BLISTER Gear Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles
Blister Brand Guide: Orbea Mountain Bike Lineup, 2021
From extremely light hardtails to long-travel Enduro bikes, Orbea’s current lineup covers a pretty broad spectrum over just a handful of models. Check out our Brand Guide for a breakdown of what sets each bike apart, what builds are the best bang for the buck, and more.
Dr. Rami Hashish on Optimizing Athletic Performance, Aging Well, & Rethinking Work (Ep.174)
We talk with Dr. Rami Hashish about a whole lot of topics surrounding high-level human performance, injury prevention, and how to age well. Dr. Hashish is the founder of the National Biomechanics Institute, has a Doctorate of Physical Therapy and a PhD in Biomechanics, serves on the review board for various national and international medical and engineering journals, and sits on a global committee for spine and brain injury.
Chromag Minor Threat
Chromag has long been known for making aggressive hardtails, but they’ve just released their first full-suspension model — and it’s a kids’ bike. The Minor Threat (which is the best new product name we’ve seen in a while) is an interesting new direction for the brand and looks like a very promising option for the younger rippers out there. Check out our First Look for all the info.
Win Hip Packs from Dakine
This week TWO people will get Dakine’s recently revised Hot Laps 5L hip pack!
Current State of Helmet Tech, pt. 5: WaveCel (Ep.154)
We talk to the co-founder of WaveCel, and discuss the origins & development of WaveCel; Dr. Madey makes what might be the best case we’ve ever heard about why rotational forces play such a critical role in brain injuries; and we discuss how WaveCel compares to MIPS and Koroyd.
Blister Brand Guide: Santa Cruz / Juliana Mountain Bike Lineup, 2022
Santa Cruz and its sister brand, Juliana, have now released their full model-year 2022 lineup, and in our Brand Guide we provide a rundown on all the bikes, builds, and other specs to help you figure out which bikes you might want to consider.
New Manitou Dorado (Ep.74)
The first-generation Manitou Dorado turned a lot of heads more than 20 years ago, thanks to its inverted layout and wild-looking carbon chassis. The just-released, fourth-generation Dorado is a major update to what Manitou calls “the longest-standing inverted downhill fork” — including a return of the carbon chassis, after more than a decade hiatus. But there’s a whole lot more going on, too, so we sat down with Manitou’s Phil Ott to discuss the past and present of the Dorado; the advantages and disadvantages of inverted forks; fork offset; and a whole bunch more.
WTB Proterra Tough i30 Wheels
WTB says their new Proterra Tough wheels “won’t let you down,” but they’re also relatively affordable and not especially heavy. So has WTB beaten the old “cheap, light, strong; pick two” adage, or is there a catch? Check out our full review to find out.
2021 Santa Cruz Nomad
The original Santa Cruz Nomad was one of the first bikes to shape the mold for the modern Enduro bike, way back in 2005. Now in its fifth generation, the new bike stands out from the rest of the market in some interesting ways. We’ve been spending a ton of time on this 27.5”-wheeled bike, and it makes a compelling case for why smaller wheels should stick around. Check out our full review for more.
Flash Review — Forbidden Dreadnought
High-pivot bikes might be even trendier than mullets right now, and we’ve now been spending time on the Forbidden Dreadnought. Check out our Flash Review for our early impressions of this very interesting offering.
Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions
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Men’s Mountain Bike Jersey Roundup — 2021
We’ve been testing 11 different MTB jerseys, from standard options to casual-looking ones to some that you could even wear to a pretty nice dinner. Check out our roundup to see how they all compare.
Ultimate Direction Fastpack 40
Ultimate Direction’s Fastpack 40 is designed for, well, fastpacking, but we’ve also found it to be great for longer day hikes and runs where you need to carry lots of gear but also want to move quickly through all sorts of terrain.
