The Inside Line Podcast - Vital MTB Vital MTB

On today's podcast, Tech Editor Jason Schroeder brings you a pulse check on the state of our beloved mountain bike industry. Last week, during the Sea Otter Classic, he chatted with some industry folks from Santa Cruz Bicycles, Maxxis Tires, Feedback Sports, Transition Bicycles, Industry Nine, Orbea, FSA Components, Trek Bicycles, Hunt Wheels, and Privateer Bikes. And asked one simple question: now that we are a few years past the COVID bike boom, what is the state of the industry? Are things good? Are they bad? And where do you see things going in the next 12-24 months? Here is what people had to say.  

:43 - Maxxis Tires 
5:57 - Santa Cruz Bicycles
8:21 - Trek Bicycles
9:52 - Hunt Wheels
17:00 Transition Bikes
21:27 - Feedback Sports
24:32 - FSA
26:52 - Industry Nine
32:11 - Orbea Bikes
More Sea Otter content: https://www.vitalmtb.com/tags/sea_otter_classic_event

More MTB news: https://www.vitalmtb.com/

Join Vital Tech Editor Jason Schroeder as he wanders the sea of vendor tents at the 2024 Sea Otter Classic. From new products to athlete check-ins to Pro dual slalom practice, get a taste of what it's like to have boots on the ground at the event. 

1:28 - Checking in with Brandon Turman
5:15 - Crankbrothers SOS Tools
8:32 - B Zone loamers and Fort William predictions with George Browne
14:14 - Mondraker on moving to the U.S.
21:18 - Dillon Lemarr chats working at TLD and Fort William predictions
34:31 - Kiran MacKinnon from Santa Cruz Bicycles chats suspension tuning and bike development

Join Vital Tech Editor Jason Schroeder as he wanders the sea of vendor tents at the 2024 Sea Otter Classic. From new products to athlete check-ins to Pro dual slalom practice, get a taste of what it's like to have boots on the ground at the event. 

:35 - Derek Teel of Dialed Health
 4:03 - Nik Nestoroff chats slalom finals prep and Maven brakes
 6:11 - 2024 news with Industry Nine
 8:43 - New forks from SR Suntour
 14:43 - John Hall from Intense Cycles
 28:39 - Intense’s gearbox downhill bike
 40:33 - Transition Bikes
 49:06 - Checking in with Marco Osborne
 52:47 - Norco Sight and Optic link + 60-Year Anniversary
 55:54 - Dual Slalom Finals

Join Vital Tech Editor Jason Schroeder as he wanders the sea of vendor tents at the 2024 Sea Otter Classic. From new products to athlete check-ins to Pro dual slalom practice, get a taste of what it's like to have boots on the ground at the event. 
:53 - Tannus Inserts new Fusion 
3:08 - Ride Wrap
5:41 - DEITY Components - new grip and two new pedals (coming in June)
12:45 - Dakotah Norton - Slalom update
14:40 - Ari Bikes - custom slalom bike for Kyle Strait; updates on the new DH bike
17:45 - New Hunt Wheels coming this summer…
21:09 - Privateer Bikes now being sold in the US
23:48 - Interview with Braydon Bringhurst
More Sea Otter content:
Day 2 Photo Gallery #1 - https://www.vitalmtb.com/pit-bits-sea-otter-2024-day-2
Day 2 You Tube Video - https://www.vitalmtb.com/videos/features/sea-otter-classic-2024-crazy-and-cool-day-2-slalom-practice-raw
vitalmtb.com

Join Vital Tech Editor, Jason Schroeder, as he wanders the sea of vendor tents at the 2024 Sea Otter Classic. From new products to athlete check-ins to Pro dual slalom practice, get a taste of what it's like to have boots on the ground at the event. 
Day 1 Photo Gallery #1 - https://www.vitalmtb.com/photos/features/pit-bits-sea-otter-2024-day-1/pit-bits-sea-otter-2024-day-1
Day 1 Photo Gallery #2 - https://www.vitalmtb.com/photos/features/pit-bits-sea-otter-2024-day-1-part-2/pit-bits-sea-otter-2024-day-1-part-2
Day 1 You Tube Video - https://www.vitalmtb.com/videos/features/sea-otter-classic-2024-crazy-and-cool-day-1

To learn more and hear our thoughts on the new Grip X2 damper, check out our First Ride review.

After years of mostly positive reviews intertwined with some shortcomings, FOX has ditched its Grip2 and FIT4 dampers for model year 2025 forks. In their place are three new dampers that seek to offer a heightened level of discipline-focused performance and features.

Grip SL - XC, short track, marathon
Grip X - all mountain, trail
Grip X2 - all-mountain, enduro, gravity

We joined FOX for a few days at their HQ in Scotts Valley, California, to get the run down from their engineering and development team on the new damper line and the goals surrounding each product.

0:00 - Overview of Grip dampers with Bill Brown, Head of Engineering
14:35 - Grip X2 details and development goals with Sergio Avanto, Manager of Product Performance
SUPERCROSS TALK WITH SERGIO
27:19 - Who was most difficult to work with (hint: the world's fastest German SX racer)
Epic insight into James Stewart during his prime 
45:49 - Jett Lawrence vs. James Stewart
50:13 - Similarities between supercross suspension and mountain bike suspension  
55:48 - Remi Gauvin of the Rocky Mountain Gravity Team talks about the differences in performance and setup between Grip 2 and Grip X2