The Gnar Couch Podcast

Gnar Couch Podcast 175: Christian Peper, The Algorithm Is Watching You, Why Can't Utah Be Canada?

Welcome to another absolutely questionably legal episode of the Gnarcouch Podshow. This is episode 175—which honestly, we’re just as surprised it happened as you are. If you’ve ever tried to tune your suspension with ChatGPT, eaten three-day-old elk meat out of a fanny pack, or asked a stranger at Whistler to jump over your Tesla Cybertruck in a torrential downpour, congratulations: you’ve stumbled into the right corner of the internet.

Tonight, we’ve got Christian “probably peppered my jumps with more style than you have in your entire sad existence” Peper in the studio, and the whole studio smells like unwashed knee pads, half-done parenting, and unresolved childhood trauma. JP’s here, reminding everyone he was once called an unmentionable name by some dude using a random curse generator on the dark web. Boston Rob’s on voice recognition patrol—dude’s voice is so loud it folds the space-time continuum.

We’re talking e-bikes, jump progression, why your city’s bike park is softer than a TikTok cosplayer’s handshake, and, as always, questionable bathroom etiquette. Jimmy’s busy making foot fetish videos for the Patreon, and the phrase “family-friendly” has already violated three Geneva Conventions.

So, tighten your helmet, lower your standards, and get ready: this is episode 175, and it’s gonna be more chaotic than a grown-ass man arguing with a trail steward about Class 1 e-bike erosion while half the room tries to decide if Freebird is appropriate shitting music. Let’s kick this thing off—hold on to your buttholes, Nards.

Guest profile: Christian Peper

Check out our store for sick shirts.



Got to our Patreon and give us money.

Get 30% off BLIZ sunglasses and more with the code "sponchesmom".

00:00 "Trailhead Aggression Unleashed"

13:10 ChatGPT: A Useful Bike Tuning Guide

25:52 Mindful Kids' Presence on Social Media

42:18 Bridging Bike Skill Gaps

51:38 Progressive Jump Line Ambitions

01:00:17 Action Over Promotion Disconnect

01:10:02 Frustration Over Salt Lake Traffic Changes

01:21:10 Career Shift to Social Media Success

01:28:22 Crafting Effective Video Hooks

01:37:46 Instagram Algorithm Enhances User Engagement

01:47:40 "E-Bike Necessity for Busy Riders"

02:02:26 Homemade Kefir and Root Beer

02:12:18 "Defiant Trail Ride"

Gnar Couch Podcast 176: The History of Gnar Couch

Roll up and throw your tailgate pad on this dumpster fire as we take you through the trainwreck history of the Gnar Couch Podshow, a masterclass in turning angry biker angst and stray couches into the only show less appropriate than your browser history.

We dig into three surprisingly important themes: 1) how a decaying couch at a dirt jump park somehow sparked years of irreverent mountain bike content, 2) the relentless drive to gather all the misfit “dirtbags who are actually nice people” into a worldwide cult—even if it meant spamming Facebook groups until we got banned, and 3) the podshow’s evolution as a real-time therapy session for former skateboarders, current weirdos, and angry outcasts who worship at the altar of “shred till bed.” We’re just trying to find people as broken as us...and the good news is, it totally worked.

Is this audaciously low-brow origin story going to make you smarter? Almost definitely not. But it will make you feel better about whatever you’re doing with your life. So settle in and bask in the glory of a podshow created out of spite, sustained by idiocy, and beloved by dozens of mountain bikers, at least half of whom are probably mentally unstable. Welcome to the chaos you never knew you needed.

Check out our store for sick shirts.



Got to our Patreon and give us money.

Get 30% off BLIZ sunglasses and more with the code "sponchesmom".

00:00 Gnar Couch History Unveiled

12:03 Skateboarding Vibes in New Adventures

24:00 Unexpected Adult Toy Giveaway

38:37 "Radio Stories: Good, Bad, Untold"

52:30 Embracing Interactive Live Streaming

57:23 Reflecting on Friendship and Conflict

01:12:19 "Unique Format Boosts Mental Health"

01:17:07 Misunderstood Contributions Validated

01:35:54 Lingering Resentment Over Past Betrayal

01:44:28 Weekend Party Planning Insights

01:52:51 Impressive Skills and Growing Potential

02:03:31 "Reflecting on Creative Process"

02:15:57 "Blizz Sunglasses Discount & Praise"

02:27:20 Gratitude for Support and Community

02:33:33 "Stupid and Beautiful Memories"

Gnar Couch Podcast 174: DJ Brandt, Authenticity in MTB, Why We Ride

This could easily be the most over-caffeinated, under-medicated mountain bike podshow you’ll ever subject your earholes to. Not a podcast—a “podshow”—because adding “show” makes everything about 17% more questionable. Welcome to Gnar Couch, where the only thing more inflated than our egos is our caffeine intake, and the only thing more shredded than our bikes are our self-images. Tonight, we brought in DJ Brandt—your favorite rider’s favorite wildcard—just to see if we could make the art of the mountain bike interview as awkwardly sweaty and weird as possible.

