Bikes & Big Ideas

58:26

Ashley King of Significant Other Bikes on...

Bikes & Big Ideas ·

2026/06/11

Like most small framebuilders, Ashley King launched Significant Other making custom rigid frames, but she turned that model on its head by launching the Ded Reckin full-suspension XC/Trail bike, and taking it to serial production. And if that’s not enough, she’s already built prototypes of two more full-suspension models, too. So we brought Ashley back on the show to tell the whole story, from deciding to build the original Ded Reckin show bike to offering it as a production model, material

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55:27

Reviewing the News w/ Mike Ferrentino & Simon Stewart...

Bikes & Big Ideas ·

2026/06/04

Mike had to make a trip back to Mexico to help his 97-year-old Mom move, and amidst spider bites, broken windows, explosive dog diarrhea, and the usual technical issues (he needs his own full-time tech support department), he miraculously joined Simon to go over a very busy month — from racing to the courtroom, they have a lot to get through.Paragon Machine Works' reopening is the best news, and looks poised to keep frame builders stocked with crucial parts. Niner Bikes has been “paused”, whatever

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1:18:36

Manitou on the New Mezzer & Mezzer LT

Bikes & Big Ideas ·

2026/05/28

The long-travel single-crown fork landscape has shifted a ton since Manitou unveiled the original Mezzer in 2019, and the new second-generation version has seen a lot of changes to better match modern bikes — including splitting the lineup into the standard Mezzer and the beefier Mezzer LT. Both get a host of intriguing performance-oriented changes, too, so we brought Manitou Product Manager Phil Ott back on the show to discuss them, and tell the development story of the new forks.Note: We Want to

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59:46

Spot’s Ryan Palmer on their New Lightweight Trail Bike

Bikes & Big Ideas ·

2026/05/21

Spot’s Ryan Palmer and Simon Stewart have been talking about bikes for years, so when Spot dropped their new Diggity 125 Trail bike, Simon quickly wound him up for a chat. Ryan shares details about their design decisions, why Spot’s Living Link suspension layout gives them more kinematic control throughout the travel, their interesting take on size-specific chainstay length, the lightweight Trail bike trend, and a whole lot more.Note: We Want to Hear From You!Please share with us the questions,

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56:25

Gravel Hall of Famer Yuri Hauswald on His Unbound...

Bikes & Big Ideas ·

2026/05/14

Gravel Hall of Famer Yuri Hauswald is coming out of retirement at age 55 to raise money for the Life Time Foundation by racing the Unbound Gravel 200, a race he won over a decade ago. Tune in to find out why he’s starting dead last, what’s changed in his training approach, his bike setup, and why he’s passionate about kids’ charities, plus some bonus gravel tips & tricks for one of the most challenging gravel races in the world, by one of the best to ever do it. Don’t miss this one.Note: We Want

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1:18:36

Reviewing the News w/ Mike Ferrentino & Simon Stewart...

Bikes & Big Ideas ·

2026/05/07

Mike and Simon unpack the first DH and XC World Cup of the season, and there’s a whole lot to talk about, including course drama, fast Frenchies, DH hardtails, belt drives, tons of flats, just as many crashes, and Vali Holl and Asa Vermette's insane winning runs, not to mention the XC race mudfest the day after. Plus, we sprinkle in a bit of industry news, and Mike lays out his plan to make poison oak pepper spray.Note: We Want to Hear From You!Please let us know if there’s a topic you’d like us to

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54:10

Hannah Otto on the ‘Hardest Climb in the World’

Bikes & Big Ideas ·

2026/04/30

Hannah Otto has been reeling off an impressive streak of mountain biking FKTs over the past few years, and now she’s added a road bike one to the list: the 14,000’ climb up Mauna Kea, Hawai’i. So we brought Hannah back on the show to tell the story behind the effort, discuss the differences in FKT culture across disciplines, and a whole lot more.Note: We Want to Hear From You!Please share with us the questions, topics, or stories you’d like us to cover on Bikes & Big Ideas. You can email us at:

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53:06

Reviewer Reports: Sea Otter Recap, eMTB Power Wars, &...

Bikes & Big Ideas ·

2026/04/23

We’re back and (mostly) recovered from Sea Otter, so David and Simon sat down to discuss the highlights and main trends from the show. And we’re busy as ever testing bikes, so we give some updates on a bunch of them, from the Pivot Mach 4 SL to the Devinci Spartan, the Specialized Levo R to the Pivot Shuttle AMP’d, and more.RELATED LINKS:Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s GuideBLISTER+ Get Yourself CoveredHans Rey (Ep.319)Chris Cocalis (Ep.321)TOPICS & TIMES:Sea Otter Recap (1:37)Transition Spur

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57:04

Vessel Bike Project’s Ultra-Customizable High-Pivot...

Bikes & Big Ideas ·

2026/04/16

There aren’t a lot of options for truly custom full-suspension frames out there, and the few that do exist tend to be very expensive. But Vessel Bike Project is offering US-made high-pivot steel frames with truly custom geometry and kinematics (and a massive amount of adjustability) for a surprisingly modest $3,300. So, how are they doing it? What does the customization process look like? And what is the general design philosophy behind Vessel? We dive into all of that and more with Vessel Founder,

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57:41

Pivot Founder Chris Cocalis on Their New Insanely...

Bikes & Big Ideas ·

2026/04/09

Pivot just launched their new Avinox M2S powered Shuttle AMP’d, so today Pivot founder Chris Cocalis talks us through the development process, the decision to spec the controversial high-powered Avinox drive system, early prototypes, and the challenges of implementing a motor with that much power. He also gets into why he loves XC bikes, his thoughts on 32” wheels, and who he thinks is going to win the Supercross title, Eli Tomac, Ken Roczen, Hunter Lawrence, or?Note: We Want to Hear From You!Please

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1:08:44

Reviewing the News w/ Mike Ferrentino & Simon Stewart...

