Bikes & Big Ideas

We’re currently testing a huge array of bikes, from the super-efficient Norco Revolver, to the long-travel, Bosch CX-equipped Yeti LTe, with a whole lot in between — including the Lal Katana, with its novel Supre Drive. David and Simon sat down to share our thoughts on all of those and more, and along the way, we got into some debates about wheel sizes, geometry preferences, and more.RELATED LINKS:Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s GuideBLISTER+ Get Yourself CoveredTOPICS & TIMES:Yeti LTe (1:37)Cannondale Moterra (15:39)Norco Sight VLT (24:51)Trek Fuel MX (34:40)Lal Katana (49:51)Norco Revolver (58:22)CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicCRAFTEDGEAR:30Blister Podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gamux has never done things the conventional way and takes pride in that. But they aren’t being different for the sake of being different, either. Founder Pascal Tinner is back on the show to talk about what they’ve been up to, from their partnership with Reece Wilson’s AON Racing, to the ‘Trophy Truck’ prototype race bike, and a whole lot more.RELATED LINKS:Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s GuideBLISTER+ Get Yourself CoveredTOPICS & TIMES:AON Racing & Reece Wilson (1:45)The Sego (14:44)DH prototypes (22:38)Body types & bike design (29:03)The Trophy Truck (33:40)Riders & building a team (36:32)2026 & beyond (45:10)CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicCRAFTEDGEAR:30Blister Podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For November’s Reviewing the News Episode, Mike clues us in on what's been going on in the Cyclocross season so far. Then we have a bunch of bike industry recalls to wade through — some of which are legitimately dangerous — which segways into Mike and Simon trying to understand why Rad Power Bikes is not issuing a recall for batteries that could burn down your house.Note: We Want to Hear From You!Please let us know if there’s a topic you’d like us to cover or a guest you’d like us to have on Bikes and Big Ideas. Email us at info@blisterreview.com to weigh in.RELATED LINKS:Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s GuideGet Our Free Newsletter & Gear GiveawaysBLISTER+ Get Yourself CoveredTOPICS & TIMES:Mike’s Cyclocross Season Update (5:32)Rad Power Bike’s Battery Problems (15:01)Can Trek’s Coaster Brake Failures Make Better Cyclists? (24:52)You Can Still Get Injured on a Peloton  (32:56)Lezyne Floor Pumps at Risk of Exploding (38:58)Will the Bike Industry Ever Go Back to Normal? (42:44)Mike’s Madrone Derailleur (46:30)Charging eBikes Off-Grid (59:27)Mike’s Heading to Mexico to Fix his Teeth (1:07:02)CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicCRAFTEDGEAR:30Blister Podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In Part 2 of our series on the Best Bikes of the Century, Simon Stewart, David Golay, and Xan Marshland are back, plus Zack Henderson also joins them to dig into 16 more brands as they continue the hard work of trying to single out the best bikes from the last 25 years. Since they focused on many prominent brands from the early 2000s in Part 1, they take a closer look at newer brands, direct-to-consumer bike companies, plus a couple of OG ones, just to mix it up.Note: We Want to Hear From You!Please let us know if there’s a topic you’d like us to cover or a guest you’d like us to have on Bikes and Big Ideas. Email us at info@blisterreview.com to weigh in.RELATED LINKS:Best Bikes of the Century SurveyBlister Craft CollectiveBlister Mountain Bike Buyer’s GuideBLISTER+ Get Yourself CoveredTOPICS & TIMES:Pivot (0:59)Canyon (7:03)YT (12:59)Forbidden (16:44)Norco (22:02)Mondraker (27:16)Scott (33:06)Salsa (38:38)Orbea (43:33)Commencal (47:04)Transition (50:15)Evil (56:56)Devinci (59:55)Revel (1:02:13)Marin (1:05:31)Surly  (1:12:01)CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicGEAR:30Blister PodcastCRAFTED Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today, we’re kicking off a new series for Bikes and Big Ideas: we’re setting out to identify the best bikes of the 21st century from over 30 brands. We’ve done a similar series over on our Gear:30 podcast for skis, but that was easy compared to doing the same for bikes.Over the next couple of weeks, you’ll be hearing about our choices. We’re also including a survey, as we want to hear from you. Additionally, we’ll be sending the same survey to some bike industry luminaries, too.Once we've reviewed an array of brands, we’ll discuss how our selections align with your answers.And for our grand finale of this series, we’re going to offer our choices for the Very Best Bikes of the Century. It may seem like an impossible task, but