Bikes & Big Ideas

Cascade Components’ Stumpjumper High-Pivot Conversion (Ep.270)

April 17, 2025 by David Golay

Cascade Components is best known for making aftermarket suspension links to change the leverage curve of a wide range of bikes, but they’ve just launched something much more radical: a high-pivot conversion kit for the current Specialized Stumpjumper. So we sat down with them to discuss why, how, and what they learned from the project.

David Golay reviews the Lal Katana for Blister

Lal Bikes on the Supre Drive & Katana Trail Bike (Ep.269)

April 10, 2025 by David Golay

Rear derailleurs have been around in their current general form for many decades now, but Lal Bikes thinks there’s a better way, and the Supre Drive is their answer. Now, they’ve got their own bike to go with it: the Katana. So we sat down with Lal Founder, Cedric Eveleigh, to hear all about it.

Reviewing the News w/ Dylan Wood, March 2025 (Ep. 268)

April 3, 2025 by Simon Stewart

Dylan and Simon recap the incredibly well-attended RedBull Tennessee National DH race, a range of interesting bike industry news, some exciting new products, and a whole lot more.

Atherton Bikes on Their Development Process, Gearboxes, & the A.200.G (Ep.267)

March 27, 2025 by David Golay

Gearbox bikes are popping up all over the World Cup Downhill circuit, and Atherton Bikes have joined those ranks with the new A.200.G. So we sat down with Atherton’s Head of Design, Rob Gow, to hear all about the bike, its development, the trajectory of gearboxes, and a lot more.

House of Looptail on Remaking Vintage Mountain Bike and BMX Tires (Ep. 266)

March 20, 2025March 20, 2025 by Simon Stewart

House of Looptail’s Wakeman Massie joins us to chat about remaking vintage mountain bike and BMX tires; designing the first Surly singlespeed frame; why old mountain bikes deserve to be ridden; and a whole lot more.

Reviewer Reports: Tons of Bikes, Chain Damper Shootout, & Much More (Ep.265)

March 13, 2025March 13, 2025 by David Golay

David Golay and Zack Henderson check in on a ton of gear they’ve been testing, including bikes, suspension, and a bunch of other components — including a comparison of Ochain’s active spider vs. Rimpact’s new Chain Damper.

Jackson Goldstone racing at Red Bull Hardline Tasmania

Reviewing the News w/ Mike Ferrentino, February 2025 (Ep. 264)

March 6, 2025 by Simon Stewart

Mike and Simon recap the incredible RedBull Hardline event in Tasmania, as well as some good and not so good bike industry news. Plus Mike tries to get out of his bet with Simon to eat his microphone, a fun conversation about some new cycling startups, and a whole lot more.

George Brannigan on the State of World Cup DH, Hardline, the Motorhead Edit & More (Ep.263)

February 27, 2025 by David Golay

George Brannigan is next up in our series of conversations with World Cup DH racers, and we chat about his retirement from the series; the state of DH racing; Red Bull Hardline; his epic Motorhead edit; and a whole lot more.

Reece Wilson on forming AON Racing, Partnering with Gamux, Belt Drives, Gearboxes, & More (Ep.262)

February 20, 2025 by Simon Stewart

We check in with Reece Wilson about his newly formed AON racing team; partnering with Gamux and the benefits of belt drives and gearboxes; the likely rivalry between his team and Atherton Racing to see who will bring home the Gates Belted 100k Purse; and a whole lot more.

Camille Balanche on Yeti’s Return to World Cup DH, the State of the Sport, Injuries, & More (Ep.261)

February 13, 2025 by David Golay

World Cup DH is undergoing a ton of changes at the moment, and we sat down with Camille Balanche to get her take on all of it. In addition to getting her thoughts on the state of World Cup Downhill, we talk about her move to Yeti; her injury struggles over the last couple of seasons and returning to form; pay in women’s racing; her 2025 plans and goals; and a whole lot more.

Reviewing the News w/ Mike Ferrentino, January 2025 (Ep.260)

February 6, 2025 by Simon Stewart

What impact are Trump’s tariffs going to have on the bike industry, and will they affect that new bike or component upgrade you have your eye on? Mike and Simon weigh in with their thoughts on the tariffs; as well as a Preview of Red Bull Hardline Tasmania; Mexico as a mountain bike destination; and a whole lot more.

