Geek Warning

It’s time for another bonus edition of Geek Warning. This chat is a brief opener to our upcoming coverage of Made, North America’s Custom Bicycle Show. 
Held this coming weekend (21-23rd of August), the Portland-based show has grown to be a key event on the calendar for bike lovers, tech nerds, makers, and the like. A show like this also consistently serves as a crystal ball into emerging segments and tech trends. 
One such trend is the emergence of custom frame builders offering pre-built options. In the USA, a number of local frame builders have reduced purchase barriers by offering set models and stock geometry options. The likes of No.22, Moots, and Stinner are all examples of this. Meanwhile, one of the most prestigious names in the titanium space has now joined the list - Mosaic. 
For this chat, Dave Rome is joined by Mosaic’s founder Aaron Barcheck, along with chief vibe officer (and founder) of Made, Billy Sinkford. 
A heads up that the timing of publishing this episode coincides with Mosaic’s announcement of a 32er gravel bike and its accompanying launch of its own carbon component brand – Zero. The news of this only broke after we recorded this episode and so these products aren’t discussed within. We may do a dedicated chat covering those interesting products in the future.

This week on Geek Warning, Dave is joined by Escape’s Suvi Loponen and Alex Hunt to talk about the latest in cycling tech. 
Alex was on the ground at the Tour de France Femmes and came away pondering why 1x hadn’t hit the women’s field like it has the men. 
Meanwhile, Suvi has spent the past couple of months riding the new Trek Domane endurance road bike. Dave and Suvi discuss why this bike is likely to be a big win for Trek. 
Then, as usual, those on our member-only podcast feeds get access to Ask a Wrench. This week Dave is joined by Colin Williams to answer questions related to replicating fit dimensions between bikes, headset changes, and why high-engagement hubs aren’t more popular in road racing.

Time stamps:

00:01:20 - Accell group likely to be split up 

00:08:15 - Tech trends at TDFF

00:17:09 - Tyres are growing, slowly 

00:22:00 - Trek’s new Domane 

00:33:45 - Bike prices coming down? 

00:39:30 - The case for semi-integrated cable routing

00:43:00 - We’re all having a meet-up 

00:48:15 - Ask a Wrench with Colin Williams (Members Only) 

00:50:00 - How to match fit dimensions between bikes 

01:01:30 - Is it ok to mismatch the headset? 

01:06:15 - Replacing a proprietary headset

01:14:00 - High engagement hubs Crit racing?

This week, Dave and Jack from the Escape Collective tech team talk modern cross-country bikes and where the nuance between race and downcountry sits. Plus, Dave shares why he believes remote lockouts are a race-day product. 
Meanwhile, the geeks discuss why rounded bolts are most often user error and how to avoid them (also check out Dave’s Threaded #15 article on the topic). 
Like every week, members of Escape Collective (on the exclusive member-only feeds) get access to the full episode, including Ask a Wrench. This week Colin Williams is back on the mic to answer questions from our members, including tips for washing bikes with waxed chains and removing stubborn hub end caps.

Time stamps:

00:02:00 - Santa Cruz updates the Blur 

00:12:00 - The difference between XC race and downcountry 

00:16:30 - It’s in the lockouts 

00:20:00 - Differences in spec 

00:28:30 - A reminder why MTB tech matters to all listeners 

00:30:00 - A little Clarifications Corner for last week’s PSA 

00:36:30 - Rounded bolts are a you problem 

00:43:45 - DT Swiss updates its budget 1800 wheel range 

00:46:00 - Silca updates its saddle bags 

00:47:45 - Giant and Liv’s new premium shoes 

00:51:15 - Ask a Wrench (members only) 

00:53:00 - How to wash a bike with a waxed chain 

00:57:45 - How to remove stubborn hub end caps 

01:06:20 - How to become a bicycle mechanic

This week we got new Shimano R9300 Dura-Ace, although not quite the release many had wished for. Escape’s senior tech editors, Dave Rome and Ronan Mc Laughlin, talk through this new release, the details that are easily overlooked, and where Shimano could do more.

Ronan then shares what he saw while covering tech at the Tour de France and how perceived trends can often be false. Dave then raises the increasing problem of Large Language Models (aka, Ai answers) leading people astray in topics that have limited information available online.

There’s also a bit of interesting tech news from Silca and Tune.

As per usual, members of Escape Collective also get Ask a Wrench. This week, Zach Edwards of the Boulder Groupetto joins Dave to cover topics such as noisy drivetrains, why aero isn’t more prominent in downhill racing, and what we look for in good headset cable routing. 
Time stamps:

00:02:21 - Shimano’s new Dura-Ace R9300, sorta

00:19:01 - How pro bike fit is and isn’t progressing

00:34:20 - PSA related to using Ai for tech help 

00:41:15 - Silca’s new Super Secret 2.0 

00:45:00 - Tune’s interesting approach to carbon spokes

00:51:00 - Ronan’s got some Record to build 

00:52:30 - Ask a Wrench (Members Only) 

00:53:00 - Chain noise in more extreme angles 

01:02:45 - Where’s the aero in downhill? 

01:11:20 - What to look for in good headset cable routing

We’re going back to basics in this week’s episode. While Geek Warning is usually for tech-obsessed cyclists, this edition covers the common conversations a bicycle mechanic would have with a client. It’s for everyone and anyone who does a little of their own bike maintenance. 
Many road cyclists are still relatively new to disc brakes, so Jack Duncan and Dave Rome start the episode with a deep dive into many facets of ownership. The basics of chain lube and drivetrain wear are covered later on, as are some thoughts about tyre wear and who tubeless may be right for. 
After all that, members of Escape Collective get the usual Ask a Wrench segment, this time with the return of a familiar voice. 
Time stamps:
 

00:03:45 - The biggest red flag for when something is wrong 

00:06:20 - Brakes usually shouldn’t squeak or squeal 

00:16:00 - Disc brake pad wear 

00:20:00 - Pad spacers and travel 

00:24:00 - Burning brakes is questionable at best

00:26:15 - The importance of brake bed-in 

00:29:20 - Why brakes need scheduled bleeding 

00:35:00 - Shifting to chain lube basics

00:43:00 - How a drivetrain wears

00:50:30 - Tubeless is great, but not for everyone 

00:57:30 - Don’t ignore your front tyre wear 

1:05:00 - Ask a Wrench (members-only podcast feed) 

1:05:30 - Welcome back to Zach Edwards 

1:06:15 - Chasing a forward-offset seatpost 

1:14:20 - A weird sound in older AXS front shifting

1:21:45 - Pedals with a top-out knock