Downtime - The Mountain Bike Podcast

Alright, it’s time for a quarantine catch up with the one and only, Eddie Masters. We will be finding out how his season went, hearing about his get fit quick plan, chatting World Cup and EWS racing in general, team rumours, hotel room marathons, the state of World Cup downhill and plenty more. So hit play and join us for a catch-up. You can follow Eddie on Instagram @edmasters. Supporting Partners The Strength Factory If you want to make the most of smashing the trails next spring and summer, then now is the time to be putting in the work. The Strength Factory can help make sure you’re ready in the most time-efficient way with their Complete MTB Programme. As a Downtime listener, you can get $20 off the 8 week foundation part of the programme, until the 23rd November, by using the code ‘downtime‘ at the checkout. Just click here to check out the programme. If gym access is an issue, then you can get their Bodyweight MTB programme for a one off fee of £16 by heading here. Privateer Bikes Part of The Rider Firm family, Privateer Bikes was formed after they grew frustrated with the idea that progressive design meant premium prices. Deciding a different approach was needed, they sought to combine race-ready geometry with rider-focused features, to ensure frames live up to their namesake and can handle seasons worth of abuse. Developed with Top-20 EWS rider Matt Stuttard and the Enduro World Series in mind, their 161 race bike, features 161mm of rear travel and forward-thinking geometry to descend as fast as possible, whilst reducing fatigue with a low effort climbing position. Under Matt’s skilled piloting, the 161 has already proven itself capable of Top 10 finishes. Learning from this, the more trail orientated 141 followed closely, offering a ride more suited to those without the Alps in their back garden, but still want something capable of the odd local enduro or two. You can check out everything Privateer have to offer, including the awesome 161 and 141 by heading over to privateerbikes.com. Podcast Stuff My webstore is BACK! It’s brand new, with new designs, lower prices and faster shipping. All products are 100% organic, shipped without plastics, and made with a supply chain that’s using renewable energy. So check it out now over at downtimepodcast.com/shop. The new t-shirts are super soft and a lovely fit, so treat yourself and help the podcast at the same time. We’ve now got sweatshirts and hoodies too! For everything video, including riding videos, bike checks and more, subscribe over at

This weekend it was Lousã World Cup which hosted the final two rounds of the 2020 season. I’m joined by Eliot Jackson and Neko Mulally to chat about the racing. We cover all the important things, like what was Loic doing with his fork, will Greg race next year, and did the weather really change the results? So hit play and join us to chat about this years Lousã World Cup. The link to enter a sweepstake to be in with a chance of winning Neko’s jerseys and custom painted helmet is here. Also, why not check out Grow Cycling Foundation here. Supporting Partners The Strength Factory If you want to make the most of smashing the trails next spring and summer, then now is the time to be putting in the work. The Strength Factory can help make sure you’re ready in the most time-efficient way with their Complete MTB Programme. As a Downtime listener, you can get $20 off the 8 week foundation part of the programme, until the 23rd November, by using the code ‘downtime‘ at the checkout. Just click here to check out the programme. If gym access is an issue, then you can get their Bodyweight MTB programme for a one off fee of £16 by heading here. Privateer Bikes Part of The Rider Firm family, Privateer Bikes was formed after they grew frustrated with the idea that progressive design meant premium prices. Deciding a different approach was needed, they sought to combine race-ready geometry with rider-focused features, to ensure frames live up to their namesake and can handle seasons worth of abuse. Developed with Top-20 EWS rider Matt Stuttard and the Enduro World Series in mind, their 161 race bike, features 161mm of rear travel and forward-thinking geometry to descend as fast as possible, whilst reducing fatigue with a low effort climbing position. Under Matt’s skilled piloting, the 161 has already proven itself capable of Top 10 finishes. Learning from this, the more trail orientated 141 followed closely, offering a ride more suited to those without the Alps in their back garden, but still want something capable of the odd local enduro or two. You can check out everything Privateer have to offer, including the awesome 161 and 141 by heading over to privateerbikes.com. Podcast Stuff My webstore is BACK! It’s brand new, with new designs, lower prices and faster shipping. All products are 100% organic, shipped without plastics, and made with a supply chain that’s using renewable energy. So check it out now over at downtimepodcast.com/shop. The new t-shirts are super soft and a lovely fit,

