The Pinkbike Podcast

When the UCI team list was released for the upcoming season, there were many answers to be found about who will be riding what. One inclusion that didn't shed too much like, however, was Aaron Gwin's name under his eponymous racing team. What bikes were they riding? What would this team look like? And will Aaron himself be lining up at World Cups this year or being confined to the commentary box a...

Yoann Barelli has done a bit of everything in his time. Whether it's slogging out World Cups as a privateer, moving to BC, or turning pro slightly later than others, his contribution to the sport of mountain biking is undeniable. Editor's Note - Our audio file corrupted, so for the first part of the interview we're using backup audio. If you wish to skip this part go to 40 minutes. Thank you for y...

We talk about signing for one of his dream brands, how he kept his broken scaphoid a secret until he'd signed a contract for 2024 on the dotted line, what riding a bike with telemetry for the first time was like, how many Red Bulls he drinks on race day, being mates with Jackson Goldstone, what he does when his competitors start to complain, and more.

We all had different journeys into mountain biking and at different stages in our lives. Here, Henry, Matt, Dario and Kaz talk through the good, bad, and downright weird bikes that they were infatuated with and why. See the bikes here.

YT Industries saw promise in Vali Höll before she even started racing on the World Cup circuit, signing her on a six-year contract when she was just 13 years old. The Austrian then went on to win two Junior World Cup overall titles as well as two World Championship titles on the YT Tues before moving up to the Elite category. A nasty crash sidelined her for her first Elite World Championships in 2...

In a chat that felt like it could go on for twice as long, Jesse really lifts the veil to talk about so much of what goes into being a pro enduro racer, the risk of moving away from a successful team as well as breaking down some of his highest moments and discussing where enduro sits when compared to other disciplines. Plus, Henry, Christina, Sarah and Matt tune in with the latest news.

After 16 years together, Greg Minnaar's name was synonymous with that of the Santa Cruz Syndicate, but in a move that surprised everyone this off-season, even Minnaar himself, the Syndicate let go the 42-year-old South African. That left the four-time world champion scrambling to find a ride for 2024 mid-October in a year where budgets were tight. While the past several months have been anything b...

Dario, Kaz and Sarah join Henry to explain ski fashion, give insight into the PB awards, and talk about why forming habits can be hard.

Join us for our last pod of 2023 as Kaz, Henry and Sarah sit down in Squamish to question whether our own predictions will really come to pass.

One of the fastest-changing areas of mountain biking could be said to be AMTBs. The technology, some of which is shared with e-bikes, is enabling more and more people to get into the sport that we're all so passionate about. Three riders, Stacy Kohut, Alex Cairns, and Cole Bernier, came down to our Squamish HQ to talk us through where the sport is, as well as where it's going. In this far-ranging...

Harry and Henry spent a lot of time together over the 2022 race season and here we reunite for a very informal chat about life on the circuit, as well as giving Harry's insight into life at PBR.

Ben Cathro is someone who helps the rest of us understand World Cup racing by making videos breaking it down. His video work with Pinkbike led him to start Pinkbike Racing, and now he's led the team for two seasons. Ben himself is a racer, coach, video creator, team manager, team mentor, father, husband, friend... in this episode, we talk about the struggle of managing all of it, both with the tea...

Mike Kazimer and Brian Park sit down with Mike Levy in a cold, cramped garage to reflect on his time at Pinkbike and read a bunch of stories from coworkers and industry friends. We also take a short detour about aliens, bigfoot, and sim racing, before talking about Levy's plans for the future and ending the podcast before we get all emotional and weird. Apologies in advance for the strong language...

Darren Kinnaird is the ringleader for all things Crankworx, and with so much change happening these days in the world of mountain bike events, Crankworx seems uniquely poised to push the sport forward. When we heard about a big announcement from Crankworx about what to expect from the series next year, Brian Park and I caught up with Kinnaird to hear the full story.

What goes into being a world cup mechanic? Is it all glitz and glamour or is it more about processes, planning, and cleaning shoes? Henry talks to two mechanics who are at slightly different stages of their journey. John has been Aaron Gwin's mechanic for a decade and has seen it all from the very top. He shares some stories about supporting one of modern downhill's defining athletes. Jim Bland ju...

Thibault Laly is a dedicated racer who has spent time on a variety of teams, and for the past two seasons has represented Pinkbike Racing at the top of the game. In this episode, we chat about the story of his racing career so far, this year's Hardline, and what it's like to balance his many PBR responsibilities.

Dario, Kaz, and Alicia chat about their tactics for staying motivated when the days are short and the nights are long.

Aimi Kenyon enjoyed so much success in her first season in the World Cup junior field, but replicating it would push her unbelievably hard. Here, we get a glimpse behind the curtain of Aimi's season.

Whatever metric you use, Aaron Gwin is one of the most successful World Cup Racers of all time. Henry sat down with him to talk all his career, what's next and his steps into bike park ownership.

Brook is a fan favourite, and not without good reason. We talk about his reputation for being tough, bike setup and what it's like coming back to Mont Sainte Anne.

Why couldn't you ride Loic's bike? And why is your setup so bad compared to a World Cup Racer's machine? TJ explores the topic with Henry. Note - During the first exchange you might hear some background noise (a small fan that we used on a hot day). The rest of the interview doesn't feature this sound.

The field test is over, and what a field test it has been. The eight bikes, each bringing something very different to the table, represent some of the modern of modern enduro geometry, technology, and frame design. However, that's not to say we didn't have our favorites. Listen to us rank them and explain our reasoning.

Mountain bike tires are a dark art, so Henry Quinney and I sat down with Schwalbe product manager Carl Kämper to ask all the questions. How do new tires get developed? What does testing look like? Why are they so damn expensive? We were also joined by Felix Jahn, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility, with insights into the business of actually making tires, and the challenges faced in trying to...

In the last five years, Nina has gone from newcomer to world cup winner. We wanted to find out about her mindset, her perception of downhill compared to her initial career in athletics and what's it like joining one of the downhill's biggest, most established, and most successful teams.

There are few downhill mountain bikers that are so multifaceted as Neko MulallyRacer. Not only is he racing World Cups, but he also runs a race series, supports grassroots riding and racing, has his own brand and team, develops his own bike, AND somehow finds time to represent the riders' union and scout the next big thing in US downhill. In this far-ranging chat, we try to cover as much as possib...