BLISTER Gear Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles
Win a Jacket From Strafe
The winner of our Gear Giveaway this week will get the men’s or women’s Highlands Shirt Jacket from Strafe!
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide: XC / Trail Bikes
The third chapter of our new Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide is here, featuring bikes from hardcore XC Race machines to efficient, sharp-handling Trail rigs, and everything in between.
Reviewing the News w/ Dylan Wood & Simon Stewart (Ep.294)
Dylan and Simon break down all the amazing bike racing from September, some industry news, the looming new mountain bike wheel size, a few cool new products they’re testing, and a whole lot more.
We’re Headed to Snowbound Expo 2025
Hey, East Coast: Join us at the Snowbound Expo this November 14-16 for some great conversations and much, much more.
Flash Review: Cannondale Moterra
We’ve been piling up the miles on Cannondale’s new Moterra. Check out our first impressions of Cannondale’s more mainstream take on the full-power eMTB category.
Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions
To get our comprehensive Deep Dives and our initial, unfiltered reports on new gear, become a member and receive many other services, deals, and discounts.
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Stuff We Like: September 2025
In this edition of ‘Stuff We Like,’ our reviewers discuss all the latest gear they’ve been testing, from fly fishing packs to GPS watches, sleeping pads, hiking boots, ultralight carbon handlebars, and more.
Flash Review: 2026 Norco Revolver 120
Norco’s Revolver 120, featuring the lightest full-suspension frame the Canadian company has ever produced, is shaping up to be an option deserving — but not conforming to — the “World Cup XC Bike” moniker. Check out our initial impressions.
Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions
To get our comprehensive Deep Dives and our initial, unfiltered reports on new gear, become a member and receive many other services, deals, and discounts.
If you’re already an active member, please log in.
(If you’re already logged in and a member in good standing and seeing this message in error, please refresh this page in your browser.)
20 Years of Flylow w/ Dan Abrams, Flylow President & Co-Founder (Ep.376)
Flylow turns 20 this year, so we talk with Flylow co-founder, Dan Abrams, about the big victories, scary setbacks, and endless challenges he’s seen. Then, have you ever wondered why some jackets cost $700 and others only $200? They walk through the Flylow lineup as an exercise to lay out exactly what you get and what you don’t at all these different price points.
2025-2026 Atomic Bent 110 GFD
Atomic, Chris Benchetler, and the Grateful Dead have once again teamed up to release a limited-edition ski — here are the details on the Bent 110 GFD.
Our 25/26 Winter Buyer’s Guide: Trends, Controversies, & Luke’s Least Favorite Thing In It (Ep.362)
Luke and Jonathan talk about our big new book, the Blister 25/26 Winter Buyer’s Guide, including the big takeaways, trends, and controversies. (Plus, stick around to hear Luke’s insane bear story at the end.)
Revel ReRun
Revel’s first eMTB is a burly, 165 mm travel rig, but the ReRun’s performance proved that looks can be deceiving. Check out our thoughts after several months of testing.
Win a Travel Pack from The Brown Buffalo
The winner of our Gear Giveaway this week will get a Conceal Waistpack from The Brown Buffalo!
2025-2026 Blister Digital Winter Buyer’s Guide
350+ skis, 70+ boots, and 280+ pages of honest, accurate product reviews and comparisons. Check it all out here.
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Reviewer Reports: Yeti LTe, Chromag Reazon, Trek Fuel LX, & More (Ep.293)
Dylan Wood and David Golay give some updates on a whole bunch of bikes they’re testing, including how the Trek Fuel LX stacks up against the Slash, the surprising ride feel of the Yeti LTe, an ultra-efficient XC bike from a brand better known for gravity bikes, and a whole lot more.
“Get Thee To A Cheese Monger!” Cheesemaking w/ Jasper Hill Farm’s Zoe Brickley (Ep.85)
Eli and Jonathan talk with Zoe Brickley — Jasper Hill’s “Minister of Culture” — about how a struggling Vermont dairy farm made a very big gamble and grew into one of the most respected and award-winning names in American artisan cheese.