Today we are going inside Privateer Bikes. We are joined by their MTB Brand Manager, Sam Meegan, and Redburn Design’s Ali Beckett to chat about the development of their enduro bike, the 161. We chat about where Privateer Bikes came from, their progressive approach to geometry, the challenge of designing for optimum value and plenty more. You’ll hear more about their brand new 141, and where the brand is heading next. So hit play and join me for a look inside the exiting new brand that is Privateer Bikes. Links Website – privateerbikes.com Instagram – @privateerbikes Supporting Partners The Strength Factory If you want to make the most of smashing the trails next spring and summer, then now is the time to be putting in the work. The Strength Factory can help make sure you’re ready in the most time-efficient way with their Complete MTB Programme. As a Downtime listener, you can get $20 off the 8 week foundation part of the programme, until the 23rd November, by using the code ‘downtime‘ at the checkout. Just click here to check out the programme. If gym access is an issue, then you can get their Bodyweight MTB programme for a one off fee of £16 by heading here. Privateer Bikes You can check out everything Privateer have to offer, including the awesome 161 and 141 by heading over to privateerbikes.com. Podcast Stuff My webstore is BACK! It’s brand new, with new designs, lower prices and faster shipping. All products are 100% organic, shipped without plastics, and made with a supply chain that’s using renewable energy. So check it out now over at downtimepodcast.com/shop. The new t-shirts are super soft and a lovely fit, so treat yourself and help the podcast at the same time. We’ve now got sweatshirts and hoodies too! For everything video, including riding videos, bike checks and more, subscribe over at youtube.com/downtimemountainbikepodcast. Are you enjoying the podcast? If so, then don’t forget to subscribe. It’s free and means you’ll get every episode delivered to your device as soon as it’s available. All the links you need are at downtimepodcast.com/subscribe. You can find us on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Google and most of the podcast apps out there. While you’re there, why not join our newsletter, to get our Weekend Warm-Up email every Friday. It’s full of interesting bike-related stuff, competitions,

Today I’m joined by Strength Factory’s Ben Plenge. Ben was responsible for our most popular episode of the year when he joined me in January to help you stay fit and make sure you can still shred when you’re 70. This time we sat down to talk more specifically about how to put together your winter fitness blueprint, to give you the best chance of smashing the trails when spring and summer roll back around. We chat about motivation, creating a foundation, the importance of breathing and much more, so hit play below, give it a listen and boost your winter fitness gains. Links Website – thestrengthfactory.uk Programme – Complete MTB Programme Supporting video material – head here MTB posture video – head here Previous episode – How To Shred Until You’re 70 (and Beyond) Supporting Partners The Strength Factory If you want to make the most of smashing the trails next spring and summer, then now is the time to be putting in the work. The Strength Factory can help make sure you’re ready in the most time-efficient way with their Complete MTB Programme. As a Downtime listener, you can get $20 off the 8 week foundation part of the programme, until the 23rd November, by using the code ‘downtime‘ at the checkout. Just click here to check out the programme. Cotic Bikes Cotic has got a knack for making fun and outrageously fast bikes, and that carries over into their hardtail range. Both the BFe and the Solaris delivery that perfect balance of fun and capability that Cotic are well known for. The BFe is the do it all trail slayer, and the Solaris is probably the one for you if you’re more into the longer and slightly less hardcore rides, although it can definitely still handle a bit of rough! Cotic’s hardtails have been so popular this year that they have been selling out each batch before they even arrive. So if you want to spice up your winter riding with an awesome hardtail, then you need to get on it now. Just head to cotic.co.uk to find out more. Podcast Stuff My webstore is BACK! It’s brand new, with new designs, lower prices and faster shipping. All products are 100% organic, shipped without plastics, and made with a supply chain that’s using renewable energy. So check it out now over at

