Blister Reviewer BadgeDavid Golay

David Golay and Xan Marshland Blister Mountain Bike Review on the EXT Era

EXT Era Fork

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After making a big splash with their rear shocks, EXT’s first fork is here. There’s a whole lot that’s interesting and unusual about the Era, but how does it all add up on the trail? Check out our full review to find out — now with some additional thoughts from Xan Marshland.
Blister Guide to Mountain Bike Tires

Mountain Bike Tires: A Guide & Comparisons

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In this guide, we're comparing more than a dozen of the most popular Trail, Enduro, & DH tires to each other, highlighting their pros and cons, and helping you figure out which option might work best for you. In our latest update, we've got a couple of new additions from Schwalbe and Michelin.
Steve Vanderhoek just put out one of the best video edits of the year, in which he and Yoann Barelli set out to ride as many of the gnarliest features in the Sea to Sky Corridor in one truly wild day. So this week on Bikes & Big Ideas, we sat down with Steve to talk about everything that went into making that day happen; the mental challenges of riding scary, high-consequence lines; filming and riding with Yoann and Remy Metailler; balancing all that with his career as a paramedic and firefighter; and a whole lot more.

Steve Vanderhoek on Le Tour de Gnar, Freeride, and Firefighting (Ep.78)

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Steve Vanderhoek just put out one of the best video edits of the year, where he & Yoann Barelli rode just about all of the gnarliest features in the Sea to Sky Corridor in one truly wild day. We sat down with Steve to talk about the mental challenges of riding scary, high-consequence lines; filming & riding with Yoann & Remy Metailler; balancing all that with his career as a paramedic and firefighter; & a whole lot more.
Blister What We're Watching — August 2021

What We’re Watching — August, 2021

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Our What We’re Watching series is back, with an assortment of videos short & long; goofy & important; & relaxing to very high adrenaline. Check out a bunch of the best video content we’ve recently seen — plus a sneak preview of our next Bikes & Big Ideas guest.
On our latest Bikes & Big Ideas podcast Blister Bike Editor David Golay talks to reviewer Dylan Wood about all the bikes and gear they’ve been spending time on recently, including some A-B comparisons of short-travel, DW-link bikes at both ends of the price spectrum; a range of longer-travel Enduro bikes both fairly conventional and quite unusual; some very intriguing pedals; and they mix in some thoughts on the importance (or lack thereof) of bike weight, plus the current state of the Shimano vs. SRAM drivetrain wars.

Reviewer Reports: DW-link Head-to-Head; Forbidden Dreadnought; Shimano vs. Sram; & Category-Defying Pedals

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David Golay talks to Dylan Wood about two short-travel, DW-link bikes at opposite ends of the price spectrum; a range of longer-travel Enduro bikes from fairly conventional to quite unusual; some category-defying pedals; thoughts on the importance (or lack thereof) of bike weight; & the current state of the Shimano vs. SRAM drivetrain wars.
Sabra Davison grew up ski racing and running, but when she got into mountain biking, she saw girls participating at far lower rates — so she decided to do something about it. Sabra (along with her sister, World Cup XC racer and two-time Olympian, Lea) founded Little Bellas to get girls into riding bikes, and develop the confidence to keep with it. On the latest episode of Bikes and Big Ideas, we sat down with Sabra to talk about Little Bellas; how to make skill building fun; removing barriers to participation in what is an expensive sport; and a whole lot more.

Little Bellas / Sabra Davison (Ep.76)

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Sabra Davison grew up ski racing and running, but when she got into mountain biking, she saw girls participating at far lower rates — so she decided to do something about it. Sabra (along with her sister, World Cup XC racer and two-time Olympian, Lea) founded Little Bellas to get girls into riding bikes, and develop the confidence to keep with it. We sat down with Sabra to talk about Little Bellas; how to make skill building fun; removing barriers to participation in what is an expensive sport; and a whole lot more.
David Golay Blister Mountain Bike Review on the Nobl TR37 wheels