we’re hoping we can agree on a top 10, maybe even a top 3, and if the stars align, one single bike. Or, we may never speak to each other again, but we’re willing to take that risk.Part 1 kicks off with Simon Stewart, David Golay, Dylan Wood, and Xan Marshland.Note: We Want to Hear From You!Please let us know if there’s a topic you’d like us to cover or a guest you’d like us to have on Bikes and Big Ideas. Email us at info@blisterreview.com to weigh in.RELATED LINKS:Best Bikes of the Century SurveyBlister Craft CollectiveBlister Mountain Bike Buyer’s GuideBLISTER+ Get Yourself CoveredTOPICS & TIMES:Yeti (1:58)Klein (8:20)GT (11:11)Turner (13:57)Titus (18:40)Intense (22:05)Ibis (23:41)Rocky Mountain (28:05)Kona (31:40)Giant (36:14)Santa Cruz (40:08)Cannondale (49:48)Specialized (54:28)Gary Fisher (1:05:25)Trek (1:08:36)CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicCRAFTEDGEAR:30Blister Podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The days are getting short and the weather is turning foul, but we’re still testing a ton of new bikes and gear. David Golay and Zack Henderson sat down to discuss a bunch of it, including the very burly Priority Vanth, the super lively Propain Hugene, a bunch of wet-weather apparel, and more.RELATED LINKS:SennzaFinneBlister Craft CollectiveBlister Mountain Bike Buyer’s GuideBLISTER+ Get Yourself CoveredTOPICS & TIMES:Wet weather gear (2:47)Propain Hugene (18:00)Priority Vanth (29:14)FSA KFX i28 XC/Trail wheels (40:05)MRP Lift V2 damper (46:31)CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicCRAFTEDGEAR:30Blister Podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Since its inception in 2001, Red Bull Rampage has demanded athletes walk a fine line between risk and reward, and the unfortunate injuries that go with that have been numerous. But with four riders heli-evac’d with serious injuries, this year’s Rampage was arguably the heaviest we’ve seen, and has left us with many questions about how, and if, the event should continue. Shortly afterward, several of our reviewers weighed in with their thoughts in our “Debatable” series, which asked the question, “should Rampage be shut down?” Today, we continue that conversation with an open (and quite passionate) discussion on what we think needs to happen to make the event safer for the athletes, more transparent to the fans, and ideally better to watch, too.RELATED LINKS:Debatable: Should Rampage Be Shut DownBlister Mountain Bike Buyer’s GuideGet Our Free Newsletter & Gear GiveawaysBLISTER+ Get Yourself CoveredTOPICS & TIMES:Xan: The Venue (1:07)Dylan: Let the Athletes Course Correct (11:04)Simon: On-Site Medical Assessments (19:09)Zack: Expand the Event (28:34)David: Make it a Jam instead of a Comp (35:58)Jonathan: Increase Transparency, Cover Athletes (46:27)The Athlete's Decision (55:12)Our Consensus: Changes for Next Year (1:01:29)CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicCRAFTEDGEAR:30Blister Podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Priority Cycles may be a new brand to the full-suspension MTB world, but they’ve got a ton of experience building belt-drive, gearbox bikes — and now they’ve launched the Vanth, a remarkably affordable high-pivot Pinion gearbox-equipped Enduro bike. So, why did Priority decide to enter the full-suspension bike market now, how did they come up with the wild-looking Vanth design, and what makes the Vanth so much more affordable than most other full-suspension gearbox bikes? We dive into all that and much more with Eddie Meek of Priority and Mike Schwartz, who served as an engineering consultant on the project.RELATED LINKS:Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s GuideGet Our Free Newsletter & Gear GiveawaysBLISTER+ Get Yourself CoveredTOPICS & TIMES:Introducing Eddie (3:20)The Priority brand (4:38)Introducing Mike (6:34)Why a high-pivot Enduro bike? (11:20)Other prototypes (16:01)Marketing the Vanth as a brand not known for MTBs (20:55)Belt vs. chain drive for a gearbox (27:53)The Vanth (38:10)Kinematic goals (45:00)Frame materials (51:43)Pricing & availability (56:45)CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicCRAFTEDGEAR:30Blister Podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Madrone Cycles got its start making parts to repair a variety of SRAM mountain bike derailleurs, but now they’re taking on a much more ambitious project: building their own derailleur from the ground up. Third-party derailleurs had a brief run in the earlier days of mountain biking, but SRAM and Shimano have completely dominated the market for decades now. So why is Madrone taking on the big players now, and what sets their new Jab derailleur apart? We sat down with Madrone