Gear of the Year, 2024 (Ep.257)
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.
Bikes & Big Ideas
Vorsprung on the Telum, Rapid Revalve, Shock Tuning & More (Ep. 256)
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)
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)
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.
Ashley King of Significant Other Bikes on Custom Frames, Finding a Home in the Bike Industry, & More (Ep. 253)
Ashley King of Significant Other Bikes makes beautiful and distinctive frames out of her shop in Golden, Colorado, and her journey into the bike world and frame building is not a conventional one either. So we sat down with her to hear all about it.
Gearing up for Winter Riding (Ep. 252)
Riding in cold, wet conditions can be a blast if you get your apparel and bike setup right. Our Pacific Northwest-based reviewers sat down to talk about how they do it.
Reviewing the News w/ Mike Ferrentino, November 2024 (Ep.251)
Simon welcomes Mike Ferrentino back into the studio and they discuss the seemingly limitless discounts across the bike industry; the history of bike multitools; bike theft and how to protect your bikes; old trucks; and a whole lot more.
Reviewer Reports: Lightweight eMTBs, Ultra-Adjustable Enduro Bikes, Electronic Suspension Battle & More (Ep.250)
Simon Stewart and David Golay give the rundown on a ton of bikes and other gear we’ve been testing, from a wide range of Trail bikes to a couple of lightweight eMTBs, the ultra-adjustable Geometron G1, and more — including a head-to-head comparison of Fox Live Valve Neo and RockShox Flight Attendant.
PeopleForBikes CEO, Jenn Dice, on Assessing, Advocating For, & Building Better Bike Infrastructure (Ep.249)
Getting more people on bikes more regularly is a laudable goal, and building better bike infrastructure is key to making it happen. PeopleForBikes does a whole lot to make that happen all over the US, and we sat down with their CEO, Jenn Dice, to hear all about it — and we dive into off-road bike access & advocacy, the specter of increased tariffs on bikes (and a lot of other stuff), and a whole bunch more.
Matthew Fairbrother on His Self-Supported NZ Rally Win, the North Shore Triple Triple Crown, & More (Ep.248)
Matthew Fairbrother has made a name for himself by reeling off one mind-bending feet of endurance after another on a mountain bike. We sat down with him to get the rundown on some of his recent exploits.
Reviewing the News w/ Dylan Wood, October 2024 (Ep. 247)
Simon and Dylan recap the latest happenings in the bike world, including the historic Red Bull Rampage women’s competition; they give their take on the men’s competition; cover plenty of good and bad industry news; plus some new eMTBs Simon is really excited about.
Casey Brown on the Inaugural Women’s Red Bull Rampage (Ep.246)
Red Bull Rampage finally, belatedly, included a women’s category this year — and it was outstanding. Casey Brown arguably did more than anyone else to get her foot in the door, and to smash it down for others to follow, so we sat down with her to hear all about it. Don’t miss this one.
Arid Cycles on Self-Taught Frame Design, the Spade Enduro Bike, & More (Ep.245)
The Arid Spade Enduro bike prototypes are awfully striking for a host of reasons — including that their designer, Ethan Eggert, is just 19 years old. We sat down with Ethan to hear how and why he decided to start building bikes; how the Spade has evolved over its first three iterations; his plans for eventually selling frames; and a bunch more.
High Above on US Manufacturing, Pack Design, Expanding Their Lineup, & More (Ep.244)
High Above has been making high-quality bike packs and accessories — in the US — for well over a decade. We sat down with them to get their thoughts on the value (and downsides) of US manufacturing; talk about their design and testing process; get some teasers of what they’re working on; and a whole lot more.
The Design, Development, & Testing of Enve’s new M-Series Wheels (Ep.243)
Enve’s new M-Series wheels are the result of a very long and involved development process, and they don’t look, or ride, anything like M-Series wheels of old. So we sat down with Jake Pantone of Enve to get the whole story behind their development.
Reviewing the News w/ Mike Ferrentino, September 2024 (Ep.242)
On the latest episode of Reviewing the News, Mike and Simon dig into what may have happened to close the doors of one of the biggest retail bike stores in the country; why selling Rad Power bikes in Best Buy stores is a terrible idea; the exciting inaugural Lake Placid XC World Cup; plus a bunch more and the usual banter you don’t want to miss.
Reviewer Reports: Lightweight eMTBs, XC Race Bikes, and Slack Head Angles (Ep.241)
Dylan and Simon discuss the bikes they’ve been comparing in our upcoming head-to-head videos, which cover everything from Enduro eMTBs like the Cannondale Moterra SL to XC bikes like the Yeti ASR — which doesn’t have a motor but almost feels like it does.
Alex Showerman on ‘Coming Home’ and Finding One in Women’s Freeride (Ep.240)
Alex Showerman’s new short film ‘Coming Home’ tells the story of her journey to women’s freeride, and explores what a home is — in more than just the literal sense of a place to live. We sat down with her to hear all about it.
Maxxis on the New High Roller, Tire R&D, & More (Ep.239)
We sat down with Maxxis’ Aaron Chamberlain to discuss their new High Roller tire; how Maxxis designs, develops, and tests mountain bike tires; why its lineup is so expansive, and a whole lot more.
Reviewing the News w/ Mike Ferrentino, August 2024 (Ep.238)
Mike Ferrentino is back handling the co-host duties on this episode of Reviewing the News. Simon admits to missing Mike during his absence, and the lads waste no time getting into recapping the UCI MTB World Championships; cross-country mountain bike courses getting too short; Mike’s take on the Specialized and Frameworks partnership; a belt drive lawsuit; and lots more.