Bikes & Big Ideas

Allied’s Fitz is one of the lightest 140mm-travel bikes we’ve ever tested. So today, Allied’s Director of Product, Sam Pickman, joins us to tell the development story, what inspired the lightweight focus, why they chose a four-bar suspension arrangement, and why he thinks Trail bikes have gotten so heavy over the years.  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 BLISTER+ Get Yourself Covered TOPICS & TIMES: Allied’s Story & making bikes in the US (2:40) The Switch to Overseas Production (5:13) Gravel Bike Success (6:31) Moving into the Mountain Bike Space (7:57) Inspiration for the Fitz (14:36) From Concept to Production (18:35) Travel (22:24) Suspension Design & Geometry (24:33) Prototypes and Testing (34:11) Adjustability (36:30) What’s Next? (50:42) CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS: The Blister Vault Blister Cinematic CRAFTED GEAR:30 Blister Podcast

Specialized showed a lot of glimpses of the Demo 11 as it was being developed, but there was much more going on behind the scenes that couldn’t be gleaned from looking at the series of lugged prototypes. So we brought Nicco Deluca from the Ride Dynamics team on to tell the whole story. 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 BLISTER+ Get Yourself Covered TOPICS & TIMES: Nicco’s Role at Specialized (1:49) Goals for the Demo 11 (2:15) Leverage curve testing (4:03) The Demo 10 & its limitations(9:29) High Gear (12:45) Kinematic refinement (16:03) Design tradeoffs (19:27) Drivetrain packaging (21:34) Anti-squat & anti-rise (27:02) Adjustability (30:47) Final notes (38:45)

We caught up with Cam McCaul to run down the 2026 Red Bull Rampage that left fans in awe at the women’s event and frustrated after the cancellation of the men’s competition. Cam shares his on-location perspective of the insane amount of work done by the build teams, the Robin Goomes vs. Hannah Bergemann showdown, as well as his thoughts on the men’s cancellation and whether it should have been postponed. 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: Momentous: livemomentous.com code: Blister Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide Get Our Free Newsletter & Gear Giveaways BLISTER+ Get Yourself Covered TOPICS & TIMES: Did the venue take a lot of effort on by the dig teams (2:28) Women’s and Men’s Dig Team Collabs (4:27) Bergemann vs. Goomes Showdown (5:40) Men’s Event Cancellation (13:42) Rampage Rookies Setting a High Bar  (16:51) Highlights (19:20) Jaxson Riddle  (21:30) Szymon Godziek (25:58) Carson Storch Crash (27:57) Why cancel? Why not postpone? (33:31) Why Didn’t They Move it to Friday? (39:57) CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS: The Blister Vault Blister Cinematic CRAFTED GEAR:30 Blister Podcast

The first-ever Whistler DH World Cup did not disappoint, including crazy weather, wild racing action, some heroic performances, and tons of crashes — Cam and Simon couldn’t wait to talk about it. Cam had a gnarly crash himself and shares that story along with his behind-the-scenes preview of this week’s Red Bull Rampage. Of course, we sprinkle in some industry news and introduce a couple of recurring segments as well. 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: FactorMeals.com - code: BLISTERBIKE50OFF Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide Get Our Free Newsletter & Gear Giveaways BLISTER+ Get Yourself Covered TOPICS & TIMES: Cam’s Crash (1:01) Number One Thing You Don’t Want To Be This Month (12:05) First Whistler DH Recap (18:32) Asa’s Mind-Blowing Win (25:03) Women’s Results (32:39) Juniors & Who to Watch Next Year (36:02) What is MTB X ( 2:13) Beyond Gravity (54:45) Air Rage (56:59) Fart Blasters? (59:44) Marketplace Ad of the Month (1:03:16) Industry News (1:05:50) X-Lab (1:13:10) What We’re Reading & Watching (1:19:42) Cam’s Rampage Preview (1:21:05) CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS: The Blister Vault Blister Cinematic CRAFTED GEAR:30 Blister Podcast

