Bikes & Frames | BLISTER Outdoor Media & Gear Reviews

Canyon Spectral 125

March 2, 2023March 2, 2023 by David Golay

The Canyon Spectral 125 is about as aggressive as ~120mm-travel Trail bikes get, and the results are pretty interesting. Check out our full review for the whole story, including comparisons to six other bikes in this rapidly growing class.

David Golay reviews the Santa Cruz Nomad for Blister

2023 Santa Cruz Nomad

February 8, 2023 by David Golay

The newly mulleted Santa Cruz Nomad is pretty different from the bike that it replaced, but it’s still the more playful, less-demanding Enduro bike in Santa Cruz’s lineup — and it’s excellent.

Transition Relay

January 31, 2023 by Simon Stewart

Transition's second e-bike, the Relay, is here — and among other things, it isn't *always* an e-bike. Check out our First Look for the rundown.

Ibis Exie

January 24, 2023 by David Golay

The Ibis Exie isn’t new, but the overseas-made version is, and it’s *much* more affordable than the US-made original that Ibis launched a couple of years back. Check out our First Look for the details.

David Golay reviews the Santa Cruz Tallboy for Blister

2023 Santa Cruz Tallboy

December 27, 2022December 27, 2022 by David Golay

The Santa Cruz Tallboy hasn’t changed a ton from the prior V4 generation, but it’s still a great short-travel Trail bike and Santa Cruz has found some nice details to refine. Check out our full review to learn more, including how it compares to several other bikes in its class.

Yeti SB120

December 16, 2022December 14, 2022 by David Golay

Yeti’s been busy, launching three new bikes in just the last few weeks. Next up we’re taking a closer look at the shortest-travel one, the SB120.

Chromag Darco and Lowdown

September 18, 2023December 13, 2022 by David Golay

There might not be another brand on earth as well-known for aggressive hardtails as Chromag, but today they’ve launched their first (adult) full suspension bikes — the Darco and Lowdown — and they look to keep a lot of Chromag’s identity intact, just in a squishier package.

Vitus Mythique

December 7, 2022December 6, 2022 by David Golay

Vitus has just launched US-based distribution for their consumer direct bike sales, and along with it they’ve got a new version of the Mythique Trail bike — and it’s an outstanding value for money. Check out our First Look for all the info.

Revel Rail 29

March 1, 2023December 5, 2022 by David Golay

The Revel Rail 29 is a well-rounded bike that blurs the line between longer-travel Trail bikes and full-on Enduro sleds — and one that multiple reviewers really got along with. Check out our full review to see how the Rail 29 performs on the trail.

David Golay reviews the Starling Cycles Murmur for Blister

Starling Cycles Murmur, Swoop, and Twist V3

March 28, 2023November 28, 2022 by David Golay

Starling has given their “Core” bikes (the Murmur, Twist, and Swoop) a major update, and while the new frames don’t look too different from the prior generation ones — and continue their steel single-pivot lineage — there’s a lot that has changed. Check out our First Look for the rundown.

David Golay reviews the Fezzari La Sal Peak for Blister

2022 Fezzari La Sal Peak

November 15, 2022November 15, 2022 by David Golay

The Fezzari La Sal Peak is billed as a “versatile” Enduro bike and is a great deal in terms of the parts spec. But are there tradeoffs? We’ve spent a lot of time on the La Sal in a ton of different terrain and are ready to weigh in.

David Golay reviews the Marin Rift Zone for Blister

2023 Marin Rift Zone

November 14, 2022November 14, 2022 by David Golay

Marin’s new Rift Zone is proof that good geometry doesn’t have to be expensive, and looks like an extremely promising option for an affordable mid-travel Trail bike. Check out our First Look for the rundown.

Kara Williard, Luke Koppa, and Eric Freson review the Pivot Shadowcat for BLISTER

2022 Pivot Shadowcat

November 11, 2022 by David Golay

We’ve had three reviewers spending time on the Pivot Shadowcat, and while it’s a bit of an unusual offering in 2022 — a very light, efficient 27.5’’ Trail bike — it’s proven to be a ton of fun, and a great example of why 27.5’’ wheels should stick around.

Canfield Jedi 29

October 28, 2022October 28, 2022 by David Golay

The Canfield Jedi is back, and the new 29er version of the longstanding flagship DH race bike offers a nicely refined take on the high-pivot suspension that made the earlier iterations popular.

Eric Freson and Dylan Wood review the Intense Tracer 279 for Blister

2022 Intense Tracer 279

October 19, 2022October 19, 2022 by Dylan Wood

The Intense Tracer 279 is a capable and intuitive Enduro bike best suited for going fast and pushing your limits downhill, but its mixed-wheel configuration also helps make it stand out in a few key ways. Check out our full review to see how it compares to the latest batch of Enduro bikes on the market.

Rossignol Mandate

October 7, 2022 by David Golay

Rossignol's Mandate Trail bike is an exceptional value for money in terms of parts spec, but how does it all add up on the trail?

Kavenz VHP 16

September 30, 2022September 30, 2022 by David Golay

There are a lot of good Enduro bikes out there these days, but the Kavenz VHP 16 manages to package an unusual combination of traits in a way that still feels very coherent as a whole. Check out our full review to find out just what the VHP 16 does so well, and how it stacks up to a whole bunch of its competitors.

David Golay reviews the 2023 Santa Cruz Tallboy for Blister

Flash Review — 2023 Santa Cruz Tallboy

September 28, 2022September 20, 2022 by David Golay

Santa Cruz calls the Tallboy a "downhiller's XC bike" and our early impressions are that it's a good one.

2023 Santa Cruz Hightower

July 9, 2024September 9, 2022 by David Golay

The Santa Cruz Hightower has long been a very versatile, well-rounded Trail bike, and with the new V3 bike, Santa Cruz hasn’t messed with a good thing too much. But they’ve still found things to refine and improve, and the Hightower remains a very good all-rounder.

David Golay reviews the Pivot Firebird for Blister

2022 Pivot Firebird

September 7, 2022September 6, 2022 by David Golay

Pivot talks a big game about the Firebird being a hardcore Enduro race bike first and foremost, and having spent several months on the bike, they’re right to — it’s a good one.

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