Mountain Cog

Send us Fan Mail In episode #080 of Mountain Cog Podcast, hosts Josh and Dane welcome Dave Slagle, the founder of Our MTB Rides and a pillar of Tucson's mountain biking community. Dave shares his journey from riding a Schwinn High Sierra as his first real mountain bike to becoming a Specialized brand ambassador. As a Tucson native, he offers unique insights into the evolution of local trails...

Send us Fan Mail In this lively episode of the mountain biking podcast, hosts Josh and Dane dive into the evolving world of mountain bike technology, debating whether certain innovations are lasting trends or passing fads. The conversation explores controversial topics like belt drives, gearbox systems, and the hosts make bold predictions about the future of derailleur technology. Dane challenges...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode Josh & Dane are joined by Justin Dietrich (General Badass, Downhill Wizard, & O.G. Hydrofoil Pro) to chat about a few of the “destination worthy” trails they’ve ridden recently while on travel in Utah, California, and Northern Arizona. While many trails are discussed throughout the episode this Trail Talk icenters around… Portal - Mag 7 (Moab, UT) https://w...

Send us Fan Mail The MCP team put out a request on our socials and multiple forums requesting stories about crazy wildlife encounters on the trail.  We got a great response (thanks to all that contributed)!  So, we grouped the inputs into 8 categories and recorded this episode where Josh & Dane discuss the “best” (unscientifically chosen) responses. The categories…  1.     Bears 2.     Birds,...

Send us Fan Mail We live in “America’s Bike Town” (Tucson, Arizona).  Our weather allows us to ride 365 days a year and the cycling options here are unmatched.   We have 100’s of miles of single-track that range from cross country to big mountain.  The road cycling attracts pros and amateurs from all over the world to ride our vast network of paved roads and the epic climb up Mt. Lemon.  We have o...

Send us Fan Mail Josh and Dane sit down with Steve Morganstern (Bicycle Ranch) to discuss why mountain bikers might be giving up more than they save when buying from a consumer direct brand. This episode essentially covers the consumer value proposition of buying from your local bike shop versus buying a bike online. The local shop value proposition includes... selection, sizing, assembly, setup,...

Send us Fan Mail Josh & Dane took a field trip up to Tempe, Arizona to spend a day with Pivot Cycles’ President (Bryan Mason) and Factory Field Rep (Bill Larson).  The day included a fun ride on Pivot eMTBs at the amazing Hawes Trail System, grabbing lunch at Someburros, touring the Pivot factory, meeting many of the Pivot team in various departments, and recording this episode with Bryan.  Th...

Send us Fan Mail This episode features the MCP hosts Josh and Dane and is pretty MTB-techy.  It starts out with a couple shoutouts from Josh to bike industry brands 1up and PNW for excellent customer service.  It transitions to cover some of our listeners perspectives on “stupid stuff in the bike industry”.  And finally, it concludes with an epic and aggressive argument (in good fun) between “Team...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Dane sits down again with Sam Elmes from Rocky Mountain to discuss Rocky's significantly redesigned enduro bike... the Altitude.  Feedback from Rocky's professional enduro race team were essential in shaping the Altitude's redesign.  This episode features less rabbit holes and more bike specs.  Enjoy. Learn more about the new Altitude at Rocky Mount...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode Josh & Dane chat with "Sunglass Rob" the CEO of San Diego's based SportRX.  SportRX is an online company focused on prescription eyewear for multiple sports with biking being one of their biggest markets).  Sunglass Rob is an avid mountain biker and an absolute savant as it relates to eyewear.  In addition to learning a ton about active eyewear a...

Send us Fan Mail Dane had a chance to sit down with Sam Elmes from Rocky Mountain Bikes during the Sedona Mountain Bike Festival to chat about the new Instinct, Rocky’s line-up and a bit about the mountain bike festival. Rocky Mountain Instinct https://bikes.com/collections/instinct Sedona Mountain Bike Festival https://sedonamtbfestival.com Listen to Mountain Cog Apple Podcasts Spotify Other Podc...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode Josh and Dane discuss and debate (argue even) about annoying mountain bike stuff.   Some of the topics we debate on include…  Presta valves + chunky sealant.  Dunlop valves.   British brake lever setup (rear brake on left / front brake right). MOAB closing its lift (yes, they had one). Spoke holes inside rims (requires rim tape = tubeless system failure point). Nip...

