Stay ConnectedWelcome to Geek Warning, a podcast focused on how bikes work and how to make them better. Hosted by Dave Rome, Ronan Mc Laughlin and Brad Copeland, this weekly show is your fix for tech geekitude, covering the latest tech news, industry trends, and whatever else is on our minds.
Escape Collective is entirely member-funded. If you like this podcast please consider supporting us by becoming a member: https://escapecollective.com/member/
Copyright: © Caley Fretz
Join Ronan, Dave, Suvi, and Brad as they discuss all things related to modern tyres. You’ll hear why Ronan now prefers hard-to-fit tyres, tips to make the installation easier, and our favourite online (free) pressure calculators.
Of course, there are a few bits of news to cover, including an interesting new freehub patent from Lauf. And as usual, Brad and Dave answer a few mechanical questions submitted by Escape members.
As a reminder, we’re now covering tech news in our Daily News (published on site each day), and that means we’ve also made some changes to the podcast (for the better, we hope). Let us know in the comments how you like (or not) the format changes we’ve been making.
Time stamps:
1:15 - Corrections Corner related to pulling a chain from wax
2:50 - On Ronan’s mind is that tyre fitment woes may not be a wholly bad thing
18:00 - Making tyre installation easier
21:30 - Ronan finally reveals the tight-fitting tyre
24:30 - Pick One: Tyre pressure calculators
39:45 - MRP creates a Cage Guard from SRAM Transmission derailleurs
41:55 - Thule purchases Quadlock
43:00 - Stinner’s introduces a well-priced USA-made stock geometry steel bike
44:50 - Lauf’s teases patent for a springy freehub
47:00 - Ask a Wrench: chain noises on SRAM Eagle AXS
55:20 - Ask a Wrench: installing new brakes and hoses
1:00:05 - Ask a Wrench: removing a stuck headset bearing
Welcome back to Geek Warning. It’s a big cast with Suvi Loponen, Ronan Mc Laughlin, Brad Copeland, and Dave Rome chatting through the latest new tech and answering some mechanic-related questions.Ronan is quizzed over the “too long didn’t read” for the newly Spotted Ridley Noah Fast, plus what Pirelli is up to with its FSC-certified tyres.
SRAM chains have been back in the media this week after some comments from cyclocross legend Sven Nys, the geeks speculate what could be happening here and why it’s not a widespread issue. Of course there's more tech talk including a PSA and answering a few Ask a Wrench questions from Escape Collective members.
Finally the episode wraps with a bunch of new product releases worth sharing.
Enjoy!
Time stamps:
2:00 - Ridley’s new and unreleased Noah Fast
7:15 - Pirelli and rubber trees
12:20 - Coros’ new Pace Pro sports watch
18:30 - Hammerhead Karoo updates battery life through firmware
20:50 - Sven Nys complains of SRAM chains
27:10 - PSA to not ignore creaks
36:00 - Ask a Wrench: When pull your waxed chain
41:20 - Ask a Wrench: Feeling a brake track
45:15 - Ask a Wrench: Putting a longer fork on an XC bike
49:50 - OneUp’s new dropbar dropper lever
52:20 - Stan’s No Tubes and Daysaver collab
55:20 - Canecreek’s GXC stem fills a gap
57:40 - Aerocoach Blitz track handlebars
1:00-40 - Lapierre’s new Pulsium endurance road bike
1:02:15 - Yamaha stops e-bike sales in the USA
1:03:30 - The Pro’s Closet returns
It may be the off-season in the racing world, but the land of bike tech never sleeps. In this episode of Geek Warning, you’ll hear Suvi, Dave, and Brad discuss an intriguing shifter-related patent from Campagnolo that perhaps can’t come soon enough.
The geeks then discuss what they each seek in a drop handlebar and what their favourites are. Within this extended segment, you’ll hear about one-piece cockpits, more traditional two-piece setups, and picks for road and gravel purposes.
We’ve also got some great Ask a Wrench questions that spark some deeper conversation.
Enjoy!
Time stamps:
1:45 - Campagnolo’s recent shifter patent
11:00 - Discussing drop handlebars and picking one (well, maybe two)
33:15 - Ask a Wrench: How to become a bike mechanic
48:00 - Ask a Wrench: SRAM Flat Top and T-type chain compatibility
53:22 - Ask a Wrench: Raising awareness for the actual cost of bike ownership and where the blame sits
1:06:45 - Tech bites: an increasing number of lighter e-MTBs is a trend that won’t slow
Things are a little flipped upside down in this week’s Geek Warning. Suvi, Dave, and Brad open the show by discussing their most meaningful bikes. The geeks then turn to pick a favourite side-access bottle cage for when frame space is limited. Of course there’s a handful of Ask a Wrench questions, answered. And the show wraps with a round-up of new tech to drop over the past week.
A small note: Suvi experienced some audio issues toward the end of the episode, and so, the power of editing has her disappear from the conversation without much warning.
Time stamps:
5:00 - The bikes we’ll never let go and those we wish we hadn’t
20:30 - Picking one side-access bottle cage
32:00 - Ask a wrench: resin versus metallic (sintered) disc brake pads
40:00 - Ask a wrench: the importance of matching rear shock hardware sizes
45:30 - Ask a wrench: Chainline woes in going old 2x to new 1x gravel
51:30 - Tech news on the daily
53:20 - Dare’s Velocity Ace goes full aero
55:30 - Enduro also now offering polymer-infill frame pivot bearings
1:00:00 - Enve’s new M-series wheels
1:01:15 - Daysaver’s new mini pumps
1:02:30 - Body Rocket on-bike aero sensor arrives
Welcome to another members-only (at least the full episode) edition of the Geek Warning podcast.
This episode came together after the boutique brand Open Cycle [teased a long-awaited update to its Up gravel bike. For those who aren’t familiar with the Open Up, it was a bike to break new ground for the emerging sporty gravel space through its dual-wheel size compatibility with 700c and 650B. Meanwhile, it achieved the clearance between the rear tyre and chainring by introducing dropped chainstays to the market.
Open Cycle was founded by Andy Kessler (former CEO of BMC) and Gerard Vroomen (co-founder of Cervelo, and until recently, also the co-owner of 3T). Between Open and 3T, Vroomen has pushed many boundaries in the gravel space in recent years. In this episode, Vroomen covers the details of the new Up and Upper bike range and the design decisions made. We touch on Open’s move to on-shoring production. I pry unsuccessfully into teased compatibility with unreleased Shimano. And we chat about the move to threaded bottom brackets. Plus, members of Escape will hear me eat my own hat as despite designing a 700c-only bike, Vroomen strongly defends the smaller 650B-wheelsize and laments (and explains) its loss.
It’s a varied chat with a whole lot of interesting experience in designing and engineering bikes shared. Enjoy!
A portion of this podcast is available to all. The full length, including the conversation on 650B vs 700C is available exclusively to members of Escape Collective. To add member-only podcasts, including this one, to your podcast player of choice, click here.
This episode introduces a new voice, Escape’s new tech writer, Suvi Loponen. Join Suvi, Brad, and Dave as they discuss the latest tech and a couple of new bikes seen at Gravel Worlds.
Picking the Mount Rushmore of bicycle cranksets is sure to cause debate. Within you’ll hear Brad and Dave share some of the cranks that have left an impression on them. We’d love to hear your picks, so jump into the comments.
Ask a Wrench continues, this time with Brad and Dave offering answers to three member-submitted questions. Within Ask a Wrench Brad answers a question about the basics of suspension setup. There was a recommended video mentioned, here’s a link to that. Enjoy!
Time stamps:
5:45 - Tech themes at Gravel Worlds
10:50 - Inflation on the fly with Gravaa
19:30 - Lapierre’s first carbon gravel bike
22:40 - Superior getting into gravel
27:30 - The Mount Rushmore of cranksets
40:15 - Ask a Wrench: A basic guide to setting up mountain bike suspension
50:00 - Ask a Wrench: increasing the lifespan of road tyres
55:00 - Ask a Wrench: geometry changes in putting road tyres on a gravel bike
1:01:20 - New Rolf Prima wheels go to 16 spokes for disc brakes
1:05:05 - Hunt’s new 40 Limitless gravel race wheel
1:08:00 - Sidi’s new Tenacia is for toe clips and L’Eroici
In this episode of Performance Process, Ronan and Caley welcome Dylan Johnson, a lifetime Gran Prix athlete, coach, and data-driven performance-optimising YouTuber, to discuss the ins and outs of off-road racing.
Dylan shares his insights on the category he arguably reignited: drop bar mountain bikes, exploring the whys and the pros and cons of ditching flat bars. He also delves into tyre selection, revealing his two tyres for gravel racing following his own rolling resistance and aero testing.
Speaking of aero testing, Dylan discusses the importance of aerodynamics in gravel racing, and his advice on where to optimise first. Finally, as gravel racing continues to evolve, the group discuss if current trends are truly optimal or stop gaps along the way with predictions on the future of bike design.
Whether you’re a racer or an enthusiast, this episode is packed with practical insights and inspiration for the gravel and off-road rider.
Plus why modern bikes require more frequent headset inspections, Ridley’s new gravel bike, and a tonne more.
It’s a big episode this week as the geeks, Dave and Brad, cover a whole lot of ground including the latest new products, a rant on silly-priced items, a little on chain wear, why headset inspections matter more than ever, and there’s an in-depth chat with a true geek of the wheel building world.That opening chat related to chains comes off a recent Threaded article about chain wear.
Meanwhile, Dave jumps on a call with wheel build extraordinaire Tristan Thomas of WheelWorks to answer a multi-part Ask a Wrench question. It quickly gets detailed and geeky, but we figured that’s exactly what you’re here for.As a reminder, the Geek Warning podcast is only made possible through members of Escape Collective. We intentionally don’t have any advertising, affiliate links, or sponsored content, so if you love this podcast, please support it (and then enjoy all the member-exclusive content you've been missing out on).
Time stamps:
5:30 - Chain wear, for those that missed it
13:00 - Ridley’s new Astr gravel race bike and thoughts on BB86
24:00 - The Pro’s Closet is shutting shop
31:40 - On Dave’s mind are silly-priced “limited” pulley wheels
44:00 - a PSA on the increased importance of headset inspection
58:10 - Ask a Wrench, all about wheel building with Tristan of WheelWorks
1:25:00 - Bosch’s new Performance Line CX e-bike system
1:26:50 - PNW releases silver anodised dropper posts
Plus why tyres are likely to keep getting wider.
With the road season soon to come to a close, the events in the tech world are unsurprisingly more focused on the dirt. In this week’s episode of Geek Warning, you’ll hear Brad and Dave cover the latest in tech across road, gravel, and mountain bike.
Amongst a number of new things, the geeks discuss a future of electronic suspension and what that could spell for the gravel world. Why tyres are likely to continue trending wider in cross-country racing (among other disciplines). And with Specialized announcing free full suspension frame bearings for the lifetime of its mountain bikes, we discuss new ways to sell bikes in tough times. All this and plenty more!
Time stamps:
1:25 - BMC’s new Teammachine R Masterpiece
7:30 - Sad passing of Bob Parlee
8:50 - Bontrager goes up to 29 mm rim width for gravel
12:40 - Lauf’s first mountain bike raises questions on the future of big tyres
24:40 - BH has an interesting new short-travel XC bike
29:25 - Fox joins the wirelessly-controlled electronic suspension game
36:22 - New ways to sell the bikes that aren’t selling?
47:20 - Ask a Wrench: career mechanic woes
55:25 - Ask a Wrench: storing Di2 for winter
59:10 - Ask a Wrench: keeping alloy rims black
It’s new bike day for Lauf Cycles as the Icelandic bike company launches its first mountain bike. In this bonus episode of Geek Warning, you’ll hear from two key people of the company about the design decisions behind the bike, how Lauf seemingly keeps finding itself ahead of emerging trends, and what allows Lauf to hit some impressive price points. To read and see more of this bike, head to Escape Collective.
Non-members of Escape Collective can still tune in and listen to approximately half of this episode. Meanwhile, the full version is found in our exclusive member feed, something you’ll gain access to through signing up.
This week’s episode is shorter than usual, but no less geeky. Join Dave and Brad as they discuss some of the bigger tech news.
Within, the geeks discuss Mavic’s new US$999 Cosmic S 42 Disc carbon road wheels. Pivot has wholly overhauled its Vault gravel bike. Wolf Tooth has a new free app for dialling in off-road tyre pressures. The iconic folding bike company Brompton goes gravel. And of course, there’s a quick discussion of that new RAF1 backpack thing.
You’ll also hear Dave and Brad share some tips and their favourite bike cases for when flying with a bike. And then, the episode wraps with two member-submitted Ask a Wrench questions.
Time stamps:
4:24 - Mavic’s US$999 carbon road wheels
8:25 - Pivot’s new Vault gravel bike
12:30 - Wolf Tooth introduces a free tyre pressure app for off-road purposes
14:45 - Brompton goes gravel
17:15 - An aero backpack to burn with fire
20:00 - On our mind and picking one: travel cases
29:50 - Ask a Wrench: Why isn’t 650B more popular in gravel?
34:50 - Ask a Wrench: Storing tubeless tyres through the winter
In this week's Geek Warning, Brad, Ronan, and Caley delve into a project that wants to answer all our compatibility questions, forever. Plus, a bit of Campagnolo news, some thoughts on the unreleased bike Lachlan Morton is riding around Australia, and Brad's suggestions for Caley's brake and suspension fork woes.
Tyres tyres tyres! Aero tyres, big fat gravel tyres - in this episode has a lot of tyres in it.
We have a bit of a shakeup this week. Dave Rome is on a well-deserved holiday so Caley and Ronan are joined by pro mechanic Zach Edwards to talk through Parcours' latest tyre testing and what the data can teach us about optimising for various road courses. Then we discuss the trend toward 50mm+ rubber at the pointy end of gravel races, some updates from Zwift, and Caley's new cross-country bike.
In a member's only Geek Warning episode, Dave Rome and framebuilding expert Rob English discuss some of the highlights from the 2024 Made handmade bike show. We have made a shortened version of the ep available here on the free Geek Warning feed, but to get the full show, you'll need to head on over to escapecollective.com/member to sign up!
It’s the end of the week and that means the geeks are back with another geeky episode. Join Dave and Brad as they discuss the latest in the world of cycling tech.
The first topic of discussion is Hunt’s new 40 Gravel Race wheels with H_Cyclo, a new technology that aims to bring recyclability into a thermoset carbon fibre product. The resin-based technology appears to come from Taiwanese company Swancore (unconfirmed by Hunt), and dare we say, this won’t be the last time the geeks discuss it (perhaps expect a full feature on the tech in the future, too).
