David Golay, Author at BLISTER

TRP Trail Evo Brakes

December 15, 2021 by David Golay

There’s a lot to like about TRP’s new Trail Evo brakes, but they’re not perfect. Check out our full review for all the details.

Topic of the Week: On Motivation

December 11, 2021 by David Golay

Our Bike Editor has been doing a lot of riding in terrible weather lately, and he’s learning how to love it — or at least talking himself into it — and has some thoughts on how you can, too.

Snow is (finally) falling in much of the Western US, but we’re still hard at work testing bikes, too — and we’ve got a lot to work through at the moment. So on our latest episode of Bikes & Big Ideas, we figured it was time to give a rundown on a bunch of the bikes we’ve been spending time on, including several high-pivot Enduro bikes, a remarkably sprightly long-travel Trail bike, and the current frontrunner for our Bike Editor’s favorite bike of 2021.

Reviewer Reports: Cannondale Jekyll, We Are One Arrival, Nicolai G1, & More (Ep.95)

December 10, 2021December 9, 2021 by David Golay

We’ve been testing a ton of bikes, and have a whole lot of updates to share, including high-pivot Enduro bike comparisons (with some surprising conclusions), an ultra-efficient long-travel Trail bike, and our Bike Editor’s current frontrunner for his favorite bike of 2021.

David Golay Blister mountain bike review on the Canyon Torque

2022 Canyon Torque

December 7, 2021 by David Golay

Canyon’s Enduro / Freeride bike, the Torque, just got a big update — including all the wheel size options. Check out our First Look for all the details.

We Are One Arrival

September 15, 2022December 6, 2021 by David Golay

We’ve now spent a lot of time on the We Are One Arrival and it’s one of the most impressive bikes we’ve been on this year — at least for the right rider.

What We’re Watching — December 2021

December 4, 2021December 3, 2021 by David Golay

This month’s iteration of What We’re Watching includes a whole bunch of skiing and mountain biking videos from a huge range of athletes — and a physics video thrown in, for good measure.

Mountain bike derailleur drivetrains haven’t fundamentally changed for just about as long as there have been mountain bikes — until now, anyway. Cedric Eveleigh has a very promising idea for how to rethink the derailleur and founded LAL Bikes to make it a reality. So on our latest episode of Bikes & Big Ideas, we brought Cedric on to talk about the limitations of existing derailleurs; why gearboxes (still) haven’t taken off; prototyping and refining the Supre Drive; what’s next for LAL Bikes, and more.

Cedric Eveleigh of LAL Bikes, on Reinventing the Derailleur (Ep.94)

December 9, 2021December 2, 2021 by David Golay

Mountain bike derailleurs have improved immensely, but is there a better way entirely? Cedric Eveleigh thinks so, and he founded LAL Bikes to make his Supre Drive a reality. We sat down with Cedric to break down this extremely promising new design, and get the full story on its development, the next steps, and more.

Blister Topic of the Week: Bigger Isn't Always Better

Debatable: Bigger Isn’t Always Better

November 30, 2021November 28, 2021 by David Golay

The bike industry likes touting stiffer parts as being better, but our Bike Editor makes the case for why that doesn’t always pan out.

Mic Williams was racing as a privateer when Covid hit, and racing went on hold. But instead of binging Netflix, he used his free time to start a very unusual bike company — Williams Racing Products. Mic has a whole lot of ideas for how to make bikes better, and WRP has offered a lot of out-there products, including what can only be described as the reincarnation of the Honda RN-01 downhill bike. So on our latest episode of Bikes & Big Ideas, we sat down with Mic to talk about all the big ideas he has for WRP; the Privateer Parts Program and privateer racing in general; and much more.

The Many, Many Big Ideas of Williams Racing Products (Ep.93)

December 9, 2021November 25, 2021 by David Golay

Few people have as many big ideas for the bike world as Mic Williams of Williams Racing Products, and even fewer have started their own companies to make them a reality. So we sat down with Mic to hear all about it, privateer racing at the top level, and more.

