This week we’re re-sharing one of our favorite podcast episodes, and we’ll be back next week with an all-new show. Dee Tidwell is a professional coach and the founder of Train to Ride which provides cycling-specific training programs and plans for mountain biking, road, gravel, and moto riding. He’s also a two time Big Mountain Enduro Master’s Champ and has worked with countless professional athletes including members of the Yeti/Fox Factory professional EWS race team. We ask Dee: What is the Performance Pyramid, and how does it work? Walk us through each level. Is it OK to skip some of the lower levels and jump right to the top? How electric mountain bike riding and racing this differ from more traditional mountain bike training? Do you find that people really hate cardio so much that they avoid training altogether? Is equipment cost an excuse people use for not working on getting stronger? Is soft tissue therapy something folks can work on at home with foam rollers and massage guns, or is this one area where working with a physical or massage therapist in person is beneficial? Have you seen a shift in the mix of your clients over the years between racers and folks who just want to ride for fun? What are the risks associated with over training? How do you know if you’re over training? Why is full body strength so important for mountain biking? How are golf and cycling related in terms of fitness and mobility? Is it true that mountain biking is the new golf? How can riders deal with pain and fatigue on long rides? How does a lack of strength or fitness contribute to our risk for injury? What can we do to have more fun on the mountain bike next season? Find more information about Dee and learn about training programs at TrainToRide.com. ✏️ A written transcript of this conversation is available to Singletracks Pro supporters: singletracks.com/support --Keep up with the latest in mountain biking at Singletracks.com and on Instagram @singletracks

Gary Moore is the executive director of the Colorado Mountain Bike Association, COMBA. The group is dedicated to the interests of the Front Range mountain biking community in and around Denver. In this episode we ask: What is the Colorado Mountain Bike Association's mission and how large is your membership? How many miles of singletrack does COMBA help support? When and why did COMBA get its start? How long have you been with COMBA, and how did you get involved? Did the recent boom in mountain bike participation translate into COMBA membership growth? What is the biggest misconception the community tends to have about their local advocacy groups? What are some of the most popular trails your group helps support? Are some Front Range trails particularly popular with MTB tourists? Are there many opportunities for new trail builds on the Front Range? Can trail growth keep up with demand from new residents, and new riders? How do you decide which trails projects to pursue? Is unauthorized trail building a problem in the Denver metro area? What does the current discussion around e-bike trail access look like for COMBA, especially when it comes to city and county trails along the Front Range? What’s the biggest constraint or major challenge COMBA faces in carrying out and achieving the mission? What’s next for COMBA? To get involved or learn more, visit COMBA.org. ✏️ A written transcript of this conversation is available to Singletracks Pro supporters: singletracks.com/support --Keep up with the latest in mountain biking at Singletracks.com and on Instagram @singletracks

This week we’re re-sharing one of our favorite podcast episodes, and we’ll be back next week with an all-new show. Dr. Adam Phaneuf is a Doctor of Chiropractic with a degree in Exercise Science based in Bellingham, WA. He’s also a bike fitter and has studied bicycle biomechanics. In this interview we ask Adam: Is it true that cycling is lower impact than other activities like jogging? Do you think mountain biking is higher impact than road cycling? What are some of the most common ride-related issues folks tend to have? Are certain muscles, or body parts, more prone to injury or pain for mountain bikers? Do oval chain rings work for reducing pain? Are there any biomechanical advantages to them that riders can benefit from? How can riders know if it’s their form that needs to be changed, or if it’s something about the bike fit that’s wrong? What is arm pump, and what causes it? Can vibration on the bike lead to any health or pain issues? Can things like suspension stems or seat posts be helpful for some people? How does bike fit change, if at all, based on the type or length of ride we’re doing? What is the ideal saddle tilt for mountain biking? How do you dial that in correctly? Are there pros and cons to trying a more rearward cleat placement for mountain biking? What do you think about the idea of video/online bike fitting? To learn more or connect with Adam and his team visit apexchirobellingham.com or on Instagram @apexbellingham. ✏️ A written transcript of this conversation is available to Singletracks Pro supporters: singletracks.com/support --Keep up with the latest in mountain biking at Singletracks.com and on Instagram @singletracks

