BikeRadar Podcast Ep 10: How MTB racing influences bike design

Our resident racers discuss how the time between the tapes drives the development of new bikes and components

Staff writer Luke tried his hand at enduro racing at the Transcend Fest

Brodie Hood

Tom Marvin

Published: October 21, 2019 at 3:15 pm

The rigours of racing between the tapes demand high performance from both competitors and their bikes, and so the development of bikes, and the components fitted to them, are inextricably linked to racing.

At BikeRadar we’re lucky to have two members of the team, Rob Weaver and Luke Marshall, who have competed at World Cup level downhill. They, along with our tech-expert Seb Stott, dig deep into how the world of racing has, or hasn’t, influenced the design of the modern mountain bike in our latest BikeRadar Podcast.

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How much do you think racing has influenced mountain bike design? Let us know in the comments.

Joe Norledge at Glentress 7 on Scott Scale
Joe Norledge racing at the Glentress 7 on Scott Scale. - Peter Smith (@petersmithmtbphotos — Instagram) - https://www.instagram.com/petersmithmtbphotos/

How to listen to the BikeRadar Podcast

If you want to download the BikeRadar Podcast to your iPhone, you can find it on iTunes. Alternatively, it can be streamed via Spotify and all the other usual podcast services.

Don't forget our other mountain bike series, Tech Talk, which can easily be found through the links below. In these, Tom Marvin and Seb Stott have a detailed look at a particular aspect of mountain bike design or technology.

The late UK racing legend and DH pioneer Jason McRoy rode this Specialized FSR at Mammoth Mountain
The late UK racing legend and DH pioneer Jason McRoy rode this Specialized FSR at Mammoth Mountain – things have changed considerably over the years! - James Blackwell/MBUK

Previous BikeRadar Podcast episodes

Previous BikeRadar Tech Talk Podcast episodes

Tom Marvin

Senior technical editor

Tom Marvin is a technical editor at BikeRadar.com and MBUK magazine. He has a particular focus on mountain bikes, but spends plenty of time on gravel bikes, too. Tom has written for BikeRadar, MBUK and Cycling Plus, and was previously technical editor of What Mountain Bike magazine. He is also a regular presenter on BikeRadar’s YouTube channel and the BikeRadar podcast. With more than twenty years of mountain biking experience, and nearly a decade of testing mountain and gravel bikes, Tom has ridden and tested thousands of bikes and products, from super-light XC race bikes through to the most powerful brakes on the market. Outside of testing bikes, Tom competes in a wide range of mountain bike races, from multi-day enduros through to 24-hour races in the depths of the Scottish winter – pushing bikes, components and his legs to their limits. He’s also worked out that shaving your legs saves 8 watts, while testing aerodynamics in a wind tunnel. When not riding he can be found at the climbing wall, in his garden or cooking up culinary delights.
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