Bikes & Big Ideas

Hunt Bike Wheels has been building durable, affordable wheels since 2015, so Simon caught up with their Brand Manager, James Stokoe, to talk about about their early days based in a garage, their first gravel wheels, moving into the MTB market, rider-focused engineering, why wheels make the most sense when upgrading a new bike, some highly entertaining stories from James, and more.  Note: We W...

In the midst of some of the most dangerous fire conditions ever seen in the American West, Mike and Simon discuss wildfire prevention and what the different levels of fire restrictions mean.  From the bike industry, there's the shocking news from Cannonale to shutter their factory racing program next year, SRAM’s plan to build a massive factory in Portugal, and Mike gives a heartfelt tribute...

It’s never been easy to make it as an independent framebuilder, and it’s only getting harder. Chris Blandford knows the struggle well, and might well be doing more than anyone else currently to support small US builders, from founding Firsthand Framebuilding to resurrecting Paragon Machine Works, and more. He’s here to tell us all about it. Note: We Want to Hear From You! Please share with us the...

We tend to think of maps as objective representations of the physical world around us, but they're subject to the biases, goals, and editorial choices of the folks making them — just like any other piece of writing, film, or method of communication. Dillon Osleger's excellent new book, Trail Work, lays out how the erasure of trails from historic maps erodes our collective access to public lands; h...

Like most small framebuilders, Ashley King launched Significant Other making custom rigid frames, but she turned that model on its head by launching the Ded Reckin full-suspension XC/Trail bike, and taking it to serial production. And if that’s not enough, she’s already built prototypes of two more full-suspension models, too. So we brought Ashley back on the show to tell the whole story, from dec...

Mike had to make a trip back to Mexico to help his 97-year-old Mom move, and amidst spider bites, broken windows, explosive dog diarrhea, and the usual technical issues (he needs his own full-time tech support department), he miraculously joined Simon to go over a very busy month — from racing to the courtroom, they have a lot to get through.  Paragon Machine Works' reopening is the best news...

The long-travel single-crown fork landscape has shifted a ton since Manitou unveiled the original Mezzer in 2019, and the new second-generation version has seen a lot of changes to better match modern bikes — including splitting the lineup into the standard Mezzer and the beefier Mezzer LT . Both get a host of intriguing performance-oriented changes, too, so we brought Manitou Product Manager Phil...

Spot’s Ryan Palmer and Simon Stewart have been talking about bikes for years, so when Spot dropped their new Diggity 125 Trail bike, Simon quickly wound him up for a chat. Ryan shares details about their design decisions, why Spot’s Living Link suspension layout gives them more kinematic control throughout the travel, their interesting take on size-specific chainstay length, the lightweight Trail...

Gravel Hall of Famer Yuri Hauswald is coming out of retirement at age 55 to raise money for the Life Time Foundation by racing the Unbound Gravel 200, a race he won over a decade ago. Tune in to find out why he’s starting dead last, what’s changed in his training approach, his bike setup, and why he’s passionate about kids’ charities, plus some bonus gravel tips & tricks for one of the most ch...

Mike and Simon unpack the first DH and XC World Cup of the season, and there’s a whole lot to talk about, including course drama, fast Frenchies, DH hardtails, belt drives, tons of flats, just as many crashes, and Vali Holl and Asa Vermette's insane winning runs, not to mention the XC race mudfest the day after. Plus, we sprinkle in a bit of industry news, and Mike lays out his plan to make poison...

Hannah Otto has been reeling off an impressive streak of mountain biking FKTs over the past few years, and now she’s added a road bike one to the list: the 14,000’ climb up Mauna Kea, Hawai’i. So we brought Hannah back on the show to tell the story behind the effort, discuss the differences in FKT culture across disciplines, and a whole lot more. Note: We Want to Hear From You! Please share with u...

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, topic...

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...

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 wi...

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 ki...

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 Yo...

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 challe...

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 Str...

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 par...

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 t...

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 ab...

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...

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...

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...

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) likel...