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 mo...
Nov 24, 2023•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 45
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 re...
Nov 22, 2023•16 min•Ep. 44
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 di...
Nov 17, 2023•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 43
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...
Nov 10, 2023•10 min•Ep. 42
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 thi...
Nov 09, 2023•58 min•Ep. 41
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 wit...
Nov 02, 2023•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 40
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?
Oct 26, 2023•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 39
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.
Oct 19, 2023•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 38
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...
Oct 13, 2023•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 37
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 e...
Oct 05, 2023•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 36
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 ...
Sep 28, 2023•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 35
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 a...
Sep 21, 2023•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 34
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. Time...
Sep 14, 2023•1 hr 17 min•Ep. 33
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’...
Sep 07, 2023•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 32
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 ...
Sep 01, 2023•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 31
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 conce...
Aug 31, 2023•41 min•Ep. 30
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...
Aug 25, 2023•47 min•Ep. 29
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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.c...
Aug 16, 2023•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 28
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:...
Aug 11, 2023•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 27
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 ...
Aug 02, 2023•59 min•Ep. 26
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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy fo...
Jul 27, 2023•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 25
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 te...
Jul 24, 2023•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 24
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 ...
Jul 14, 2023•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 23
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 ...
Jul 06, 2023•1 hr 19 min•Ep. 22
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 unlikel...
Jun 29, 2023•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 21
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 t...
Jun 22, 2023•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 20
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 ...
Jun 15, 2023•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 19
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. Ti...
Jun 08, 2023•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 18
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 caf...
May 31, 2023•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 17
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...
May 24, 2023•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 16
