Bikes & Big Ideas

The History & Future of the BC Bike Race with Dean Payne & Simon Stewart (Ep. 29)

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We talk with Dean Payne, the president and co-founder of the BC Bike Race, about the origins and evolution of one of the most epic bike races and events in the world. And Simon Stewart (aka, Mr. Tank Driver) is sitting in as co-host to discuss with Dean all things BC Bike Race, the world’s largest hockey stick, drinking with Russell Crowe, and what goes into putting together an event like this.
Cam McCaul goes on Blister's Bikes & Big Ideas podcast to discuss filming for TGR's Accomplice, commentating, preparing to ride big lines, the most underrated type of mountain biking, and more

Cam McCaul on Bike Films, Preparing for Big Lines, & the TGR Film, Accomplice (Ep. 28)

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We caught up this week with Cam McCaul to talk about some of the bike films that made the biggest impression on him; the new TGR film he’s in called, Accomplice; how he prepares for riding big lines; his work as a commentator; and which discipline he thinks many people fail to really appreciate: slopestyle, DH, or big-mountain riding.
Bikes vs. Skis: which bike brand is most similar to which ski brand, and how are different bike brands stacking up against each other? We discuss this and more on Blister's Bikes & Big Ideas podcast

Bikes vs. Skis, 2nd Edition (2020): Part 1 (Ep. 24)

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Which bike company is currently most like which ski company? And which bike and ski company do most other bike and ski brands secretly wish they could trade places with? Noah Bodman, Jonathan Ellsworth, David Golay, and Eric Freson make parallels and analogies between these two industries to see if it gives us a better sense of the current position, reputation, and trajectory of a bunch of different brands in these sports.
Chris King Precision Component's Kirby Bedsaul goes on Blister's Bikes & Big Ideas podcast to discuss how and why Chris King became a certified B Corp

Why & How Chris King Became a B Corp (Ep.23)

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What, exactly, does it mean for a company to be a Certified B Corporation business, and why should anyone care? To learn more, we reached out to Chris King Precision Components — which just completed the process of becoming one of the very few B Corp manufacturing companies in the bike industry — and asked about what the process of becoming a B Corp entails, why they decided to do it, and we also discuss Chris King’s approach to manufacturing out of their homebase of Portland, Oregon.
Bill Walton discusses bikes, Bike for Humanity, basketball, and music on the Bikes & Big Ideas podcast

Basketball Legend Bill Walton on His Love of Bikes, Life, & Humanity (Ep. 21)

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Bill Walton is not only one of the greatest basketball players of all time, his passion for bikes is all-time, too. So we talked to Bill about his life-long love of bikes, and about his upcoming event, Bike For Humanity, which is a virtual event that Bill created as a way for all of us to show our solidarity in these times. We also discuss the top-5, all-time, NBA ‘bike’ guys; Bob Dylan, the Grateful Dead, and more.
Kitsbow, Industry Nine, Shaggy's Copper Country Skis discuss manufacturing PPE during the coronavirus pandemic on Blister's Bikes & Big Ideas Podcast.

How the Outdoor Industry is Pivoting to Fight COVID-19 (Ep.20)

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As the COVID-19 pandemic rages on, a number of companies in the outdoor industry are pivoting away from their normal operations and product offerings to provide healthcare workers with critical gear. So we talk to physician assistant and Blister reviewer, Sascha Anastas, about the scope of the problem, and we then talk to Kitsbow, Industry Nine, and Shaggy’s Copper Country Skis about how they are each helping the cause.
Simon Stewart breaks down the basics of servicing your bike on Blister's Bikes and Big Ideas podcast

The Basics of Servicing Your Bike, with Simon Stewart (Ep. 18)

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For many of us, it will soon be time to dust off our bikes and get back to riding. So what are some of the most important things you can do to your bike if you haven’t been riding it? To answer this, we talked to Simon Stewart, who has a long history in the bike industry, and who currently owns and runs the bike shop, Boneshaker Cycles, in Buena Vista, Colorado.
Jonathan Ellsworth, David Golay, Ben Sims, & Noah Bodman discuss on Blister's Bikes & Big Ideas podcast the upcoming 2020 UCI World Cup Downhill Mountain Bike Season

The Upcoming DH Season (Ep.17)

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The World Cup Downhill season starts in just a couple of weeks, so we checked in with Blister reviewers Noah Bodman, David Golay, and Ben Sims to get their thoughts on and predictions for the upcoming season. We also discuss the future prospects and popularity of World Cup DH racing versus the popularity and trajectory of Enduro World Series racing, and we place one very big wager on the upcoming season.

Drilling for Oil under Moab’s Slickrock Trail? (Ep.16)

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Recently, a preliminary proposal from the Bureau of Land Management was put forward to auction the right to drill for oil and natural gas under Moab’s Slickrock Trail, one of the most famous mountain bike trails in the world. How is this possible? And what should each of us be doing to protect our trails? For answers to these questions and to learn what exactly happened with Slickrock Trail, we talked to Ashley Korenblat, the founder of Public Land Solutions.

Bike Industry Predictions for the Next Decade (Ep.14)

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What will the mountain biking industry look like 10 years from now? What current product categories have the most room for improvement, and where will the actual advancements in bike tech take place by the end of 2029? What categories of riding will have grown, and which will have shrunk? We discuss all of this and more, including our wildest predictions for this next decade.
Paul Basagoitia goes on Blister's Bikes & Big Ideas podcast to discuss His Spinal Cord Injury, Road to Recovery, & New Film, Any One of Us

Paul Basagoitia on His Spinal Cord Injury, Road to Recovery, & New Film (Ep.12)

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Paul Basagoitia was the first back-to-back winner of Crankworx Slopestyle, participated in Red Bull Rampage numerous times, and was one of the top riders in the game. But one tiny mishap led to a crash that left him paralyzed, and Paul’s life was changed in an instant. So we talk to Paul about his ascension in the sport, the events surrounding his accident, his road to recovery, how he views Rampage today, and his new Red Bull / HBO film, Any One of Us that chronicles it all — and provides an unfiltered look at life after a spinal cord injury.
Jonathan Ellsworth talks with Climate Neutral CEO, Austin Whitman, on Blister's Bikes & Big Ideas podcast about Climate Neutral, how it started, its goals, and how everyone can help.

How You Can Help Brands Go Climate Neutral (Ep.11)

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These days, a lot of brands — and especially a lot of outdoor brands — like to talk about sustainability. But what concrete steps are companies actually taking to measure, reduce, and offset their carbon emissions? We talk to Climate Neutral CEO, Austin Whitman, about how Climate Neutral is enlisting brands to reduce and pay for their emissions and helping consumers to identify which brands are taking real action; the problem of “greenwashing”; the cost of reducing carbon emissions; the legitimacy of carbon offsets; and what individuals & companies can do right now.
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