Nerd Alert Podcast

Latest Episodes:

The Superstrata doesn’t need your silly seat tube Aug 25, 2022

Show notes

Remember the Superstrata? That wacky looking 3D-printed custom carbon fiber bike that blew up Indiegogo a couple of years ago? Well, it turns out that the bike isn’t vaporware — and in fact, we now have one on hand to check out for ourselves.

In this week’s episode, James also sits down with Superstrata CEO Sonny Vu for a chat on what makes the Superstrata different, why you may (or may not) care, and how the company’s ambitions extend far beyond cycling in general.

What’s up with this new Giant Propel? Aug 19, 2022

Show notes

The Nerds are back with another group episode, this time with Ronan doing his best Aussie impersonation since Dave is away on holiday.

On tap this week is a detailed introduction of Giant’s new Propel aero road bike — and its wild Cadex 50 Ultra Disc carbon fiber wheels — along with a frank discussion of what’s going on with Wahoo’s revamped Speedplay pedals. And as always, we wrap up with a round of Ask a Mechanic, including a little incident Caley himself had with a little hydraulic fluid.

Looking under the hood of Shimano Di2 Aug 12, 2022

Show notes

Welcome back to the CyclingTips Nerd Alert podcast! This week tech editor Dave Rome chats about the things to know with Shimano’s new Di2 12-speed shifting and how it differs from previous generations.

And what better guest to speak to about common issues, limitations, fun features, and things to look out for than the Di2 nerd himself, Terry Seidler of BetterShifting.com.

Should more people consider a custom bike instead of a production one? Aug 04, 2022

Show notes

We finally have our full crew of Nerds back on this week’s episode, and boy, was there a lot to discuss.

There’s a new custom bike show in the works for 2023 called Made, which will be based in Portland, Oregon, and will be held outdoors. No one will ever complain about another opportunity to see beautiful custom bikes in person, but are they just eye candy, or should more people actually consider buying one instead of a stock machine? Upstart brand Aerosensor also has a new portable device that claims to deliver aerodynamic drag data in real time, and we wonder what LeBron James’s US$30m investment in Canyon Bicycles will mean moving forward.

And seeing as how we finally have Caley back, all of our answers for this week’s Ask a Mechanic segment — naturally — involves a hammer.

Does it matter where your bike is built? Jul 28, 2022

Show notes

The Nerds are back with a long overdue group show, and they’ve got a lot to talk about! James recaps some of the highlights from the recent Eurobike show in Frankfurt, Dave chats about the pitfalls of modern e-commerce with Silca’s Josh Poertner, we chat about two new road bikes — the Cervelo S5 and the Enve Melee — and debate how much it matters where a bike is manufactured.

And finally, after a long hiatus, it’s another round of Ask a Mechanic!

The future of aero wheel development might be a bit rocky Jul 22, 2022

Show notes

Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and wind tunnels have long been the primary tools used by wheel engineers and aerodynamicists. However useful they are, though, they’re still based on laminar airflow — those picture-perfect parallel lines you see in illustrations — that doesn’t necessarily reflect real-world conditions.

So what happens if you introduce a degree of turbulence to the R&D process? Do things change? Can the wheels get better? And what might this mean for bikes and other gear in general? Buckle up for this one; we’re about to get real nerdy here.

Tech from the Tour paddock Jul 12, 2022

Show notes

We’re a little late with this week’s Nerd Alert episode and for good reason – the Wi-Fi at the Tour de France is terrible. That’s right, Caley Fretz and Ronan Mc Laughlin are in France and chat about all things Tour de France tech.

From prep for the cobbles to bikes with hidden motors (just kidding!), Ronan and Caley catch up with a number of pro riders to hear what they’re riding and why.

Rim brakes aren't dead yet Jun 30, 2022

Show notes

The bike industry may have shifted entirely to disc brakes, but there are millions of happy rim-brake users out there with bikes that still have years — or even decades — of life left in them. Mainstream brands have already stopped spending money on anything related to rim brakes, and while that’s a bummer in one sense, it’s also created an opportunity for smaller brands to fill the void.

Flat tires and sketchy brakes — it’s Field Test time again! Jun 23, 2022

Show notes

This week’s episode comes to you live from Steamboat Springs, Colorado, where we’ve assembled four testers and a video team to evaluate ten different bikes. We’ve split them into six gravel and four road models this time around, with a focus on lower-priced options. The full reveal will come a bit later once we’re all done with testing, but let’s just say some of the bikes have already genuinely surprised us with how good they are, while others have made some unforgivable missteps.

Only a crazy person would think we need yet another bike brand, right? Jun 16, 2022

Show notes

If you’ve got a decent chunk of change and are looking for a higher-end carbon drop-bar bike, there’s certainly no shortage of good options -- and probably too many of them, in fact. So why on earth would someone think it’s a good idea to start yet another one given this hyper-competitive environment? Well, that’s just what the folks at Bridge Bike Works are doing in Toronto, Canada. The company’s first bike sounds interesting enough, but the story behind the brand is arguably more compelling.

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