Vital Mtb - Speaking Of Mountain Biking

Virtual press conference recorded on April 21 to discuss the upcoming World Cup Downhill season with Loic Bruni, Jackson Goldstone, Luca Shaw, Vali Holl, Gracey Hemstreet and Tahnee Seagrave.

Schroeder, Spomer and Lars get back together to discuss big wheels and weird bikes taking over.00:00 Reflections on Sea Otter 202609:59 The Future of Wheel Sizes13:09 What's In and What's Out34:52 Innovations in Mountain Bike Technology42:09 Health Scares and Personal Stories44:00 - Neko Mulally and his Sea Otter Winner 32"59:15 Exploring the 32-Inch Wheel Debate01:19:56 World Cup Predictions and Insights01:23:09 Logistics of Racing in New Venues01:25:03 Vital DH Fantasy PollThis episode features an in-depth discussion on the latest trends and innovations in mountain biking, including the impact of 32-inch wheels, the evolution of bike technology, and insights from Sea Otter. The hosts share their experiences, analyze new bike models, and explore the future of mountain biking industry trends. This episode dives into the latest in downhill mountain biking, exploring innovative bike setups, track strategies, and predictions for upcoming World Cup races. Guests share insights on gear choices, trac

Sponsel loses so you can win.

I's been a busy few months since the last podcast—Jason went to New Zealand and Italy, Tanner has been to nearly all 50 states working different shoots and projects, and Dakotah has bounced between Europe and Tennessee as he feverishly tests every setup under the sun. We covered a lot of this show, including Dak's crash at the Tennessee National, getting outside of the box with setup, Reece Wilson's crazy stem/bar combo, gym training vs. on-bike training, and goals at the first World Cup. But mostly, we caught up on life because we don't see each other enough these days, and the podcast is the perfect excuse to banter and hang out. We hope you enjoy! 

Today we talk with Matt Thompson and Steve Wentz who just returned from Masters World Champs downhill in Chile. Matt took the rainbow stripes in the 50-55 Master C2 class and Steve landed a Top 10 in a stacked field of “younger” talent, most importantly beating Ben Deakin in the process.We dive into what Masters World Champs is, learn about their experiences with the event over the years and dig into the full story of this years’ race. As a bonus, they both came home in one piece.

RockShox Zeb fork is all-new for model year 2027. They’ve taken what they learned developing the latest Boxxer, and have applied many of the same technologies and tuning ideologies to their single-crown, gravity fork.Vital editor, Jason Schroeder, has spent the past few months testing the fork and runs you through everything that’s new, and how it’s performed so far.More info - https://www.vitalmtb.com/forums/hub/2027-rockshox-zeb-fork-tech-info-impressions-discussion 0:00 - Intro0:25 - Chassis Updates0:46 - New fenders1:05 - New pressure relief valves1:16 - Linear XL air spring details1:42 - AirAnnex chamber2:01 - new Adjustable Bottom Out (ABO) feature2:51 - New stanchions detail3:08 - ButterWagon Tech - divots in the stanchion3:31 - Charger 3.2 damper updates3:38 - Oil, seals, grease updates4:20 - Zeb Product Line5:06 - Setting up the new Zeb5:25 - Damper settings6:10 - Air pressure settings6:56 - Linear XL air spring positives7:49 - Linear XL air spring negatives8:34 - ABO impressions 10:05 - Zeb's v

Elite race day at the first event of the 2026  @prodownhillseries was a heater at Ride Rock Creek bike park in North Carolina as downhill mountain bikers put it all on the line for victory. Listen to the post-race interviews with Luca Cometti.Interviews0:00 - Lucas Dedora1:11 - Final Elite Men Finishes2:07 - Luca Shaw, Elite Men's Winner3:07 - Ryder Lawrence3:43 - Aletha Ostgaard, Elite Women's Winner5:37 - Eliot Jackson7:05 - Kai Burleson8:20 - Dante Silva12:04 - Podium Shots12:17 - Tilly Melton13:11 - Ryan Pinkerton14:06 - Mallen Bro15:15 - Kailey Skelton17:05 - Alden Pate17:57 - Andrew Driscoll#USDH

Luca Cometti heads to round 1 of the 2026 Pro Downhill Series at Ride Rock Creek, North Carolina. Track walk took place today, and Luca grabbed the pros to find out how they'll approach the weekend following the Tennessee National.Interviews0:00 - Intro0:27 - Dillon Lemarr2:14 - Gracey Hemstreet3:06 - Bode Kuhn4:10 - SR Suntour Holeshot4:27 - Tayte Proulx Royds5:24 - Ryan Pinkerton6:11 - Austin Dooley6:45 - Abby Ronca8:35 - Drake Parker9:14 - Asa Vermette9:53 - Kai Burleson11:22 - Tyson Henrie13:42 - Kasper Woolley15:03 - Tyler Ervin16:02 - Cole Suetos17:14 - Aiden Chapin18:57 - Nik Nestoroff