This weekend the World Cup rolled into Maribor for the first ever double-header race weekend. So, I’m joined by Eliot Jackson and Neko Mulally to chat all things Maribor. We find out first hand what it was like to be racing a double-header. We chat about the impact of the weather conditions, tyre choice and THAT triple! Hit play and get behind the scenes from the 2020 Maribor World Cup. Supporting Partners Hunt Bike Wheels Hunt bike wheels strive to go above and beyond when serving riders, by applying forward-thinking ideas and the latest technologies to every wheelset. This is backed up with both in-house and Elite level athlete testing with riders such as Matt Stuttard, Jamie Edmonson and Becci Skelton. Their aim is simply to create the best wheels for each type of riding.  Hunt bike wheels are available through your local bike shop or direct. So you can always rely on being able to speak to a person to access the parts, knowledge or servicing that you need in order to perform at the highest level day-in, day-out. So head to huntbikewheels.com to check out what they have to offer. As a downtime listener, they are kindly offering a free Hunt accessory pack worth over £40 with each order until the 15th November. All you need to do is to use the code ‘downtime’ over at huntbikewheels.com. Crankbrothers This episode is supported by Crankbrothers, and for the next few episodes, I’m going to be telling you about my experience of going back to being clipped in after over 25 years, using their Mallet DH pedals. To check out their entire range, head to crankbrothers.com, and if you’d like to be in with the chance of winning a pair of Crankbrothers clip-in pedals of your choice, along with their new M20 multi-tool to install them with, just head here. There will be 3 lucky winners chosen after the competition closes on 31st October 2020. Podcast Stuff My webstore is BACK! It’s brand new, with new designs, lower prices and faster shipping. All products are 100% organic, shipped without plastics, and made with a supply chain that’s using renewable energy. So check it out now over at downtimepodcast.com/shop. The new t-shirts are super soft and a lovely fit, so treat yourself and help the podcast at the same time. We’ve now got sweatshirts and hoodies too! For everything video, including riding videos, bike checks and more, subscribe over at youtube.com/downtimemountainbikepodcast. Are you enjoying the podcast? If so, then don’t forget to subscribe. It’s free and means you’ll get every episode delivered to your device as soon as it’s available. All the links you need are at downtimepodcast.com/subscribe. You can find us on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Google and most of the podcast apps out there. While you’re there, why not join our newsletter, to get our Weekend Warm-Up email every Friday.

You probably haven’t heard of Erick Auger, but you definitely should. Erick has been into mountain bikes since the very beginning and now runs Faction Bike Studio, a consultancy which supports the bike industry in designing and making the awesome bikes that we all love to ride. So Erick knows a thing or two about bikes. We sat down to find out about Erik’s background, and then pick his brains on some of the biggest topics in mountain biking design right now. So we chat about geometry, mullet bikes, high pivot bikes, adjustability, eBikes and more. We also discuss what he believes the future holds for the sport. Erick has lived and breathed mountain bikes for his entire career, and it was great to chat with someone who is as into the details as Erick. So hit play below and find out more about Erick and Faction Bike Studio. To find out more about Faction, you can head to factionbikestudio.com. You can also check them out on Instagram @factionbikestudio and Facebook @factionbike. Supporting Partners Hunt Bike Wheels Hunt bike wheels strive to go above and beyond when serving riders, by applying forward-thinking ideas and the latest technologies to every wheelset. This is backed up with both in-house and Elite level athlete testing with riders such as Matt Stuttard, Jamie Edmonson and Becci Skelton. Their aim is simply to create the best wheels for each type of riding.  Hunt bike wheels are available through your local bike shop or direct. So you can always rely on being able to speak to a person to access the parts, knowledge or servicing that you need in order to perform at the highest level day-in, day-out. So head to huntbikewheels.com to check out what they have to offer. As a downtime listener, they are kindly offering a free Hunt accessory pack worth over £40 with each order until the 15th November. All you need to do is to use the code ‘downtime’ over at huntbikewheels.com. Crankbrothers This episode is supported by Crankbrothers, and for the next few episodes, I’m going to be telling you about my experience of going back to being clipped in after over 25 years, using their Mallet DH pedals. To check out their entire range, head to crankbrothers.com, and if you’d like to be in with the chance of winning a pair of Crankbrothers clip-in pedals of your choice, along with their new M20 multi-tool to install them with, just head here. There will be 3 lucky winners chosen after the competition closes on 31st October 2020. Faction Bike Studio To find out more about Faction, you can head to factionbikestudio.com. You can also check them out on Instagram @factio...