founder, Aaron Bland, to discuss all that and more.RELATED LINKS:Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s GuideGet Our Free Newsletter & Gear GiveawaysBLISTER+ Get Yourself CoveredTOPICS & TIMES:Founding Madrone & starting with SRAM derailleur rebuilds (1:57)Electronic shifting & the resurgence of third-party mechanical derailleurs (4:02)The hardest details to get right (12:57)Evolution of the Jab design (17:25)Serviceability & Madrone’s rebuild service (22:58)Clutch & pivot designs (27:43)Modularity (32:26)Jab options (41:34)What’s next from Madrone? (47:37)CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicCRAFTEDGEAR:30Blister Podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rocket Ramps built a progressive bike park in the sovereign nation of Picuris Pueblo in northern New Mexico that has grabbed headlines and the attention of slopestyle athletes. We caught up with Rocket Ramps founder Henry Lanman to get the story behind the project and to find out what else they’re up to. Henry talks about their mission to grow the action sports scene in New Mexico, the science of ramp building, and why building a rad mountain bike trail is like cooking an amazing dinner for your friends (that lasts a lot longer).RELATED LINKS:Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s GuideGet Our Free Newsletter & Gear GiveawaysBLISTER+ Get Yourself CoveredTOPICS & TIMES:How Rocket Ramps got Started (2:33)The Most Important Part of a Good Ramp (14:20)The First Flat Packed Ramp Kits (18:09)Dirt vs Wood (22:13)Building Action Sports Infrastructure (26:18)The Crazy Big Lines of the Picuris Pueblo Bike Park (29:54)Funding Trail Development in New Mexico (39:04)What's Next for Rocket Ramps? (43:55)CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicCRAFTEDGEAR:30Blister Podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Paladin Bikes was founded by a group of robotics engineers who love bikes and wanted to build their own — and do it in the US. The AM1 is the result, and while it’s a relatively conventional All-Mountain bike when it comes to its geometry and specs, there’s a ton about it that stands out, from its machined construction to its suspension layout, and in a lot of the smaller details.So we sat down with Paladin co-founder and General Manager, Stefan Klein, to get the rundown on Paladin and the AM1, from the decision to found the company in the first place, to opting for machined construction, the challenges of founding a bike company in 2025, and a whole lot more.RELATED LINKS:Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s GuideGet Our Free Newsletter & Gear GiveawaysBLISTER+ Get Yourself CoveredTOPICS & TIMES:Introducing Stefan (1:49)Founding Paladin (4:18)Why machine a frame? (6:22)The AM1 & forgoing clamshell construction (9:25)Tradeoffs in manufacturing techniques (12:49)AM1 design details (22:11)Next steps & refinements (28:00)Flex testing (32:19)FEA vs. physical strength tests (33:57)Bringing the AM1 to market (34:40)Future plans & models (36:50)Entering the bike industry in 2025 (40:05)Standing out in the market without being too out there (42:08)CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicCRAFTEDGEAR:30Blister Podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

September delivered some incredible bike racing, featuring the Mountain Bike and Road Bike World Championships, the Lenzerheide World Cup DH and XC, and the US Open Downhill, providing us with plenty to discuss. News on the bike industry side was a familiar affair, with YT going through a rough patch and retail sales being slow. There was also some rather shocking news about Giant regarding alleged labor law violations in Taiwan. Dylan and Simon go over all that, plus some cool new products we’re testing, and we give our thoughts on the potential new mountain bike wheel size that looks to be gaining traction. All this and more in this month’s Reviewing the News episode.RELATED LINKS:Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s GuideGet Our Free Newsletter & Gear GiveawaysBLISTER+ Get Yourself CoveredTOPICS & TIMES:Are 32” Wheels Coming? (2:01)Markus Flossman Buying Back YT (8:07)Giant’s Alleged Labor Law Violations (14:33)MTB World Championships Recap (18:01)XC World Championships Recap (22:25)Road World Championships Recap (30:21)US Open in Killington (33:35)Has Dakota Norton Found His Form? (33:58)New Products (37:03)Off-Grid eMTB Battery Charging (52:53)Handlebar width? (58:18)CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicCRAFTEDGEAR:30Blister Podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We sat down to talk about Chromag’s growing full-suspension lineup, and how the new Reazon slots into it; Trek’s