Episodes

  • Chris Akrigg is BACK! A Killer Edit & Stories From His Past
    Sep 18 2025
    Chris Akrigg is one of the world’s best known trials riders, whose YouTube videos have racked up millions of views. He’s incredibly creative, both in his riding and his video edits. He’s a dab hand on any bike, from trials bikes to fixies, brakeless bikes to enduro bikes and most recently ebikes. In this episode, we discuss his career and the bikes he’s ridden, including the Whyte Kado as featured in his latest edit, Up + Over. Thanks to Chris’ sponsor Whyte bikes for sponsoring this episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    1 hr and 17 mins
  • World Champ, GB Champ and World Cup Podiums - Charlie Aldridge is the UK’s latest XC Star!
    Aug 13 2025
    Charlie Aldridge’s growing resume of race results marks him out as the future of XC. He’s an Under-23 World Champion in XCO, is the 2025 British Champ at both XCO and XCC and has spent the past two seasons racking up some impressive results in both XCC and XCO on the World Cup circuit, having been signed to Cannondale Factory Racing in 2024. Thanks to Cannondale for sponsoring this episode of the MBUK Podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    1 hr and 4 mins
  • Lou Ferguson on Hardline, GB Champs and Intense M1 Proto
    Aug 12 2025
    Louise Ferguson became the first woman to ever complete a top-to-bottom, seeding and then race run at the infamous Red Bull Hardline Wales 2025 mountain bike race. The course was littered with incredibly technical features, huge drops and jumps as long as 90 feet. It was a moment in history, which has pushed women's mountain biking forward, paving the way for even more incredible feats. In this episode of the MBUK Podcast, we talk extensively to Lou about Hardline. However, her win at the event is far from her only success. She's the current GB national champion in downhill, a regular finalist in the World Cup series and has a long history of competing at Crankworx events. Ferguson is also the pilot of one of the most special mountain bikes in the downhill scene – a custom, prototype Intense M1 downhill bike, hand-welded by founder Jeff Steber, and featuring a Pinion gearbox and Gates belt drive. How does the bike ride on the downhill course? Lou reveals it's incredible ride qualities. Thanks to Troy Lee Designs UK for sponsoring this episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    1 hr and 10 mins
  • World Cup racing, commentating, and race bikes with Ric McLaughlin
    Jul 29 2025
    Ric McLaughlin is the current voice of World Cup DH and XC racing, as the lead commentator on Warner Brothers Discovery's coverage. He's also a former staff writer at MBUK, and a self-professed massive MTB geek. In this episode of the MBUK Podcast, we discuss the current state of world cup racing, and his experiences of being a commentator. We also discuss his new documentary series, Race Bikes, which dives deep into some of the most important race bikes from the past. Finally, we cover off his wild time at MBUK - the trips, the bikes and the banter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    1 hr and 45 mins
  • How I won a medal at the first MTB World Champs | Dave Hemming
    Jul 11 2025
    Dave Hemming was the first Brit to claim a medal in downhill racing during the first Mountain Bike World Championships in Durango, USA. He went on to race for some of the coolest brands, including Klein, Kona, Fat Chance, Marin and of course, MBUK, to name a few. His racing career saw him competing full-time as a World Cup racer, travelling the globe and having countless adventures. It was during his years racing that Hemming’s love for the tech and development started to blossom. After breaking his back for the second time, he decided to retire from racing professionally. Since then, he’s been an important part of the bike industry, working for brands such as, Rapha, Vulpine, Cannondale and now Quin, which produces intelligent safety technology for helmets. Alongside this, Dave’s an ambassador for Niner bikes, sponsors of this podcast. Massive thanks to those guys for helping out. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    1 hr and 11 mins
  • Emil Johansson: The King of Slopestyle
    Jun 20 2025
    Emil Johannson (@johanssoemil) is one of the foremost slopestyle and freeriders on the planet! He’s a four-time Slopestyle World Champion, a 13 time Crankworx winner, and three-time triple crown winner too - which means he won all three events in the Crankworx tour in a year, three times. He’s got more slopestyle wins of anyone on the planet, and has also competed in Redbull Rampage, showing an incredible breadth of skill. His smooth riding style, and ability to fling his bike in any which way he chooses has won him plaudits and fans alike. We talk to Emil has he recovers from his collarbone and rib fractures, as well as a concussion, suffered at Crankworx, Cairns. Emil’s just launched a signature set of pads with G-Form. Thanks to those guys for sponsoring this episode of the MBUK Podcast! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    1 hr and 9 mins
  • Sprung & Earthed: How Alex Rankin Defined DH Filmmaking
    Jun 11 2025
    Step back to the late ‘90s and early ‘00s, when Alex Rankin's Sprung series brought DH racing directly to your VHS player, changing MTB filmmaking forever. These videos became cult classics, kickstarting his iconic career. His follow-up Earthed series cemented that legacy, showcasing the best of DH racing and the MTB scene. Rankin's signature style of fast-paced camera work and unforgettable music defined his films. Both Sprung and Earthed literally changed the game. Having lived and breathed the scene for decades, Alex has incredible stories to tell—and he's sharing some of them in this episode. Thanks to DMR for sponsoring this podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    1 hr and 33 mins
  • Designing Killer Mountain Bikes: A Deep Dive with Marin's Matt Cipes
    May 14 2025
    Ever wondered how a mountain bike goes from a spark of an idea to shredding the trails? Join us as we dive deep with Matt Cipes, the driving force behind Marin's incredible resurgence in the full-suspension and aggressive mountain bike scene. Matt takes us behind the scenes of Marin's transformation from a smaller brand to one stacked with high-performing bikes that won't break the bank. Discover the design philosophy that makes Marin bikes so capable and accessible. We also explore Matt's career journey, from his semi-pro downhill racing days in NorCal (where injury ultimately flipped him from racer to industry) to influential roles at Paul's Component Engineering and Specialized, before landing at the helm of product development at Marin. In this episode of The MBUK Podcast, we cover: 👉 Matt's career trajectory and the pivotal moments that shaped it. 👉 The core philosophy behind Marin's current bike lineup. 👉 A detailed look at the process of bringing a new mountain bike to market. 👉 Matt's expert perspective on the current state and future of the mountain bike industry. A huge thank you to Marin Bikes for their sponsorship of this episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    1 hr and 16 mins