Reviewer Reports: Santa Cruz, Pivot, Kavenz, & More (Ep.124)
We’ve been testing a ton of bikes across the spectrum, from XC(ish) to big Enduro sleds, and we’ve got updates on a lot of them, plus some teasers for other things we’re cooking up.
David Golay
Flash Review — Kavenz VHP 16
We've started spending time on the Kavenz VHP 16. Check out our Flash Review for our early impressions.
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Flash Review — Pivot Firebird
We've started spending time on the new Pivot Firebird, and it feels like a big Enduro bike first and foremost, but a notably efficient, fairly nimble one. Check out our Flash Review for our early impressions.
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“North Shore” Betty Birrell on MTB at Age 73
Few 45-year-old women were taking up mountain biking in the early 1990s, and even fewer are still riding the North Shore nearly 30 years later — but Betty Birrell hasn’t let that stop her, and at 73, she’s still getting after it. So we sat down with Betty to talk about what keeps her going, and along the way she shares some great insights on motivation, role models, and not letting the expectations of others slow you down.
Flash Review — 2023 Santa Cruz Hightower
We've been spending time on the new 2023 Santa Cruz Hightower. Check out our Flash Review for our early impressions.
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The New Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
Last year we released the Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s guide — a different type of guide, one that doesn’t just compare this new bike to that new bike, but that would help you better understand and think about mountain bikes in general. This year, we’ve updated the guide to not only keep it up-to-date in the evolving bike industry, but have also added several new sections, including an in-depth one on how to get the most out of your suspension.
Hope on Their New Tech 4 Brakes & Sweating the Details (Ep.122)
Hope’s new Tech 4 brakes got a big bump up in power, but there’s a whole lot more that goes into designing a brake than just turning that dial to 11. So we sat down with Hope engineer Sam Gibbs to talk about all of that; the tradeoffs that go into brake design; the new Tech 4 lineup in detail; and a whole lot more.
Flash Review — Sage Flow Motion
We've started spending time on the new Sage Flow Motion, and it's a very interesting combination of being quite playful and still fairly stable and capable in bigger terrain.
Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions
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REEB on Beer, MTB Design, & Doing Things Differently (Ep.121)
REEB Cycles do a lot of things differently, from their founding in a brewery, to how they think about bike design and manufacturing. So we spoke with REEB’s Jeff Lenosky and Adam Prosise about all of it, including how they both got involved with REEB, their current (and future) MTB lineup, making frames in Colorado, & a whole lot more.
Nicolai / Geometron G1
We’ve now spent nine months on the Nicolai G1, and it’s still one of the best options out there for folks looking for an extremely aggressive Enduro bike that also pedals pretty well. Check out our full review for the whole story, including its extensive customization options and how it compares to several other bikes in its class.
Lazer Jackal KinetiCore Helmet
Lazer’s new KinetiCore technology is intended to bring the rotational impact protection benefits of MIPS and other similar systems to a simpler, lighter, more comfortable package, and having now spent a couple of months in their Jackal KinetiCore mountain bike helmet, we think they’re onto something.
Reviewer Reports: RockShox Suspension & Bikes Galore (Ep.120)
RockShox has released a wild amount of new suspension in the last few months, and we’ve been spending time on both their Flight Attendant electronically controlled setup and the new ZEB and SuperDeluxe. So on this week’s episode of Bikes & Big Ideas, we give the rundown on all of it, plus updates from our testing of bikes from Santa Cruz, Orbea, Rocky Mountain, YT, and Antidote.
RockShox Flight Attendant
RockShox’s Flight Attendant electronic suspension claims to make big improvements to the pedaling efficiency of longer-travel Trail and Enduro bikes, and after spending several months testing it, it’s a whole lot more than just an automatic climb switch. Check out our full review to see why we’re so impressed with (and a bit surprised by) the system.
2022 YT Capra
YT’s latest Capra is definitely a big, stable Enduro bike, but it’s a super intuitive, relatively easy-going one that we think will click for a ton of folks who have the terrain for a 160mm-plus-travel sled. Check out our full review for all the details.
Ride Concepts Tallac Clip
Ride Concepts markets their new Tallac Clip as a general Trail shoe, but it offers an unusual and compelling blend of features from both more gravity-oriented options and traditional Trail shoes, making it easy to see it working well for a lot of folks.
Jess Blewitt is a Natural (Ep.119)
Multi-talented MTB phenom Jess Blewitt is on Bikes & Big Ideas this week to talk about her meteoric rise & her lofty goals for the future; her incredible 2021 season and the crash that ended it; and much more.
Flash Review — 2023 RockShox ZEB and Super Deluxe
We’ve been riding RockShox’s new ZEB and Super Deluxe, and so far they’re a significant improvement over the outgoing versions. Check out our Flash Review for our early impressions.
Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions
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RockShox’s New 2023 Forks & Shocks
RockShox is completely overhauling its suspension lineup for 2023, including all-new versions of the Pike, Lyrik, and ZEB forks, and Deluxe and Super Deluxe shocks. Check out our First Look for the rundown.
Flash Review — 2022 Orbea Rallon
We've started spending time on the new Orbea Rallon Enduro bike, and our early impressions are quite positive. Check out our Flash Review for our initial thoughts.
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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Contra Bikes on Building a Bike From Scratch (Ep.118)
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.