The Roller Door

Get into the details of ebikes! Why ride one? Or not? Why did we make the product and design choices we've made in our ebike line? In this episode we sit down with Product Manager Mark Matson and Rider Support's own E-bike specialist, Chris Freeny (maybe he's helped you out!). Between these two experts, we deep dive into the world of E. The fastest growing category in MTB, whether you like it or not. Note: Recorded BEFORE the recent storms... it has since rained. Questions or comments? Email [email protected] Thanks for listening!

We're so excited to have our buddy Danny MacAskill on the pod to congratulate him on being inducted into the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame! He's one guy that your mom might know from Youtube- his reach goes far beyond our nerd circle of mountain bikers. Learn about his life back in Scotland, his trials bike that is made in house at Santa Cruz HQ, his love of ebikes, and a little about being one of the most talented trials rider in the world. He's also one of the most kind and unassuming pro's we know, and always down for a party. Questions or comments? Email [email protected] Thanks for listening!

We're getting deep under the Roller Door on this episode! In the depths of the Santa Cruz Bicycles Headquarters is the machine shop where Mike Woods and John Heyliger craft the first version of all of our bikes, and much more. Geoff Casey, head of Engineering and Marketing, sits down with Hannah to learn from these two master fabricator/machiners. Between the two of them, they have almost 40 years at Santa Cruz Bicycles. They have had there hands on almost every single Santa Cruz bike ever made, in addition to countless inventions that make the factory tick. This one's for the curious. Questions or comments? Email [email protected] Thanks for listening!

Vala AL?! That's right, the beloved Vala has now gone metal. The aluminum Vala launches today, and we're stoked on this one. Hannah and co host Sam Randazzo sit down with legendary operations manager, JT Barse (you may know him as the star of the Carbon Chameleon launch video... look it up) to talk about this new bike and how our in house production team plays a crucial part in developing our product. It's the Vala- stripped down and ready to ride. Learn about the stand out features of this new rig and hear other meandering stories along the way. Questions or comments? Email [email protected] Thanks for listening!

No matter your life trajectory, you can always choose a different path and you can always choose to use your voice to enact change. On this episode of the Roller Door, North American Brand Manager Katie Zaffke, joins Hannah to talk with long time friend of the brand, Aneela Mckenna. Aneela is a legend in the industry, not only for her vivacious laugh and mischevious glint in her eye (and her scottish whit to boot), but for creating spaces for people to find their voice and confidence both on and off the bike. From Scottish parliament to MTB guide, she has turned her love of bikes into a force for inclusion and belonging. Questions or comments? Email [email protected]/ Thanks for listening!

On this episode, Tobin Ortenblad puts on his co-host hat and joins Hannah in interviewing Keegan Swenson. Pre season, why Cape Epic is so hard, preparing for Unbound, and why Cyclocross should have a comeback. It's always a pleasure to sit down and talk with these two HTSQD athletes and get a look into the world of top tier gravel racing and beyond. If you have any nerdy gravel questions or questions in general, email [email protected]. We thank you for listening!

All new? Hasn't the Bullit been around forever? Yes, this OG model has gotten a major revision and is better than ever. Think Vala on steroids. We'll let Aaron and Jack explain the rest. On this episode of the Roller Door, Hannah sits down with Design Engineer Aaron Thielk and Ebike Product Manager Jack Russell, to introduce the all new Bullit. We may be biased, but this thing rips. Hope you enjoy. Remember to write in with questions, suggestions on topics, guests, or whatever-- it's [email protected] Thanks for listening!

On this episode of the Roller Door, Hannah sits down with the two Syndicate women, veteran Nina Hoffman and fresh junior Ellie Hulsebosch, to get an inside look at life on the road, balance, and all things racing. These two are new teammates and their mutual respect and connection is palpable and fun to witness. We hope you enjoy. Remember to write in with questions, suggestions on topics, guests, or whatever-- it's [email protected] Thanks for listening!

