You can watch these interviews on YouTube

The first major U.S. downhill mountain bike race of 2026 is underway at Windrock Bike Park. #USDH shredder, Luca Cometti, grills the pros during track walk to see what they're up to and how their feeling for this weekend's race. Riders like Ronan Dunne, Dakotah Norton, Aaron Gwin, Dante Silva, Kailey Skelton, Frida Ronning and more DH pros speak up.

0:22 - Frida Ronning
1:02 - Dakotah Norton
2:43 - Aaron Gwin
4:57 - Gavin Tomlinson
5:59 - Bode Burke
7:04 - Kai Burleson
8:27 - Alden Pate
9:54 - Jordan Bouldin
11:03 - Ryder Lawrence
12:00 - Mack from Pemby
13:06 - Tyler Ervin
14:07 - Maylei Leaneagh
15:01 - Cole Suetos
15:37 - Jack Zenoni
16:49 - Dante Silva
18:46 - Nik Nestoroff
21:07 - Kailey Skelton
22:38 - Tegan Cruz
23:18 - Fiona
24:03 - Ronan Dunne
25:05 - Ryan Pinkerton
26:02 - Outro

You chimed in and the name of our podcast, Bikes: Unaffiliated will remain. In this episode, Jason Schroeder, Shawn Spomer and Lars Sternberg tackle an assortment of random bike and non-bike subjects like why was our tech forum picking on Dario from Pinkbike, why didn't Spomer answer Lopes' phone call, should we test a 32-inch-wheeled hardtail, what is Epicly Later'd, the DHR II sucks as a front tire, why don't Lars or Jason like radials and plenty more.

Would you rather be riding epic bike parks in Queenstown, downhill trails in Laguna or sitting in the ER because you can't pee? Jason Schroeder, Lars Sternberg and Shawn Spomer reflect on their last couple of weeks in this episode of Bikes Unaff.......

The 9th Street Documentary on YouTube

0:00 - Intro
1:52 - Help Us Change the Podcast Name
3:34 - Jason's What's In What's Out, Max Alran Rips
6:35 - Jason Met Queenstown_NPC
12:30 - Lars' What's In What's Out, Ride New Places
20:23 - Spomer What's In What's Out, Olympics & 9th Street Doc
25:30 - Spomer Can't Pee and Misses Asa Destroying Telonics
41:54 - Jason Meets Sven
43:50 - Loic Bruni and His Tire Pressure
48:51 - Lars Got a Frameworks DH & Headsets Suck
1:00:53 - Does Santa Cruz Sell More V10s Than Any Other Pedal Bike in Their Lineup?
1:07:17 - Will Specialized Stop Making Alloy Full Suspension Bikes?
1:08:37 - Jason Wouldn't Let Loris Vergier Follow Him
1:10:21 - Crazy Commencal Team Brake Setups in NZ
1:20:37 - Packing a Bike To Travel & Frameworks' Nifty Boxing Technique
1:27:31 - Don't Travel with Jason
1:29:25 - Why 17 Questions?

One of downhilling's finest, Loic Bruni, ain't scared of the dreaded 17!

You can watch this interview on Vital MTB

Questions asked
0:00 - Who would win in a fight between you, Amaury Pierron and Jackson Goldstone?
0:50 - Do you ever go to World Cup after parties? If yes, tell us your favorite post-race story. If no, why don't you like to have fun?
1:54 - Does your mechanic Jack get enough credit for how much he helps with the bike and suspension setup?
3:02 - How many on-track line spotters do you have? (Spoiler, Nico Vouilloz will be one in 2026!)
4:14 - How many Elite men and women should there be in finals at a World Cup?
5:39 - Do the new crop of young racers terrify you or motivate you?
6:55 - What tire pressure do you run and do you run inserts?
7:23 - What has been your favorite part of being a dad?
7:55 - How much money in bonuses have you made from winning one World Champs?
8:27 - When you SuperBruni or PopeBruni signs, does that weird you out?
8:58 - What do you want to do when you're done racing?
10:04 - People always talk about how your suspension setup is different than most of your competitors. Do you think it's true? If so, how does it differ from the rest?
12:02 - If your new son wanted to pursue being a pro rollerblader, would you let him?
12:41 - What is one activity you would not let your son pursue?
13:11 - Have you ever told Red Bull "no" to one of their clickbait video project ideas? If so, what was it?
16:17 - Do you think social media can have a negative impact on race performance?
17:58 - Would you rather be telling Vital MTBers to like and subscribe instead of answering these dumb questions?

Downhill destroyer,  Aaron Gwin, takes another stab at the dreaded 17 during a Frameworks test camp in Southern California. Hard to believe the first 17 Qs we did with Aaron was 15 years ago!

Question asked
1. You wake up late and are in rush to get your day going. You stop by a Starbucks to get your caffeine fix. What drink are you ordering?

2. How do you pass time on long flights? Movies, reading, sleeping, catching up on emails??

3. What was your best trick during your bmx days?

4. What was the most money you made at a single race from bonuses? (you can leave out the team, year, or brands if you’d like)

5. If you had it all to do over again, would you rather have been a professional supercross/outdoor rider than a professional mountain biker?

6. Who has the best style at World Cups these days?

7. Favorite and least favorite World Cup track?

8. How many riders come to Windrock and ask for free shuttles?

9. Best place to eat out if you’re at Windrock?

10. Of the titles you hold, rank these from least to most favorite: bike park owner, race promoter, professional mountain biker, airbnb host, sports commentator.

