BLISTER Gear Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles
Knee Pad Roundup — 2023
We’ve been testing a ton of mountain bike knee pads, and our updated 2023 roundup includes 19 different options — from super lightweight, breathable options to burly, DH-ready ones.
Story Time With Ryan “R-Dog” Howard (Ep.182)
Ryan “R-Dog” Howard is one of the most stylish mountain bikers of all time, and it turns out he’s quite the storyteller, too. We sat down with Ryan to chat about everything from his four appearances at Red Bull Rampage; his absurd new “company vehicle;” and what Ryan describes as “the best trip of his life — even though it ended with a broken leg; and a whole lot more.
Flash Review — Commencal Supreme V5
We’ve started spending time on Commencal’s latest iteration of the Supreme DH race bike. Check out our early 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.)
Amateur Hour: Atomic’s Matt Manser on Scotch, Part 3 (Ep.33)
How do you define “consistency” — the ability to produce the exact same thing time & time again, or producing a product that is never exactly the same, but is always of high quality? That question underlies our talk of official offerings vs independent bottlings, and we also talk about Scotch and spit buckets, Matt’s current top-3 ‘hottest’ Scotch brands, and more.
Flash Review — Nicolai Nucleon 16 Supre Drive
The Lal Bikes Supre Drive is one of the most intriguing developments in mountain bike drivetrains to come around in a while, and we got a first ride on the Nicolai Nucleon 16 that’s equipped with it.
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.)
Bjarne Salén on The Fifty Project, Adventure Vans, & Tiny Homes (Ep.272)
Today we’re talking with Bjarne Salén about his adventures & exploits with Cody Townsend for The Fifty Project, then we turn to his other big project: getting people to rethink how and where we live, and creating solutions to make that possible (see bjarnebuilds.com).
Revel RW30 Gen 2 Wheels
Revel just released the second version of their RW30 Trail/Enduro wheelset, claiming some improvements to their US-made, recyclable carbon fiber rims.
Blister Labs: Blister Community Reviews Update (Ep.257)
Too often, the consumer reviews you find online are incomplete and unhelpful. But through our Blister Labs partnership with Western Colorado University & the University of Colorado Boulder, we’re working to change that.
Cotic RocketMAX Gen4
Steel full-suspension bikes are popping up with increasing frequency, but Cotic has been on that trend longer than most, and their latest Gen4 RocketMAX is a big Enduro bike with some seriously impressive ride characteristics.
Ski Connexions
Ski Connexions is a unique one-man bootfitting operation by the highly skilled Barry Allison, and is the place to go for bootfitting in Whistler, CA to ensure the best possible experience out on the hill.
Win a Helmet and Glasses from POC
The five winners (!) of our Gear Giveaway this week will get an Axion Race MIPS Helmet and Define Glasses from POC!
Prevelo founder Jacob Rheuban on Designing a Better Kid’s Bike (Ep.181)
Kids’ bikes aren’t (or shouldn’t be) just scaled-down adult ones, and Prevelo founder Jacob Rheuban has a lot of great insights to share on what goes into making a good one.
Flash Review — Propain Ekano 2
Propain describes the Ekano 2 as a more nimble, playful sort of long-travel eMTB, but is it? 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.)
Propain Ekano 2 AL
Propain’s Ekano eMTB stood out from the rest of their line, with a different suspension layout and geometry that was starting to look a bit dated. That all changes today, with the new Ekano 2 getting a major overhaul. Propain is talking a big game about the Ekano 2 being an especially nimble, “fun” bike, despite its big travel numbers and modern geometry.
Amateur Hour: Atomic’s Matt Manser on Scotch, Part 2 (Ep.32)
Matt Manser (Atomic Ski Boots), is back to dive into the world of independent bottlings. We compare a Bunnahabhain independent bottling against their official 12-year offering; discuss a single cask that cost $19M; debate whether you should add water to your Scotch; and more.
BLISTER Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles:
Flash Review: 23/24 Dynafit Tigard 130 Boot
This season, Dynafit launched a new 130-flex AT boot that was pretty different for the brand — 2-piece overlap construction, GripWalk soles, and 4 buckles. Eric Freson has been spending a lot of time with it in the backcountry this season — check out his initial thoughts.
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.)
Reviewer Reports: Nicolai Nucleon Supre Drive, Ibis HD6, & More (Ep.208)
David Golay and Zack Henderson give their early impressions on a bunch of bikes they’ve been testing lately, including the wild Nicolai Nucleon Supre Drive, Ibis HD6, and Chromag Lowdown.
Flash Review — Chromag Lowdown
The Chromag Darco was one of our Bike Editor’s favorite bikes from last year, but how about its bigger sibling, the Lowdown? Check out his early 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.)
EXT Era V2.1 Fork
The original EXT Era fork was hugely impressive in a number of respects but also had a few rough edges. Since then, EXT has been making iterative refinements to this high-end Trail / Enduro fork, and we’ve spent a ton of time on the latest V2.1 iteration. So has all that work paid off? Check out our full review for our take.
Ski Touring & Backcountry Gear: The Basics & What You Need to Know
Ski touring is great, but there’s a lot to know before you go. So whether you’re looking to go on your first ski tour, you want to sign up for an avalanche-safety course, or you want to skin uphill at your local resort, this video is for you.
Blister Labs Update: Ski (and Boot) Flex Test (Ep.283)
Dr. Sean Humbert is back to provide an update on our Blister Labs’ ski flex project, and to explain how and why ski boots are becoming an integral part of this project, too.
Flash Review: 24/25 Fischer Nightstick 97
We’ve been spending time on Fischer’s new Nightstick 97 — here are our initial thoughts on this all-mountain freestyle ski, including some comparisons to Fischer’s Ranger skis.
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.)
Fischer Announces 2025 Nightstick Freeski Collection
Fischer has officially announced their 24/25 Nightstick collection, which includes four brand-new freestyle skis — here are the details.
Win Apparel from Minus33 & Melin
The two winners of this week’s Gear Giveaway will get a head-to-toe merino wool kit from Minus33 and a thermal hat from Melin!
2023-2024 Volkl Blaze 114
Here are our measured specs, rocker profile pictures, and flex pattern numbers for the Volkl Blaze 114.
2024-2025 Majesty Havoc 100 Ti
Here are our measured specs, rocker profile pictures, and flex pattern numbers for the Majesty Havoc 100 Ti.
Dynafit & Hoji Release New Ridge AT Boots
Dynafit and master-gear-tinkerer, Eric “Hoji” Hjorleifson, have been toiling away on another new ski-touring boot design, and the Dynafit Ridge series is the result. Here’s the rundown on these new lightweight AT boots.