BLISTER — Outdoor Gear Reviews, Podcasts, Buyer’s Guides, Giveaways

BLISTER Gear Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles

Blister reviews the 2025 Rocky Mountain Element

2025 Rocky Mountain Element

The Rocky Mountain Element was an early example of a cross-country bike with more aggressive geometry, and the new Element makes some refinements without messing with that winning recipe. Read all about it in our First Look.

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Zack Henderson reviews the Manitou Mara Pro PB

Manitou Mara Pro PB

Manitou’s rear shocks aren’t necessarily a common sight on the trails, but the updated Mara Pro PB makes a strong case for why that should change. Our Full Review chronicles our findings after a few months of heavy use.

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Simon Stewart and Dylan Wood review the Mondraker Dune XR for Blister

Mondraker Dune

The Mondraker Dune XR is exceptionally good at going downhill and adds the impressive Bosch SX drive system to help bring it back up for more. Check out the Full Review to see what Mondraker has done to make the Dune XR so unique.

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Simon Stewart and Dylan Wood review the Mondraker Dune XR for Blister

Deep Dive: Mondraker Dune XR

The Mondraker Dune XR is one of the more unique light-assist eMTBs we’ve tested, and as such there aren’t many direct comparisons, so we’re including some full-power eMTBs that match up a bit closer as well.

We compare the Mondraker Dune to the Pivot Shuttle LT, Orbea Wild, Devinci E-Troy, Canyon Torque:ON CF, and Trek Slash+.

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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BLISTER — Outdoor Gear Reviews, Podcasts, Buyer’s Guides, Giveaways

Team USA Snowboarder, Bea Kim (Ep.328)

At the age of 17, not many of us find ourselves competing for World Cup titles, or speaking in front of the United Nations. But then there’s Bea Kim, and you’re definitely going to want to get to know her and her story.

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David Golay reviews the Vorsprung Smashpot V2 for Blister

Vorsprung Smashpot V2 Coil Spring Fork Conversion Kit

Vorsprung’s new Smashpot V2 still lets you convert your fork to a coil spring, but V2 offers increased tunability, a wider range of travel and fork compatibility options — including dual-crown ones — and a new dual-rate progressive spring setup for longer-travel configurations. Check out our First Look for all the details.

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Zack Henderson reviews the Formula Nebbia

Formula Nebbia

The Nebbia is Formula’s first air shock, with a strong focus on tunability and ease of service. After a few months of testing, we have gotten a good sense of how it performs — and the results are even more interesting than expected.

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Enve’s Fifth-Generation M-Series Wheels

Flash Review — Enve M6 Wheels

Enve says that their new M-Series wheels ride very differently from Enve wheels of old, and we’ve started putting those claims to the test with their new Trail bike wheels, the M6. 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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Enve’s Fifth-Generation M-Series Wheels

Enve’s Fifth-Generation M-Series Wheels

Enve has launched the fifth-generation versions of their flagship M-Series mountain bike wheels, promising a very different ride feel from past M-Series wheels. The data they’ve provided to quantify that is pretty eye-popping, and there’s a lot of interesting stuff going on with their design — including new, Enve-designed hubs. Check out what they’ve come up with.

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'A Sunday in Hell’ w/ Joe Parkin (Ep.26)

‘A Sunday in Hell’ w/ Joe Parkin & Simon Stewart (Ep.26)

We revisit the 1977 film ‘A Sunday in Hell,’ often regarded as one of the greatest bike racing films of all time. To do it justice, Simon Stewart is joined by former pro cyclist Joe Parkin, who raced Paris-Roubaix himself in 1988, and knows what it takes to suffer through “The Hell of the North.”

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BLISTER Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles:

Blister reviews the Rossignol Arcade 88.

2024-2025 Rossignol Arcade 88

Here are our measured specs, rocker profile pictures, and flex pattern numbers for the new Rossignol Arcade 88.

On our CRAFTED podcast, our guest is Scott Rao, who is simply one of the most influential people in the world of coffee, coffee roasting, and coffee brewing. Scott is also the owner of Prodigal Coffee (located in Boulder, Colorado), and in this conversation we dive deep into specific coffee topics, as well as discuss the pursuit of quality in general

Scott Rao on Quality, Q Ratings, & Coffee (Ep.54)

Scott Rao is one of the most influential people in the world of coffee. He’s also the owner of Prodigal Coffee, and in this conversation we dive deep into specific coffee topics, as well as the pursuit of quality in general.

Kara Williard reviews the Dynastar M-Pro 92 W for BLISTER.

Flash Review: 24/25 Dynastar M-Pro 92 W

We’ve been spending time on the M-Pro 92 W, one of the women-specific models in Dynastar’s overhauled directional freeride collection. 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.

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David Golay reviews the 2025 Fox 40 Grip X2 for Blister

Flash Review — Fox 40 Grip X2

Fox’s longstanding DH fork got a new damper this year, and we’ve started spending time on the new 40 Grip X2. 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.

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Spot Mayhem 140 Full Review/Deep Dive

Deep Dive: Spot Mayhem 140

We compare the Spot Mayhem 140 to the Rocky Mountain Instinct, Scor 2030, Yeti SB 135, Revel Rascal V2, and Commencal T.E.M.P.O.

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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Spot Mayhem Full Review

Spot Mayhem 140

Spot does things differently from most bike manufacturers — with notable on-trail results. The Mayhem 140 features the latest iteration of their Living Link suspension system coupled with the stiffest frame they’ve ever built, and it still manages to stand out in a vast sea of 140mm-travel Trail bikes — in ways that are likely to really click for the right folks.

Blister reviews the K2 Omen Team ski.

2024-2025 K2 Omen Team

Here are our measured specs, rocker profile pictures, and flex pattern numbers for the new K2 Omen Team ski.

Blister reviews the Fischer The Curv GT 85 and The Curv GT 85 Redefine

2024-2025 Fischer The Curv GT 85 & Curv GT 85 Redefine

We’re kicking off this winter’s in-depth ski reviews with the one featured on the cover of our Winter Buyer’s Guide — Fischer’s The Curv GT 85. However, Fischer also makes a version of this new ski that reportedly performs the same, but does so while cutting 36% of equivalent carbon emissions. Here, we break down both of these on-piste carvers.