BLISTER Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles:
Trickstuff Maxima Brakes
Trickstuff’s brakes have long been the stuff of legend — and legendarily hard to come by, even if you’re willing to throw down their steep asking price. But now they’re becoming more widely distributed and more readily available under DT Swiss’ ownership, and we’ve put a massive amount of vert on their flagship Maxima gravity brake to see how it stacks up.
Hashing Things Out: Lincoln Knowles, Cody Townsend & Jonathan Ellsworth (Ep.379)
Cody and Jonathan have been talking about Lincoln Knowles, the climber, free soloist, and content creator who has been making waves in the climbing world. And today, Lincoln joins them to hash things out and discuss some big topics that have implications for the entire outdoor industry.
Pivot Firebird V5
The latest 5th-generation version of the Pivot Firebird is still an impressive take on a go-fast Enduro race bike, but pigeonholing it into that one role would sell it short. Here’s our take on what makes the new Firebird a compelling option for a surprisingly wide array of riders.
Deep Dive: Pivot Firebird V5
We compare the Pivot Firebird V5 to the Pivot Firebird V4, Yeti SB160, Yeti SB165, Rocky Mountain Altitude, Propain Tyee, Santa Cruz Megatower, Santa Cruz Nomad, and Ibis HD6.
Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions
To get our comprehensive Deep Dives and our initial, unfiltered reports on new gear, become a member and receive many other services, deals, and discounts.
If you’re already an active member, please log in.
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5 Years of Prototypes: AlpenFlow Ski Bindings Origins & Overview
In the first of our videos from Blister Summit 2025, we sit down with AlpenFlow Designs to get the whole story on how and why they decided to make a ski-touring binding; how their prototypes of the AlpenFlow 89 have evolved over the first 5 years of development; what they believe sets it apart from the rest of the market; how it actually works; and more.
Win a Helmet & Goggles from Pret
The winner of our Gear Giveaway this week will get the Pret Fury or Vision Helmet, as well as a pair of Pret Effect Goggles!
Best Skis of the Century from Each Brand, Part 2 (Ep.365)
In Part 2 of our series on the Best Skis of the Century, Luke Koppa and Sascha Anastas join Jonathan Ellsworth to dive into the best skis from 23 more brands, and we also discuss some of the best and most notable women-specific skis of the past 25 years.
Propain Sresh SL
Propain’s lightweight Sresh SL eMTB has proven to be an option that’s hard to define, but easy to get along with in a wide variety of settings. Check out our Full Review for our takeaways after 3 months aboard this mid-travel eMTB.
Deep Dive: Propain Sresh SL
We compare the Propain Sresh SL to the Yeti MTe, Pivot Shuttle SL/AM, Pivot Shuttle SL, Norco Fluid VLT 130, Santa Cruz Heckler SL, Trek Fuel EXe, and Mondraker Dune XR.
Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions
To get our comprehensive Deep Dives and our initial, unfiltered reports on new gear, become a member and receive many other services, deals, and discounts.
If you’re already an active member, please log in.
(If you’re already logged in and a member in good standing and seeing this message in error, please refresh this page in your browser.)
Rocket Ramps on Building Trails, Ramps, and Action Sports Infrastructure (Ep. 296)
Simon catches up with Henry Lanman of Rocket Ramps about the crazy big lines they built for the bike park in Picuris Pueblo, the sustainability of their ramps, their passion for building action sports infrastructure, and more.
Giro Chamber III Shoes
Giro’s new Chamber III went on a bit of a diet, but remains a fairly aggressive, gravity-focused clip shoe. We’re ready with a Full Review after five months of trail time.
‘Pressure Drop’ + 30 Years of TGR w/ Todd Jones & Nick McNutt (Ep.54)
Jonathan talks with TGR co-founder, Todd Jones, then pro skier, Nick McNutt, about the past, present, & future of Teton Gravity Research, and their excellent new 30th-anniversary film, Pressure Drop.