Bikes & Big Ideas

Alex Desmond is an engineer, and when a friend of his suffered a stroke and was no longer able to ride a bike, Alex decided to do something about it. Six years later, the fruits of that project are here — as the Orange Phase AD3 . Not only is the end result remarkable, but the story of how it came to be might be even wilder, so we sat down with Alex to get the rundown on the project, including a w...

When we last checked in with We Are One’s Dustin Adams , he broke the news that they’d be making a bike. Now 18 months later, it’s here. So we figured it was a great time to get Dustin back onto Bikes & Big Ideas to talk about The Arrival, including balancing versatility vs. focusing on specific attributes; the modular frame platform and plans for future models; frame repairs, and making thing...

The last few weeks have been jam-packed with outstanding Downhill racing, so Noah Bodman and David Golay sat down to talk about all the action at World Champs, including Greg Minnaar further cementing his status as the GOAT; the incredible Val di Sole course; mind-blowing saves & returns from injury; the Lenzerheide World Cup, including utter domination by the French; Vali Holl finding her for...

Mountain biking with inadequate brakes is terrifying, if not downright unsafe, but the role of pads and rotors is often underappreciated. So we sat down with Daryl Simmons of Galfer USA to go deep on brake pads and rotors, including differences in pad materials and why the classic metallic vs. organic debate doesn’t tell the whole story; what factors influence wet-weather performance and heat resi...

Chris Porter is one of the most interesting and most opinionated figures in the mountain bike world, he’s back on Bikes and Big Ideas this week. There was a lot we weren’t able to cover in our first conversation a few months ago, so this week we discuss the Geometron G1 & how Chris chooses to set up his personal bike; dual-crown Enduro forks & how we both wish they were more common; EXT su...

Our summer biking season is flying by and we’ve been spending a ton of time on a lot of very interesting bikes and gear — with a lot more to come. So we decided to check in with several of our reviewers to hear about the gear they’ve been most impressed by so far this year; the new products they’re most excited to check out; and along the way we talk about mullet bikes, bike shop pranks, and unvei...

Our guest this week is Steve Vanderhoek , who just put out one of the best video edits of the year , in which he and Yoann Barelli rode nearly all of the gnarliest features in the Sea to Sky Corridor in one truly wild day. So we sat down with Steve to talk about everything that went into making that day happen; the mental challenges of riding scary, high-consequence lines; filming and riding with...

Today we have Blister Bike Editor David Golay talking to reviewer Dylan Wood about all the bikes and gear they’ve recently been spending time on, including some A-B comparisons of short-travel, DW-link bikes at both ends of the price spectrum; a range of longer-travel Enduro bikes both fairly conventional and quite unusual; some very intriguing pedals; and they mix in some thoughts on the importan...

Sabra Davison grew up ski racing and running, but when she got into mountain biking, she saw girls participating at far lower rates — so she decided to do something about it. Sabra (along with her sister, World Cup XC racer and two-time Olympian, Lea) founded Little Bellas to get girls into riding bikes, and develop the confidence to keep with it. We sat down with Sabra to talk about Little Bellas...

When he was in his 20s Matt Gilman lost his sight due to diabetes, but that hasn’t stopped him from riding trials — and maybe even more remarkably, working as a bike mechanic. His story is an incredible one, so we sat down with Matt to talk about his approach to riding; how he manages to ride by feel; his career as a bike mechanic and how he adapted to doing that blind; and a whole lot more. TOPIC...

The first-generation Manitou Dorado turned a lot of heads more than 20 years ago, in large part thanks to its inverted layout and wild-looking carbon chassis. The all-new, fourth-generation Dorado is a major update to what Manitou calls “the longest-standing inverted downhill fork” — including a return of the carbon chassis, after more than a decade hiatus. But there’s a whole lot more going on, t...

Few (if any) riders have the power, balance, & creativity of Brad Simms . So you might assume it’s been a pretty quick and easy path to prominence for someone this unique. But it hasn’t been an easy road, and in this conversation, Brad spells it all out; talks about how close he came to calling it quits; his new partnership with Canyon bikes; his interest in all types of riding; and more. TOPI...

Which ski brand is most similar to Transition? Guerrilla Gravity? Specialized? Which bike company is most like K2? ON3P? Moment? We answer all of these questions and more in Part 2 of Bikes vs. Skis. Check it out, and let us know your answers in the comments section on our site. TOPICS & TIMES: Transition (2:04) Propain (5:35) Guerilla Gravity (7:08) Commencal (11:22) Q: Cool Kid Co.s: Does si...

