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Today, Mike joins us from Loretto, Mexico, and on his way down there, he stopped in Los Algodones to get his rotten teeth fixed in what's become known as Molar City. Mike recounts his experience with Mexico’s booming low-cost dental industry and how, at one point, he thought he might be in a Quentin Tarantino film.
On the bike news front, we talk about more struggling companies, including Rad Power Bikes and Campagnolo, as well as a few recalls, before getting into World Cup DH athlete team changes, Mike’s take on 32” wheels, and more.
Note: We Want to Hear From You!
Please let us know if there’s a topic you’d like us to cover or a guest you’d like us to have on Bikes and Big Ideas. Email us at info@blisterreview.com to weigh in.
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Mike’s The Grimy Handshake Substack
TOPICS & TIMES:
Mike’s Back in Mexico (1:22)
Getting his Teeth Sorted in “Molar City” (2:33)
RIP Joe Montgomery (14:14)
Rad Power Bikes Files Bankruptcy (15:52)
New Ducati eMTBs, Gravel & Road Bikes (21:24)
Giant Moving to Boulder, Colorado (25:18)
Chinese Counterfeit Bike Bust (28:59)
Campagnolo Cuts Workforce by 40% (34:14)
Bike Recalls (37:42)
Mike’s 32” Wheels Predictions (38:59)
New Products (46:02)
World Cup DH Athlete News (1:00:59)
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Hayden Zablotny showed up at Red Bull Rampage and became the first rookie to win since Brandon Semenuk did it back in 2008. Hayden’s path to the top step of the podium is a fascinating story chronicling a young, talented rider struggling to get noticed. Today, he joins us to talk about that journey, how he became known as “the poacher,” finally getting the coveted Rampage invite, his winning run, and how he kept his head in the game during one of the heaviest injury-laden Rampages ever.
RELATED LINKS:
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
TOPICS & TIMES:
Getting started on Two Wheels and his BMX Legend Dad (4:14)
Racing BMX and Building Skills (6:43)
Moving to BC and Discovering Mountain Biking (8:14)
Finding His Niche in Freestyle (10:09)
Poaching Proving Grounds and Getting Noticed (24:11)
Getting the Rampage Invite (35:49)
Building His Line (41:48)
Staying Focused Amidst all the Injuries (43:30)
Breaking Down His Winning Run (46:34)
Hayden’s Biike Setup (51:45)
What’s next? (58:46)
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Vali Höll is in the midst of one of the most dominant runs we’ve seen in World Cup DH racing, taking her third consecutive overall title and fourth consecutive World Championships win in 2025. And she did it despite her team, the YT Mob, shutting down mid-season amidst YT’s ongoing financial struggles. Vali joins us to tell the story of her season, what happened with the Mob, how she pressed on regardless, how she ended up signing with Commencal for 2026, and a whole lot more.
RELATED LINKS:
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
TOPICS & TIMES:
The YT Mob & YT’s insolvency (2:50)
Team contracts & how the season unfolded (5:13)
Racing after team funding was cut (18:11)
Talks with other teams & moving to Commencal (23:45)
Consistency & race results (25:25)
Racing for a new contract & managing pressure (27:52)
Bikepacking & gravel bikes (31:20)
Vali’s goals for 2026 (35:21)
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We’re currently testing a huge array of bikes, from the super-efficient Norco Revolver, to the long-travel, Bosch CX-equipped Yeti LTe, with a whole lot in between — including the Lal Katana, with its novel Supre Drive. David and Simon sat down to share our thoughts on all of those and more, and along the way, we got into some debates about wheel sizes, geometry preferences, and more.
RELATED LINKS:
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
TOPICS & TIMES:
Yeti LTe (1:37)
Cannondale Moterra (15:39)
Norco Sight VLT (24:51)
Trek Fuel MX (34:40)
Lal Katana (49:51)
Norco Revolver (58:22)
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Gamux has never done things the conventional way and takes pride in that. But they aren’t being different for the sake of being different, either. Founder Pascal Tinner is back on the show to talk about what they’ve been up to, from their partnership with Reece Wilson’s AON Racing, to the ‘Trophy Truck’ prototype race bike, and a whole lot more.
