Bikes & Big Ideas

Any One of Us, the film about Paul Basagoitia and spinal cord injuries, just won an Emmy! So we are reposting the conversation we had with Paul, who was the first back-to-back winner of Crankworx Slopestyle; participated in Red Bull Rampage numerous times; and was one of the top riders in the game. But one tiny mishap led to a crash that left him paralyzed, and Paul’s life was changed in an instant. But that’s not the end of the story — Paul is currently making an absolutely incredible comeback.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Paul’s film, Any One of Us (5:13)
• Winning Crankworx on Cam Zink’s bike (7:08)
• Competing at Rampage & managing fear (15:08)
• Paul’s crash (29:20)
• Are you scared watching friends drop in at Rampage? (36:08)
• Spinal injuries & stem cell research (37:08)
• Wings for Life (wingsforlife.com) (39:00)
• Paul’s recovery & current status (44:17)

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Anneke Beerten was born in the Netherlands, started racing BMX when she was 4 years old, then became a 2-time world champion in BMX, a 3-time Four-cross world champion, the Queen of Crankworx, and she’s won, podiumed, and top 5’d many enduro, DH, DS races. She also just won the So Cal Enduro and Snow Summit DH. So Blister reviewers Dylan Wood and Jonathan Ellsworth caught up with Anneke to talk about racing; what she’s up to these days; ‘badass’ books; business ideas; and you’ll get to hear ‘the story of Dylan and Anneke.’

TOPICS & TIMES

• Racing the So Cal Enduro & Snow Summit DH (1:57)
• The Story of Dylan & Anneke (4:32)
• Favorite type of terrain to race (9:47)
• Growing up & getting into racing (11:35)
• Who did you look up to as a young racer? (14:39)
• Favorite EWS stops (22:45)
• Riding for Specialized (24:35)
• Bike setup: what are you pickiest about? (26:58)
• Racing in the time of Covid (32:09)
• Ten Beers (36:53)
• Badass Books & Big Ideas? (37:51)
• Racing to get a green card (45:01)

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Bike sales are through the roof this season, and all around the world, a lot of people are hitting the trails. So we talked to the executive director of the Crested Butte Mountain Bike Association, Dave Ochs, to discuss the implications of — and potential solutions to — increased trail use.

TOPICS & TIMES

• Dave’s background (3:00)
• CBMBA state of the union (6:20)
• Implications of higher use of trails (13:23)
• Infrastructure & Education (15:38)
• ‘Opposite Use’ Policies (24:21)
• Fat Bike World Championships (33:14) 
• Dave’s ‘Big Idea or Bad Idea?’ (37:44)

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David Golay and Jonathan Ellsworth discuss the backstory of the new ZEB fork and why RockShox built it; who it’s for; its available configurations and compatibility; the ZEB vs. the Lyrik and more, with RockShox’s Chris Mandell.

TOPICS & TIMES

• Chris’ background (3:39)
• ZEB backstory (12:40)
• Different ZEB models (21:57)
• ZEB vs RockShox Lyrik (26:49)
• ZEB compatibility (37:31)
• Drivetrains vs Brakes vs Suspension (38:51)

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Everybody’s favorite bike-POV-commentator is back to talk about chasing Nino Schurter down trails in Switzerland; his thoughts on e-bikes (now that he’s been riding one frequently); his company, Velosolutions’ first “all-electric” build; the status of the Red Bull UCI Pump Track World Championships; and more.

TOPICS & TIMES

• Claudio’s life these days (2:07)
• Chasing Nino Schurter (6:11)
• Claudio’s thoughts on his e-bike (9:45)
• Velosolutions’ “all-electric” build (18:47)
• Status: Red Bull UCI Pump Track World Championships (31:02)
• What’s the best question I haven’t asked you? (34:50)

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Elorie Slater runs the marketing department for Pivot Cycles, and we talk about her unusual path to becoming the head of marketing for Pivot; her take on the bike industry in the time of COVID, and where the industry goes from here; bike prices and “entry level” pricing; and the notion of women-specific gear and female participation in mountain biking.

