Deviate Cycles on High-Pivot Bikes, Onshoring Production, & the Lowlander Prototype (Ep.177)

Deviate Cycles on High-Pivot Bikes, Onshoring Production, & the Lowlander Prototype (Ep.177)

High-pivot Trail bikes are becoming increasingly common, but Deviate Cycles was a pioneer of that trend, and we sat down with Deviate co-founder Ben Jones to talk about why they went that direction when few companies were; gearboxes & mass adoption of new ideas; onshoring production & their wild Lowlander 3D-printed titanium and carbon fiber prototype; & a whole lot more.
David Golay reviews the 2023 Specialized P.Series for Blister

2023 Specialized P.Series

Specialized has overhauled its longstanding P.Series line of Dirt-Jump bikes, and the lineup now includes versions for the whole family, with wheel sizes ranging from 20’’ to 27.5’’.
David Golay reviews the Yeti SB160 for Blister

Yeti SB160

The Yeti SB150’s geometry was notably radical when it launched back in 2018. Since then, the mountain bike landscape has changed a lot, and the SB150’s successor, the SB160, no longer stands out as much on paper. On trail, though, it’s still an especially game-on Enduro race bike — and a damn good one for folks with the right approach and preferences.
David Golay reviews the Canfield One.2 for Blister

Flash Review — Canfield One.2 Super Enduro

Enduro bikes have gotten longer-travel and burlier in recent years, but the Canfield One.2 Super Enduro still stands out, with 190 mm at both ends. So is it a long-legged Enduro bike, more of a pedalable DH rig, or something else entirely? We've started spending time on it to find out, and Blister Members can now read our early findings.

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David Golay reviews the EXT Aria for Blister

EXT Aria

We’ve been very impressed by a number of EXT’s coil shocks over the years, and having now spent a lot of time on the Aria — their first air-sprung MTB rear shock — we’re ready to weigh in on how it stacks up to EXT’s own Storia, as well as the modern crop of high-volume, beefy air shocks.
David Golay reviews the Reserve Aluminum wheels for Blister

Reserve 30|SL & 30|HD AL Wheels

Reserve deserves a good chunk of the credit for making lifetime warranties the industry standard for carbon wheels, and now Reserve is offering the same on their first aluminum ones. But how do the new 30|HD AL wheels ride, and just how crucial is that warranty? We’ve put a lot of miles and abuse into a pair — time to weigh in.
David Golay reviews the Commencal Meta V5 for Blister

Commencal Meta V5

Commencal’s new Meta V5 gets a new suspension platform and drops the model split between the Meta TR and Meta AM from the V4 iteration. So how does the Meta V5 slot into the current market, and what sets it apart from the prior-generation? Check out our First Look for all the info.
David Golay and Zack Henderson review the Ohlins TTX1 and TTX2 Air for Blister

Öhlins TTX1 and TTX2 Air

We’ve had two different reviewers spending time on three different versions of Öhlins’ latest air-sprung rear shocks, the TTX1 Air and TTX2 Air, and are ready to weigh in on how they perform on trail, how they differ from each other, and who they’re going to work best for. Check out our full review for all the info.
David Golay reviews the Manitou Mattoc Pro for Blister

Flash Review — Manitou Mattoc Pro

We’ve been big fans of the Manitou Mezzer Pro for a while now, so is the new Mattoc Pro a mini-Mezzer or something else entirely? We’ve been logging time on the Mattoc and are ready to weigh in with our initial impressions.

Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions

To get our comprehensive Deep Dives and our initial, unfiltered reports on new gear, become a member and receive many other services, deals, and discounts.

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David Golay reviews the EXT Era V2.1 for Blister

Flash Review — EXT Era V2.1 Fork

We've started spending time on the latest iteration of the EXT Era fork — check out our initial on-trail impressions of the Era V2.1.

Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions

To get our comprehensive Deep Dives and our initial, unfiltered reports on new gear, become a member and receive many other services, deals, and discounts.

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David Golay reviews the HT T2 and X3 Pedals for Blister

HT T2 & X3 Pedals

Our bike editor has been a huge fan of HT’s clipless pedals for a long time now, and the latest iterations of their Trail and DH pedals — the T2 and X3 — bring about some subtle but welcome refinements while retaining everything that made the older T1 and X2 great in the first place.