Singletracks Mountain Bike Podcast

Rick Vosper has been in the bike industry since the 1980s, serving in marketing and communications roles for some of the biggest brands in the business. His company, RVMS, provides creative services to consumer products and outdoor companies, and he's a regular contributor to Bicycle Retailer and Industry News. What was your first job in the bike industry? How did you land that job?Is cycling now, or has it ever been, a growth industry? What are the main participation drivers?For bike brands, how realistic is it to grow overall participation vs. market share?Why are mountain bikes so expensive? Is anyone getting rich by selling bikes?What do you make of Chinese brands like Avinox and X-LAB entering the US market? Is vertical integration a threat to existing bike brands?Is the local bike shop doomed? What is working for the more successful bike shops?Between brands, retailers, and consumers, who wields the most power in the bike industry?Is it that some US bike brands are seeing 50% or more of their sales going to e-bikes?It seems like the US e-bike classification system was meant to avoid confusion, but now we're seeing problems around the country involving the sale and use of e-motos. What went wrong?Now that a lot of the volatility in the supply chain has settled down, what opportunities do you see for bike and component brands going forward?What advice would you offer a young professional considering a job in the outdoor industry?Keep up with the latest bike industry analysis from Rick at Bicycle Retailer.This episode of the podcast is brought to you by Feedback Sports. If you love your bike, you know that regular maintenance is the key to a smoother, faster, and safer ride. But a good wrenching session starts with the right setup. Enter the Feedback Sports Pro Mechanic and Sprint repair stands. Trusted by World Tour mechanics and home hobbyists alike, these lightweight, anodized aluminum stands are ultra-stable, highly portable, and fold down in seconds. Whether you're chasing down a tricky drivetrain click in your garage or dialing in your shifting at the trailhead, Feedback Sports gives you shop-quality precision wherever you are. Pair their award-winning stands with their professional-grade tool kits—like the Reflex Fixed Torque Ratchet Kit—and you have everything you need to keep your rig running flawlessly. Stop wrestling with your bike upside down on the grass. Elevate your maintenance game and give your bike the care it deserves. Head over to feedbacksports.com today to check out their full lineup of repair stands and precision tools.An automated transcript will be available at Singletracks.com later today.

Sam Garrett is a teenage mountain biker and inventor living in Rapid City, South Dakota. He was recently awarded a design patent for a tubeless tire plug tool that fits inside a standard mountain bike thru axle.How did you get into mountain biking?When did you start wrenching on your own bike?Why did you decide to create your own tubeless tire plug tool? What did you think you could improve about existing tire plug tools?Walk us through the process from idea to finished product. What were the biggest challenges along the way?Why did you decide to call it Every Rider's Must (ERM)?What have you learned about patents? Why go for a design patent instead of a utility patent?What did you think when you saw the Robert Axle Project tire plug tool that also fits inside a front axle? What makes the ERM different?Do you have any tips or tricks for making fast and effective puncture repairs on the trail?As a young rider, what's your outlook on the sport of mountain biking? Which aspects of mountain biking get you and your friends stoked?What's next for Garrett Dynamics? Are you looking at creating new products?Learn more about the ERM at garrettdynamics.com.An automated transcript will be available at Singletracks.com later today.This episode is sponsored by Greater Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce.If you’re looking for your next mountain bike destination that offers just about everything, put Sandpoint, Idaho at the top of your list! The Lower Basin trail system serves up world-class riding through towering timber and across massive granite rock slabs, with trails for every rider — from technical black diamond descents to fast, flowy cross-country loops.For excellent park-style riding, head up to Schweitzer Mountain Resort with dedicated downhill trails and e-bike access to more than two dozen trails. Or pedal from town to the Pine Street Woods trail system where the trails range from flowy to technical.When you’re ready to take a break from the trails, Lake Pend Oreille is right there for camping, boating, swimming, or even standup paddleboarding. And after a big day outdoors, head into the town of Sandpoint where you'll find a great selection of bars and restaurants to relax and refuel. Get all the details to plan your perfect getaway at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠visitsandpoint.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. The trails and the good times are waiting for you when you Visit Idaho!

