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When Josh Sprague couldn't find a hydration pack that stayed put, ran cool, and didn't feel like dead weight on his back, he built one himself. Fourteen years later, Orange Mud offers unique solutions to the endurance and mountain bike markets. Sprague joins Josh & Dane this week to explain what makes Orange Mud's Endurance Pack different from everything else on the market. The conversation covers pack geometry, upper-back placement, heat release through open side construction, and why he's convinced that waist packs — no matter how trendy — will never be the answer for serious trail riding.

What makes this episode stand out is the business conversation layered underneath the gear talk. Sprague is one of the more self-aware founders you'll meet — he's honest about the money he wasted early on, the challenges that have hammered small outdoor brands over the last few years, and the somewhat accidental creation of Seven Clay, his custom embroidery company that now runs bigger than his original business. He and the guys also get into retail strategy, the dangers of constant discounting, and the one metric — average order value relative to conversion cost — that Sprague says every entrepreneur needs to nail down before they go all in.

Orange Mud (Hydration): https://www.orangemud.com/

Seven Clay (Embroidery & more): https://sevenclay.com/

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Ever wonder why bike shops seem to come and go? The answer's in the math, and it's not pretty. Josh dives deep into industry data from the National Bicycle Dealer Association, trade publications, and financial modeling sites to paint a realistic picture of bike shop profitability. Spoiler alert: the average bike shop owner in America takes home less than $50k a year and works 50-60 hours a week. With 1,000's of bike shops operating nationwide and razor-thin margins on everything from components to complete bikes, staying in business is more about passion than profit.

Dane shares war stories from decades in the industry, including his days as "Discount Dane" before he understood the real costs behind every sale. We walk through actual profit margins on bikes, parts, accessories, and service labor. We then factor in the vast categories of operating costs like shipping, payroll, advertising, rent, utilities, shop equipment, and more. By the end, you'll understand why shop owners drive $3,000 cars but ride $10,000 bikes (that they'll sell later), and why the "markup myth" has been misleading customers for years. This is required listening for anyone who's ever said "I know what you guys make on this stuff."

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Does your mountain bike fork feel harsh over bumps? Is your suspension bottoming out on drops or packing down in rock gardens? In this comprehensive suspension setup guide, professional bike shop owner and suspension expert Dane Higgins and co-host Josh walks you through the exact process to dial in your MTB suspension settings. Starting with proper sag measurement (the foundation of all suspension tuning), you’ll learn how to use a shock pump, set the correct air pressure for your weight, and understand why sag percentages vary between 120mm XC forks and 180mm DH forks.

Beyond sag, this episode demystifies rebound damping and compression settings that most riders never adjust. Discover why rebound is the second most important adjustment (giving you 90% of optimal performance with just sag and rebound dialed), how to prevent the “pogo stick” feeling from rebound that’s too fast, and when to adjust low-speed versus high-speed compression. Dane shares bike shop secrets about volume spacers, explains why Fox Factory forks might not be right for every rider, and teaches the bracketing technique to systematically find your perfect suspension settings for any trail condition.

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