Which bike & ski company would you buy stock in right now? Which company is currently holding the “Cool Kids Belt”? Who is currently overhyped, and who is flying under the radar? Who do other brands secretly wish they could trade places with? We answer all these questions and more in our latest edition of Bikes vs. Skis. Check it out, and tell us your answers to these questions in the comments...

This week on Bikes and Big Ideas, Jonathan Ellsworth, David Golay, and Eric Freson sit down to give an update on their various injuries; discuss the latest news in races big and small; discuss the bikes they’ve been spending time on; go deep on mullets; and get weird talking about the bike analog of telemark skiing. TOPICS & TIMES: Injury Updates (1:38) Race News (8:20) New Trek Session (15:00...

Hannah Bergemann just got back from the 2nd year of Red Bull Formation, so we caught up with her to get her take on the event; hear how it was similar to and how it was different from the 1st year of Formation; talk about her work with Transition; and her future plans. TOPICS & TIMES: The evolution of Formation (2:47) Collaboration vs. Competition (7:44) Digging & building lines (12:35) Tr...

Yesterday, we talked with Claudio Caluori who had just returned from Israel. The conflict between Israel and Palestine had escalated while Claudio was there, and we wanted to learn more about the work he was doing in Israel; why he stayed to finish the project; and what he learned by virtue of being on the ground there. We also discuss a really exciting project that Claudio breaks the news about d...

We’re talking with Miranda Miller about starting her new YouTube channel, MGM Alternative , with Remi Gauvin and Jesse Melamed ; choosing riding partners; racing Enduro vs. racing DH; espresso machines & World Cup wins; books; & more. TOPICS & TIMES: Getting injured riding bikes (1:41) MGM Alternative (6:28) Choosing our riding partners (11:04) Brutus vs Poacher (13:06) Best & tric...

We just released our first-ever Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide. You can find it for free on our website , and here, you can listen to David Golay, Kristin Sinnott, and Jonathan Ellsworth talk about why it isn’t your typical buyer’s guide; how long it's been in the works; and why we thought that something like it was really needed by everyone from brand-new to expert riders. TOPICS & TIMES...

Vero Sandler just competed in the first-ever REAL MTB event, so we caught up with this Kiwi with the French name who lives in Wales to talk about the experience and get her thoughts on being the first (and only) female in the comp; the importance of checking your junk (???); the art of “getting slidey”; her current big idea; and more. TOPICS & TIMES: Electric fences, sharks, & cows (1:54)...

Chris Porter has long been known as one of the earliest and most vocal proponents of the longer/lower/slacker trends in mountain bike geometry, and his Geometron bikes have pushed the envelope further than just about anything else out there. Chris has opinions on a whole lot more than just bike geometry, though, and in our recent conversation we got his takes on wheel sizes, eBikes, suspension tun...

Carson Storch is one of the most talented freeriders in the world, but it is his intense passion for mountain that might actually be the most notable thing about him. We recently caught up with Carson about how his recovery is going from a recent injury — and how he approaches rehab in general; his background and his ascendance in slopestyle and freeride mountain biking; his plans for 2021; and mo...

We talk with the pioneer of women’s freeride about growing up in the bush of New Zealand; her first bike (it was a mullet??); moving to Revelstoke; choosing mountain biking over skiing; career detours; being “toothless & ruthless”; Rampage; Formation; the future of women’s freeride; & more. TOPICS & TIMES: Growing up in the bush of New Zealand (3:00) First bike: a mullet?? (10:49) Movi...

Blister reviewers David Golay and Noah Bodman talk about trends in modern bikes, including a possible ceasefire in the geometry wars; the relative consistency of Downhill bike geometry; the decline of weight weenie-ism; an outrageously long bike from 30 years ago; how all bikes should be sized to fit Noah Bodman; and a whole bunch more. TOPICS & TIMES Trail bike geometry, and a ceasefire in th...

We talk to Steve Mathews of Vorsprung Suspension about moving to Whistler and breaking everything in the bike park; studying automotive engineering as the closest thing to getting a degree in bikes; founding Vorsprung and developing suspension products; leprechauns(??); magic bikes(???) and a whole lot more. TOPICS & TIMES Growing up in Melbourne & racing DH (1:37) Studying automotive engi...