This week’s podshow spiral dives helmet-first into three core themes: the existential crisis of being a professional freerider in an industry run by desk jockeys who think a “manual” is something you create in Word to guide marketing efforts, the painful evolution of mountain bike culture from “gnarly misfit circus” to “influencer hellscape,” and why the only thing more unstable than the bike industry is JP's and the Jerk Hand's digestive systems after six glizzies chased with six cups of gas station coffee. Sprinkle in debates about corporate buyouts, a discussion about how Pinkbike really was cool at one time, and our relentless need to grill and mother everyone within a 40-foot radius, and you’ve got yourself an audio experience that makes you wonder where the adult supervision went.

So buckle up—preferably in your daily driver Corvette or whatever heap you wrench on to avoid facing your feelings. Whether you’re here for the tales of bike park glory, the communal hate for TikTok “riders,” or just to hear DJ Brandt contemplate welding versus wildcarding, this podshow is the least productive thing you’ll do with your day—and probably the best.

Guest profile: DJ Brandt

Check out our store for sick shirts.



Got to our Patreon and give us money.

Get 30% off BLIZ sunglasses and more with the code "sponchesmom".

00:00 Spotlight on Rising Freedar Star

19:53 Corporate Exploitation of Action Sports Talent

25:49 Transition from Hobby to Profession

37:57 Epic Southern Drop Stunts

49:28 Innovative Photographer's Whistler Legacy

01:03:53 "Rampage Week Step-Down Memory"

01:06:32 "Surprising Flight Radio Skill"

01:23:32 Deer Valley Women's Clinic Finale

01:30:18 "Wild Rampage Camping Memories"

01:47:43 Process Visualization Technique

01:54:49 Obsessive Productivity Tendency

02:02:38 Misunderstanding Over Car Incident

 

Gnar Couch Podcast 173: Be Old But Good With Jeff Robertson, Fountains Of Ween, MTB "Enthusiasts"

Welcome to the Gnar Couch Podshow, which is like a podcast but with less dignity, more self-loathing, and at least a 50% higher chance of your spouse asking, “What the hell are you listening to?” Picture a virtual dirt jump party where a bunch of underachieving mountain bikers, powerlifting BMX dads, and wannabe nutritional influencers swap stories about getting jacked after 40, sacrificing wildlife on Colorado roads, and trying to hit jumps that are way out of their league—all while waxing poetic about mini horses, chia seed poops, and why enthusiasm for the sport is inversely proportional to one’s actual riding skill.

Centered around three main themes—obtaining mountain bike excellence, fitness for aging riders, and the dark, sticky underbelly of “enthusiast” culture—this podshow delivers a potent cocktail of sarcasm and fitness advice. Whether you’re here to hear tales of gym reluctance and the dignity-obliterating process of learning to powerlift over 40 years old, or you just want to increase your biking skills, rest assured: we’re here along with fitness coach Jeff Robertson to help in our own special way.

So pull up your favorite moldy couch cushion, pretend you’re at Swamp Fest with a cold shower aftertaste, and let Jeff, Cheef, Rob, Jimmy Sniper, and JP prove once and for all that growing old is mandatory, but growing up is strictly optional. Welcome to the Gnar Couch Podshow—the best mountain bike podshow you’ll ever regret listening to.

Guest profile: Jeff Robertson

Check out our store for sick shirts.



Got to our Patreon and give us money.

Get 30% off BLIZ sunglasses and more with the code "sponchesmom".

Gnar Couch Podcast 172: Ryan McElmon, Back of the Head Concussions, Sappy Gnar Couch Stories

This could easily be the most dangerously mediocre mountain bike podshow you’ve ever subjected yourself to—if only because there isn’t another one like it. But let’s not call it a “podcast.” It’s the Gnar Couch Podshow, a half-shaved circus animal of a program that fuses mountain biking banter, pre-school-level humor, and the sort of camaraderie you only find in places where head injuries outnumber IQ points. We’re back again, same as ever (possibly worse), welcoming Ryan McElmon, whose only real flaw is being good at every sport—while the rest of us are just good at lying about our skills.

Settle in as Cheef, Jimmy Sniper, Boston Rob, JP/Uncle Touchy, and Ryan ping-pong between three of our favorite recurring disasters: relentless self-roasting for our questionable riding prowess, dissecting why Utah’s mountain bike scene is built on equal parts skill and sheer obliviousness, and an ungodly amount of time spent discussing “firsts”—band shirts, head trauma, and the sort of sponsor deals that make you miss your dignity. It’s all sandwiched between tales of kids who look up to us (bad choice), pro-level athletes who out-drink and out-ski us, and the utter confusion of surviving a town where Dairy Keen is apparently a cultural touchstone.

