Jack Russell is a trained engineer who has worked his way into the bike industry holding roles at both Kona and Santa Cruz. Jack’s passion for speed and engineering mean that he’s owned rally cars, currently owns a plane, and is passionate about making the best bikes on the planet. We sat down to find out about his background, along with chatting about his work at Santa Cruz in both industrial design and more recently as a product manager for their eBike range. This is a great insight into the thought that goes into the products that we get to ride. So sit back, hit play and listen to this episode with Jack Russell.

You can find the entire Santa Cruz range over at santacruzbicycles.com and give them a follow on Instagram where they are @santacruzbicycles.

Supporting Partners

Magura

I’ve been using the Magura MT7 Pro brakes since late last year, and I recently posted that they were the best brakes I’ve ever used. A couple of people got in touch to as if that was really the case and my honest answer is yes they are. The power is insane, but it’s totally controllable, and they are the only brakes that I’ve been able to keep working just as well as when I first fitted them.

What’s more, Magura have their #customizeyourbrake programme which allows you to get the brake set up perfectly for you, as you can change the brake lever, the pads, the discs and make some aesthetic changes too.

You can check out the entire range of Magura brakes, and the #customizeyourbrake programme over at magura.com.

Leatt

Leatt is a protection company that genuinely cares about making our sport as safe as it can be. All their helmets are equipt with their patented 360 turbine technology which is designed to deform to help deal with rotational and low-velocity impacts.

If you want to check out what Leatt have to offer, then you can see the entire range of their 360 turbine equipt helmets at leatt.com and get hold of them at your local bike shop or online.

Santa Cruz

To check out everything Santa Cruz, just head over to santacruzbicyles.com.

Podcast Stuff

Downtime EP

Downtime EP issue 2 is now available at downtimepodcast.com/ep. EP takes inspiration from the guests and topics of the podcast. It expands on them, and takes them into a stunning print-only format. EP is the perfect companion for some quiet time away from the distractions of modern life. Beautiful to have and hold, and a timeless piece of mountain bike history.

Just head over to downtimepodcast.com/ep to save yourself £5 off of the cover price with an annual subscription for just £20 plus postage or you can purchase EP1, or EP2 on their own too.

Merch

If you want to support the podcast, and represent, then my webstore is the place to head. All products are 100% organic, shipped without plastics, and made with a supply chain that's using renewable energy. So check it out now over at downtimepodcast.com/shop.

Follow Us

Give us a follow on Instagram @downtimepodcast or Facebook @downtimepodcast to keep up to date and chat in the comments.

For everything video, including riding videos, bike checks and more, subscribe over at youtube.com/downtimemountainbikepodcast.

Are you enjoying the podcast? If so, then don’t forget to subscribe. Each episode will get delivered to your device as soon as it’s available and it's totally free. You'll find all the links you need at downtimepodcast.com/subscribe. You can find us on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Google and most of the podcast apps out there. While you're there, why not join our newsletter to get our Weekend Warm-Up email every Friday. Full of interesting bike-related stuff, competitions, product recommendations and more.

Our back catalogue of amazing episodes is available at downtimepodcast.com/episodes