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

BLISTER Gear Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles

David Golay reviews the Propain Tyee for Blister

Flash Review: Propain Tyee 6.1 CF

Propain gave the Tyee some tweaks that look good on paper, but has our take on their Enduro bike changed much? Here’s the early version.

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BLISTER reviews the Revel Ritual and ReRun

Flash Review: Revel Ritual

Revel has been through a lot since launching their Ritual Enduro bike. But they’re back, and the Ritual is available — so how does it ride? We’ve been spending time on it to find out. Check out our initial on-trail 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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BLISTER — Outdoor Gear Reviews, Podcasts, Buyer’s Guides, Giveaways

Xan Marshland

Age: 30 | Vitals: 5’10”, 160 lbs. | Years Riding: 20 | Current Residence: Salt Lake City, UT | Instagram: @xanmarshland For as long as I can remember, I’ve never been very interested in team sports. I wasn’t against competition, but I was a weird

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David Golay reviews the HEL Advocate Brakes for BLISTER

Flash Review: HEL Advocate Brakes

HEL is a new brand to the bike world, so how do their Advocate brakes stack up? Here’s our preliminary take.

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 HEL Advocate Brakes for BLISTER

HEL Advocate Brakes

HEL Performance has a long history in motorsport, but they’re new to the MTB world. So, how have they gone about designing their first MTB brake — the gravity-oriented Advocate — and what are our initial thoughts on its performance? Check it all out here.

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Simon Stewart reviews the Santa Cruz Bullit

Santa Cruz Bullit 4

Did the Santa Cruz Bullit dethrone its stablemate, the Santa Cruz Vala, as Simon’s favorite eMTB so far this year? Check out our Full Review to find out, and why we think full-power eMTBs with a small battery and a range extender offer the most versatility for a lot of folks.

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Simon Stewart descending on the Santa Cruz Bullit

Deep Dive: Santa Cruz Bullit 4

We compare the Santa Cruz Bullit to the Cannondale Moterra SL, Trek Slash+, Mondraker Dune XR, Devinci E-Troy, and Orbea Wild.

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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Zack Henderson reviews the Devinci E-Spartan Lite for Blister

Devinci E-Spartan Lite

Devinci’s made-in-Canada eMTB family just got bigger. With the release of the new E-Spartan Lite, Devinci has also pushed further into the more aggressive Enduro side of the eMTB spectrum. Let’s dig into what this new bike is all about.

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BLISTER Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles:

David Golay reviews the Rimpact Chain Damper for Blister

Rimpact Chain Damper

Rimpact’s Chain Damper looks a whole lot like their take on an Ochain. And, yes, they’ve got some real similarities, but the thinking behind their designs — and the designs themselves — are much more different than you might expect. Here’s what you need to know, including our early on-trail impressions.

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

Ibis Ripley AF and Ripmo AF

Ibis just introduced new aluminum versions of their Ripley and Ripmo, with the same modern, size-specific geometry as their carbon fiber counterparts, in-frame storage, and competitively priced build kits. Check out all the details here.

Santa Cruz Vala AL

Santa Cruz Vala AL

The new Vala AL brings the first aluminum frame to the Santa Cruz eMTB lineup. Many of the details are the same as the carbon Vala, but there are some differences, beyond just a lower price. Check out our First Look to see what they’ve come up with.

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

Flash Review: Propain Sresh SL

We’ve been riding Propain’s first light-assist eMTB, the Sresh SL, equipped with TQ’s latest HPR60 drive system. Check out our initial on-trail impressions, including comparisons to the Yeti MTe and Pivot Shuttle SL/AM.

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 Schwalbe Albert Radial tires for Blister

Schwalbe Albert Radial

Schwalbe claims to have made a real leap forward in MTB tire construction with their new radial casings — but how does it actually pan out on the trail? And what about the new Albert tread pattern? We’ve spent a lot of time on the radial-casing Albert in a huge range of conditions and are ready to weigh in.

Simon Stewart reviews the Bosch Performance Software Upgrade

Bosch CX-R Motor & Software Upgrade for CX Drive Systems

Update 7.16.25: We’ve been putting a few more miles on our Santa Cruz Bullit now that we’ve installed Bosch’s new Performance Software Upgrade, and it makes an impressive difference in both power and torque, and adds some other compelling features.