Escape Collective

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

This week on the show: Red Bull's buy-in at Bora-Hansgrohe, Mathieu van der Poel's spit, Ronan's beard, and our New Year's resolutions for professional cycling.

To get access to the members-only Escape After Dark segment of this podcast, sign up here. 

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.

Jonny Long hosts the final Placeholders episode of the year, a quiz showdown with Iain Treloar, Kit Nicholson, and Ronan Mc Laughlin. Who will emerge as the end-of-year champion? Listen to find out ...

For our final episode of the year, Gracie, Loren and I chat the recent Giro d’Italia Women route announcement, development pathways from Australia for women, the UCI’s weird wildcard decision, and more. Plus we answer a handful of your questions.

Stay tuned for an exclusive members only episode with the three of us coming next week.

This week's Performance Process is the latest in our series delving into how and why World Tour racing is getting so much faster. The first of our deep dive episodes on the specifics of how racing is getting faster, Dr Tim Podlogar is our guest to discuss all things "high-carb."

The jokingly self-professed Mr Carbohydrate, Podlogar is an exercise physiologist at Birmingham University focusing on sports nutrition, exercise metabolism, environmental physiology and endurance performance. He is a former rower turned 5.5 w/KG cyclist and head nutritionist at Bora-Hansgrohe World Tour team.

Podlogar has tested low-carb diets in the past and is now a high-carb advocate. In this episode we discuss the benefits of a high-carb approach, why the simple carbohydrate is having its day all over again, how to fuel your own rides, and why we still need to consider supply and demand. Podlogar even gives us a grams of carbohydrate per kilogram of body weight for various breakfast timing options.

The Performance Process is a members-only podcast from Escape Collective. If you're not a member, you'll need to become one (insider or supporter level both apply – monthly or annual both apply) to listen to the full show.

Timestamps:

08:00 – Changing from low carb to high carb
16:00 – Advancements in nutrition products 
17:40 - Doing your homework
25:00 – Pros v amateurs
26:32 – Post ride window
27:51 – Fuel the activity 
32:30 - All about the balance
35:10 – How many crabs and when
38:04 – Why you are always hungry post ride
47:10 – How to fuel for early morning rides and races

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?

On this week's Placeholders, Abby Mickey, Jonny Long, Kit Nicholson, and Iain Treloar cover the uncertainty surrounding where up-and-comer Cian Uijtdebroeks will be riding next year as well as comparing Classics and discussing Belgian cycling awards.

On this week's Members Only Escape Collective Wheel Talk Podcast (phew), Abby chats with Floorje Mackaij about moving from DSM to Movistar after 10 years with the same team, alongside her close friend Liane Lippert, and riding for Annemiek van Vleuten, plus Bella, her adorable dog who has become a honorary member of her Spanish team.

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. 

Ronan Mc Laughlin, Kit Nicholson, Dane Cash, and Joe Lindsey all join Caley Fretz on this week's Placeholders to talk Campagnolo, the media landscape, swords, milk, and more.

With 2024 just around the corner Abby chatted with EF Education-Cannondale’s new General Manager Esra Tromp about the process of building a team from scratch, the hurdles the team might come against in the new year, and more.

This week's Performance Process is the first in a series delving into how and why World Tour racing is getting so fast. Year after year we see average records increase and record times tumble.

Alex Dowsett is our guest on this week's podcast. Alex is a former pro, former World Hour record holder, the only known elite professional sportsman with haemophilia, not to mention six time British National Time Trial champion, two time Giro stage winner, and YouTuber. Having been a pro for 12 years, it's safe to say Dowsett is well qualified to talk us through the advancements that have resulted in greatly increasing speeds. 

Dowsett kicks off the discussion on this topic with some direct insight into an accidental analysis he conducted on his own progression throughout his own pro career and how results in an event he has done since he was a kid correlate with the advancing World Tour peloton. 