Watch the interviewsWhat a crazy day of #USDH action at the 2026 Tennessee National at Windrock Bike Park. Austin Dooley took the Pro Men's win by just .004 seconds over Cole Suetos. If they crossed the line at 20mph, that's just 1.4 inches! Aletha Ostgaard stomped on the women with a win by over 6 seconds. Gwin slid out, Ronan Dunne and Luca Shaw flatted, Dak was coughing up blood after a seeding crash. It was hectic! Luca Cometti gets the scoop from all the pros to see how their race days went.0:00 - Austin Dooley1:14 - Aaron Gwin2:23 - Ronan Dunne3:57 - Dakotah Norton5:52 - Cole Suetos7:29 - Eliot Jackson8:57 - Aletha Ostgaard10:42 - Taylor Ostgaard11:52 - Rob Warner13:59 - Lucas Dedora14:59 - Mack Manietta15:56 - Kailey Skelton17:12 - Dylan Maples18:35 - Podium shots19:42 - Raina Logar21:17 - Mikey Delesalle22:37 - Dante Silva25:03 - Ryan Pinkerton26:44 - Luca Shaw

You can watch these interviews on YouTubeThe first major U.S. downhill mountain bike race of 2026 is underway at Windrock Bike Park. #USDH shredder, Luca Cometti, grills the pros during track walk to see what they're up to and how their feeling for this weekend's race. Riders like Ronan Dunne, Dakotah Norton, Aaron Gwin, Dante Silva, Kailey Skelton, Frida Ronning and more DH pros speak up.0:22 - Frida Ronning1:02 - Dakotah Norton2:43 - Aaron Gwin4:57 - Gavin Tomlinson5:59 - Bode Burke7:04 - Kai Burleson8:27 - Alden Pate9:54 - Jordan Bouldin11:03 - Ryder Lawrence12:00 - Mack from Pemby13:06 - Tyler Ervin14:07 - Maylei Leaneagh15:01 - Cole Suetos15:37 - Jack Zenoni16:49 - Dante Silva18:46 - Nik Nestoroff21:07 - Kailey Skelton22:38 - Tegan Cruz23:18 - Fiona24:03 - Ronan Dunne25:05 - Ryan Pinkerton26:02 - Outro

You chimed in and the name of our podcast, Bikes: Unaffiliated will remain. In this episode, Jason Schroeder, Shawn Spomer and Lars Sternberg tackle an assortment of random bike and non-bike subjects like why was our tech forum picking on Dario from Pinkbike, why didn't Spomer answer Lopes' phone call, should we test a 32-inch-wheeled hardtail, what is Epicly Later'd, the DHR II sucks as a front tire, why don't Lars or Jason like radials and plenty more.

Would you rather be riding epic bike parks in Queenstown, downhill trails in Laguna or sitting in the ER because you can't pee? Jason Schroeder, Lars Sternberg and Shawn Spomer reflect on their last couple of weeks in this episode of Bikes Unaff.......The 9th Street Documentary on YouTube0:00 - Intro1:52 - Help Us Change the Podcast Name3:34 - Jason's What's In What's Out, Max Alran Rips6:35 - Jason Met Queenstown_NPC12:30 - Lars' What's In What's Out, Ride New Places20:23 - Spomer What's In What's Out, Olympics & 9th Street Doc25:30 - Spomer Can't Pee and Misses Asa Destroying Telonics41:54 - Jason Meets Sven43:50 - Loic Bruni and His Tire Pressure48:51 - Lars Got a Frameworks DH & Headsets Suck1:00:53 - Does Santa Cruz Sell More V10s Than Any Other Pedal Bike in Their Lineup?1:07:17 - Will Specialized Stop Making Alloy Full Suspension Bikes?1:08:37 - Jason Wouldn't Let Loris Vergier Follow Him1:10:21 - Crazy Commencal Team Brake Setups in NZ1:20

One of downhilling's finest, Loic Bruni, ain't scared of the dreaded 17!You can watch this interview on Vital MTBQuestions asked0:00 - Who would win in a fight between you, Amaury Pierron and Jackson Goldstone?0:50 - Do you ever go to World Cup after parties? If yes, tell us your favorite post-race story. If no, why don't you like to have fun?1:54 - Does your mechanic Jack get enough credit for how much he helps with the bike and suspension setup?3:02 - How many on-track line spotters do you have? (Spoiler, Nico Vouilloz will be one in 2026!)4:14 - How many Elite men and women should there be in finals at a World Cup?5:39 - Do the new crop of young racers terrify you or motivate you?6:55 - What tire pressure do you run and do you run inserts?7:23 - What has been your favorite part of being a dad?7:55 - How much money in bonuses have you made from winning one World Champs?8:27 - When you SuperBruni or PopeBruni signs, does that weird you out?8:58 - What do you want to do when you're done ra

Downhill destroyer,  Aaron Gwin, takes another stab at the dreaded 17 during a Frameworks test camp in Southern California. Hard to believe the first 17 Qs we did with Aaron was 15 years ago!Question asked1. You wake up late and are in rush to get your day going. You stop by a Starbucks to get your caffeine fix. What drink are you ordering?2. How do you pass time on long flights? Movies, reading, sleeping, catching up on emails??3. What was your best trick during your bmx days?4. What was the most money you made at a single race from bonuses? (you can leave out the team, year, or brands if you’d like)5. If you had it all to do over again, would you rather have been a professional supercross/outdoor rider than a professional mountain biker?6. Who has the best style at World Cups these days?7. Favorite and least favorite World Cup track?8. How many riders come to Windrock and ask for free shuttles?9. Best place to eat out if you’re at Windrock?10. Of the titles you hold, rank these from least to most favorite:

Can Neko handled the dreaded 17? Watch on YouTube, too.

