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Bikes & Big Ideas

BLISTER
Mountain Biking
Red Bull Rampage
E-Bikes
Downhill Racing
Bicycle Manufacturing
Women's Freeride
Red Bull Hardline
Tour De France
Downhill Mountain Biking
Enve
Tigon Shock
Blister Summit
Biking
Freeride Mountain Biking
Injuries
Enduro Bikes
Bikes
Gear
Yeti Cycles
Bike Design

Bikes & Big Ideas is the weekly podcast from BLISTER that's dedicated to bringing you the most interesting conversations, news, and developments in the bike world. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes355Founded8 years ago
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WildernessSports

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Latest Episodes

Allied’s Fitz is one of the lightest 140mm-travel bikes we’ve ever tested. So today, Allied’s Director of Product, Sam Pickman, joins us to tell the development story, what inspired the lightweight focus, why they chose a four-bar suspension arrangem... more

Specialized showed a lot of glimpses of the Demo 11 as it was being developed, but there was much more going on behind the scenes that couldn’t be gleaned from looking at the series of lugged prototypes. So we brought Nicco Deluca from the Ride Dynam... more

We caught up with Cam McCaul to run down the 2026 Red Bull Rampage that left fans in awe at the women’s event and frustrated after the cancellation of the men’s competition. Cam shares his on-location perspective of the insane amount of work done by ... more

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 a... more

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Recent Guests

Nicco Deluca
Specialized Ride Dynamics team member and product manager for trail and gravity bikes
Specialized
Episode: The Development of the Specialized Demo 11
Cam McCaul
Mountain bike commentator and freeride rider
Episode: 2026 Red Bull Rampage Recap w/ Cam McCaul
Casey Brown
Professional mountain biker advocating for a women's Rampage category
Professional freeride cyclist
Episode: Casey Brown on Getting Women into Rampage
Sean Day
Tire designer and development lead for Maxxis US team
Maxxis
Episode: Maxxis on the Minion DHX & New DH Casing
Greg Hardy
Founder of Rockgeist, bikepacking gear designer
Rockgeist
Episode: Making Innovative Bikepacking Gear & Rebuilding After Hurricane Helene with Rockgeist’ s Greg Hardy
Xan Marshland
Blister Reviewer on-site reporter at Soldier Hollow
BLISTER
Episode: Special Race Edition, Soldier Hollow XC World Cup: 32’’ Wheels Galore & Rising Star Bjorn Riley
Simon Reiberg
Founder of Simon's Lab; damper engineer
Simon's Lab / Intent
Episode: Simons.Lab on Dampers, Tuning, & the New Zeta
Peter Zawistowski
Yeti engineer
Yeti
Episode: Yeti on the LT & MT, Six-Bar Suspension, & More
Eric Olsen
Enduro racer and rider with on-the-ground perspective
Professional Enduro Racing
Episode: Enduro World Cup Racing is Dead. Long Live Enduro?

Hosts

Simon Stewart
Host with Blister/Bikes & Big Ideas; long-running presence guiding episodes and interviews.
David Golay
Co-host and bike editor with testing background; leads discussions and interviews.

Reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars from 299 ratings
  • Good but not great...

    The topics are wide ranging & relevant, but David Golay has no business hosting or interviewing. His pause every 5-7 words is madness, and guests / listeners think he stopped talking. Worse his constant use of "well, uh, well" and "I guess we'll see" is audio fingernails on the chalkboard. Simon also has that LOLOLOL laugh...just needs to make that regular... dudes are unlistenable

    Apple Podcasts
    2
    wet desert
    United States17 days ago
  • Eh

    I used to enjoy the monthly news review show when Mike ferrintino was the cohost. I’ve always enjoyed his takes on things since the 90s bike mag days. New guy is a downhill racer / announcer, not in the same league. Also, they started having draft King ad reads the same week. The technical information in the bikes and big ideas shows with David Goulet are interesting but really bad badly need to be edited to remove the long pauses. Think I’ll be unsubscribing from this feed.