Finally, after over a year, we’ve got some world level racing to talk about, and it’s started out with the biggest race of the year, World Champs in Leogang. I’m joined by the awesome Neko Mulally and Eliot Jackson to find out what went down. We chat weather, changing conditions, ruts, set up and more. There is a small technical issue with a very small amount of Neko’s audio, you can still hear it all, and it’s really only a couple of percent of the time, but apologies for that, we’ll try and get it sorted for next time. Alright, sit back and enjoy this Leogang World Champs post-race show with Neko and Eliot Supporting Partners Cotic This episode is supported by Cotic Bikes, and I’ve been riding their awesome RocketMAX for around 6 months now. It is hands down the fastest and most fun bike I’ve ever ridden, and I guarantee I’m not the only Cotic owner who feels that way. To check out all they have to offer, just head over to cotic.co.uk. To see the RocketMAX in particular, click here to head straight to the product page. Crankbrothers This episode is supported by Crankbrothers, and for the next few episodes, I’m going to be telling you about my experience of going back to being clipped in after over 25 years, using their Mallet DH pedals. To check out their entire range, head to crankbrothers.com, and if you’d like to be in with the chance of winning a pair of Crankbrothers clip-in pedals of your choice, along with their new M20 multi-tool to install them with, just head here. There will be 3 lucky winners chosen after the competition closes on 31st October 2020. Podcast Stuff My webstore is BACK! It’s brand new, with new designs, lower prices and faster shipping. All products are 100% organic, shipped without plastics, and made with a supply chain that’s using renewable energy. So check it out now over at downtimepodcast.com/shop. The new t-shirts are super soft and a lovely fit, so treat yourself and help the podcast at the same time. We’ve now got sweatshirts and hoodies too! For everything video, including riding videos, bike checks and more, subscribe over at youtube.com/downtimemountainbikepodcast. Are you enjoying the podcast? If so, then don’t forget to subscribe. It’s free and means you’ll get every episode delivered to your device as soon as it’s available. All the links you need are at downtimepodcast.com/subscribe. You can find us on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Google and most of the podcast apps out there. While you’re there, why not join our newsletter, to get our Weekend Warm-Up email every Friday. It’s full of interesting bike-related stuff, competitions, product recommendations and more.

Is racism an issue in mountain biking? Why are people of colour so underrepresented in the sport? In order to find out, I’m joined by Eliot Jackson and Phil Young to talk about diversity and racism in mountain biking, find out how we are doing and what needs to change. Eliot has recently started the Grow Foundation specifically to increase diversity in cycling and Phil has spent a lot of time working on this challenge across the outdoor sports industry, so they are the perfect people to talk to on this topic. We chat about their own experiences growing up in the outdoor sports world. About why people of colour are so underrepresented in our sport, what benefits could be had from doing something about this, and how brands should be approaching it. We also talk about what we can all do to help. I really enjoyed this chat and learned so much along the way, so a massive thanks to Eliot and Phil for taking part and being so open. If you find this conversation interesting, and relevant, then please please share it with your friends. The more people that we can get to listen to this episode the better! So sit back, hit play below, and give this episode with Eliot Jackson and Phil Young a listen. You can follow Eliot on Instagram @eliotjackson and Phil @philskills. Resources Grow Cycling Foundation is here. Book recommendation – Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge, buy here or read the original Guardian long read here. Eliot’s instagram video on the topic is here. Phil’s awesome article on Mpora is here. 13th is on Netflix here. Check out Legion of LA on Instagram @l39ion.la and read an article about them here. Supporting Partners Cotic This episode is supported by Cotic Bikes, and I’ve been riding their awesome RocketMAX for around 6 months now. It is hands down the fastest and most fun bike I’ve ever ridden, and I guarantee I’m not the only Cotic owner who feels that way. To check out all they have to offer, just head over to cotic.co.uk. To see the RocketMAX in particular,

