Bikes & Big Ideas

Hayden Zablotny showed up at Red Bull Rampage and became the first rookie to win since Brandon Semenuk did it back in 2008. Hayden’s path to the top step of the podium is a fascinating story chronicling a young, talented rider struggling to get noticed. Today, he joins us to talk about that journey, how he became known as “the poacher,” finally getting the coveted Rampage invite, his winning run, and how he kept his head in the game during one of the heaviest injury-laden Rampages ever.RELATED LINKS:Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s GuideBLISTER+ Get Yourself CoveredTOPICS & TIMES:Getting started on Two Wheels and his BMX Legend Dad (4:14)Racing BMX and Building Skills (6:43)Moving to BC and Discovering Mountain Biking (8:14)Finding His Niche in Freestyle (10:09)Poaching Proving Grounds and Getting Noticed (24:11)Getting the Rampage Invite (35:49)Building His Line (41:48)Staying Focused Amidst all the Injuries (43:30)Breaking Down His Winning Run (46:34)Hayden’s Biike Setup (51:45)What’s next? (58:46)CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicCRAFTEDGEAR:30Blister Podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Vali Höll is in the midst of one of the most dominant runs we’ve seen in World Cup DH racing, taking her third consecutive overall title and fourth consecutive World Championships win in 2025. And she did it despite her team, the YT Mob, shutting down mid-season amidst YT’s ongoing financial struggles. Vali joins us to tell the story of her season, what happened with the Mob, how she pressed on regardless, how she ended up signing with Commencal for 2026, and a whole lot more.RELATED LINKS:Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s GuideBLISTER+ Get Yourself CoveredBlister Podcast Ep.388TOPICS & TIMES:The YT Mob & YT’s insolvency (2:50)Team contracts & how the season unfolded (5:13)Racing after team funding was cut (18:11)Talks with other teams & moving to Commencal (23:45)Consistency & race results (25:25)Racing for a new contract & managing pressure (27:52)Bikepacking & gravel bikes (31:20)Vali’s goals for 2026 (35:21)CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicCRAFTEDGEAR:30Blister Podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We’re currently testing a huge array of bikes, from the super-efficient Norco Revolver, to the long-travel, Bosch CX-equipped Yeti LTe, with a whole lot in between — including the Lal Katana, with its novel Supre Drive. David and Simon sat down to share our thoughts on all of those and more, and along the way, we got into some debates about wheel sizes, geometry preferences, and more.RELATED LINKS:Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s GuideBLISTER+ Get Yourself CoveredTOPICS & TIMES:Yeti LTe (1:37)Cannondale Moterra (15:39)Norco Sight VLT (24:51)Trek Fuel MX (34:40)Lal Katana (49:51)Norco Revolver (58:22)CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicCRAFTEDGEAR:30Blister Podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gamux has never done things the conventional way and takes pride in that. But they aren’t being different for the sake of being different, either. Founder Pascal Tinner is back on the show to talk about what they’ve been up to, from their partnership with Reece Wilson’s AON Racing, to the ‘Trophy Truck’ prototype race bike, and a whole lot more.RELATED LINKS:Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s GuideBLISTER+ Get Yourself CoveredTOPICS & TIMES:AON Racing & Reece Wilson (1:45)The Sego (14:44)DH prototypes (22:38)Body types & bike design (29:03)The Trophy Truck (33:40)Riders & building a team (36:32)2026 & beyond (45:10)CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicCRAFTEDGEAR:30Blister Podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For November’s Reviewing the News Episode, Mike clues us in on what's been going on in the Cyclocross season so far. Then we have a bunch of bike industry recalls to wade through — some of which are legitimately dangerous — which segways into Mike and Simon trying to understand why Rad Power Bikes is not issuing a recall for batteries that could burn down your house.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. Email us at [email protected] to weigh in.RELATED LINKS:Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s GuideGet Our Free Newsletter & Gear GiveawaysBLISTER+ Get Yourself CoveredTOPICS & TIMES:Mike’s Cyclocross Season Update (5:32)Rad Power Bike’s Battery Problems (15:01)Can Trek’s Coaster Brake Failures Make Better Cyclists? (24:52)You Can Still Get Injured on a Peloton (32:56)Lezyne Floor Pumps at Risk of Exploding (38:58)Will the Bike Industry Ever Go Back to Normal? (42:44)Mike’s Madrone Derailleur (46:30)Charging eBikes Off-Grid (59:27)Mike’s Heading to Mexico to Fix his Teeth (1:07:02)CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicCRAFTEDGEAR:30Blister Podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.