The Pacific Crest Trail is well known in the hiking world and beyond, but what if there was a mountain biking version? Gabe Tiller has ambitions to establish a route — predominantly on dirt — from British Columbia all the way to the southern tip of Baja Mexico, and founded the Orogenesis Collective to make it happen. With the trail taking form — and slated for a “soft opening” in 2023 — we sat down with Gabe to get the whole story, including his vision for the trail and where the idea first took...
Nov 03, 2022•46 min•Ep. 142
Traumatic brain injuries are an unfortunate reality of many outdoor sports, and after professional snowboarder Kevin Pearce suffered one that derailed his career, Kevin founded LoveYourBrain, along with his brother Adam, to provide resources and support for others going through their own journey of recovery. And so we sat down with Adam to talk about everything that LoveYourBrain does, the conversations around TBIs in the action sports world, and a whole lot more — including their fundraising ra...
Oct 27, 2022•34 min•Ep. 141
When we first had EXT founder Franco Fratton on Bikes & Big Ideas back in Ep. 110 , we had plenty to cover with just the story of his long and remarkable career in suspension design and didn’t delve too far into the technical side of things. But Franco is an incredible wealth of knowledge when it comes to suspension design, so we’ve got him back on the show to share a whole bunch of that knowledge, in part one of a multi-episode series with Franco. So strap in, you’re going to learn some stu...
Oct 20, 2022•1 hr 17 min•Ep. 140
Matthew Fairbrother showed up in Scotland for the 2022 EWS season opener, at age 17, having never left New Zealand before, and with no plan for what was going to follow that first race. And in what is one of the wildest mountain bike stories of the year, he wound up bikepacking over 3,400 km between races over the course of the season — and still finished 13th overall in the U21 Men’s category. So we sat down to get the whole story, which somehow just gets even crazier from here. TOPICS & TI...
Oct 13, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 139
We’ve been testing a ton of new bikes and gear (as always) and we’ve got updates on a bunch of it including the new Santa Cruz Tallboy and the RockShox Pike that came on it; the Intense Tracer 279; the Kavenz VHP 16; we chat about crank length and Hope’s new super-short 155 mm option; we offer some updates on our upcoming brake shootout, and thoughts on brake selection in general; and a whole bunch more. TOPICS & TIMES: Intense Tracer 279 (2:21) Revel Rail 29 (15:27) Kavenz VHP 16 (18:36) Sa...
Oct 06, 2022•1 hr•Ep. 138
BTR Fabrications has a well-earned reputation for building burly, aggressive hardtails, and we sat down with Paul “Burf” Burford (the “B” in “BTR”) to talk about his design philosophy and pioneering aggressive hardtail geometry; racing DH on a hardtail; their wild one-off Gasser DH bike; racing with the Athertons; and a whole lot more. TOPICS & TIMES: Burf’s background & founding BTR (2:06) BTR’s history & the Belter DH hardtail (9:08) Hardtail geometry (15:34) The BTR customer (25:5...
Sep 29, 2022•58 min•Ep. 137
Pete Fowler’s path to founding Pinner Machine Shop was an unconventional one, including teaching himself how to be a machinist, running a mill in his kitchen while his partner was at work, and a whole lot of other twists and turns. So we sat down with Pete to get the whole story, and chat about how and why he keeps Pinner running on top of holding down a job at Chromag; saving countless vacations from Whistler bike park carnage; where his product ideas come from; and a whole lot more. TOPICS &am...
Sep 22, 2022•37 min•Ep. 136
One of the biggest stories of the World Cup Downhill season that just wrapped up has been the formation of the new rider’s association to better collectively advocate for their interests and those of the sport. So we sat down with newly-appointed rider representative Emilie Siegenthaler to talk about why the riders decided to band together, what they hope to get out of the association, how the 2023 season is shaping up, and a whole lot more. TOPICS & TIMES: What is the association, and why f...
Sep 15, 2022•53 min•Ep. 135
Vaea Verbeeck has had a very impressive and varied mountain bike career as a racer (across a wide range of disciplines), a freerider, and a whole lot more. And so just before she headed off to this year’s iteration of Proving Grounds , we sat down to hear her story about the wild early days of her mountain biking odyssey in Bromont, Quebec; the tragedy that got her to refocus and commit to being a full-time pro; what keeps her motivated, and how her ever-evolving riding style is a key to that; i...
Sep 08, 2022•59 min•Ep. 134
Dillon Osleger is a man who wears many hats — he’s a professional mountain biker, the head of the Sage Trails Alliance, a climate scientist, a founding member of the Protect Our Winters Bike Alliance, and more. So we sat down with him to talk about all of that, and along the way, we get into how the mountain bike community is growing and evolving for the better; how cool historic trails can be (and how to resurrect them); and much more. TOPICS & TIMES: Rezduro (2:35) POW Bike Alliance (7:05)...
