BLISTER Gear Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles
Flash Review: 22/23 Faction Mana 3
Here are our thoughts so far on the 112mm-wide Faction Mana 3, which replaces the Faction Candide 3.0.
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MTB Brake Shootout
What’s the most important component on a mountain bike? A strong argument could be made for brakes, and there are now a greater number of good, powerful brakes than ever before. But how do they actually stack up against each other? We’ve spent the past year-plus directly comparing eight of the top options from Shimano, SRAM, TRP, Hayes, Hope, Magura, & Cascade Components — in this in-depth roundup, we explain how they all compare, what each does best, and which ones might be ideal for you.
The Most Me
In our latest Open Mic, Hadley Hammer talks about “sameness,” freedom, and the ski industry.
Transition Relay
Transition’s second e-bike, the Relay, is here — and among other things, it isn’t *always* an e-bike. Check out our First Look for the rundown.
John Kelly on Barkley Marathons Lore, Being Uncomfortable Being Comfortable, & Rebuilding Speed (Ep.157)
We recently sat down with La Sportiva Athlete John Kelly to talk about being only the 15th person to ever finish the infamous Barkley Marathons; the mindset required to run for several days straight; how he rebuilt his speed to run a sub-2:30 marathon; and much more.
Ski Manufacturing, Sustainability, & Atomic’s New Impact Statement (Ep.245)
Today we’re talking about the ski industry, ski manufacturing, and sustainability in general, and Atomic’s own historical and quite recent initiatives, including their new, annual Impact Statement.
2022-2023 Lib Tech Orca Split
The Lib Tech Orca Split is a versatile, volume-shifted splitboard that has proven its capability across steep Alaskan lines, spring hardpack, and just about everything in between. Check out the full review for more info, including how it compares to other boards from Jones, Venture, & Rossignol.
Flash Review: 22/23 Meier Leeper
As Owen Leeper’s pro model, we were curious to see where the Meier Leeper would fall into the ~115mm-wide category. Here are our initial impressions.
Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions
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Flash Review: 22/23 Rossignol Sender 106 Ti Plus
We’ve been spending time on the redesigned Sender 106 Ti Plus — check out Jonathan Ellsworth’s initial impressions.
Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions
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Blister Labs: AI, Machine Learning, & Ski Reviewing (Ep.233)
Dr. Sean Humbert is back to provide an update on our ski testing at Blister Labs; discuss the potential of artificial intelligence and machine learning for product reviewing and ski recommendation engines; and more.
Win Any Moment Ski
The winner of our gear giveaway this week can choose any ski they want from Moment’s diverse lineup of USA-made skis!
Flash Review — Pivot Shuttle LT
We’ve started spending time on Pivots big Enduro e-bike, the Shuttle LT, and our early impressions are very positive — but it’s also raised some interesting questions.
Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions
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Roundup: 23/24 BOA Ski Boots from Atomic, Fischer, K2, & Salomon
BOA dials are taking the ski boot world by storm for 2023-2024 — here’s an overview of what to expect from four different brands.
Flash Review: 23/24 Lange Shadow 130 LV
Update 1.26.23: We’ve added some more of our initial impressions of the new Shadow 130, including what we learned when A/B testing it against the Tecnica Mach1 130 on two different pairs of skis.
Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions
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Stuff We Like: January 2023
To kick off Stuff We Like for 2023, we have an assortment of items, including ski accessories such as gloves, vests, and helmets; bike shoes and winter boots, kids’ shoes, backpacks, cooking pans, and more.
BLISTER Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles:
Race Face Era Cranks
Race Face calls the Era the “strongest, stiffest, and most durable” carbon crank they’ve ever made, and we’ve spent nearly a full year on a pair to find out how those claims hold up on the trail.
Lal Bikes on Making the Supre Drive a Reality (Ep.179)
The Lal Bikes Supre Drive is an extremely interesting take on reinventing the mountain bike drivetrain, and we sat down with Cedric and Alex from Lal to get the whole story of taking it from a prototype to production, getting bike companies (and the public) on board with a very novel concept, and a whole lot more.
Skiboot RX
Skiboot RX in Billings, MT is best known for its high-quality bootfitting, selection of alpine and backcountry gear, and a wide array of accessories, in addition to ski and board services.
Flash Review: 23/24 ZAG Harfang 106
The Harfang 106 is ZAG’s widest directional freeride model — check out our initial thoughts on how it’s been comparing to the competition.
Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions
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Endura MT500 MIPS Helmet
We have been spending the last several months in Endura’s updated MT500 MIPS helmet and have been impressed by its comfort and versatility. Check out our full review to learn more about this high-end Trail helmet.
Deep Dives w/ Angel, July 2023 (Ep.269)
Angel Collinson is back to talk about her recent reunion with Sage Cattabriga-Alosa & Ian McIntosh, then she & Jonathan dive deep into some crucial relationship dynamics; vampire erotica; your ‘Ask Angel’ questions; our Open Mic Series; & more.
Flash Review — Vitus Escarpe
The Vitus Escarpe is a great value and looks well sorted on paper, but does it all come together on the trail? We’ve started spending time on one to find out — 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.
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SCARPA CEO, Kim Miller, on Their ‘Green Manifesto’ & B Corp Status (Ep.254)
Kim Miller, Scarpa North America’s CEO, is back on GEAR:30 to discuss Scarpa’s Green Manifesto and their pathway to B Corp certification, plus we talk about the life cycle of certain products; some of Scarpa’s gear that exemplifies this commitment to sustainability; what some of the challenges and takeaways have been; and much more.
Win MTB Shoes from Ride Concepts
The TWO winners of our Gear Giveaway this week will get the new men’s or women’s Accomplice or Accomplice Clip shoes from Ride Concepts!
Gear of the Year (So Far) (Ep.178)
We’ve been testing a huge range of bikes and gear this summer, so we sat down to chat about some of the things that have impressed us most so far, including bikes across the travel spectrum, SRAM’s new GX Transmission, and a whole lot more.
Assessing Greatness: The Art & Craft of Tennis, Great Sports Writing, & Top 5 Lists (Ep.31)
Today’s conversation explores the broader question of how to assess greatness? To get there, Jonathan and Troy Russ discuss the art & craft of tennis (and whether it is the greatest of all sports?); the art & craft of great sports writing (and whether David Foster Wallace’s essay, Roger Federer as Religious Experience is the pinnacle of the form). Then we discuss Troy’s Top 5 all-time tennis players, which serves to help us assess greatness in any sport.
Five Ten Kestrel Boa
Five Ten cut its teeth in the bike world by making gravity-oriented shoes, and they’re still best known for those offerings. But the new Kestrel Boa is a much more XC-oriented shoe than we’ve seen from Five Ten before, and it’s meant to add a little bit of their gravity shoe know-how to an XC shoe form factor.