surprising move to turn the Fuel into a modular platform, including adding a second 160+mm-travel Enduro bike in the Fuel LX; a couple of new eMTBs from Yeti and Propain; Hope’s new GR4 brakes; and a bunch more.RELATED LINKS:Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s GuideGet Our Free Newsletter & Gear GiveawaysBLISTER+ Get Yourself CoveredTOPICS & TIMES:Norco Revolver 120 (1:12)Chromag Reazon (7:01)Trek Fuel LX (13:24)Propain Sresh SL (26:30)Yeti LTe (36:02)Hope GR4 Brakes (44:54)CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicCRAFTEDGEAR:30Blister Podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With their athletes taking wins at the Tour de France and Red Bull Hardline, Enve has been having a hell of a summer. So today we’re talking with Enve’s Jake Pantone about what they’ve been up to, the increasingly blurry lines between bike categories, how wide Gravel tires should be, and why you might want to put a suspension fork on your drop bar bike. And Jake also shares exciting news about their plans to make Mountain Bikes.RELATED LINKS:Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s GuideGet Our Free Newsletter & Gear GiveawaysBLISTER+ Get Yourself CoveredTOPICS & TIMES:Winning the Tour de France & Red Bull Hardline (1:31)Having the GOAT as an Enve Athlete (2:47)Blurry Lines Between Bike Categories (7:57)How Wide Should Gravel Tires Be? (16:40)Bigger Tires vs Suspension Forks (21:40)Gravel Bikes as a One Bike Quiver (24:47)Going From Wheels to Road & Gravel Frames (33:02)Enve to Make Mountain Bikes? (40:13)What’s Next for Enve (41:39)Investing in R&D (43:54)CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicCRAFTEDGEAR:30Blister Podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The list of world-class cyclists that have come out of the Durango Devo junior cycling program is astounding. Christopher Blevins is on a tear and is currently leading the UCI XCO overall. Riley Amos crushed the XC U23s last year. Sepp Kuss made a name for himself shepherding Jonas Vingegaard through the mountains and then went on to win a Grand Tour himself, and Quinn Simmons’ aggressive attacks made headlines during this year's Tour de France. So today, we catch up with Durango Devo co-founder Chad Cheeney to find out what the secret is to consistently turning out some of the best bike riders in the world.RELATED LINKS:Durango DevoBlister Mountain Bike Buyer’s GuideGet Our Free Newsletter & Gear GiveawaysBLISTER+ Get Yourself CoveredTOPICS & TIMES:Culture & Passion (1:43)Paying Attention to Kids (3:15)OG Durango XC History (3:35)Athletes Having Kids (5:50)What is Durango Devo? (9:30)Finding Coachable Moments (12:05)Raising Money as a Non Profit (13:34)Super Athletes of Durango Devo (15:52)Little & Scrawny Christopher Blevins (17:41)Sepp Kuss’s La Vuelta España Win (21:44)Life as a Fort Lewis Cycling Coach (36:40)Up and Coming Talent (38:56)What bike are you riding? (44:08)CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicCRAFTEDGEAR:30Blister Podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For this month's Reviewing the News Episode, Mike and I start with a topic that hits close to home: we both know extremely fit people who have passed away recently while riding their bikes. So, today we talk about how it's common for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease to go undiagnosed, especially in athletes, and what you can do, and should do, to protect yourself. Plus, we just had a fantastic, wet, and muddy weekend of racing in Les Gets, France, which gives us plenty to go on about, like the amazing Alran brothers, Gracy Hemstreet looking unbeatable, Ronan Dunne’s comeback, and road superstar Mathieu van der Poel getting back on the mountain bike for another crack at World Cup XCO, and more.RELATED LINKS:The Grimy HandshakeBlister Mountain Bike Buyer’s GuideGet Our Free Newsletter & Gear GiveawaysBLISTER+ Get Yourself CoveredTOPICS & TIMES:Mike’s Grimy Handshake (3:26)Heart Disease in Athletes (13:52)Les Gets Mud Bath (26:29)You Need Skills to Win (33:54)The Amazing Alran Brothers (39:24)Can Durango Kid Asa Veremette Ride in Mud (41:15)Ronan Dunne Didn’t Leave in a Helicopter (43:57)Specialized’s Most Expensive Bike Ever (49:42)What We’re Reading & Watching (56:43)CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicCRAFTEDGEAR:30Blister Podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Fox’s new Podium inverted fork has understandably garnered a lot of attention, and we’ve got an update on how our testing of it is going, along with the updated Float X2 and DHX2 shocks. But it’s not all gravity suspension on the docket, as we weigh in on the very good and very light Fox 34 SL fork; the