Bikes & Big Ideas

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.

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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: [email protected]

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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.

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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 [email protected] to weigh in.

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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)

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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.

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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 [email protected] to weigh in.

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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)

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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.

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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 [email protected] to weigh in.

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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)

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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.

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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 [email protected] to weigh in.

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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)

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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. 

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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 [email protected] to weigh in.

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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)

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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 [email protected] to weigh in.

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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)

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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: [email protected]

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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)

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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.

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For the Full Episode: Vali Höll on Her 2025 Season & the Dissolution of the YT Mob (Ep.306)

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Bikes & Big Ideas

GEAR:30

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: [email protected]

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

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GEAR:30

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