Brad and Dave then cover their favourite Presta-type pump heads and offer a PSA on basic drivetrain maintenance. Finally, a few members pose mechanical questions to the geeks in the Ask a Wrench segment.
Plus, keep an ear out for a bonus episode of the Geek Warning podcast with framebuilder Rob English and chatting all things related to the recent MADE Bike show.
Time stamps:
2:20 - Hunt’s H-Cyclo tech allows recycling of thermoset carbon
10:30 - Wolf Tooth’s new Internal-External headset
16:55 - Picking One Presta pump head
26:30 - a PSA applicable to all forms of chain lube
34:20 - Ask a Wrench (AaW) about bigger chainrings on SRAM Force AXS
41:50 - Smelly chains (AaW)
44:15 - Handlebar width for women’s XC racing (AaW)
53:20 - Getting more range from SRAM XPLR AXS 12-speed (AaW)
It’s never a boring week when you’re a bike geek. Join Brad and Dave as they discuss the latest from the last week of tech, including interesting developments in wax options from Silca, why gravel tyre trends have caught the bike industry by surprise, plus the latest from Fox and Ratio Technology.
The geeks also share thoughts on a few round seatposts to consider and answer three member-submitted Ask a Wrench questions.
Time stamps:
3:10 - Save some fresh tech for the TDF Femmes
6:35 - Silca’s new Speed and Endurance chips
11:25 - Trek’s CheckMate and rapidly changing tyre width trends
23:45 - Picking one seatpost (well, at least the things to consider)
38:55 - Ask a Wrench: mixing and matching SRAM AXS and Shimano 12
45:05 - Ask a Wrench: pedals and install torque
51:10 - Ask a Wrench: servicing Shimano pedals
59:00 - Fox’s Neo Wireless dropper post
1:08:20 - Ratio Technology turns AXS Road into XPLR
What do dropbars on mountain bikes, our love for electric tyre inflators, and a random chirping noise have in common? Very little, but it’s all covered in this week’s jam-packed Geek Warning!
Join Dave and Brad as they discuss emerging trends in gravel bikes, which are increasingly getting rowdy. The recent Leadville race and the new BMC URS both offer discussion points for this.
This week, Dave is thinking about battery-powered tyre inflators, which will be covered in this week’s edition of Threaded. The geeks then discuss their favourite bartapes and why they like them.
You’ll then hear three member questions answered in the recently returned “Ask a Wrench” segment. From chain lube for Cross to solving a mystery chirping noise, and the geek’s most embarrassing/costly mistakes.
Finally the episode wraps up with a few new tech bites from around the cycling industry. There are new shorter-length ShockStop suspension stems from Redshift. Forge+Bond brings its theromplastic technology to a handlebar. There are more bad e-bikes from the automotive world. And a heads-up of two custom bike shows coming this month.
Enjoy!
Time stamps:
4:45 - Leadville showing bike trends or just one-offs for a specific event?
15:48 - BMC has updated its URS gravel bike
23:05 - Electric tyre inflators are all the buzz
28:50 - Pick One: Bartapes
34:25 - Ask a Wrench
1:02:40 - Ford's new bad e-bikes
1:06:05 - Forge+Bond has a handlebar
1:09:05 - Redshift adds 55 and 70 mm versions of the ShockStop stem
1:12:20 - MADE is nearly here
It’s time for a bonus episode of Geek Warning. Usually, we keep such bonus episodes for members of Escape Collective, but it simply wouldn’t be right to limit this one. It’s a conversation about what is arguably the most impactful bicycle-centric not-for-profit in the world. Indeed, we’re talking about World Bicycle Relief, aka, WBR.
In this episode, Escape’s Dave Rome chats with Dave Neiswander, the CEO of World Bicycle Relief and the organisation’s Lead Product Designer, Andy Samways.
Within you’ll learn about World Bicycle Relief and how the humble bicycle is used to change lives and benefit communities. Of course we also chat about the interesting tech behind the new Buffalo Utility S2 bike.
You can learn more and donate at worldbicyclerelief.org.
It’s 2024 and yet we have a new high-end rim brake Colnago to discuss. We certainly didn’t expect to write that sentence.
Also in this week’s Geek Warning, you’ll hear Brad, Ronan, and Dave discuss some broad aero themes seen at the Olympic Games. There’s some chit-chat about Cervelo’s minor update to the Caledonia 5. And Ronan shares a Garmin-related PSA that he had to learn the hard way.
Perhaps the biggest news is that Ask a Wrench has returned. Members of Escape Collective can now submit a recorded question for use in future episodes (please introduce yourself at the beginning).
The episode wraps with some recall-related news out of the USA. And lastly, Dave and Brad discuss Madrone Cycles, a small company focussed on bringing beaten SRAM Eagle derailleurs back to life.
Time stamps:
1:00 - Tech at the Olympic Track
17:40 - Colnago’s novel new braking system
26:50 - Cervelo updates the Caledonia 5, but only a little
33:30 - Ronan’s PSA for Garmin users
36:15 - Ask a Wrench returns!
57:00 - CPSC rules Amazon is liable for recalls
59:10 - Brompton recalls 2024 T-line bikes
1:00:00 - Madrone repairs SRAM Eagle derailleurs
With no time for chit-chat, the geeks are excited about the first few bits of tech seen at the Olympics, chatting a few notable elements from the road Time Trials, and then chatting why some of the tech seen in the mountain bike races are likely relevant to all.
Then you’ll hear a summary of the latest gravel-going groupset from SRAM, and the matching ultra-wide wheels from Zipp. For more on these products, certainly check out Dave’s extensive write-ups on the SRAM Red XPLR AXS groupset and Zipp 303 XPLR wheels.
If you’ve got a modern bike with thru-axles then you may be intrigued to hear that your thru-axles may in fact wear out. In this week’s PSA you’ll hear how to make those axles happy and why you shouldn’t ignore early signs of issue.
Finally, there’s a couple of bits of tech news to wrap things up. Enjoy!
Time stamps:
1:30 - Straight into Olympic tech, so far
21:45 - New Red XPLR AXS, 13-speed on a 12-speed chain
27:30 - Zipp has a matching suite of XPLR products
45:50 - a PSA that your thru-axles may experience wear
56:30 - Ritchey’s comfortable-looking Montebello
57:40 - Shimano is helping to fund some trails
Welcome back for another episode of Geek Warning. This week, Dave Rome and Brad Copeland discuss the latest topics in the bike world. They ponder whether all-road and gravel bikes are now the same thing. And the conversation does cover Dave’s poor financial control.
Three new bikes are discussed. There’s Canyon’s new Aeroad road race bike, a bike that Ronan Mc Laughlin wrote about last week. Meanwhile, USA-based Otso Cycles and State Bicycle Co have both released new all-road/gravel bikes with prices starting from just US$2,500 – the Otso Cycles Warakin and State Titanium All-Road (yes, a budget titanium bike).
On Dave’s mind is the gravel bike he couldn’t bring himself to return, a Santa Cruz Stigmata that he just wrapped up reviewing.
You'll also hear a PSA about servicing freehub bodies, and the episode wraps up (in under an hour!) with a quick bite of news from Kask.
Timestamps:
4:35 - Canyon’s new Aeroad goes all-in on T25
16:30 - Defining All Road
21:00 - Otso Cycles’ new Warakin Steel
27:55 - State launches a budget titanium bike
33:20 - Reviewing bikes can get expensive
40:00 - PSA on freehub body servicing
50:35 - Kask unveils the Nirvana aero road helmet
For the first time in a long time the bike industry is taking a breather on new product drops. With that, Dave Rome and Brad Copeland catch up to discuss what’s on their minds.
There’s a nostalgic chat about Brad and Dave’s dream bikes as awkward teens. Dave raises his frustrations around integrated shifter and brake clamp systems on mountain bikes. And the geeks discuss what spares they carry on local rides.
There’s a small amount of worthy tech news at the end, including factory-waxed chains from KMC and Wippermann, plus a chat about Wolf Tooth’s updated dropper and how it compares.
Timestamps:
2:50 - Corrections Corner related to OneUp hubs
5:50 - Dream bikes in our teens, plus a tangent
21:00 - Why can’t MatchMaker make our match?
34:05 - Pick One Returns! Our spares
50:00 - A quick repeat of a PSA
52:10 - Waxed chains straight from the factory are here!
59:10 - Wolf Tooth’s Revolve Rev2 shows how Right to Repair should be
1:02:50 - Wolf Tooth’s news presents another Pick One segment
Eurobike is now in the rearview mirror and the buzz of the Tour continues to grow. In this week’s Geek Warning episode you’ll hear (without sound issues, horray!) a wrap-up from Eurobike, learn about Schwalbe’s intriguing new Clik Valve, Canyon’s Tempr shoes bring them into a new product category, and some bold claims from Parcours for the gravel race scene.
Brad and Dave also discuss the latest Trek Top Fuel mountain bike and Dangerholm’s incredible 5.89 kg (12.99 lb) hardtail. Plus you’ll hear about the latest from Feedback Sports, DT Swiss, Manitou, and Shimano.
The big conversation for this episode is all about the generally poor quality control of flat-mount brake mounts, and it warrants a language warning as Dave feels his anger grow. Seriously, a message to bike manufacturers and brands, it shouldn’t be up to the local shop to fix this stuff!
Escape Collective's podcasts are made possible by our members. Head on over to escapecollective.com/join to support this show and everything else on our podcast network.
Time stamps:
1:48 - Parcours’ FKT aero gravel race wheelset
10:00 - Canyon enters the high-end shoe market
18:40 - Ronan’s experience at Eurobike
25:55 - Schwalbe Clik Valve - a new valve we may just like
30:15 - Trek’s fourth-gen Top Fuel
37:30 - Dangerholm’s latest ‘lightest hardtail’
43:05 - Dave gets a little sweary: flat mount should be flat!
55:10 - Feedback Sports enters the electric stand market
1:00:20 - It’s DT Swiss’ 30th anniversary
1:02:00 - Manitou releases its R8 cross-country fork
1:04:45 - Shimano’s new second-tier S-Phyre RC7 shoes, plus the case for spending more on certain things
It’s the week of all weeks for cycling tech. The Tour de France has kicked off, the world’s largest cycling tradeshow – Eurobike – is on, and we’ve seen many smaller handmade bike shows, too. With that, Dave Rome, Brad Copeland, and Ronan Mc Laughlin have plenty of things to geek out over.
The geeks discuss the new Classified and TRP drivetrain collab, plus new budget groupset options from Microshift and SRAM. Ronan gives a brief overview of Continental’s new aero tyres, while there’s also chat of a new fancy chain waxing tool seen at the Tour.
There’s a chat about how to keep a check on your brake tracks. And then to finish things off, you’ll hear Brad and Dave discuss new hubs from OneUp, a new gravel bike from Giant, some question marks about Ohlins suspension, and the entrance of drone-experts DJI into bicycles (wait, what?). And lastly, the new Buffalo bike for World Bicycle Relief is discussed.
And once again, we apologise for the sound quality on this one. This time, it was Brad with the technical issues, sounding a little distant on the backup audio we had to use.
Time stamps:
3:50 - Classified and TRP collaborate on a groupset
14:45 - The Aero111 tyre from DT Swiss, Swiss Side, and Continental
21:40 - SRAM’s new S-1000 Transmission
27:05 - Microshift Sword Black, even cheaper and 9-speed
31:35 - Cyclowax teases on-bike chain waxing
38:25 - Handmade bikes everywhere!
43:40 - PSA: saying it once more, measure those brake tracks!
54:45 - A workforce reduction at Ohlins
57:40 - Oneup enters the hub market
1:01:58 - KOM’s Xeno hub has us intrigued
1:05:00 - We drone on about DJI’s entrance into e-bikes
1:08:20 - Giant’s new Revolt Advanced gravel bike
1:11:15 - The new Buffalo bike
If you managed to take a look at some of the bikes from Spoken, you’ll quickly realise there’s a whole lot of tech to talk about. For this member’s special bonus episode of Geek Warning, Dave Rome sits down with a number of exhibitors while at the show. In this episode you’ll hear interviews with builders such as Feather Cycles and Woods Bicycle Co. Dave chats with Silca’s owner Josh Poertner about the future of chain waxing and 3D titanium printing. You’ll learn about the latest from Melbourne-based Curve Cycling and Project Flock. Plus, discussion on bike fit with RiderFit.CC and the future of the Spoken show with event co-founder Nathan Lorkin.
Only members of Escape Collective can listen to the full version of this episode, however, this shorter version is available here for free (and hopefully to once again, encourage you to join).
Also, we'd love to get your feedback on this show and our other shows. Share your thoughts at escapecollective.com/podcast-survey.
Time stamps:
1:00 - Feather Cycles and the launch of WKNDR
9:40 - Woods Bicycle Co on hidden cable routing
19:30 - Josh Poertner on 3D titanium printing and the next-generation of chain waxing
40:00 - Project Flock
44:30 - Curve Cycling and going higher-end
49:00 - Stewart Morton of RiderFit
56:30 - The future of Spoken?
In this week’s episode of Geek Warning, Escape Collective's tech editors Dave Rome and Ronan McLaughlin get lost in thought and go well over the magic hour. Hit play to hear whether Trek’s move to turn two race bikes into one is a decision based on performance or business, whether lateral chain wear is a measurement we should be considering, what we look for in bib shorts, and what possessed Ronan to do a nearly 20-hour-long ride.
Of course, the geeks also talk about other new products just released, including Wolf Tooth’s entry into mini pumps, Wahoo’s new heart rate strap, and Willier’s latest road bike. Enjoy!
Also, we'd love to get your feedback on this show and our other shows. Share your thoughts at escapecollective.com/podcast-survey.
Time stamps
3:00 - Trek goes all-in on the new Madone
21:30 - Wilier’s new climbing bike
31:30 - Abbey Bike Tools introduces a less thought way of measuring chain wear
44:20 - RIP Jurgen Falke
45:10 - Ronan’s big ride is on Dave’s mind
55:30 - Picking one bib-short
1:02:30 - Wahoo’s new heart rate strap, will this one last?
1:09:40 - Wolf Tooth gets into mini pumps with internal storage
1:13:30 - Bossi’s new Grit titanium gravel bike
1:14:20 - MADE Australia is this weekend, while Ronan is heading to the Tour and Eurobike
It’s time to geek out. This week Brad Copeland, Ronan McLaughlin, and Dave Rome are on the pod to talk all the major news in the world of tech and what’s on their minds.