Bikes & Big Ideas ·

2026/04/02

The frame building community lost an integral parts supplier with the closing of Paragon Machine Works, so today, Mike and Simon talk about what happened and what's next for frame builders. The first race of the Monster Pro Downhill series had some surprises, leading them to throw out some predictions for what is shaping up to be one hell of a World Cup DH season. We also discuss the dangers of kids riding Surrons and why parents might want to pay attention, plus a solid rant on crazy high hotel pet

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58:41

Hans Rey on the eBike Power War & Why it Could Cost...

Bikes & Big Ideas ·

2026/03/26

Hans Rey joins Simon to discuss the letter he wrote to the bike industry about crazy-high eBike power numbers and the total disregard for the existing Class 1 eBike power limits we’re seeing currently. Hans is worried, and rightfully so, that the eBike power war is out of control, and what it means for rider safety and future trail access needs to be considered.Note: We Want to Hear From You!Please let us know if there’s a topic you’d like us to cover or a guest you’d like us to have on Bikes and

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1:00:24

Daniel Yang on 32’’ Wheels, the Evolution of Wheel...

Bikes & Big Ideas ·

2026/03/19

Are 32’’ wheels going to take over the MTB world, or become a flash in the pan like plus-sized tires did a decade ago? How did the bike industry take sudden interest in a unicycle wheel size — and are 32’’ wheeled-bikes even truly new? And, maybe most importantly, how do the big wheels actually ride? We’re joined by Daniel Yang of Neuhaus Metalworks to discuss the burgeoning wheel size, the challenges of designing a bike for bigger wheels, and get a history lesson on the evolution of MTB wheel

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1:07:39

Reviewing the News w/ Mike Ferrentino & Simon Stewart...

Bikes & Big Ideas ·

2026/03/12

Today, Mike and Simon discuss what's happening, and not happening, with the investigations into the shooting deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Good, and Kristi Noem’s complete lack of accountability.On the bike news side, there’s an ongoing power war taking place among eBike drive system manufacturers; bike companies suing to get much-needed tariff money back; Tadej Pogacar dominating the Strade Bianche again; new bikes from Pivot, Specialized, and Kona; plus a whole lot more.Note: We Want to Hear

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42:03

Kavenz on Developing the Bonded VHP X Frame

Bikes & Big Ideas ·

2026/03/05

The current Kavenz VHP bikes come with a sticker that says “Made from aluminum: we give a shit,” a nod to the recyclability and (purportedly) lower environmental impact of aluminum compared to carbon fiber.But Kavenz is also openly developing the next-generation VHP platform — and it’s using carbon tubes bonded to aluminum lugs. So, why change materials, especially when aluminum is such a big part of the brand’s image and ethos? Why document the whole process for the public, rather than developing a

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59:39

Danny MacAskill on the Trick That Haunted Him,...

Bikes & Big Ideas ·

2026/02/26

How many times have you attempted a trick or a move in a row before finally getting it? It’s probably a lot fewer than 400. Today, Danny MacAskill breaks down the trick that taught him how to persevere and overcome the impossible.Danny’s Inspired Bicycles video was a sensation. Everyone was talking about it, sharing it, and our minds were blown. What happened after that video is well known, and to say it went a wee bit viral is an understatement, since it has amassed over 40 million views, launching

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54:47

Reviewer Reports: New eMTBs From Pivot, Norco, Orbea,...

Bikes & Big Ideas ·

2026/02/19

David Golay shares why he hasn’t jived with any of the eMTBs he’s ridden so far, and if the new light-assist bikes from Orbea and Norco he’s been spending time on might have a chance of changing his mind. Simon, on the other hand, is a big fan of eMTBs, regardless of whether they have a full-power or light-assist drive system, and has a couple of full-power beauties from Pivot and Norco to talk about. And to avoid a whole episode on bikes with motors, they throw the Atherton A.150.M in the mix,

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1:15:06

Reviewing the News w/ Mike Ferrentino & Simon Stewart...

Bikes & Big Ideas ·

2026/02/12

Today, Mike and Simon discuss the invasion of Minneapolis, the killing of fellow cyclist Alex Pretti by ICE, and how the cycling community united in solidarity worldwide.They also talk about some bike industry news, like Revel Bikes relocating, and more fires to put out for Rad Power Bikes. Downhill racing kicked off with Red Bull Hardline in Tasmania, so they put in their picks, plus Mike recaps the Cyclocross World Championships, and more.Note: We Want to Hear From You!Please let us know if

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41:14

Neko Mulally on the 2026 Frameworks Roster, Bikes, &...

Bikes & Big Ideas ·

2026/02/05

Frameworks has just added Aaron Gwin — the most successful American DH racer of the modern era — to an already-stacked lineup of Asa Vermette and Anna Newkirk, launched updated versions of their Enduro and DH bikes, and more. So we brought Neko Mulally back on the show to tell us about all of it, including the behind-the-scenes contract challenges with a rider of Aaron’s stature; the new bikes and what has (and hasn’t) changed; team dynamics and offseason prep; and a whole lot more.RELATED

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1:10:56

Best Bikes of the Century, Part 3

Bikes & Big Ideas ·

2026/01/29

We’re wrapping up our Best Bikes of the Century series, so today, Blister reviewers Zack Henderson, Xan Marshland, David Golay, and Simon Stewart reveal their top three selections. We also share picks and insights from a number of bike industry luminaries and legends, along with some listener opinions, before trying to narrow it down to a final podium.Note: We Want to Hear From You!Please let us know if there’s a topic you’d like us to cover or a guest you’d like us to have on Bikes and Big Ideas

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