The Pinkbike Podcast

Episode 237 - Is World Cup XC Actually Worth Watching?

While Henry enjoys riding shorter travel cross-country bikes, he doesn't follow the pro circuit all that closely. In this episode, Sarah gives Henry an idiot's guide to XC and why there's more to it than meets the eye.

Episode 236 - Getting to Know Henry Quinney

We chat about how he got into riding as a teenager, how he bounced back and forth chasing summer in the UK and New Zealand for years, his time as a World Cup mechanic, why he left GMBN, some of his endurance feats including an attempt at the FKT riding across all of New Zealand and riding 1,000,000 feet in a year, and much more. Henry's an incredibly introspective person and so this was a really interesting conversation.  

Episode 235 - Does Mountain Biking Need Its Own 'Drive to Survive'?

Romain Dompnier and Madison Wallinger explain what goes into a season of in-depth mountain biking coverage, the power of archetypes and how race coverage can help the sport grow.

Episode 234 - Remi Gauvin on Racing, Riding & How Everything Changes

Remi Gauvin has seen it all in racing, from their early days as a promising junior to climbing the ranks of Enduro. In this chat we cover his roots in downhill, what it really takes to do both disciplines and how the sport is changing - for good and for bad.

Episode 233 - Tara Llanes on Reinventing Herself As a Wheelchair Basketball Paralympian

Tara Llanes has been wildly accomplished at the high levels of multiple sports - BMX, MTB, and wheelchair basketball, not to mention wheelchair tennis - and she also has a whole lot more life experience to share. In 2007, in what she thought was her second-to-last race before retiring from her career as a mountain biker, a devastating crash changed things for her. She spent the next several years going through intense processing, a move to Canada, some serious mental low points, a growing in...

Episode 232 - The Emergency Response Side

Amy Ertel and Steve Vanderhoek are two people who bring a lot to our sport: both in terms of their excellent riding and when it comes to their jobs and risk preparedness. Amy is a nurse, Steve is a firefighter, and both are extraordinary riders.

Episode 231 - Secrets of the 2024 Taipei Cycle Show

Dario and Brian are joined by Alvin from our sister publication Velo to discuss the products we saw, the factories we toured, and the food we ate at this year's Taipei Cycle Show.

Episode 230 - Gracey Hemstreet on Redbull Hardline, Growing up in a Bike Park and Graduating to Elites

Episode 229 - What Makes Your Bike YOURS

Could you choose your bike out of a lineup? If so, how? Whether it's strange suspension setups, cockpit changes or just particular tires, we all have things that make our bikes our own.

Episode 228 - Eliot Jackson on the Early Days of Pinkbike, Grow Cycling’s 2024 Plans, & More

Eliot Jackson has been a busy guy after retiring from World Cup DH racing. He's a Red Bull commentator, an ambassador for various cycling brands, the founder of Grow Cycling Foundation, and the organizer of a brand new event called Aspire. As you can imagine from listening to him on live broadcasts, he's a really fun guy to chat with and Alicia, Brian and I were lucky to catch up with him earlier this month before he headed to Australia to commentate at Red Bull Hardline. Our free flowing co...

Episode 227 - Getting to Know Sarah Moore

Sarah Moore is incredibly important to the Pinkbike, cross-synergized ecosystem of symbiotic workflow, not least because she guides so much content and new coverage. Here, she and Henry talk about her racing World Cups, "what's good", women in the industry, and the slightly more light-hearted side of breaking both arms.

Episode 226 - Aaron Gwin Will Ride Crestline, Plus His Commentary and Racing Plans for 2024

When the UCI team list was released for the upcoming season, there were many answers to be found about who will be riding what. One inclusion that didn't shed too much like, however, was Aaron Gwin's name under his eponymous racing team. What bikes were they riding? What would this team look like? And will Aaron himself be lining up at World Cups this year or being confined to the commentary box as he rehabilitates from an arm injury sustained early last season? In short, the bikes will be f...

Episode 225 - Yoann Barelli on Finding His Place in MTB, the Grim Donut and Where Freeride's At

Yoann Barelli has done a bit of everything in his time. Whether it's slogging out World Cups as a privateer, moving to BC, or turning pro slightly later than others, his contribution to the sport of mountain biking is undeniable. Editor's Note - Our audio file corrupted, so for the first part of the interview we're using backup audio. If you wish to skip this part go to 40 minutes. Thank you for your understanding.