There’s a new road bike from Pinarello, and a new head unit that promises to be self-sustaining, and a more affordable full suspension race bike from Specialized. Plus Dave and Brad share some things on their minds.
Forward warning and an apology as the sound quality on this one doesn’t meet our usual standard. Dave was already under the weather, and if that weren’t enough, he then had mic issues. The information is there, it’s just Dave sounds like virus-riddled bot!
Escape Collective's podcasts are made possible by our members. Head on over to escapecollective.com/member to support this show and everything else on our podcast network.
Also, we'd love to get your feedback on this show and our other shows. Share your thoughts at escapecollective.com/podcast-survey.
Time stamps:
2:24 - New Pinarello Dogma
11:50 - Coros’ entry into head units
22:05 - More new alloy from Specialized, this time the Chisel FS
28:33 - Spoken has been run, a bonus episode is incoming
29:25 - Spare seatpost length is on Brad’s mind
33:30 - Dave explains why he’s a reformed chain waxer
43:50 - Quick tech bite in the form of Giant’s new kids bike
50:05 - Brad shares a tip for getting tips
The tech never stops. This episode Brad Copeland and Dave Rome discuss a handful of new dropbar bikes, a recall, common mistakes with fitting chains, and their favourite… grease. Oh yes, it’s Geek Warning!
Those new bikes include the fascinatingly simple Specialized Crux DSW, a refreshed Bianchi Arcadex gravel bike, and OBED’s entry into the endurance road space. Meanwhile the geeks discuss Ellsworth’s recent return and entry into gravel.
Following a repair during the week, on Brad’s mind is how chain direction matters and it spurs a larger conversation about other common chain-related mistakes. Then Dave asks the hard hitting questions, asking Brad to pick a single grease of choice.
The episode wraps with a recall from Kuat and a tease for the upcoming Spoken Show (formerly Handmade Bicycle Show Australia) in Melbourne, Australia.
Escape Collective's podcasts are made possible by our members. Head on over to escapecollective.com/member to support this show and everything else on our podcast network.
Also, we'd love to get your feedback on this show and our other shows. Share your thoughts at escapecollective.com/podcast-survey.
Time stamps:
5:25 - Specialized’s new alloy bike and why simple wins
20:00 - Bianchi new Arcadex and why UDH is now the common feature in gravel
26:48 - Ellsworth returns to the dropbar world
33:00 - OBED RVR is another option with a taller stack height
39:25 - Chain direction is on Brad’s mind
46:40 - Pick one: Grease. Yes, grease.
53:50 - Roval releases a Team version of its Rapide CLX II road wheels
58:32 - Kuat has a recall that impacts 86,000 racks
1:01:30 - High-fives await in Melbourne
A €9,000 frame, a €27k build, and €22K spent on developing the bottle alone… Wilier has a new TT bike.
Escape Collective had exclusive access to the development of this new bike in a seemingly impossible time frame. Leading the design project was Marco Genovese, Head of Design at Wilier Triestina. With 14 years of experience in developing over 100 frames, Genovese knows a thing or two about carbon frame design. Escape Tech Editor Ronan Mc Laughlin sat down with Genovese to deep dive on all things frame design to discuss everything from brainwaves in the shower to initial concepts and from modern design tools to made-up UCI rules.
The Supersonica may be a time trial bike, but this bonus episode of the Geek Warning podcast is for anyone who has ever wondered how bikes are designed.
Escape Collective's podcasts are made possible by our members. Head on over to escapecollective.com/member to support this show and everything else on our podcast network.
Also, we'd love to get your feedback on this show and our other shows. Share your thoughts at escapecollective.com/podcast-survey.
A lot has happened in the world of cycling tech over the past week. The Dauphine has teased new bikes getting dialled in for the Tour. While Unbound has shown that gravel tech is still progressing at a rapid rate, including wider tyres, new 1x drivetrains, and aero-shaped suspension.
There’s a full cast of geeks to chat about it, with Ronan Mc Laughlin tuning in to discuss what’s new in the road space, while Dave Rome and new-old voice Brad Copeland discuss the rest.
Of course the geeks discuss something on their mind which should prove helpful for anyone with a stuck crank. The episode closes with tech news including Fulcrum’s new Sharq wheels, a new gravel race handlebar from Pro, a well-priced mountain bike shifter upgrade from SRAM, and more.
Escape Collective's podcasts are made possible by our members. Head on over to escapecollective.com/member to support this show and everything else on our podcast network.
Also, we'd love to get your feedback on this show and our other shows. Share your thoughts at escapecollective.com/podcast-survey.
Time stamps:
4:26 - A swarm of new road bikes are coming from Canyon, Willier, Pinarello, and more
24:00 - A corrections corner
24:51 - New tech seen at Unbound Gravel, including things from SRAM, wider wheels, aero Fox suspension, and new bikes
42:20 - On our mind: stubborn crank bolts and methods for overcoming them
55:00 – Bianchi’s ribbon-cutting ceremony has us giggling
58:20 – Fulcrum’s new wavy-shaped Sharq wheels
1:02:40 – Pro Bike Gear’s new Discover Aero Carbon handlebar for better GRX integration
1:08:10 - SRAM’s new Pod Rocker upgrade for AXS
It's time for another bonus episode of Geek Warning.
Typically, we keep these bonus episodes for subscribers and members of Escape Collective, however, this one is being left open to all as a teaser for the type of stuff you’re missing by not being a member. If you like this and want more, sign up here.
This episode is about gravel tire selection and trends in the thinking that bigger is better. It all came about through an Instagram post by former WorldTour pro-turned Gravel Pro Alex Howes, who had shared just how much he had been obsessing over tire selection for the 2024 edition of Unbound Gravel. And what makes this conversation all the more interesting is that Howes isn’t sponsored by a single tire brand, but rather an online retailer that sells all the brands - biketiresdirect.
Dave Rome and Howes cover a lot of ground in this one, including chatting slicks versus treads, picking the biggest volume possible, inserts or not, what to carry on a self-supported race like Unbound, and why white bar tape.If you don’t care about why, where, when, or how, and assuming the weather holds, Howes plans to race on Vittoria Terreno Zero tyres, in a 50 mm width up front and a 47 mm rear with inserts. He expects to start the day with approximately 19 psi in the front, and 24 psi rear. Still, if you find these details interesting, you’ll surely appreciate the conversation. Enjoy!
Welcome back to Geek Warning, a podcast by the Escape Collective, that covers everything to know in the world of bicycle tech. James Huang said farewell in our past episode, and with that, Dave is joined by a new voice that knows a thing or two about bicycle-related things – Brad Copeland.With a mountain bike World Cup race at Nové Město freshly finished, Dave and Brad discuss things in use by the winners, technical problems by a race favourite, and trends in tyre tech.The geeks share their favourite tubeless tyre sealants and a PSA applicable to all.It’s a relatively light week in terms of tech news, still, Brad and Dave share their thoughts on DT Swiss’ new premium gravel wheelsets, new well-priced carbon wheels from Easton, and a new gravel race jersey with its own sweat-patch.
Time stamps:
4:10 – Pre-Olympic tech spotted in use by Pauline Ferrand-Prevot and Tom Pidcock
10:55 – Speculating about Victor Koretzky’s tech woes
15:20 – Are wider tyres always better for gravel and MTB? What does that mean for the future of tyre inserts?
37:25 - Pick one: tubeless tyre sealant
50:05 - PSA: test your spares!
57:10 - New DT Swiss GRC 1100 and 1400 Dicut gravel wheels
1:08:00 - Easton’s new EC90 ALX gravel and all-road hoops
1:10:40 - Castelli adds a hydration bladder to an aero jersey, so gravel
Ever feel like you’d like a lighter bike? Now imagine what your current bike would feel like if it was half of your body weight. For all too many kids who are learning to ride bikes, that’s exactly what it feels like to them. Premium kids’ bikes are a relatively new category, but also one that’s rapidly growing with more brands, models, sizes, and genres than ever before. Are they expensive? As compared to what you’d find in a big-box store, sure. But when you really think about what your kid might get out of a nicer bike, what actually goes into them, and even what you might get out of them once they’ve outgrown them, the numbers become easier to justify.
Fair warning: The full episode is only available to Escape Collective members. Head on over to escapecollective.com/member to support this show and everything else on our podcast network.
It’s just a regular week in May, but you can bet the bike industry is its usual buzz of activity. James Huang and Dave Rome offer some strong thoughts related to Shimano’s latest release of GRX Di2. There’s chat about Felt clawing its way back into the spotlight. Of course the geeks can't ignore the return of Kona Bikes. And there are rumblings that the old Interbike tradeshow may be coming back, too.
We’ve got custom bikes on our minds. We fail at picking one saddle. And there’s a PSA for all. The episode wraps with a round-up of new wheel-related things from Reynolds, Zipp, Roval, Chris King, and Hunt.
And then James shares his own news. Indeed this is the last episode you’ll hear James’ voice as he hangs up his digital gauge.
Time stamps:
2:00 - Shimano GRX 12-speed Di2
16:40 - Felt’s new VR endurance road bike
20:25 - Kona is back!
25:45 - Is the Interbike tradeshow coming back?
30:40 - On our mind: would we buy our own fully custom bike?
43:25 - Pick one: saddles
56:45 - You get accustomed to things being crummy
1:01:10 - Talking new wheel-related things from Reynolds, Zipp, Hunt, Roval, and Chris King
1:11:30 - James’ heart sinking news (tear emoji)
Not surprisingly given the big product launch this week, Dave and James have a lot to dive into with SRAM’s new Red AXS wireless road groupset: what’s different about it, what’s not so different, what’s been improved, and what’s stayed the same – and the thing everyone will invariably ask us, whether we’d choose that or the latest Shimano Dura-Ace. We also chat about the neat features embedded into the new Hammerhead Karoo GPS computer, and the significance of the new tire partnership between Zipp and Goodyear, Dave gets his thoughts about road bike cockpit reach off his chest, we choose our favorite tubeless plug kits, and we’re still worried about loose headsets.
Escape Collective's podcasts are made possible by our members. Head on over to escapecollective.com/member to support this show and everything else on our podcast network.
Timestamps:
2:05 – A neat detail about Chris King’s new hubs we overlooked
3:51 – A clarification on our position regarding road hookless tubeless wheels and tires
6:04 – The lowdown on SRAM’s new Red AXS road groupset
12:22 – Do we like it?
16:19 – SRAM Red AXS or Shimano Dura-Ace Di2?
21:15 – Don’t call it the Hammerhead Karoo 3
25:45 – Goodyear’s new tires are Zipp-specific, but we’re not entirely sure why
30:02 – Effective reach is an overlooked fit dimension
36:50 – Pick One! Our favorite tubeless plug kits
47:20 – We’re still worried about loose headsets
53:08 – Ratio Technology has a neat cage option for SRAM Transmission rear derailleurs
55:53 – Pirelli has gotten even more Italian
Much leaked and recently teased, SRAM has now officially unveiled the latest iteration of its Red AXS road groupset. This top-tier offering introduces a new approach to shifter ergonomics and braking, along with a number of other smaller changes.
Shile at the product launch, tech editor Dave Rome sat down with a few key members of SRAM’s road product and engineering team to discuss what’s new, what isn’t, and why. Following the chat about new SRAM things, Dave then sat down with the team from Hammerhead to discuss the equally new Karoo computer.
You can also read our thoughts (and see photos) of these new products over at escapecollective.com.
This deep dive is a bonus episode of Geek Warning podcast. Full access to such bonus episodes are typically limited to Escape Collective members, however, this one is free for all to access. If you enjoyed this content then please consider supporting our mission of being a wholly member-funded and independent media outlet. You can join at escapecollective.com/member.
We know, we know, it’s been ages since we did our last Ask a Wrench episode – late January, in fact. Guilty as charged. Better late than never? But as a nice bonus, our panel of geeks had an extra-long list of repair and maintenance questions to answer this time around, like why bedding in your new brakes is important, what not to do with your fancy digital torque wrench, how to diagnose a curious front-end clunk, how to protect your fancy new bike for the long haul, the best way to fix a paint chip, and much more.
Fair warning: The full episode is only available to Escape Collective members. Head on over to escapecollective.com/member to support this show and everything else on our podcast network.
Welcome back to Geek Warning! This week, James and Dave have a varied conversation covering tech related to road, gravel, and mountain bike.
The Giro has begun and Tadej Pogačar took a little tumble that many were quick to blame the equipment for. James and Dave discuss that such finger pointing was not warranted this time.
At the opposite end of UCI disciplines, the conversation then turns to aero gains returning to professional downhill mountain bike racing.
In the tech new front, the geeks praise Chris King’s new Gen 4 hubs and discuss why Forge+Bond entry into the road market may not be hugely successful. Plus there’s discussion of a new Bike Yoke dropper, Zwift’s price rises, and more.
Meanwhile, a new Shimano Di2 patent has surfaced teasing wireless 13-speed shifting. Dave got Terry of BetterShifting.com on the phone to discuss the discovered patent and what it may mean.
Our pick one this week is perhaps better described as a buyer’s guide to selecting a wheelset for gravel. From rim choices, to spoke choices, to hub choices, you’ll hear what our geeks prefer for their own bikes.
Please jump into the comments section on our website for any feedback or questions related to the episode.
Escape Collective's podcasts are made possible by our members. Head on over to escapecollective.com/member to support this show and everything else on our podcast network.
Time stamps:
4:00 - Hookless now getting undeserved blame..
9:25 - Downhill mountain bike racing getting aero?
16:30 - Chris King’s new Gen 4 hubs
21:45 - Forge+Bond brings its thermoplastic rims to road
28:40 - Chatting with Terry of BetterShifting.com about a certain Di2 patent
36:07 - e-Cargo bikes being covered by car media is on James’ mind
40:50 - Picking one gravel wheelset, or at least, what we look for
52:00 - A member-submitted PSA
56:15 - 3T’s Strada Italia, made in Italy
57:15 - Bike Yoke’s Revive V3 dropper looks great
59:20 - Wolf Tooth updates its chainguides
1:00:25 - Zwift price increases
1:04:20 – A gimmicky indoor stationary bike on Kickstarter
The Sea Otter Classic just wrapped up literally a few days ago, but clearly someone forgot to turn off the tap of new bikes and gear. Cervelo just announced a redesign of its ultra-popular Aspero gravel bike, and clearly put a lot of thought into what needed to change – and perhaps more importantly, what didn’t. Colnago also just dropped a new gravel bike of its own, the G4X, and Giant finally revamped its Trinity TT bike – no more rim brakes! Dave and James also chat about the eight billion tubeless valve stems out on the market, our favorite mountain bike computer mounts, and some of the latest happenings on the industry side.