Reviewer Reports: Bikes, Shocks, Wheels, & More (Ep.259)

January 30, 2025 by David Golay

David Golay and Zack Henderson sat down to chat about a bunch of the gear they’ve been testing recently, including a couple of very different takes on a ~150mm-travel Trail bike, the Vorsprung Telum, and a bunch more.

Ministry Cycles on Testing, Production Challenges, & the Psalm 150 V3 (Ep.258)

January 23, 2025 by David Golay

When we spoke two years ago, Ministry Cycles hoped to open up orders for their striking Psalm 150 machined and bonded frame shortly thereafter. Things didn’t go to plan, and Ministry founder Chis Currie is back to tell us all about it, and what’s coming next.

Gear of the Year, 2024 (Ep.257)

January 16, 2025January 16, 2025 by David Golay

We reviewed more mountain bike gear than ever in 2024, and we got the bike review team together to discuss the bikes and components that most impressed us from last year, and what made them stand out.

Vorsprung on the Telum, Rapid Revalve, Shock Tuning & More (Ep. 256)

January 9, 2025 by David Golay

There is no shortage of very good high-end coil sprung shocks on the market. So it’s noteworthy that Vorsprung’s first shock, the Telum, stands out in a number of its design details — first and foremost, the Rapid Revalve system, which Vorsprung says makes changing the base tune on the Telum a few-minute job, with no need to even open the shock up. So we sat back down with Vorsprung founder, Steve Mathews, to hear all about it.

Reviewing the News w/ Dylan Wood, December 2024 (Ep. 255)

January 3, 2025January 3, 2025 by Simon Stewart

Dylan Wood is back in the studio to co-host the final Reviewing the News of 2024 with Simon, and they recap some of 2024’s more memorable stories, some fresh news from December, their favorite bike racing moments, their top bike rides of the year, & more.

Braydon Bringhurst on the Concept, Format, and Goals of the Hard MTB League (Ep. 254)

December 26, 2024 by David Golay

Mountain bike racing is going through a lot of upheaval at the moment, and Braydon Bringhurst has founded a new racing format to, among other things, lower the barriers of entry to elite-level racing. Hear all about the concept and plan from the man himself.

+ More

Cascade Components’ Stumpjumper High-Pivot Conversion (Ep.270)

Lal Bikes on the Supre Drive & Katana Trail Bike (Ep.269)

Reviewing the News w/ Dylan Wood, March 2025 (Ep. 268)

Atherton Bikes on Their Development Process, Gearboxes, & the A.200.G (Ep.267)

House of Looptail on Remaking Vintage Mountain Bike and BMX Tires (Ep. 266)

Reviewer Reports: Tons of Bikes, Chain Damper Shootout, & Much More (Ep.265)

Reviewing the News w/ Mike Ferrentino, February 2025 (Ep. 264)

George Brannigan on the State of World Cup DH, Hardline, the Motorhead Edit & More (Ep.263)

Reece Wilson on forming AON Racing, Partnering with Gamux, Belt Drives, Gearboxes, & More (Ep.262)

Camille Balanche on Yeti’s Return to World Cup DH, the State of the Sport, Injuries, & More (Ep.261)

Reviewing the News w/ Mike Ferrentino, January 2025 (Ep.260)

Reviewer Reports: Bikes, Shocks, Wheels, & More (Ep.259)

Ministry Cycles on Testing, Production Challenges, & the Psalm 150 V3 (Ep.258)

Gear of the Year, 2024 (Ep.257)

Vorsprung on the Telum, Rapid Revalve, Shock Tuning & More (Ep. 256)

Reviewing the News w/ Dylan Wood, December 2024 (Ep. 255)

Braydon Bringhurst on the Concept, Format, and Goals of the Hard MTB League (Ep. 254)

Ashley King of Significant Other Bikes on Custom Frames, Finding a Home in the Bike Industry, & More (Ep. 253)

Gearing up for Winter Riding (Ep. 252)

Reviewing the News w/ Mike Ferrentino, November 2024 (Ep.251)