It’s not hard to spend several hundred dollars on a mountain bike helmet, but should you? And what do you give up, in opting for a less-expensive option? We’ve been doing some head-to-head testing of Giro’s moderately-priced Source and high-end Manifest Spherical helmets to find out, and you can now read our full review to see how they compare.
2021 Marin El Roy
Marin calls the El Roy “the ultimate aggressive steel hardtail,” and its geometry numbers are certainly eye-popping, even in our current world of longer, lower, and slacker. But who should be interested in a hardtail that’s so emphatically oriented towards descending? And does the El Roy really deliver on what looks like a promising recipe? Check out our full review to find out.
Blister Summit Brand Lineups: Black Crows Skis 21/22
We talk to Tristan Droppert about the entire 21/22 Black Crows lineup, several new skis (including the Mirus Cor and Serpo); their “Birdie” lineup for women — or anyone; and how to correctly pronounce the names of all of these skis!
Flash Review: 21/22 Prior Northwest 116
Twin tip, hefty weight, progressive mount point, & a strong flex pattern — Prior's Northwest 116 has the makings of a playful charger. Check out our initial thoughts.
2021-2022 Atomic Maven 93 C
Atomic is overhauling their all-mountain lineup for 21/22, and we spent a lot of time on one of the new women's skis in the line, the Maven 93 C. Check out our full review to see where this new ski sits in the market.
Öhlins RXF36 m.2 Air
Öhlins has long been known for their motorsports suspension, but have more recently branched out into the mountain bike world, and we’ve been testing their RXF36 m.2 Air Enduro fork. It’s an impressive offering, but who does it make the most sense for, and how does it stack up to the competition from Fox, RockShox, and Manitou? Check out our full review to find out.
Spring Running Apparel Roundup
Spring can be a tricky time when it comes to figuring out what to wear while heading out for a run, so we've put together a roundup of pieces that we've found to work well for spring's ever-changing temperatures and weather.
Win a Bike Rack from Rocky Mounts
This week the winner will get one of Rocky Mounts' hitch-mounted bike racks!
AT Boots, Bindings, & Skis w/ Sebastian Steinbach (Ep.145)
We talk with the owner of Blacksheep Sports Freeride Shop in Munich, Germany, about a bunch of ski touring gear, including the new Tecnica Cochise 130, Lange XT3 Tour Pro, Dalbello Quantum Free 130, Plum Summit 12 binding, Moment Wildcat Tour 108, and more.
2021-2022 Salomon QST 98
The Salomon QST 99 was one of the most versatile skis we’ve reviewed in the past few years, and for 21/22, Salomon is replacing it with the new QST 98. While they’re pretty different, we think Salomon has once again made a ski that could work for a lot of people, but you should check out our full review & Deep Dive comparisons to see if the new QST 98 is the ski for you.
Deep Dive: Salomon QST 98
We compare the QST 98 to the Salomon QST 99, Salomon Stance 96, Salomon QST 106, 4FRNT MSP 99, Volkl M6 Mantra, Blizzard Bonafide 97, Nordica Enforcer 100, Moment Commander 98, Fischer Ranger 102 FR, Dynastar M-Pro 99, K2 Mindbender 99Ti, Black Crows Camox, Black Crows Justis, Liberty Origin 96, Blizzard Rustler 10, Nordica Soul Rider 97, Dynastar Menace 98, & J Skis Masterblaster.
Catching Up with Carson Storch (Ep.63)
Carson Storch is one of the most talented freeriders in the world, but his intense passion for mountain biking might actually be the most notable thing about him. We caught up with Carson about how his recovery is going from a recent injury — and how he approaches rehab in general; his background and ascendance in slopestyle and freeride mountain biking; his plans for 2021; and more.
Ride Concepts Transition Clipless Shoe
The Ride Concepts Transition is a gravity-oriented clipless shoe with a bunch of compelling features, and two of our reviewers have been spending time in it. Check out their thoughts in our full review.
Flash Review: 21/22 Shaggy’s Ahmeek 95
We recently spent time on two different versions of one of Shaggy's playful all-mountain skis: the standard Ahmeek 95, and then an extra-heavy version that features sheets of ... magnesium. Check out our initial thoughts.
2021 Pivot Switchblade
Over the past several months, three of our reviewers spent time on Pivot's do-it-all Trail bike, the Switchblade, and they think it does an impressive job of standing out in a very crowded category. Check out our full review to see why.
Neli Vazquez Rowland on the Run to End Homelessness & A Safe Haven (Ep.84)
Neli Vasquez Rowland is the co-founder and president of A Safe Haven, which is a Chicago-based nonprofit whose goal is to end homelessness. So we talk to Neli about A Safe Haven’s comprehensive approach; how and why their model could be adopted by other cities around the world; their Run to End Homelessness; and more.
Blister Summit Brand Lineups: Wagner Custom Skis
At the Blister Summit, we talked to Wagner Custom Skis founder, Pete Wagner, about why Wagner had never done a ski demo before the Blister Summit; how & why they created skis specifically for the Summit (which are now a part of their offerings); and how their custom design process works.
2021-2022 WNDR Alpine Vital 100
From steep, techy lines in the backcountry, to fast laps at Mt. Crested Butte, we’ve now used the WNDR Alpine Vital 100 for a bit of everything. Check out our full review and Deep Dive comparisons for more on this ski and its algae-derived construction.
Deep Dive: WNDR Alpine Vital 100
We compare the Vital 100 to the WNDR Alpine Intention 110, 4FRNT Raven, Atomic Bent Chetler 100, Salomon MTN Explore 95, Line Sick Day 104, Armada Tracer 98, K2 Wayback 96, Line Vision 98, G3 FINDr 102, Fauna Pioneer, Blizzard Zero G 105, Volkl Blaze 106, Black Crows Camox, Liberty Origin 96, & Liberty Origin 101.
Report: The 20/21 Ski Season in Europe (Ep.166)
We talk to Sebastian Steinbach of Blacksheep Sports in Munich, Germany, about this past season; we revisit some of Sebastian’s predictions prior to the ski season; and we get his early predictions for what he thinks this next ski season will look like in Europe.