Send us Fan Mail Old Pueblo MTB is a mountain bike group based in Tucson, AZ. that hosts multiple group rides every week.  The group communicates primarily through their Facebook page which has 4,000+ members.  The episode features ‘The Travis Williams’ (aka Captain Enthusiasm) who is one of the key administrators of Old Pueblo MTB.  In addition to learning all about Old Pueblo MTB… the boys and T...

Send us Fan Mail Recorded onsite at the brewery, the boys chat with Brian (owner of Catalina Brewing Company) about beer, the brewery, and content spanning a ton of mountain bike topics (including: bikes, epic adventures, bike art, and more) .  Some interesting nuggets include how a 125cc moto smashed the rear window of Josh’s truck, an epic mountain bike ride in Tucson that requires riders to sen...

Send us Fan Mail What is the 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo?  Think “Burning Man” + “Mountain Bike Race”.  Dane & Josh recorded this episode LIVE this morning, just before the race start in the Old Pueblo MTB booth. In this episode we laugh, rap about the event, interact with participants and spectators, and as always go down random mountain bike related rabbit holes. Epic Rides – 24 Hours in the...

Send us Fan Mail If you listen to this podcast at all... you probably know that we are presently obsessed with bike fits.  It all started when Wolfman (aka Andrew Wolf, a prior exercise physiologist) berated Josh for never having a bike fit in Episode #57 .  That catalyzed an awesome bike fit experience with Frank Kaiser (Ben's Bikes) who we interviewed in Episode #62 .  Frank told us that wh...

Send us Fan Mail Join us in wishing a warm welcome to Dane Higgins (Guru Bikes & Guru Suspension) who is joining Josh as the new co-host of the Mountain Cog Podcast.  In this episode, we welcome and learn more about Dane (his shop & suspension business, his bikes and riding style).  In addition, the episode spends a good chunk of time on the state of the bike industry; past, present, and f...

Send us Fan Mail Bittersweet.  It’s an interesting word.  It’s used to refer to something that has both happy and sad aspects.  It’s the perfect word to describe this episode.  The sad part is that this is Mike’s last episode as a co-host of the MCP.  He’s retiring.  The happy part is that we have awesome plans for the future.  Those plans include a new co-host (a seasoned mountain bike industry e...

Send us Fan Mail In Episode 57, Wolfman convinced us to get a bike fit. So, we tracked down a local (and amazing) professional bike fitter, got a bike fit from him, and convinced him to come on the podcast. In this episode we chat with Frank Kaiser (aka our favorite German).  Frank is a professional bike fitter, a certified IRONMAN Coach, a business owner, a prior New Mexico Sheriff/Detective, and...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode Josh, Mike, & Roundabout Sam have an interesting conversation on the vast challenges and success stories related to managing transportation & mobility in Tucson, Arizona.  While centered around Tucson… these topics directly translate to any major city.  The subjects covered include: increasing bicycle, pedestrian, and motorized safety on our roads, bike lan...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we engage in a compelling conversation with Susie Murphy, the Executive Director of the San Diego Mountain Biking Association (SDMBA.com), a non-profit organization committed to preserving and enhancing sustainable trail access for mountain biking in San Diego County. Established in 1994, SDMBA boasts a volunteer-driven force and stands as one of the largest regio...

Send us Fan Mail This is the 1st of our 2 part series with O.G. BMX pro Dusty Horton.  The episode starts off with Dusty telling about his BMX roots in Milwaukee, his time riding for DK, his discovery of 22" BMX bikes and his current gig riding for Ditto BMX.  The episode is full of laughs and fun stories including riding brakeless, how Turf Skatepark turned into a strip club, and highlights...

Send us Fan Mail Warning: this episode includes conversation about suicide.  This episode may not be appropriate for anyone sensitive to the topic of suicide.  If you are having suicidal thoughts, please know, SUICIDE IS NOT THE ANSWER , help is available.  A super easy way to get help in the United States is the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, Just TEXT or CALL 988 .  Please get help.  This world...

Send us Fan Mail Ever wondered about the intricate science behind cardiovascular fitness and the mysterious VO2 max readings on your smart devices? Or pondered about the impact of bike crank lengths on your cadence? Well, your curiosity is about to be satiated as we explore these fascinating topics with our guest, Wolfman. An exercise physiologist turned real estate agent, Wolfman's unique jo...

Send us Fan Mail This week's guest is 15 year old road cyclist Brady Hogue (joined by his mom  Sarah).  Throughout the episode Brady walks us through his cycling journey starting with the Vail Composite Mountain Bike team thru his transition to road cycling, including racing in nationals and participating in USA Cycling's European Training and Race Camp in Sittard, Netherlands.  This up...