This week on the Pinkbike podcast, we dive into the season's first World Cup in South Korea, where loose, sandy soil and questionable track builds created a "recipe for disaster." The drama peaked when a dangerous feature was closed mid-race after Lou Ferguson’s crash, leading to confusion from off-site commentators. We also witnessed the bizarre saga of "Hardtail Man," a Polish rider on a dual-crown-equipped hardtail rig whose retro vibes turned into a safety hazard when elite riders nearly caught him during his run.

The racing itself confirmed a massive "changing of the guard" as the new generation officially took over. Asa Vermette lived up to the hype with a clinical win, while Amaury Pierron proved he’s back in "Terminator" mode by crashing yet still clawing his way to an incredible third-place finish. Between the Alran twins’ calm "aura" and the Junior Women posting elite-level times, the depth of the field is reaching a fever pitch.

Technically, the pits were buzzing over radical "trophy truck" bike setups and the legitimate podium success of belt-drive bikes. Looking ahead to Loudenvielle, it’s clear the veterans are under heavy fire. Whether it's the raw speed of the Juniors or the return of a healthy Pierron, the "old guard" will have to find another gear to stay on the podium this season.

Are bigger wheels actually faster, or just scarier? Matt Beer decided to find out.

Dario and Stephane go over their Sea Otter higlights, and then Kaz and Dario dig into some questions.

So. Many. New. Things. Plus some reader questions, and some music listening homework.

Sea Otter season is officially here, and the gear is dropping fast. This week, Stephane Pelletier, Dario DiGiulio, and Matt Beer share first-ride impressions of the redesigned RockShox Zeb and Lyrik forks, alongside the updated Super Deluxe and Vivid shocks.

But the real shocker? The "Avinox Arms Race." The team grapples with the 2026 power shift as a laundry list of new bikes hit the market featuring the Avinox M2S motor. With a staggering 150Nm of torque and 1500W peak power, the crew discuss the nitty-gritty details on eMTB's newest heavy-hitting power plant.

Spring is here, which means there's a whole bunch of new MTB gear being released almost every day.

Phew, brake week is finally over, but we decided to take a deeper dive into the testing and the results.

Getting three companies to work on one bike isn't as easy as it should be, but Orbea, TQ, and Fox pulled it off with the new Rallon RS.

We sat down with Microshift's Gus Jeffer and Patrick Chen to learn more about what it takes to navigate patents, and to carve out a place in the competitive drivetrain market.