BLISTER Gear Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles
Deep Dive: Pivot Shuttle AM
We compare the Pivot Shuttle AM to the Pivot Shuttle LT, Orbea Wild, Specialized Turbo Levo, Devinci E-Troy and Rocky Mountain Instinct Powerplay.
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Pivot Shuttle AM
A lot of full-power eMTBs have focused on the longer-travel Enduro segment, but the Pivot Shuttle AM makes a compelling case for putting the Bosch Performance CX motor into a more lively, versatile, “all-mountain” package. Here’s our Full Review.
Reviewer Reports: World Cup DH Recap, Tons of Bikes, Suspension, Tires, & More (Ep.222)
We’ve been testing a huge spectrum of bikes — from Gravel to Enduro — plus a bunch of new tires, suspension, and more. Simon Stewart and David Golay sat down to talk about all of it, recap the World Cup DH season opener, and more.
Stuff We Like: May 2024
This edition of our Stuff We Like series includes everything from apps and tools designed for travel to duffel and ski boot bags, lightweight jackets, and more. Check it out to see all the latest products our reviewers have been digging.
Motion Instruments System 2 Suspension Data Acquisition
Pro racers have long used suspension telemetry to work on their bike setup, but those systems have traditionally been expensive, finicky, and tough to interpret. Motion Instruments’ new System 2 data acquisition package is meant to change that.
‘Better Off Dead’ & ‘Hot Dog’ with Amie Engerbretson & Jonathan Ellsworth (Ep.12)
Pro skier, Amie Engerbretson, joins us to coin new terms; offer scalding-hot takes; debate whether ‘Better Off Dead’ is responsible for rockered skis; and she definitely WANTS HER TWO DOLLARS!
Deep Dive: Yeti SB165
We compare the Yeti SB165 to the Yeti SB160, Santa Cruz Nomad, Rocky Mountain Altitude, Orbea Rallon, Norco Sight, Kavenz VHP 16, Ibis HD6, Contra MC, Trek Slash, Chromag Lowdown, Propain Tyee, SCOR 4060 LT, Cotic RocketMAX, Pivot Firebird, Specialized Enduro, and Banshee Titan.
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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2024 Yeti SB165
The new Yeti SB165 is their first production mullet bike, and the longest travel one in their lineup as well. But is it a more easygoing alternative to their high-strung SB160 Enduro race bike or something else entirely? Check out our full review for our take.
2024-2025 Liberty Scope 104
Here are our measured specs, rocker profile pictures, and flex pattern numbers for Liberty’s new Scope 104.
Flash Review: 24/25 K2 Mindbender 89Ti W
This season we got on the narrowest metal-laminate ski in K2’s Mindbender series — here are our initial thoughts on the Mindbender 89Ti W, how it compares to the excellent Mindbender 99Ti W, and more.
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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Flash Review — 2024 Pivot Switchblade
The Pivot Switchblade has long been a super-popular do-it-all Trail bike, but how does the new one perform? We’ve got some 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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Flash Review: 24/25 Atomic Backland 109
Jonathan Ellsworth has now logged several days on the new Backland 109 — mounted with the new Shift2 binding — and here he chimes in with his most notable takeaways 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.
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Neuhaus Metalworks on Metal Bikes’ Resurgence, Learning to Build Frames, Size-Specific Geometry & More (Ep.221)
High-end metal bikes are having a resurgence, and we sat down with Daniel Yang and Nick Neuhaus of Neuhaus Metalworks to talk about why; hear their takes on frame design and size-specific geometry; discuss the value of communal learning; and a whole lot more.
Win any Liberty Ski
The winner of our Gear Giveaway this week will get the ski of their choice from Liberty’s 2024 lineup!
GEAR THERAPY: A Skier (Blister’s founder) Learns to Snowboard, Part 2 (Ep.297)
In part 2 of this GEAR THERAPY mini-saga, Justin Bobb lays out his specific recommendations for boots, bindings, boards, & more to get Jonathan started on his snowboarding journey.
BLISTER Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles:
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!
Reviewing the News w/ Wade Simmons, July 2024 (Ep.233)
Simon is joined by freeride legend Wade Simmons for the July edition of Reviewing the News. Wade and Simon try to figure out why they keep crashing; then get into Crankworx Whistler, the wild Les Gets World Cup, the Olympics, chain lube, and a whole lot more.
Formula Belva Fork
The Formula Belva is one of the only dual-crown Enduro forks available — so is there a good reason for that? Check out our Full Review to see what we thought after a few months with this uncommon Italian fork.
Brendan Leonard on Ultra-Something (Ep.318)
Brendan Leonard (semi-rad.com) is here to talk about junk food, foam rollers, lab mice, can’t-miss business ideas; and his fantastic new book, Ultra-Something.
Stuff We Like: July 2024
This month’s edition of our Stuff We Like series includes everything from casual shirts to hydration solutions, bike tools to deceptively-technical sunglasses, and a whole lot more.
Deep Dive: Deviate Highlander II
We compare the Deviate Highlander II to the Norco Sight, Norco Optic, Kavenz VHP 16, REEB Steezl, Trek Fuel EX, Ibis Ripmo V2S, We Are One Arrival 152, and Santa Cruz Bronson.
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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Deviate Highlander II
High-pivot Trail bikes are becoming increasingly common, but Deviate was way ahead of the curve there — so how does their Highlander II ride? We’ve spent several months on it, and the results have been both surprising and impressive.
2024-2025 WNDR Alpine Nocturne 88
Here are our measured specs, rocker profile pictures, and flex pattern numbers for the WNDR Alpine Nocturne 88.
2024-2025 Kästle Paragon 107
Here are our measured specs, rocker profile pictures, and flex pattern numbers for the Kästle Paragon 107.
2024-2025 Elan Ripstick 94 W
Here are our measured specs, rocker profile pictures, and flex pattern numbers for the Elan Ripstick 94 W.
Flash Review — Specialized Status 2 170
The original Specialized Status was a super-popular, quite affordable park / freeride / do-it-all bike — so the new one has some big shoes to fill. Check out our early impressions of how it fares.
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.)