Not-Boring Mountain Bike Related Podcasts We Happily Endorse
Honestly this is our best blog post yet. here’s your listening homework for the rest of the shoulder season.
What makes a good podcast? clearly that’s subjective.
for me it’s tight interviews, interesting guests and a commitment to “good sound” (meaning the producers know how to use their equipment and don’t torture me with white noise or low sound levels).
That’s because I come from a radio background: I’ve hosted, produced, directed, reported, edited and teched live been a technician in radio as well as podcasts, so I have an appreciation for the finer things in audio production.
But more than this, i’m looking for self-aware hosts, guests who are “real people” and the glaring absence of bro culture, and gatekeeping.
So in the spirit of lifting each other up I’m sharing a few of my favourite podcasts that either hit on mountain biking content, or so-called extreme sports and outdoor culture without coming across as bro-lific or elitist.
1.Business Babes Broadcast
Sorry, not sorry, but this one has to come first. Renee Sutton runs Kelp Forest Co, “A small business passionate about small business.” She helps (mostly British Columbian) small business owners manage their online and marketing presence, their websites, social media and so, so much more.
Renee is a renaissance woman and The Business Babes Broadcast is a fantastic pod for anyone interested in entrepreneurism in this province. Renee helped us launch our website and taught me everything I know about SEO. (check out her “SEO for Beginners” handbook for free).
But for our purposes, I would like to direct you to the January 2023 episode “From Passion to Profit: A conversation With Ash Kelly (That’s ME) From Dialed Bike Service,” in which I reveal I am the worst person to sell anyone a bike saddle because I have an Iron Butt and very little lived experience with ass pain. (I’ve also bee chamoix-free since 2020).
Renee did a great job keeping the questions tight, but still adapting her pre-written questions to the flow of the interview. She really gave me space to express the passion I have for this shop, our community and the sport in general.
If you want to get a sense of where Dialed came from, what we’re trying to do and where we’re going - give this episode a listen. I’ve been really struggling to find my voice this year, and Renee’s interview skills really kickstarted my ability to express myself again.
2. The Dead Sailor Podcast by Tenet Components
in case you are unfamiliar with the sensation of being a “dead sailor” know that in this context no one has been killed, but if you’ve ever taken off of a jump, been flying through the air, and realized all semblance of balance and control is gone: you’ve been a dead sailor.
this podcast is 10/10 for me. First of all there’s zero bro-zone going on: it’s self aware and inclusive, just how I like it. Plus who doesn’t love riding in Bellingham?! The trail building culture, race culture and freeride culture down there are just mind blowing. If we could just absorb this region into B.C., all my dreams would be achievable, it’s a magical place and that magic really shines through this podcast.
like tenet’s handlebars and pedals, the podcast is made in bellingham washington, so it makes sense guests include formidable freeriders Hannah Bergemann and Blake Hansen, ENTREPRENEUR and trail builder cody wilkins, and filmmaker and photographer Doug Jambor (who now produces the show).
The Film production is exceptional, the audio quality is IMPECCABLE, and as a result of the warmth and OPENNESS host (and owner of tenet) Tyler Deschaine brings to his interviews, this is one of my favourite new podcasts to hit the airwaves.
It’s funny and relevant, it’s charming and core at the same time. It’s also a young pod so you can catch up on all the episodes and get intimate and cozy with the team as they grow into what will surely be an even more superb listening experience.
3. The Adventure Stache
So, I’ve only caught a few episodes of this one but two thumbs up so far, and I’m a sucker for a MOUSTACHE, so…
Adam and I discovered this podcast by endurance rider and xcm racer, Payton McElveen, while searching for Red BUll Rampage content while we were in Virgin, Utah just ahead of the event. The episode included some on-the-Ground interviews with riders, builders, “and the mechanic who makes sure four-time winner Brandon Semenuk's bike is up to the task” and it was the only content we could find that was timely and current.
For Sea to Sky riders and ews fans, check out the interview with jesse melamed.
the production quality stands up, and Payton consistently posts new episodes covering a range of cycling disciplines including gravel, road, XC, olympic cylcing, freeride, and downhill racing.
I can’t rate it out of ten because I haven’t listened enough, but I’m including it on this list because of the lack of broing-down I’ve heard so far, the great audio and the relative diversity of sport and humans that are represented here.
I also enjoy the lack of scripted content here, the amount payson travels and rides and the stories he finds along the way.
and this killer episode (embedded bleow) with marley blonsky of All Bodies On bikes.
4. Downtime - The Mountain Bike Podcast
After six years on-air, this podcast just hit more than 5 million downloads, so I’m sending a big congrats and a fist bump to Host and Founder Chris HalL and his team for that.
Photo Credit – Richard Baybutt
Downtime is, as you would guess, a gravity focused pod. Chris has managed to book some heavy hitting riders and professionals in the sport and his interview style does not disappoint. Some of my favourite recent conversations include interviews with Camille Balanche, Myriam Nicole and Vali HÖLL. (Thats right women’s voices, loud and clear on here).
Older Episodes worth checking out include the legendary gary fisher and “Inside ÖHlins, with mtb Racing Team Leader TJ Hansen.”
Chirs manages to make interviews with industry types incredibly accessible and not bro-lItist (That rhymes with Elitists, I just invented this word) or overly technical.
I Especially enjoyed this interview with santa cruz ceo, Joe Graney, which is one of the shorter episodes you’ll find, clocking out at 52 minutes and covering some truly fascinating engineering and marketing decisions the company has made (remember when Santa Cruz shifted from single pivots to vpp)? Worth a listen.
5. Dialed Bike Stories
I’m not super stoked on the name for this one, But I can say that because I’m the host and producer. Dialed Bike Stories is in pre-production right now, but you can listen to a trailer already.
If you have a better name for us, pitch it! There’s still time.
Why is it taking so long? Because we are being a bit perfectionist and we’re a small team. We’ve still got some technical things to work out and a few gustes to book — but rest assured this will be here before the spring.
This is our very own shop pod, and the goal is to ensure a voice for everyone and tell human stories that celebrate the soul of riding. But we will also talk about what it’s like to be business owners in the service-only bike shop space, what it’s like for me to be a woman wrenching on the North shore and hopefully meet people you' don’t even know you don’t know yet.
It will be a space where we stay in touch with local events and issues and I hope it will play a role in helping us connect to you, our community and our friends.
if you want to know when the podcast drops episodes and who is gracing the airwaves alongside us: sign up for our newsletter to stay in the loop. Also please consider following Dialed Bike StorieS on your podcast listening app.