Jordi Cortes spends much of the year on the road, working with Fox’s top racers on their suspension setups, and that has left him with both a wealth of knowledge about suspension setup and a unique perspective on the mental aspects of racing at the top level. So we sat down with Jordi to talk about all that, and along the way get into it about the importance of consistency; developing working relationships with a huge range of athletes; how the pros’ setups differ from those for mere mortals; and a whole lot more.

Fox’s Jordi Cortes on Suspension, Tuning, & the Mental Side of Racing (Ep.92)

December 9, 2021November 18, 2021 by David Golay

We talk to Jordi Cortes about setting up suspension for Fox’s top racers, the mental battle of World Cup racing, and a whole lot more.

David Golay Reviews the Cannondale Jekyll for Blister

Flash Review: 2022 Cannondale Jekyll

November 17, 2021November 16, 2021 by David Golay

How does the new Cannondale Jekyll stack up against several other high-pivot Enduro bikes? Check out our Flash Review for our early impressions.

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Debatable: Make Daylight Savings Permanent

November 14, 2021November 13, 2021 by David Golay

Our bike editor is fed up with changing the clocks in the spring and fall, and makes his case for why we should stop doing it.

Sealant-based tubeless systems are now ubiquitous on mountain bikes, but how did we get here? On our latest episode of Bikes & Big Ideas we sat down with Mike Bush, the President of Stan’s, to talk about the early days of tubeless development; why we still use rim tape and sealant; rim profiles; tire inserts; sealant formulation and how it actually works; and a whole lot more. Check it out wherever you get your podcasts, or on our site.

Stan’s No Tubes on the Past, Present, & Future of Tubeless Tech (Ep.91)

December 15, 2021November 11, 2021 by David Golay

We go deep on tubeless tire systems with Mike Bush of Stan’s No Tubes, including the history of the rim tape and sealant design we all use today; rim and tire design for tubeless; how sealant actually works; and a whole lot more.

David Golay Blister mountain bike review on the Cannondale Scalpel HT

2021 Cannondale Scalpel HT

November 9, 2021November 9, 2021 by David Golay

The Cannondale Scalpel has been a full-suspension XC race bike for almost 20 years, but now there’s a hardtail version — and its geometry is pretty wild. Check out this new, ultra-progressive take on an XC race bike.

Vorsprung Secus Fork Air Spring Upgrade

November 8, 2021November 8, 2021 by David Golay

We've now tested the Vorsprung Secus in the RockShox ZEB, and have only grown more impressed. Check out our full review to find out what makes this air spring upgrade so good.

What We’re Watching — November 2021

November 12, 2021November 7, 2021 by David Golay

This month’s What We’re Watching features a baker’s dozen ski, bike, and freedive(?) videos for your viewing pleasure.

We’ve been testing a lot of bikes of late, so on our latest episode of Bikes & Big Ideas, we sat down to give a rundown of what we’ve been riding, including the Santa Cruz Bronson, We Are One Arrival, Norco Range, and more.

Reviewer Reports: Santa Cruz Bronson, Norco Range, We Are One Arrival, & More (Ep.90)

December 9, 2021November 4, 2021 by David Golay

We’ve been testing a lot of bikes of late, so we sat down to give a rundown of what we’ve been riding, including the Santa Cruz Bronson, We Are One Arrival, Norco Range, and more.

David Golay Blister mountain bike review on the Reserve Fillmore Valves

Reserve Fillmore Tubeless Valves

November 5, 2021November 3, 2021 by David Golay

Tubeless valves aren’t typically the most “exciting” things out there, but Reserve Wheels have made a genuinely better one, dubbed the Fillmore. Check out what makes them so special.

Hope Evo Crankset

November 2, 2021 by David Golay

Hope’s updated Evo crankset is reportedly designed for everything from XC to DH, and it stands out from most aluminum cranks due to its low weight & made-in-UK design. Check out our review for more on how it compares to the competition.