Nobl TR37 Wheels

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Carbon wheels have become fairly commonplace but Nobl’s TR37s are quite different from most of the market, with front- and rear-specific rims and an unusual “Sine Wave'' rim profile. That's well and good, but how do they compare to the competition on the trail? Check out our full review to find out.
Blister Flat Pedal Roundup — 2021

Flat Pedal Roundup — 2021

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It’s certainly possible to spend a whole lot of money on a pair of flat pedals, but should you? Flat pedals cover a huge range from basic composite options through super-blingy machined aluminum wonders, and we’ve been testing nine different options across the whole spectrum. Check out our roundup to find out how they all stack up.
When he was in his 20s, Matt Gilman lost his sight due to diabetes, but that hasn’t stopped him from riding trials — and maybe even more remarkably, working as a bike mechanic. His story is an incredible one, so on our latest Bikes and Big Ideas podcast, we sat down with Matt to talk about his approach to riding, and how he manages to ride by feel; his career as a bike mechanic, and how he adapted to doing that blind; and a whole lot more.

Blind Trials Rider & Bike Mechanic, Matt Gilman (Ep.75)

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When he was in his 20s Matt Gilman lost his sight due to diabetes, but that hasn’t stopped him from riding trials — and maybe even more remarkably, working as a bike mechanic. His story is an incredible one, so we sat down with Matt to talk about his approach to riding; how he manages to ride by feel; his career as a bike mechanic and how he adapted to doing that blind; and a whole lot more.
David Golay Blister Mountain Bike Review on the Chromag Minor Threat

Chromag Minor Threat

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Chromag has long been known for making aggressive hardtails, but they’ve just released their first full-suspension model — and it’s a kids' bike. The Minor Threat (which is the best new product name we’ve seen in a while) is an interesting new direction for the brand and looks like a very promising option for the younger rippers out there. Check out our First Look for all the info.
The first-generation Manitou Dorado turned a lot of heads more than 20 years ago, thanks to its inverted layout and wild-looking carbon chassis. The just-released, fourth-generation Dorado is a major update to what Manitou calls “the longest-standing inverted downhill fork” — including a return of the carbon chassis, after more than a decade hiatus. But there’s a whole lot more going on, too, so we sat down with Manitou’s Phil Ott to discuss the past and present of the Dorado; the advantages and disadvantages of inverted forks; fork offset; and a whole bunch more.

New Manitou Dorado (Ep.74)

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The first-generation Manitou Dorado turned a lot of heads more than 20 years ago, thanks to its inverted layout and wild-looking carbon chassis. The just-released, fourth-generation Dorado is a major update to what Manitou calls “the longest-standing inverted downhill fork” — including a return of the carbon chassis, after more than a decade hiatus. But there’s a whole lot more going on, too, so we sat down with Manitou’s Phil Ott to discuss the past and present of the Dorado; the advantages and disadvantages of inverted forks; fork offset; and a whole bunch more.
David Golay Blister Mountain Bike Review on the WTB Proterra Tough Wheels

WTB Proterra Tough i30 Wheels

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WTB says their new Proterra Tough wheels “won’t let you down,” but they’re also relatively affordable and not especially heavy. So has WTB beaten the old “cheap, light, strong; pick two” adage, or is there a catch? Check out our full review to find out.
David Golay Blister Mountain Bike Review on the 2021 Santa Cruz Nomad

2021 Santa Cruz Nomad

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The original Santa Cruz Nomad was one of the first bikes to shape the mold for the modern Enduro bike, way back in 2005. Now in its fifth generation, the new bike stands out from the rest of the market in some interesting ways. We've been spending a ton of time on this 27.5''-wheeled bike, and it makes a compelling case for why smaller wheels should stick around. Check out our full review for more.
David Golay Blister Mountain Bike Review on the Forbidden Dreadnought

Flash Review — Forbidden Dreadnought

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High-pivot bikes might be even trendier than mullets right now, and we’ve now been spending time on the Forbidden Dreadnought. Check out our Flash Review for our early impressions of this very interesting offering.

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