So grab a non-alcoholic beer (thanks, Ryan), dust off your New Kids on the Block tee, and prepare for a tour through the rarely-admired underbelly of mountain bike podcasting—where the only thing deeper than our self-deprecation is our collective concussion history. Welcome to the Gnar Couch Podshow: the stoke is questionable, the jokes are suspect, but at least you’ll feel better about your own life decisions.

Guest profile: Ryan McElmon

Check out our store for sick shirts.



Got to our Patreon and give us money.

Get 30% off BLIZ sunglasses and more with the code "sponchesmom".

Gnar Couch Podcast 171: Resurrection of Revel Bikes with Adam Miller, Mike Giese, and Chris Canfield

Holy shit. Welcome to episode 171 of the Gnar Couch Podshow, the very special “Revel Bikes hostage rescue operation,” a.k.a. the episode where every former industry bro, current stoke vampire, and accidental HR case decided to restart one of the most revered MTB bike brands and discuss it with us for some reason. Has your bike ever cost more than your car but handled like it was actually made out of expired condoms? Us too. That’s why tonight we’ve packed your digital clown car with more mountain bike icons than a private equity firm’s bankruptcy spreadsheet. (We say this in the most loving way, as you'll find out.)

Cheef here, fresh off a Dairy Keen soft serve bender and contemplating my place in this late-stage capitalist hellscape we call mountain biking. Boston Rob’s still dripping in dad rock and peanut butter cup stains, JP's been busy mansplaining Johnny Cash’s genre to oblivion, and Jimmy’s just out here rage-connecting all of us with big podcast stepdad energy. Chris Canfield is in studio, ready to pivot—literally, with his damn suspension kinematics and figuratively with his HR-compliant mustache. And, not to be outdone, we’ve dragged Adam “I just bought my own company back because fuck you, that’s why” Miller, Mike “Too Steezy For Your Face” Giese, Deano the XC Nerd, whose med device stories will ensure you never trust French boobs or European healthcare again, and another round of your unhinged Oral Connections calls.

Strap on a bib (or a thong, if that’s your flavor), crack a Mezcal, and get ready for almost two hours of raw, unfiltered shit-talking about private equity stupidity, bike spec foreplay, soft serve-sized trauma, and what it actually feels like when your carbon dream bike files for Chapter 11 before being resurrected like the bicycle Jesus it actually is. We’re more country than Austin, less country than Nashville, prouder than a Fox News viewer at a Willie Nelson concert, and about as reliable as a monkey with a PowerPoint deck. Listen, because we might actually answer a bike question, but mostly we’ll just revel in Dad jokes, derailleur puns, and the existential dread of modern consumerism.

Welcome, you sick bastards. Let’s get seriously weird and weirdly serious together.

Guest profiles:

Revel Bikes

Adam Miller

Chris Canfield

Mike Giese (steezygiese765)

Check out our store for sick shirts.



Got to our Patreon and give us money.

Get 30% off BLIZ sunglasses and more with the code "sponchesmom".

Gnar Couch Podcast 170: Luke and Alex Mallen, Racing, Tricks and Stuff

You just stumbled onto the Gnar Couch Podshow—yes, “podshow,” because “podcast” is for people with functioning attention spans and fewer deeply repressed issues about outdoor furniture. We're the audio equivalent of finding a slightly wet couch at a trailhead: deeply unsettling, weirdly comfy, and probably hiding at least two species of insect (metaphorically).

Our not-so-highly-trained panel dives straight into three pillars of modern mountain bike culture: (1) sending it big and eating it just as hard—broken bones, torn ACLs, and the never-ending pursuit of avoiding therapy bills by riding bikes off cliffs; (2) the sacred (and vaguely inappropriate) art of shuttling and cuddling, because real friendship is when you don't question how the couch got wet; and (3)the life of UCI racers Luke and Alex Mallen and the mainline reality check of working your ass off to chase down racing dreams while surviving on hand-me-down underwear and side-hustles aerating strangers’ lawns. All delivered with enough self-loathing to fill a foam pit and enough edge to tear your shins up worse than cheap flat pedals.

So while we’re never going to be the podshow your mom wants to hear, we are the one you can't mention at work without getting a visit from HR. Grab the least-suspicious seat in the trailer, ignore the scent (just like we ignore the rules), and brace for the greatest self-sabotaging, semi-inspirational, off-the-rails mountain bike podshow to grace your undeserving ears. Welcome to Gnar Couch, where we race, we crash, and occasionally, we actually learn something—but only by accident.

