Suspension Sessions

The race behind the race – a conversation with the woman steering one of South Africa's most beloved cycling events. In episode 14 of Suspension Sessions, Robbie and Glen sit down with Lions Karoo to Coast Race Director Zandile Meneses to uncover what goes on behind one of South Africa's most iconic mountain bike events. From the rich history of Karoo to Coast and the unique appeal of Prince Alfre...

In episode 13 of Suspension Sessions, Robbie and Glen sit down with Candice Lill fresh off her victory at the Absa Cape Epic, to talk about life, racing, and suspension setups. They unpack what it takes to perform at the highest level of cross-country and stage racing — from the intensity of the World Cup circuit and the Olympic Games to the unique demands of multi-day events. At the core of the c...

In Episode 12 of Suspension Sessions, we focus on one of the most critical — and often overlooked — aspects of stage racing: suspension preparation. Drawing on real-world experience from working with riders at the ABSA Cape Epic, Glen and Robbie break down what it takes to get your suspension ready before the race, and how to manage it over multiple days of demanding terrain. From correct servicin...

In this episode, we sit down with Tristan from Gecko Racing Engineering — a young mechanical engineer designing and building a 400kg single-seater race car for the iconic Simola Hillclimb. Instead of buying a race car, Tristan chose to build one from the ground up. We unpack how their development process starts with tyre selection and moves into suspension geometry, leverage ratios, anti-squat, an...

For Episode 10 of Suspension Sessions, Glen and Robbie sit down with  Terje “TJ” Hansen , Head of MTB Suspension at Öhlins - a man who’s spent nearly three decades at the heart of world-class suspension development. From being born into motocross heritage to helping build Öhlins’ mountain bike program from a “skunkworks” project into a World Cup-winning force, TJ shares the inside story of how eli...

Episode 9: The 32-Inch Wheel Debate – Innovation or Overkill? In this episode of Suspension Sessions , Glen and Robbie sit down with Valentin Wendel from BMC to unpack one of the most talked-about developments in modern mountain biking: 32-inch wheels. After seeing the prototype unveiled at a World Cup event, the discussion dives into why the industry is exploring bigger wheels, what the real perf...

Episode 8: The Art of Balance – Real-World Suspension Tuning with RBC In Episode 8 of Suspension Sessions , Glen, Robbie, and Valentin dig into what suspension tuning really looks like away from theory and inside real-world riding conditions. Recorded after several days of hands-on suspension setup with professional riders in the Western Cape, this episode explores the idea of balance — between ri...

Episode 7: Inside Suspension Development with Valentin Wendel (BMC) In this episode of Suspension Sessions , Glen and Robbie sit down with Valentin Wendel from Swiss bike manufacturer BMC for a deep dive into the world of suspension development. With a career spanning more than two decades, Valentin shares insight from his time working on World Cup race bikes, developing suspension systems from fi...

Before lockouts, air springs, and endless adjustment dials, there was legacy suspension — simple, innovative, and often surprisingly effective. In Episode 6 of Suspension Sessions , Robbie and Glen look back at the forks and shocks that helped define early mountain biking, and discuss how these older systems still fit into today’s riding world. From common wear points and service challenges to sou...

Michel Kruiper joins Robbie and Glen for a dive into the early days of downhill mountain biking and some views on current trends. A former Dutch National Downhill Champion and UCI World Cup racer, Michel shares what it was like competing in UCI DH events, training for Olympic selection and how he transitioned into the cycling retail space. Whether you’re a racer, a weekend rider, or a suspension n...

Air vs Coil: Which Suspension Is Right for You? Air or coil — it’s one of the most common suspension questions riders ask, and one of the most misunderstood. In this episode of Suspension Sessions , we break down the real-world differences between air-sprung and coil-sprung suspension. No marketing hype, no internet myths — just practical insight from the workshop and the trail. We cover how each...

In Episode 3 of Suspension Sessions, we take a closer lookat dropper posts, a component that’s become essential on modern mountain bikes, yet is often misunderstood and neglected. Drawing on real-world workshop experience at RBC, we unpack how dropper posts work, what affects performance, and the most common problems we see coming through the service department. We also discuss basic care, service...

In this episode, Glen and Robbie break down one of the most important - and most misunderstood - elements of MTB setup: suspension sag. They discuss what sag really is, why it matters and the common mistakes riders make when setting sag on forks and rear shocks. A practical, no-nonsense conversation to help riders achieve a balanced, dialled suspension setup from the start.

Glen and Robbie, one of South Africa’s leading suspension specialists, unpack the fundamentals every rider should understand regarding MTB suspensions and servicing. If you’re fascinated by the engineering behind the ride, or simply want your bike to feel dialled every time you hit the trail, this is your new go-to suspension podcast.