This year marks the 25th anniversary of Red Bull Rampage, and the third year of Rampage including a women’s category. The fight to make that happen was a long one, and for this selection from The Vault, we’re revisiting a conversation we had with Casey Brown on Bikes & Big Ideas back in 2023 about the importance of having a women’s competition, the year before it finally came to be. Note: We Want to Hear From You! We’d love for you to share with us the stories or topics you’d like us to cover next month on Reviewing the News; ask your most pressing mountain town advice questions, or offer your hot takes for us to rate. Email us at: info@blisterreview.com RELATED LINKS:  Get Yourself Covered: BLISTER+ Order our 26/27 Winter Buyer’s Guide Enter Our Free Weekly Gear Giveaways For the Full Episode: Casey Brown, Vaea Verbeeck, and Hannah Bergemann on Women at Rampage (Ep.191) CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS: Blister Podcast Blister Cinematic CRAFTED Bikes & Big Ideas GEAR:30

Maxxis has a new member of the Minion family, the Minion DHX, and a new DH casing to go with it. We’re joined by Sean Day, who led the development of both, to go deep on their designs, the thinking behind them, and how they fit into Maxxis’ expansive lineup. 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 BLISTER+ Get Yourself Covered TOPICS & TIMES: Development of the Minion DHX (2:49) Design concepts & goals (9:49) Tread Pattern & Knob Design (11:34) Athlete testing (14:39) Front vs. rear tire design (18:55) Choosing widths for a given tire (22:30) The new DH casing (24:14) Casing thread count & tradeoffs (28:48) Choosing between tires (38:18) CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS: The Blister Vault Blister Cinematic CRAFTED GEAR:30 Blister Podcast

Greg Hardy started sewing his own bikepacking bags while getting his PhD in materials science, which led him to put his career on hold, move to Asheville, NC, and found Rockgeist — which became one of the top bag makers in the bikepacking world. But things came crashing down when Hurricane Helene left their workshop under six feet of water. Greg joins us today to tell that story and how they rebuilt Rockgeist afterward. 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: Momentous: livemomentous.com code: Blister Factor: http://factormeals.com/BLISTERBIKES50OFF Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide Get Our Free Newsletter & Gear Giveaways BLISTER+ Get Yourself Covered BLISTER Access Pass Rockgeist TOPICS & TIMES: Sewing bags and Getting a PHD (1:21) Founding Rockgeist (4:34) Why Asheville, NC? (6:20) Greg’s First Bag (10:25) Custom Framebag Challenges (11:38) Welding Versus Sewing (18:31) Hurricane Helene Devastation (22:17) Rebuilding Rockgeist (25:05) New Products (31:50) Greg’s Bikepacking Plans (38:39) CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS: The Blister Vault Blister Cinematic CRAFTED GEAR:30 Blister Podcast

Was the Soldier Hollow World Cup XC race the first true test for 32” wheels? Blister Reviewer Xan Marshland had boots on the ground at the race, and joined Simon for a recap of the racing action, thoughts on the big wheels, course design, and Bjorn Riley’s crazy popularity. 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: Momentous: livemomentous.com code: Blister Factor: http://factormeals.com/BLISTERBIKES50OFF Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide Get Our Free Newsletter & Gear Giveaways BLISTER+ Get Yourself Covered BLISTER Access Pass TOPICS & TIMES: On-location at Soldier Hollow(1:27) Big Wheels Everywhere (4:16) Course Design & NICA Racing (5:19) Results & Highlights (8:59) Final Take(22:00) CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS: The Blister Vault Blister Cinematic CRAFTED GEAR:30 Blister Podcast

