Bikes & Big Ideas

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: [email protected]
RELATED LINKS:
Hannah on the Whole Enchilada FKT (Ep.143)
Hannah on the Kokopelli Trail FKT (Ep.232)
‘Chasing the Triple Crown’ (Blister Cinematic Ep.49)
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
BLISTER+ Get Yourself Covered
TOPICS & TIMES:
Taking on Mauna Kea (2:17)
The route & elevation profile (6:43)
Choosing which FKT to attempt (10:11)
The Mauna Kea FKT history (13:15)
Weather concerns (14:41)
Pre-riding & prep (18:59)
Pacing & power numbers (25:08)
The turn & getting back on pace (28:25)
Bike setup (33:06)
Road vs. MTB FKT culture (35:13)
Training on a road bike as a MTB / gravel racer (47:17)
CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
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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.
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: [email protected]
RELATED LINKS:
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
BLISTER+ Get Yourself Covered
Hans Rey (Ep.319)
Chris Cocalis (Ep.321)
TOPICS & TIMES:
Sea Otter Recap (1:37)
Transition Spur (9:31)
Pivot Mach 4 SL (12:37)
Atherton A.150.M (19:25)
Specialized Turbo Levo R (26:29)
Devinci Spartan (34:04)
Pivot Shuttle AMP’d (39:54)
CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
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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, Jack Harle.
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: [email protected]
RELATED LINKS:
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
BLISTER+ Get Yourself Covered
TOPICS & TIMES:
Vessel’s backstory
Suspension kinematics & the baseline Vessel frame design
Frame layout
Anti-rise & its impact on performance
Selling bikes
The customization process
Leverage curves & tailoring them for different riders
Jack’s philosophy on bike design
Geometry
Suspension setup
Pricing & the ordering process
CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 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 Guide
BLISTER+ Get Yourself Covered
TOPICS & TIMES:
New Shuttle AMP’d (1:58)
Why Avinox? (2:13)
Motor Swaps & Early Prototyping (5:52)
Adding Some Beef to the Chassis (8:57)
New Shuttle LT (28:59)
New Mach 4 SL (32:45)
Chris’ Take on 32” Wheels (42:11)
Who’s Going to Win Supercross (48:42)
CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:
Blister Cinematic
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
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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 fees, and more.
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 Guide
Get Our Free Newsletter & Gear Giveaways
BLISTER+ Get Yourself Covered
Mike’s The Grimy Handshake Substack
TOPICS & TIMES:
Hero Dirt (3:28)
Crazy High Hotel Pet Fees (5:17)
32” Wheel Momentum (16:38)
Paragon Machine Works Closes (26:47)
Knolly Bikes Restructuring (32:16)
The Danger of Kids on Surrons (33:52)
More recalls (41:14)
Racing updates (42:38)
Will this be Luca Shaw’s Year? (47:11)
Mike Waxing His… (51:12)
What we’re reading & watching (1:03:20)
CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast


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