TOPICS & TIMES

• Elorie’s background (4:12)
• Current bike industry trends (16:04)
• “Entry level” prices (25:23)
• Pivot’s frames (31:52)
• Ride Tuning (35:22)
• ‘Women Specific’ bikes (38:34)

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We talk with Dean Payne, the president and co-founder of the BC Bike Race, about the origins and evolution of one of the most epic bike races and events in the world. And Simon Stewart (aka, Mr. Tank Driver) is sitting in as co-host to discuss all things BC Bike Race, and what goes into putting together a complex and great event like this.

TOPICS & TIMES

• History of the BC Bike Race (3:14)
• Creating an “alternate universe” (12:59)
• Russell Crowe & the World’s Largest Hockey Stick (22:03)
• Managing the race (27:24)
• On the cancelation of this year’s race (31:34)
• Communicating with the racers (42:37)

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We caught up this week with the one and only Cam McCaul to talk about some of the bike films that made the biggest impression on him; the new TGR film he’s in called, Accomplice (some of which was shot in our little corner of the world, Crested Butte); how he prepares for riding big lines; his work as a commentator; and which discipline he thinks many people fail to really appreciate: slopestyle, DH, or big-mountain riding.

• Cam’s (most excellent) YouTube Channel
• Tour Dates for Accomplice
• Watch the Trailer for Accomplice

TOPICS & TIMES

• Cam’s life these days (3:22)
• The current “bike boom” (5:46)
• Cam’s “favorite” bike films (11:40)
• Preference: photo shoots or video shoots? (18:56)
• TGR’s new film: Accomplice (25:06)
• Preparing to ride big lines (31:15)
• The process behind hitting features (37:20)
• Cam’s work as an announcer (41:35)
• Slope, DH, Big-Mtn: most underappreciated type of riding? (45:18)

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Today we’re talking with bike-industry veterans Simon Stewart (Mr. Tank Driver, of Bikes & Big Ideas ep. #18 fame) and Joe Parkin (author, former pro cyclist, and our editor-in-chief’s new dealer) at their bike shop in Buena Vista, Colorado. First, we announce their brand-new shop name, then we talk about what it’s like to own and operate a bike shop in these times, and finally, we discuss Joe’s wildly addictive new creation that our editor-in-chief calls, the “Crack Waffle.”

TOPICS & TIMES

• Introducing: Buena Vista Bike Company (1:59)
• Bike Shops in the Time of Covid (7:03)
• Silver Lining? COVID & Bike Use (10:07)
• BV Bike Co’s Crack Waffles (14:08)

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Which bike company is currently the most like which ski company? Here in part 2, we get into more arguments and offer more of their parallels and analogies between these two industries to get a better sense of the current position, reputation, and trajectory of a bunch of different brands in these sports.

And we want to hear from you — where do you agree or disagree, and can you come up with better, more accurate analogies than the ones we’re proposing? Let us know in the Comments Section on our site.

• Listen to Part 1 of Bikes vs. Skis (2020 edition)
• Listen to Bikes vs. Skis (2018 edition)

TOPICS & TIMES

• ‘Eyes Wide Shut’ Skis (3:37)
• Listeners’ analogies (9:19)
• Transition (18:53)
• Orange (20:05)
• Pivot Cycles (21:35)
• Guerilla Gravity (24:21)
• Bold Cycles (35:48)
• Banshee Bikes (29:36)
• Commencal (30:59)
• Zerode (32:12)
• Cannondale (33:39)
• Kona (37:19)
• Intense (38:49)
• Santa Cruz (48:02)
• Specialized (49:22)
• Trek (50:39)
• Giant (52:24)
• Ibis (53:51)
• DPS Skis? (58:49)
• Evil (1:03:57)
• YT (1:05:23)
• Pole & Nicolai (1:08:08)

RELATED LINKS:

• 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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