On this episode of the Roller Door, Garen and Hannah chat with HtSQD racer and People's Champ Tobin Ortenblad on training, cyclocross tactics, gravel fashion, and more. Tobin's always full of informational insight, strong opinions and good laughs. We always enjoy talking with Tobin, and we hope you do too. Remember to write in with questions, suggestions on topics, guests, or whatever-- it's [email protected] Thanks for listening!

In this episode of the Roller Door, Garen and Hannah chat with legendary freerider Vero Sandler about her experience before, during, and after the Redbull Rampage. There's an awful lot to unpack here. We hope you enjoy, and remember– if you have questions for Vero or anyone at Santa Cruz Bicycles, please email them to [email protected]/ Thanks for listening!

In this episode of the Roller Door, Garen and Hannah chat with some of the group that brought the Vala, Santa Cruz's new full power e-bike, to market. You'll hear from Kiran MacKinnon, Jesse Carlin, Peter Mueller-Wille, and Mark Matson on choosing a new suspension platform, picking a drive system, and bringing the bike to life. If you're curious about the particulars of the Vala, like power statistics, geometry, and details, be sure to listen to our other episode, titled 'Introducing the Santa Cruz Vala, with Product Manager Jack Russell.' If you have questions for the team here at Santa Cruz Bicycles, please email them to [email protected]. We thank you for listening!

At long last, 2024 marks the first ever women's field in the iconic (and somewhat controversial) freeride competition, the Red Bull Rampage. In this episode of the podcast, Garen and Hannah chat with UK freerider Vero Sandler about her path to becoming one of the sport's foremost freeriders, what the Rampage means to her, bike setup, and more. The women are digging in the red, hard Utah desert now: be sure to watch live on RedBull TV: Thursday 10/10 at 6PM PST. Let's Go Vero!

What's a Vala? How's this new Bosch motor? Wait… a 4-bar bike from Santa Cruz? Is this the end of VPP? Who's Jack Russell, anyways? To hear the answers to these questions, along with many more, press play– there's a lot to know about Santa Cruz Bicycles' new model, the Vala. Questions? Gripes? Please email us at [email protected]. If you enjoy the podcast, you can help others to do the same by subscribing or giving us a 5-star rating. Thanks for listening!

In this episode of the Roller Door Podcast, Garen and Hannah talk through the updates to the Santa Cruz Hightower, along with several off-piste tangents. If you have questions about the new Hightower (or anything Santa Cruz) please email us at [email protected]. We thank you for listening!

If you're listening to this podcast you surely love riding bikes, but it's not all nose-bonks and power wheelies. In this episode of the Roller Door, Garen and Hannah circle back with Matt Miller on findings from Matt's Paydirt-funded trip to the Netherlands. Matt loves riding bikes so much that he's built his life around building better cycling infrastructure, which is something all of us can be thankful for. If you have questions for Matt or anyone here at Santa Cruz Bicycles, please email them to [email protected]. We thank you for listening!

This week we launched the latest Bronson: our go-to aggressive trail bike. Listen as Garen and Hannah talk with Santa Cruz Director of Product Josh Kissner about how several small refinements and a few big ones have drastically improved the suspension and ride feel of one of our most popular models. If you have questions for Josh, please let us know by emailing [email protected]. Thanks for listening; we hope you enjoy.

Annie Ford is a climate activist, marine biologist, surfer and mountain biker with a passion for doing hard things. She's got the world record for descending the most vertical on a bike. She rode her mountain bike- with a surfboard- from the north tip to the southern tip of New Zealand. Most recently, she rode her Santa Cruz Nomad from Ensenada, Mexico to Whistler, BC to raise funds towards ending the pursuit of new oil and gas along the Australian coast. In this episode of the Roller Door, we hear about Annie's drive, her cause, and the stories (good and bad) from her trip North. Inspiring stuff. Congratulations, Annie.

In this episode of the Roller Door, Garen chats with Keegan Swenson, Tobin Ortenblad, and Sam Dale about their races, their bikes, and their experiences at the 2024 Downieville Classic. Is Downieville technical enough for an ex-world cup downhiller on a bigger bike to beat the fastest endurance riders on XC bikes? To find out, give a listen. Any questions? Please email: [email protected]. Thanks for listening, we hope you enjoy.