Bikes & Big Ideas

Shortly after the final Enduro World Cup race of the 2026 season, Warner Brothers Discovery and the UCI made the surprise announcement that the series will not continue for 2027.

Despite the uncertain future that leaves for top-tier professional Enduro racing, the announcement was met with a surprising amount of excitement from athletes, and a real sense of optimism that something better can rise from the ashes of the short-lived EDR series. So we brought professional racer Eric Olsen back on the show to discuss all of it.

The full press release from the UCI can be read here.

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: info@blisterreview.com

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Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide

TOPICS & TIMES:

The state of professional Enduro racing (1:42)

Online perception vs. reality on the ground (4:13)

Broadcasting & marketing Enduro racing (9:29)

The Enduro World Series becoming the Enduro World Cup (12:53)

New possibilities for Enduro racing (17:43)

Eric’s vision for what comes next (20:28)

Crankworx’s announcement of a new series (32:21)

How has (and hasn’t) the series changed in recent years? (35:39)

Optimism for the future (40:24)

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The Vault

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For this selection from The Vault, we’re sharing a Bikes & Big Ideas conversation where Vali Höll opens up about everything that went on behind the scenes during the mid-season implosion of the YT Mob race team, and how she managed to win her third consecutive World Cup overall title and fourth consecutive World Championship amid the chaos.

RELATED LINKS:

livemomentous.com – use code: Blister

OneSkin: oneskin.co/BLISTER

Get Yourself Covered: BLISTER+

Order our 26/27 Winter Buyer’s Guide

Enter Our Free Weekly Gear Giveaways

For the Full Episode: Vali Höll on Her 2025 Season & the Dissolution of the YT Mob (Ep.306)

CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:

Blister Podcast

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Bikes & Big Ideas

GEAR:30

Shortly after the final Enduro World Cup race of the 2026 season, Warner Brothers Discovery and the UCI made the surprise announcement that the series will not continue for 2027.

Despite the uncertain future that leaves for top-tier professional Enduro racing, the announcement was met with a surprising amount of excitement from athletes, and a real sense of optimism that something better can rise from the ashes of the short-lived EDR series. So we brought professional racer Eric Olsen back on the show to discuss all of it.

The full press release from the UCI can be read here.

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: info@blisterreview.com
RELATED LINKS:
Momentous: livemomentous.com use code: Blister
OneSkin: oneskin.co/BLISTER
Get Yourself Covered: BLISTER+
Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide
TOPICS & TIMES:
The state of professional Enduro racing (1:42)
Online perception vs. reality on the ground (4:13)
Broadcasting & marketing Enduro racing (9:29)
The Enduro World Series becoming the Enduro World Cup (12:53)
New possibilities for Enduro racing (17:43)
Eric’s vision for what comes next (20:28)
Crankworx’s announcement of a new series (32:21)
How has (and hasn’t) the series changed in recent years? (35:39)
Optimism for the future (40:24)
CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:
The Vault
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
GEAR:30
Blister Podcast
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For this selection from The Vault, we’re sharing a Bikes & Big Ideas conversation where Vali Höll opens up about everything that went on behind the scenes during the mid-season implosion of the YT Mob race team, and how she managed to win her third consecutive World Cup overall title and fourth consecutive World Championship amid the chaos.
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:
livemomentous.com – use code: Blister
OneSkin: oneskin.co/BLISTER
Get Yourself Covered: BLISTER+
Order our 26/27 Winter Buyer’s Guide
Enter Our Free Weekly Gear Giveaways
For the Full Episode: Vali Höll on Her 2025 Season & the Dissolution of the YT Mob (Ep.306)
CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS:
Blister Podcast
Blister Cinematic
CRAFTED
Bikes & Big Ideas
GEAR:30

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With XC bikes gaining popularity, there is a sea of similar-looking offerings from a bunch of brands — with a wider range of performance attributes than first meets the eye. So today, Blister reviewers Xan Marshland and Simon Stewart dig into the broader XC bike category and weigh in on why they think there’s commonality in XC bike design; their thoughts on XC geometry; and whether having baked-in Trail bike versatility is a must-have. Plus things to consider when buying one, and their predictions on where the category is heading.

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: info@blisterreview.com

RELATED LINKS:

Momentous: livemomentous.com use code: Blister

OneSkin: oneskin.co/BLISTER

Get Yourself Covered: BLISTER+

Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide

TOPICS & TIMES:

XC Bikes are Hot (0:59)

Bikes We’ve Been On (2:10)

XC Bike Design (4:43)

Twangers or Non-Twangers (8:01)

Racing vs. Trail Riding (15:51)

XC Tires (22:21)

Favorite Components (33:45)

How to Choose an XC Bike (42:29)

OneSkin AD* (51:46)

Category Predictions (52:56)

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The Blister Vault

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Blister Podcast