Escape Collective's podcasts are made possible by our members. Head on over to escapecollective.com/join to support this show and everything else on our podcast network.
Timestamps:
3:17 – Cervelo’s ultra-popular Aspero gravel bike gets a careful redesign
10:50 – Zwift has added a whole bunch of new features, and some of them sound pretty sweet
15:15 – What’s up with seemingly everyone having their own high-flow tubeless valves now?
28:11 – Pick one! Our favorite mountain bike computer mounts
38:54 – A dirty cassette can easily turn into a skipping chain
43:22 – Colnago announces its new G4X gravel race bike
58:54 – The last holdout of rim brakes in the pro peloton is no more
59:30 – Enve Composites has been sold
1:01:07 – What the heck is going on at Rapha?
1:06:29 – More industry layoffs, this time at Cannondale
In this episode of Geek Warning, James is just back from the Sea Otter Classic and Dave is still thinking about chain lube and tools.
On the Sea Otter front, James and Dave discuss new eco-friendlier tyres from Vittoria, new metal bikes from Ritchey and Digit, parts from 5Dev and Xpedo, along with new tools from PrestaCycle and Stan’s NoTubes. Check out James’ Sea Otter Classic galleries for visuals of what was discussed (and so so so much more).
The conversation then turns to larger questions around Stages Cycling and Kona who were both missing-in-action at America’s largest trade show and cycling event.
On Dave’s mind is a better way to apply chain lube following a recent video from Josh Poertner of Silca. Our PSA is less of a public service announcement and more a basic guide into figuring out where noises may be coming from in order to silence them. And then the geeks bring back the Pick One segment to discuss floor pumps.
The episode finishes up with a new crank-related recall from FSA.
All this and more in this week’s episode of Geek Warning – a podcast created for and funded by the members of Escape Collective.
Time stamps:
3:00 - Sea Otter highlights, including things from Vittoria, Ritchey, Digit, PrestaCycle, 5Dev, Xpedo, and more.
26:00 - Unknowns ahead for Stages Cycling and Kona Bikes
36:00 - Circling back to the HighBar helmet strap as seen at Sea Otter
39:20 - A better way to apply chain lube?
45:15 - Chasing down those noises
52:40 - Picking one floor pump
1:02:30 - An explainer on Time’s revamped pedal range
1:06:00 - FSA recalls some its AGX+ gravel cranks
In this jam-packed episode, James and Dave discuss a handful of new gravel and road bikes that caught their attention during the week. Trek enters the rear Radar game to compete with Garmin, yet James’ early impressions of the CarBack raises more questions than answers.
DT Swiss has just released a new mountain bike rear hub with a wholly new ratchet system, you can read about the new 240 DEG hub at escapecollective.com, and a bonus episode of Geek Warning with DT Swiss is also available, too. Meanwhile the coverage of new products from EVT, Fox, RockShox, and more continues at the end of the episode.
On our mind and over the heads of the geek's families is the topic of gravel suspension. The geeks discuss who it’s for (and who it’s not), and why it’s proving to be more than a gimmick.
Plus there’s a PSA, which is likely a repeat on something previously discussed, but that only makes it more important.
Time stamps:
3:00 - Kona’s new gravel bike for mountain bikers
6:30 - FiftyOne’s new Sika road bike
11:55 - Parlee’s new and unexpectedly-European-made Ouray road bike
15:40 - Trek enters the rear radar game with its CarBack
23:15 - DT Swiss’ 240 Ratchet DEG hub
26:30 - Chatting all things gravel suspension (including Cane Creek’s Inverted answer to the space)
43:25 - PSA: Your dropper needs love
47:50 - Classified adds Enve to its partners list
49:25 - New RockShox things
50:40 - Fox overhauls its Transfer dropper
53:00 - EVT enters the portable repair stand game
55:10 - OnGaurd’s new RockSolid angle-grinder-resistant lock
It’s time for another bonus episode of the Geek Warning podcast. Typically only Escape Collective members have access to the full versions of these, but this week we’re feeling generous.
This episode coincides with the release of DT Swiss’ Ratchet DEG system (link to review), effectively an oversized 90T version of the famous Star Ratchet design. Here, tech editor Dave Rome interviews Friso Lorscheider and Brandon Wold from DT Swiss about this new mountain bike rear hub and how it fits into the company’s modern line-up.
The discussion then turns to new spokes, how to choose spokes, and an explainer on understanding DT Swiss’ wheel range names. Geek Warning, indeed.
A special thank you to our members for helping to fund deep dives like this. If you're not already a member, then joining Escape Collective will help us to create more good things and provide you with access to experience it.
The 2024 Sea Otter Classic hasn’t even kicked off yet, but the Geek Warning crew has already got a ton of new bikes and gear to talk about this week. All-road/endurance road bikes are clearly enjoying a moment in the sun with the launch of the new BMC Roadmachine and Enve Fray, and Liv has another fresh full-suspension mountain bike landing in shops. Fox has also completely revamped its range of suspension forks for MY2025, Dave and James chat about why they’re big fans of Project321’s third-generation hubs, and James makes a desperate plea for folks to properly wash their water bottles – because mold isn’t an energy drink. Also: more product news from Chris King, Fizik, Castelli, and a neat little photo stick (you know, for the ‘gram).
Timestamps:
2:42 - BMC’s new RoadMachine gets more endurance’y
5:43 – Another endurance/all-road bike, but this time from Enve
11:52 – Another new bike from Liv that’s yet to be released by Giant
15:20 – Fox revamps its entire premium fork line-up for 2025
25:00 – New hubs from Project 321 are on our mind
36:05 – a PSA related to drinking germs
40:25 – Chris King expands its range of internal headsets (which will fit many existing bikes)
41:45 - Velcro remains Fizik’s lightest option
43:20 – New Castelli Gabba for soggy days
44:30 – The most niche of products: a bike photo stick
Whew, so much new product news to discuss today, and Sea Otter is still two weeks away! Shimano looks to strengthen its stranglehold on the entry-level market with a new range called Essa, while some updates to the CUES collection may provide some hints at higher-end bits to come, too. Campagnolo finally announces a power meter to go along with the Super Record Wireless groupset launched last year, there’s turmoil at Scott Sports, and some hooked wheel companies are out for blood. Dave and James also discuss the pros and cons of on-bike tool storage along with a PSA that’ll hopefully save you from being awkwardly stuck to your bike, and there’s a whole bunch of new stuff on the way from Rene Herse, Vittoria, Gore Wear, Enve, Hutchinson, Feedback Sports, and Robert Axle.
Timestamps:
1:15 – Dave has some thoughts on T47
5:42 – Shimano is smart to not ignore the entry level market
17:00 – Campagnolo finally announces its Super Record power meter
22:47 – Scott Sports’ CEO is out – or is he? Depends on who you ask.
26:35 – Hooked road wheel companies smell blood in the water
31:16 – On-bike tool storage is a trend we can get behind
38:13 – Check your cleat bolts!
43:50 – Rene Herse now has TPU inner tubes – and they have metal valve stems!
44:30 – Vittoria is getting into running
45:34 – Gore Wear is stepping up its clothing game
46:48 – Enve’s new race day road tires are “like crack”
48:06 – Hutchinson is hoping its new Blackbird road tire can take flight
50:38 – Feedback Sports is almost old enough to buy alcohol in the US
53:10 – Want a nicer Universal Derailleur Hanger? Robert Axle has got you
Bridge Bike Works is an upstart brand that's trying to make a go at building premium carbon fiber bikes in Canada. It's not just a geographic thing or a point of national pride here, though. Bridge says it's obviously proud of making bikes in its own backyard, but it's also striving to make better product, period, by keeping the entire process – from R&D to lay-up and curing to paint – under a single unobtrusive industrial roof in Cervelo's old stomping grounds. In this Geek Warning episode, James sits down with Bridge co-founders Frank Gairdner and Mike Yakubowicz to see just what makes the company tick, why it might be smart to start asking about hobbies the next time you interview someone for a job, and how the quest to build its own fork nearly broke them.
Welcome back to Geek Warning! In this week’s edition of the regular show, Ronan and Dave discuss why current road bikes may not be ready for emerging trends in seated positions. Later Ronan shares a PSA related to multi-tools that turns out to be more of a Pick One and a rant.
On the news side, the geeks discuss the new Cannondale Scalpel cross-country race bike. Pinarello has finally officially revealed its Bolide F HR that Italy will race on the track in Paris. There’s more 3D-printed tech to discuss in the hubs of Scope’s new and impressively light Artech wheels. And Dave gets excited at the chance to talk about Feedback Sports’ new Pliers Wrench tool.
As usual, the end of the episode is kept for a quick discussion of other interesting new things. There you’ll hear about Wahoo’s firmware update, another new Mirror saddle (the comfy 3D-printed type) from Specialized, and CeramicSpeed’s new OSPW RS derailleur cages.
Happy geeking!
Time stamps:
4:25 - Cannondale’s new Scalpel is yet another 120 mm cross-country bike option
9:10 - Pinarello’s 3D-printed Bolide F HR track bike is now official
15:10 - More 3D-printed tech with Scope’s new Artech wheels
23:40 - Feedback Sports release a Pliers Wrench
28:00 - The limitations of modern road bike geometry is on Ronan’s mind
40:45 - A non-PSA that unexpectedly into a wider topic and Pick One about multi-tools
53:40 – A firmware update to Wahoo head units
55:15 – Specialized brings S-Works Mirror technology to the Phenom saddle
56:04 - Our thoughts on CeramicSpeed’s new OSPW RS
1:01:00 - Where much of the Escape Collective team will be next week
Four weeks on from Thomas De Gendt's now infamous crash, Zipp has released its findings and explanation, but many questions still remain.
In this podcast, Ronan is joined by David Morse and Nathan Schickel from Zipp as he seeks the answers to the questions many have been asking.
There’s certainly been a lot of outrage over the price of bikes in recent years, and for sure, when the price of a new bike falls inline with a new Ducati, it’s bound to give people pause. There are more ultra-expensive flagship bikes than ever before, but are mainstream bikes more expensive in general? Not really. And in fact, you can pretty easily make the argument they’re not only more affordable, but also a lot better, and the real problem might not be with bike prices, but how the bike industry markets itself.
Yeti is also back in the XC game with the resurrection of its storied ASR nameplate, and while it sounds like a heck of a bike, it also raises some questions about the direction of mountain bike suspension in general. Do more e-bikes equal more bikes sold? Salsa sure hopes so with a recent pivot in its product range. And if you haven’t removed your crankset in a while, one listen to our PSA this week might have you heading into the garage.
Timestamps:
0:56 – Dave makes his case for why you should buy a 3D printer
4:28 – Yeti’s back in the XC race bike scene!
22:25 – Salsa is jumping into the e-bike market, and at a very enticing price point
32:17 – Bikes aren’t really more expensive than they used to be, but the bike industry sure seems hell-bent on convincing you they are
45:25 – We hate to break it to you, but your frame is anything but waterproof
51:44 – DT Swiss has some ultralight carbon fiber XC race wheels on the way
53:06 – WTB has brought back the Solano name, this time for a new short-nosed saddle
54:29 – SRAM’s wireless Blips can now be used on their own for more flexible cockpit setups
56:15 – Finish Line is cooking up a new range of hot wax and drip wax chain lubes
58:38 – Strava has some new features for cyclists
Why are bikes so expensive? In this episode, Factor's Rob Gitelis speaks openly, providing an insight deep into the world of premium bicycle manufacturing and breaking down the costs of making a modern high-end bike. More broadly, Gitelis talks us through some of the inner workings of the manufacturing facilities brands employ, staffing models and transient workforces, and his fears that a repeat of the Covid boom and bust is just around the corner.
So many new bikes to talk about this week! Giant’s new TCR is a meaningful evolution of the previous one, but should it have been a revolution instead? Meanwhile, the new Liv Pique offers a preview of the next-generation Giant Anthem, and Specialized’s new Epic and Epic Evo genuinely push the envelope of what XC bikes are supposed to be. And do electronics belong on bicycle suspension? Why does Trek offer seven colors in one model of Emonda? And what the heck does “Ari” mean? All of that and more in this week’s episode of Geek Warning.
Timestamps:
3:04 – Giant’s got a new TCR road racing bike, but is it all it could (or should) have been?
14:04 – Liv’s new Pique Advanced mountain offers a sneak preview of what’s to come in the new Giant Anthem
16:35 – The new Specialized Epic ticks an awful lot – maybe all? – of the boxes.
26:33 – RockShox’s Flight Attendant electronic terrain-sensing suspension finally comes to XC
34:33 – Trek is “right-sizing” in a big, big way
41:01 – US-based consumer-direct brand Fezzari finally addresses the elephant in the room
46:24 – Not everyone wants to know how the sausage is made
52:50 – The suckiest addition to any home workshop
Framework Bicycles isn’t afraid to say it’s making its frames a little differently from usual. In fact, the Canadian company is not only extremely proud of that, but feels its unusual methods are also integral to what makes its frames what they are. In this week’s members-only episode, James sits down with Framework founder – and one-person fabricator – Jonathan Kennedy for an ultra-deep dive on his philosophy behind what makes a good bike.
Geek Warning is back, with Dave and Ronan on hand to discuss the latest happenings from the world of cycling tech. James is currently roaming the halls of the Taipei show, so this week, you get two-thirds of our geeky Geek Warning trio discussing the Fraser Group's acquisition of whatever is left at Wiggle-CRC after another round of layoffs and the latest questions as the hookless conversation rages on following what appears to be another failure.
There's also news of Look's new Keo Blade and X-Track power meter pedals and Rapha's latest aero jersey that might save you 7 watts, four watts, or both; we're not sure.
Later in the episode, the conversation changes to Ronan's concerns we may be headed for an automotive industry-style "approved service centre only" model for our bike's servicing and maintenance needs. While the conversation throws up some potential positives from such a move, worryingly, Dave suggests we are already there.
Finally, Dave has another reason to buy more tools dressed up as a PSA.
Time stamps:
5:20 - Frasers Group's Wiggle-CRC takeover
10:00 - Hooked on hookless
16:50 - New Giant TCR
21:55 - Stupid helmets everywhere
28:10 - Look's new power meter pedals
32:50 -Rapha's new Pro Team Jersey
37:40 - On Your Mind - "Approved service centre only"
48:00 - A PSA from Dan Bigham's mechanic
The time has come for the geeks to share their strong opinions on road tubeless and the movement toward hookless rims. In this episode, and off the back of a high-profile failure, James, Ronan, and Dave dive into the growing concerns related to the many caveats around hookless road rims.
