Bikes & Big Ideas

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.

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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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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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The Vault

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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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livemomentous.com – use code: Blister

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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)

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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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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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.

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: [email protected]

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

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Bikes & Big Ideas

GEAR:30

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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: [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:

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)

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The Blister Vault

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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 [email protected] 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

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The Blister Vault

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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: [email protected]

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

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Bikes & Big Ideas

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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 [email protected] 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) 

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The Blister Vault

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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: [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:

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)

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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: [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:

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)

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