Craig Durkin is the founder of Wandrer.earth, an exploration game that encourages people to explore new places by bike and by foot. He and his wife Pearl are also good friends, and we’ve been riding together regularly for a few years now. In this episode we ask Craig: Are you still biking abandoned railroad tracks with this contraption? Why did you first get into mountain biking? What is Wandrer and how does it work? What are some of the interesting things you’ve see on your rides? Are there plans to create specific challenges for mountain biking, and MTB trails? Who would you say is the best MTB trials rider of all time? Learn more and sign up for a free account at Wandrer.earth. ✏️ A written transcript of this conversation is available to Singletracks Pro supporters: singletracks.com/support --Keep up with the latest in mountain biking at Singletracks.com and on Instagram @singletracks

Aaron and Emily Kerson founded PNW Components in 2015. The customer-focused brand is known for offering quality components like dropper posts, handlebars, and now clothing at affordable prices. In this interview we ask: What kind of bike industry experience did you have before starting PNW? Did you observe any problems you wanted to solve, or were there efficiencies that were being overlooked? What was the first product PNW launched? Why did you choose that product or product line to start? Who does your product design and development? Is working with local bike shops and brick and mortar retailers becoming more important as the brand grows? What is your customer service philosophy? Is the customer always right? Why did you decide to offer a lifetime warranty for PNW products? What’s one thing buyers can do to keep their dropper post working smoothly? Are there unique advantages and/or challenges to working with your spouse? Is there any pressure to increase prices on the products you sell? How are you keeping prices low? PNW, along with a number of brands, recently launched a line of cycling apparel. Why clothing? Learn more about the company at pnwcomponents.com. ✏️ A written transcript of this conversation is available to Singletracks Pro supporters: singletracks.com/support --Keep up with the latest in mountain biking at Singletracks.com and on Instagram @singletracks

Otis Guy started racing mountain bikes at Repack in the late 1970s and competed at the first mountain bike World Championships in 1990. He’s also been a frame builder since the 1980s and currently works as a youth cycling coach in Northern California. In this interview we ask Otis: How did you get introduced to mountain bikes and mountain biking? What appealed to you about riding off road? How do the early trails on Mt. Tam compare to the purpose-built mountain bike trails being created today? Are you still building bike frames today? What do you think about the current trend toward slacker MTB head tube angles? What were the mountain bike race courses like in the 1990s? Did your pro team, racing full suspension bikes, have a big advantage over other teams at the time? Did you and Joe Breeze ever complete the tandem bike ride from San Francisco to New York? How did you learn mountain bike skills? Did you have a coach?What is the focus of your youth MTB camps? What do you hope kids will get out of mountain biking? What’s one thing you want today’s mountain bikers to know about the history of our sport? To learn more about his frame building business and coaching visit otisguycycles.com. ✏️ A written transcript of this conversation is available to Singletracks Pro supporters: singletracks.com/support --Keep up with the latest in mountain biking at Singletracks.com and on Instagram @singletracks

Aaron Abrams is Director of Product for Marin Bicycles and is currently based in Taiwan. The Marin bike brand has been around since 1986 and the company’s slogan says their bikes are “Made For Fun.” In this episode we talk about how mountain bikes are specced, and how product managers make decisions about which parts to include. When planning out the builds for a bike like the Marin Rift Zone 29 (three options, priced between $2,000 and $3,000), do you start with a set of say 3 price targets and choose the best parts that make those prices work? How important is overall bike weight when it comes to build specs? What is the purpose of speccing house-brand components like bars, saddles, and stems on bike builds? Is there a lot of cost savings by going this route? Why did Marin recently start selling branded aftermarket grips, bars, and stems? We rarely see full suspension builds that mix and match forks and shocks from different brands. Why is that? How do you know if consumers are going to like a part, say a particular tire model, or if it’s going to perform as well as another competing part choice? Why do so many entry-level, budget bikes include front derailleurs? Is it because no one is making a cheap 1-by drivetrain, or because buyers at this price point think they want a lot of gears? What is the first component you would personally upgrade when buying an entry-level mountain bike? Why can't customers choose from a menu of parts when ordering a mountain bike? Why are we still, for the most part, limited to just a few set choices when it comes to builds? Have pandemic-related supply chain issues altered the way brands are thinking about bike builds going forward? Do the athletes you work with weigh in on component choices and build specs for the models they ride? Do outside sponsorships make this tricky? Where do customers tend to get the best value when it comes to buying a complete bike: at the low end, or the high end? To get a better sense of some of the parts and builds discussed check out marinbikes.com. ✏️ A written transcript of this conversation is available to Singletracks Pro supporters: singletracks.com/support --Keep up with the latest in mountain biking at Singletracks.com and on Instagram @singletracks