Episode 224 - Rónán Dunne on Signing for Mondraker, His Secret Broken Scaphoid & Getting Fired Up To Race

We talk about signing for one of his dream brands, how he kept his broken scaphoid a secret until he'd signed a contract for 2024 on the dotted line, what riding a bike with telemetry for the first time was like, how many Red Bulls he drinks on race day, being mates with Jackson Goldstone, what he does when his competitors start to complain, and more.

Episode 223 - Our Teenage Dream Bikes

We all had different journeys into mountain biking and at different stages in our lives. Here, Henry, Matt, Dario and Kaz talk through the good, bad, and downright weird bikes that they were infatuated with and why. See the bikes here.

Episode 222 - Vali Höll on Why She's Back With YT for 2024

YT Industries saw promise in Vali Höll before she even started racing on the World Cup circuit, signing her on a six-year contract when she was just 13 years old. The Austrian then went on to win two Junior World Cup overall titles as well as two World Championship titles on the YT Tues before moving up to the Elite category. A nasty crash sidelined her for her first Elite World Championships in 2020, but she came back swinging in 2021 as a part of the newly formed RockShox Trek Race Team, w...

Episode 221 - Jesse Melamed on Rivalries, His Reasons for Leaving Rocky & the Unwritten Rules of Racing

In a chat that felt like it could go on for twice as long, Jesse really lifts the veil to talk about so much of what goes into being a pro enduro racer, the risk of moving away from a successful team as well as breaking down some of his highest moments and discussing where enduro sits when compared to other disciplines. Plus, Henry, Christina, Sarah and Matt tune in with the latest news.

Episode 220 - Greg Minnaar On Setting Up A Dream World Cup Team with Norco Bicycles

After 16 years together, Greg Minnaar's name was synonymous with that of the Santa Cruz Syndicate, but in a move that surprised everyone this off-season, even Minnaar himself, the Syndicate let go the 42-year-old South African. That left the four-time world champion scrambling to find a ride for 2024 mid-October in a year where budgets were tight. While the past several months have been anything but restful, you don't win 23 World Cups without being a hard worker and Minnaar has signed a thr...

Episode 219 - What We Got Wrong, What We'd Like to be and How to Enjoy Your Resolutions More

Dario, Kaz and Sarah join Henry to explain ski fashion, give insight into the PB awards, and talk about why forming habits can be hard.

Episode 218 - Rating Each Other's 2024 Predictions

Join us for our last pod of 2023 as Kaz, Henry and Sarah sit down in Squamish to question whether our own predictions will really come to pass.

Episode 217 - Learning About Adaptive Mountain Biking with Stacy Kohut, Alex Cairns, & Cole Bernier

One of the fastest-changing areas of mountain biking could be said to be AMTBs. The technology, some of which is shared with e-bikes, is enabling more and more people to get into the sport that we're all so passionate about. Three riders, Stacy Kohut, Alex Cairns, and Cole Bernier, came down to our Squamish HQ to talk us through where the sport is, as well as where it's going. In this far-ranging chat, we talk about the tech, the trails, and whether the industry is truly set up to embrace th...

Episode 216 - The Man Who's Seen It All at Pinkbike Racing With Harry Jenkinson

Harry and Henry spent a lot of time together over the 2022 race season and here we reunite for a very informal chat about life on the circuit, as well as giving Harry's insight into life at PBR.

Episode 214 - Ben Cathro On Leading Pinkbike Racing, Troubleshooting His Brain & Focusing On His Strengths

Ben Cathro is someone who helps the rest of us understand World Cup racing by making videos breaking it down. His video work with Pinkbike led him to start Pinkbike Racing, and now he's led the team for two seasons. Ben himself is a racer, coach, video creator, team manager, team mentor, father, husband, friend... in this episode, we talk about the struggle of managing all of it, both with the team and as a person, plus he tells me about his process, his retirement from racing, and more. I re...

Episode 215 - Ben Cathro On Leading Pinkbike Racing, Troubleshooting His Brain & Focusing On His Strengths

Ben Cathro is someone who helps the rest of us understand World Cup racing by making videos breaking it down. His video work with Pinkbike led him to start Pinkbike Racing, and now he's led the team for two seasons. Ben himself is a racer, coach, video creator, team manager, team mentor, father, husband, friend... in this episode, we talk about the struggle of managing all of it, both with the team and as a person, plus he tells me about his process, his retirement from racing, and more. I re...

