Ever feel like you’d like a lighter bike? Now imagine what your current bike would feel like if it was half of your body weight. For all too many kids who are learning to ride bikes, that’s exactly what it feels like to them. Premium kids’ bikes are a relatively new category, but also one that’s rapidly growing with more brands, models, sizes, and genres than ever before. Are they expensive? As compared to what you’d find in a big-box store, sure. But when you really think about what your kid mi...
May 25, 2024•32 min•Ep. 344
It’s just a regular week in May, but you can bet the bike industry is its usual buzz of activity. James Huang and Dave Rome offer some strong thoughts related to Shimano’s latest release of GRX Di2 . There’s chat about Felt clawing its way back into the spotlight. Of course the geeks can't ignore the return of Kona Bikes. And there are rumblings that the old Interbike tradeshow may be coming back, too. We’ve got custom bikes on our minds. We fail at picking one saddle. And there’s a PSA for all....
May 24, 2024•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 343
Kit Nicholson and Jonny Long join Caley Fretz on this week's Placeholders to discuss Pogačar's benevolent dominance, Vingegaard's tattoo, and more. Escape Collective's podcasts are made possible by our members. Head on over to escapecollective.com/member to support this show and everything else on our podcast network.
May 22, 2024•58 min•Ep. 342
This week Abby and Loren were joined by Matilda ‘Tils’ Raynolds to talk about the Vuelta a Burgos, Demi Vollering, and sprint finish safety. They also dove into a few of the lesser one-day events and tried to make sense of USA Cycling’s Olympic team. Obsessions: Abby - Bridgerton Season 3 , Loren - her bike, Tils - Racing Unbound ! Escape Collective's podcasts are made possible by our members. Head on over to escapecollective.com/member to support this show and everything else on our podcast net...
May 21, 2024•1 hr 25 min•Ep. 341
Cosmo Catalano and Dane Cash discuss the wholesome breakaway wins, the clear sprint leader, the shifting meta, and the dominant GC rider at the Giro d'Italia. Escape Collective's podcasts are made possible by our members. Head on over to escapecollective.com/member to support this show and everything else on our podcast network.
May 20, 2024•44 min•Ep. 340
In this episode: Jack chats with teammate Matevž Govekar from a pre-Dauphiné Tenerife training camp about altitude, why teams pick various high-altitude locations, being a pro with celiac, making one's way into the pro peloton, and lots more. Sign up to be a member: https://escapecollective.com/member
May 20, 2024•43 min•Ep. 339
This week we add some dirt to our ongoing bike position conversation as former World Tour pro and gravel privateer, Nathan Haas joins the show to discuss bike fits for gravel. Ronan quizzes Nathan on why his gravel fit is so different to his road bike setup and the polar opposite of the progressive saddle positions this podcast has covered previously. In return, Nathan explains the principles guiding his bike fitting, his hopes to become an osteopath, and the current neurology blind spot in much...
May 17, 2024•30 min•Ep. 338
Not surprisingly given the big product launch this week, Dave and James have a lot to dive into with SRAM’s new Red AXS wireless road groupset: what’s different about it, what’s not so different, what’s been improved, and what’s stayed the same – and the thing everyone will invariably ask us, whether we’d choose that or the latest Shimano Dura-Ace. We also chat about the neat features embedded into the new Hammerhead Karoo GPS computer, and the significance of the new tire partnership between Zi...
May 16, 2024•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 337
Kit Nicholson, Jonny Long, and Abby Mickey join Caley Fretz to discuss Decathlon's recent success, the Intergiro, transfers in the women's peloton, and more ... Escape Collective's podcasts are made possible by our members. Head on over to escapecollective.com/member to support this show and everything else on our podcast network.
May 15, 2024•1 hr•Ep. 336
Much leaked and recently teased, SRAM has now officially unveiled the latest iteration of its Red AXS road groupset. This top-tier offering introduces a new approach to shifter ergonomics and braking, along with a number of other smaller changes. Shile at the product launch, tech editor Dave Rome sat down with a few key members of SRAM’s road product and engineering team to discuss what’s new, what isn’t, and why. Following the chat about new SRAM things, Dave then sat down with the team from Ha...