Sep 01, 2022•53 min•Ep. 133
We’ve been testing a ton of bikes, suspension, brakes, and other gear, so Dylan Wood and I sat down to chat about a whole bunch of it, including the Pivot Shadowcat, Intense Tracer 279, Canfield Jedi 29, multiple versions of the Manitou Dorado, plus a whole lot more — and we tease a very big upcoming project that is going to be of interest to a whole lot of folks. TOPICS & TIMES: David’s mustache (1:42) Rossignol Mandate (2:49) Pivot Shadowcat (8:45) Intense Tracer 279 (15:06) Santa Cruz Meg...
Aug 25, 2022•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 132
Reynolds is one of the biggest names in steel and titanium bike frame tubing, and they’ve just released a very interesting report on the environmental impact of their various product lines . So we sat down with their General Manager, Martin Shepherd, to talk about why Reynolds went through the effort to produce the study and what they hoped to learn from it; what Reynolds is doing to curb their own emissions; how and why all recycling isn’t created equal; and along the way we get into Spitfire a...
Aug 18, 2022•48 min•Ep. 131
Dillon Flinders has some very lofty goals for himself — both on a bike and on skis — so we sat down to talk about them, and how he’s arranging his life to chase both at once. Along the way, we get into the differing cultures of both sports; how a mindset change improved Dylan’s DH race performance; mentorship and fostering the next generation of American DH racers; & much more. TOPICS & TIMES: Dylan’s intro to MTB & Tuning skis to buy a DH bike(3:26) Juggling biking and skiing (6:53)...
Aug 11, 2022•56 min•Ep. 130
Rae Morrison has been at the pointy end of the EWS circuit for the better part of the series’ existence, and we caught up with her shortly before the upcoming Whistler EWS race to talk about how the series has evolved over the years, and what Rae would do differently if she were in charge; the injury and recovery that spurred her to pursue a career as a pro racer in the first place; her bike setup preferences; her unique team setup and balancing both sides of her relationship with her husband an...
Aug 04, 2022•1 hr•Ep. 129
Crestline Bikes has been teasing some extremely interesting-looking prototypes — especially their high-pivot VPP DH bike — but details on the project have been scarce. So we sat down with founder Troydon Murison and suspension designer Jimmy Davis (of Cascade Components) to talk about the project, including a whole lot of details on their upcoming lineup; founding the company & involving some big names, including Jimmy and Cesar Rojo; getting advice from Greg Minnaar and Neko Mulally ; &...
Jul 28, 2022•56 min•Ep. 128
We sat down with Troy, Paul, Pierce, and Jonah from Over The Edge — our Blister Recommended Shop in Fruita, CO; Hurricane, UT; Todos Santos, Mexico; and Melrose, Australia — to talk about the unique history of OTE; building trails in the early days of mountain biking; the development of mountain bike towns; travel & MTB destinations; servicing bikes at Rampage; and a whole lot more. TOPICS & TIMES: Over The Edge’s origin story (4:13) Expansion & the growth of MTB towns (6:12) Trail b...
Jul 21, 2022•44 min•Ep. 127
Racing the EWS for the first time is a daunting prospect, but Eric Olsen decided to spice things up by bike touring between the first three rounds to boot. So right after his return from Europe, we sat down with Eric to talk about where the idea came from and what his goals were for the trip; how things went, including encountering golf-ball-sized hail & (almost) running over a bunch of schoolchildren; raising money for World Bicycle Relief & the idea of bikes as transportation; how his ...
Jul 14, 2022•1 hr•Ep. 126
Trinity MTB’s V2 high-pivot prototype can serve dual-duty as an Enduro or DH bike, with or without a gearbox — to say nothing of the 3D printed construction, or any of the other fascinating design details. So we sat down with Trinity’s Chase Warner and Mic Williams to hear all about what is one of the most interesting bikes out there; learn the story behind its development; and get some teasers about the V3 bike, which they promise will be even wilder. TOPICS & TIMES: The origins of Trinity ...
Jul 07, 2022•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 125
We’ve got a ton of bikes in for testing right now, so David Golay and Dylan Wood sat down to talk about a bunch of the stuff they’ve been spending time on across the travel spectrum, including the new Santa Cruz Hightower and Megatower; some shorter-travel options from Niner and Rocky Mountain; and a couple more Enduro bikes from Kavenz and Pivot. TOPICS & TIMES: Niner JET 9 RDO (2:05) Rocky Mountain Element (5:40) Santa Cruz Hightower (12:49) Santa Cruz Megatower (15:47) Kavenz VHP 16 (26:2...
Jun 30, 2022•44 min•Ep. 124
Betty Birrell picked up mountain biking nearly 30 years ago and at 73, she’s still riding serious trails on the North Shore. So David Golay and Kara Williard sat down with Betty to talk about her trajectory as a mountain biker; motherhood; how the sport has (and hasn’t) changed; and the North Shore Betty documentary short that Patagonia released recently. Along the way, Betty shares some great insights on staying motivated and continuing to do the things we love in the outdoors long after a lot ...
