The Pinkbike Podcast

We go over our findings from the most recent round of value bike testing in Sedona, Arizona.

Three time Olympian and six time Dutch National XCO Champion, Anne Terpstra, shares her insights on racing in challenging conditions, her transition to a new team, and her thoughts on future bike technology and courses.

Kazimer was getting over jet lag, and Dario has a cold, so this one is a little shorter than usual. We'll be back next week with a longer episode and a deeper dive into the reader question inbox.

Hattie shares her journey through injury rehab, her bike setup changes, and her recent success in downhill racing, offering insights into adaptation, training, and mental resilience.

This week on the Pinkbike podcast, we dive into the season's first World Cup in South Korea, where loose, sandy soil and questionable track builds created a "recipe for disaster." The drama peaked when a dangerous feature was closed mid-race after Lou Ferguson's crash, leading to confusion from off-site commentators. We also witnessed the bizarre saga of "Hardtail Man," a Polish rider on a dual-crown-equipped hardtail rig whose retro vibes turned into a safety hazard when elite riders nearly caught him during his run. The racing itself confirmed a massive "changing of the guard" as the new generation officially took over. Asa Vermette lived up to the hype with a clinical win, while Amaury Pierron proved he's back in "Terminator" mode by crashing yet still clawing his way to an incredible third-place finish. Between the Alran twins' calm "aura" and the Junior Women posting elite-level times, the depth of the field is reaching a fever pitch. Technically, the pits were buzzing over radical "trophy truck" bike setups and the legitimate podium success of belt-drive bikes. Looking ahead to Loudenvielle, it's clear the veterans are under heavy fire. Whether it's the raw speed of the Juniors or the return of a healthy Pierron, the "old guard" will have to find another gear to stay on the podium this season.

Are bigger wheels actually faster, or just scarier? Matt Beer decided to find out.

Dario and Stephane go over their Sea Otter higlights, and then Kaz and Dario dig into some questions.

So. Many. New. Things. Plus some reader questions, and some music listening homework.

Sea Otter season is officially here, and the gear is dropping fast. This week, Stephane Pelletier, Dario DiGiulio, and Matt Beer share first-ride impressions of the redesigned RockShox Zeb and Lyrik forks, alongside the updated Super Deluxe and Vivid shocks. But the real shocker? The "Avinox Arms Race." The team grapples with the 2026 power shift as a laundry list of new bikes hit the market featuring the Avinox M2S motor. With a staggering 150Nm of torque and 1500W peak power, the crew discuss the nitty-gritty details on eMTB's newest heavy-hitting power plant.

Spring is here, which means there's a whole bunch of new MTB gear being released almost every day.

Phew, brake week is finally over, but we decided to take a deeper dive into the testing and the results.

Getting three companies to work on one bike isn't as easy as it should be, but Orbea, TQ, and Fox pulled it off with the new Rallon RS.

We sat down with Microshift's Gus Jeffer and Patrick Chen to learn more about what it takes to navigate patents, and to carve out a place in the competitive drivetrain market.

We're less than two months out from Sea Otter, and the floodgates have started to open, with all sorts of new product launches happening this week.

A look inside Faction Bike Studios, the small Quebec company helping develop some of the most exciting bikes on the market.

Fresh off a gruelling 20-plus hour travel day from Tasmania, Pinkbike's own social media correspondent Dan Wolfe sits down with Matt Beer and me to deconstruct the 2026 edition of Red Bull Hardline Tasmania. While the finals were ultimately rained out, Dan provides some on-the-ground insights at the "new school" of freeride-DH builds, noting that the days of "bro-science" are over, replaced by precise measurements and "green-light" marshals.The crew dives into the technical nuances of hitting 70+ km/h features, why Aaron Gwin looked surprisingly dangerous on his new ride, and the rumours surrounding a potential 2026 Canadian stop at Cypress Mountain.Featuring a rotating cast of the editorial team and other guests, the Pinkbike podcast is a weekly update on all the latest stories from around the world of mountain biking, as well as some frank discussion about tech, racing, and everything in between.

What's next for Jesse Melamed?

A conversation with Pinkbike alum Daniel Sapp, who now handles the day-to-day operations for Seth's Bike Hacks and Berm Peak.

An insightful chat with a man who knows just about everything there is to know about wrenching on bikes.

Kaz, Dario, Stephane, and Matt sit down for an in-depth discussion to go over the best and worst performing bikes at this year's Field Test.

Our hot takes on what's on the way this season, plus a look back at our riding stats from 2025, and some reader questions.

From Rampage reflections to building Signature and navigating life after Title, Brett talks about the evolution of his riding and his role in mountain biking.

For the record, we don't think mountain biking is the new golf.

Dario, Kaz, and Matt chat about the latest MTB news and reviews, and introduce the latest Field Test.

Matt, Dario, and Kaz talk about recent reviews, industry turmoil, gear of the year, and dig into some reader questions.

Where's the dropper post that goes up and down with the push of a button?

Spooky riding season is here in the Northern Hemisphere.

This year's Rampage left us with more questions than usual.

10,252 meters (33,635 ft) of climbing in under 24 hours is bonkers.

Coming at you almost-live from the Utah desert.

We're back from a couple weeks in Bentonville, so it's time to dig into the virtual mail bag and catch up on some reader questions.

Kaz, Dario, Stephane, and Matt chat about the latest MTB news, and why it pays for bike mechanics to be nice to customers.

Kaz, Matt, and Stephane talk about some of their embarrassing racing-related moments and answer more reader questions.

We got Levy off the gravel bike for a special episode where we look back at the products and bikes that didn't live up to the hype.

Kaz, Dario, and Matt talk about the World Champ DH and marathon races, plus dig into the recent Kona Hei Hei review and more reader questions.

Kaz, Dario, and Stephane chat about pedals, homemade bikes, and a whole bunch more.

Recorded live at Crankworx Whistler, we sat down with two of our favorite freeriders to chat about digging, sending, mental challenges, and more.

Chatting with the engineer and product manager behind the latest version of the venerable Trek Fuel.

Dario checks in with Chris Blevins to find out the secrets behind his World Cup XC winning ways, plus we dig into reader questions, talk about riding new trails, and more.

A wide-ranging conversation with Seth about riding the Grim Donut, product reviews, YouTube techniques, AI, and even headset cable routing.

Kaz, Dario, and Stephane open up the virtual mailbag and try their best to solve those burning questions.

Kaz, Dario, and Matt chat about the latest happenings in the mountain bike world.

Kaz, Dario, and Stephane chat about the recent World Cup racing, trail tools, hatchbacks, and short travel bikes.

Dario interviews Robin Gemperle, who rode from Canada to Mexico in under 12 days. We also chat about Eurobike highlights, Dario's vintage Kona Stab, and dig into some reader questions.

Kaz, Stephane, and Dario chat about World Cup racing, Fox's new upside-down Podium fork, and more.

Stephane chats with Hans Rey, while Kaz, Dario, and Matt talk about the latest MTB trends.