Matt De Young is the executive director of the Santa Cruz Mountains Trail Stewardship, a non-profit that “builds and maintains great trails for everyone, and connects communities to nature through responsible outdoor recreation.” In this episode we ask: How is the SCMTS organized? How many miles of bike trails does SCMTS support? When and why did the SCMTS get its start? Why the name change from Mountain Bikers of Santa Cruz to Santa Cruz Mountains Trail Stewardship? Are trail user conflicts a big issue in the Santa Cruz area? The SCMTS is one of the most vocal groups that’s promoting scientific studies showing the environmental impacts of mountain biking. How did the Mountain Biking Impact Review report come together? Tell us a bit about your professional trail building team. What types of projects do they work on, and how does that support the overall mission? What are some of the most popular trails your group helps support? Are any of the trails particularly popular with MTB tourists, or are most riders local residents? With big bike brands like Santa Cruz and Ibis located in the area, is your group able to benefit from corporate sponsorships? What’s the relationship like with UCSC? Are there many opportunities for new trail builds in Santa Cruz county? What does the current discussion around e-bike trail access look like for SCMTS? What’s the biggest constraint SCMTS faces in carrying out and growing the mission? What’s next for SCMTS in 2022 and beyond? Connect with SCMTS at santacruztrails.org. ✏️ A written transcript of this conversation is available to Singletracks Pro supporters: singletracks.com/support --Keep up with the latest in mountain biking at Singletracks.com and on Instagram @singletracks

Dale Boyd and Drew Hall are mountain bikers and trail builders living in Mobile, Alabama. They’re part of a group called Ride the Rebellion that posts videos and podcasts about their efforts to build and ride trails in a part of the US that isn’t traditionally known for mountain biking. In this episode we ask: What was the local mountain bike scene like when you first got into the sport? How did you come up with the name Ride the Rebellion for your group? How many folks are a part of the group? Is there an official membership process? What are some ways you’ve found to make flat terrain more fun to ride? How did you learn to build trails and trail features? How do you come up with names for trails and trail features? What is the status of the land where you build trails? How did you get permission to build and ride there? What is your agreement like with the landowner in terms of what you can, and can’t, do? Can anyone ride the trail whenever they like, or is it a members-only situation? What is the role of video and podcasting in building your real-life MTB community? Do you travel outside Alabama to mountain bike? What are some of your favorite places to ride outside your local area? What have you learned along the way that might be helpful to others in a similar situation? Find Ride the Rebellion video channel on YouTube and their podcast on Spotify. ✏️ A written transcript of this conversation is available to Singletracks Pro supporters: singletracks.com/support --Keep up with the latest in mountain biking at Singletracks.com and on Instagram @singletracks

Ben Turits runs a coaching business and sports therapy practice called The Endurance Collective. He’s a former professional mountain bike racer and current USA Cycling coach working with both pro and amateur athletes alike. In this episode we ask: How did your first enduro race go? What type of training did you do to prepare? What does VO2 max measure?How is it measured? Is using heart rate data to estimate VO2 max fairly accurate? Are there specific types of training that are effective in raising VO2 max? How important is VO2 max for predicting performance? What is lactate threshold?What does it measure? How is it measured? Is lactate threshold directly related to power? Are there other similar fitness metrics that riders can or should pay attention to? Is there a difference between mountain bikers and road bikers when it comes to the importance of certain metrics? Is it possible to get the same quality workout on the trail vs. on the trainer?Is gravel riding a good substitute for road riding in terms of the training benefits? How do you know if you’re under- or over-fueled on longer rides? Learn more or connect with Ben and the Endurance Collective on their website (theendurancecollective.com) and YouTube channel. ✏️ A written transcript of this conversation is available to Singletracks Pro supporters: singletracks.com/support --Keep up with the latest in mountain biking at Singletracks.com and on Instagram @singletracks