Bikes & Big Ideas

When he was in his 20s Matt Gilman lost his sight due to diabetes, but that hasn’t stopped him from riding trials — and maybe even more remarkably, working as a bike mechanic. His story is an incredible one, so we sat down with Matt to talk about his approach to riding; how he manages to ride by feel; his career as a bike mechanic and how he adapted to doing that blind; and a whole lot more.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Matt’s biking background (0:41)
• Vision loss & getting back on a bike (4:25)
• Blind trials & riding by feel (23:46)
• Mechanic work (37:18)
• Matt’s Big Idea (50:17)

RELATED LINKS:

• Matt’s Website
• Become a Blister Member
• Camping in Gunnison & Crested Butte

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The first-generation Manitou Dorado turned a lot of heads more than 20 years ago, in large part thanks to its inverted layout and wild-looking carbon chassis. The all-new, fourth-generation Dorado is a major update to what Manitou calls “the longest-standing inverted downhill fork” — including a return of the carbon chassis, after more than a decade hiatus. But there’s a whole lot more going on, too, so we sat down with Manitou’s Phil Ott to discuss the past and present of the Dorado; the advantages and disadvantages of inverted forks; fork offset; and a whole bunch more.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• History of the Dorado
• The new 4th Generation
• Dorado Pro
• Dorado Expert
• Dorado Comp
• Why inverted?
• Fore-aft vs. torsional stiffness
• Fork offset
• Upcoming projects from Manitou
• Phil’s Big Idea

RELATED LINKS:

• New Manitou Dorado
• Blister Mountain Biking 101: Fork Offset
• Become a Blister Member
• Camping in Gunnison & Crested Butte

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Few (if any) riders have the power, balance, & creativity of Brad Simms. So you might assume it’s been a pretty quick and easy path to prominence for someone this unique. But it hasn’t been an easy road, and in this conversation, Brad spells it all out; talks about how close he came to calling it quits; his new partnership with Canyon bikes; his interest in all types of riding; and more.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Brad’s history (1:53)
• Early influences & riding styles (14:33)
• Fear (22:39)
• Competing against yourself (24:45)
• Riding in 100+ countries (28:26)
• Partnering with Canyon Bikes (36:35)
• Filming for Taco Bell (42:19)
• Future plans (43:33)

RELATED LINKS:

• Impossible Wallride
• 2020 Compilation
• Become a Blister Member
• Camping in Gunnison & Crested Butte

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Which ski brand is most similar to Transition? Guerrilla Gravity? Specialized? Which bike company is most like K2? ON3P? Moment? We answer all of these questions and more in Part 2 of Bikes vs. Skis. Check it out, and let us know your answers in the comments section on our site.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Transition (2:04)
• Propain (5:35)
• Guerilla Gravity (7:08)
• Commencal (11:22)
• Q: Cool Kid Co.s: Does size matter? (15:03)
• Rossignol (20:31)
• Trek (23:28)
• Head Skis (24:49)
• Giant (28:21)
• Santa Cruz (29:14)
• Salomon (32:41)
• K2 Skis (32:13)
• YT Bikes (37:52)
• Canyon (41:10)
• Volkl Skis (43:49)
• Ibis (45:14)
• Yeti (50:07)
• Coalition Snow (53:54)
• Evil (56:17)
• Privateer Bikes (59:00)
• Banshee (1:00:46)
• Revel (1:02:04)
• Which bike company will see the most growth in the next 5 years? (1:04:28)
• Pole Bikes (1:07:32)
• Starling (1:11:14)
• Canfield (1:13:18)
• Forbidden (1:17:10)
• Which industry is currently weirder? (1:23:51)
• The role of team athletes (1:29:12)

RELATED LINKS:

• Become a Blister Member
• Camping in Gunnison & Crested Butte
• Bikes vs Skis, 3rd Edition (2021): Part 1
• Bikes vs Skis, 3rd Edition (2021): Part 2
• Bikes vs Skis, 2nd Edition (2020): Part 1
• Bikes vs Skis, 2nd Edition (2020): Part 2
• Bikes vs Skis, 1st Edition (2018): Part 1
• Bikes vs Skis, 1st Edition (2018): Part 2

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Which bike & ski company would you buy stock in right now? Which company is currently holding the “Cool Kids Belt”? Who is currently overhyped, and who is flying under the radar? Who do other brands secretly wish they could trade places with? We answer all these questions and more in our latest edition of Bikes vs. Skis. Check it out, and tell us your answers to these questions in the comments section of the show notes to this episode on our website.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Who is offering the most bang for your buck (bike) (1:36)
• Best bang for your buck? (ski) (5:42)
• Who has the best complete lineup? (bike) (9:58)
• Who has the best complete lineup? (ski) (14:10)
• Current holder of the Cool Kids Belt? (bike) (21:05)
• Current holder of the Cool Kids Belt? (ski) (26:36)
• Who do all the others want to trade places with? (bike) (32:58)
• Who do all the others want to trade places with? (ski) (36:38)
• Who is flying under the radar? (bike) (43;38)
• Who is flying under the radar? (ski) (48:04)
• Who is currently overhyped? (bike) (52:39)
• Who is currently overhyped? (ski) (56:57)
• Who has the strongest brand loyalty? (bike) (1:05:11)
• Who has the strongest brand loyalty? (ski) (1:08:59)
• Who would you buy stock in right now? (bike) (1:14:00)
• Who would you buy stock in right now? (ski) (1:22:38)