Pivot just launched their new Avinox M2S powered Shuttle AMP’d, so today Pivot founder Chris Cocalis talks us through the development process, the decision to spec the controversial high-powered Avinox drive system, early prototypes, and the challenges of implementing a motor with that much power. He also gets into why he loves XC bikes, his thoughts on 32” wheels, and who he thinks is going to win the Supercross title, Eli Tomac, Ken Roczen, Hunter Lawrence, or? 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 BLISTER+ Get Yourself Covered TOPICS & TIMES: New Shuttle AMP’d (1:58) Why Avinox? (2:13) Motor Swaps & Early Prototyping (5:52) Adding Some Beef to the Chassis (8:57) New Shuttle LT (28:59) New Mach 4 SL (32:45) Chris’ Take on 32” Wheels (42:11) Who’s Going to Win Supercross (48:42) CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS: Blister Cinematic GEAR:30 Blister Podcast CRAFTED Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Simon Reiberg’s journey into fork damper design began with him modifying a RockShox Yari to feature a shimmed rebound circuit, and after stints at Trickstuff and Intend, he just launched Simons.Lab and the Zeta aftermarket fork damper. So we sat down with Simon to talk about his take on damper design and what sets the Zeta apart; how he learned about damper design in the first place; what the biggest challenges were in bringing the Zeta to market; and a whole lot more. And we’ve got a Zeta on the way for review, so stay tuned for a rundown on its design and performance, coming very soon on the site. 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: DraftKings.com - code: Blister Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide Get Our Free Newsletter & Gear Giveaways BLISTER+ Get Yourself Covered BLISTER Access Pass TOPICS & TIMES: Simon’s background (1:40) Modifying stock dampers (3:21) Testing & analysis (6:34) Value (and limitations) of suspension dynos (15:44) High-speed adjusters & the Zeta concept (24:16) Packaging challenges (19:43) Hydraulic bottom-out (31:00) Adjustment ranges & tradeoffs in tunability (35:01) Launching Simons.Lab (40:24) CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS: The Blister Vault Blister Cinematic CRAFTED GEAR:30 Blister Podcast

Yeti has a long history of unconventional suspension layouts, and they’ve just given their lineup a big shakeup with the new LT & MT, both of which use the Sixfinity six-bar layout from Yeti’s eMTBs rather than the Switch Infinity design from their last several generations of MTBs. So, we sat down with Yeti Engineer Peter Zawistowski to get the story of developing the Sixfinity layout; what they were able to achieve with it that wasn’t possible with four-bar designs; the differences in suspension kinematic requirements for different sorts of bikes; the LT’s radically overhauled geometry; and a whole lot 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. RELATED LINKS: DraftKings.com - code: Blister Factor: http://factormeals.com/BLISTERBIKES50OFFBlister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide Get Our Free Newsletter & Gear Giveaways BLISTER+ Get Yourself Covered TOPICS & TIMES: Yeti’s history of suspension layouts (2:05) Development of the Sixfinity platform (9:57) Antisquat & the advantages of six bar layouts (15:55) Suspension kinematics for different use cases (23:57) Geometry adjustments & offering more vs. keeping thing simple (32:59) Rear center lengths & geometry changes for the LT (39:14) Athlete feedback in bike development (54:37) Racers versus freeriders (57:47) CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS: The Blister Vault Blister Cinematic CRAFTED GEAR:30 Blister Podcast

Today is a big day, as we welcome Freeride legend Cam McCaul as the new co-host of Reviewing the News. Cam and Simon Stewart go way back, and Simon has been a fan of what he’s been doing on and off the bike for as long as they’ve known each other. Cam brings a great new perspective to the show with his experience announcing Red Bull Rampage and DH racing, his freeride career, not to mention having ridden with so many of the top names in our sport.  And, we have a hell of a month to cover in Cam’s debut, with plenty of racing and industry news to go over, and Cam shares what it's like to try and ride behind repeat DH World Champion, Jackson Goldstone.   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 BLISTER+ Get Yourself Covered TOPICS & TIMES: Mountain States Cups Series (1:18) The Black Snake (11:26) Gates 100k Prize Finally Awarded (25:01) Eli Tomac Retirement (36:06) Tadej Pogacar Crash (41:41) Leadville 100 Recap (48:07) Another eBike Battery Fire (51:39) OneUp’s Used Marketplace (1:06:21) What We're Watching — 'Parallel III' (1:10:37) Rampage is Just Around the Corner (1:20:22) CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS: The Blister Vault Blister Cinematic CRAFTED GEAR:30 Blister Podcast

