#46 - World Cup team changes, NZ Racing and belt drives are on trend!

This week on the OTB podcast, we sit down with Mic Williams—founder of WRP (Williams Racing Products) and the brains behind Trinity MTB—for a deep dive into the wild world of high-performance bike tech and bold ideas that just might change the game.We chat about how WRP went from humble beginnings to having components on World Cup winning bikes, the art and science behind component design, and what it takes to get prototypes from idea to trail-ready. But that’s just the start...Mic also gives us the inside scoop on Trinity, his vision for a high-pivot, high-performance mountain bike brand, and we unpack the wild "derailleur in a can" concept he's prototyping for it.If you're into innovation, bikes that break the mold, and hearing from someone who’s not afraid to stir the pot in the MTB world, you’re gonna love this one.

Downhill racing is alive and well in the USA!With the Tennessee National at Windrock and Round One of the Monster Pro Downhill Series kicking off in recent weeks, the American scene is buzzing—complete with a stacked lineup of World Cup talent. Teams like Commencal Muc-Off, Trek Factory Racing, Canyon Collective, and Yeti Factory Racing were all in the mix.Kieran Bennett is joined by Sean "Griz" McClendon to break down the action from both events, share insights on what’s coming up next, and—as always—take a few entertaining detours down memory lane.Brought to you by:Maxxis Tyres - New Zealand's tyre of choice!To see the full line up from Maxxis, check out www.marleen.co.nz/brands/maxxis.htmlFox Suspensionhttps://ridefox.com/pages/bikeIf you enjoy the OTB Podcast and would like to support, please consider joining us on Patreon and help keep the podcast alive. This isn't even close to a job for us and is done for your enjoyment! https://www.patreon.com/TheOTBPodcast

In this episode, we sit down with Syd Schulz and Macky Franklin, the dynamic duo behind the popular MTB YouTube channel Syd & Macky. From racing the Enduro World Series to tackling epic bikepacking adventures, they’ve done it all—while keeping things fun and relatable. We chat about their recent time in New Zealand racing the Volcanic Epic and spending some riding time in Nelson, their journey to where they are now and dive into some of the ins and outs of managing an impressive YouTube following.Brought to you by:Maxxis Tyres - New Zealand's tyre of choice!To see the full line up from Maxxis, check out www.marleen.co.nz/brands/maxxis.htmlFox Suspensionhttps://ridefox.com/pages/bikeIf you enjoy the OTB Podcast and would like to support, please consider joining us on Patreon and help keep the podcast alive. This isn't even close to a job for us and is done for your enjoyment! https://www.patreon.com/TheOTBPodcast

The downhill scene in the US is looking maybe stronger than it ever has, so we catch up with our foreign correspondent Sean "Griz" McClendon to talk about the upcoming races at Windrock and Ride Rock Creek. As always, Griz has is finger on the pulse and pulls out some names to watch and tells us who has been flying in the pre-season races!Brought to you by:Maxxis Tyres - New Zealand's tyre of choice!To see the full line up from Maxxis, check out www.marleen.co.nz/brands/maxxis.htmlFox Suspensionhttps://ridefox.com/pages/bikeIf you enjoy the OTB Podcast and would like to support, please consider joining us on Patreon and help keep the podcast alive. This isn't even close to a job for us and is done for your enjoyment! https://www.patreon.com/TheOTBPodcast

From one Masters brother to the next, we catch up with Eddie Masters in studio while he was in sunny Nelson for the NZ Enduro National Championships on an unfortunate extended stay.Eddie has seen and done it all and is this episode is nothing short of some great thoughts on the current climate of World Cup racing, the New Zealand scene, permanent numbers and more! You don't want to miss this one!Brought to you by:Maxxis Tyres - New Zealand's tyre of choice!To see the full line up from Maxxis, check out www.marleen.co.nz/brands/maxxis.htmlFox Suspensionhttps://ridefox.com/pages/bikeIf you enjoy the OTB Podcast and would like to support, please consider joining us on Patreon and help keep the podcast alive. This isn't even close to a job for us and is done for your enjoyment! https://www.patreon.com/TheOTBPodcast

Hardline Tasmania is done and dusted, along with a few riders race seasons being dusted too. Wyn Masters joins us this week to discuss the event, riders motivation behind it, some interesting behind the scenes knowledge, his thoughts on the 2025 World Cup season and more!Brought to you by:Maxxis Tyres - New Zealand's tyre of choice!To see the full line up from Maxxis, check out www.marleen.co.nz/brands/maxxis.htmlFox Suspensionhttps://ridefox.com/pages/bikeIf you enjoy the OTB Podcast and would like to support, please consider joining us on Patreon and help keep the podcast alive. This isn't even close to a job for us and is done for your enjoyment! https://www.patreon.com/TheOTBPodcast

Theres been a lot of team changes going on for the 2025 World Cup season so we dive into who is going where, good choices, bad choices, who is going to excel and more! Join Kieran Bennett, James Rennie and Chris Vanderkolk for the usual talk of downhill racing with a mixture of side quests, a not too serious look at the sport! Brought to you by: Maxxis Tyres - New Zealand's tyre of choice! To see the full line up from Maxxis, check out www.marleen.co.nz/brands/maxxis.html Fox Suspension https://ridefox.com/pages/bike If you enjoy the OTB Podcast and would like to support, please consider joining us on Patreon and help keep the podcast alive. This isn't even close to a job for us and is done for your enjoyment! https://www.patreon.com/TheOTBPodcast

Erice Van Leuven joins us this week for her first ever podcast! After two incredible years in the Junior Women class winning multiple DH world cups, a World Cup overall, two World Championships and even an EDR World Cup round, Erice is moving up into the Elite field and has also joined the Norco Race Division team! We catch up with Erice on how settling into the new team is going and also take a look back through the archives to where it all started with her viral YouTube video absolutely tearing it up on a 16" BMX down trails in Rotorua - If you haven't seen it... https://youtu.be/ygSblbZwHn8?si=zbUXMWVjDxyp1Ylo Brought to you by: Maxxis Tyres - New Zealand's tyre of choice! To see the full line up from Maxxis, check out www.marleen.co.nz/brands/maxxis.html If you enjoy the OTB Podcast and would like to support, please consider joining us on Patreon and help keep the podcast alive. This isn't even close to a job for us and is done for your enjoyment! https://www.patreon.com/TheOTBPodcast

We catch up with Lachie Stevens-Mcnabb as the announcement has just come out that he is joining the Trek Factory Racing squad for 2025. After his break out 2024 and the unfortunately closure of The Union, it's no surprise that he has made the move into the factory team.

The news has dropped today that Ellie Hulsebosch has joined the Santa Cruz Syndicate for 2025 and beyond! We caught up with Ellie recently to talk about her new deal, her breakout 2024 World Cup season and much more! Ellie is a rising star on the downhill circuit and has the skill and drive to be at the top, we are definitely looking forward to watching where she goes in the next few years! Brought to you by: Maxxis Tyres - New Zealand's tyre of choice! To see the full line up from Maxxis, check out www.marleen.co.nz/brands/maxxis.html If you enjoy the OTB Podcast and would like to support, please consider joining us on Patreon and help keep the podcast alive. This isn't even close to a job for us and is done for your enjoyment! https://www.patreon.com/TheOTBPodcast