Dowsett gives us a break down of some of the hows and whys. We will now take this list and begin a deep dive series looking into each in all our geeky detail.

The Performance Process is a members-only podcast from Escape Collective. If you're not a member, you'll need to become one (insider or supporter level both apply – monthly or annual both apply) to listen to the full show.

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

On this week's Placeholders, Dane Cash, Kit Nicholson, and Abby Mickey join Caley Fretz to bid farewell to AG2R's iconic brown shorts, discuss some late-breaking transfer stories, analyze the Rigoberto Urán telenovela, and more.

Surprise. We are interrupting our usual fortnightly episodes of Performance Process to bring you a bonus episode with Frank Overton of FasCat coaching. 

When we announced Performance Process a little under two months ago, we promised we'd bring you some of the insightful conversations we would be having anyway with experts and industry insiders. That's exactly what we are doing in this episode. It's less a performance process and more an insight into an interesting offering. Hence why it is a bonus episode and not a bi-weekly deep dive.

As a long time listener to the Fascat Coaching podcast I was pretty interested when I heard Frank and the team had developed an app for combining wearable sleep data and on bike training metrics to provide a traffic light, red, amber, green, training readiness score for any given day. It was the promised simplicity and actionable insights that really caught my eye. So, when Fascat reached out looking to setup a meeting to tell me more about the Optimize app, I gladly obliged. About two minutes into that call, I decided to start again and this time we'd hit record on the Google Meet. This week's episode is that meeting. Enjoy.

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

Jonny Long, Kit Nicholson, and Ronan Mc Laughlin join Caley Fretz on this week's Placeholders to talk about the changes behind the scenes at the Ineos Grenadiers, potential calendar challenges, and, of course, super blood worms.

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!

In this week's Performance Process, we talk to Mehdi Kordi, PhD and Head Coach (Track Sprint) at the Dutch National Cycling Federation. Kordi recently coached Jeffrey Hoogland to a new Kilo World Record, and having spoken with him for our optimising deep dive looking inside that new World Record, we knew we had to get Mehdi on the podcast. 

In this episode, Mehdi talks us through his unique route into coaching, including a detour into researching CPR techniques for use in space on the one-way mission to Mars. He also breaks down the benefits of an inquisitive mindset and how to harness it. There's a discussion on the importance of improvement-focused process goals and why ultimately everything still hinges on binary results, and the challenges of coaching Olympic athletes from a different country.

Slightly worryingly, Mehdi explains why track cycling is so dependent on the Olympics and why its days at the Games might be coming to an end, and his take on the challenges the UCI faces in ensuring a level playing field. 

The Performance Process is a members-only podcast from Escape Collective. If you're not a member, you'll need to become one (insider or supporter level both apply – monthly or annual both apply) to listen to the full show. 

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

News dropped on Wednesday that GCN+ and the GCN app will be shuttered in December. We have thoughts. We have emotions. Caley Fretz, Joe Lindsey, and Cosmo Catalano got together to talk through it. 

This week on the show: Jonny’s adventures in Asia, Geraint Thomas getting on the beers, and some doping news out of Spain. 

Unfortunately, the GCN+ news broke after we recorded this episode. We have a special episode on the topic coming tomorrow. 

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!

Dane Cash and Cosmo Catalano join Caley Fretz on this week's Placeholders to discuss Tadej Pogačar's recent comments about his calendar and how he plans to keep targeting races beyond just the Tour de France. Plus, we get a cyclocross update and then the podcast debuts the first ever member showdown in the Weekly Pain segment.

Aerodynamics have taken over cycling in the past decade or two. From frames to wheels to clothing, riders can now aero-optimise every aspect of their ride. We also know aerodynamics are highly individual, a fast helmet for one rider might be slow for another. Despite the uptake and understanding of aerodynamics, individual testing lags way behind. 

In this week's Performance Process, we talk to Escape Collective member, Notio Konect aero meter inventor/founder, and World Tour aero consultant Marc Graveline. Marc takes us on a DIY aero testing 101, breaking down the various options, testing protocols and essential tips for optimising at home. 