May 15, 2024•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 335
This week Abby, Loren and Matt de Neef marvel over SD Worx-Protime’s Itzulia statistics, their approach to the race, and why the courses were so good. Plus, rumours! Obsessions: Abby - TTPD Live (bonus: Album Files podcast ) live, Matt - Dune , Loren - the weather...
May 14, 2024•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 334
Dane Cash and Cosmo Catalano tackle the talking points of the Giro so far, where Tadej Pogačar and his aura of invincibility have taken control of the GC, but where plenty of stage battles have provided intrigue. Escape Collective's podcasts are made possible by our members. Head on over to escapecollective.com/member to support this show and everything else on our podcast network.
May 13, 2024•41 min•Ep. 333
There are so many people who make pro cycling tick along who never get TV time, don't see the limelight, but are nonetheless indispensable. In this episode, Jack sits down with Elias, one of the bus drivers for Bahrain-Victorious to discuss his role in keeping pro cycling moving.
May 13, 2024•19 min•Ep. 332
We know, we know, it’s been ages since we did our last Ask a Wrench episode – late January, in fact. Guilty as charged. Better late than never? But as a nice bonus, our panel of geeks had an extra-long list of repair and maintenance questions to answer this time around, like why bedding in your new brakes is important, what not to do with your fancy digital torque wrench, how to diagnose a curious front-end clunk, how to protect your fancy new bike for the long haul, the best way to fix a paint ...
May 10, 2024•32 min•Ep. 331
Welcome back to Geek Warning! This week, James and Dave have a varied conversation covering tech related to road, gravel, and mountain bike. The Giro has begun and Tadej Pogačar took a little tumble that many were quick to blame the equipment for. James and Dave discuss that such finger pointing was not warranted this time. At the opposite end of UCI disciplines, the conversation then turns to aero gains returning to professional downhill mountain bike racing. In the tech new front, the geeks pr...
May 10, 2024•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 330
On this week's Placeholders, Kit Nicholson and Jonny Long join Caley Fretz to talk Tadej Pogačar's Giro approach, Demi Vollering's Nike deal, and more. Escape Collective's podcasts are made possible by our members. Head on over to escapecollective.com/member to support this show and everything else on our podcast network.
May 08, 2024•50 min•Ep. 329
Loren, Gracie and Abby have a lot to say about this year’s La Vuelta España Femenina. They discuss the final two stages, but also general takeaway from a week of racing in Spain and what it could mean for the rest of the season. The episode includes audio diaries from Maike van der Duin of Canyon-SRAM, Brodie Chapman of Lidl-Trek, Kim Cadzow of EF Education-Cannondale, Alessia Vigilia of FDJ-Suez, and Georgia Baker of Liv AlUla Jayco. Obsessions this week: Abby - The Idea of You on Amazon Prime ...
May 07, 2024•1 hr 28 min•Ep. 328
Dane Cash and Cosmo Catalano break down the action from the first few stages of the 2024 Giro d'Italia and also discuss the Vuelta España Femenina, a bit of Eschborn-Frankfurt, and what's coming up at the Giro. 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.
May 06, 2024•50 min•Ep. 327
Dan Bigham once said something along the lines of, get aero and train the body to sustain it: it's easier than getting stronger. As much as that makes sense, it's also not how we have typically thought of bike fitting. Our focus has typically been on comfort, power production, perhaps symmetry. But like so much in cycling, how we think about bike fitting is changing. In this episode of Performance Process episode Ronan is joined by Daniel Schade, CEO of Gebiomized and the fitter working with Big...
