Vital MTB

Tanner Stephens, Dakotah Norton, and Jason Schroeder bring you an off-season podcast to discuss the 2027 World Cup downhill schedule, thoughts on media coverage around races and what could be better, and a bunch of hot-take style questions. Enjoy.

Thank you Maxxis Tires, Burgtec Components, and JensonUSA.com for supporting the B Practice Podcast!

00:00 Dirt Bike vs. Downhill: Who Makes More Prize Money?
04:15 The Best and Worst MTB Content Lately
08:35 GNCC Racing and Dak's Moto Skills
13:20 Breaking Down the 2027 World Cup Schedule
14:55 What's Changing at Les Gets?
16:30 The Morzine Valley and Lift Situation
20:00 World Cup Locations and the Future of the Series
22:00 Should Whistler Host the World Cup Finals?
24:10 What's Next for the U.S. Open?
26:00 Are Repeated World Cup Venues Making DH Boring?
31:50 Is World Cup Media Coverage Getting Worse?
34:00 What Makes Good Mountain Bike Content?
40:00 The Value of Original World Cup Coverage
44:20 What Do Racers Want From MTB Media?
46:00 The Human Side of Downhill Racing
52:20 Telling the Stories Behind the People in MTB
56:00 What MTB Media Can Learn From Moto and Surf
01:00:20 What's the Most Important Geometry Number?
01:03:00 Training for Gravity Riding
01:05:00 Strength vs. Fitness for Downhill
01:09:00 The Mental Fatigue of Riding and Bike Testing
01:16:10 Winter Riding Plans and Staying Active
01:19:10 Wrapping Up

This week, Jason Schroeder, Lars Sternberg, and Shawn Spomer are joined by another Vital contributor, Mike Page, to discuss the handlebar compliance shootout that Mike took on this year. They go over what even is compliance, how different amounts did (or didn’t) affect comfort and steering, and what the results were across the 9 bars tested. Enjoy.

Mike's handlebar compliance article - Does Handlebar Compliance Actually Improve Comfort? | MTB Handlebar Shootout 

Join the podcast discussion - Bikes: Unaffiliated Forum Discussion

Digest more of our content - Instagram, YouTube, Facebook

This week, Jason Schroeder, Lars Sternberg, and Shawn Spomer discuss two super serious topics:

1. The hardest hard events of the year: Hardline, and Hard MTB League
2. How would you rank these by importance when riding a mountain bike: skill, bike design, and suspension setup by importance.

Join the podcast discussion - Bikes: Unaffiliated Forum Discussion

Digest more of our content - Instagram, YouTube, Facebook

A few things were consistently inconsistent this year: Dak’s results and how many podcasts we recorded. But recognizing the problem is the first step to progress. With the dust from the 2026 World Cup DH season settled, we hopped on the mics to chat about Dak’s first year riding for Scott and his ambitions for the off-season and next year. We also reflected on who had a good year, who had a bad year, who needs to turn it around next season, and who we think will come out swinging in 2027. 

As always, thanks for tuning in, and a huge shoutout to Maxxis, Burgtec, and Jenson USA for supporting the podcast this year! Stay tuned for more off-season pods soon. 

Spomer and Schroeder were on the ground at the inaugural Whistler World Cup, and the post-race stoke was too high not to talk about it. So we got Lars Sternberg on the line, and had a good ol bench race banter session. 

The Whistler crowd was legendary, the track was quintessential Whistler, the weather was typical for a race weekend, and Americans topped two podiums. The only thing that could have made it better was if Lachie Stevens-Mcnab wasn’t DQ’d for dodging a pole. Enjoy the chat!

The crew has been slacking on podcasting. No one likes excuses, so we won't give you any. Good news is the World Cup circus has arrived in North America, and we are on site in Whistler to document potentially the most anticipated DH race of the century. With Jason and Dak both in the same time zone and town, they caught up for a quick catch up before the weekend chaos begins. 

This week, Jason Schroeder, Lars Sternberg and Shawn Spomer discuss the end of enduro World Cup racing in 2027 - the why, the how, and the what’s next.

Join the podcast discussion - Bikes: Unaffiliated Forum Discussion

Digest more of our content - Instagram, YouTube, Facebook

(Thumb photo cred: the great Sven Martin)

This week, Jason Schroeder, Lars Sternberg, and Shawn Spomer discuss two super serious topics:

1. What does it mean to be a core mountain biker?
2. Do riders care how much their mid- to long-travel bike weighs? 

Join the podcast discussion - Bikes: Unaffiliated Forum Discussion

Digest more of our content - Instagram, YouTube, Facebook

La Thuile and Andorra came and went, and the same names topped the podiums in each category except junior men, which is impressive considering how different the tracks were. The rest of the results sheet, especially in elites, has continued to be a mix up every round. And it shows in the overall standings—points gaps are tight when you get below the top three. It’s going to be an exciting back half to the season after the summer vacation.

We get into who finished where the past two weeks, and chat about Dak’s current gear setup, his ankle injury from Andorra, Specialized team dynamics without Loic, the tight security after Andorra finals, if Jonty Williams has already won the overall, Vali going on a Rachel Atherton-esque streak, the rise of Bode Burke, the pressure of Max Commencal in the finishing corral at Andorra, and the need for everyone to be wearing the inflatable chest protector after witnessing Amaury’s crash. Enjoy!

In this episode, Jeff Brines and Charlie Sponsel explore the fascinating history and rapid rise of DJI, the Chinese tech giant known for drones and now e-bikes under the Avinox name. They analyze the cultural, geopolitical, and industrial factors that have shaped DJI's success and its implications for the cycling industry. Jeff and Charlie explore the rapid advancements in e-bike technology, the strategic moves of industry giants like DJI, and the evolving regulatory landscape. They analyze how these changes could reshape the future of the bike industry over the next five years.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to the BS Podcast and DJI
06:05 DJI's Early Struggles and Breakthroughs
11:50 The Rise of DJI and Market Dynamics
17:58 The Geopolitical Context of DJI's Growth
45:45 The Impact of Economic Policies on Subsistence Farming
51:32 Shenzhen as China's Silicon Valley
57:05 Perceptions of Chinese Manufacturing
01:02:44 The Importance of Urban Agglomeration
01:09:40 Collectivism vs Individualism in Chinese Society
01:17:42 Speculations on DJI's Corporate Structure and How Avinox Fits In
01:23:21 The Competitive Landscape of the E-Bike Market
01:29:10 The Future of Amflow: A Proof of Concept?
01:39:10 The Gearbox Revolution in E-Bikes
01:52:20 The Future of E-Bike Technology and Regulations
02:05:07 The Future of E-Bikes and Innovations
02:12:21 The Role of Major Players in E-Bike Technology
02:18:11 Navigating E-Bike Regulations and Trail Access
02:35:25 The Impact of DJI on the Bike Industry