Because it’s World Champs week, it felt like a good time to catch up with the one and only Ben Cathro. We chat about his year so far, including signing with Pinkbike, getting back into training, going on the points chase, building his own DH track, having a baby and plenty more. I also ask the question we all want to know the answer to, will he race a World Cup this year? As well as all that, we also get his thoughts on the upcoming world champs this weekend in Leogang. So hit play and give this episode with Ben Cathro a listen. You can follow Ben on Instagram @ben_cathro. Supporting Partners Crankbrothers This episode is supported by Crankbrothers, and for the next few episodes, I’m going to be telling you about my experience of going back to being clipped in after over 25 years, using their Mallet DH pedals. To check out their entire range, head to crankbrothers.com, and if you’d like to be in with the chance of winning a pair of Crankbrothers clip-in pedals of your choice, along with their new M20 multi-tool to install them with, just head here. There will be 3 lucky winners chosen after the competition closes on 31st October 2020. Podcast Stuff My webstore is BACK! It’s brand new, with new designs, lower prices and faster shipping. All products are 100% organic, shipped without plastics, and made with a supply chain that’s using renewable energy. So check it out now over at downtimepodcast.com/shop. The new t-shirts are super soft and a lovely fit, so treat yourself and help the podcast at the same time. We’ve now got sweatshirts and hoodies too! For everything video, including riding videos, bike checks and more, subscribe over at youtube.com/downtimemountainbikepodcast. Are you enjoying the podcast? If so, then don’t forget to subscribe. It’s free and means you’ll get every episode delivered to your device as soon as it’s available. All the links you need are at downtimepodcast.com/subscribe. You can find us on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Google and most of the podcast apps out there. While you’re there, why not join our newsletter, to get our Weekend Warm-Up email every Friday. It’s full of interesting bike-related stuff, competitions, product recommendations and more. If you want to share tips and advice with other podcast listeners on anything mountain bike related, you can join our Facebook group, head to www.facebook.com/groups/mtbperformance/ request permission to join the group and get involved! Our back catalogue of amazing episodes is available at downtimepodcast.com/episodes Photo – Innes Graham

Today I’m going to be finding out all about the brand new Specialized Stumpjumper EVO. In order to do so I’m joined by product manager, Steve Saletnik, and engineering guru, Brian Robinson. We are going to find out what actually goes into making a bike like this, and I have to say I was pretty blown away by the amount of detail that the team have gone into. Steve, Brian and I start with some of the fundamentals, like the background work that takes place way ahead of the project starting, and the kinematic design and how the shock tune interacts with that. We delve into mullet bikes, Specialized’s approach to sizing, the input from other projects like the Demo and Enduro, learnings from Loic and the team and much much more. So hit play and give this episode with Steve and Brian a listen. Find out more about the new Stumpjumper EVO, just head to specialized.com. Supporting Partners Crankbrothers This episode is supported by Crankbrothers, and for the next few episodes, I’m going to be telling you about my experience of going back to being clipped in after over 25 years, using their Mallet DH pedals. To check out their entire range, head to crankbrothers.com, and if you’d like to be in with the chance of winning a pair of Crankbrothers clip-in pedals of your choice, along with their new M20 multi-tool to install them with, just head here. There will be 3 lucky winners chosen after the competition closes on 31st October 2020. Specialized This episode is also supported by Specialized. You can check out all they have to offer, including the brand new Stumpjumper EVO that we talk about in this episode by heading to specialized.com. Podcast Stuff My webstore is BACK! It’s brand new, with new designs, lower prices and faster shipping. All products are 100% organic, shipped without plastics, and made with a supply chain that’s using renewable energy. So check it out now over at downtimepodcast.com/shop. The new t-shirts are super soft and a lovely fit, so treat yourself and help the podcast at the same time. For everything video, including riding videos, bike checks and more, subscribe over at youtube.com/downtimemountainbikepodcast. Are you enjoying the podcast? If so, then don’t forget to subscribe. It’s free and means you’ll get every episode delivered to your device as soon as it’s available. All the links you need are at downtimepodcast.com/subscribe. You can find us on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Google and most of the podcast apps out there. While you’re there, why not join our newsletter, to get our Weekend Warm-Up email every Friday. It’s full of interesting bike-related stuff, competitions, product recommendations and more. If you want to share tips and advice with other podcast listeners on anything mountain bike related,

