Downhill bikes typically have 200 mm of travel, and enduro bikes around 160, but cross-country bikes could have anything between 65 and 120. Progressive and conservative bikes compete against one another at the highest level, and some of these bikes even seem like things you'd ride for fun. But where is the category going? And what do we think of the current crop?

In this week's podcast, Dario, Kaz, and Matt join Henry to go over our worst and silliest complaints, as well as some of the things that never fail to put a smile on our face.

Red Bull Rampage is the largest, most important freeride mountain bike event in the world. Rampage historically hasn't included a women's field, and Red Bull has been promoting the development of women's freeride through a non-competition event called Formation that's held on the same terrain. This year Formation was cancelled, leading some to speculate that Rampage might include a women's field. When the rider list came out last week, we were disappointed to see neither a women's field nor a public plan to integrate women into the event.

Alicia Leggett and I sat down with Vaea Verbeeck, one of the original Formation riders and a future Rampage hopeful, to hear her thoughts about the situation.

In this weeks podcast, Henry, Dario, Kaz and Matt talk about what they wish would come back, and what they hope goes for ever. There are lukewarm takes, some strange tangents and some ideas that are just flatly antiquated and wrong.

Matt Beer joined Pinkbike in 2021 and has made himself a something of a niche in the interveening time - testing downhill bikes, as well as contributing towards the editorial departments efforts in everything from Field Tests to gear reviews. Prior to Pinkbike, however, Matt won two national downhill championships and Henry was eager to learn more.

It's not every day you get to speak to a World Champion, it's also not every podcast when the guest is willing to give you a huge amount of honesty as they look over some of their own, and mountain biking's, greatest achievements. Miranda Miller and Henry Quinney talk about where World Cup racing is going, what enduro should look like, plus which of the fast French riders she'd have on her dream World Cup team.

In this far-reaching conversation, we talk about everything from extreme injury, modern freeride, and social media, as well as the consequences of crashing such as fear or healing mental wounds. We even touch on why the modern enduro bike might just be the bike freeride has been waiting for.

This week I am joined by Matt Beer and Dario DiGuilio to work out which is the greatest air shock of them all. Matt and Dario spent a great deal of time testing these shocks in Whistler to find out the nuances, and niggles of high-performance, high-pressure air shocks. To celebrate Shock Week, this podcast is available both in the regular audio, which is sandwiched by the news intro, and a full length vodcast. 

Alicia has been with Pinkbike for several years and, at Crankworx Whistler, we had the opportunity to sit down and get to know her a little better in a candid and informal conversation. Some of the elements in this conversation are unfiltered, open, and at times quite frank, which we hope isn't too out of place for regular Pinkbike Podcast listeners. At the very worst, you'll at least know us a little better for it.

Eliot Jackson is a man that wears many hats in the bike industry. Whether it's racing, running the grow foundation or commentating on downhill - he certainly keeps himself busy. We caught up with him in Whistler during Crankworx.