Send us Fan Mail

Dane and Josh dig into nine grease-under-the-fingernails topics this week, kicking things off with a question that's been bugging Josh for weeks: why can two identical forks feel completely different? Turns out it's a mix of manufacturing tolerances, bushing wear, and oil that's gone stale — and the guys walk through how altitude changes your air spring feel too (plus the weird lawsuit history behind why some forks have bleeder buttons and others don't). From there it's straight into hub end caps falling off, why your spokes might be pinging after a truing, and the right way to torque your pedals without stripping a crank.

The back half gets into chain wax gone wrong — including a lube-mixing mistake that turned Josh's chain into a gunky mess — plus a real debate over which shop tools are actually worth the money versus the ones collecting dust on the wall. They close out with a cautionary tale about e-bike internal cable routing that'll make you think twice before DIY-ing a dropper post install. If you wrench on your own bike even occasionally, this is one to bookmark.

Listen to Mountain Cog
Apple Podcasts
Spotify
Other Podcast Sites

Socials
Instagram
Facebook

Email
mountaincog@gmail.com

Send us Fan Mail

Josh and Dane spend this episode digging through the mountain bike industry to find out which brands are actually building their stuff in the USA — and the answer isn't always what you'd expect. From titanium frame builders like Moots, Lightspeed, Sage, Chumba, Sklar, and Bingham to newer players like Stinner and Neuhaus, they break down who's hand-welding frames stateside and who's just slapping an American flag on the marketing. They also dig into legacy brands like Foes, Ventana, and Intense, arguing over which ones still deserve the "Made in USA" label.

From there, the guys move through suspension (Push, MRP, Risse), wheels and hubs (Enve, Industry Nine, Chris King, White Industries, Onyx), and drivetrain and cockpit components (Thompson, Wolf Tooth, RevGrips, Paul, 5Dev) to map out a full picture of what's really built in America versus overseas. Along the way they talk tariffs, why domestic manufacturing doesn't automatically mean better quality, and a few surprises — including some companies you'd swear were American that aren't. If you care about where your bike parts actually come from, this one's for you.

Here are the websites to all of the brands discussed in this episode.

Bikes/Frames

https://moots.com/

https://litespeed.com/

https://sagetitanium.com/

https://chumbausa.com/

https://sklarbikes.com/

https://binghambuiltbikes.com/

https://www.stinnerframeworks.com/

https://neuhausmetalworks.com/

https://www.foesracing.com/

https://ventanausa.com/

https://intensecycles.com/

https://reebcycles.com/

Suspension

https://www.pushindustries.com/

https://mrpbike.com/

https://www.risseracing.com/

Wheels/Hubs/Rims

https://enve.com/

https://industrynine.com/

https://chrisking.com/

https://www.whiteind.com/

https://onyxrp.com/

Components

https://bikethomson.com/

https://www.wolftoothcomponents.com/

https://www.paulcomp.com/

https://ride5dev.com/

https://revgrips.com/

Also… in this episode we refer to this past MCP episode with local frame builder / frame building school run by Bohemian Bicycles...

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2052531/episodes/12986027-043-design-fabricate-your-own-frame-dave-bohm-bohemian-bikes-framebuildingschool-com

https://www.bohemianbicycles.com/

Listen to Mountain Cog
Apple Podcasts
Spotify
Other Podcast Sites

Socials
Instagram
Facebook

Email
mountaincog@gmail.com

Send us Fan Mail

"Mythical" is the word Josh uses for Whistler before Dane even opens his mouth — and by the end of this episode, you'll understand why every mountain biker treats this place like a pilgrimage.

Dane, fresh off his latest Whistler trip, breaks down exactly what it takes to get there and what it costs once you do. Direct flights, the shuttle from Vancouver, lift tickets, lodging, food — the guys go category by category so you know what to actually budget for your own trip.

But the real value here is everything past the spreadsheet: how Whistler's 100 trails split between flow and technical terrain, why the double blacks are a different animal than what most U.S. riders are used to. Add in trail ratings, lift line strategy, and the amenities/adventures available for non-riding family members, and this is the closest thing to a full Whistler Bike Park guide you'll find anywhere.

Listen to Mountain Cog
Apple Podcasts
Spotify
Other Podcast Sites

Socials
Instagram
Facebook

Email
mountaincog@gmail.com