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Obsessed with Mountain Biking

The NSMB Podcast - Mike Ferrentino Part II

Reading time

For our first Podcast with Mike Ferrentino, he was home on the acreage where he lives, inland from the coast up the Carmel Valley. Mike lives in a barn filled with bikes and motorcycles, the latter in various stages of decomposition. He's a decent distance from civilization, and from the internet. Mike's connectivity relies on tethering to his phone's sketchy data signal so while we were talking the first time I would lose his picture, and sometimes his voice, for long stretches. There was also a delay I was unaware of, that caused me to walk over Mike's words quite regularly. This time around Mike had a better solution. He jumped into his Ford Transit,(which he got in trade for the Sprinter he mentions in the podcast) found a spot that was quiet and set up his mic. I lost him a couple of times, and once we got disconnected completely, but overall it was like going from hieroglyphics to Morse Code.

We dug a little deeper into Mike's time at bike magazine, particularly the glory days before corporate takeovers, talked about his six years working for Santa Cruz Bikes at the old cannery location, and even discussed mountain biking's newest marketing designation; Downcountry! We also talked about "shaping the destiny of mountain biking," about spectating, working for 'the man,' and being "strapped into a rocket car without a steering wheel."

And this made me realize all the things we didn't cover. But those will have to wait until next time.

Please enjoy our second podcast with the incomparable Mike Ferrentino.

The NSMB Podcast: Obsessed with Mountain Biking is available on all of your favourite podcast apps:

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Comments

fartymarty
+4 Pete Roggeman Cam McRae Sandy James Oates dhr999

Great podcast - keep 'em coming.  A thoroughly entertaining listen

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xy9ine
+4 Beau Miller Niels van Kampenhout Cam McRae dhr999

great stuff! 

random: i for one kinda / sorta like the DC categorization. it's certainly a definable niche; it's as good as any in terms of categorization labels go. and i'm okay with a bit of cringe / not taking ourselves too seriously.

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cam@nsmb.com
0

It could be worse. I don't mind the idea of a designation for bikes in that category either.

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Vikb
+3 Beau Miller Cam McRae Mammal

You guys missed the perfect opportunity to use the term Shorecountry! ;-)

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Vikb
+2 Pete Roggeman Cam McRae

I called in sick! ;-)

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DaveSmith
+2 cheapondirt Mammal

Personally, the upcountry bikes are too hoity toity for my liking.

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xy9ine
+1 Mammal

ugh, right?? riding with pinkies extended and all.

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velocipedestrian
0

I don't think Canned Heat were extending any pinkies.

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jay-dicharry
+2 Sandy James Oates Mammal

Mike joining NSMB is about as great as Jack White joining Jurrasic-5 on stage. 

Except its not just a one night show.

Mike, I know you joke about talking about the past too much, but you bring a hell of an insight to a quickly evolving industry - Thanks NSMB team - super pumped for what's ahead.

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DaveSmith
+1 Cam McRae

The truth nuggets

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deleted_user_19096
0

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trumpstinyhands
0

Normally with podcasts I concentrate at the start but lose focus and miss half of it. This one started with me not really listening but sucked me in as Mike talks a lot of sense. Thanks!

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deleted_user_19096
0

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mikeferrentino
0

I resemble that remark! To be totally transparent, I was the only marketing stooge testing bikes during the bible years, and was an ex-employee of Santa Cruz. We kept me siloed away from testing Santa Cruz bikes as a result, for the most part, in order to make sure it didn't appear as favoritisim. Simon Stewart was a SRAM employee for a period, but he was very careful about maintaining neutrality in his reviews. During my period with bible tests, everyone else - Palmer, Travis, JWebs, Vernon, Brice, Nicole, Anthony, Kristin, Lydia, Lacy - were all employed by the magazine or were freelancers who didn't have any conflicting allegiances. Lacy left to work for Kona, Vernon left for Pinkbike, then Specialized, and now Canyon. Palmer had once upon a time been a team mechanic for Specialized. Anthony left for a while to work for Deity. Off the top of my head that's about it for brand/media crossover...

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deleted_user_19096
0

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deleted_user_19096
0

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stinhambo
0

Any plans to restart the podcast?

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