We’re back and (mostly) recovered from Sea Otter, so David and Simon sat down to discuss the highlights and main trends from the show. And we’re busy as ever testing bikes, so we give some updates on a bunch of them, from the Pivot Mach 4 SL to the Devinci Spartan, the Specialized Levo R to the Pivot Shuttle AMP’d, and more.

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Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide

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Hans Rey (Ep.319)

Chris Cocalis (Ep.321)

TOPICS & TIMES:

Sea Otter Recap (1:37)

Transition Spur (9:31)

Pivot Mach 4 SL (12:37)

Atherton A.150.M (19:25)

Specialized Turbo Levo R (26:29)

Devinci Spartan (34:04)

Pivot Shuttle AMP’d (39:54)

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There aren’t a lot of options for truly custom full-suspension frames out there, and the few that do exist tend to be very expensive. But Vessel Bike Project is offering US-made high-pivot steel frames with truly custom geometry and kinematics (and a massive amount of adjustability) for a surprisingly modest $3,300. So, how are they doing it? What does the customization process look like? And what is the general design philosophy behind Vessel? We dive into all of that and more with Vessel Founder, Jack Harle.

RELATED LINKS:

Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide

BLISTER+ Get Yourself Covered

TOPICS & TIMES:

Vessel’s backstory

Suspension kinematics & the baseline Vessel frame design

Frame layout

Anti-rise & its impact on performance

Selling bikes

The customization process

Leverage curves & tailoring them for different riders

Jack’s philosophy on bike design

Geometry

Suspension setup

Pricing & the ordering process

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Pivot just launched their new Avinox M2S powered Shuttle AMP’d, so today Pivot founder Chris Cocalis talks us through the development process, the decision to spec the controversial high-powered Avinox drive system, early prototypes, and the challenges of implementing a motor with that much power. He also gets into why he loves XC bikes, his thoughts on 32” wheels, and who he thinks is going to win the Supercross title, Eli Tomac, Ken Roczen, Hunter Lawrence, or?

Note: We Want to Hear From You!

Please let us know if there’s a topic you’d like us to cover or a guest you’d like us to have on Bikes and Big Ideas. Email us at info@blisterreview.com to weigh in.

RELATED LINKS:

Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide

BLISTER+ Get Yourself Covered

TOPICS & TIMES:

New Shuttle AMP’d (1:58)

Why Avinox? (2:13)

Motor Swaps & Early Prototyping (5:52)

Adding Some Beef to the Chassis (8:57)

New Shuttle LT (28:59)

New Mach 4 SL (32:45)

Chris’ Take on 32” Wheels (42:11)

Who’s Going to Win Supercross (48:42)

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