RELATED LINKS:
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
TOPICS & TIMES:
AON Racing & Reece Wilson (1:45)
The Sego (14:44)
DH prototypes (22:38)
Body types & bike design (29:03)
The Trophy Truck (33:40)
Riders & building a team (36:32)
2026 & beyond (45:10)
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For November’s Reviewing the News Episode, Mike clues us in on what's been going on in the Cyclocross season so far. Then we have a bunch of bike industry recalls to wade through — some of which are legitimately dangerous — which segways into Mike and Simon trying to understand why Rad Power Bikes is not issuing a recall for batteries that could burn down your house.
Note: We Want to Hear From You!
Please let us know if there’s a topic you’d like us to cover or a guest you’d like us to have on Bikes and Big Ideas. Email us at info@blisterreview.com to weigh in.
RELATED LINKS:
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
Get Our Free Newsletter & Gear Giveaways
TOPICS & TIMES:
Mike’s Cyclocross Season Update (5:32)
Rad Power Bike’s Battery Problems (15:01)
Can Trek’s Coaster Brake Failures Make Better Cyclists? (24:52)
You Can Still Get Injured on a Peloton (32:56)
Lezyne Floor Pumps at Risk of Exploding (38:58)
Will the Bike Industry Ever Go Back to Normal? (42:44)
Mike’s Madrone Derailleur (46:30)
Charging eBikes Off-Grid (59:27)
Mike’s Heading to Mexico to Fix his Teeth (1:07:02)
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In Part 2 of our series on the Best Bikes of the Century, Simon Stewart, David Golay, and Xan Marshland are back, plus Zack Henderson also joins them to dig into 16 more brands as they continue the hard work of trying to single out the best bikes from the last 25 years. Since they focused on many prominent brands from the early 2000s in Part 1, they take a closer look at newer brands, direct-to-consumer bike companies, plus a couple of OG ones, just to mix it up.
Note: We Want to Hear From You!
Please let us know if there’s a topic you’d like us to cover or a guest you’d like us to have on Bikes and Big Ideas. Email us at info@blisterreview.com to weigh in.
RELATED LINKS:
Best Bikes of the Century Survey
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
TOPICS & TIMES:
Pivot (0:59)
Canyon (7:03)
YT (12:59)
Forbidden (16:44)
Norco (22:02)
Mondraker (27:16)
Scott (33:06)
Salsa (38:38)
Orbea (43:33)
Commencal (47:04)
Transition (50:15)
Evil (56:56)
Devinci (59:55)
Revel (1:02:13)
Marin (1:05:31)
Surly (1:12:01)
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Today, we’re kicking off a new series for Bikes and Big Ideas: we’re setting out to identify the best bikes of the 21st century from over 30 brands. We’ve done a similar series over on our Gear:30 podcast for skis, but that was easy compared to doing the same for bikes.
Over the next couple of weeks, you’ll be hearing about our choices. We’re also including a survey, as we want to hear from you. Additionally, we’ll be sending the same survey to some bike industry luminaries, too.
Once we've reviewed an array of brands, we’ll discuss how our selections align with your answers.
And for our grand finale of this series, we’re going to offer our choices for the Very Best Bikes of the Century. It may seem like an impossible task, but we’re hoping we can agree on a top 10, maybe even a top 3, and if the stars align, one single bike. Or, we may never speak to each other again, but we’re willing to take that risk.
Part 1 kicks off with Simon Stewart, David Golay, Dylan Wood, and Xan Marshland.
Note: We Want to Hear From You!
Please let us know if there’s a topic you’d like us to cover or a guest you’d like us to have on Bikes and Big Ideas. Email us at info@blisterreview.com to weigh in.