Behind the scenes, it takes a lot of planning and hard work to keep a massive trail network like Coldwater Mountain in great shape. That responsibility falls to Marcus Tillman, who works with the Northeast Alabama Bicycle Association and the city of Anniston as Recreation Trails Director for Coldwater Mountain. Today we’ll hear from Marcus about what it takes to maintain such a large system, what’s involved, and what’s in store for riders in the coming months.In this episode we ask:What does a recreation trails director aka "trail boss" do on a day-to-day basis?How much maintenance is involved in keeping up a trail system the size of Coldwater Mountain?Are you able to rely on volunteers to accomplish a significant amount of the work?Can you give us a little history of Coldwater Mountain and how the trail system came to be?What’s one thing you wish riders knew that would make your job easier?For an experienced rider visiting Coldwater for the first time, what route do you recommend?How are you preparing the trails for the big Lifetime race happening in October?How do you ensure trails are safe and that emergency services have access to the trails?Coldwater is open to e-bikes. Have you had any issues with speeding, user conflicts, or trail impact?An automated transcript will be available at Singletracks.com later today.This episode is sponsored by Greater Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce.If you’re looking for your next mountain bike destination that offers just about everything, put Sandpoint, Idaho at the top of your list! The Lower Basin trail system serves up world-class riding through towering timber and across massive granite rock slabs, with trails for every rider — from technical black diamond descents to fast, flowy cross-country loops.For excellent park-style riding, head up to Schweitzer Mountain Resort with dedicated downhill trails and e-bike access to more than two dozen trails. Or pedal from town to the Pine Street Woods trail system where the trails range from flowy to technical.When you’re ready to take a break from the trails, Lake Pend Oreille is right there for camping, boating, swimming, or even standup paddleboarding. And after a big day outdoors, head into the town of Sandpoint where you'll find a great selection of bars and restaurants to relax and refuel. Get all the details to plan your perfect getaway at ⁠visitsandpoint.com⁠. The trails and the good times are waiting for you when you Visit Idaho!

If you’ve ever watched a World Cup downhill or cross-country race at Mont Sainte Anne, you’ve seen Mountain Bike Hall of Famer Pat Drouin's work. And if you’ve ever wondered how a venue like that gets selected—or what it takes to actually host one of these massive events—we’re going to dig into that today.We’ll also talk about the riding in and around Quebec City, which you might be surprised to learn is one of North America's most vibrant mountain bike destinations.How would you describe the mountain biking scene in and around Quebec City?Are there any lesser-known trails in the region that visitors might want to check out?What does it actually take to host a UCI World Cup or World Championship event?Beyond the race course itself, what factors does the UCI look for in a venue?In your experience, what are the key ingredients for a successful race weekend?Is there a particular year or moment that stands out as especially memorable in your career?Looking back on your 30+ years in the sport, what are you most proud of?Are there any innovations in the sport—like e-MTB racing—that you think are especially important for the future?What’s one lesson you’ve learned from organizing bike races that might surprise people?What advice would you give to someone who wants to organize their own local mountain bike event?If you're heading to Quebec, check out the Auberge & Campagne tavern and inn, which is owned and operated by Pat and his family.Photo: Drouin pictured with his GESTEV business partner, Chantal Lachance.An automatically generated transcript will be available at Singletracks.com later today.This episode is sponsored by Trailbot. Trailbot is the smarter way for trail managers to communicate updates without relying on social media. Don’t let The Algorithm bury your posts—easily share conditions and closures to your web site, social media and the app all at once. Best of all, it’s free.Trailbot is used by over 260 trail systems in 17 states and growing fast. Over 50,000 riders have installed the free iOS and Android apps to get official updates with optional push notifications, without having to see what their weird relative posted on social media. Learn more at ⁠⁠⁠trailbot.com⁠⁠⁠.

If you want to get better at jumping, or you’re trying to progress your riding without a mountain in sight, this episode is for you. Tadas Puodžiūnas is the founder of MTB Hopper, a Lithuanian company that designs and sells portable bike ramps.What was it like learning to mountain bike in Lithuania?How did the idea for MTB Hopper come about?Do you think growing up in a flat place gave you any advantages as a rider?Why is it generally easier to follow someone into a jump than to try it solo?How do you figure out how much speed you need to clear a jump?Is there a good way to ‘test’ a jump without hitting it full-send the first time?How much suspension travel do you really need for small to medium-sized jumps?How do MTB Hopper ramps help with that progression? And how do they compare to DIY setups?Are there any MTB trails in Lithuania you can recommend for someone visiting the country?An automatically generated transcript will be available at Singletracks.com later today. More info about MTB Hopper at mtbhopper.com.This episode is sponsored by Trailbot. Trailbot is the smarter way for trail managers to communicate updates without relying on social media. Don’t let The Algorithm bury your posts—easily share conditions and closures to your web site, social media and the app all at once. Best of all, it’s free.Trailbot is used by over 260 trail systems in 17 states and growing fast. Over 50,000 riders have installed the free iOS and Android apps to get official updates with optional push notifications, without having to see what their weird relative posted on social media. Learn more at ⁠⁠⁠trailbot.com⁠⁠⁠.

