thu, 16 Nov 2023 16:28:45 GMT

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)

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Neko Mulally on Selling the Frameworks DH Bike, Signing Asa Vermette, and More

Thu, 09 Nov 2023 16:00:35 GMT

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)

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OUR OTHER PODCASTS

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Lachlan Morton on the Tour Divide Record, Bears, Payday Bars, & More

Thu, 02 Nov 2023 14:49:12 GMT

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:

Ep.176: Anna Newkirk and Abby Hogie on Beyond Racing, the Contra DH Bike, & More

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Contra Bikes on Making the MC a Reality

Thu, 26 Oct 2023 14:57:58 GMT

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)

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Privateer Bikes on the 141 and 161 V2

Thu, 19 Oct 2023 15:31:09 GMT

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)

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Casey Brown, Vaea Verbeeck, and Hannah Bergemann on Women at Rampage

Thu, 12 Oct 2023 13:00:41 GMT

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:

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Reviewer Reports: Contra MC vs. Trek Slash, Santa Cruz Heckler SL, REEB Steezl, & More

Thu, 05 Oct 2023 15:16:49 GMT

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)

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OUR OTHER PODCASTS

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Archibald Cycles on Canadian Manufacturing & the Wild AC1

Thu, 28 Sep 2023 15:47:23 GMT

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)

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Sklar Bikes: A Custom Builder’s Shift to “Mass” Production

Thu, 21 Sep 2023 15:44:47 GMT

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)

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GEAR THERAPY: Session #1

Thu, 14 Sep 2023 15:31:39 GMT

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)

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OUR OTHER PODCASTS

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Trek on the New High-Pivot Slash

Thu, 07 Sep 2023 15:18:49 GMT

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)

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OUR OTHER PODCASTS

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D3O On The Past, Present, and Future of MTB Armor

Thu, 31 Aug 2023 14:40:43 GMT

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)

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OUR OTHER PODCASTS

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Chromag’s Full Suspension Bike Development

Thu, 24 Aug 2023 15:02:54 GMT

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)

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Reviewer Reports: Chromag Darco, Pivot Shuttle AM, Commencal Supreme, & More

Thu, 17 Aug 2023 15:23:58 GMT

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)

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Story Time With Ryan “R-Dog” Howard

Thu, 10 Aug 2023 15:18:16 GMT

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)

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Prevelo founder Jacob Rheuban on Designing a Better Kid’s Bike

Thu, 03 Aug 2023 15:16:00 GMT

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)

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Miranda Miller on DVRGNT Minds, Burnout, & Riding All the Bikes

Thu, 27 Jul 2023 15:56:03 GMT

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)

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Happy Hour (for Blister Members)

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Lal Bikes on Making the Supre Drive a Reality

Thu, 20 Jul 2023 17:44:03 GMT

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)

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2023 Gear of the Year (So Far)

Thu, 13 Jul 2023 15:26:26 GMT

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)

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Deviate Cycles on High-Pivot Bikes, Onshoring Production, & the Lowlander Prototype

Thu, 06 Jul 2023 18:05:40 GMT

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)

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Anna Newkirk and Abby Hogie on Beyond Racing, the Contra DH Bike, & More

Thu, 29 Jun 2023 15:42:57 GMT

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)

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Reviewer Reports: Commencal T.E.M.P.O., Tons of Suspension, & More

Thu, 22 Jun 2023 15:47:51 GMT

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)

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A Very Deep Dive on Suspension, Pt.2 (Ep.146)

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Wyn Masters on his Privateer Program, the 2023 DH Race Landscape, & More

Thu, 15 Jun 2023 17:14:12 GMT

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)

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A Very Deep Dive on Suspension with EXT’s Franco Fratton, Pt. 3

Thu, 08 Jun 2023 16:01:11 GMT

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)