RELATED LINKS:
Best Bikes of the Century Survey
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
TOPICS & TIMES:
Yeti (1:58)
Klein (8:20)
GT (11:11)
Turner (13:57)
Titus (18:40)
Intense (22:05)
Ibis (23:41)
Rocky Mountain (28:05)
Kona (31:40)
Giant (36:14)
Santa Cruz (40:08)
Cannondale (49:48)
Specialized (54:28)
Gary Fisher (1:05:25)
Trek (1:08:36)
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The days are getting short and the weather is turning foul, but we’re still testing a ton of new bikes and gear. David Golay and Zack Henderson sat down to discuss a bunch of it, including the very burly Priority Vanth, the super lively Propain Hugene, a bunch of wet-weather apparel, and more.
RELATED LINKS:
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
TOPICS & TIMES:
Wet weather gear (2:47)
Propain Hugene (18:00)
Priority Vanth (29:14)
FSA KFX i28 XC/Trail wheels (40:05)
MRP Lift V2 damper (46:31)
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Since its inception in 2001, Red Bull Rampage has demanded athletes walk a fine line between risk and reward, and the unfortunate injuries that go with that have been numerous. But with four riders heli-evac’d with serious injuries, this year’s Rampage was arguably the heaviest we’ve seen, and has left us with many questions about how, and if, the event should continue.
Shortly afterward, several of our reviewers weighed in with their thoughts in our “Debatable” series, which asked the question, “should Rampage be shut down?” Today, we continue that conversation with an open (and quite passionate) discussion on what we think needs to happen to make the event safer for the athletes, more transparent to the fans, and ideally better to watch, too.
RELATED LINKS:
Debatable: Should Rampage Be Shut Down
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
Get Our Free Newsletter & Gear Giveaways
TOPICS & TIMES:
Xan: The Venue (1:07)
Dylan: Let the Athletes Course Correct (11:04)
Simon: On-Site Medical Assessments (19:09)
Zack: Expand the Event (28:34)
David: Make it a Jam instead of a Comp (35:58)
Jonathan: Increase Transparency, Cover Athletes (46:27)
The Athlete's Decision (55:12)
Our Consensus: Changes for Next Year (1:01:29)
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Priority Cycles may be a new brand to the full-suspension MTB world, but they’ve got a ton of experience building belt-drive, gearbox bikes — and now they’ve launched the Vanth, a remarkably affordable high-pivot Pinion gearbox-equipped Enduro bike. So, why did Priority decide to enter the full-suspension bike market now, how did they come up with the wild-looking Vanth design, and what makes the Vanth so much more affordable than most other full-suspension gearbox bikes? We dive into all that and much more with Eddie Meek of Priority and Mike Schwartz, who served as an engineering consultant on the project.
RELATED LINKS:
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
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TOPICS & TIMES:
Introducing Eddie (3:20)
The Priority brand (4:38)
Introducing Mike (6:34)
Why a high-pivot Enduro bike? (11:20)
Other prototypes (16:01)
Marketing the Vanth as a brand not known for MTBs (20:55)
Belt vs. chain drive for a gearbox (27:53)
The Vanth (38:10)
Kinematic goals (45:00)
Frame materials (51:43)
Pricing & availability (56:45)
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Madrone Cycles got its start making parts to repair a variety of SRAM mountain bike derailleurs, but now they’re taking on a much more ambitious project: building their own derailleur from the ground up. Third-party derailleurs had a brief run in the earlier days of mountain biking, but SRAM and Shimano have completely dominated the market for decades now. So why is Madrone taking on the big players now, and what sets their new Jab derailleur apart? We sat down with Madrone founder, Aaron Bland, to discuss all that and more.
RELATED LINKS:
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
Get Our Free Newsletter & Gear Giveaways
TOPICS & TIMES:
Founding Madrone & starting with SRAM derailleur rebuilds (1:57)
Electronic shifting & the resurgence of third-party mechanical derailleurs (4:02)
The hardest details to get right (12:57)
Evolution of the Jab design (17:25)
Serviceability & Madrone’s rebuild service (22:58)
Clutch & pivot designs (27:43)
Modularity (32:26)
Jab options (41:34)
What’s next from Madrone? (47:37)
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Rocket Ramps built a progressive bike park in the sovereign nation of Picuris Pueblo in northern New Mexico that has grabbed headlines and the attention of slopestyle athletes. We caught up with Rocket Ramps founder Henry Lanman to get the story behind the project and to find out what else they’re up to. Henry talks about their mission to grow the action sports scene in New Mexico, the science of ramp building, and why building a rad mountain bike trail is like cooking an amazing dinner for your friends (that lasts a lot longer).
