Geek Warning

A report published by CyclingIndustries.com highlights an extreme shortage of skilled mechanics and the issues that presents. Dave and Ronan discuss some of the challenges behind this and what it may take to better retain skilled mechanics. 
Later in the episode, Dave shares why he thinks rim brakes will return in popularity, at least a little. Ronan argues why Dave’s crystal ball is faulty.
You’ll also hear a tech tip that’s perhaps more just an excuse to treat yourself. To wrap things up, and as per usual, members of Escape Collective get our Ask a Wrench section, where Dave and Zach Edwards answer technical questions from listeners. 
Happy geeking!

Time stamps:

02:30 - Skills shortage facing the cycling industry 

22:15 - Yet another wheelsize that’s to cause ever more havoc 

29:00 - Will rim brakes make a comeback on the road? 

40:00 - Your bike is only as good as its worst part (language warning for this segment) 

47:45 - Ask a Wrench (Members only) 

48:00 - Yet another mystery disc brake noise 

53:30 - Chasing a stubborn creaking pedal noise 

59:00 - Glazed brakes and how to solve it 

1:05:00 - A rattly RockShox XPLR dropper post 

1:11:00 - Does the suspension linkage design matter?

Many brands within the bike industry often speak about higher-performing products being stiffer, lighter, more aero, and faster-rolling. And yet when it comes to off-road disciplines, it’s rare for brands to discuss smoothness as a performance metric. It’s an area many have dabbled in over the years, but it’s tough to market a product on. 

Berd, makers of rope-like spokes, recently published a white paper detailing why they believe their new gravel race wheels are the fastest for the off-road discipline. A big part of that claim relates to vibration damping and impact reduction, metrics that historically haven’t been included in the performance modelling used today to calculate a road cyclists’ speed. 

In its white paper, Berd proposes that vibration damping and impact reduction should be included as a component of rolling resistance. Geek Warning host Dave Rome has long shouted as much for off-road – smoother is faster – and thought that was all quite interesting. So he sat down with Berd co-founder and CEO, Charlie Spanjers, to hear more. 

An edited transcript of the conversation is also available at EscapeCollective.com.

Talk of big wheels continue to dominate headlines in the cycling tech world. This past week, Trek and Scott raced production-ready 32ers at the World Cup round in Utah, while Sea Otter Europe showcased other production-ready options. 
With that, Dave Rome chats with Escape’s Suvi Loponen and Alex Hunt about what they each saw in person at these respective events. For Suvi, Sea Otter Europe, with about 80,000 attendees this year, offered an opportunity for a vibe check from members of the European bicycle industry. 
Members on our member-only feed will also hear Ask a Wrench, this week with Zach Edwards. 
Time stamps:

00:02:00 - Big brand 32ers revealed 

00:09:45 - Sea Otter Europe 

00:14:00 - Suvi rides a 32er 

00:18:00 - Other big things seen at Euro Sea Otter 

00:19:00 - Tyre options are growing quickly

00:23:00 - Industry vibe check at Sea Otter 

00:27:00 - On-the-ground interviews

00:51:00 - Ask a Wrench (members only) 

00:53:00 - How to service a cartridge bearing 

00:59:00 - When to measure chain wear (and our go-to tools) 

01:08:00 - How to deal with a rusty part

Welcome back to Geek Warning. This week, Dave Rome and Ronan McLaughlin talk through Shimano’s new road pedal system, which will eventually supersede the now two-decade-old SPD-SL. Dave has been hands-on with the new pedals and offers insight into how nuanced the differences are. 
Dave is then joined by Suvi Loponen to discuss the new Canyon Grail gravel bike along with a number of other standout bits of tech news from the week.

At the end of the episode, and for those listening via a member-only feed, we have an interview with Bill Alcorn of BikeFlights about how air freighting and door-to-door bike delivery have changed, and potentially how to mitigate those increased costs. 
Timestamps: 

02:00 - Shimano SPD-SLR, ridden and explained 

18:00 - The potential performance gain of lower stack height 

22:30 - Shimano’s three shoe widths, wide going wider. 

25:00 - Suvi joins to discuss the new Canyon Grail gravel bike 

37:00 - Scott’s interesting return to cable routing options 

41:00 - Specialized goes internal routing with Future Shock 

43:30 - Wolf Tooth gets into hubs 

48:00 - Members-only section: Talking bike freight

This week, Caley Fretz returns to Geek Warning alongside Jack Duncan and Dave Rome. It’s been a week full of big new bike launches (all of which Escape Collective attended) and there has been some equally big industry news. 
The geeks discuss new bikes from Scott, Factor, and Enve, and how each finds (or doesn't) a balance between performance and enjoyment. Plus, there’s a shift in product from WTB, some somewhat sad news out of an Australian business, and we speculate over why Specialized’s founder has returned to the helm. 
As usual, members of Escape Collective have access to the exclusive member-only feeds of the podcast, and in this we answer a number of technical questions in the Ask a Wrench segment.

Happy geeking! 
Time stamps:

00:02:00 - New bikes, new bikes everywhere

00:03:15 - Talking two different approaches to gravel with the Scott Addict Gravel and Factor Elara 

00:16:30 - Adding the new Enve Melee to the conversation 

00:20:00 - Feelings or performance. Can it be both? 

00:29:00 - WTB doing aero wasn’t on our bingo card

00:38:00 - Sad news from Fumpa 

00:44:15 - Big changes at Specialized and a fun theory from a dude

01:02:00 - Members-only section and Ask a Wrench 

01:05:00 - Our thoughts on running mismatched tyres

01:11:20 - “Critique my chain waxing”

01:12:15 - Gravel handlebar recommendations that keep the levers straight