Episode 214: Mike Levy's Last Podcast

Mike Kazimer and Brian Park sit down with Mike Levy in a cold, cramped garage to reflect on his time at Pinkbike and read a bunch of stories from coworkers and industry friends. We also take a short detour about aliens, bigfoot, and sim racing, before talking about Levy's plans for the future and ending the podcast before we get all emotional and weird. Apologies in advance for the strong language, this one is a bit raw. All the best, Levy.

Episode 213: Behind the Crankworx Scenes with Managing Director Darren Kinnaird

Darren Kinnaird is the ringleader for all things Crankworx, and with so much change happening these days in the world of mountain bike events, Crankworx seems uniquely poised to push the sport forward. When we heard about a big announcement from Crankworx about what to expect from the series next year, Brian Park and I caught up with Kinnaird to hear the full story.

Episode 212 - World Cup's "Mechanics Meeting" with John Hall and Jim Bland

What goes into being a world cup mechanic? Is it all glitz and glamour or is it more about processes, planning, and cleaning shoes? Henry talks to two mechanics who are at slightly different stages of their journey. John has been Aaron Gwin's mechanic for a decade and has seen it all from the very top. He shares some stories about supporting one of modern downhill's defining athletes. Jim Bland just finished his second season working for the slightly smaller Union team. While not a factory o...

Episode 211 - Thibault Laly Explains His Many Roles at Pinkbike Racing

Thibault Laly is a dedicated racer who has spent time on a variety of teams, and for the past two seasons has represented Pinkbike Racing at the top of the game. In this episode, we chat about the story of his racing career so far, this year's Hardline, and what it's like to balance his many PBR responsibilities.

Episode 210 - Staying Motivated in the Off-Season & Toaster Talk

Dario, Kaz, and Alicia chat about their tactics for staying motivated when the days are short and the nights are long.

Episode 209 - Aimi Kenyon Reflects on the Highs and Lows of Another Year of PBR

Aimi Kenyon enjoyed so much success in her first season in the World Cup junior field, but replicating it would push her unbelievably hard. Here, we get a glimpse behind the curtain of Aimi's season.

Episode 208 - Aaron Gwin on Winning, Team-Swaps and What He Would Give for a Rainbow Jersey

Whatever metric you use, Aaron Gwin is one of the most successful World Cup Racers of all time. Henry sat down with him to talk all his career, what's next and his steps into bike park ownership.

Episode 207 - Brook Macdonald on MSA, and What He Needs to Ride at His Best

Brook is a fan favourite, and not without good reason. We talk about his reputation for being tough, bike setup and what it's like coming back to Mont Sainte Anne.

Episode 206 - What Loic Bruni is Hiding, OE Deals and Motocross with Öhlins's Terje Hansen

Why couldn't you ride Loic's bike? And why is your setup so bad compared to a World Cup Racer's machine? TJ explores the topic with Henry. Note - During the first exchange you might hear some background noise (a small fan that we used on a hot day). The rest of the interview doesn't feature this sound.

Episode 205 - The Field Test Roundtable Podcast

The field test is over, and what a field test it has been. The eight bikes, each bringing something very different to the table, represent some of the modern of modern enduro geometry, technology, and frame design. However, that's not to say we didn't have our favorites. Listen to us rank them and explain our reasoning.

Episode 204 - Inside the Development of Schwalbe's Mountain Bike Tires

Mountain bike tires are a dark art, so Henry Quinney and I sat down with Schwalbe product manager Carl Kämper to ask all the questions. How do new tires get developed? What does testing look like? Why are they so damn expensive? We were also joined by Felix Jahn, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility, with insights into the business of actually making tires, and the challenges faced in trying to lower their impacts.

Episode 203 - Nina Hoffman on World Cups, Starting Late and Making the Syndicate Her Home

In the last five years, Nina has gone from newcomer to world cup winner. We wanted to find out about her mindset, her perception of downhill compared to her initial career in athletics and what's it like joining one of the downhill's biggest, most established, and most successful teams.

Episode 202 - Neko Mulally on His Perfect Conceptual Bike, US Downhill Racing and Signing a Prodigious Talent

There are few downhill mountain bikers that are so multifaceted as Neko MulallyRacer. Not only is he racing World Cups, but he also runs a race series, supports grassroots riding and racing, has his own brand and team, develops his own bike, AND somehow finds time to represent the riders' union and scout the next big thing in US downhill. In this far-ranging chat, we try to cover as much as possible knowing full well that might just be a thankless task.

