Blister Reviewer BadgeDavid Golay

Contra Bikes on Building a Bike From Scratch (Ep.118)

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Designing a bike frame is hard enough. Taking it to production is an even bigger challenge, but that hasn’t stopped Evan Turpen, and his Contra Bikes high-pivot prototype is extremely impressive. So this week on Bikes & Big Ideas, we sat down with Evan to chat about why he decided to start a bike company, and what he hopes to achieve with the bike; learn all about designing and fabricating frames from scratch (and how he learned to do it), and a whole lot more.
Kavenz had been working on a high-pivot Enduro bike long before it was cool, and the VHP16 and new VHP18 that came out of the project have a lot of unique design features. So this week on Bikes & Big Ideas, we sat down with Kavenz founder Giacomo Großehagenbrock to talk about the founding of Kavenz; the design philosophy behind their bikes; starting and growing a business; and much more.

Kavenz on Engineering a Better Enduro Bike (Ep.117)

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Kavenz had been working on a high-pivot Enduro bike long before it was cool, and the VHP16 and new VHP18 that came out of the project have a lot of unique design features. So this week on Bikes & Big Ideas, we sat down with Kavenz founder Giacomo Großehagenbrock to talk about the founding of Kavenz; the design philosophy behind their bikes; starting and growing a business; and much more.
David Golay reviews the Rocky Mountain Element for Blister

Flash Review — 2022 Rocky Mountain Element

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"Longer" and "slacker" might be the go-to buzzwords for modern bike releases, but the Rocky Mountain Element made a way bigger jump than most — while still staying true to its XC roots, too — and the results are very interesting. Check out our Flash Review for our early impressions.

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David Golay reviews Galfer's Standard and Pro Pads, plus rotors for Blister

Galfer Brake Pads and Rotors

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Brake pads are an underappreciated factor in mountain bike brake performance, and Galfer’s offerings make a strong case for why a lot of riders should pay closer attention. And rotor sizing is a big piece of the puzzle, so we cover that in detail, too.
David Golay reviews the Orbea Occam LT for Blister

2022 Orbea Occam & Occam LT

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“Longer” and “slacker” might be the go-to buzzwords for modern Trail bikes, but the Orbea Occam LT makes a very compelling case for why a lot of riders might want to pick something a little more moderate. It’s an outstanding take on a quicker-handling long-travel Trail bike that feels thoroughly modern despite bucking a lot of current trends. Check out our full review for more, including comparisons to nine other Trail & Enduro bikes.
David Golay reviews the SCOR 4060 LT mountain bike for Blister

SCOR 4060

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SCOR says their new 4060 LT is “just seriously fun.” But it’s still a 160 / 170 mm travel Enduro bike, so just how game-on is it, really? Check out our full review for the rundown, including comparisons to 11 other bikes in its class.
David Golay reviews the Öhlins RXF38 m.2 for Blister

Öhlins RXF38 m.2

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Öhlins has joined Fox and RockShox in offering an extra burly 38mm-stanchioned single crown fork, and their take on the genre — the RXF38 m.2 — is now our bike editor's personal favorite of the category. Check out our full review to see why.
David Golay Reviews the 2022 Santa Cruz Megatower for Blister

Flash Review — 2023 Santa Cruz Megatower

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We've started spending time on the brand-new Santa Cruz Megatower. Check out our first 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.

If you’re already an active member, please log in.

(If you're already logged in and a member in good standing and seeing this message in error, please refresh this page in your browser.)

Lazer’s new KinetiCore technology is meant to protect against rotational impacts while being lighter, cooler, more comfortable, and using less plastic than other systems, including MIPS — and its design is very clever in its simplicity. So on Bikes & Big Ideas, we sat down with Lazer’s Chris Smith to get the rundown on what KinetiCore is, why Lazer developed it, how helmet testing standards work and how they might fall short; the Lazer KinetiCore lineup (including the Jackal KinetiCore that we’ve just started testing) and a whole lot more.

Lazer KinetiCore (Ep.112)

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Lazer’s new KinetiCore technology is meant to protect against rotational impacts while being lighter, cooler, more comfortable, and using less plastic than other systems, including MIPS — and its design is very clever in its simplicity. So we sat down with Lazer’s Chris Smith to get the rundown on what KinetiCore is, why Lazer developed it, and a whole lot more.
David Golay reviews the Aenomaly Switchgrade for Blister

Aenomaly Switchgrade Seat Angle Adjuster

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Most mountain bikers just set their seat angle to a comfortable position to pedal on flat ground and forget about it. But Aenomaly thinks there’s a better way, so they made the Switchgrade to let you change your seat angle on the fly. And having spent a few months on one, they’re definitely on to something. Check out our full review for more.
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