Ian Anderson - Events Director at Ari Bikes | Inside Ari's Culture, Race Team, and Peak Lineup

From Fezzari to Ari - and from the Wasatch to race day.

This week I sat down with Ian Anderson, Events Director at Ari Bikes. Ian is the guy behind Ari's presence at the big festivals, enduro series, and community events, and he gives us the inside look at what makes Ari different.

Ari is a Utah-based, direct-to-consumer brand specializing in high-performance mountain, gravel, and road bikes. Founded in 2005 as Fezzari Performance Bikes, the company refreshed its brand in 2024 as Ari, which means "to exist or to be" in Japanese - aligning with their core ethos of "Be in the Moment" and their mission to create exceptional experiences one rider at a time. Their business model has always centered on providing custom-fit bikes, top-tier quality, and savings through direct-to-consumer.

We break down the current Peak lineup that Ian and the team are putting in front of riders:

• Superior Peak - 200mm 29" Aluminum - Your Do-It-All Downhill Bike. Ari's brand new DH rig and the backbone of Ari Factory Racing
• La Sal Peak - 170/170mm 29" Carbon - Carbon enduro mountain bike - their go-to enduro race bike
• Timp Peak - 170/170mm 29" Carbon - All-New Carbon full-power enduro e-bike
• Nebo Peak - 140/150mm 29" Carbon - Lightweight carbon all-mountain e-bike
• Signal Peak - 110/120mm 29" Carbon - Fast, light, playful and efficient XC / downcountry
• Plus Wire Peak 3.0 full-power trail e-bike, Delano Peak all-trail, Wasatch Peak hardtail, and more

The team will primarily be riding Ari's brand new downhill bike, the Superior Peak, along with the La Sal Peak enduro bike, and Timp Peak enduro EMTB in the Big Mountain Enduro Series and Monster Energy Pro Downhill Series.

We talk Ari Factory Racing, how Ian builds events that actually serve riders, why Ari's culture of rider-first fit and direct value matters, and what to expect from Ari at SkyPark, Sea Otter, and all the 2026 festivals.

If you've been curious about Ari after the rebrand - this is the deep dive.

Shop the line at aribikes.com

Sean Kneale from Hollywood Racks - 50 Years of Getting Bikes to the Trailhead

If you ride, you need a rack you can trust. This week I'm talking with Sean Kneale, National Sales Manager at Hollywood Racks.

Hollywood Racks has been designing and engineering quality bike racks since 1973 as a family owned and operated business, and is known as a trailblazer in racks for cars, trucks, SUVs, and electric bikes with 50 years and three generations of ownership. What began as a small bike shop in Hollywood, California evolved into a global trailblazer in designing high-quality bike racks for cars, trucks, SUVs, and RVs.

Sean brings more than 20 years of experience in the industry with a proven track record of driving sales growth, with previous roles at ProLids, LINUS and Cleary Bikes and based here in California. He's the guy shops call when they need to talk e-bike transport - his recent clinic is Retirees, RVs & Ebikes: How to properly transport Ebikes on RVs and keep traveling customers happy.

We get into:

• How Hollywood Racks started in 1973 building trunk-mounted racks in the Hollywood Schwinn Bike Shop and became a leader that now sells in 25 countries
• What makes a rack actually MTB and eMTB ready - weight capacity, wheelbase, tire width, frame contact
• RV and truck setups - avoiding the costly mistakes that damage e-bikes
• The new CrossTrack and Sport Rider lines and why fully-assembled, easy-to-use still matters
• What Sean is seeing for 2026: more heavy eMTBs, more travelers, more demand for no-wobble hitch racks

If you've ever white-knuckled it watching your bike in the rearview, this is the episode that will fix your setup.

Check them at hollywoodracks.com

Tim Mendenhall from Galpin Auto Group - What Mountain Bikers Should Actually Look For In Their Next Vehicle

What does buying a car have to do with mountain biking? Everything, when you're trying to get bikes, buddies, and gear to the trailhead every weekend.

This week I sat down with Tim Mendenhall from Galpin Auto Group at SkyPark Bike Fest. Tim is Finance Director at Galpin Motors and has been part of the team that built Galpin into the world's largest volume Ford dealership for 22 consecutive years.

Founded in 1946 and headquartered in LA's San Fernando Valley, Galpin isn't just Ford. As an auto group they represent over 12 different brands including Volkswagen, Mazda, Honda, Lotus, Ford, Lincoln, Polestar and Volvo, plus a huge pre-owned inventory they competitively price against hundreds of other dealerships.

We talk about:

• What Tim looks for as a Finance Director - how to get riders a good deal without the typical dealership pressure
• The best Galpin options for mountain bikers: F-150 & Ranger for tailgate pads and moto-style hauling, Bronco / Explorer / Subaru Outback & Crosstrek / Mazda CX-50 for hitch rack life, and Transit for full van-life bike garage builds
• Why having Ford, Lincoln, Honda, VW, Mazda, Subaru, Volvo, Jaguar, Lotus and Aston Martin all under one family matters - you can compare truck vs SUV vs efficient daily driver in one place
• How Galpin thinks about racks, towing, interior bike storage, and real rider use - not just spec sheets
• Tips for financing your adventure rig the smart way

If you're daily driving to Greer, SkyPark, or shuttling up to Mammoth, this one's for you. Galpin has been doing this since post-war car culture started in SoCal, and they get the active lifestyle.

Check their inventory at galpin.com