Today I’m joined by Keegan Wright. Keegan’s career took off when he won the New Zealand National DH Champs and Crankworx Pumptrack at the start of 2017. Since then, he has gone on to pick up a ride with the Unior Devinci Factory Racing team, and take on the Enduro World Series. Keegan is full of energy and is always on the go, as you’ll find out in this interview. We chat about his early days in BMX, and the support he needed from others to get going in Mountain Biking. We also cover tips to help with a race mindset, over-training, being a multi-discipline athlete, wrestling injuries and much more. So hit play and give this episode with Keegan Wright a listen. Find out more about Keegan by following him on Instagram @keeganwrightmtb or by following his team @uniordevinci. Supporting Partners We Are One Composites This episode is supported by We Are One Composites. We Are One have been big supporters of what I’m doing from the start, and for that I’m really grateful. They also make amazing carbon fibre wheels which are hand made in Canada, and have recently added their DaPackage bar and stem to their line up. I’m running their Faction 29er rims on my bike, and they look and feel amazing. They’ve managed to find the sweet spot between stiffness and compliance, making a wheel that tracks, but doesn’t feel harsh to ride. They’ve got a whole line up of wheels, so there is always something to suit your needs. Head to weareonecomposites.com and check out what they have to offer. If you’re tempted, then as a Downtime listener they have kindly offered you 15% off during September. All you need to do is enter the code ‘giver15off‘ at the checkout. Podcast Stuff My webstore is BACK! It’s brand new, with new designs, lower prices and faster shipping. All products are 100% organic, shipped without plastics, and made with a supply chain that’s using renewable energy. So check it out now over at downtimepodcast.com/shop. The new t-shirts are super soft and a lovely fit, so treat yourself and help the podcast at the same time. For everything video, including riding videos, bike checks and more, subscribe over at youtube.com/downtimemountainbikepodcast. Are you enjoying the podcast? If so, then don’t forget to subscribe. It’s free and means you’ll get every episode delivered to your device as soon as it’s available. All the links you need are at downtimepodcast.com/subscribe. You can find us on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Google and most of the podcast apps out there. While you’re there, why not join our newsletter, to get our Weekend Warm-Up email every Friday. It’s full of interesting bike-related stuff, competitions, product recommendations and more. If you want to share tips and advice with other podcast listeners on anything mountain bike related, you can join our Facebook group, head to www.facebook.com/groups/mtbperformance/ request permission to join the group and get involved! Our back catalogue of amazing episodes is available ...