Jun 23, 2022•52 min•Ep. 123
Hope has been making mountain bike disc brakes for longer than just about anybody, and earlier this year they launched their new Tech 4 lineup of brakes. So we sat down with Hope’s design engineer, Sam Gibbs, to talk about the new brakes & what changed from the prior Tech 3 models; how to choose the right brakes, rotors, and pads for you; and along the way we go pretty deep on the finer points of brake tech and all the tradeoffs inherent to designing them. TOPICS & TIMES: Sam’s role at H...
Jun 16, 2022•58 min•Ep. 122
Mountain bikes and beer are a classic combination, but there aren’t many bike companies that were literally founded in a brewery. REEB is one, though (the name is a clue there), and as you might expect from a bike company with as interesting an origin story as theirs, REEB does a lot of things differently. So we sat down with Jeff Lenosky and Adam Prosise to get the rundown on the company history; talk about their model lineup and how each one came about; discuss their manufacturing ethos, and a...
Jun 09, 2022•52 min•Ep. 121
We’ve been busy testing a whole lot of new suspension from RockShox, as well as bikes across the whole spectrum, from XC to Enduro, so Jonathan Ellsworth and David Golay sat down in Blister HQ to talk about all of it, including the new Santa Cruz Megatower V2, the Rocky Mountain Element, and a whole lot more. TOPICS & TIMES: RockShox Flight Attendant (4:48) RockShox’s new 2023 lineup (12:38) YT Capra (17:33) Santa Cruz Megatower (19:30) Orbea Rallon (22:56) Antidote Carbonjack (25:02) Orbea ...
Jun 02, 2022•38 min•Ep. 120
Jess Blewitt first rode a mountain bike in 2018, but her list of accomplishments is already extensive — including being the two-time New Zealand DH National Champ and having earned a top-ten finish at World Championships — and she’s only 19. So we had Jess on to talk about how she’s put it all together so quickly and how her background as a ski racer helped; her career highlights to date; her brutal crash at Snowshoe and how she recovered from it so quickly; what she’s got planned for 2022 — inc...
May 26, 2022•40 min•Ep. 119
Lots of mountain bikers have idly thought about designing their own frame, but actually doing it is an entirely different matter. But ex-pro racer Even Turpen took the leap, and his Contra Bikes prototype is nearing production readiness (and was perhaps the coolest thing we saw at Sea Otter this year). So we brought Evan on the show to talk about the bike design and what he wanted to accomplish with it; the a-ha moment that sparked the project in the first place; learning to design and fabricate...
May 19, 2022•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 118
Kavenz founder Giacomo Großehagenbrock got an early start in the mountain bike industry when he landed an internship at Nicolai when he was just 17. He followed that up by founding 77designz , making chainguides, stems, and more, but he still had the itch to design his own bike — so Kavenz and the VHP16 were born. But the story is a lot more complicated — and interesting — than that, so we sat down with Giacomo to get the full rundown, including the trials and tribulations of starting a bike com...
May 12, 2022•46 min•Ep. 117
We sat down with Rich Frough of Fanatik, our Blister Recommended Bike Shop in Bellingham, WA to talk about bike gear trends, the local mountain bike scene, and Fanatik’s amazing custom bike and wheel building programs. TOPICS & TIMES: Fanatik’s history (1:25) Rich’s role at Fanatik (3:11) The Fanatik customer (4:47) Bellingham’s mountain bike scene (7:13) Gear trends — locally and globally (9:08) Fanatik staff’s favorite gear (20:59) Service (25:30) Rich’s Big Idea (32:37) RELATED LINKS: Fan...
May 05, 2022•35 min•Ep. 116
A few years ago, Kitsbow undertook an incredibly ambitious plan to move to Old Fort, North Carolina, and bring all of their apparel production to the United States, after years of working with overseas factories. And not only did they do just that, but in doing so they trained an entirely new workforce and spearheaded the revitalization of their new hometown, which had been losing manufacturing jobs for decades. So we brought their CEO, David Billstrom, back onto the show to talk about how they ...
Apr 28, 2022•1 hr•Ep. 115
Revel Bikes recently launched the new Rail 29 , so we sat down with their founder, Adam Miller, to get the rundown on the new bike and its development process; navigating COVID & the maturation of the bike industry; the rest of the Revel lineup; wheel sizes and mullet-skepticism; and a whole lot more. TOPICS & TIMES: Check-in since last time (Ep. 25) (2:10) Revel’s new Rail 29 (5:51) Growth & navigating COVID (12:17) The maturation of the bike industry (27:21) Revel bike lineup (31:1...
Apr 21, 2022•52 min•Ep. 114
Chelsea Kimball got a later start in MTB than a lot of pro riders, but she’s making up for lost time and is part of the inaugural class of women participating in Darkfest, among a whole lot of other huge accomplishments. So we sat down with her to talk about all of it, including her longtime commitment to van life, Freeride Fiesta and getting props from Yoann Barelli, the state and future of women’s freeride, and a whole lot more. TOPICS & TIMES: Growing up climbing & getting introduced ...
Apr 14, 2022•42 min•Ep. 113
