Bikes & Big Ideas

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.

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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)

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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.

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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.

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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)

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Simon Reiberg’s journey into fork damper design began with him modifying a RockShox Yari to feature a shimmed rebound circuit, and after stints at Trickstuff and Intend, he just launched Simons.Lab and the Zeta aftermarket fork damper. So we sat down with Simon to talk about his take on damper design and what sets the Zeta apart; how he learned about damper design in the first place; what the biggest challenges were in bringing the Zeta to market; and a whole lot more.

And we’ve got a Zeta on the way for review, so stay tuned for a rundown on its design and performance, coming very soon on the site.

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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.

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TOPICS & TIMES:

Simon’s background (1:40)

Modifying stock dampers (3:21)

Testing & analysis (6:34)

Value (and limitations) of suspension dynos (15:44)

High-speed adjusters & the Zeta concept (24:16)

Packaging challenges (19:43)

Hydraulic bottom-out (31:00)

Adjustment ranges & tradeoffs in tunability (35:01)

Launching Simons.Lab (40:24)

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Yeti has a long history of unconventional suspension layouts, and they’ve just given their lineup a big shakeup with the new LT & MT, both of which use the Sixfinity six-bar layout from Yeti’s eMTBs rather than the Switch Infinity design from their last several generations of MTBs. So, we sat down with Yeti Engineer Peter Zawistowski to get the story of developing the Sixfinity layout; what they were able to achieve with it that wasn’t possible with four-bar designs; the differences in suspension kinematic requirements for different sorts of bikes; the LT’s radically overhauled geometry; and a whole lot more.

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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.

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TOPICS & TIMES:

Yeti’s history of suspension layouts (2:05)

Development of the Sixfinity platform (9:57)

Antisquat & the advantages of six bar layouts (15:55)

Suspension kinematics for different use cases (23:57)

Geometry adjustments & offering more vs. keeping thing simple (32:59)

Rear center lengths & geometry changes for the LT (39:14)

Athlete feedback in bike development (54:37)

Racers versus freeriders (57:47)

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Today is a big day, as we welcome Freeride legend Cam McCaul as the new co-host of Reviewing the News. Cam and Simon Stewart go way back, and Simon has been a fan of what he’s been doing on and off the bike for as long as they’ve known each other. Cam brings a great new perspective to the show with his experience announcing Red Bull Rampage and DH racing, his freeride career, not to mention having ridden with so many of the top names in our sport.

And, we have a hell of a month to cover in Cam’s debut, with plenty of racing and industry news to go over, and Cam shares what it's like to try and ride behind repeat DH World Champion, Jackson Goldstone.

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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.

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TOPICS & TIMES:

Mountain States Cups Series (1:18)

The Black Snake (11:26)

Gates 100k Prize Finally Awarded (25:01)

Eli Tomac Retirement (36:06)

Tadej Pogacar Crash (41:41)

Leadville 100 Recap (48:07)

Another eBike Battery Fire (51:39)

OneUp’s Used Marketplace (1:06:21)

What We're Watching — 'Parallel III' (1:10:37)

Rampage is Just Around the Corner (1:20:22)

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