Joey Klein has been involved in mountain bike trail design for more than 30 years, and has worked for the International Mountain Bike Association (IMBA) longer than anyone else. This year he's being inducted into the mountain bike hall of fame in recognition of his contributions to the sport.How did you first get involved in trail design?What it like to be a part of the Subaru-IMBA Trail Care Crew program for three years in the late 90s/early 2000s? Do you think a program like that would be effective today?What was the idea behind launching IMBA Trail Solutions?How has trail design and planning evolved over the past two decades?Is this the golden age of trail building?How will the trails of the future be different from the trails we ride today?Do modern bike designs drive trail designs, or is it the other way around?Why do you think a lot of long-time riders don't like flow trails?Among the many projects you've been involved with over the years, which ones are your favorites?What is the biggest misconception riders have about trail design?What's next for you, and for IMBA Trail Solutions?Get more information about IMBA and IMBA Trail Solutions at imba.com.An automatically generated transcript will be available at Singletracks.com later today.This episode is sponsored by Trailbot. Trailbot is the smarter way for trail managers to communicate updates without relying on social media. Don’t let The Algorithm bury your posts—easily share conditions and closures to your web site, social media and the app all at once. Best of all, it’s free.Trailbot is used by over 260 trail systems in 17 states and growing fast. Over 50,000 riders have installed the free iOS and Android apps to get official updates with optional push notifications, without having to see what their weird relative posted on social media. Learn more at ⁠trailbot.com⁠.

Lee McCormack is a mountain bike skills instructor and coach, and he's the author of nearly a dozen books, including the NICA Skills Training Manual. He's written extensively on bike fitting and fitness training, and just last year he launched his own bike brand, Mistress Cycles.How have mountain biking techniques changed over the years?What's the difference between a good mountain bike racer, and a good mountain bike coach? Is pedal cadence important for mountain biking? How do you know if your cadence is too fast or too slow? How can you improve your cadence?Why are you such a fan of pump tracks. Why?How do Moto Cranx work on a pump track?Do you think mountain bikers tend to be overconfident, or underconfident in their skills?Do you think it's possible to be faster in your 40s or 50s than in your 20s by maintaining fitness and progressing your skills?How did Mistress Cycles come about? What is it about "modern" mountain bike geometry that you find frustrating?You've come out with some innovative products over the years, like the RipRow trainer and Moto Cranx. In addition to the bikes from Mistress Cycles, do you have any other projects in the works?You can keep up with the latest from Lee McCormack on Instagram @leelikesbikes, where you'll find links to all of the projects we talked about today.An automated transcript of our edited conversation is provided at singletracks.com. Click here for an unedited video of our conversation, where Lee illustrates many of the concepts discussed. Note: may contain brief language some readers find offensive.This podcast episode is sponsored by Backslope Tools.Backslope Tools designs and produces innovative lockable, stackable, and field-repairable tools for trail building, landscaping, and gardening. With 20 years of trailbuilding experience, Backslope is putting the right tools for the job into builders' hands, from individuals to full-on trail crews. Order online at backslopetools.com and save 15% on your order with code SingletracksPod.

David Folch is the founder and CEO of Dirty Sixer, a boutique bike builder focused on fitting tall riders with big wheel bikes. The Dirty Sixer line currently features gravel, all-road, and electric bikes, and will soon include a mountain bike with 32" wheels.How did your brand Dirty Sixer get started?How tall do you have to be for a 32er to make sense?What are some of the MTB geometry challenges involved in designing around 32" wheels? Does anything get easier in terms of fitting tall riders thanks to the bigger wheels?Has tire availability limited the development of 32" wheel bikes up until this point?Are any current MTB forks designed to fit 32" wheels?You hinted that you're working on a full-suspension mountain bike with 32" wheels. What are the challenges involved in designing a bike like that?Will a 36er mountain bike ever be viable in terms of tire and fork availability? There are several comments on your Instagram posts from people who are against the idea of a mountain bike with 32" wheels, seemingly because this would represent another standard. Do you think 32" wheels will ever gain significant traction like 29er wheels did in the early 2000s?What's next for you in terms of big wheel mountain bike development?Visit dirtysixer.com to get more info about the bikes and tech discussed in this episode.--Keep up with the latest in mountain biking at Singletracks.com and on Instagram @singletracks