Shows
The Inside Line Podcast - Vital MTBVital Staffers in Heaven (Queenstown) and Hell (The ER)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 YouTube0:00 - Intro1:52 - Help Us Change the Podcast Name3:34 - Jason's What's In What's Out, Max Alran Rips6:35 - Jason Met Queenstown_NPC12:30 - Lars' What's In What's Out, Ride New Places20:23 - Spomer What's In What's Out, Olympics & 9th Street...
2026-02-201h 29
The Inside Line Podcast - Vital MTBThe Future We Can't Escape and Other E-Bike Discussions - bikes unaffiliated Ep. 3Electric mountain bikes. Either you love ‘em, or think they’re wack. Granted, the latter opinion has been losing steam as more brands release good e-bikes, and more riders toss a leg over one. They’re the talk of our industry and are one of the few, if not the only, segments of bikes experiencing significant change year after year.In this show, Vital’s own Jason Schroeder and Shawn Spomer, along with industry veteran Lars Sternberg, and Founder/Operator of Crestline Bikes, Troydon Murison, sift through the current landscape of e-bikes and discuss what the future might ho...
2025-12-192h 23
The Inside Line Podcast - Vital MTBHow Long Should Bikes Last? - Bikes: Unaffiliated Ep 2In episode 2 of Bikes: Unaffiliated, Jason Schroeder, Lars Sternberg and Shawn Spomer discuss the evolution of mountain bike technology, focusing on the durability of bikes and components. They explore the expectations riders have for bike longevity, and the importance of community feedback in shaping technology. The conversation also touches on maintenance practices and the balance between cost, weight, and durability in bike design. They delve into the evolution of mountain biking, focusing on suspension setups, the impact of e-bikes on component durability, and the importance of understanding rider skill levels. The crew discusses the challenges of navigating suspension adjustments...
2025-12-111h 38
The Inside Line Podcast - Vital MTBWhat's It Like to Release a New Bike Product? - Bikes: Unaffiliated Ep 1Join Vital's own Jason Schroeder and Shawn Spomer, along with industry veteran Lars Sternberg, as they discuss the gripping topic of launching new bikes and their embargoes. Why do we have embargoes? What goes on behind the scenes of a new product launch? Are embargoed launches still impactful? How do brands and media make a splash on embargo day to give riders something to get excited about?Vital MTB's new podcast show— bikes ≠ unaffiliated, is our spot to chat about bike-related topics that aren't necessarily focused on current events, racing, or covering the latest-greatest tech. It's not a spa...
2025-12-051h 24
The Inside Line Podcast - Vital MTBWill Hard MTB League Change Things?This Inside Line podcast explores how mountain biking's newest competitive event, Hard MTB League, has the potential to change the sport. Vital Content Director, Shawn Spomer, met up with Braydon Bringhurst and Adam Pishl, the two visionaries behind the League, two weeks after its inaugural invitational near Boise, Idaho. Topics include explaining what Hard MTB League is, reflecting on how the first event went, the challenges that were faced, the excitement of tight racing, how athletes are selected, what the future looks like, and most importantly, how community is being fostered through the series.If t...
2025-11-191h 09
The Inside Line Podcast - Vital MTBWhy Have So Many Bike Companies Closed in the Last Two Years?Two years ago to the day, Vital member, contributor and finance specialist, Jeff Brines, posted a question in our forum, "Will more companies be shutting down in the next 12-24 months?" A small, but exciting mountain bike brand, Guerrilla Gravity, surprisingly announced it was closing, and the rest of the industry was in the wake of the Covid boom. It was a dynamic time with plenty of uncertainty ahead, so the question Jeff asked was very relevant and our community was engaged.Fast-forward to today and that forum thread has 414,000 views and over 3,100 replies as the Vital...
2025-10-032h 03
The Inside Line Podcast - Vital MTBThe Man Behind the #USDH Race Replays - Michael The Mangler McQueenThanks to Maxxis Tires | FOX | Jenson USA for supporting The Inside LineThis Inside Line podcast episode, recorded at the Pro Downhill Series in Solitude, Utah, features Shawn Spomer from Vital MTB interviewing Michael McQueen—better known as “The Mangler”—about his pivotal but often behind-the-scenes role in U.S. downhill racing coverage. McQueen shares the origins of his nickname from his BMX days, his North Carolina roots, and his background in professional broadcasting, including work with NASCAR.He explains how his DIY BMX filming ethos, combined with big-network experience, led him to refine the race rep...