May 04, 2024•46 min•Ep. 326
On this special episode of the Wheel Talk podcast, Abby calls up Matt de Neef to briefly discuss stages 5 and 6 of La Vuelta España Femenina, with audio diaries from Alessia Vigilia (FDJ-Suez), Kim Cadzow (EF Education-Cannondale), Georgia Baker (Liv AlUla Jayco) and Elynor Backstedt (Lidl-Trek). 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....
May 04, 2024•31 min•Ep. 325
The Sea Otter Classic just wrapped up literally a few days ago, but clearly someone forgot to turn off the tap of new bikes and gear. Cervelo just announced a redesign of its ultra-popular Aspero gravel bike, and clearly put a lot of thought into what needed to change – and perhaps more importantly, what didn’t. Colnago also just dropped a new gravel bike of its own, the G4X, and Giant finally revamped its Trinity TT bike – no more rim brakes! Dave and James also chat about the eight billion tub...
May 02, 2024•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 324
On this week's podcast, the crew looks ahead to the Giro d'Italia, where Tadej Pogačar looks like the favorite on a course that should provide wire-to-wire excitement. 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.
May 01, 2024•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 323
In this two part-episode Loren, Gracie and Abby chat about the opening TTT of La Vuelta and what it might mean for the stages coming up. In the second segment, Abby and Loren check back in after the second stage with some audio diaries from riders on the ground including Maike van der Duin (Canyon-SRAM), Alessia Vigilia (FDJ-Suez), Georgia Baker (Liv AlUla Jayco) and Brodie Chapman (Lidl-Trek).
Apr 30, 2024•1 hr 22 min•Ep. 322
On this week's How the Race was Won pod, Dane Cash and Cosmo Catalano break down the Tour de Romandie, where the Ineos Grenadiers put on a familiar show and where Decathlon-AG2R showed us that they are a sprinting team after all.
Apr 29, 2024•43 min•Ep. 321
In this episode of Geek Warning, James is just back from the Sea Otter Classic and Dave is still thinking about chain lube and tools. On the Sea Otter front, James and Dave discuss new eco-friendlier tyres from Vittoria, new metal bikes from Ritchey and Digit, parts from 5Dev and Xpedo, along with new tools from PrestaCycle and Stan’s NoTubes. Check out James’ Sea Otter Classic galleries for visuals of what was discussed (and so so so much more). The conversation then turns to larger questions a...
Apr 26, 2024•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 320
With Classics season in the rearview mirror, Kit Nicholson, Dane Cash, and Ronan Mc Laughlin join Caley Fretz on this week's Placeholders to ponder whether anything can or should be done to make it harder for riders to attack from so far out.
Apr 24, 2024•51 min•Ep. 319
Gracie and Abby are joined this week by Rebecca Charlton to break down La Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège and lament the end of the Spring season. But don’t despair! La Vuelta España Femenina kicks off on Sunday and Escape Collective is running a fantasy competition just for you! One more reason to text your cycling group chat, subscribe to the Wheel Talk Newsletter and keep an eye on your inbox to sign up....
Apr 23, 2024•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 318
Cosmo Catalano and Dane Cash discuss La Flèche Wallonne, where the weather made for a more interesting men's race than we often get while the women's race ended with a long-awaited win, and Liège-Bastogne-Liège, where one rider's dominance made for a less intriguing finish than we might have hoped on the men's side while the women kept it suspenseful to the very end.
Apr 22, 2024•37 min•Ep. 317
In this episode, Jack takes some time to reflect on a difficult few weeks. Pro cycling has ups and downs, and the entry to spring was a down. How does one get through such a period?
Apr 22, 2024•33 min•Ep. 316
Death, taxes, and wild tech at Paris-Roubaix used to be the three certainties in life, but if the 2024 edition of the Queen of the cobbles taught us anything, it's that the days of wild Roubaix-specific bikes and tech are a thing of the past. In this Performance Process episode of two halves, Ronan is first joined by the crew at Specialized to talk through how the World Tour pros optimise for Paris-Roubaix in 2024 and how that compares to just a few years ago. In the second half, Ronan welcomes ...
Apr 19, 2024•58 min•Ep. 315