We’ve been minimally interested in the 32-inch wheel topic. It was more fun to hypothesize what they’d ride like when it was a distant rumor. Now that Maxxis has 32-inch tires you can buy, and many brands are currently developing literal wagon wheel models, we don’t know how to feel. Luckily, we tagged in Maxxis Brand Manager, Aaron Chamberlain, to fill us in on the impetus of the 32-inch revolution and the main arguments around their implementation. Chapters00:00 Introduction05:39 The 32-Inch Wheel Debate10:11 Mechanical vs. Wireless Drivetrains17:01 The Push for 32-Inch Wheels17:41 Technical Challenges in Tire Production22:59 Market Response and Anticipation26:06 Benefits and Applications of 32-Inch Wheels33:51 Potential Pros and Cons of Larger Wheels40:36 Looking Ahead: The Evolution of Bike Design51:09 The 32-Inch Wheel Trend: Implications and Insights53:51 Weight Considerations: Performance vs. Practicality58:43 Community Insights: The Biking Culture and Preferences01:01:46 Tire Talk: Preferences and Inn

Happy New Year errybody! In this episode, we go through the components, places to ride, and habits Vital users listed as their favorites in 2025. We then touch on what we enjoyed in 2025 and what we are looking forward to in the year ahead. Shoutout to Vital user Ervan for starting the forum thread “2025: Things I loved this year” and giving us the idea for this week's podcast. Read the forum thread in discussion - https://www.vitalmtb.com/forums/hub/2...Chapters00:00 New Year Reflections and Family Time11:08 Retirement in Action Sports: A Bittersweet Transition13:38 Women in Racing: Breaking Taboos16:49 Health Reflections: The Impact of Illness19:46 Excitement for Upcoming Events24:03 Dak's New Journey with Dream Team36:05 Community Engagement and User Feedback53:25 Trends in Mountain Biking: E-bikes and Upgrades01:13:50 Product Discussions and Industry Insights01:26:23 Wheels and Brakes: Performance Insights01:38:13 Starting a Business: Flowcraft and Community Engagement01:47:32 Reflections on Rac

The news of Aaron Gwin making a new home on Frameworks TRP yesterday left a lot of unanswered questions. Thankfully the man himself was down for a candid chat to discuss his new future.Cover photo by Callie HorwathTopics0:00 - Intro and What About Crestline?9:34 - History with Neko12:26 - How Can Frameworks Afford Gwin?15:38 - Does Gwin Have to Race Now?19:14 - Dealing with So Many Product Changes32:31 - Does the Frameworks Accomodate Gwin's Riding Style?43:00 - Being on a Team with Asa Vermette, Battling the Kids49:50 - Game Plan for 2026 Races53:55 - Gwin's Training Regimen1:00:35 - Involvement with Lake Placid World Cup and TN National in 2026?1:06:30 - Racing Hardline Tasmania1:11:32 - Aaron Gwin 2011 vs. Aaron Gwin 2026?

0:00 - Aaron Gwin8:16 - James McAllister16:05 - Neko MulallyAs the 2026 downhill mountain bike season dawns, Frameworks TRP Racing announces that #USDH superstar, Aaron Gwin will join the team. Aaron, multi-time World Cup-winning downhiller, ran his own team, Gwin Racing, aboard Crestline bikes in 2024 and 2025. The change to Frameworks means a focus on racing, rather than team management, as Gwin seeks to wrap up his competitive career giving it all he can. With a new team comes new equipment. Besides the Frameworks frame, Aaron returns to FOX suspension after Ohlins with Gwin Racing. He'll be on Burgtec bars, a departure from his long-time Renthal setup. Wheels change to ENVE from e.thirteen, and he'll be aboard Continental tires.Vital contributor, Jack Rice, catches up with Aaron, Neko and James McAllister, Aaron's mechanic during a testing session at Windrock Bike Park in December to discuss the changes and challenges.

After an exciting two years with Mondraker Factory Racing, our guy Dak has moved to Scott DH Factory and signed a three-year deal. So naturally, we had to podcast about it. We wanted all the details on what prompted his departure from Mondraker, what attracted him to Scott, his goals and expectations for the upcoming season now that he's mostly recovered from his injury, and most importantly: will he still be running 75mm rise bars on his new Gambler? Per usual, Dak was transparent about what he’s seeking from a team at this point in his career, the reality of having to prove he’s still a podium contender post-injury, and his newfound appreciation for the opportunity he has to keep racing his bike. We hope you enjoy the conversation!