Bikes & Big Ideas | BLISTER Outdoor Media & Gear Reviews

Bikes vs. Skis, 4th Edition (2023): Part 2 (Ep.170)

May 18, 2023 by David Golay

Which ski brand is that sport’s equivalent of Santa Cruz Bikes? Are gravel bikes more analogous to skimo skis or frontside carvers? Which bike company compares most directly to ON3P skis? We’re tackling the most important questions in the outdoor industry in our latest Bikes vs. Skis episode.

Richie Schley on Inventing Freeride MTB, Bike Evolution, Fixing Rampage, & More (Ep.169)

May 11, 2023 by David Golay

Richie Schley had a big hand in the formation of freeride mountain biking as we know it, and he’s still got his finger on the pulse of the sport. So we sat down with Richie to hear his (often hilarious) stories from the early days, chat about where he wants to see freeride go and grow from here, and a whole lot more — including getting the rundown on his recent bachelor party.

Payson McElveen on “Crossing Tasmania” & Finding Joy Beyond Racing (Ep.168)

August 21, 2023May 4, 2023 by David Golay

Payson McElveen is best known for his exploits as a racer, but his upcoming short film “Crossing Tasmania” documents a very different side of his on-bike persona, an absolutely bonkers physical effort, and the ways that old habits die hard. We sat down with Payson to get the whole story, which he tells in beautiful detail.

Sea Otter 2023 Recap (Ep.167)

May 4, 2023April 27, 2023 by David Golay

Blister editors David Golay and Simon Stewart were on site at the Sea Otter Classic and sat down to chat about a bunch of the most exciting new gear and broader industry trends that they saw at the show.

Project Bike Tech on Putting Bike Shops in Schools (Ep.166)

May 4, 2023April 20, 2023 by David Golay

Project Bike Tech has been establishing bike shop classes in high schools for 15 years now, and we sat down with their Executive Director, Mercedes Ross, to hear all about it.

Yeti SB160, Pivot Shuttle LT, SRAM Transmission & More (Ep.165)

May 4, 2023April 13, 2023 by David Golay

David Golay and Simon Stewart sat down to chat about a bunch of the new bikes and gear they’ve been testing, including the Yeti SB160, Pivot Shuttle LT vs. Specialized Turbo Levo, the new SRAM Transmission, and a whole bunch more — plus some teasers of upcoming new bike releases.

Phil Atwill on Greek MTB, Propain Positive, the 2023 Race Season & More (Ep.163)

May 4, 2023March 30, 2023 by David Golay

Phil Atwill is incredible to watch on just about any sort of bike, and we sat down with him to talk about everything from the changes to the World Cup Downhill race format to doing shots with the Greek police while on a filming trip — and much, much more.

SRAM’s New Eagle Transmission and Stealth Brakes (Ep.162)

May 4, 2023March 23, 2023 by David Golay

SRAM’s new Eagle Transmission is some of the biggest new tech to hit the bike world recently, and we sat down with SRAM’s Chris Mandell to get the rundown on the new T-Type parts, including why SRAM went to a direct mount derailleur and a whole lot more.

Caleb Holonko on Building, Filming, and Going Huge (Ep.161)

May 4, 2023March 15, 2023 by David Golay

Caleb Holonko’s “Lights Out” was one of the most outrageous video edits we saw last year, and he’s already followed it up with another banger with “In The Know.” So we sat down to talk about his take on building, filming, and melding new-school riding with classic North Shore style, plus a whole lot more.

Cy Turner on 20 Years of Cotic Bikes (Ep.160)

May 4, 2023March 9, 2023 by David Golay

Cotic Bikes turns 20 this year, and we took the opportunity to sit down with founder Cy Turner to chat about the history of the brand & changes to the industry over those two decades; why they use steel for full-suspension frames and hardtails alike; Cy’s philosophy on bike design; tease an upcoming Blister review; & a whole lot more.

Magnus Manson is Back (Ep.159)

May 4, 2023March 2, 2023 by David Golay

Magnus Manson had to put his burgeoning World Cup DH career on hold while he battled cancer, and now he’s gearing back up for the upcoming season. So we sat down with Magnus to talk about his treatment & recovery; staying motivated; filming and racing throughout his treatment; and a whole lot more.

Transition Smuggler, Starling Murmur, Pivot Shuttle LT, & More (Ep.158)

May 4, 2023February 23, 2023 by David Golay

David Golay sat down with the newest member of the Blister bike review team, Simon Stewart, to talk about a ton of the new bikes they’ve been testing — including some interesting takeaways about the wildly-varied class of ~140mm-travel Trail bikes.

Ministry Cycles on Suspension Design, Machining Frames, & Launching a Bike Company (Ep.157)

May 4, 2023February 15, 2023 by David Golay

Chris Currie has taken a long, winding road to founding Ministry Cycles, and the bike he’s launching with, the Psalm 150, is every bit as interesting. So we sat down with Chris to get the whole story.

Neko Mulally’s World Cup DH Bike Development (Ep.155)

Neko Mulally’s World Cup DH Bike Development (Ep.156)

May 4, 2023February 9, 2023 by David Golay

When we last caught up with Neko Mulally he had just launched his Frameworks self-designed World Cup DH race bike project, and now a year later, he’s learned a whole lot — and changed a lot of the frame design details along the way. So we sat back down to get the whole story.

Braydon Bringhurst on Climbing the Whole Enchilada (Ep.155)

May 4, 2023February 2, 2023 by David Golay

A few months ago, Braydon Bringhurst pulled off the incredible accomplishment of climbing the Whole Enchilada trail in Moab, Utah in a single day — and *rode* every inch of it. So we sat down with Braydon to get the whole story.

Geoff Kabush on Longevity, Having Fun, & Career Evolution (Ep.154)

May 4, 2023January 26, 2023 by David Golay

Geoff Kabush has had about as long and varied a career as a professional racer can have, so we sat down with him to chat about the ups and downs over the years, his favorite events and stories, what keeps him going, & a whole lot more.

Pivot Factory Racing’s Newest Member, Jakob Jewett (Ep.153)

May 4, 2023January 19, 2023 by David Golay

Jakob Jewett’s World Cup DH career is off to a great start, so it’s wild to imagine that he was once on track to be a professional skier instead. We caught up with Jakob to hear all about his 2022 season, his approach to racing, his ongoing love of skiing, and a whole lot more.

Gamux on Doing Everything Differently (Ep.152)

May 4, 2023January 11, 2023 by David Golay

The Gamux Sego is about as visually striking as bikes get, and the story of its development and the brand that spawned it is every bit as interesting. And so we sat down with founder Pascal Tinner to get the whole story.

Gear of the Year, 2022

May 4, 2023January 5, 2023 by David Golay

We reviewed more mountain bikes and gear than ever before in 2022, and so David Golay, Dylan Wood, and Luke Koppa sat down to recount a bunch of their favorites.

Andrew Gardner on Open-Mindedness, Gravel Riding, Velocio, & More (Ep.150)

May 4, 2023December 29, 2022 by David Golay

We’re joined by Velocio co-founder Andrew Gardner to recap a recent “gravel” ride that he and Jonathan Ellsworth went on, and to discuss gravel riding more broadly, including the limitations of the term “gravel”, the ways that bikers group themselves into specialized cliques (possibly to their detriment) and much, much more.

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