This week, we had the pleasure of chatting with Ethan Eggert, the founder of Arid Cycles, to discuss how he’s managed to create his own mountain bike in only a few years without any financial help or a traditional background in bike development. It’s a really cool story that shows how no idea is too big with some ingenuity and persistence. What has transpired is the Spade model, a very intriguing enduro bike that’s highly modular, progressive, and features some first-of-its-kind design elements. 

Arid is currently producing its first batch of 50 frames with delivery slated for this Fall. To learn more about the Spade, check out aridcycles.com, or @aridcycles on Instagram and YouTube. 

Days late, dollars short. That’s how the B Practice Podcast rolls. After a rough first race of the year, followed by some horrendous travel, it took us an extra week to nail down our guy Dak to podcast. We chatted a good bit about his race weekend in South Korea and how he’s feeling about his program going into the next big block of racing. We also discussed how he rushed to race the Monster Pro Downhill at Mountain Creek last weekend, and how he’s heading to Andorra next week to make his bike stiffer. Plus, all the usual race weekend coverage, including Asa winning his first try in Elites, Aletha having the fastest time of the day, track notes from a wild first-time venue, gripes with the broadcast, Amaury’s what could have been winning run, big names off the pace, new names in juniors, and a bunch of other nonsense. We hope you enjoy. Thanks for listening!

Dr. Jason Richardson joins the podcast to chat about his work as a sports psychologist in cycling and how the same tools that benefit professional athletes can benefit every rider, regardless of ability, on and off the bike. We loved this conversation and learned a lot ourselves. We hope you get something out of it, too!  

Summary

Professional BMX rider and sports psychologist Dr. Jason Richardson shares insights on mental resilience, goal setting, and the psychology of winning. Discover practical strategies to overcome negative thoughts, embrace ownership of your performance, and unlock your full potential in sports and life. In this engaging interview, Jason Richardson shares insights on racing psychology, social media's impact on athletes, mental strategies for success, and the parallels between mountain biking and life. Discover practical tips for mental resilience, social media management, and achieving peak performance.

Jason Richardson Instagram

Bikes' Unaffiliated forum conversation 

Virtual press conference recorded on April 21 to discuss the upcoming World Cup Downhill season with Loic Bruni, Jackson Goldstone, Luca Shaw, Vali Holl, Gracey Hemstreet and Tahnee Seagrave.

Schroeder, Spomer and Lars get back together to discuss big wheels and weird bikes taking over.

00:00 Reflections on Sea Otter 2026
09:59 The Future of Wheel Sizes
13:09 What's In and What's Out
34:52 Innovations in Mountain Bike Technology
42:09 Health Scares and Personal Stories
44:00 - Neko Mulally and his Sea Otter Winner 32"
59:15 Exploring the 32-Inch Wheel Debate
01:19:56 World Cup Predictions and Insights
01:23:09 Logistics of Racing in New Venues
01:25:03 Vital DH Fantasy Poll

This episode features an in-depth discussion on the latest trends and innovations in mountain biking, including the impact of 32-inch wheels, the evolution of bike technology, and insights from Sea Otter. The hosts share their experiences, analyze new bike models, and explore the future of mountain biking industry trends. This episode dives into the latest in downhill mountain biking, exploring innovative bike setups, track strategies, and predictions for upcoming World Cup races. Guests share insights on gear choices, track conditions, and the evolving technology shaping the sport.

Key Topics
Impact of 32-inch wheels on mountain biking
Innovations in bike technology and design
Industry trends and event insights from Sea Otter Bike setup innovations including wheel size and suspension
Track strategies and course modifications for competitive advantage
Predictions and insights for upcoming World Cup races

Sponsel loses so you can win.

I's been a busy few months since the last podcast—Jason went to New Zealand and Italy, Tanner has been to nearly all 50 states working different shoots and projects, and Dakotah has bounced between Europe and Tennessee as he feverishly tests every setup under the sun. 

We covered a lot of this show, including Dak's crash at the Tennessee National, getting outside of the box with setup, Reece Wilson's crazy stem/bar combo, gym training vs. on-bike training, and goals at the first World Cup. But mostly, we caught up on life because we don't see each other enough these days, and the podcast is the perfect excuse to banter and hang out. We hope you enjoy! 

Today we talk with Matt Thompson and Steve Wentz who just returned from Masters World Champs downhill in Chile. Matt took the rainbow stripes in the 50-55 Master C2 class and Steve landed a Top 10 in a stacked field of “younger” talent, most importantly beating Ben Deakin in the process.

We dive into what Masters World Champs is, learn about their experiences with the event over the years and dig into the full story of this years’ race. As a bonus, they both came home in one piece.

RockShox Zeb fork is all-new for model year 2027. They’ve taken what they learned developing the latest Boxxer, and have applied many of the same technologies and tuning ideologies to their single-crown, gravity fork.

Vital editor, Jason Schroeder, has spent the past few months testing the fork and runs you through everything that’s new, and how it’s performed so far.

More info - https://www.vitalmtb.com/forums/hub/2027-rockshox-zeb-fork-tech-info-impressions-discussion 

0:00 - Intro
0:25 - Chassis Updates
0:46 - New fenders
1:05 - New pressure relief valves
1:16 - Linear XL air spring details
1:42 - AirAnnex chamber
2:01 - new Adjustable Bottom Out (ABO) feature
2:51 - New stanchions detail
3:08 - ButterWagon Tech - divots in the stanchion
3:31 - Charger 3.2 damper updates
3:38 - Oil, seals, grease updates
4:20 - Zeb Product Line
5:06 - Setting up the new Zeb
5:25 - Damper settings
6:10 - Air pressure settings
6:56 - Linear XL air spring positives
7:49 - Linear XL air spring negatives
8:34 - ABO impressions 
10:05 - Zeb's versatility 
10:46 - Bottom Line on the new Zeb

Elite race day at the first event of the 2026  @prodownhillseries was a heater at Ride Rock Creek bike park in North Carolina as downhill mountain bikers put it all on the line for victory. Listen to the post-race interviews with Luca Cometti.

Interviews
0:00 - Lucas Dedora
1:11 - Final Elite Men Finishes
2:07 - Luca Shaw, Elite Men's Winner
3:07 - Ryder Lawrence
3:43 - Aletha Ostgaard, Elite Women's Winner
5:37 - Eliot Jackson
7:05 - Kai Burleson
8:20 - Dante Silva
12:04 - Podium Shots
12:17 - Tilly Melton
13:11 - Ryan Pinkerton
14:06 - Mallen Bro
15:15 - Kailey Skelton
17:05 - Alden Pate
17:57 - Andrew Driscoll

#USDH