Episode 201 - Wyn Masters on Privateers, Enduro and Staying Authentic

Wyn's efforts to support privateers shouldn't be understated and, for such an established World Cup rider, his refreshing take on what downhill should be manages to articulate thoughts many of us may well have had. During the next month, we'll be going to podcasts every Monday and Thursday, and we hope you enjoy this cadence.

Episode 200 - Troy Brosnan on Bike Development, Fast Team-mates & the Problem with Consistency

Troy Brosnan is a downhill athlete with a record like few others. As somebody who's only ridden for two World Cup teams in over a decade in the sport, he's ridden some period-defining bikes against some team-mates that rank amongst the all-time greats. We sat down in Mont-Sainte-Anne to find out more.

The Pinkbike Racing Podcast - 15 Minute MSA Race Fly-By

The winners of the final round of the 2023 overall are here, and we sit down to reflect upon another vintage race.

The Pinkbike Racing Podcast - 15 Minute MSA Qualifying Fly-By

What's going on with the overall? And who needs what to win it? Remy and Henry dive in.

Episode 199 - Whose XC Bike is it Anyway?

Downhill bikes typically have 200 mm of travel, and enduro bikes around 160, but cross-country bikes could have anything between 65 and 120. Progressive and conservative bikes compete against one another at the highest level, and some of these bikes even seem like things you'd ride for fun. But where is the category going? And what do we think of the current crop?

Episode 198 - Our Pedantic Pet Peeves

In this week's podcast, Dario, Kaz, and Matt join Henry to go over our worst and silliest complaints, as well as some of the things that never fail to put a smile on our face.

Episode 197 - When Will Women Ride Red Bull Rampage? (with Vaea Verbeeck)

Red Bull Rampage is the largest, most important freeride mountain bike event in the world. Rampage historically hasn't included a women's field, and Red Bull has been promoting the development of women's freeride through a non-competition event called Formation that's held on the same terrain. This year Formation was cancelled, leading some to speculate that Rampage might include a women's field. When the rider list came out last week, we were disappointed to see neither a women's field nor a...

Episode 196 - The Industry Ideas That Just Keep Coming Back

In this weeks podcast, Henry, Dario, Kaz and Matt talk about what they wish would come back, and what they hope goes for ever. There are lukewarm takes, some strange tangents and some ideas that are just flatly antiquated and wrong.

Episode 195 - Getting to Know Pinkbike Fast Guy Matt Beer

Matt Beer joined Pinkbike in 2021 and has made himself a something of a niche in the interveening time - testing downhill bikes, as well as contributing towards the editorial departments efforts in everything from Field Tests to gear reviews. Prior to Pinkbike, however, Matt won two national downhill championships and Henry was eager to learn more.

Episode 194 - Rainbow Stripes, Dream Downhill Teams and What Enduro COULD Be with Miranda Miller

It's not every day you get to speak to a World Champion, it's also not every podcast when the guest is willing to give you a huge amount of honesty as they look over some of their own, and mountain biking's, greatest achievements. Miranda Miller and Henry Quinney talk about where World Cup racing is going, what enduro should look like, plus which of the fast French riders she'd have on her dream World Cup team.

Episode 193 - Freeride, Firefighting and Fear with Steve Vanderhoek

In this far-reaching conversation, we talk about everything from extreme injury, modern freeride, and social media, as well as the consequences of crashing such as fear or healing mental wounds. We even touch on why the modern enduro bike might just be the bike freeride has been waiting for.

Episode 192 - Vodcast?! - Shockweek Roundtable Discussion

This week I am joined by Matt Beer and Dario DiGuilio to work out which is the greatest air shock of them all. Matt and Dario spent a great deal of time testing these shocks in Whistler to find out the nuances, and niggles of high-performance, high-pressure air shocks. To celebrate Shock Week, this podcast is available both in the regular audio, which is sandwiched by the news intro, and a full length vodcast. 

Episode 191 - Getting to Know Alicia Leggett

Alicia has been with Pinkbike for several years and, at Crankworx Whistler, we had the opportunity to sit down and get to know her a little better in a candid and informal conversation. Some of the elements in this conversation are unfiltered, open, and at times quite frank, which we hope isn't too out of place for regular Pinkbike Podcast listeners. At the very worst, you'll at least know us a little better for it.