Shortly after the final Enduro World Cup race of the 2026 season, Warner Brothers Discovery and the UCI made the surprise announcement that the series will not continue for 2027. Despite the uncertain future that leaves for top-tier professional Enduro racing, the announcement was met with a surprising amount of excitement from athletes, and a real sense of optimism that something better can rise from the ashes of the short-lived EDR series. So we brought professional racer Eric Olsen back on the show to discuss all of it. The full press release from the UCI can be read here. Note: We Want to Hear From You! Please share with us the questions, topics, or stories you’d like us to cover on Bikes & Big Ideas. You can email us at: info@blisterreview.com RELATED LINKS: Momentous: livemomentous.com use code: Blister OneSkin: oneskin.co/BLISTER Get Yourself Covered: BLISTER+  Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide TOPICS & TIMES: The state of professional Enduro racing (1:42) Online perception vs. reality on the ground (4:13) Broadcasting & marketing Enduro racing (9:29) The Enduro World Series becoming the Enduro World Cup (12:53) New possibilities for Enduro racing (17:43) Eric’s vision for what comes next (20:28) Crankworx’s announcement of a new series (32:21) How has (and hasn’t) the series changed in recent years? (35:39) Optimism for the future (40:24) CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS: The Vault Blister Cinematic CRAFTED GEAR:30 Blister Podcast

For this selection from The Vault, we’re sharing a Bikes & Big Ideas conversation where Vali Höll opens up about everything that went on behind the scenes during the mid-season implosion of the YT Mob race team, and how she managed to win her third consecutive World Cup overall title and fourth consecutive World Championship amid the chaos. RELATED LINKS:  livemomentous.com – use code: Blister OneSkin: oneskin.co/BLISTER  Get Yourself Covered: BLISTER+ Order our 26/27 Winter Buyer’s Guide Enter Our Free Weekly Gear Giveaways For the Full Episode: Vali Höll on Her 2025 Season & the Dissolution of the YT Mob (Ep.306) CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS: Blister Podcast Blister Cinematic CRAFTED Bikes & Big Ideas GEAR:30

With XC bikes gaining popularity, there is a sea of similar-looking offerings from a bunch of brands — with a wider range of performance attributes than first meets the eye. So today, Blister reviewers Xan Marshland and Simon Stewart dig into the broader XC bike category and weigh in on why they think there’s commonality in XC bike design; their thoughts on XC geometry; and whether having baked-in Trail bike versatility is a must-have. Plus things to consider when buying one, and their predictions on where the category is heading.  Note: We Want to Hear From You! Please share with us the questions, topics, or stories you’d like us to cover on Bikes & Big Ideas. You can email us at: info@blisterreview.com RELATED LINKS: Momentous: livemomentous.com use code: Blister OneSkin: oneskin.co/BLISTER Get Yourself Covered: BLISTER+  Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide TOPICS & TIMES: XC Bikes are Hot (0:59) Bikes We’ve Been On (2:10) XC Bike Design (4:43) Twangers or Non-Twangers (8:01) Racing vs. Trail Riding (15:51) XC Tires (22:21) Favorite Components (33:45) How to Choose an XC Bike (42:29) OneSkin AD* (51:46) Category Predictions (52:56) CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS: The Blister Vault Blister Cinematic CRAFTED GEAR:30 Blister Podcast

North American DH racers are collectively having their best season in a long time, and Anna Newkirk is a big part of that success, notching her first career win — the first by an American woman in 23 years — and currently sitting fourth in the overall standings. So we brought Anna back on the show to talk about her phenomenal weekend at Lenderheide, where she qualified first and repeated the result in finals; her injury-interrupted 2025 season and returning to form; managing the pressure of racing, and how to ride at the limit; and a whole lot 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. RELATED LINKS: Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide Get Our Free Newsletter & Gear Giveaways Get Yourself Covered: BLISTER+ TOPICS & TIMES: First career win at Lenzerheide Qualifying first & the resulting pressure Knowing when to push vs. aiming for smooth and safe Qualifying format & changes to World Cup DH Upcoming Juniors & growing North American momentum USA Cycling & developing DH racers Joining Frameworks & the benefits of a factory team Goals for the rest of 2026 CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS: The Blister Vault Blister Cinematic CRAFTED GEAR:30 Blister Podcast

