Geek Warning

Latest Episodes:

What's that chirping? Aug 16, 2024

Show notes

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

A bonus episode with World Bicycle Relief Aug 15, 2024

Show notes

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.

Rim brakes, split bearings, and Ask a Wrench returns Aug 08, 2024

Show notes

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

How wide is too wide? Aug 02, 2024

Show notes

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

Reviewing bikes can get expensive Jul 26, 2024

Show notes

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

The (lack of) spares we carry Jul 19, 2024

Show notes

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

Flat mount should be flat! Jul 12, 2024

Show notes

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

Eurobike week and a two-chain bike for a great cause Jul 05, 2024

Show notes

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

Bonus ep: Speaking from Spoken Jun 28, 2024

Show notes

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?

Lateral thinking, a new way to consider chain wear Jun 27, 2024

Show notes

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

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