BLISTER Gear Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles
Flash Review: Diaz Upper & Lower Runt
Diaz Suspension Design’s new Lower Runt fork air spring upgrade runs counter to some current trends in air spring design, and makes some intriguing performance claims in doing so. So, how does it all come together on the trail? We’ve started to find out.
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Diaz Upper & Lower Runt Fork Air Spring Upgrade
Diaz Suspension Design has doubled down on their Runt fork air spring upgrades, adding a Lower Runt to their lineup to go with the original Runt — now dubbed the “Upper Runt” — air spring upgrade kit. There’s a lot going on here, and it’s quite intriguing.
Setting a New Standard: Atomic’s Daron Rahlves, Janelle Yip, & Noah Wallace on Crash Stories & How Companies are Protecting Athletes (Ep.384)
Last year, Atomic became the first company to cover their entire global athlete team with BLISTER+. So how did it go? We get reports from Atomic’s global team manager, Noah Wallace, and Atomic athletes, Daron Rahlves and Janelle Yip. And Janelle shares her gnarly crash story from last season, and what her experience was like as a BLISTER+ member.
Flash Review: Hope Evo TR4 Brakes
Hope’s latest flagship GR4 gravity brakes are rapidly becoming a favorite at Blister. So, what about their Trail-oriented sibling, the TR4? Here’s our early take.
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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Flash Review: Norco Sight VLT
Norco’s Sight VLT combines one of the few high-pivot suspension layouts found on an eMTB with arguably the best drive system on the market for a unique 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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The Science of Staying Warm: Innovations in Insulation w/ PrimaLoft (Ep.370)
If you’ve worn a puffy jacket in the past 30+ years, there’s a good chance it used PrimaLoft insulation. And they just announced their warmest insulation to date. Today you’ll get all the details from PrimaLoft’s SVP of Innovation & Technology — and learn a lot in general about the stuff that keeps us warm.
Win Outerwear From Stellar Equipment
The winner of our Gear Giveaway this week will get a men’s or women’s Shell Jacket 2.0 and Shell Pants 2.0 from Stellar Equipment!
Best Bikes of the Century, Part 1 (Ep. 301)
What’s the best bike of the 21st century so far? We’re kicking off a debate on that subject with Simon Stewart, David Golay, Dylan Wood, and Xan Marshland offering their takes on the most important bikes from a wide array of manufacturers.
2025-2026 Jones Howler
The Jones Howler is an aggressive board for steep, technical terrain and big backcountry hits, but it’s appeal goes beyond all-out charging. Check out our Full Review for more.
The Whiskey that Set a Land Speed Record: Montgomery Distilling (Ep.89)
Today, Eli talks with owner and land speed record holder, Ryan Montgomery, of Montgomery Distilling to discuss the similarities between aquavit and gin; the labor of love known as kirschwasser; and the world’s first bourbon-based amaro.
Deep Dive: Chromag Reazon
We compare the Chromag Reazon to the Chromag Darco, Chromag Lowdown, Forbidden Druid V2, Knolly Fugitive 140, Propain Hugene 3, Trek Fuel EX Gen 7, Kona Process 153, Reeb Steezl, Transition Sentinel, and Starling Murmur.
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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Chromag Reazon
Instead of drooling over aerospace-grade carbon, why can’t we get stoked on bicycle-grade steel? The Chromag Reazon makes one of the most compelling cases for bringing steel into high-end Trail bikes we’ve seen to date.
‘Farming Turns’ w/ Chris Rubens & Jonathan Ellsworth (Ep.59)
Chris Rubens is a professional skier and a professional farmer. His excellent 25-minute film, ‘Farming Turns,’ will be available on YouTube on Wednesday, and Jonathan talks to Chris about it all — including a great cameo performance from Chris’ longtime friend, Hoji.
10 Quick Things: ‘Movie Premieres, Robots, & Snowboards’ Edition (Ep.383)
Jonathan shares some highlights and updates from the whirlwind of a trip he’s currently on.
MRP Lift V2 Fork Damper
We’re used to rear shock dampers coming tuned for a given bike and rider, but it’s much less common in forks. MRP thinks that should change, and their Lift V2 fork damper upgrade is offered in five rider-weight-specific tunes, on top of some other interesting features. Check it all out here, including our early on-trail impressions.
BLISTER Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles:
Flash Review: 25/26 Völkl Peregrine 72
Völkl says the Peregrine 72 is “ultra-agile,” but also that it “can do everything on piste.” So, where does it actually excel? Here are our initial thoughts, including comparisons to the wider Peregrines and Head’s Supershape models.
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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2025-2026 Völkl Peregrine 72
Here are our measured specs, rocker profile pictures, and flex pattern numbers for the Völkl Peregrine 72.
Debatable: Are 32″ Wheels the Future?
Where is 32” going to go? We’ve seen a broad range of excitement and cynicism from friends and industry folk, so we asked our reviewers to make some predictions.
Win Custom ON3P Skis
This one is insanely good — this week’s winner will get a pair of custom skis from ON3P. Enter before December 19th for your chance to win! With over 200 topsheets, 100 bases, and 100 different shapes, ON3P is giving the winner the chance to create a pair of unique skis tailored to their style and ski preferences.
Fox 36 & 36 SL
Fox’s fork lineup got a big reshuffling this year, including an update to the longstanding 36, and the new 36 SL replacing the 34 as their shorter-travel Trail bike offering. So, how do the new 36 siblings stack up to each other, the forks they replaced, and some of their main competitors? Here’s our take.
A New Approach to Apparel: Raide Founder on Unconventional Shells, Zip-Off Baselayers, & ‘Staying Slippery’ (Ep.373)
The skis, ski boots, and bindings made for human-powered ski-touring are very different from the ones built for the resort. But what about the clothes? Raide has been rethinking what apparel for the skintrack vs. the resort could and should look like, and their new collection is quite the ambitious debut.
Gamux Founder Pascal Tinner on AON Racing, the ‘Trophy Truck,’ & More (Ep.304)
The Gamux Sego doesn’t look like anything else out there, but it’s downright normal-looking compared to some of the prototypes that Gamux has been experimenting with. So, what has Gamux been up to? Founder Pascal Tinner is here to tell us all about it.
Flash Review: 25/26 ON3P Mango 102
The Mango 102 is the latest result of ON3P’s collaboration with Jake Mageau, and we’ve been testing in and out of the park. Here are our initial takeaways.
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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2025-2026 ON3P Mango 102
ON3P has updated all three freestyle skis within Jake Mageau’s promodel series. Here are our measured specs, rocker profile pictures, and flex pattern numbers for the new ON3P Mango 102.
Amanda Thomson on How Noughty AF Wine is Achieving the Seemingly Impossible (Ep.92)
Eli sat down with Amanda Thomson, founder of Noughty AF, to discuss what makes Noughty “wine, just better”; the differences between the American and European markets; and some of the most challenging aspects of creating a product line that has come to define quality N/A wine.
Flash Review: Trek Fuel MX Gen 7
We’re rounding out Trek’s new Fuel trio by spending some time on the mixed-wheel, mid-travel Fuel MX. Here’s how it’s going so far.
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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Off-Grid eMTB Charging and Espresso w/ the DJI Power 2000
DJI’s Power 2000 battery bank can recharge your eMTBs, top off your battery-powered tools, fire up your Starlink internet, and prepare espresso shots in the middle of nowhere. Here’s our take on how well it works.