11. What do you miss most about living in SoCal?

12. What’s your game plan going into Red Bull Hardline?

13. You’re considered one of the greatest downhill racers of all time. Who do you consider to be the best downhill racer?

14. We know you’ve always been a bit of a gym rat. Give us a few of your favorite exercises that translate well to on the bike performance?

15. How many elite men and elite women should there be in finals at a World Cup?

16. We’ve always admired your ability to capitalize on the success you’ve had as a racer with the many financial endeavors you’ve taken on. Do you have any money/business advice for other athletes?

17. Wouldn’t you rather be building trails at Windrock than answering these stupid questions?

Can Neko handled the dreaded 17? Watch on YouTube, too.

We’ve been minimally interested in the 32-inch wheel topic. It was more fun to hypothesize what they’d ride like when it was a distant rumor. Now that Maxxis has 32-inch tires you can buy, and many brands are currently developing literal wagon wheel models, we don’t know how to feel. Luckily, we tagged in Maxxis Brand Manager, Aaron Chamberlain, to fill us in on the impetus of the 32-inch revolution and the main arguments around their implementation. 

Chapters
00:00 Introduction
05:39 The 32-Inch Wheel Debate
10:11 Mechanical vs. Wireless Drivetrains
17:01 The Push for 32-Inch Wheels
17:41 Technical Challenges in Tire Production
22:59 Market Response and Anticipation
26:06 Benefits and Applications of 32-Inch Wheels
33:51 Potential Pros and Cons of Larger Wheels
40:36 Looking Ahead: The Evolution of Bike Design
51:09 The 32-Inch Wheel Trend: Implications and Insights
53:51 Weight Considerations: Performance vs. Practicality
58:43 Community Insights: The Biking Culture and Preferences
01:01:46 Tire Talk: Preferences and Innovations

Happy New Year errybody! In this episode, we go through the components, places to ride, and habits Vital users listed as their favorites in 2025. We then touch on what we enjoyed in 2025 and what we are looking forward to in the year ahead.

Shoutout to Vital user Ervan for starting the forum thread “2025: Things I loved this year” and giving us the idea for this week's podcast.

Read the forum thread in discussion - https://www.vitalmtb.com/forums/hub/2...

Chapters

00:00 New Year Reflections and Family Time

11:08 Retirement in Action Sports: A Bittersweet Transition

13:38 Women in Racing: Breaking Taboos

16:49 Health Reflections: The Impact of Illness

19:46 Excitement for Upcoming Events

24:03 Dak's New Journey with Dream Team

36:05 Community Engagement and User Feedback

53:25 Trends in Mountain Biking: E-bikes and Upgrades

01:13:50 Product Discussions and Industry Insights

01:26:23 Wheels and Brakes: Performance Insights

01:38:13 Starting a Business: Flowcraft and Community Engagement

01:47:32 Reflections on Racing and Industry Changes

01:52:30 Engaging the Community: The Podcast Forum

The news of Aaron Gwin making a new home on Frameworks TRP yesterday left a lot of unanswered questions. Thankfully the man himself was down for a candid chat to discuss his new future.

Cover photo by Callie Horwath

Topics

0:00 - Intro and What About Crestline?

9:34 - History with Neko

12:26 - How Can Frameworks Afford Gwin?

15:38 - Does Gwin Have to Race Now?

19:14 - Dealing with So Many Product Changes

32:31 - Does the Frameworks Accomodate Gwin's Riding Style?

43:00 - Being on a Team with Asa Vermette, Battling the Kids

49:50 - Game Plan for 2026 Races

53:55 - Gwin's Training Regimen

1:00:35 - Involvement with Lake Placid World Cup and TN National in 2026?

1:06:30 - Racing Hardline Tasmania

1:11:32 - Aaron Gwin 2011 vs. Aaron Gwin 2026?

0:00 - Aaron Gwin

8:16 - James McAllister

16:05 - Neko Mulally

As the 2026 downhill mountain bike season dawns, Frameworks TRP Racing announces that #USDH superstar, Aaron Gwin will join the team. Aaron, multi-time World Cup-winning downhiller, ran his own team, Gwin Racing, aboard Crestline bikes in 2024 and 2025. The change to Frameworks means a focus on racing, rather than team management, as Gwin seeks to wrap up his competitive career giving it all he can. With a new team comes new equipment. Besides the Frameworks frame, Aaron returns to FOX suspension after Ohlins with Gwin Racing. He'll be on Burgtec bars, a departure from his long-time Renthal setup. Wheels change to ENVE from e.thirteen, and he'll be aboard Continental tires.

Vital contributor, Jack Rice, catches up with Aaron, Neko and James McAllister, Aaron's mechanic during a testing session at Windrock Bike Park in December to discuss the changes and challenges.

After an exciting two years with Mondraker Factory Racing, our guy Dak has moved to Scott DH Factory and signed a three-year deal. So naturally, we had to podcast about it. We wanted all the details on what prompted his departure from Mondraker, what attracted him to Scott, his goals and expectations for the upcoming season now that he's mostly recovered from his injury, and most importantly: will he still be running 75mm rise bars on his new Gambler? Per usual, Dak was transparent about what he’s seeking from a team at this point in his career, the reality of having to prove he’s still a podium contender post-injury, and his newfound appreciation for the opportunity he has to keep racing his bike. We hope you enjoy the conversation!