Later in the episode, the conversation changes to fancier ways to hide cables through smaller headsets and the problems this may present. Then there’s a polarising PSA many probably won’t want to hear.
In many ways, this episode is just our geeks ranting about the issues of modern bikes, but hopefully, it proves useful!
Time stamps:
3:15 - Digging into the big topic of road tubeless tyres blowing off hookless rims
36:00 - A little promo of a podcast series not to miss
37:12 - Baum and slotted steerer tubes are on Dave’s mind
43:55 - The only good fix for contaminated brake pads
47:10 - New things from Cadex
48:05 - A new endurance road tyre from Vittoria
Silca’s new StripChip claims to take (most) of the hassle out of properly immersion-waxing your chain, but while it sounds promising, Dave’s got his doubts. Favero unveiled its long-awaited SPD-compatible power meter pedals for MTB and gravel, and although they tick a lot of boxes, pedals in general may not be the best power meter format for everyone.
In big-brand component news, we read the tea leaves on Campagnolo’s new Ekar GT midrange gravel groupset to see what it might indicate for the Ekar family in general, and SRAM’s new Maven mountain bike hydraulic disc brakes could signal a sea change.
Colnago recently debuted its latest C68 model – the C68 Gravel – and while it seems like a pretty nice gravel bike in its own right, what’s more interesting is understanding more about what that new bike means for Colnago’s strategy in general moving forward, particularly since being bought by a UAE-based investment group in 2020. In this members-only episode, James sits down with Colnago CEO Nicola Rosin and Colnago’s head of marketing, Manolo Bertocchi, to get the scoop on how things have been going there (shockingly well), where Colnago wants to be (“the most desirable”), and who the brand sees as its customer base in the years ahead (hint: probably not you).
It’s time for another episode of Geek Warning. Dave and Ronan are back to discuss the latest happenings in the world of cycling tech and what’s on their minds.
Ritchey and Factor have new bike (frame) releases that sit near polar opposites of the road market. Ritchey has brought back its well-loved Road Logic frames, while Factor’s Ostro VAM, a bike we’ve looked at before, is now officially official.
There are new shoes from Trek and Specialized, with the former leaving Ronan a little confused over what size his feet are. And Dave shares what’s on his mind (hint, tools), and then there’s a quick wrap of other interesting tech and industry news.
Timestamps:
5:03 - Ritchey Logic brings back its rim brake road frames
8:03 - Factor’s new Ostro VAM is now official and Ronan has built one
23:43 - Black Inc’s 1,270 g aero wheels
26:45 - Specialized’s new mid-price helmet and shoes
28:45 - Trek’s many new shoes, many new fits
41:45 - On Dave’s mind
46:58 - 4iiii’s new Pro 3+ dual-sided powermeter
50:40 - KMC gets into cassettes
52:05 - F+B Shift wheels bring thermoplastic carbon to a lower price point
54:52 - Giant Bicycles to be sold by Dick’s Sporting Goods
Welcome back to Geek Warning. In this episode, Dave and Ronan talk through a bunch of the biggest tech news in the cycling world and cover a few test products at the top of their minds.
It’s hard to find a new racing product today that doesn’t at least tease the “aero” word, however, TuboLight may just be the first to make such a claim for a product that goes inside the tyre.
The recently seen shoe and pedal system from Ekoi caught unwanted attention from the UCI, but them’s the rules. One that is UCI-certified for racing is Ridley’s new X-Night RS cyclocross machine.
SRAM has officially issued a recall related to all aftermarket 12-speed dropbar levers, but the fix is one you can likely do yourself. Another you could probably do yourself is convert an existing Specialized Crux or Roubaix to run SRAM’s 1x Transmission (typically requires a UDH-frame); it’s a new product offered by 5Dev.
The conversation then turns to the weirdly named premium thermal skinsuit that Ronan is testing from Q36.5. And Dave has a little rant related to the new Trek Domane AL just reviewed.
All that, and more, on this week's Geek Warning.
Timestamps:
3:55 - Tubolite gets aero, inside the tyre
11:35 - Ekoi pedals and UCI rulings
21:08 - Ridley’s new X-Night RS, aero(ish) meets cyclocross
28:49 - A DIY recall related to SRAM’s brake lever
33:07 - 5Dev’s adapter to install SRAM Transmission on a Specialized Crux or Roubaix.
36:53 - Ronan is testing a £808 thermal skinsuit from Q36.5
43:05 - What Dave is testing and a rant on entry-level bikes
53:35 - A PSA related to dropbar levers, and another related to crockpots
58:30 - A quick wrap of other news, including Amer Sports, Curve’s carbon Walmer handlebar, and BeSpoked to be held in Manchester.
With much of the industry languishing under the post-Covid, brands are trying harder than ever to carve out a niche for themselves to stay afloat. Colnago’s new C68 Gravel bike is super premium by design, but based on their sales figures, the focus on luxury is clearly getting the job done. Campagnolo seems to be falling into the same strategy almost by accident, but is it working as well? That’s not so clear. Hunt also debuted its latest aero wheels and they look like they could be quite the performance bargain – as long as you’re ok with hookless rims – and just when you thought clipless road pedals couldn’t get any better than they already are, French brand Ekoi’s new road pedal-and-shoe system might actually move the needle.
And finally, have we finally reached a stable point for road bike tire sizes? Maybe. Or maybe not.
Timestamps:
6:45 – Colnago’s got a fancy new gravel bike, and they’re ok if it’s out of your reach
20:19 – Campagnolo’s new aero road wheels are absolutely gorgeous
27:53 – Hunt’s new Sub50 Limitless Aero Disc road wheels could be an incredible performance bargain
38:45 – Ekoi has a truly novel new road pedal-and-shoe system in development, and they might actually be good
48:04 – Noble Wheels tools are back! Well, sort of
49:55 – More musings on using candle wax to lube your chains
51:39 – Vittoria’s got a new Corsa Pro Speed go-fast tire
52:52 – Want to stand out from the crowd? Bossi has expanded its range of titanium gravel frames
54:28 – Orange Bikes is back in business
56:49 – Road tire sizes seem to have stabilized (and yes, James is getting old)
It’s time for another gathering of the geeks for an episode of Ask a Wrench. In this member’s bonus episode, Zach (of Boulder Gruppetto), James, and Dave answer more technical questions submitted by Escape members.
This week, the geeks answer questions related to using alternative cassette options, fitting bigger cassette ranges than allowed, selecting parts for the Paris-Roubaix sportive, replacing a Cannondale Lefty, and using saddlebags with carbon saddle rails. Then the conversation continues with questions related to swapping Shimano brake components, bike packing with waxed chains, learning to bleed brakes, and torque wrench calibration testing.
Our weekly Geek Warning podcast remains unchanged and open to all, we’re now providing additional bonus episodes each fortnight. Only members and paid readers of Escape Collective can access the full versions of these bonus podcasts. These bonus episodes are a mix of Ask a Wrench, deep-dives, or interviews with the people behind popular products.
There’s always something going on in the world of cycling tech. This week, James and Dave discuss a bunch of news items, what their favourite clothing is for shoulder season, and a little safety warning related to new tyres.
It’s been a busy week of tech news out of Europe and the UK. First up, the heritage brand of Eddy Merckx is back, but looking at the range today, it looks a lot like business as usual from when we last saw the name on downtubes.
French cycling brand Look has officially released its new Keo Blade pedals. Meanwhile, the two-speed hub maker Classified has updated the rims of its carbon wheels.
In the UK, Mason has a new version of the Definition aluminium dropbar bike. Plus we cover further news regarding Schwalbe, Holding, Wolf Tooth, and candles, yes, candles.
Timestamps:
5:25 - Eddy Merckx bikes are back
11:25 – Our obligatory segment related to chain waxing
16:50 - Look release its new Keo Blade pedals
22:30 - Picking one, our favourite shoulder-season kit (all disciplines)
34:45 - PSA on brand new tyres
40:20 - Classified’s own carbon wheels get lighter and wider rims
41:12 - Schwalbe consolidating its manufacturing
42:39 - Mason’s new aluminium dropbar bike
43:54 – Hovding files for bankruptcy
45:15 - Wolf Tooth ReMote Pro now in colours
The 2024 WorldTour season is under way at the Tour Down Under and Escape Collective is on the ground all week bringing you the latest news, tech, and Escape podcasts. Today we've got a combined Geek Warning and Performance Process tech special episode as Jean Paul Ballard of SwissSide joins us for the first of two podcasts with the former F1 aerodynamicist.
In this episode JP takes us on a wandering roam around the Tour Down Under pit zone talking us through which teams and manufacturers are optimising and which are compromising. JP breaks down some aero myths, explains the true benefit of aero bikes, wheels, helmets, critiques some of the latest tech, and whether a "do-it-all" all rounder can really do-it-all as we discuss each team's setup.
Timestamps:
07:06 – SwissSide's AG2R partnership and a conflict of interest.
12:12 – Bora Hansgrohe & Soudal Quickstep setups from Specailized.
14:59 - Arkea's dedicated aero and do-it-all bike choices.
16:08 – UAE's Colnago V4RS, handlebars, wheel, and tyre choices.
19:38 – Do wider tyre rolling resistance savings offset the increased aero drag?
21:05 – Cofidis team bikes and their "catastrophic," double digit watt penalty tyre choice.
23:31 - Jayco's bikes and why rider preference isn't always best.
27:06 – Are hookless rims more aero?
28:37 – Aero versus vented helmets.
30:05 – The counterintuitive effect of helmet visors.
31:58 - One of the best aero bikes on the market and handlebar sail effect.
33:52 - Varying rim depths and tyre widths front to rear and a common mistake.
34:51 - The "detrimental for performance" design elements of the Ineos Pinarello Dogma F.
37:54 - Is there an aero gain from smaller front brake rotors?
39:58 - The importance of textiles.
41:55 - The other "aero interesting" design element of the Trek Madone.
Dave and Ronan are in thick of the Tour Down Under and have a whole lot of new (and old!) race tech to discuss. The industry has woken up from the holiday break with a flurry of new products worthy of discussion. And, as usual, the geeks cover so much more.
Timestamps:
3:00 – Spotting three new helmets on rider heads.
11:10 – Trek working on a knit shoe.
15:15 – New Look pedals, and more from Time.
19:50 – Enve’s new InnerDrive hub and SES AR one-piece handlebar, including a quick tangent on measuring lever angle.
27:10 – Budget smart trainers from Decathlon.
31:25 – Explaining Australia’s two competing custom bike shows.
34:20 – Last year’s race bikes are on our mind.
39:08 – Pro mechanics making do with things from a hardware store.
43:32 – Our PSA.
47:55 – Rapid fire of tech news including new Fulcrum Speed 25+ wheels, OneUp’s V3 dropper seatpost, BlackHeart’s new Gravel AL bike, and Leap Components’ Blip button adapter.
Dave and James have lots of spy photos to discuss this week! Factor’s got a revamp of its Ostro VAM lightweight road bike about to break cover, and Specialized and Trek have some enticing new road shoes roaming about in the wild. Lazer also brings its Kineticore technology to its popular Z1, we debate the pros and cons of anti-seize vs. grease, and we chat about what we look for in our favorite gravel shoes.
Timestamps:
1:52 – Ostro’s new Factor VAM may be fast, but it’s not especially pretty – and it’s not alone
7:03 – Lazer brings Kineticore technology to the revamped Z1
12:01 – Even tools aren’t immune to hacking
15:27 – Blurring the lines between auto mechanics and bike mechanics
18:17 – Dave (anti-)seizes the day
26:12 – Pick One! Our favorite gravel shoes, and what we look for in them
32:54 – PSA: dried sealant and wheel imbalance
36:02 – New lightweight S-Works road shoes coming from Specialized?
37:09 – Some very intriguing mid-range road shoes are definitely coming soon from Specialized
37:58 – And some new flagship road shoes from Trek/Bontrager, too!
38:15 – Ratio Technology is at it again with a new aluminum cable spool for SRAM DoubleTap levers
38:46 – Iconic UK MTB brand Orange is in serious financial difficulty
40:24 – Enve parent company Amer Sports Inc is going public
41:12 – Brompton with a capital B!
41:19 – 9point8 has angle-adjust headsets for IS-style frames
Geek Warning is back for the new year! In this week’s episode, Dave and James chat about some mysterious Boa dial failures and how some pros are using gravel bikes this cyclocross season, how 3D-printing is becoming just as much a marketing tool as a manufacturing one, and what we look for in our favorite handlebar tapes.
You might also just want to head out to the shed and check your disc brake rotor thicknesses, and the story of a lost bike in Colorado may help restore your faith in humanity.
Timestamps:
5:01 – What’s going on with Boa dial failures this cyclocross season?
11:54 – Even the pros don’t think gravel bikes are all that different from cyclocross bikes
16:35 – Everything that can be 3D-printed is being 3D-printed
20:40 – Pick One! Our favorite handlebar tapes, and what we look for in them
35:45 – PSA: Disc brake rotors don’t last forever
40:04 – A lost bike, and restoring your faith in humanity
44:30 – Rotor’s got a new dual-sided power meter for Shimano crankarms
45:45 – Look, ma, no ears! Kask has a mysterious new aero road helmet
46:30 – Bora-Hansgrohe has officially confirmed they’re on SRAM and Hammerhead this year
46:40 – Chris King has added a new Microspline freehub body option for its R45 hubs
Following a break for our inaugural Awards episode, Dave and Ronan return with an episode of a familiar format. There’s plenty on the minds of the geeks, plus a sprinkling of new tech to know in this final Geek Warning episode for 2023 ...
The biggest news is that the UCI wants to control just how weird racers can get with the angles of brake hoods. Dave and Ronan discuss the claimed safety concerns, and what are arguably the far larger concerns, too. For a detailed report, check out our coverage of the latest tech rulings.
The geeks discuss whether the term “endurance” may be holding people back from buying the best bike for them. Ronan dreams of adjustable crank length being more mainstream. Then, the conversation turns to road tyres for the Pick One segment.
In other news, it looks like a new SPD-compatible powermeter pedal is on the way from Favero, although for now the Assioma Pro MX is only available in Italy. Tacx recently released a new flagship trainer, the Neo 3M, a now motion-based trainer comparable to the Wahoo KickR Move – a comparison that DCRainmaker has already made. Meanwhile, Classified now has an app for its Powershift hub, although its limited usefulness may be a better tease of what’s possibly to come.
In mountain bike news, Niner is being moved out of Colorado and to the not-so-cycling-destination of Ohio. We're also seeing further examples of integrated cable routing on mountain bikes, with the Bike Ahead Composites Wonderbar being an example.