RELATED LINKS:
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
Get Our Free Newsletter & Gear Giveaways
TOPICS & TIMES:
How Rocket Ramps got Started (2:33)
The Most Important Part of a Good Ramp (14:20)
The First Flat Packed Ramp Kits (18:09)
Dirt vs Wood (22:13)
Building Action Sports Infrastructure (26:18)
The Crazy Big Lines of the Picuris Pueblo Bike Park (29:54)
Funding Trail Development in New Mexico (39:04)
What's Next for Rocket Ramps? (43:55)
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Paladin Bikes was founded by a group of robotics engineers who love bikes and wanted to build their own — and do it in the US. The AM1 is the result, and while it’s a relatively conventional All-Mountain bike when it comes to its geometry and specs, there’s a ton about it that stands out, from its machined construction to its suspension layout, and in a lot of the smaller details.
So we sat down with Paladin co-founder and General Manager, Stefan Klein, to get the rundown on Paladin and the AM1, from the decision to found the company in the first place, to opting for machined construction, the challenges of founding a bike company in 2025, and a whole lot more.
RELATED LINKS:
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
Get Our Free Newsletter & Gear Giveaways
TOPICS & TIMES:
Introducing Stefan (1:49)
Founding Paladin (4:18)
Why machine a frame? (6:22)
The AM1 & forgoing clamshell construction (9:25)
Tradeoffs in manufacturing techniques (12:49)
AM1 design details (22:11)
Next steps & refinements (28:00)
Flex testing (32:19)
FEA vs. physical strength tests (33:57)
Bringing the AM1 to market (34:40)
Future plans & models (36:50)
Entering the bike industry in 2025 (40:05)
Standing out in the market without being too out there (42:08)
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September delivered some incredible bike racing, featuring the Mountain Bike and Road Bike World Championships, the Lenzerheide World Cup DH and XC, and the US Open Downhill, providing us with plenty to discuss. News on the bike industry side was a familiar affair, with YT going through a rough patch and retail sales being slow. There was also some rather shocking news about Giant regarding alleged labor law violations in Taiwan. Dylan and Simon go over all that, plus some cool new products we’re testing, and we give our thoughts on the potential new mountain bike wheel size that looks to be gaining traction. All this and more in this month’s Reviewing the News episode.
RELATED LINKS:
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
Get Our Free Newsletter & Gear Giveaways
TOPICS & TIMES:
Are 32” Wheels Coming? (2:01)
Markus Flossman Buying Back YT (8:07)
Giant’s Alleged Labor Law Violations (14:33)
MTB World Championships Recap (18:01)
XC World Championships Recap (22:25)
Road World Championships Recap (30:21)
US Open in Killington (33:35)
Has Dakota Norton Found His Form? (33:58)
New Products (37:03)
Off-Grid eMTB Battery Charging (52:53)
Handlebar width? (58:18)
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We sat down to talk about Chromag’s growing full-suspension lineup, and how the new Reazon slots into it; Trek’s surprising move to turn the Fuel into a modular platform, including adding a second 160+mm-travel Enduro bike in the Fuel LX; a couple of new eMTBs from Yeti and Propain; Hope’s new GR4 brakes; and a bunch more.
RELATED LINKS:
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
Get Our Free Newsletter & Gear Giveaways
TOPICS & TIMES:
Norco Revolver 120 (1:12)
Chromag Reazon (7:01)
Trek Fuel LX (13:24)
Propain Sresh SL (26:30)
Yeti LTe (36:02)
Hope GR4 Brakes (44:54)
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With their athletes taking wins at the Tour de France and Red Bull Hardline, Enve has been having a hell of a summer. So today we’re talking with Enve’s Jake Pantone about what they’ve been up to, the increasingly blurry lines between bike categories, how wide Gravel tires should be, and why you might want to put a suspension fork on your drop bar bike. And Jake also shares exciting news about their plans to make Mountain Bikes.
