David Golay
Norco has been one of the pioneers in the recent resurgence of high-pivot bikes, but their decision to move their mid-travel Sight to the layout still came as a bit of a surprise. But has it paid off? We’ve been spending a lot of time on the updated Sight and are ready to weigh in.
Flash Review — EXT Storia V4
Check out our early impressions of the EXT Storia V4 and how it compares to the previous version of the shock.
EXT Storia & Arma V4
EXT hasn’t been shy about the fact that new V4 iterations of their Storia and Arma rear shocks were on the way, but now they’re here. Check out our First Look for all the info on their new offerings, and our Flash Review for our early impressions of the Storia V4.
The Wild Tale of Constru-Bikes & Their Massive Bike Theft and Trafficking Ring (Ep.227)
Thousands of high-end bikes have been stolen across the Western US and wound up in Jalisco, Mexico. The story behind the trafficking ring and how Bryan Hance of Bike Index uncovered it is a *wild* one — hear all about it on this episode.
2025 RockShox Flight Attendant Forks & Shocks
Right on the heels of RockShox launching their new Vivid Coil shock and Charger 3.1 fork damper, they’ve released new electronically-controlled Flight Attendant versions of all the above (and the air-sprung Vivid). Check out what they’ve come up with.
2024 Specialized Chisel
Hot on the heels of the recently released Epic and Epic EVO, Specialized is announcing the new Chisel. The Chisel keeps similar kinematics and geometry to the Epic, but gets an impressively light aluminum frame to bring down cost. Let’s look at what Specialized has welded up.
Dan Bacon of Wheelbased on the (Potential) Future of MTB Tech (Ep.226)
A lot of wild patent applications have been filed in the bike world of late, so we brought Dan Bacon from Wheelbased back on Bikes & Big Ideas to talk about a bunch of them, from Bilstein’s wild fork damper to Shimano’s electronic brakes, a carbon fiber cooler from Yeti (the BIKE company), and many more.
RockShox’s New 2025 Forks & Shocks
RockShox is giving their suspension lineup another big overhaul, with updated dampers, revised air springs, a new Vivid Coil shock and a bunch more. Check out what they’ve come up with.
DT Swiss 240 Ratchet DEG Hubs
DT Swiss has launched a new version of their venerable 240 hub with 90 points of engagement. Check out the 240 Ratchet DEG.
7iDP Project.21 Helmet
7iDP is probably best known for their knee pads, but they’ve also been making helmets for a long time and their new Project.21 Trail helmet has a bunch of interesting features that make it stand out. Check out our Full Review for the rundown.
EXT’s New Storia and Arma V4 Shocks (Ep.224)
EXT is updating their (already impressive) Storia and Arma rear shocks, so we sat down with their founder, Franco Fratton, to hear all about the new dampers; the potential for truly “active” suspension systems in the bike world; tease some upcoming EXT products, and more.
Forge+Bond 30 AM Wheels
Forge+Bond’s original MTB wheel offering, the 30 EM, impressed us with its especially smooth ride feel — but what about its lighter Trail-oriented sibling, the 30 AM? We’ve now spent several months riding it and you can check out our Full Review to see how they stack up.
Flash Review — Formula Belva
Update 5/28/2024: We've spent a lot more time on the Formula Belva dual-crown Enduro fork, and have been experimenting with its swappable compression valves. Check out how our thoughts on the Belva have evolved.
Chromag Lowdown
The Chromag Darco was one of the most interesting bikes we reviewed last year (and one of the most compelling, for the right folks). But what about its bigger sibling, the Lowdown? We’ve spent a ton of time on the longest-travel Chromag and are ready to weigh in.
Deep Dive: Chromag Lowdown
We compare the Chromag Lowdown to the Nicolai G1, Yeti SB160, Rocky Mountain Altitude, Chromag Darco, Pivot Firebird, Santa Cruz Megatower, Orbea Rallon, Norco Range, Contra MC, Trek Slash, Ibis HD6, Nicolai Nucleon 16, RAAW Madonna, Reeb Steezl, Starling Murmur Enduro, and Cotic RocketMAX.
Cane Creek on their “Air-Charged Coil” Tigon Shock (Ep.223)
Air- and coil-sprung rear shocks have been used on mountain bikes for decades, but Cane Creek’s “air-charged coil” Tigon shock is a novel concept. So we sat down with Will Hart from Cane Creek to hear all about it.
Flash Review — Michelin Wild Enduro MH & Wild Enduro MS
Michelin’s new Wild Enduro tires look a lot more aggressive than the prior-generation versions that they replaced, but how do they perform on the trail? We’ve started spending time on the Wild Enduro MH and Wild Enduro MS, and are ready to weigh in with some early thoughts.
Kona’s Back
After a turbulent couple of years, Kona's founders are buying the brand back from Kent Outdoors.
Reviewer Reports: World Cup DH Recap, Tons of Bikes, Suspension, Tires, & More (Ep.222)
We’ve been testing a huge spectrum of bikes — from Gravel to Enduro — plus a bunch of new tires, suspension, and more. Simon Stewart and David Golay sat down to talk about all of it, recap the World Cup DH season opener, and more.
Motion Instruments System 2 Suspension Data Acquisition
Pro racers have long used suspension telemetry to work on their bike setup, but those systems have traditionally been expensive, finicky, and tough to interpret. Motion Instruments’ new System 2 data acquisition package is meant to change that.