Timestamps:
2:05 – Biggest tech trend
7:59 – Biggest surprise
12:13 – The “It’s about time” award
16:42 – The “most wanted” award
20:00 – Our favorite bike-related purchases of the year
25:46 – The “What the hell were they thinking?” award
32:10 – The “problem solver” award
36:20 – The “more of this, please, bike industry” award
38:49 – The “meh” award
43:36 – The “I am so here for this” award
45:59 – The “Oops, I put my foot in my mouth” award
48:04 – The most exciting new tool of the year
53:57 – What products are we anticipating most in 2024?
The Geeks are back for another round of Ask a Wrench. In this member’s bonus episode, Zach (of Boulder Gruppetto), James, and Dave answer a bunch of technical questions submitted by Escape members.
This week, our geeks discuss how to find a good mechanic, how to torque bolts when there are multiples, change of crank bolt material for easier removal, servicing of cartridge bearings, rattling saddle bags, how to prep a bike for winter use, and plenty more.
We’re skipping the usual news this week because it’s once again time for our annual tech awards! 2023 was certainly a memorable year for a multitude of reasons, but what were the cycling tech-related things that stuck in our minds of our resident geeks, James, Dave, and Ronan? What were the biggest trends? What were our favorite products? Who was doing things right? What was the biggest flop? What was the best thing we bought this year?
We’ve got all of that – and much, much more – in this don’t-miss episode of Geek Warning.
Timestamps:
2:05 – Biggest tech trend
7:59 – Biggest surprise
12:13 – The “It’s about time” award
16:42 – The “most wanted” award
20:00 – Our favorite bike-related purchases of the year
25:46 – The “What the hell were they thinking?” award
32:10 – The “problem solver” award
36:20 – The “more of this, please, bike industry” award
38:49 – The “meh” award
43:36 – The “I am so here for this” award
45:59 – The “Oops, I put my foot in my mouth” award
48:04 – The most exciting new tool of the year
53:57 – What products are we anticipating most in 2024?
Hoo boy, it’s been a big week in tech, and our resident geeks had a lot to talk about.
It was just a matter of time before Cervelo jumped into the e-bike market, and that day has finally come with the new Rouvida. The same frame is used for two road and two gravel models, but Cervelo has incorporated flip chips in the front and rear dropouts to adjust the geometry accordingly. Despite the sizable battery hidden away inside the down tube, the carbon fiber frame looks pretty good, too – not entirely unlike Cervelo’s original Soloist Carbon, in fact. All versions are powered by Fazua’s Ride60 mid-drive motor for smooth and quiet running, and James has just received a gravel test sample so stay tuned for a proper review in the weeks ahead.
Looking for some marginal gains on your SRAM Transmission-equipped mountain bike? CeramicSpeed has released a new version of its OSPW oversized pulley cage assembly with 14T upper and 20T lower pulleys, smooth-running hybrid ceramic bearings, and a novel self-cleaning design. But while the eye-watering price is getting all the attention, what you might really want to think about is the lifetime warranty.
Fulcrum’s new Red Zone Carbon+ mountain bike wheels tick a lot of boxes: low weight, an inventive rim design that supposedly produces perfectly even spoke tensions, a solid outer rim wall for easy and reliable tubeless setup, and low-friction adjustable angular contact hybrid ceramic bearings. The pawl-type rear hub engagement is on the slower side, though. Does that matter? Maybe – or maybe not. It depends.
Gravel bikes have unquestionably been the hot segment of the bicycle market for the past several years, and the progression in the product has been astronomical. But with such a narrow gap between road/all-road bikes and XC mountain bikes to fill, how much space is there really for innovation? Not that it’s at all a bad thing to reach this level of maturity this quickly, but have we already hit peak gravel?
The geeks are rarely in agreement over everything, but in our Pick One! segment this week, there’s surprisingly little debate among us when it comes to our favorite mountain bike pedals.
James just received a bike he’s especially excited to test, and it’s also one of the least-expensive ones he’s tested, too: Trek’s entry-level Marlin 7 aluminum hardtail. It might not be fancy, but it’s arguably far more important than any bike that costs ten times as much.
And finally, Wiggle has dramatically contracted its business, the MADE handmade bicycle show has also announced its dates for the 2024 event, Strava has launched a new direct messaging function, Campagnolo is out of the World Tour, Ag2r moves to Van Rysel bikes, TotalEnergies is now on Enve, and Bora is supposedly switching to SRAM components.
Timestamps:
3:24 – Cervelo’s new Rouvida e-bike looks pretty good
9:40 – CeramicSpeed is coming for your Transmission rear derailleurs
18:03 – Are Fulcrum’s new Red Zone Carbon+ XC mountain bike wheels fast (engaging) enough?
23:09 – Has the bike industry reached peak gravel in terms of product development?
31:55 – Pick One!
38:12 – Cheap bikes are good
42:40 – Wiggle’s mighty fall from grace
44:22 – MADE is coming back for 2024!
45:27 – Strava is sliding into you DMs
46:33 – Pro team sponsor musical chairs
It's time to treat our members to another bonus episode of the Geek Warning podcast. This week, Brad Copeland – former World Cup pro mechanic and now service director at Hush Money Bikes – joins James and Dave to geek out on all things related to building a dream home workshop.
In this episode, you'll learn about how to build out a tool kit, our thoughts on tool organisation, what to do if you don't have a dedicated workspace, and a whole lot more.
While the weekly Geek Warning podcast remains unchanged and open to all, we’re now providing additional bonus episodes each fortnight. These bonus episodes are a mix of Ask a Wrench, deep-dives, or interviews with the people behind popular products. The Geek Warning bonus episodes are exclusively available to Escape Collective members, though select segments of certain episodes will find their way into our free feed.
Good chain lubes can extend the life of your drivetrain, and bad ones can shorten them – but do you know how much that might actually cost you? A new online calculator using Zero Friction Cycling’s data aims to tell you just that. Our crew of geeks also pick their favorite road helmets, Ronan has some thoughts on stock component sizes, the UCI is at it again, 3T and Bianchi have some fancy new gravel bikes, and if come across some new Pinarellos that seem way, way too cheap, there might be a reason for that.
Timestamps:
6:03 – The UCI has updated their penalties, but it’s probably not going to change anything
10:07 – That cheap bottle of chain lube might actually cost you $5,000.
17:20 – More bad news from the bike industry
18:19 – Pinarello needs a better fence – and maybe a stronger door
20:25 – Stock component sizes, chickens, and eggs
32:54 – Our favorite road helmets
47:50 – Bianchi’s new Impulso RC gravel bike actually looks really good
48:21 – 3T is going really, really big with its new Extrema Italia gravel bike
This week's regular (and free!) episode of Geek Warning has James Huang, Zach Edwards (of the Boulder Grupetto), and Dave Rome back on the mics. With only a small amount of news to discuss, much of the conversation surrounds bigger and broader-reaching topics.
Seeing so many sales out of the bike industry is great for those in the market for a new bike, but it's a worrying sign of financial struggles ahead. It's obvious the boom is over, and it may be a few years for stock glut to clear.
The mountain bike brand Guerrilla Gravity (GG) quietly ceased operations in September. Now fellow American company Canfield Bikes is providing aftermarket product support for owners of the thermoplastic bikes.
Zwift has announced new annual pricing options for those looking to save a little with a year-long commitment.
The episode then turns to what's on our minds, including Dave's recent boiling point over squealing brakes and a deeper conversation about lower-cost race bikes off the back of Caley Fretz's Trek Emonda ALR 5 review. The geeks then discuss their favourite mountain bike dropper posts.
The episode wraps up with Dave Rome at a Wera Tools media event, where he interviewed employees Lutz Buchholz and Ralf Joesch about the company's increasing presence within the cycling market.
Geek Warning is produced with the support of our members. Join as a monthly or annual Escape Supporter today, and pay only $1 for the first month. Not only will you receive full access to all Escape Collective content, you’ll also have access to our new exclusive podcasts. Simply head to our join page, select the monthly subscription, and enter the code PODCAST at checkout to redeem this special trial offer.
Timestamps:
5:03 – It’s a buyer’s market at the moment
14:17 – Guerrilla Gravity is closing shop
17:03 – New pricing options from Zwift
19:45 – Squealing brakes are on Dave’s mind
24:19 – Lower-cost alloy road race bikes used to be better
36:39 – Pick One, our favourite dropper posts
45:55 – a PSA related to tubeless valve stems
49:30 – an interview with Wera Tools
It's time for another bonus episode of The Geek Warning podcast, exclusive to our members. This week, Brad Copeland – former world cup pro mechanic and now service director at Hush Money Bikes – joins James and Dave to answer member-submitted questions.
This week, the geeks answer questions related to chain waxing, degreasing, what grease goes where, removing stuck cassettes, tool tips, how we store small parts, how to solve noisy brakes, and plenty more.
While the weekly Geek Warning podcast remains unchanged, we’re now providing these additional bonus episodes each fortnight. These bonus episodes will be a mix of Ask a Wrench, deep-dives, or interviews with the people behind popular products.
The Geek Warning bonus episodes are exclusively available to Escape Collective members, though select segments of certain episodes will find their way into our free feed.Your membership makes this podcast possible. If you are already a member, you can follow this link to receive a unique RSS link to add the Geek Warning bonus episodes to your library in your chosen podcast app (this is very easy, promise). If you are not yet a member but want to hear, support, and enjoy the Geek Warning bonus episodes, join Escape Collective today.
Join as a monthly or annual Escape Supporter today, and pay only $1 for the first month. Not only will you receive full access to all Escape Collective content, you’ll also have access to exclusive podcasts and ad-free episodes. Simply head to our join page, select the monthly subscription, and enter the code PODCAST at checkout to redeem this special trial offer!
A quieter week in the world of tech news means Dave and Ronan have more time in this week's episode of Geek Warning to ramble about what's on their minds, their favourite eyewear, and servicing pedals.
Princeton Carbon Works has released its 5th iteration of its Wake 6560 wheels. Perhaps best known as the wheel company used by Ineos over their sponsor-correct Shimano options, Princeton continues with its wavy rim design, plenty of colour options, and a whole lot of choice in hubs, too. As we discussed, the 28.2 mm external width is narrower than we thought we’d see on a new aero-focussed hoop.
We chat about the saddle that’s already received too much attention. The SaddleSpur is undoubtedly a silly saddle.
Well-priced and easy to install, the Asssavers Win Wing has been updated. The new version is stronger, more subtle, and now with paint-protecting stickers. As Dave and Ronan discuss, this one is likely an excellent option for keeping your kit clean, but it won’t do much for pleasing anyone riding behind you.
Raleigh UK, owned by the Accell Group, has been “restructured”, or, more specifically, greatly consolidated into its parent company’s operations. It’s yet another sign of the tough times facing the bicycle industry.
Sure, Black Friday is good for a deal, but we’re all for the companies using the day of consumerism to promote something more positive. Ortlieb is just one example, with its repair week offering 40% off repairs for any of its bags that fall outside of the five-year warranty period.
All that and plenty more in this week's episode.
Plus, we're having an introductory sale for new members. Join as a monthly or annual Escape Supporter today, and pay only $1 for the first month. Not only will you receive full access to all Escape Collective content, you’ll also have access to exclusive podcasts and ad-free episodes. Simply head to our join page, select the monthly subscription, and enter the code PODCAST at checkout to redeem this special trial offer!
Timestamps:
3:00 – New Princeton Carbon Works 6560 wheels
11:05 – A silly silly saddle
15:22 – Asssavers improves on an interesting fender
22:20 – Accell Group massively downsizes its investment in the UK
25:03 – Ortlieb doing Black Friday in a way we’re happy to discuss
28:09 – Ronan has Tear-Offs on his mind
36:23 – What we’ve been testing
45:05 – Pick One, the eyewear edition
53:48 – Your pedals need love, too
The Geeks answer your questions.
The Geek Warning podcast is growing! Today, we’ve launched our first bonus episode exclusively for Escape Collective members.
While the weekly Geek Warning podcast remains unchanged, we’re now providing additional bonus episodes each fortnight. These bonus episodes will be a mix of Ask a Wrench, deep-dives, or interviews with the people behind popular products.
The Geek Warning Bonus eps are exclusively available to Escape Collective members. That means this free feed only gets part of the episode. You'll need to subscribe to the members-only feed to get the full thing.
If you are already a member, you can follow this link to receive a unique RSS link to add the Geek Warning Bonus Episodes to the library in your chosen podcast app (this is very easy, promise). If you are not yet a member but want to hear, support, and enjoy the Geek Warning Bonus podcast, join Escape Collective today. Your membership makes this podcast possible.
What do Aston Martin, Lizard Skins, Cinelli, Chris Froome, and bleed kits all have in common? We’re not entirely sure, but they’re all discussed in this week’s episode of Geek Warning!
Hot on the heels of Lotus’ new bike comes an announcement from Aston Martin – they too have a new superbike. Made with 3D titanium-printed lugs and carbon tubes, this one is built in true collaboration with custom frame maker J Laverack. Aston Martin previously dabbled in bicycles with the help of Storck, but this one is on a whole new level. See more of the new Laverack Aston Martin .1R here.
Iconic Italian brand Cinelli has announced that it’s bringing some frame-building back in-house, for the first time since 1981. It all makes sense once you know Cinelli and Columbus are under the one roof.
Finished the Beckham documentary and have nothing to do? Geek out on this impressively detailed and playful content from Bartosz Ciechanowski. Thanks to reader Frederik Bonde for the tip on this one!
In industry news, Rapha has seen “negative profitability” for a number of years, while it appears Lizard Skins’ parent company may soon come under the house of Fox Factory (the suspension company).
All that and plenty more discussed in this week’s episode.
Timestamps:
0:50 – More high-end car collabs, this time Aston Martin and J Laverack
9:28 – Cinelli brings (some) frame building back to Italy
13:50 – Advanced visualisations for nerds
15:50 – Rapha is in the news
21:10 – Fox Factory set to buy Lizard Skins’ parent
23:25 – Chris Froome’s fit is on Ronan’s mind
28:06 – The one must-have feature of repair stands is on Dave’s mind
33:45 – Pick one cycling computer
39:55 – Our unintended PSA related to hydraulic disc brakes
52:18 – There’s a new member-only bonus version of Geek Warning!
An unexpected stop-ride notice from SRAM, a new bike from Lotus, and thoughts on tyre widths and pedal choice gave our tech team plenty to discuss in this week’s Geek Warning podcast.
