2021 was Blister’s busiest year ever for testing mountain bikes and gear, and there were some real standout products among that crop. So we rounded up a bunch of our reviewers to give a rundown of the highlights of the last year — including a bunch of bikes all over the travel spectrum, some suspension products, and tires, inserts, pants, and more. And since we’re so excited to build on all that momentum into 2022, we make some predictions for the year to come and talk about a bunch of the bikes and gear that we’re most excited to spend time on soon, too.

Gear of the Year, 2021 (Ep.99)

2021 was Blister’s busiest year ever for testing mountain bikes and gear, and there were some real standout products among that crop. So we rounded up a bunch of our reviewers to give a rundown of the highlights of the last year, and we make some predictions for the year to come and talk about a bunch of the bikes and gear that we’re most excited to spend time on soon, too.
On our latest Bikes & Big Ideas podcast Blister Bike Editor David Golay talks to reviewer Dylan Wood about all the bikes and gear they’ve been spending time on recently, including some A-B comparisons of short-travel, DW-link bikes at both ends of the price spectrum; a range of longer-travel Enduro bikes both fairly conventional and quite unusual; some very intriguing pedals; and they mix in some thoughts on the importance (or lack thereof) of bike weight, plus the current state of the Shimano vs. SRAM drivetrain wars.

Reviewer Reports: DW-link Head-to-Head; Forbidden Dreadnought; Shimano vs. Sram; & Category-Defying Pedals

David Golay talks to Dylan Wood about two short-travel, DW-link bikes at opposite ends of the price spectrum; a range of longer-travel Enduro bikes from fairly conventional to quite unusual; some category-defying pedals; thoughts on the importance (or lack thereof) of bike weight; & the current state of the Shimano vs. SRAM drivetrain wars.
Dylan Wood and Eric Freson Blister Mountain Bike Review on the 2021 Pivot Trail 429

2021 Pivot Trail 429

Pivot’s longstanding Trail 429 recently got a major update, but how true to the original recipe is the new, V3 version? We've now had two reviewers spending a lot of time on the new bike, and you can check out our full review for their thoughts on the new bike and how it compares to the rest of the market.
Dylan Wood reviews the Pivot Trail 429 for Blister

Flash Review: 2021 Pivot Trail 429

Pivot's updated Trail 429 looks like a very interesting contender in the short travel Trail bike market, and we've been spending time on it. Check out our Flash Review for our initial thoughts.

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