2025-08-201h 10
The Inside Line Podcast - Vital MTBDumb (Hilarious & Sketchy) Bike ProblemsThanks to Maxxis Tires | FOX | Jenson USA for supporting The Inside LineRead the stories discussed in this episode and add your own hereIn this episode of The Inside Line podcast, host Shawn Spomer is joined by Jason Schroeder and Charlie Sponsel—newly dubbed “Hater in Chief”—to share and discuss the most hilariously frustrating "dumb bike problems" posted by the Vital MTB community.Inspired by a forum thread started by Vital member seanfisseli, the episode is a mix of laughs and learning, as the crew reads real stories of forgotten bikes, confusin...
2025-07-231h 45
The Gravity Coop's Hot SeatGCO Hot Seat 02, Shawn Spomer / Vital MTBVital and downhill mountain biking go together hand in hand, especially when it comes to US downhill. And we can all agree that Spomer and the crew have put in work to share the love for downhill racing both globally and domestic based racing. When we embarked on this downhill focused podcast, Spomer was Mangler's first choice as an interview. We feel the DH community needs to hear this dudes history, Vital's history and what drives this stoke. So get comfy and listen up, there'll be a test later! Follow along with us on the socials, @thegravitycoop on IG...
2024-01-221h 19
The Inside Line Podcast - Vital MTBNIK NESTOROFF - The Inside Line MTB PodcastWelcome mountain bikers! Shawn Spomer and Jason Schroeder sit down with Nik Nestoroff who just announced that he's riding for Fezzari Bicycles. We discuss racing enduro full-time after a strong downhill career, competing in Fontana DH races at age 9, the Palmer Project, Intense Factory Racing and KHS Factory Racing. Great stories about buying a $400 Honda Civic in Scotland to tour Europe with Trevor Boldi come to light, and hacking the system as an 18-year-old to rent a van in the USA to go race make this one a great listen. Follow Nik and Kailey on YouTube - @n...
2023-01-041h 11
The Ride MTB Podcast With Kyle WarnerExploring The State Of The MTB Industry, Balancing Brand Relationships & Critical Reviews, And Building A MTB Media Website - Content Director Of VitalMTB.Com Shawn SpomerIn this episode we sit down with Shawn Spomer of the mountain bike media website Vital MTB. We cover his history in the industry, how Vital MTB came to be, and also delve into the current state of the industry and where mountain biking is going.
This was our first episode in our new space and we had a blast recording it. We owe a huge thanks to our sponsors.
Jenson USA - https://jenson.sjv.io/P0aaRQ
Niner Bikes - https://bit.ly/2T9yqWm
Project Filter, Idaho fights Tob...
2022-09-062h 06
The Inside Line Podcast - Vital MTBCharlie Sponsel (aka Team Robot) - The Inside Line PodcastWelcome Mountain Bikers! Thanks for tuning in to Vital MTB’s The Inside Line podcast. I’m your host, Shawn Spomer. Today we have a treat! Charlie Sponsel, sometimes known as Team Robot is on the show. Charlie was a professional mountain bike racer, has a hilarious and informative presence on the internet, and is a down-to-earth, straight shooter when it comes to both bikes and, more importantly, life in general. We run the gamut of topics on today’s show, and I even had to call him back up to get his stance on chainstay length because we missed...
2021-02-242h 43
The Inside Line Podcast - Vital MTBE-MTB Testing - The Inside Line PodcastWelcome mountain bikers, this is a pre-game E-Bike Test Sessions edition of The Inside Line podcast. I’m Shawn Spomer and I’m stoked to be social distancing, in-person, with Vital’s very own Brandon *huck-n-slap-it-to-flat* Turman, Brad, *B3z-Bullet-Head* Howell, and our secret weapon tester, Sean *Griz* McClendon, who, when he’s not slinging the bling at Deity, likes to pretend he’s Kovarik doing two-wheel drifts at 90mph on Trail 4 here in Boise. E-bikes aren’t that fun without electricity and The Inside Line isn’t that fun without the support of our gracious sponsorsThe In...
2020-07-291h 11