Hear how Marc runs his tests, what to test, and how aero testing can on average save a rider 22 watts. Marc also breaks down to complexity that may present a hurdle to some aero-curious riders and explains how we can aero test at zero expense.

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.

The Placeholders crew talks Wout van Aert's GC chances, league talks, Saudi money, Quintana's return, and gravel at the Tour de France.

Abby, Loren, Matt, and Gracie wrap up the season by handing out some awards to the best team, best rider, best race finish, and more.

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?

On this week's Placeholders, Dane Cash and Kit Nicholson join Caley Fretz to discuss Sepp Kuss's victory parade in Durango, the Tour route unveiling, gravel, and more ...

This week is a very special episode. Abby sat down with friend of the podcast Rebecca Charlton to chat about cycling through pregnancy, missing the first Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, and the backlash of covering men’s cycling as a woman.

Ruth Winder joins Dane Cash and Cosmo Catalano to wrap up the 2023 road racing campaign. The crew talks Guangxi and Chongming Island, and ponders some of the broader questions of the season.

To listen to the full episode, sign up at Escapecollective.com/join.

Given the team's incredible success in 2023, one could be forgiven for assuming Jumbo-Visma is Dutch for jumbo victory count. With 70+ wins and all three Grand Tours in the bag, including a clean sweep of the Vuelta podium, the team has enjoyed success that even the most dominant of current and former super teams could only dream of. But it hasn't always been that way. 

We sat down with Jumbo-Visma's performance director Mathieu Heijboer to find out how they did it. 

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.

This week's episode dives into Pippo Pozzato's dreams to rebuild Italian cycling, taking cues from Flanders Classics. Plus Ronan, Kit, and Caley discuss an interesting (and TT-heavy) Giro d'Italia route, the young Brit who beat Remco Evenepoel in a big time trial, and, of course, a bit of Jumbo-Visma news. 

This week Abby, Matt and Loren talk about some exciting up-and-coming riders, as well as the dilemma of Lidl-Trek’s five new 18-year-olds, the Tour of Chongming Island, and more.

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

Iain Treloar and Jonny Long join Caley Fretz to talk about the Jumbo-Visma merger that ultimately did not happen, the Ineos Grenadiers, Gravel Worlds, and Thibaut Pinot's retirement.

This episode was supposed to be about team captains but got slightly derailed by two topics none of us thought we would have to talk about in 2023: no live coverage of Gravel Worlds and the working conditions at Jumbo-Visma’s women’s team.

Cosmo Catalano and Dane Cash discuss Tadej Pogačar's second Monument of the season and third straight victory at Il Lombardia, as well as talking gravel, Paris-Tours, and MTB World Cups.

Welcome to a taste of the first episode of Performance Process, a podcast dedicated to making you a faster cyclist. 

To listen to the full episode, you'll need to be a member. You can sign up at Escapecollective.com/join. All members will receive an email with instructions for adding the private member feed to their podcast app of choice. 

This first episode focuses on optimizing for the hour record with guest Jonny Wale, delving into the processes behind the ten successful hour record attempts he's been involved with. That includes both Dan Bigham's former record and Filippo Ganna's current record. It's a fascinating chat and we hope you enjoy it. 

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

Jonny Long, Kit Nicholson, and Ronan Mc Laughlin join Caley Fretz to discuss the latest in the Jumbo-Visma Soudal-QuickStep potential merger saga, Alex Dowsett's new book, and more...

With no WWT racing since the last podcast, Gracie took charge of this episode. The crew spends most of the time discussing the best domestiques in the peloton, plus the different kinds of domestiques and who qualifies into which category.

Abby Mickey joins Dane Cash and Cosmo Catalano to discuss the highlights of this past weekend's racing, field questions from Escape Collective members, and look ahead at Il Lombardia.

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