Today on The Vault, we’re sharing one of Simon’s favorite moments from a Bikes & Big Ideas conversation where Hayden Zablotny talks about poaching the Proving Grounds event on his way to getting invited to — and then winning — Red Bull Rampage. Note: We Want to Hear From You! We’d love for you to share with us the stories or topics you’d like us to cover next month on Reviewing the News; ask your most pressing mountain town advice questions, or offer your hot takes for us to rate. Email us at: info@blisterreview.com RELATED LINKS:  Get Yourself Covered: BLISTER+ Order our 26/27 Winter Buyer’s Guide Enter Our Free Weekly Gear Giveaways For the Full Episode: 2025 Red Bull Rampage Winner, Hayden Zablotny (Ep.307) CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS: Blister Podcast Blister Cinematic CRAFTED Bikes & Big Ideas GEAR:30 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mike and Simon break down the bike racing in July, including the World Cup MTB racing in La Thuile and Andorra, the Tour de France, and the Canadian Open DH at Crankworx Whistler. They talk about Trek’s decision to limit all their eMTBs to 20 mph, and debate whether we’ve had bike shoe design all wrong, plus a whole lot 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. RELATED LINKS: Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide Get Our Free Newsletter & Gear Giveaways BLISTER+ Get Yourself Covered Mike’s The Grimy Handshake Substack Manitou on the New Mezzer & Mezzer LT (Ep.328) TOPICS & TIMES: Simon’s Trip Across the Pond (1:17) World Cup MTB Racing Recap (3:28) Mike & Simon’s Take on the Tour de France (21:02) Canadian Open DH Recap (32:00) Trek’s Voluntary eMTB Speed Limit (35:48) Are Bike Shoes Too Stiff? (44:06) Einstein’s Saddle (48:51) New Products (55:43) Mike’s Pump Off (1:07:17)  CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS: The Blister Vault Blister Cinematic CRAFTED GEAR:30 Blister Podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A lot of recently updated bikes have felt like relatively subtle refinements of their predecessors, but there are also a bunch of brands still taking big swings. The new Yeti LT, Orbea Rallon, and Devinci Spartan are all very, very different from the bikes they replaced, and we’ve been testing all of them. So David Golay sat down with Xan Marshland to offer up some thoughts on this new crop of long-travel bruisers, discuss some of the shorter-travel rigs they’ve been testing — across a vast range of price points — and get into some bigger picture discussions about the direction of the bike industry and mountain bike design along the way. Note: We Want to Hear From You! Please share with us the questions, topics, or stories you’d like us to cover on Bikes & Big Ideas. You can email us at: info@blisterreview.com RELATED LINKS: Momentous: livemomentous.com use code: Blister OneSkin: oneskin.co/BLISTER Get Yourself Covered: BLISTER+  Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide TOPICS & TIMES: Ibis Ripley AF (1:18) Specialized Epic 9 (11:57) Revel Ranger V3 (18:06) Yeti LT (24:16) Orbea Rallon (36:16) Devinci Spartan (47:13) CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS: Blister Cinematic CRAFTED GEAR:30 Blister Podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

PeopleForBikes’ City Ratings are more than just a list of which cities have the best bike paths; they are a comprehensive look at how a city manages bike infrastructure, and have become a tool cities use to identify areas needing improvement, and a valuable resource for for individuals interested in advocating for change in their own communities.   City Ratings is a massive undertaking, so we sat down with PeopleForBikes’ Martina Haggerty and Grace Stonecipher to get a behind-the-scenes look at what goes into producing them and how they’re reshaping the ways some cities approach bike infrastructure. Note: We Want to Hear From You! Please share with us the questions, topics, or stories you’d like us to cover on Bikes & Big Ideas. You can email us at: info@blisterreview.com RELATED LINKS: Momentous: livemomentous.com use code: Blister OneSkin: oneskin.co/BLISTER Get Yourself Covered: BLISTER+  Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide TOPICS & TIMES: Who Are PeopleForBikes and What They Do (0:38) Why & How City Ratings Got Started (2:20) How Many Cities are Included (3:41) City Ratings Methodology (4:10) Best Cities (11:12) Pushback? (13:03) How to get involved to help your city become more bike-friendly (18:04) Biggest Challenges (21:43) International Cities (24:35) Ebike considerations? (26:36) Next year’s ratings (28:28) What advice can you offer a city to help improve its score? (29:27) Other PFB Initiatives (30:25) CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS: Blister Cinematic CRAFTED GEAR:30 Blister Podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.