Portland Design Works’ Erik Olson on Making Products for the Everyday Cyclist
Since 2008, Portland Design Works (PDW) has quietly been designing products that inspire people to commute by bike, ride to the grocery store, or to simply hop on and go somewhere fun. Today, we’re catching up with founder Erik Olson about his history in the bike industry, why being fluent in Chinese was integral in building relationships in Taiwan, his first products and getting PDW off the ground, his commitment to sustainability, what’s in his coffee mug, and more. RELATED LINKS:BLISTER+ Get Yourself CoveredTOPICS & TIMES:Coava Coffee (1:04)Riding with his Dog in the Basket (2:17)Erik’s history in the bike industry (3:11)Studying and working in China (7:44)Transitioning from Planet Bike to starting your own business (10:01)Starting PDW in Portland (12:36)PDW’s First Products (14:41)Expanding the catalog (19:55)Sustainability (24:40)Navigating challenging times in the industry (27:15)Development & distribution (30:37)Their Most Popular Products (35:48)E-bike specific products (38:33)What’s the future look like for PDW? (44:47)Donating to Grassroots Advocacy Organizations (47:22)What Erik’s Riding (49:50)CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicGEAR:30Blister PodcastCRAFTED Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Reviewer Reports: New Bikes, Shimano Di2, & More
We’ve been testing a massive range of bikes, from the XC-oriented Kona Hei Hei to the long-travel, full-power Santa Cruz Bullit, so David, Simon, and Dylan sat down to talk about a whole bunch of them. We also dive into Shimano’s long-awaited XTR Di2 wireless drivetrain and the Deore and XT versions that just launched, the consistency of Shimano’s new brakes, and a whole lot more.RELATED LINKS:BLISTER+ Get Yourself CoveredTOPICS & TIMES:Kona Hei Hei (1:46)Yeti MTe (10:46)Pivot SL/AM (22:36)Specialized Turbo Levo 4 (31:45)Santa Cruz Bullit (40:13)Salsa Blackthorn 145 (46:17)Esker Woodsy (52:48)Santa Cruz Hightower & Bronson (1:02:51)Shimano XTR Di2 & Deore / XT versions (1:17:48)CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicCRAFTEDGEAR:30Blister Podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Chris McCaffrey on Riding His Bike Around the World
Ultra-fast long-distance bike rides have garnered a lot of attention of late, headlined by Lael Wilcox’s record-setting circumnavigation of the planet. But as impressive as many of those efforts are, there’s something lost in moving so quickly. Seeing the world by bike is a great way to slow down, take it all in, and have an experience that other methods of transportation can’t replicate.Chris McCaffrey finished a seventeen-month ride around the world last fall, and we sat down to hear his whole story, from the trans-Atlantic rowing effort that sparked his interest in long-distance human-powered travel, to the incredible places he saw and people he met along the way, and a whole lot more.RELATED LINKS:BLISTER+ Get Yourself CoveredTOPICS & TIMES:Why ride around the world? (2:29)Trans-Atlantic rowing attempt (6:23)Chris’s first big bikepacking trip (17:56)Lessons learned from that trip (24:03)Bike setup for the ride around the world (26:45)The route (32:10)Setting off (39:01)North America (43:22)Europe (49:12)Asia (51:03)Getting sick (1:04:44)Favorite places & next destinations (1:25:20)CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicCRAFTEDGEAR:30Blister Podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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1:31:59
Reviewing the News w/ Mike Ferrentino, May 2025
In the May edition of Reviewing the News, we start with some good news regarding the return of Revel Bikes and the acquisition of Rocky Mountain by four Canadian investors. World Cup DH racing kicked off with two exciting races with vastly different conditions, Christopher Blevins continued his XC winning streak in Nova Mesto, and the incredible Giro d’Italia was one we won’t soon forget, plus a whole lot more. RELATED LINKS:BLISTER+ Get Yourself CoveredTOPICS & TIMES:Revel Returns (3:13)Rocky Mountain’s New Owners (13:01)Christopher Blevins’ Domination (16:22)Mathieu Van Der Poel Crashed and Burned (24:01)The Fantastic Giro d’Italia (34:23)Visma’s Stage 20 Tactical Masterpiece (53:00)Simon Yates’ Redemption (39:47)Terrible Conditions at the Bielsko-Biała DH World Cup (58:59)A Dry, Blown-Out Track in Loudenville (1:05:31)Jackson Goldstone’s Incredible Race Run (1:08:25)Gracey Helmstreet’s First Win For Canada (1:14:13)Recent favorite products (1:17:44)CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicCRAFTEDGEAR:30Blister Podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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1:22:41
The Transformation of Esker Cycles w/ Tim Krueger
Esker Cycles came on the scene in 2018 with a couple of sleek carbon fiber mountain bikes featuring an unknown Dave Weagle suspension platform called Orion. Weagle’s design was originally conceived for motorcycles and was dependent on a single front sprocket layout, which, back when Orion was developed, didn’t include mountain bikes since multiple chainrings and front derailleurs were still the norm. Orion was shelved until Esker founder Tim Krueger approached Weagle looking for a suspension design, and the first Esker bikes started to take shape. Steel and Titanium hardtails followed as Esker expanded its product portfolio, and while Esker’s first suspension bikes were carbon fiber, Tim had aluminum in mind from the beginning, with the dream of offering high-quality, affordable mountain bikes. A lot has changed since the early days of Esker, so today we’re catching up with Tim Krueger — and he doesn’t disappoint — essentially pulling back the curtain on what it’s been like to be a small bike brand during a volatile time in the bike industry. Tim also discusses their decision to abandon carbon fiber bikes in favor of aluminum, focusing on affordability, his take on geometry, their new metal bikes, and much more.RELATED LINKS:BLISTER+ Get Yourself CoveredEsker CyclesTOPICS & TIMES:Tim’s First Bike Shop JobTeaching Was Not for TimGetting Hired as a Product Manager for SalsaAdventure by BikeTim’s Time Guiding Bike Packing ToursMeeting Dave WeagleBlowing the Dust off Orion SuspensionBootstrapping EskerScraping Together $250K Manufacturing in Taiwan vs ChinaAll in for MetalEsker’s New Aluminum BikesDirect and Bike Shop Sales StrategyBox of BikesEsker’s Conservative Approach to GrowthCHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicCRAFTEDGEAR:30Blister Podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Bikes & Big Ideas is the weekly podcast from BLISTER that's dedicated to the most interesting conversations and ideas from the bike world — and beyond. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
New Zealand