Rumours of a Lotus road bike have been circling for some time, but we didn't expect it to be an aero-e-road bike. The Type 136 takes design concepts from current Lotus-designed track bikes, adding a lightweight HPS mid-drive e-bike system for a complete claimed weight of just 9.8 kg. Lotus has launched the bike with a limited edition model with just 136 available at a cool price of £20,000 / €25,000, ouch.
Ratio Technology – the company best known for bringing new life to old SRAM DoubleTap shifters – have done it again. The company’s latest release is a new ratchet and pulley wheel kit for SRAM 10 and 11-speed mechanical road groupsets, allowing you to use a Shimano 12-speed cassette and chain.
Speaking of SRAM, the American company has announced a stop-sale notice (for North America) related to its aftermarket 12-speed road levers. Set to become a voluntary recall, the notice applies to all SRAM 12-speed road shifters manufactured prior to July 2023 (it’s a long list). And before you run to your local store, know the issue is simply that too much thread locker is applied to the clamp bolt, meaning the levers aren’t clamping as tightly as what a torque wrench says. If you’re already riding a bike with SRAM 12-speed then this one doesn’t apply to you, but we’ll keep you updated if things change.
The biggest news in the bicycle industry has been related to the loss of funding for Signa Sports United, the parent company to Wiggle, ChainReactionCycles, and countless other brands. Now, Wiggle/CRC is in administration with reports of widespread redundancies in business segments responsible for future product and growth.
The first mover in producing truly great kids bikes, Isla Bikes, announced it's ceasing production. It’s a brand that James has fond memories associated with the first Isla bike he purchased, and it’s a brand that will surely be missed by many.
POC Sports have launched an LED-equipped version of its Omne road helmet. Integrated lights have been done before and are often somewhat underwhelming in terms of brightness, it’ll be interesting to see how POC’s new integration goes.
After the news, we get into the recurring segments of the Geek Warning. We think that SRAM’s Transmission gearing favourability seems to be largely related to geography and riding style. We discuss our preferences related to road tyre width. And then our new ‘Pick One’ segment returns, this time we each share and justify our favourite road pedals.
Merida and Polygon have just announced some interesting new gravel bikes, and Campagnolo's new Hyperon road wheels are a far better value than the flagship version. But what we're really interested in this week is Focus's new Izalco Max semi-aero road racer. It's supposedly faster, stiffer, and lighter than before (naturally), but also unabashedly less comfortable. Is that a good thing?
Who said road riding was dead? Clearly a lot of industry folks haven’t gotten the message. Lauf just introduced its first road bike, Classified and TRP are seemingly teaming up for an integrated wireless electronic road groupset with Classified’s novel two-speed rear hub, and Ingrid Components showed a prototype mechanical road lever with Shimano flippy-shifter vibes.
Welcome back to Geek Warning, the show that proves the world of cycling tech never stops.
This week we published our vision for covering tech news. In response, many of you asked for links to see and learn more of what we discuss in the Geek Warning podcast. And just like that, we present links!
Zwift has launched its Hub One smart trainer with a single cog. Ronan is working on a review, but in the meantime you can read what DCRainmaker thinks of it.
The recently announced Shimano crank recall is picking up steam as other countries roll out their respective recalls. However, it appears to be getting uglier.
We discuss BMC’s new all-rounder race bike, the Teammachine R. This bike left Ronan rather impressed, follow the link to find out why.
The Gravel World Championships offered a glimpse at a new Merida Silex. Meanwhile, Canyon’s long-awaited Grail CF is finally here, a bike James has a full review on.
We also touch on new mountain bike wheels from Princeton CarbonWork's off-shoot brand P1 Race Tech. And being a new week, there are of course, new chainrings from Wolf Tooth.
Timestamps:
4:58 – Zwift goes singlespeed and many tangents
16:05 – Shimano crank recall is getting uglier
21:50 – BMC’s new “not an aero bike” aero bike, automotive collabs, and narrow handlebars
43:05 – Princeton CarbonWorks launches for mountain bikes
46:50 – More new products from Wolf Tooth
49:50 – New gravel bikes from World’s
57:00 – How we’re thinking about covering tech news
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There has been a slew of wheel introductions recently, with some of the most interesting ones being from Zipp (lightweight carbon XC!), DT Swiss (“Aero for All”!), and Mavic (hookless aluminum gravel!). Wait, what? Yep, Mavic is now so progressive that its new aluminum gravel wheels feature a hookless profile, and we have some thoughts on the idea.
Timestamps:
1:37 – A close at DT Swiss’s new “Aero for All” aluminum wheels
8:27 – This most definitely is not the Mavic of yesteryear
15:04 – Zipp enters the XC wheel market (and their carbon road wheels have quietly gotten heavier)
25:56 – Bontrager cozies up with Look for a new range of clipless MTB pedals
32:57 – Wahoo Fitness continues to streamline its operations
35:58 – Brighter days are hopefully ahead for Parlee Cycles
41:35 – The indomitable and indestructible Surly Cross-Check is no more
46:30 – Dave is obsessing about what spare parts and – of course – tools to carry on his new bike
52:59 – James’s safety rules of the road
57:52 – More power or less weight for eMTBs?
1:02:08 – Choosing the right chain lube is about saving money, not watts
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Roughly a decade after problems first started surfacing with its bonded aluminum road crankarms, Shimano has finally issued an official recall for certain Ultegra and Dura-Ace models – and we have some thoughts on the matter. SRAM is also making its long-awaited entry into the e-MTB scene with its new Powertrain system, Specialized wants people to start thinking about e-bike performance a little differently, X marks the spot for Pinarello, and there’s some dodgy stuff going on out there when it comes to ultralight road wheels.
Timestamps:
5:16 – Shimano’s bill has finally come due
22:35 – SRAM is now entered the e-MTB game
27:45 – How much does e-motor efficiency matter?
32:05 – Pinarello’s new endurance road bikes
40:31 – Canyon sure does like its CP0018 three-piece integrated cockpit
46:28 – Ignore those ETRTO rim dimensions at your own peril
51:50 – Introducing Ronan’s new podcast: Performance Process!
55:58 – Dave has gone down the eMTB rabbit hole
1:00:01 – Should MTB rims switch to Schrader valves?
1:04:22 – Ronan’s view on aero gains? Testing, testing, testing
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This week’s Geek Warning has James, Ronan, and Dave covering a broad range of topics from Fulcrum’s new road wheels, a new airless tyre, and a tyre that’s recalled for being unwantedly airless.
There’s also a surprising amount of chat about e-bikes, but perhaps not for the right reasons. There’s the new Moots entering the space, but not with its expected material. Rad Power promises safer batteries, which is great, but also feels late. And yet another recall has us asking whether cheap e-bikes are a responsible product.
Timestamps:
4:45 – Moots takes an Express train in an unexpected direction
16:00 – New mid-range performance road wheels from Fulcrum
21:40 – Another attempt at the airless bicycle tyre?
25:42 – A road tyre recall from Pirelli
28:52 – Rad Power announces safer batteries, bit late?
34:38 – And another recall, this one impacts 45,000 bikes!
46:42 – Ashton Lambie gets out of a stick’y situation
51:50 – High-priced wheels are on Dave’s mind
56:45 – A PSA for Shimano Di2 users
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Specialized announced its latest Roubaix and Giant launched its fifth-generation Defy Advanced this week, but while they’re both “endurance road bikes”, they could hardly be more different.
We’ve also got a new aero all-rounder from Ridley, fancy 3D-printed titanium derailleur hangers, new indoor developments from Wahoo and Zwift, a whole day of hour records, thoughts on the UCI’s minimum weight limit, and a word of caution to maybe not trust that little map on your GPS computer *too* much.
Timestamps:
6:55 - A Specialized Roubaix, but no Cable Cobbler (yet)
21:45 - More endurance road bikes and Giant’s new Defy fills a gap.
32:20 – Silca has derailleur hangers with holes in them
38:45 - News from Wahoo with special guest, GPLama (https://gplama.com/)!
52:22 - A quick mention of Zwift things
54:50 - Ridley replaces the Helium SLX
1:01:30 - A new testing facility at MIPS
1:03:43 - There’s a day of Hour Records and Ronan is very excited
1:05:50 - The UCI weight limit is on Ronan’s mind
1:11:14 - A PSA that James and Dave hadn’t considered.
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Trek has just announced its fourth-generation Domane AL, and it’s even more of a budget-friendly workhorse than before. Over on the Bontrager side, its new ProV all-road/gravel models are the latest to switch to thermoplastic construction (courtesy of CSS Composites).
Also, want to know more about Columbus’s new Trittico component family for internal routing? We’ve got the scoop.
Timestamps:
3:22 – The skinny on Trek’s new (and very versatile) Domane AL entry-level “road” bike
13:50 – Bontrager’s latest road wheels signal a possible widespread shift to thermoplastic carbon fiber rims
25:35 – What the heck is a Reaver?
28:58 – Supacaz is getting into eyewear
37:59 – Columbus has a new turnkey internal routing system for small builders
48:18 – Dave exercises a remarkable level of restraint at Harbor Freight
55:25 – A dream comes true for James
1:00:06 – It turns out torque wrenches need time to warm up, too
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Two episodes of Geek Warning in one week? Oh yes!
This second episode has a more familiar format, but there’s still a twist. First, we have James and Dave chatting about what’s new this week and their thoughts from the MADE bike show.
And then, you’ll hear from famed frame builder and Escape Collective contributor Rob English about the show, plus thoughts on the handmade scene.
Timestamps:
2:35 – A brief recap of new gravel and road groups from Shimano
14:57 – Layoffs at Wahoo
17:50 – James and Dave chat Made.
32:18 – Hello Rob English!
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Welcome to a special episode, brought to you by the geeks of Escape Collective. In this deep dive, tech editor Dave Rome interviews Nick Legan and Dave Lawrence from Shimano about all that’s new (and not) in the latest GRX 12-speed mechanical groupset.
At some point in the chat it’s mentioned that new 105 12-speed mechanical is also inbound, and so the conversation covers that, too.
Tune in to hear about all that’s new, how HG+ works, an explainer on freehub compatibility, cable durability concerns, and a few bad (excellent) puns.
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This week’s Geek Warning episode sees James and Dave hanging out in a hotel room together with plenty to talk about and not enough sleep to do it professionally.
The MADE show is on the horizon, and James and Dave touch on some of the things they expect to see. There's a good conversation about the restraints that modern road design is forcing on consumers. And of course, much more.
Enjoy!
Timestamps:
2:35 – Driven raising equity.
4:15 – Moots teases a new wheel size.
9:48 – Trek’s Madone gets a slightly cheaper choice.
16:13 – New things from Wolf Tooth.
20:49 – Leap Components doing cool things and wobbly derailleur pivots.
25:45 – Still thinking about the woes of certain internally cabled bikes, proprietary cockpits, and fit limitations.
34:43 – James goes on an AliExpress shopping spree.
41:59 - A PSA to keep those freehub internals fresh.
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This week's Geek Warning episode is a little different. With James off racing bikes, and Dave travelling (for work), the Geeks instead gathered to answer a bucket full of tech questions from Escape Collective members. Joining James and Dave are former MTB World Cup mechanic Brad Copeland and dream bike builder Zach (of Boulder Grupetto).
Don't worry, the regular weekly show will return soon! In the meantime, enjoy and please let us know what you think of this format.
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James, Dave, and builder of dreams Zach are back and cover a broad spectrum of geeky topics. Specialized has a new iteration of the Tarmac. Ridley has a new bike with Fast in its name. Lezyne has even more products and Velocio clothing expands into mountain bike.
We also summarise our thoughts on the Classified two-speed hub system. And so much more geeking.
4:36 – A quick corrections corner, oops
6:36 – A speed sniffing bike from Specialized
23:00 – Ridley’s new TT bike and Ronan isn’t here
28:49 – A torque wrench for News Tools Day
31:04 – Lezyne and a lot of (too much?) choice
36:15 – Velocio goes mountain
39:45 – It’s Classified, but our thoughts are not
55:22 – Too many logos are on Dave’s mind
1:02:20 – Crazy track bikes from everyone
1:03:44 – MVDP, crashing, and Boas
1:08:55 – A PSA on cleats
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Santa Cruz has revamped its popular Stigmata gravel bike with a new MTB-inspired personality, Allied modernizes its Alfa road bike, Microshift’s new Sword gravel groupset looks extremely promising, and you’ll soon be able to track your bike with Apple’s Find My function without an AirTag. And what the heck is up with that hookless tire blow-off video that’s been going around?
The Geeks have questions.
1:50 — Santa Cruz has a new MTB-like Stigmata gravel bike
12:31 — There’s a new Alfa road bike from Allied
22:50 — Microshift’s new Sword gravel groupset looks fantastic
29:57 — Got a 4iiii power meter? Track your bike without an Apple AirTag
34:27 — Hookless road tires generally don’t just blow off the rim
44:47 — Dave is back to his tool-buying ways
45:18 — Tires are stupidly expensive
48:13 — Maybe suspension stems aren’t dorky after all
54:54 — The hot setup for Leadville 100
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Legendary French wheel brand Mavic is rumored to be gearing up to come back to the US market – but is the US market ready for them to come back?
The Geek Warning crew also had a mountain of new gear to discuss this week, including new bikes from Orbea, GT, and Polygon, stunning road wheels from Syncros, and updated cross-country suspension from RockShox. And what’s up with this giant pile of new go-fast gear the UCI just revealed? Ronan did some digging.
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As Dave and James recover from illness and injury, Ronan sits down with EscapeCollective member Marc Graveline to make sense of Jonas Vingagaard's stage 16 time trial performance. Marc was a data engineer before early retirement allowed him the time to moving into cycling and develop the Notio Konect, the first consumer available aero sensor on the market.
Marc is now a consultant to World Tour teams and counts time trial modelling and analysis among his favourite hobbies, not to mention aero testing some of the world's best riders. Finally, we wrap the conversation with a discussion on what the other World Tour teams can do to narrow the gap to Jumbo-Visma.
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Factor’s new O2 VAM sounds like quite the climbing bike: light, stiff, comfy, and newly aero. But is it too light for the pros? Maybe. There doesn’t seem to be any debate about wider tires at the Tour, though, as even 28 mm doesn’t seem like enough.
SRAM has also brought its innovative Transmission mountain bike drivetrain technology down to the GX level, an Australian company wants to bring high-tech carbon fiber inspection to the bike shop level, and James gripes about water bottles.
4:15 — A roundtable on the new Factor O2 VAM climbing bike
16:25 — Even Tour racers have adopted big tires in a big way
27:00 — GX is now the least expensive Transmission version, and it might be the best one
35:55 — Is ultrasonic carbon fiber testing coming to bike shops?