ultra-versatile Trek Fuel EX; Revel’s first eMTB, the ReRun; and a bunch of brakes from brands large and small.RELATED LINKS:Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s GuideGet Our Free Newsletter & Gear GiveawaysBLISTER+ Get Yourself CoveredCasey Brown on the Inaugural Women’s Red Bull Rampage (Ep.246)TOPICS & TIMES:Revel ReRun (1:13)Trek Fuel EX (9:34)Fox 34 SL (17:37)Fox Podium (27:47)Fox Float & DHX2 Update (34:46)SRAM Motive Ultimate (37:47)HEL Advocate (43:01)Trickstuff Maxima (47:30)Magura Gustav Pro (51:43)CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicCRAFTEDGEAR:30Blister Podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For today’s Gear Therapy episode, the team gets together to try to solve Jonathan’s pedal dilemma. Like many riders out there, Jonathan is questioning his current pedal choice, and not surprisingly, he’s considering ditching his clipless pedals and replacing them with flats. Sascha and Zack bring a valuable mountain bike coaching perspective to the conversation, and together with Simon’s years of experience in the industry and bike shops, they look at the advantages and disadvantages of both styles of pedals and do our best to guide Jonathan’s decision. They know he’s not alone, and anyone in a similar pedal conundrum will benefit from tuning in.RELATED LINKS:Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s GuideGet Our Free Newsletter & Gear GiveawaysBLISTER+ Get Yourself CoveredTOPICS & TIMES:Pedal Horror Stories (1:24)Why the Hell are They Called “Clipless”? (13:29)Jonathan’s Pedal Issues (18:49)Clips are Jonathan’s Security Blankie (24:39)Pros & cons of flats (27:25)Clipless Pedals Promoting & Masking Bad Habits (35:50)Cornering Technique & Flat Pedals (36:40)Sascha Calls Simon Out (40:15)New Flat Pedal and Shoe Design (42:18)Jonathan’s Pedal Prescription (47:21)Uphill Technical & Pedal Strikes (1:02:36)CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicCRAFTEDGEAR:30Blister Podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Last year, we sat down with Casey Brown right after the first iteration of Red Bull Rampage to feature a women’s category to chat about what it meant to finally break that particular glass ceiling, what it took to do it, and how the event went.Casey is, once again, among a stacked roster of women who will be dropping in for this year’s competition, but she’s been up to a whole lot more than just preparing for Rampage — from bringing back Dark Horse, now on her own property; working with D3O to develop better women’s protective gear; and putting together a bunch of other projects in between. So we brought her back on the podcast to talk about all of it, the state of women’s freeride & the generation of riders following in her footsteps, and a whole lot more.RELATED LINKS:Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s GuideGet Our Free Newsletter & Gear GiveawaysBLISTER+ Get Yourself CoveredCasey Brown on the Inaugural Women’s Red Bull Rampage (Ep.246)TOPICS & TIMES:The return of Dark Horse (2:51)The new venue(7:12)What’s next for Dark Horse? (14:50)Louise Ferguson at Hardline (16:11)The state of women’s freeride & Casey’s role in shaping it (18:32)Planning for Rampage (21:38)Opportunities to help women’s freeride grow (30:41)Working with D3O & making better women’s protective gear (36:47)CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicCRAFTEDGEAR:30Blister Podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why didn’t Jackson Goldstone race Red Bull Hardline in Wales and give us the highly anticipated showdown between him and Asa Vermette? Dylan and I dive right into our opinions on that, and then break down the rest of July’s incredible racing results, including a quick recap of one of Simon’s favorites — the Tour de France. And itt wouldn’t be a Reviewing the News episode without some tariff chaos, and unfortunately, also some bike companies in trouble. Still, thankfully, there’s a bit of good news in here, too, since Chris King is apparently going to make internal headset cable routing better (we’re doing our best to be open-minded), and we have a new tire valve standard to get excited about (we’re actually not kidding).RELATED LINKS:BLISTER+ Get Yourself CoveredTOPICS & TIMES:Dylan’s Beer League RaceWhy Strava Might be the Best Social Media Platform Redbull HardlineWhere Was Jackson Goldstone?World Cup DH racing in JulyTom Pidcock’s Impressive Cross-country WinTour de France RecapTariffs AgainChris King is Taking a Crack at Headset Cable RoutingYT RestructuringNew ProductsWhat we’re Reading and WatchingCHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicCRAFTEDGEAR:30Blister Podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.