RELATED LINKS:
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
Get Our Free Newsletter & Gear Giveaways
TOPICS & TIMES:
Winning the Tour de France & Red Bull Hardline (1:31)
Having the GOAT as an Enve Athlete (2:47)
Blurry Lines Between Bike Categories (7:57)
How Wide Should Gravel Tires Be? (16:40)
Bigger Tires vs Suspension Forks (21:40)
Gravel Bikes as a One Bike Quiver (24:47)
Going From Wheels to Road & Gravel Frames (33:02)
Enve to Make Mountain Bikes? (40:13)
What’s Next for Enve (41:39)
Investing in R&D (43:54)
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The list of world-class cyclists that have come out of the Durango Devo junior cycling program is astounding. Christopher Blevins is on a tear and is currently leading the UCI XCO overall. Riley Amos crushed the XC U23s last year. Sepp Kuss made a name for himself shepherding Jonas Vingegaard through the mountains and then went on to win a Grand Tour himself, and Quinn Simmons’ aggressive attacks made headlines during this year's Tour de France. So today, we catch up with Durango Devo co-founder Chad Cheeney to find out what the secret is to consistently turning out some of the best bike riders in the world.
RELATED LINKS:
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
Get Our Free Newsletter & Gear Giveaways
TOPICS & TIMES:
Culture & Passion (1:43)
Paying Attention to Kids (3:15)
OG Durango XC History (3:35)
Athletes Having Kids (5:50)
What is Durango Devo? (9:30)
Finding Coachable Moments (12:05)
Raising Money as a Non Profit (13:34)
Super Athletes of Durango Devo (15:52)
Little & Scrawny Christopher Blevins (17:41)
Sepp Kuss’s La Vuelta España Win (21:44)
Life as a Fort Lewis Cycling Coach (36:40)
Up and Coming Talent (38:56)
What bike are you riding? (44:08)
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For this month's Reviewing the News Episode, Mike and I start with a topic that hits close to home: we both know extremely fit people who have passed away recently while riding their bikes. So, today we talk about how it's common for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease to go undiagnosed, especially in athletes, and what you can do, and should do, to protect yourself. Plus, we just had a fantastic, wet, and muddy weekend of racing in Les Gets, France, which gives us plenty to go on about, like the amazing Alran brothers, Gracy Hemstreet looking unbeatable, Ronan Dunne’s comeback, and road superstar Mathieu van der Poel getting back on the mountain bike for another crack at World Cup XCO, and more.
RELATED LINKS:
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
Get Our Free Newsletter & Gear Giveaways
TOPICS & TIMES:
Mike’s Grimy Handshake (3:26)
Heart Disease in Athletes (13:52)
Les Gets Mud Bath (26:29)
You Need Skills to Win (33:54)
The Amazing Alran Brothers (39:24)
Can Durango Kid Asa Veremette Ride in Mud (41:15)
Ronan Dunne Didn’t Leave in a Helicopter (43:57)
Specialized’s Most Expensive Bike Ever (49:42)
What We’re Reading & Watching (56:43)
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Fox’s new Podium inverted fork has understandably garnered a lot of attention, and we’ve got an update on how our testing of it is going, along with the updated Float X2 and DHX2 shocks. But it’s not all gravity suspension on the docket, as we weigh in on the very good and very light Fox 34 SL fork; the ultra-versatile Trek Fuel EX; Revel’s first eMTB, the ReRun; and a bunch of brakes from brands large and small.
RELATED LINKS:
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
Get Our Free Newsletter & Gear Giveaways
Casey Brown on the Inaugural Women’s Red Bull Rampage (Ep.246)
TOPICS & TIMES:
Revel ReRun (1:13)
Trek Fuel EX (9:34)
Fox 34 SL (17:37)
Fox Podium (27:47)
Fox Float & DHX2 Update (34:46)
SRAM Motive Ultimate (37:47)
HEL Advocate (43:01)
Trickstuff Maxima (47:30)
Magura Gustav Pro (51:43)
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