Bikes & Big Ideas

The first-ever Whistler DH World Cup did not disappoint, including crazy weather, wild racing action, some heroic performances, and tons of crashes — Cam and Simon couldn’t wait to talk about it. Cam had a gnarly crash himself and shares that story along with his behind-the-scenes preview of this week’s Red Bull Rampage. Of course, we sprinkle in some industry news and introduce a couple of recurring segments as well.

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 info@blisterreview.com to weigh in.

RELATED LINKS:

FactorMeals.com - code: BLISTERBIKE50OFF

Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide

Get Our Free Newsletter & Gear Giveaways

BLISTER+ Get Yourself Covered

TOPICS & TIMES:

Cam’s Crash (1:01)

Number One Thing You Don’t Want To Be This Month (12:05)

First Whistler DH Recap (18:32)

Asa’s Mind-Blowing Win (25:03)

Women’s Results (32:39)

Juniors & Who to Watch Next Year (36:02)

What is MTB X ( 2:13)

Beyond Gravity (54:45)

Air Rage (56:59)

Fart Blasters? (59:44)

Marketplace Ad of the Month (1:03:16)

Industry News (1:05:50)

X-Lab (1:13:10)

What We’re Reading & Watching (1:19:42)

Cam’s Rampage Preview (1:21:05)

CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:

The Blister Vault

Blister Cinematic

CRAFTED

GEAR:30

Blister Podcast

This year marks the 25th anniversary of Red Bull Rampage, and the third year of Rampage including a women’s category. The fight to make that happen was a long one, and for this selection from The Vault, we’re revisiting a conversation we had with Casey Brown on Bikes & Big Ideas back in 2023 about the importance of having a women’s competition, the year before it finally came to be.

Note: We Want to Hear From You!

We’d love for you to share with us the stories or topics you’d like us to cover next month on Reviewing the News; ask your most pressing mountain town advice questions, or offer your hot takes for us to rate. Email us at: info@blisterreview.com

RELATED LINKS:

Get Yourself Covered: BLISTER+

Order our 26/27 Winter Buyer’s Guide

Enter Our Free Weekly Gear Giveaways

For the Full Episode: Casey Brown, Vaea Verbeeck, and Hannah Bergemann on Women at Rampage (Ep.191)

CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:

Blister Podcast

Blister Cinematic

CRAFTED

Bikes & Big Ideas

GEAR:30

Maxxis has a new member of the Minion family, the Minion DHX, and a new DH casing to go with it. We’re joined by Sean Day, who led the development of both, to go deep on their designs, the thinking behind them, and how they fit into Maxxis’ expansive lineup.

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 info@blisterreview.com to weigh in.

RELATED LINKS:

Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide

Get Our Free Newsletter & Gear Giveaways

BLISTER+ Get Yourself Covered

TOPICS & TIMES:

Development of the Minion DHX (2:49)

Design concepts & goals (9:49)

Tread Pattern & Knob Design (11:34)

Athlete testing (14:39)

Front vs. rear tire design (18:55)

Choosing widths for a given tire (22:30)

The new DH casing (24:14)

Casing thread count & tradeoffs (28:48)

Choosing between tires (38:18)

CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:

The Blister Vault

Blister Cinematic

CRAFTED

GEAR:30

Blister Podcast

Greg Hardy started sewing his own bikepacking bags while getting his PhD in materials science, which led him to put his career on hold, move to Asheville, NC, and found Rockgeist — which became one of the top bag makers in the bikepacking world. But things came crashing down when Hurricane Helene left their workshop under six feet of water. Greg joins us today to tell that story and how they rebuilt Rockgeist afterward.

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 info@blisterreview.com to weigh in.

RELATED LINKS:

Momentous: livemomentous.com code: Blister

Factor: http://factormeals.com/BLISTERBIKES50OFF

Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide

Get Our Free Newsletter & Gear Giveaways

BLISTER+ Get Yourself Covered

BLISTER Access Pass

Rockgeist

TOPICS & TIMES:

Sewing bags and Getting a PHD (1:21)

Founding Rockgeist (4:34)

Why Asheville, NC? (6:20)

Greg’s First Bag (10:25)

Custom Framebag Challenges (11:38)

Welding Versus Sewing (18:31)

Hurricane Helene Devastation (22:17)

Rebuilding Rockgeist (25:05)

New Products (31:50)

Greg’s Bikepacking Plans (38:39)

CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:

The Blister Vault

Blister Cinematic

CRAFTED

GEAR:30

Blister Podcast

Was the Soldier Hollow World Cup XC race the first true test for 32” wheels? Blister Reviewer Xan Marshland had boots on the ground at the race, and joined Simon for a recap of the racing action, thoughts on the big wheels, course design, and Bjorn Riley’s crazy popularity.

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 info@blisterreview.com to weigh in.

RELATED LINKS:

Momentous: livemomentous.com code: Blister

Factor: http://factormeals.com/BLISTERBIKES50OFF

Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide

Get Our Free Newsletter & Gear Giveaways

BLISTER+ Get Yourself Covered

BLISTER Access Pass

TOPICS & TIMES:

On-location at Soldier Hollow(1:27)

Big Wheels Everywhere (4:16)

Course Design & NICA Racing (5:19)

Results & Highlights (8:59)

Final Take(22:00)

CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:

The Blister Vault

Blister Cinematic

CRAFTED

GEAR:30

Blister Podcast