    Apple Podcasts
    1
    CarloRossi4130
    United States2 months ago
  • Great show very informative and entertaining

    Love the show. I do have a conspiracy theory that Simon isn’t really Irish but other than that it’s a very authentic bike nerd show.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Avid book listener
    United States4 months ago
  • The ultimate story time for bikes, and other big ideas

    Tired of sound bites and click bait? Listen to the B&BI podcast to dive deeper into the subject, with serious discussion for e]people who actual like to think about stuff

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    rider-reader
    United States7 months ago
  • Best mtb podcast out there

    The range of guests on this podcast and honest technical depth David brings is unparalleled in the mtb world

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Sven405
    United States8 months ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Audience appreciates technical depth and practical gear insights, though some critique delivery style of the host.
Guests bring varied expertise from testing to design and policy.
The host delivers thoughtful, in-depth bike discussions with strong guest lineups.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

2026 Red Bull Rampage Recap w/ Cam McCaul
Q: Why didn't they move the men's event to Friday?
The event rules prohibit moving the competition a day earlier because riders need the preparation and practice time they planned for. That rule followed serious injuries in 2015 when the event was moved earlier, and rider representatives did not support changing it this time.
2026 Red Bull Rampage Recap w/ Cam McCaul
Q: Why not postpone the men's event and try again the next day?
McCaul says heavy rain followed the cancellation, while the storm brought lightning, flying debris, and damage that would have required course inspections. The weather forecast offered no safe window to reschedule.
The Development of the Specialized Demo 11
Q: How did you guys end up coming up with that solution?
Specialized engineers developed the High Gear concept to address drivetrain ground-clearance problems, then prototyped it and worked with SRAM on chain choice, durability, loads, and serviceability.
The Development of the Specialized Demo 11
Q: What were the goals for what you wanted to build when you started off kind of clean sheet?
The project began as an exploration of leverage rates, allowing Specialized to test different suspension curves with fewer effects on other bike characteristics. The team later adapted the promising layout into a downhill bike.
Casey Brown on Getting Women into Rampage
Q: Why is it important to have a women's category at Rampage at the highest level?
Because it elevates the entire sport of freeride and mountain biking, ensuring the momentum and growth are supported by having women compete at the biggest event, thereby inspiring more participation and recognition across all levels.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

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Frequently Asked Questions About Bikes & Big Ideas

What is Bikes & Big Ideas about and what kind of topics does it cover?

Bikes & Big Ideas covers a broad spectrum of cycling, from World Cup racing and gear tech to infrastructure, testing, and industry shifts. Episodes frequently feature deep-dive conversations with riders, builders, brand representatives, and journalists, blending race analysis, product development, and policy or data-driven insights. The show stands out for its hands-on testing perspectives, thoughtful discussions on bike culture, and a willingness to explore emerging trends such as e-bikes, framebuilding, and city planning for safer streets. This combination makes it a go-to for listeners who want practical implications for riding, sponsorships, and brand strategy, as well as thoughtful storytelling about the sport and its ecosystem.

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How many listeners does Bikes & Big Ideas get?

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How many subscribers and views does Bikes & Big Ideas have?

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Which podcasts are similar to Bikes & Big Ideas?

These podcasts share a similar audience with Bikes & Big Ideas:

1. Vital MTB
2. The Pinkbike Podcast
3. Downtime - The Mountain Bike Podcast
4. MTB Podcast
5. GEAR:30

How many episodes of Bikes & Big Ideas are there?

Bikes & Big Ideas launched 8 years ago and published 355 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact Bikes & Big Ideas?

Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

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What guests have appeared on Bikes & Big Ideas?

Recent guests on Bikes & Big Ideas include:

1. Nicco Deluca
2. Cam McCaul
3. Casey Brown
4. Sean Day
5. Greg Hardy
6. Xan Marshland
7. Simon Reiberg
8. Peter Zawistowski

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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