Rotational impact protection in bike helmets has deservedly gotten a lot of attention in recent years, and MIPS has long been the pioneering technology in that space. But Lazer thought there was a lighter, more comfortable, more breathable way to accomplish the same goals, and developed KinetiCore to do just that. And so we sat down with Lazer’s Head of Marketing for North America, Chris Smith, to get the rundown on what KinetiCore is supposed to do and how it does it; why Lazer went to the effort to develop their own technology; helmet testing standards and safety; and a whole lot more.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• KinetiCore design goals (1:37)
• Helmet testing standards around the world (14:22)
• KinetiCore design details (22:45)
• Virginia Tech’s helmet testing & KinetiCore helmet lineup (26:15)
• Jackyl KinetiCore MTB helmet & Accessory mount safety (35:28)
• Chris’ Big Idea (46:34)

RELATED LINKS:

• GEAR:30 on Helmet Tech, Pt. 1: Sweet Protection
• GEAR:30 on Helmet Tech, Pt. 2: Giro / Bell
• GEAR:30 on Helmet Tech, Pt. 3: Pret
• GEAR:30 on Helmet Tech, Pt. 4: POC
• GEAR:30 on Helmet Tech, Pt. 5: WaveCel
• Introducing: Blister Labs
• Getting Here: Gunnison & Crested Butte
• This Week’s Gear Giveaway
• Gear Giveaway / Newsletter Signup
• Become a Blister Member / Get our new Buyer’s Guide
• Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide

OUR OTHER BLISTER PODCASTS

• Off The Couch
• GEAR:30
• Blister Podcast

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Lea Davison announced her retirement from international racing after the final World Cup of the 2021 season, but she’s definitely not walking away from bikes or racing. So we sat down with the two-time Olympian and 20-plus year XC pro to talk about the career that’s taken up her entire adult life to this point; the highs and the lows; the state of XC racing; mentorship & career evolution; what comes next, and a whole lot more.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Getting started in bike racing & qualifying for World Championships at 17 (2:06)
• Racing first full pro season without an ACL (6:34)
• Evolution of the XC race scene (11:23)
• What could be improved? (18:56)
• Racing World Cups (21:10)
• Mentorship & development (23:57)
• Competing in the Olympics (27:10)
• Postponement of the 2020 Games (35:28)
• Favorite moments and proudest accomplishments (40:50)
• Career evolution & team roles (45:31)
• What’s next after announcing retirement? (49:13)
• Lea’s Big Idea (54:22)

RELATED LINKS:

• Introducing: Blister Labs
• Getting Here: Gunnison & Crested Butte
• This Week’s Gear Giveaway
• Gear Giveaway / Newsletter Signup
• Become a Blister Member / Get our new Buyer’s Guide
• Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide

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There are a lot of smart people working in bike suspension, but EXT founder Franco Fratton might have the most impressive resume — which includes working for the Ferrari and Lotus Formula One teams. And so we sat down with Franco to chat about his career and life story; his suspension design philosophy; how he went from focusing on motorsports to making some of the best bike suspension out there; and a whole lot more.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Franco’s background in suspension and EXT history (2:34)
• Getting started in bike suspension (15:31)
• Upcoming EXT air shock (24:51)
• Twin tube vs. mono tube dampers (34:08)
• Coil vs. air springs (48:12)
• Novel ideas & gaining acceptance (55:08)
• Franco’s Big Idea (57:56)

RELATED LINKS:

• Introducing: Blister Labs
• Getting Here: Gunnison & Crested Butte
• This Week’s Gear Giveaway
• Gear Giveaway / Newsletter Signup
• Become a Blister Member / Get our new Buyer’s Guide
• Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
• EXT Era Review
• EXT Storia Review

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Martin Maes practically grew up in the GT pits with his father, and had raced for them since he was a teenager. But he made the move to Orbea for 2022, and so we sat down to chat about his career trajectory and the value of a change of pace; the mental aspects of racing & injury recovery; becoming a father; bike setup for Enduro and DH racing, and a whole bunch more.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Fatherhood & the 2021 season
• Concussions & rider safety
• Finishing the season strong
• Signing with Orbea
• Bike setup, sizing, & parts spec
• Racing DH & Enduro
• 2022 Plans
• EWS format & doubleheaders
• Martin’s Big Idea

RELATED LINKS:

• Introducing: Blister Labs
• Getting Here: Gunnison & Crested Butte
• This Week’s Gear Giveaway
• Gear Giveaway / Newsletter Signup
• Become a Blister Member / Get our new Buyer’s Guide
• Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide

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Yoann Barelli just announced the formation of his Into The Gnar Progression Team  — so we got him back on Bikes & Big Ideas to talk about it. And along the way we talk about Yoann’s career shift into freeriding; what he’s learned about coaching & training in recent years; his plans for 2022 — including teasing some very big news — and a bunch more.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• One year on Guerrilla Gravity (2:10)
• Moving away from racing & into freeriding and building (6:48)
• Sponsorship responsibilities & new opportunities to be a pro
• Getting back into training (11:54)
• Coaching Update (17:03)
• Into the Gnar Progression Team (21:19)
• 2022 plans (46:09)
• Freeride Fiesta recap (51:44)
• Yoann’s Big Idea (58:18)

RELATED LINKS:

• Introducing: Blister Labs
• Getting Here: Gunnison & Crested Butte
• This Week’s Gear Giveaway
• Gear Giveaway / Newsletter Signup
• Become a Blister Member / Get our new Buyer’s Guide
• Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide

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Push Industries is one of the best-known suspension tuners and manufacturers of high-end shocks out there, and their founder, Darren Murphy has a whole lot to say on the topic of suspension. And so we sat down with Darren to chat about his background and how he got into suspension in the first place; the Eleven Six shock and what makes it stand out; his approach to product development and tuning; making everything in-house in Colorado; how to set up your suspension; and a whole lot more.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Darren’s background in MTB & suspension (1:36)
• History of Push (17:31)
• Eleven Six Shock (26:46)
• Push’s product development process (33:18)
• Shock tuning for a given bike (38:38)
• How to set up your suspension (53:16)
• Darren’s Big Idea (1:03:30)

RELATED LINKS:

• Introducing: Blister Labs
• Getting Here: Gunnison & Crested Butte
• This Week’s Gear Giveaway
• Gear Giveaway / Newsletter Signup
• Become a Blister Member / Get our new Buyer’s Guide
• Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide

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Mountain bike suspension has improved immensely in recent years, but designing rear suspension kinematics is inherently a game of tradeoffs, with no ideal one-size-fits-all solution. Cascade Components founder and engineer Jimmy Davis saw an opportunity to make his personal Santa Cruz Nomad better for where and how he rides, and soon a new business was born, making aftermarket suspension links for an ever-growing range of bikes. And so we sat down with Jimmy to talk about suspension design and the inherent tradeoffs that come with each decision; what their links do and who they’re for; working with Neko Mulally on his Frameworks DH race bikes; brakes & chain guides; and a whole lot more.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Origins of Cascade Components (1:46)
• First aftermarket link (6:42)
• Suspension design philosophy (13:11)
• Neko Mulally's custom links (26:38)
• North Fork Brakes (30:25)
• Chain Guides (39:36)
• Jimmy’s Big Idea (43:23)

RELATED LINKS:

• Introducing: Blister Labs
• Getting Here: Gunnison & Crested Butte
• This Week’s Gear Giveaway
• Gear Giveaway / Newsletter Signup
• Become a Blister Member / Get our new Buyer’s Guide
• Register for the 2022 Blister Summit
• Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
• Ep. 101: Neko Mulally

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Joe McEwan had a career as an aerospace engineer working with composites, but when he started building bikes, steel was his material of choice. So we sat down with the founder of Starling Cycles to get his take on frame materials, and why steel is an under-appreciated one; why single-pivots can ride really well; go really deep on the tradeoffs between wheel sizes, & why mullets maybe aren’t the best of all worlds; and a whole lot more.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Joe’s background as an aerospace engineer to founding Starling & building bikes in a shed (1:32)
• Why steel? (7:56)
• Single pivots & suspension kinematics (12:26)
• Starling’s “Core” lineup (20:43)
• Wheel sizes & tradeoffs (24:31)
• Starling’s “Rare” lineup (33:48)
• Carbon e-bike prototype (43:11)
• Joe’s Big Idea (48:14)

RELATED LINKS:

• Introducing: Blister Labs
• Getting Here: Gunnison & Crested Butte
• This Week’s Gear Giveaway
• Gear Giveaway / Newsletter Signup
• Become a Blister Member / Get our new Buyer’s Guide
• Register for the 2022 Blister Summit
• Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide

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Ed Masters often looks like he’s having more fun than anybody else on the EWS and World Cup DH circuits, but that belies just how seriously he takes racing at the top level, and how much thought he’s given to the sport. And so we brought Ed onto Bikes & Big Ideas to talk about the incredible end to the 2021 World Cup season (and get hyped for racing to fire back up in 2022); catch up on his injury-laden 2021 season and how he’s doing these days; the similarities and differences between Enduro and DH, and the challenges of racing both; and a whole lot more. 

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Ed’s 2021 season & injury recoveries (2:37)
• The World Cup season & performing under pressure (9:55)
• Injuries & Ed’s 2021 season, cont’d (29:05)
• 2022 plans (49:12)
• DH vs. Enduro, & racing both at the top level (55:23)
• Ed’s Big Idea (1:05:30)

RELATED LINKS:

• Introducing: Blister Labs
• Getting Here: Gunnison & Crested Butte
• This Week’s Gear Giveaway
• Gear Giveaway / Newsletter Signup
• Become a Blister Member / Get our new Buyer’s Guide
• Register for the 2022 Blister Summit
• Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide

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Katy Winton has reliably been one of the top contenders on the EWS circuit, but she found herself without a factory ride in 2021 and had to put together her own team at the 11th hour to keep racing. And despite all that chaos, she had another strong season, which culminated in her signing with GT Factory Racing for 2022. So we sat down with Katy to get the whole story, and she did a remarkable job of peeling back the curtain on day-to-day life as a professional racer during the season; contract negotiations and managing a career; and a whole lot more.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Katy’s 2021 season & being left out of a factory ride (2:19)
• Putting together Moxie XI (15:47)
• Racing as a privateer after years on factory teams (25:16)
• Mindset & balancing training with running a team (30:57)
• Managing the season & traveling with Joe Nation (35:04)
• 2022 team talks & signing with GT (42:49)
• Goals for 2022 (50:42)
• Katy’s Big Idea (52:17)

RELATED LINKS:

• Introducing: Blister Labs
• Getting Here: Gunnison & Crested Butte
• This Week’s Gear Giveaway
• Gear Giveaway / Newsletter Signup
• Become a Blister Member / Get our new Buyer’s Guide
• Register for the 2022 Blister Summit
• Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide

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