Do you know your progressive siping from your ETRTO?! Tyres divide opinion like no other bike component and their performance can dramatically affect not just how your bike feels on the trail but where you end up at your next enduro race. 

Rather than just battle through Ruaridh and Ric's own (often non-sensical) opinions, we enlisted the help of Ken Avery from Vittoria Tyres. Senior Vice President of Product, Ken is first and foremost a mountain biker and has moved from racing at UCI-level to designing some of mountain biking's best known rubber. Enduro racing is a brand-new challenge however and represents a very delicate balancing act for tyre designers. 

In this episode, we talk about our own tyre-based misfortunes, how we got on with our Vittoria tyres last season, what we all should be looking for and thinking about when it comes to tyre choice. Also, what does the future hold for e-bike tyres and how does a bike handle with 65psi in the front tyre?! 

On episode 9 of the Enduro World Series podcast we have a brand-new partner announcement in the form of sporting event logistics giants, Ship To Cycle. We help to celebrate 100 years of one of the most trusted bike industry brands in the world, Shimano, with a ride down Memory Lane whilst taking a look at some of their more curious creations and the groupsets that shaped us as riders. We also talk about Specialized’s brand-new Turbo Levo, the name that has become a byword for hard-hitting e-bike fun and get an update on the The Mystery of Charles Murray  and Ruaridh’s quest for Project 85. Or should that be Project 87.5?

Another hectic week at the Enduro World Series office has passed under the teams front wheel so there's plenty for Ruaridh Cunningham and Ric McLaughlin to discuss. There's been racing action from the EWS Qualifiers in Dunedin, NZ and Windrock, USA, the mystery of who Charles Murray will be riding for in 2021 rumbles on (for now) and Yeti/Fox Race Team have announced their 2021 line-up. 

Where does the two-time EWS Champ, Richie Rude, stack up as we head towards the new season getting underway? Or will it be his teammate and one of the form riders of 2019, Shawn Neer, who will be top turquoise rider this time out? 

We also answer YOUR QUESTIONS, discuss the dark art of bike colour and whether or not trials has any place in an enduro race... 

With all the Enduro World Series and EWS-E entries now live and all but a few being accounted for it definitely feels like we've been asked to stow the tray tables in preparation for final descent into the 2021 race season! 

This week Ruaridh Cunningham and Ric McLaughlin discuss the official launch of (nearly) all of the official teams with some notable names having quietly traded pit spaces. There's also discussion about the new Husqvarna E-Bicycles Racing team and their headline signing of Alexandre Fayolle. 

We report on Trek Factory Racing's injured Florian Nicolai, attempt a video round-up and debate what it means to be a 'season' rider... 

The sixth episode of The Enduro World Series Podcast is a bit of a milestone in that we've got our first guest on the show! 

The term 'mountain bike legend' is thrown around pretty liberally but if it fits anyone properly it's Chain Reaction Cycles' Nigel Page. Nigel has lived a life on two wheels from motorbikes, to BMX, to racing at the very top level of professional downhill during the sports late 1990's golden age. Since then, Nigel has been pivotal in first setting up Chain Reaction Cycles as one of the most professional teams in mountain biking and then recruiting Sam Hill and helping him to his three consecutive EWS overall titles. He still races too and is a Masters podium regular.

In the show Nigel talks about everything from his early days right up to helping Nukeproof develop their latest race bikes and working intimately with one of the sports most mercurial, talented and humble talents... Ruaridh Cunningham. Oh, and Sam Hill too... 

In the fifth episode Spring is threatening to spring and thoughts are turning to bike racing... We report from the Intense Cycles Capital Kamikaze from Mount Stromlo down under as the EWS Qualifiers continue to roll out.

Ruaridh and Ric also debate whether or not we've reached the ceiling of big enduro bike tech developments and what elements of them designers have yet to crack. 

There's more team news too with Giant Factory Racing Off-Road and Sunn French Connexion Racing announcing their squads, a big signing for Peugeot Cycles and an icon returns in the form of Orange Factory Racing from the UK! We assess what we should be expecting from them in 2021, remember some of their previous greatest hits AND we answer your questions...

In the fourth episode of the podcast Ric McLaughlin and Ruaridh Cunningham discuss some news about the EWS calendar, the first EWS Qualifier of the year in Falls Creek and our NEW BIKES! Well, Ric's new bike... 

It's another whistle stop tour of Planet EWS with the guys discussing topics including Lapierre Zipp Collective's new young gun, how important comfort on an enduro bike is and whether or not it's better to be best mates with your teammate or your mechanic.

Plus, we answer your questions in the second instalment of our Ask Us Anything section.

This week Ruaridh Cunningham and Ric McLaughlin discuss Devinci's announcement that they are committing to enduro and if they can be a factor in the overall Teams championship. We also discuss Forbidden's new Dreadnought as the latest long-limbed enduro frame breaks cover alongside the future of EWS and EWS-E courses. Will we see the first 6000m of vertical course by the end of the year?!

Also, we answer your questions! And there's everything from dream destinations to bear fights involved! 

It's a funny old time of year with many Enduro World Series pro's making announcements, upping sticks and moving teams. Ric McLaughlin and Ruaridh Cunningham set about the mammoth task of attempting to untangle which EWS pro's will be riding for what teams this season. The watering hole is shrinking and there are some big names still to announce! 

Plus they shed some light on how the dark art of rider contracts work, who needs to hurry up and find a seat and, on paper at least, which teams are looking like contenders for the 2021 Teams Championship already. 

Join Ric McLaughlin and Ruaridh Cunningham as they discuss Enduro World Series race bikes getting ever more suspension travel on the day that Nukeproof launch their new 180mm travel Giga. How much is too much and on which 2021 EWS courses will added bounce come in handy?!  

They also discuss the rise of the mixed wheel size 'mullet' bikes, Sam Hill turning troll on social media, lockdown hair care and the worst mud that Ruaridh has ever raced in.