Today I’m joined by Dustin Adams from We Are One Composites for a catch-up. We Are One are growing fast, and even a global pandemic hasn’t slowed them down. I chat with Dustin about how they’ve approached the growth and the challenges that come with it. We also chat about their project to build a carbon fibre bike in Kamloops, Canada and find out that it’s no easy task! Find out about their secret ‘off-menu’ products that don’t appear on the website, and hear Dustin’s thoughts on some of the bike and components that he’s been testing as part of the bike project. You can find out more about We Are One Composites by heading to their website weareonecomposites.com, by following them on Instagram @weareonecomposites, Facebook @weareonecomposites, and YouTube here. Find out more about their listener offer below. Supporting Partners We Are One Composites This episode is supported by We Are One Composites. We Are One have been big supporters of what I’m doing from the start, and for that I’m really grateful. They also make amazing carbon fibre wheels which are hand made in Canada, and have recently added their DaPackage bar and stem to their line up. I’m running their Faction 29er rims on my bike, and they look and feel amazing. They’ve managed to find the sweet spot between stiffness and compliance, making a wheel that tracks, but doesn’t feel harsh to ride. They’ve got a whole line up of wheels, so there is always something to suit your needs. Head to weareonecomposites.com and check out what they have to offer. If you’re tempted, then as a Downtime listener they have kindly offered you 15% off during September. All you need to do is enter the code ‘giver15off‘ at the checkout. Podcast Stuff My webstore is BACK! It’s brand new, with new designs, lower prices and faster shipping. All products are 100% organic, shipped without plastics, and made with a supply chain that’s using renewable energy. So check it out now over at downtimepodcast.com/shop. The new t-shirts are super soft and a lovely fit, so treat yourself and help the podcast at the same time. For everything video, including riding videos, bike checks and more, subscribe over at youtube.com/downtimemountainbikepodcast. Are you enjoying the podcast? If so, then don’t forget to subscribe. It’s free and means you’ll get every episode delivered to your device as soon as it’s available. All the links you need are at downtimepodcast.com/subscribe. You can find us on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Google and most of the podcast apps out there. While you’re there, why not join our newsletter, to get our Weekend Warm-Up email every Friday. It’s full of interesting bike-related stuff, competitions, product recommendations and more. If you want to share tips and advice with other podcast listeners on anything mountain bike related, you can join our Facebook group, head to 

Today I’m joined by Pivot Factory rider, Matt Walker. Matt had an awesome 2019 season taking 8th overall in the Enduro World Series and scoring an impressive 11th place at downhill World Champs in Mont-Sainte-Anne. As you’ll find out, Matt has a great approach to riding and racing, and it seems to have worked well for him. He was one of the original Vanzacs travelling Europe on the cheap, racing world cups along the way, and getting plenty of media attention for their ability to get results and have a lot of fun at the same time. From living the simple van life, Matt has gone on to ride for a number of pro teams before joining Pivot in 2019, where he seems to be very much at home. We caught up while Matt was recovering from knee surgery, to find out about his career so far, and his hopes for the future. So hit play below and give this episode with Matt Walker a listen. You can follow Matt on Instagram @mattjwalker. Supporting Partners We Are One Composites This episode is supported by We Are One Composites. We Are One have been big supporters of what I’m doing from the start, and for that I’m really grateful. They also make amazing carbon fibre wheels which are hand made in Canada, and have recently added their DaPackage bar and stem to their line up. I’m running their Faction 29er rims on my bike, and they look and feel amazing. They’ve managed to find the sweet spot between stiffness and compliance, making a wheel that tracks, but doesn’t feel harsh to ride. They’ve got a whole line up of wheels, so there is always something to suit your needs. Head to weareonecomposites.com and check out what they have to offer. If you’re tempted, then as a Downtime listener they have kindly offered you 15% off during September. All you need to do is enter the code ‘giver15off‘ at the checkout. Podcast Stuff My webstore is BACK! It’s brand new, with new designs, lower prices and faster shipping. All products are 100% organic, shipped without plastics, and made with a supply chain that’s using renewable energy. So check it out now over at downtimepodcast.com/shop. The new t-shirts are super soft and a lovely fit, so treat yourself and help the podcast at the same time. For everything video, including riding videos, bike checks and more, subscribe over at youtube.com/downtimemountainbikepodcast. Are you enjoying the podcast? If so, then don’t forget to subscribe. It’s free and means you’ll get every episode delivered to your device as soon as it’s available. All the links you need are at downtimepodcast.com/subscribe. You can find us on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Google and most of the podcast apps out there. While you’re there, why not join our newsletter, to get our Weekend Warm-Up email every Friday. It’s full of interesting bike-related stuff, competitions, product recommendations and more. If you want to share tips and advice with other podcast listeners on anything mountain bike related, you can join our Facebook group, head to www.facebook.com/groups/mtbperformance/ request permission to join the group and get involved!

