BLISTER Gear Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles
2024-2025 K2 Mindbender 96C
Here are our measured specs, rocker profile pictures, and flex pattern numbers for the K2 Mindbender 96C.
Flash Review — Forbidden Druid V2
High-pivot Trail bikes are a lot more common than they were back when Forbidden launched the original Druid — so how does the Druid V2 stack up in that ever-growing class? Check out our early impressions.
Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions
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The 10th Anniversary of the Blister Winter Buyer’s Guide: Why We Started It, How It’s Evolved, & What’s in the Latest One (Ep.310)
Since we’re releasing soon the 10th edition of our Really Big Book, Jonathan talks with Luke and Kara about what’s in this latest one, how it’s evolved, and of course, we talk about that super sexy cover photo….
2024-2025 J Skis Escalator
Here are our measured specs, rocker profile pictures, and flex pattern numbers for the J Skis Escalator.
Win Running Shoes From La Sportiva
The two winners of our Gear Giveaway this week will each get the Prodigio or Prodigio Women’s trail running shoe from La Sportiva!
Time Speciale 10 and Speciale 12 Pedals
It’s always worrisome when a longtime favorite product gets revised, and Time’s new Speciale pedals were the latest to give us “did they screw it up?!” anxiety. So, have these pedals been meddled with under Time’s new SRAM ownership, or is it business as usual with the Speciale 10 and 12? We have thoughts.
Devinci Recalls Chainsaw Frames
Devinci is issuing a voluntary recall of some Chainsaw frames. Here’s what you need to know.
Propain Spindrift 5
The fifth-generation Propain Spindrift 5 is still a 180 mm travel Freeride bike but has more configuration options than ever. With multiple wheel size options, single or dual crown builds, and a host of new features, there’s a lot to cover — join us as we dig in with our First Look.
Commencal T.E.M.P.O.
Commencal’s aluminum-only T.E.M.P.O. leans into its burly nature in many ways while still retaining the practicality that is necessary to be a competitive short-travel Trail bike in today’s market. Check out our Full Review to read on how that plays out on the trail.
Deep Dive: Commencal T.E.M.P.O.
We compare the Commencal T.E.M.P.O to the Cannondale Habit, Pivot Trail 429 Enduro, Revel Ranger, Revel Rascal, Niner JET 9 RDO, Yeti SB120, Scor 2030, & Yeti ASR.
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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Liv Cycling’s Ludi Scholz on Women-Specific Bikes, Suspension Tuning, & More (Ep.236)
Few companies still make truly women-specific mountain bikes, but Liv Cycling is leading the charge there — we sat down with Off-Road Category Manager Ludi Scholz to talk about what Liv does and why.
Flash Review — Cane Creek Tigon
We’ve started testing Cane Creek’s novel Tigon “air-charged coil” shock. 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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‘Rocky’ with Brendan Leonard & Jonathan Ellsworth (Ep.20)
Brendan and Jonathan discuss the 1976 movie, Rocky, because Brendan has made the bold claim that Rocky is the greatest running movie of all-time. Tune in to see if you agree.
Flash Review — Fox Transfer Neo
We’ve already logged quite a bit of time on the new Fox Transfer Neo. Check out how it’s working 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.
If you’re already an active member, please log in.
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Santa Cruz Bronson 5
The Santa Cruz Bronson has entered its fifth generation — and despite mostly similar aesthetics (and some throwback paint), Santa Cruz has made a lot of tweaks to the new iteration. Check out what they’ve come up with.
BLISTER Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles:
Win Tickets to Blister Summit 2025
The winner of our Gear Giveaway this week will get 2 passes to our upcoming Blister Summit 2025! The Blister Summit is a one-of-a-kind event in the snowsports world and we’re so excited to bring it back for its fifth year, from February 23–27, 2025.
Gear Quiz, Ski Recycling, & Circular Business w/ Powder7 (Ep.321)
It’s time to quiz our Blister Recommended Shop, Powder7, to see which gear has them most excited for the season and hear all their hot takes; we also dive into the backstory of their circular business model, from its garage-born roots to their expansive current setup.
Yeti ASR
It had been seven years since Yeti produced an ASR — but now their XC race bike is back. And while the new ASR is undoubtedly a competitive modern XC race bike, its appeal will extend beyond the race course for some folks. Check out our Full Review for all the details.
Deep Dive: Yeti ASR
We compare the Yeti ASR to the Cannondale Scalpel, Commencal T.E.M.P.O, Yeti SB120, Pivot Trail 429, Niner Jet 9 RDO, Revel Ranger, SCOR 2030, Specialized Epic Evo, and Trek Top Fuel.
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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XC Race Bikes for Everyday Riders? | Yeti ASR vs. Cannondale Scalpel Video
Modern XC race courses keep getting more technical, and modern XC bikes have adapted as a result. Simon and Dylan have been logging a whole lot of miles on two of those bikes, the Cannondale Scalpel and Yeti ASR, to not only see how they compare to each other, but also how practical they are for riders who are *not* racing against the clock. Here’s their Head-to-Head video review.
3-Board Quivers: Reviewers’ Selections (24/25)
We’ve recently been talking a lot about quivers of skis, but now it’s time for boards. We asked several of our snowboard reviewers to assemble their ideal 3-board quivers — check out their picks.
Reviewing the News w/ Dylan Wood, October 2024 (Ep. 247)
Simon and Dylan recap the latest happenings in the bike world, including the historic Red Bull Rampage women’s competition; they give their take on the men’s competition; cover plenty of good and bad industry news; plus some new eMTBs Simon is really excited about.
MTB Pant Roundup — 2024
We’ve been testing a whole bunch of MTB pants from ultra-lightweight summer options to fully waterproof winter options. Check out our latest roundup to get the rundown.
2-Ski Quivers: Reviewers’ Selections (24/25)
Wrapping up our reviewers’ 2-ski quiver selections, Jonathan Ellsworth and Paul Forward add their picks. Check it out to see which skis our various reviewers have chosen this year, and let us know how you would go about assembling your own 2-ski quiver!
Yu Sasaki on Big-Mountain Skiing, Deep-Powder Skiing, & Running a Successful Food Truck (Ep.52)
We talk with professional skier, Yu Sasaki, about deep powder skiing; what it takes to start — and maintain — a successful food truck; his beautiful short film, Home From Home; moving from Hokkaido, Japan, to Revelstoke; and more.
Deep Dive: Cannondale Scalpel
We compare the Cannondale Scalpel to the Yeti ASR, Commencal T.E.M.P.O, Revel Ranger, Yeti SB120, Niner JET 9 RDO, Pivot Trail 429, SCOR 2030, Specialized Epic Evo, and Trek Top Fuel.
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.)
Cannondale Scalpel
Has Cannondale changed the recipe for one of the most iconic XC race bikes of all time by adding a dash of versatility, or is the new Scalpel just as focused on winning races as ever? Check out our Full Review for our take.