BLISTER Gear Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles
Reviewing the News w/ Mike Ferrentino, May 2024 (Ep.225)
MTB racing season is in full swing and Simon Stewart and Mike Ferrentino have a lot to cover on this iteration of Reviewing the News, from World Cup XC to Hardline, the Giro d’Italia and upcoming Tour de France, and a whole lot more.
7iDP Project.21 Helmet
7iDP is probably best known for their knee pads, but they’ve also been making helmets for a long time and their new Project.21 Trail helmet has a bunch of interesting features that make it stand out. Check out our Full Review for the rundown.
2024-2025 Salomon QST Lumen 98
Here are our measured specs, rocker profile pictures, flex pattern numbers, and some more info on the Salomon QST Lumen 98.
Flash Review: 24/25 Salomon QST Lumen 98
The QST Lumen 98 is situated in the middle of Salomon’s women-specific QST lineup, designed to be a versatile all-rounder. Check out our initial impressions to see how it handles a wide range of conditions.
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Flash Review — RAAW Madonna V3
Update, 6/5/2024: We’ve had more reviewers on the RAAW Madonna V3, logged a lot more time on it, and made a bunch of setup changes. Check out how our impressions have evolved.
Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions
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Fox Union BOA Flat Shoes
Fox only recently added shoes to their product lineup, but the range-topping Union BOA Flat brings a whole lot to the table without many drawbacks — if you can stomach the price. Check out our Full Review to hear how we got along with their flagship flat pedal shoe.
Hall of Famer Bill Walton on Life, Bikes, Music, & More (Ep.310)
Last week, we lost one of the greatest basketball players of all-time, and a person with an all-time love of bikes. Today, Jonathan talks about what Bill meant to him personally, and we’re republishing here the conversation he had with Bill back on our Bikes & Big Ideas podcast.
Deep Dive: Devinci E-Troy
We compare the E-Troy to the Orbea Wild, Pivot Shuttle LT, Pivot Shuttle AM, Specialized Turbo Levo, and Rocky Mountain Instinct Powerplay.
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2023 Devinci E-Troy
The E-Troy is a mid-travel eMTB with notably aggressive geometry, and the on-trail results are pretty special. Check out the full review to find out what Devinci has cooked up.
Flash Review: 24/25 Kästle MX88 & MX84
We’ve been testing two of Kästle’s redesigned all-mountain skis — here are our initial thoughts on how the new MX88 and MX84 compare to each other and their respective competition.
Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions
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Win MTB Gear from WTB
The TWO winners of our Gear Giveaway this week will each get a mountain bike accessory package from WTB!
SCOR 6080 Z
SCOR has cooked up a bruiser of an eMTB in the new 6080 Z. With 180 mm of rear travel, a full power Bosch motor and big 750 Wh battery, the new SCOR 6080 Z is a big bike in all respects. Let’s take a look under the hood for all the details on SCOR’s new electrified freeride machine, the 6080 Z.
EXT’s New Storia and Arma V4 Shocks (Ep.224)
EXT is updating their (already impressive) Storia and Arma rear shocks, so we sat down with their founder, Franco Fratton, to hear all about the new dampers; the potential for truly “active” suspension systems in the bike world; tease some upcoming EXT products, and more.
Forge+Bond 30 AM Wheels
Forge+Bond’s original MTB wheel offering, the 30 EM, impressed us with its especially smooth ride feel — but what about its lighter Trail-oriented sibling, the 30 AM? We’ve now spent several months riding it and you can check out our Full Review to see how they stack up.
Gnomes – The Ski Experts
Gnomes is our highly recommended shop in the Christchurch / Canterbury region of New Zealand.
BLISTER Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles:
Canyon Spectral:ONfly
The Spectral:ONfly is the newest addition to Canyon’s Spectral family, this time with a lightweight TQ HPR50 drive system. Walk through Canyon’s new Lightweight eMTB with us in our First Look.
2025 Fox 38 Grip X2
The most noticeable update to Fox’s latest fork lineup was its (optional) and un-subtle gold paint, but the showy exterior hides a new series of dampers, and we’ve been testing the Grip X2 version of the Fox 38 fork. Now we’re ready to offer our take on the results of the update, how the new 38 and Grip X2 damper fare against the competition, and whether they’d be a good fit for you.
20th Anniversary of ‘Yearbook’ w/ Murray Wais & Scott Gaffney (Ep.22)
20 years ago this week, ‘Yearbook,’ one of the most star-studded ski movies of all time, was released. So we talk with filmmakers Murray Wais and Scott Gaffney about the behind-the-scenes insanity; the in-front-of-the-camera surprises; the styles of Seth vs Hugo; and more.
2024-2025 Blister Digital Winter Buyer’s Guide
350+ skis, 65 boots, and 280+ pages of honest, accurate product reviews and comparisons. Order our 24/25 Winter Buyer’s Guide or become a BLISTER+ member to read the Digital Guide NOW.
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The Current State of Climate Science, Consensus, & Next Best Steps w/ Dr. Liz Burakowski (Ep.323)
So how are things actually going when it comes to climate change, carbon emissions, stuff like that? Are we making any real progress? For answers, we’re talking with Dr. Elizabeth Burakowski, who is on the Research Faculty at the Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans, and Space at the University of New Hampshire.
Frameworks Enduro
Frameworks is releasing a limited first run of their Enduro frame. Drawing plenty of inspiration from the Downhill frame released last year, the US-made Enduro frame stands out from the crowd with unique construction details and intriguing geometry. Our First Look has the details.
Flylow’s Dan Abrams on Burrito Grease & PFAS; Slide Gliding; Palisades Tahoe; & More (Ep.312)
Dan Abrams is back to talk about toxic positivity, slide gliding, burrito grease, give his review of Palisades Tahoe, and more.
Win Our 24/25 Winter Buyer’s Guide
The three winners of our Gear Giveaway this week will each get a print and digital copy of our new 2024-2025 Winter Buyer’s Guide!
Norco Fluid VLT
Norco’s Fluid VLT 130 pairs a responsive suspension platform, a lightweight build, and Bosch’s powerful SX drive system to create a unique offering in the light-assist eMTB category. Check out our Full Review and Deep Dive comparisons, as well as our “Head to Head” video comparing it to the Pivot Shuttle SL.
Deep Dive: Norco Fluid VLT 130
We compare the Norco Fluid VLT 130 to the Pivot Shuttle SL, Trek Fuel EXe, Santa Cruz Heckler SL, Canyon Neuron:ONfly, Mondraker Dune XR, and Cannondale Moterra SL.
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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Reviewing the News w/ Mike Ferrentino, August 2024 (Ep.238)
Mike Ferrentino is back handling the co-host duties on this episode of Reviewing the News. Simon admits to missing Mike during his absence, and the lads waste no time getting into recapping the UCI MTB World Championships; cross-country mountain bike courses getting too short; Mike’s take on the Specialized and Frameworks partnership; a belt drive lawsuit; and lots more.
Liv Intrigue X
The Intrigue X is the latest addition to Liv’s women-specific MTB lineup, and it claims to offer tons of versatility and adjustability for those who want to ride all sorts of trails on one bike. After several months with it, we’re now ready to weigh in on how accurate those claims proved to be — here’s our Full Review.