The Mt. Rushmore of “Poppy” Skis (Ep.153)
Previously on GEAR:30 we laid out our Mt. Rushmore of Ski Suspension. Now, we’re moving to the opposite end of the spectrum. We define some terms, talk about some of the characteristics that can help make a ski more poppy; and work our way through a bunch of skis. Check it out, and let us know what skis you think are most deserving.
Win Any Sunglasses from SPY
This week TWO people will get to pick any sunglasses they want from SPY’s updated lineup!
The Rise — and Rise — of Brad Simms (Ep.73)
Few (if any) riders have the power, balance, & creativity of Brad Simms. So you might assume it’s been a pretty quick and easy path to prominence for someone this unique. But it hasn’t been an easy road, and in this conversation, Brad spells it all out; talks about how close he came to calling it quits; his new partnership with Canyon bikes; his interest in all types of riding; and more.
BLISTER Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles:
Flash Review — Sage Flow Motion
We’ve started spending time on the new Sage Flow Motion, and it’s a very interesting combination of being quite playful and still fairly stable and capable in bigger terrain.
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.)
2023 Glade Goggles & Helmets | Blister Summit Brand Lineup
We talk with Glade’s Head of Product & Sustainability, Michael Barker, about the origins of the Glade brand; their product design ethos; current goggle models; their brand-new Boundary Helmet; and more.
2022-2023 Head Supershape e-Titan
Here are our measured specs, rocker profile pics, and flex pattern numbers for the Head Supershape e-Titan.
Trail Running 101: Trail Running Etiquette
Trail running is a great way to enjoy a sense of freedom in the outdoors — but like most freedoms, it comes with a bit of responsibility. As more and more people flock to the trails, the greater the impact we’re likely to have on each other’s experience. In part four of our Trail Running 101 series, we offer nine guidelines for how to be a respectful steward to the trails and the people we share them with.
Snowboarding Pioneer, Kimmy Fasani (Ep.215)
Kimmy Fasani is a pioneer of women’s snowboarding, mother, partner of Chris Benchetler, and (among other things) someone who has been dealing with a breast cancer diagnosis. So we checked in with Kimmy to talk about how she’s doing, what she’s been learning, and what we can learn from her.
2022-2023 K2 Dispatch 101
Here are our measured specs, rocker profile pics, and flex pattern numbers for the new K2 Dispatch 101.
Win Wild Rye Bike Gear
This week one lucky winner will get shorts, a chammy, a tank, hat, socks, and a water bottle from Wild Rye!
ATK Bindings, Part 2: Product Lineup & Design Differences (Ep.200)
In part two of our conversation with ATK CEO, Davide Indulti, we discuss ATK’s current binding lineup; the design differences between their four collections: Race, Speed Touring, Touring, & Free Touring; how Davide thinks ATK bindings stack up against the competition; some new products that are in the works; and more.
2023 Fischer Ranger Skis | Blister Summit Brand Lineup
We sit down with Fischer’s content marketing manager, Jonathan Jay, to dive deep into Fischer’s overhauled 2022-2023 Ranger series of skis; the unisex construction & dual-graphic approach to the line; how each of the new Ranger skis compare to the previous Rangers; and more.
2021-2022 Fat-ypus D-Sender
Here are our measured specs, rocker profile pics, and flex pattern numbers for the Fat-ypus D-Sender.
REEB on Beer, MTB Design, & Doing Things Differently (Ep.121)
REEB Cycles do a lot of things differently, from their founding in a brewery, to how they think about bike design and manufacturing. So we spoke with REEB’s Jeff Lenosky and Adam Prosise about all of it, including how they both got involved with REEB, their current (and future) MTB lineup, making frames in Colorado, & a whole lot more.
On Cloudvista
In recent years, road-to-trail shoes have grown from occupying niche corners of brands’ lineups to quickly crowding their own category. The On Cloudvista is the latest addition to that space, and it has proved to be a highly versatile option for both new runners looking to ease onto trails for the first time and more experienced runners needing to downsize their shoe quiver.