BLISTER Gear Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles
Hope XCR Pro X2 and E4 Brakes
Hope’s new pairing of their lightweight, bare-bones XCR Pro lever with the four-piston E4 caliper may seem like an incongruous one, but there are good reasons to consider the XCR Pro E4s besides just weight savings.
Reviewing the Reviewer: Zack Henderson (Ep.308)
We talk to Blister bike reviewer Zach Henderson about his gear preferences when it comes to bikes, skis, and snowboarders. We also start the episode by remembering our friend and fellow reviewer, Eric Freson.
Modern Gear for Traditional Skiing | Bishop Telemark 2025 Lineup Video
There are lots of passionate telemark skiers out there, but far fewer tele-specific gear companies. Bishop Telemark is one of those brands, and at Blister Summit 2024, we sat down with Bishop’s owner and engineer, Dave Bombard, to get the rundown on the current lineup, including their latest cross-compatible bindings; their collection of skis and how they designed them specifically for tele skiers; the San Juan Stick and its historical significance, and more.
Win MTB Handlebars From Forge+Bond
The two winners of our Gear Giveaway this week will each get a F+B 25 MTN Bar from Forge+Bond!
Vermont Mountain Bike Association on Assessing, Funding, & Building Adaptive Trails (Ep.234)
Vermont Mountain Bike Association, in conjunction with Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports, are building an impressive network of adaptive trails. So we sat down to find out what has made them so successful; what goes into adaptive trail building; and why other trail organizations should take a look at what they’re doing.
Rocky Mountain Altitude
The new Rocky Mountain Altitude doesn’t look anything like the old one, but how do the new suspension layout and overhauled geometry come together on the trail? Check out our Full Review for our take.
Deep Dive: 2024 Rocky Mountain Altitude
We compare the Rocky Mountain Altitude to the prior-generation Altitude, Orbea Rallon, Santa Cruz Megatower, Chromag Lowdown, Yeti SB160, Pivot Firebird, RAAW Madonna, Trek Slash, Ibis HD6, and Yeti SB165.
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Trek Fuel EXe Aluminum
Built around the quiet and smooth TQ HPR50 motor, Trek’s Fuel EXe provides an eMTB experience that non-motorized mountain bikers will find familiar. But, this eMTB also surprised us in a few ways that have nothing to do with its drive system. Check out our Full Review and accompanying video review.
Deep Dive: Trek Fuel EXe Aluminum
We compare the Trek Fuel EXe Aluminum to the Pivot Shuttle SL, Norco Fluid VLT 130, Cannondale Moterra SL, Pivot Shuttle AM, Trek Slash+, Santa Cruz Heckler SL, Rocky Mountain Instinct Powerplay, & Trek Fuel EX.
Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions
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2024-2025 WNDR Alpine Vital 98
Here are our measured specs, rocker profile pictures, and flex pattern numbers for the WNDR Alpine Vital 98.
Reviewing the News w/ Cody Townsend, July 2024 (Ep.319)
Cody and Jonathan discuss the Olympics; what makes someone an “athlete”; LeBron James & bikes; Amaury Pierron; the Most Canadian News; what we’re reading and watching; & more.
Flash Review — Formula Nebbia
The Nebbia is Formula’s unique take on a highly adjustable, modern air shock. We’ve been able to get a few rides on it, and our Flash Review has our early thoughts.
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 Labs: Results from our On-Snow Ski Testing & Dynamic Modeling (Ep.307)
Interested in ski design? Curious about where the next advancements in ski design might come from? Then you need to check out this conversation with Dr. Sean Humbert.
SRAM Maven Brakes
Mountain bike brakes have been creeping up in power in recent years, but SRAM’s claim that their new Maven brakes best their longstanding Codes by *50%* is still pretty wild. But it takes a lot more than just raw power to make a good brake, and after spending six months on the Maven Ultimates, we’re ready to weigh in on how well SRAM has done.
Win MTB Apparel From Endura
The two winners of our Gear Giveaway this week will each get a pair of shorts, gloves, socks, and a jersey from Endura!
BLISTER Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles:
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.
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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.
Reviewing the News w/ Cody Townsend, October 2024 (Ep.331)
Cody and Jonathan are back to review some of the outdoor-related news of October; introduce a new Reviewing the News segment (Rate My Take); and more.
Project321 G3 Hubs
It’s hard to do anything that novel or exciting when it comes to hub design, but Project321’s G3 hubs have a couple of unique features that really stand out — and have real performance benefits.
Powder Ski Comparisons: Old vs New vs What Should Be Next? (Ep.320)
The snow’s been falling, and we’re already fantasizing about those really deep days. So today, Paul Forward and Jonathan Ellsworth make the case for wide pow skis, then they talk about a bunch of current pow skis, old pow skis, and some design specifics they think are good ideas.
EXTENDED: Win Antti Ollila’s Ski & Boot Setup
The winner of this week’s Gear Giveaway will win the Prodigy 3 ski from Faction and the fs 01 120 boot from phaenom Footwear, the go-to setup of Finnish freestyle skier Antti Ollila!
3-Ski Quivers: Reviewers’ Selections (24/25)
Rounding out Part Three of our reviewers 3-ski quiver picks, we hear from Kristin Sinnott and Jonathan Ellsworth — check out their selections and let us know what your ideal 3-ski quiver would look like!
‘Inner Boots’ vs. Liners in Ski Boots | ZipFit 2025 Lineup Video
Several of our reviewers have used a single pair of ZipFit “inner boots” for hundreds of days, as have many pro and everyday skiers around the world. But how exactly do they accomplish that, and what makes them different from a regular boot liner? In this video from Blister Summit 2024, we get answers from ZipFit’s Jeff Colt.
Deep Dive: Knolly Fugitive 140
We compare the Knolly Fugitive 140 to the Santa Cruz Hightower 3, Trek Fuel EX, Revel Rascal V2, Santa Cruz Bronson, REEB Steezl, Rocky Mountain Instinct, Transition Smuggler, Norco Optic, Deviate Highlander II, Forbidden Druid V2, Norco Sight, Yeti SB140, Banshee Phantom V3, and Propain Hugene.
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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Knolly Fugitive 140
We’ve had a couple of reviewers riding Knolly’s updated Fugitive 140, and it stands out from the mid-travel Trail bike market in a few interesting ways — not an easy task in that typically “jack of all trades, master of none” category. Here’s our Full Review.
Casey Brown on the Inaugural Women’s Red Bull Rampage (Ep.246)
Red Bull Rampage finally, belatedly, included a women’s category this year — and it was outstanding. Casey Brown arguably did more than anyone else to get her foot in the door, and to smash it down for others to follow, so we sat down with her to hear all about it. Don’t miss this one.
Stuff We Like: October 2024
This edition of Stuff We Like includes some excellent camera-friendly outdoor gear, several shoulder-season layering pieces, two of our bike editors’ favorite grips, and more. Check it out to see all the latest gear our reviewers have been digging.