Welcome Mountain Bikers. This is Vital MTB’s The Inside Line podcast, I’m gordo, and I hope you had a good holiday season. With 2021 just a moment away, I’m stoked to be sitting with a local bike shop owner for our show today. Ryan Cowling is the owner of Kore North Bike Shop in Meridian, Idaho. If I ever had a dream shop setup, it would be this…mountain bikes and skateboards!

We discuss his history with bicycles, discovering mountain biking while he lived in Japan, the ups and downs of running a local bike shop, being robbed and recovering stolen bikes with help from good friend Prison Mike, his love of Red Bull Rampage and so much more. 

THANK YOU LISTENERS FOR SUPPORTING THE INSIDE LINE FOR FOUR YEARS!

Thank you to our sponsors
Jenson USA - use coupon code insideline at checkout and receive 10% off qualifying items.

Maxxis Tires - our mountain bike tire of choice

Santa Cruz Bicycles and the Paydirt Fund - they're giving away $1 million over three years to trail projects and community building programs.

Kore North Bike Shop Owner, Ryan Cowling - The Inside Line Podcast

A mountain biking podcast channel featuring in-depth interviews with world class riders and cycling industry professionals.

Professional

Sports & Recreation

Amateur

Outdoor

College & High School

Join Vital Tech Editor, Jason Schroeder, as he wanders the sea of vendor tents at the 2024 Sea Otter Classic. From new products to athlete check-ins to Pro dual slalom practice, get a taste of what it's like to have boots on the ground at the event.  Day 1 Photo Gallery #1 - https://www.vitalmtb.com/photos/features/pit-bits-sea-otter-2024-day-1/pit-bits-sea-otter-2024-day-1 Day 1 Photo Gallery #2 - https://www.vitalmtb.com/photos/features/pit-bits-sea-otter-2024-day-1-part-2/pit-bits-sea-otter-2024-day-1-part-2 Day 1 You Tube Video - https://www.vitalmtb.com/videos/features/sea-otter-classic-2024-crazy-and-cool-day-1

Sea Otter Classic Day 1

To learn more and hear our thoughts on the new Grip X2 damper, check out our First Ride review.

After years of mostly positive reviews intertwined with some shortcomings, FOX has ditched its Grip2 and FIT4 dampers for model year 2025 forks. In their place are three new dampers that seek to offer a heightened level of discipline-focused performance and features.

Grip SL - XC, short track, marathon
Grip X - all mountain, trail
Grip X2 - all-mountain, enduro, gravity 

We joined FOX for a few days at their HQ in Scotts Valley, California, to get the run down from their engineering and development team on the new damper line and the goals surrounding each product.

0:00 - Overview of Grip dampers with Bill Brown, Head of Engineering
14:35 - Grip X2 details and development goals with Sergio Avanto, Manager of Product Performance 
SUPERCROSS TALK WITH SERGIO
27:19 - Who was most difficult to work with (hint: the world's fastest German SX racer)
Epic insight into James Stewart during his prime 
45:49 - Jett Lawrence vs. James Stewart
50:13 - Similarities between supercross suspension and mountain bike suspension  
55:48 - Remi Gauvin of the Rocky Mountain Gravity Team talks about the differences in performance and setup between Grip 2 and Grip X2

FOX Debuts the Next Generation of Grip Dampers + Supercross Talk

Thanks to  Maxxis Tires, FOX and Jenson USA    for supporting The Inside Line MTB podcast! 

The first-ever Monster Energy Pro Downhill Series race took place at Ride Rock Creek in North Carolina this weekend. Clay Harper, founder of the series, has a vision to bring back national-level downhill mountain bike race events and round 1 has proven to be a strong start. Jack Rice was at the event and caught up with Clay and others to get their thoughts on the weekend. Our show concludes with the Pro Women's and Men's press conference audio which can also be watched on our site.

Contents
0:00 - Clay Harper, Race Director
9:39 - Sean Griz McClendon
13:26 - Callie Howrath
15:27 - Neko Mulally and Sean Leader
17:51 - Cory Rimmer
23:14 - John Hall
27:23 - Pro Women's Press Conference
37:51 - Pro Men's Press Conference

RACE DAY - 2024 Monster Energy Pro DH Rock Creek

The Redcar Rocket, Danny Hart, handles the dreaded 17 without a flinch. Watch the video of this interviewWatch Danny's Vital RAWWatch Danny's Bike Check video

17 Questions - DANNY HART

Thanks to  Maxxis Tires, FOX and Jenson USA    for supporting The Inside Line MTB podcast! 

The 2024 Tennessee National Downhill mountain bike race at Windrock Bike Park is in the books with Dakotah Norton and Frida Ronning taking Elite wins.  This was the first downhill event at Windrock since Aaron Gwin took over ownership of the park and racers and fans alike seemed stoked with the track and the way the event was run. Jack Rice checks in with racers and the people who make #USDH so great.

Asa Vermette was on pace to challenge the time of Dakotah but washed out in a corner injuring his hip and resulting in a DNF. In the Junior classes, Dane Jewett posted a time that would have been 2nd in Elite Men and Aletha Oostgard's time would have been 2nd in Elite Women.  Dig into the results, G-Out Project Photos and more on VitalMTB.com

Interviews
0:00 - Dakotah Norton
4:44 - Don Rogers
6:11 - Asa Vermette (pre-race run)
8:39 - Clay Harper
13:56 - Luca Shaw
15:51 - Angel Suarez
17:46 - Neko Mulally
21:31 - Ryan Griffith
22:42 - Frida's Mechanic, Josh Thwaite
24:42 - Jack Pederson
26:08 - Kale Cushman
28:21 - Lucas Dedora

Kore North Bike Shop Owner, Ryan Cowling - The Inside Line Podcast

Download our free app to listen on your phone