Gnar Couch Podcast 169: Queen of Darkfest Chelsea Kimball, Rob Sleeps on the Toilet, Best Meat Sticks

Sweet Jesus riding a mini horse through a desert mesa of expired meat sticks, what a podshow we have for you this week. It’s episode 169, which if you think about it, is just 100 positions away from being remotely impressive. Tonight, we're joined by the Queen of Dark Fest herself, Chelsea Kimball, a.k.a. Her Darkness. Boston Rob’s explains how he falls asleep on the toilet, JP’s dog is most likely the source of local cougar sightings, Jimmy's dad jokes prove to be the only funny part of the show again, and I (Cheef), diagnosed (by past cast members) narcissist, am mostly here to remind you how important I am.

So kick back in your sweet recliner, dust the Dorito crumbs off your jorts, and get ready for 90 minutes of sometimes serious-sometimes stupid Rampage, Dark Fest, and freeride talk with Chelsea, life advice you should never take, pizza-eating tips, and the kind of banter that makes you regret learning English. Dark Fest, Rampage, hot laps, and hot garbage. We’ve got it all. If you want high-level, coherent mountain bike discourse, try whatever podcast Pinkbike produces. If you want to learn several ways to crash on back flips and how to properly urinate at social functions, you’re in the right spot. Welcome to the Gnar Couch Podshow, where the only thing gayer than the six guys in our show trailer is how much we fucking love you for listening.


Check out our store for sick shirts.



Got to our Patreon and give us money.

Get 30% off BLIZ sunglasses and more with the code "sponchesmom".

Gnar Couch Podcast 168: Amelia Capuano, Chuffed on Keen Song Debut, Why Aren't You Dirt Jumping?

Strap in, degenerates, because—holy shit—episode 168 of the Gnar Couch Podshow descends on your brain like a Raptor cranked to 11, meth in the tank, and some dude named Lars judging your court case from the witness stand while Kid Rock shotguns a Busch Light in the background. Have you ever mixed an unwashed pair of five-panels with Swedish thrash metal and a keen yearning to eat trail dust in Virgin, Utah, all while contemplating whether your bones have enough density to survive the next catastrophic OTB? No? Well, welcome to our support group.

This episode, we’ve got Amelia Capuano in the mix—slapping more send than your mom’s boyfriend does Dew out of your hands, and just as calculated about it. JP still can’t tell the difference between Voltron, Power Rangers, and probably his own reflection, while Cheef’s somewhere in a parking lot mourning his inability to clear a jump that only eight-year-olds and groms with fresh HU Bars can manage. Boston Rob’s over here leaning into his final-form Jewfluencer, generational trauma, and all, channeling his father-in-law while rocking those glasses down his nose like he’s one matzo short of a bar mitzvah.

Is this intro going anywhere? Nope. Are you? Not if you’re stuck in traffic, three accidents deep, hovering over your brake pedal, wondering if tonight is the night you finally call in to our show and forget the damn phone number again. We’ve got tales of dirt jumpers crumpling under childhood trauma, chocolate bars worth more than your last pay stub, and Jimmy Sniper explaining how to achieve pegatration at your local skatepark.

So unclench, quit saying “keen” unless you want us to actually start using “chuffed” unironically, and let’s get this parasocial fever dream rolling harder than Mark Cuban’s hairless head at a Shark Tank reject afterparty. Let’s go.

Check out our store for sick shirts.



Got to our Patreon and give us money.

Get 30% off BLIZ sunglasses and more with the code "sponchesmom".

Gnar Couch Podcast 167: April Zastrow, Ryan Rodriguez, NRML MTBer, Teddy Hayden, and the Gayest TDS Ever?

Buckle up, degenerates—this episode of the Gnar Couch Podshow is a full-throttle plunge into the chaos of what might’ve been the gayest TDS Enduro yet (their words, not ours… actually, no, definitely ours).

Cheef, JP, Boston Rob, and Jimmy Sniper are back, joined by misfits like April Zastrow, Ryan Rodriguez, NRML Mountain Biker, Teddy Hayden, and the mysteriously moist Colon Bumb, to unpack a weekend of sketchy lines, worse decisions, and the kind of campfire games that could get you banned from most public lands.

There’s mud. There’s mayhem. There’s Jimmy’s godforsaken toe again (still dominating IG for some reason). Expect carnage, broken breakfast promises, heckling, pissed-off land owners, chair tackles, and the kind of post-race storytelling that smells like beer farts and regret.

It’s raw, it’s ridiculous, and it’s very Gnar Couch. Press play or forever wonder what a gay TDS even means.


Check out our store for sick shirts.



Got to our Patreon and give us money.

Get 30% off BLIZ sunglasses and more with the code "sponchesmom".