RELATED LINKS:

• Become a Blister Member
• Camping in Gunnison & Crested Butte
• Bikes vs Skis, 3rd Edition (2021): Part 1
• Bikes vs Skis, 3rd Edition (2021): Part 2
• Bikes vs Skis, 2nd Edition (2020): Part 1
• Bikes vs Skis, 2nd Edition (2020): Part 2
• Bikes vs Skis, 1st Edition (2018): Part 1
• Bikes vs Skis, 1st Edition (2018): Part 2

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This week on Bikes and Big Ideas, Jonathan Ellsworth, David Golay, and Eric Freson sit down to give an update on their various injuries; discuss the latest news in races big and small; discuss the bikes they’ve been spending time on; go deep on mullets; and get weird talking about the bike analog of telemark skiing.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Injury Updates (1:38)
• Race News (8:20)
• New Trek Session (15:00)
• Pivot Trail 429 (17:30)
• Ibis Ripley AF (19:03)
• Santa Cruz Nomad (22:26)
• Santa Cruz Bronson goes mullet (25:17)
• David’s Big Idea (35:41)

RELATED LINKS:

• Trek Session Flash Review
• Pivot Trail 429 Flash Review
• Santa Cruz Nomad Flash Review
• Marin El Roy Review
• Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
• Become a Blister Member
• Camping in Gunnison & Crested Butte

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Hannah Bergemann just got back from the 2nd year of Red Bull Formation, so we caught up with her to get her take on the event; hear how it was similar to and how it was different from the 1st year of Formation; talk about her work with Transition; and her future plans.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• The evolution of Formation (2:47)
• Collaboration vs. Competition (7:44)
• Digging & building lines (12:35)
• Traction & bike mods for desert riding (14:44)
• Line choices (17:26)
• Coaching & visualization (19:35)
• Sketchiest & favorite moments from Formation? (24:34)
• Predictions for Year 3 (31:55)
• Riding for & working at Transition (34:08)
• Winning the Evolution in Action / Rider’s Choice Award (37:52)
• Hannah’s Big Idea (39:57)
• 2021 plans (43:06)

RELATED LINKS:

• Highlights from Formation 2021
• Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
• Become a Blister Member

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Yesterday, we talked with Claudio Caluori who had just returned from Israel. The conflict between Israel and Palestine had escalated while Claudio was there, and we wanted to learn more about the work he was doing in Israel; why he stayed to finish the project; and what he learned by virtue of being on the ground there. We also discuss a really exciting project that Claudio breaks the news about during this conversation.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Velosolutions update (1:48)
• Building pump tracks in Israel (4:11)
• Being on the ground during the conflict (15:00)
• Plans to build in Palestine (21:54)
• Grow Cycling pump track update (22:47)
• 2021 plans & race season predictions (27:54)
• Everesting on E-Bikes (30:13)
• Filming with Danny MacAskill (32:24)

RELATED LINKS:

• Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
• Become a Blister Member

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We’re talking with Miranda Miller about starting her new YouTube channel, MGM Alternative, with Remi Gauvin and Jesse Melamed; choosing riding partners; racing Enduro vs. racing DH; espresso machines & World Cup wins; books; & more.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Getting injured riding bikes (1:41)
• MGM Alternative (6:28)
• Choosing our riding partners (11:04)
• Brutus vs Poacher (13:06)
• Best & trickiest parts about making videos (18:58)
• Miranda’s background & getting into bikes (23:46)
• DH World Cup circuit (35:33)
• Racing Enduro vs racing DH (39:45)
• 2021 plans (47:54)
• Espresso machines & World Cup wins (51:34)
• Favorite books & dinner with Tom Robbins (56:17)
• Miranda’s Big Idea (1:02:58)

RELATED LINKS:

• Blister Mountain Bike Guide
• Become a Blister Member

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We just released our first-ever Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide. You can find it for free on our website, and here, you can listen to David Golay, Kristin Sinnott, and Jonathan Ellsworth talk about why it isn’t your typical buyer’s guide; how long it's been in the works; and why we thought that something like it was really needed by everyone from brand-new to expert riders.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• The story behind our new MTB Buyer’s Guide (1:58)
• How we organized the guide (11:34)
• How it works with our Bike Brand Guides (16:26)
• Our Recommended Bike Shops (18:46)
• Our personalized bike-gear recommendations (20:24)

RELATED LINKS:

• Blister Mountain Bike Guide
• Become a Blister Member

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