Marginal Gains Cycling Podcast, Presented by Silca

The Marginal Gains Podcast, presented by Silca is the show that makes a big deal about the little things, and how those little things...can be a big deal. Josh Poertner of Silca, along with Hottie and Fatty, talk about all aspects of cycling — design, manufacturing, marketing, riding, racing, management and more, all from a thoughtful perspective. It's a podcast for the thinking cyclist.

Last refreshed: April 14th, 2026 at 9:40 PM ⓘ

Follow this podcast in the Metacast mobile app to refresh it and see new episodes.

Follow on

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

RSS

Podcasts are better in Metacast mobile app

Don't just listen to podcasts. Learn from them with transcripts, summaries, and chapters for every episode. Skim, search, and bookmark insights. Learn more

Episodes

AJA #21:Pressure, Lube, & Trips in Time Machines

It's a rainy, muddy, sloppy, gritty day at the Paris-Roubaix, and you're a pro team's race director. What chain treatment do you go with? You have the option to swap bikes on the course; are the watts you gain with a clean drivetrain worth the cost in time lost in bike transfer? What's the tire pressure you should run...and should you tell the truth if anyone asks? We get into all this, more, and the ways bikes will change 50 years from now, as we Ask Josh Anything in the Marginal Gains Podcast....

Oct 21, 2021•1 hr 1 min

Allen Lim: Sports Nutrition and Marginal Gains

Allen Lim is best known for his Skratch drink mix. It has hydrated countless riders and been in the bottles of top cyclists around the world. But the road to becoming one of the most well known people in sports nutrition was crooked and bumpy. Allen tells Josh how the Secret Drink mix almost never made it. How he used the ideas of compassion and caring to steer athletes away from doping. And how his use of a rice cooker was turned against him in an ugly way.

Sep 10, 2021•57 min

Marginal Gains and the New Dura-Ace R9200 / Ultegra R8100 Groups

Shimano Road Brand Manager Nick Legan and Road and Gravel Product Manager Dave Lawrence join the Marginal Gains crew to dig into what the what the new road groupsets are, how they're different, and — natch — where you'll find marginal gains in Shimano's new drivetrains, brakes, and wheels.

Aug 31, 2021•1 hr 2 min

The Summer Olympics & Marginal Gains

The 2021 Olympics are behind us, and Marginal Gains thinking was evident in practically every sport. Josh, Hottie, and Fatty take a look at some of the key events and moments during the games — kinesiology tape, anyone? — and how technology has impacted (and will continue to impact) record-breaking achievements by the greatest athletes in the world.

Aug 19, 2021•1 hr 4 min

AJA #20: The Pipeline Problem

It's a strange time to be a cyclist, a bike shop, or in the bike industry. Pro teams are scrounging for components. New frames are difficult to come by. Bike shops, swamped with extraordinary demand, are closing due to lack of supply. As an innovator in the bike industry to talks to bike shops and pro teams every day, Josh has practical insight into making the best of a problematic pipeline. We also talk about how Silca goes about greenlighting a new product, marginal gains on gravel, and what J...

Jun 21, 2021•1 hr 3 min

3D Ti Printing & Marginal Gains

If Josh is obsessed with something, well...you can bet that there's some "there" there. And Josh has been obsessed enough with Titanium printing for long enough that Fatty and Hottie have been badgering him to talk on the podcast about why for months. And now, with the release of Silca's Mensola computer mount, Josh can get into the weeds on why 3D printing is a big deal, the work that's goes into installation, engineering, and production, and what opportunities and constraints this technology b...

May 28, 2021•1 hr 4 min

Ask Josh Anything #19

Drivetrains, aero tweaks, and wheels have emerged as the sweet spot for where listeners can achieve marginal gains on their current bike setups, and this episode will really scratch that itch. We do a deep dive into the why, how, and what of Silca's new diamond-polished chains, how properly-lubed chains affect cog and chainring wear and tear, and whether you really need to replace that quick link after each chain connect/disconnect cycle. We also get to the best ways to locate your hydration on ...

May 28, 2021•57 min

Failure and Marginal Gains

Here at Marginal Gains, we are NOT big fans of the old saying, "Failure is not an option." As far as we're concerned, failure is not only an option, but a valuable part of development. In this episode, Josh gets into how he changed his mind about failure, why we see failure at the sharp end of the sport, and why mistakes we make as riders can lead to marginal gains.

May 28, 2021•56 min

Jens Voigt: The Hour, Chains, & Marginal Gains

This may not be the most technical episode of Marginal Gains to date, but it absolutely is one of the most pragmatic and entertaining. Jens Voigt joins Josh to talkk about everything from training wheels to the cold war to Aussies to A/C Sales to bike team finances to the early days of marginal gains...and of course the hour record. Jens is a treasure; enjoy this chat about his amazing career and life.

Apr 05, 2021•1 hr 30 min

Ask Josh Anything #18

Look, we love every listener question we get here at Marginal Gains. But this episode, Max King asked one that got Josh so excited he said he was pretty sure he was going to lose sleep over it. Of course, we saved that one to the end, but you'll want to listen to the whole show anyway because we've got great questions about the super tuck and dropper posts, off-label use of lube (and many more lube-related questions), marginal gains and handlebar bags, FKT updates, and more. As always, it's a ca...

Mar 21, 2021•50 min

CdA with Ben Delaney of Velonews

No Supertuck, no modified TT position? Now what? Velonews Managing Editor Ben Delaney helps us figure out what the pros will now use to keep their speeds high on descents and in breakaways. Ben has written several articles on what the two, now banned positions are worth when in comes to watts. He also has insight on equipment that could be used to make up for the loss of the Supertuck and "Praying Mantis" position.

Feb 24, 2021•39 min

Fighting Friction: A Conversation with Ceramic Speed's Jason Smith

Josh is, apparently, not the only person in the world obsessed with creating a frictionless world (or at least chain). In this conversation, Josh and modern-day chain pioneer Jason Smith — currently with Ceramic Speed and known for his groundbreaking work at Friction Facts — deep dive into what works, what doesn't, and why.

Feb 09, 2021•1 hr

← Prev

Hosted on Libsyn

For the best experience, listen in Metacast app for iOS or Android