Want to go behind the scenes of the development of the new Trek Slash? Then this is the episode for you. I’m joined by Trek’s Director of MTB Product Development, John Riley, and Senior Engineer, Dylan Howes to find out just what it takes to develop a bike like the new Trek Slash. We chat about how a project like this gets started, Trek’s approach to benchmarking the competition, and how important their ride testing team is. We talk about what makes a good tester, and how they used that team to take the bike through its prototype stages. They explain their choices on geometry and wheel size, and talk us through their new shock which was co-developed with RockShox. If you’re interested to find out more about how the Trek Slash was developed then hit play below. You can find out all about the new Slash by heading to trekbikes.com. You’ll find Trek on Instagram @trekbikes. Supporting Partners We Are One Composites This episode is supported by We Are One Composites. We Are One have been big supporters of what I’m doing from the start, and for that I’m really grateful. They also make amazing carbon fibre wheels which are hand made in Canada, and have recently added their DaPackage bar and stem to their line up. I’m running their Faction 29er rims on my bike, and they look and feel amazing. They’ve managed to find the sweet spot between stiffness and compliance, making a wheel that tracks, but doesn’t feel harsh to ride. They’ve got a whole line up of wheels, so there is always something to suit your needs. Head to weareonecomposites.com and check out what they have to offer. If you’re tempted, then as a Downtime listener they have kindly offered you 15% off during September. All you need to do is enter the code ‘giver15off‘ at the checkout. Dialed Health As you’ll know from listening to this episode, Dialed Health is there to give you everything you need from the strength training side of things to be the best rider that you can be. They have a whole range of programs available online over at dialedhealth.com. They have a 7-day free trial available so you can give the programs a go. If you like what you see, then as a Downtime listener you can get $30 off an annual subscription to the website using the code ‘DTP30’ at the checkout. Trek Bikes You can find out more about the new Slash, along with the rest of Trek’s range, head to trekbikes.com. Podcast Stuff My webstore is BACK! It’s brand new, with new designs, lower prices and faster shipping. All products are 100% organic, shipped without plastics, and made with a supply chain that’s using renewable energy. So check it out now over at downtimepodcast.com/shop. The new t-shirts are super soft and a lovely fit, so treat yourself and help the podcast at the same time. For everything video, including riding videos, bike checks and more, subscribe over at

Do you want to make the most effective use of your time on your bike and in the gym? Do you want to lose excess weight to get lean for riding and racing? Then Derek Teel from Dialed Health is the man to help you. In this week’s episode, I sit down with Derek to find out a bit about his background racing downhill for Yeti. We talk about how that took him on to personal training, and ultimately to founding Dialed Health, with the aim to become the number one resource for cycling fitness. We chat about optimising your week of riding and training to make sure you’re getting the biggest gains. Derek talks about the 7 essential movements that you should be doing each week. He also explains how food tracking works, and how you can use it to get lean. There is so much useful stuff in this episode, I really hope you find something to help improve your riding. Hit play below and get ready to learn! You can find more information about food tracking, along with ways to calculate your BMR here. Find out more about MyFitnessPal here. Check out Derek’s podcast episode about setting your own mission statement here. If you’re interested in the book that Derek mentions where he got the mission statement concept from, you can get it here. Supporting Partners We Are One Composites This episode is supported by We Are One Composites. We Are One have been big supporters of what I’m doing from the start, and for that I’m really grateful. They also make amazing carbon fibre wheels which are hand made in Canada, and have recently added their DaPackage bar and stem to their line up. I’m running their Faction 29er rims on my bike, and they look and feel amazing. They’ve managed to find the sweet spot between stiffness and compliance, making a wheel that tracks, but doesn’t feel harsh to ride. They’ve got a whole line up of wheels, so there is always something to suit your needs. Head to weareonecomposites.com and check out what they have to offer. If you’re tempted, then as a Downtime listener they have kindly offered you 15% off during September. All you need to do is enter the code ‘giver15off‘ at the checkout. Dialed Health As you’ll know from listening to this episode, Dialed Health is there to give you everything you need from the strength training side of things to be the best rider that you can be. They have a whole range of programs available online over at dialedhealth.com. They have a 7-day free trial available so you can give the programs a go.