49:26 — Zach has some thoughts on ever-widening cranks
59:15 — Water, water, everywhere, and too many leftover drops to drink
1:01:05 — Check your chain wear, folks!
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The Tour de France can’t be that big of a deal. After all, they couldn’t even sign up 200 participants! But despite the low turnout, there’s quite the disproportionate amount of new tech to discover there, including a mysterious new Ridley aero all-rounder road racer, new tires and saddles from Specialized, a hint that a new SRAM Red groupset may be pending, new aero helmets, comfy-looking shoes, and upsized wheels from Campagnolo.
We also discuss Pinarello and Tune recently changing hands, how everything new in the MTB world seems to be designed for e-bikes, the return of CNC machining, and why your suspension fork is probably feeling sadly neglected.
3:50 — A sneak peek at Ridley’s new semi-aero all-rounder
7:09 — Specialized now has road tires just for wet conditions
15:50 — Yet another 3D-printed saddle model from Specialized
21:16 — Is a new SRAM Red groupset coming soon?
27:15 — Some funky new shoes from Q36.5
29:13 — Ekoi’s got a new aero road helmet
30:31 — Campagnolo is going wide with its new Bora Ultra WTO 45 wheels
32:31 — Mmm, built-in satellite shifters
36:34 — Pinarello has a new owner
42:40 — Lightweight has purchased Tune to create a German weight-weenie powerhouse
45:35 — Garbaruk has a new CNC-machined road and gravel crankset
49:30 — CNC machining is back in a big way
56:21 — UDH isn’t coming for road bikes; it’s already here
1:05:35 — MTB R&D seems mostly aimed at e-bikes these days
1:13:49 – Your suspension fork probably isn’t working as well as you think it is
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James and Ronan attended the Eurobike trade show last week, and oh boy, did they come back with a lot to talk about. E-bikes were definitely a major theme at this year’s show – again – but there was also a bunch of high-performance goodies, tons of electronic doodads, and as always, cargo bikes galore.
Also: Dave secretly wants to become a firefighter.
7:18 – A convenient way to measure saddle position
9:10 – Ronan likes the looks of the new Look
12:09 – 3T goes fully internal
13:08 – An unlikely new line of bikes from Marcel Kittel and Tony Martin
19:26 – So many amazing kid bikes
22:58 – Who said electronic shifting has to be expensive?
30:10 – Shimano’s 105 mechanical road groupset goes 12-speed
33:53 – There’s a revolution in tires coming, courtesy of Schwalbe
37:20 – Look, ma, no valve stems!
42:15 – A truly promising rethink of the rear derailleur
46:30 – Gearboxes and motors go together like peanut butter and jelly
54:01 – Cargo bikes galore
1:01:30 – NFCs are not the same as NFTs
1:03:15 – Cheap e-bike batteries can be very, very sketchy
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For this week’s Geek Warning, James and Ronan were en-route to Eurobike, and so Dave was left talking to himself. After he submitted a three-hour rambling episode about his colour-coding preferences for hex keys, the team suggested that he record a new episode with Brad Copeland.
In the episode, Dave and Brad chat about a lust-worthy new tool from Abbey Bike Tools, Wolf Tooth’s new LoneWolf 1x Road chainguide, and the next frontier of XC race tech. Of course, Brad and Dave also share what’s on their mind, and there’s a PSA that’s likely relevant to many.
3:38 - The biggest things at E-urobike
10:03 - Abbey’s biggest tool yet
19:23 – 1x chain guides for road
26:30 - Bike selection and other tech at the World Cup in Leogang
43:30 - What’s on Brad’s mind? Road Tubeless.
51:30 - What’s on Dave’s mind? You can probably guess.
57:42 – PSA to check those cables!
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SRAM’s new Apex redesign brings AXS wireless electronic shifting to the masses, but there’s also a new mechanical version, and it’s all 1x12 – and we’ve got all the details. Commencal has announced its first gravel bike that’s “not just another gravel bike” (even though it mostly is), RockShox’s Flight Attendant automatic electronic suspension is coming to XC, someone lost something in Lenzerheide, and Ronan outlines some of the tech decisions from his recent record-setting ride in Ireland. And finally, is UDH coming to road bikes now? (Hint: yes, it is).
12:45 – New SRAM Apex!
31:30 – Commencal gets into gravel
37:33 – RockShox’s updated SID spotted in the wild
43:46 – A big oops on the start line in Lenzerheide
48:17 – Ronan optimizes everything for his 15-hour time trial
1:02:15 – SRAM’s UDH is now coming for road bikes, too
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There is so much new stuff to talk about this week! Unbound Gravel was a smorgasbord of fresh gravel good, including new bikes from Canyon and Santa Cruz, and a sneak preview of Shimano’s new 12-speed GRX groupset.
We’ve also recently spotted new road bikes from BMC and Factor, and Silca aims to make chain waxing (a lot!) easier. And speaking of Unbound, what was the true material cost of entry for this year’s event? Hint: It's almost certainly much, much more than most participants expected.
Timestamps:
6:40 – What’s this new BMC race bike?
13:20 – Will the new Factor 02 VAM be even lighter?
17:44 – Shimano GRX 12-speed spotted at Unbound, plus our thoughts on 1x vs 2x for gravel.
28:05 – A more mountain bike-like Santa Cruz Stigmata on the way?
30:05 – Canyon Grail is due to get one less handlebar.
34:30 – Silca’s new Chain Stripper, the future of chain lubes, and why Caley is back on wax.
45:15 – Highlights of the Handmade Bicycle Show Australia.
54:12 – On your mind, and over the head of your family: Caley gives a shout-out to modern mountain bikes.
58:42 – James asks whether event participants consider the true cost of entry.
1:08:32 – PSA for your spare inner tube.
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Our trio of diehard in-house tech geeks – James, Dave, and Ronan – are on hand this week to talk about the dropped chain that nearly derailed Primož Roglič’s Giro d’Italia, Campagnolo’s new (and outrageously expensive) Super Record Wireless electronic road groupset, fancy new spokes from DT Swiss, and our new comprehensive guide to buying your first custom bike.
Also, all three of us apparently have issues staying upright, Ronan has thoughts on disc brakes in road racing, and a PSA on hidden caffeine.
6:58 — Roglic’s nearly disastrous chain drop
20:37 — Campagnolo goes wireless and ditches the thumb buttons
43:40 — New high-end MTB spokes from DT Swiss
48:37 — The impending return of the Handmade Bicycle Show Australia
49:59 — The return of Matt Wikstrom!
52:10 — Dave fell down
53:41 — James fell down
54:43 — Ronan fell down
55:12 — Ronan has thoughts on road racing with disc brakes
1:00:03 — Seat tube angles aren’t always what they seem
1:02:20 — Ronan needs to start reading the fine print
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Lots of new stuff to chat about this week! Specialized’s Allez revamp is hardly revolutionary, but there’s a lot to be said for a no-frills and accessible bike that’s executed well. Dave has some (bad) ideas for Kask on how to market its new Elemento flagship helmet, Wahoo’s founder owns his company again, and Trek makes an interesting move with the Bontrager brand name.
We also chat about Aerocoach’s latest round of rolling resistance tests, and Fairwheel Bikes’ intriguing crank stiffness tests. And finally, Dave shares some thoughts on cross-country mountain bike suspension, Zach reveals his secret love of cheap track bikes, James revisits his weight-weenie past, and we all take a leap through the Ring of Death.
2:45 — Specialized Allez
16:52 — Kask Elemento
22:11 — Trek vs. Bontrager
27:52 — Wahoo is back?
30:54 — Aerocoach measures the Vittoria Corsa Pro
35:16 — Which crank is stiffest?
43:40 — Dave likes things saggy
48:30 — Zach likes inexpensive track bikes
55:08 — James slips back into weight weenieism
1:02:34 — The Ring of Death, revisited
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This week’s episode of Geek Warning sees former World Cup mechanic, Brad Copeland, join the team to talk all things bike tech. With Brad onboard, it was time we kicked off the first "Ask a Wrench" segment, which answers questions from our live audience of Escape Collective members.
Before the geeks get to answering questions, they discuss some of the latest tech seen at the opening round of the mountain bike World Cup.
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Don't you dare call it a tire; it's "endurance engineering"!
Jokes aside, Specialized and Vittoria are upping their games when it comes to high-end road tires that (supposedly) won't leave you stranded, Chris King is expanding its range of thermoplastic carbon wheels with a new aero all-road model, we debate the pros and cons of the latest crop of fancy bike care products, and Ronan outlines the UCI's latest foibles. And as always, Dave has tools on his mind.
A manually curated list of time stamps:
2:30 - The narrow tread of the new Vittoria Corsa Pro tyres.
13:00 - “Don’t call it a tyre!” Specialized’s Mondo tyre.
21:42 - Chris King brings thermoplastic rims to road
29:22 - CeramicSpeed’s new Bike Care line and a discussion on wax lubes.
42:57 - The growing segment of Bike Care products.
46:50 - More price drops! This time it’s Salsa.
47:53 - Rome gets excited about new bearing removal tools.
50:37 - An update on the peculiar new UCI product registration rules coming to the TDF.
56:45 - Does the UCI need a Jig for its Jig?
1:02:45 - On Rome’s mind and over the head of his family.
1:08:07 - News for next week’s episode!
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Modern cross-country mountain bike racing is absolutely on fire these days. The riders are faster, more skilled, and more interesting than ever; the courses are technical and physically demanding; and the bikes are so capable they'd put the "trail bikes" of yesteryear to shame. But one has to look no further than some dyed-in-the-wool road brands to see how hot the segment is right now, because even they're getting into the game.
Also, in this week's show: (some) bikes are getting cheaper, there are prototype cross-country suspension forks everywhere, and the UCI dropped a logistical bomb on teams just weeks ahead of the Tour.
Episode time stamps (oh, that’s new for us!):
2:35 - BMC’s TT bike and company news.
13:30 - Pinarello is returning to mountain bikes.
16:35 - What are P1 Race Tech mountain bike wheels?
19:29 - Cervelo getting deeper into XC.
21:23 - A flurry of forks and the boom of XC.
30:35 - Lauf drops Seigla prices in the USA. Plus other price drops.
35:30 - Will we see new UCI technical controls at the TDF?
49:45 - The growth of tyre inserts.
60:00 - On our minds and debating cup and cone bearing hubs
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On this week's episode of Geek Warning: Specialized says its new Epic World Cup will replace hardtails for racing, and while the bike looks interesting, this isn't the first time we've heard such a thing and hardtails have proven time and again that they've got a lot of lives.
Also in this week's show: Wahoo is probably for sale, but who should buy it? Might you soon be taking your e-bike to an auto mechanic for service? Why did Boyd Cycling open up an aluminum rim factory in South Carolina? And James gives a recap of the shiny new stuff – both affordable and expensive – he saw at last week's Sea Otter Classic, along with a PSA on how your DRL might not be providing the visibility you think it is.
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This week on Geek Warning, James, Ronan, and Caley talk through rumors of a new Specialized Tarmac SL8, dig into the worst bike James has ever ridden, the return of Mavic (but not where you think they would be), and much more.
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Paris-Roubaix has been a better predictor of the bike tech that will be common in the future than any other pro race. It was the first with bigger tires, the first with disc brakes, the first with endurance frames.
So what were teams riding this year? Ronan Mc Laughlin and Caley Fretz dive into the cutting edge of cobble-worthy bike tech.
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Lots of news in this week's live episode! Fresh patent filings have revealed Campagnolo's upcoming wireless electronic groupsets will have thumb buttons after all, we've got an intriguing new thermoplastic wheel brand as well as two more wheel intros from Roval, Garmin is chasing the sun with new solar-powered GPS computers, Trek seems to be moving away from the Bontrager label, and Q36.5 announces its latest effort to prevent road rash. James also shares his thoughts on headset-based cable routing for mountain bikes (it's dumb), and Dave offers his opinion on race-style repair stands, and we answer a bunch of from our live studio audience.
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Fresh off his round-the-world hot air balloon trip, James Huang is back! And so is our resident GrumpyH8ter mechanic, Zach Edwards. They sit down with Dave Rome to chat about a trio of new bike releases, Time’s monstrous new carbon fiber factory, the pros and cons of cable vs. electronic mountain bike shifting, and a PSA about safely pulling your tubeless-equipped bikes out of hibernation.
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In this week's Geek Warning, Dave Rome, Ronan Mc Laughlin, and Caley Fretz dive into...
- Dave's hurt feelings
- Taipei Cycle Show
- Specialized's wild-looking Sirius
- Ronan's spec-bikes thing
- Wax lub on our minds
- and a PSA.
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Dave Rome, Ronan Mc Laughlin, and Caley Fretz are back with another nerdy episode, this week they dive into...
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We promised deep dive episodes, and here's the first of many more. In this episode, Dave Rome sits down with SRAM's Lachlan McKillop to discuss the nitty-gritty details of the new Eagle Transmissions. This episode may focus on new mountain bike technology, but plenty here could influence future road bike design.
Check out escapecollective.cc for Dave's review of the new XX SL.
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This week’s Geek Warning episode lands with some big news! No, it’s not the new cover art (which is great), but rather that we now have a website that can be found at EscapeCollective.cc.
Also discussed in this episode…
- Official and unofficial things from Campagnolo.•Mountain bike shoes that should please bike fitters.
- An aero helmet that looks funny, but is said to provide benefits that are no joke.•Dave and Ronan discuss what they’ve been obsessing over lately.
- And then we throw to the live member audience for questions.
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The Escape Collective has officially launched and with that, it’s time to kick off our first show in front of a (virtual) audience. This week Dave, Ronan, and Caley discuss...
•New and old tyre-related things from Conti, Specialized, and Tubolito.
•Ronan shares that he doesn’t want to look forward in his free time.
•Dave worries about whether we want to go where mechanical shifting is headed.
•And then we throw to the live audience for questions.
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It’s been a big week for the Geek Warning crew and we’ve got an equally big episode!
This week Dave, Ronan, Caley and one other familiar voice discuss...
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This week Dave, Ronan, and Caley discuss...
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Welcome back to Geek Warning. This week Dave, Ronan, and Caley dig into...
- A Parlee restructuring update
- Peaks and bulges as a lawsuit between Zipp and Princeton Carbon goes to trial
- Lab71, the fastest Cannondales
- Strava's CEO is stepping down. What does Strava need?
- Why are heart rate straps terrible these days?
- PSA: Bleed your damn brakes
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Geek Warning is here! This week Dave, Ronan, and Caley discuss...
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Welcome to Geek Warning, the new tech podcast from the thoroughly redundant minds at Placeholders.
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