Geek Warning

This week, Ronan reveals to the world that he’s never even sat on a Cannondale CAAD. Relatedly, Escape is now hiring a new tech editor. 
Separate from that controversy, Dave and Ronan chat through some interesting but unreleased products. Dave worries he’s got too much on his mind when it comes to modern electronics in bicycles. And conversation turns a little behind-the-scenes. 
Members of Escape Collective also get access to Ask a Wrench, where we answer your technical questions. This week a lot of those questions were up Ronan’s alley, so he’s present to answer them. 
 
 Happy geeking! 
Time stamps:

3:40 - Escape is hiring! 

7:00 - The new CAAD 

 16:30 - Interesting concept handlebar from Champn 

24:00 - Pogi’s new Enve 6.7s 

26:33 - Bianchi’s Infinito puzzling press launch  

35:40 - New travel cases from Evoc and Post Carry Co

40:00 - Dave has no more mental capacity for electronics

50:00 - Ask a Wrench (members only) 

51:00 - Corrections Corner 

52:00 - Bike choice for Paris-Roubaix Challenge 

 1:04:00 - Hookless confusion in the real-world 

1:10:00 - First bike with electronic shifting. Things to know.

From hookless hubs to the latest in 11-speed shifting, the past week of tech has been quite the rollercoaster for the tech-minded.  
This week on Geek Warning, Ronan, Dave, and Alex from Escape Collective’s tech team catch up to run through the news and offer plenty of thoughts along the way. This one is a little heavier on the news than we typically like to do, but it’s been quite the busy week on that front!
Of course, members of Escape Collective also get access to the full version of the episode that tacks on Ask a Wrench at the end. Zach Edwards joins Dave in answering a handful of interesting member questions, including one from a former winner of Unbound 200.
 
 Time stamps:
 

 2:40 - The new Cervelo Caledonia 

3:34 - OneUp joins the XC SPD pedal game 

6:40 - Nobl’s new sub-1,000 gram MTB wheels

9:20 - MicroShift’s Advent MX 1x11 shifting 

10:10 - Shimano Tiagra goes 11-speed 

11:50 - Hookless hub failures in the WorldTour 

17:00 - Giant’s vaguely new Propel 

22:00 - Merida’s new Reacto is finally released 

31:00 - Closely overlapping road range confusion 

50:30 - A SPD to flat pedal adapter that’s a Good Thing

 53:50 - Ask a Wrench (Members Only feed) 

 54:45 - Getting specific with 2x shifting on Cane Creek EEwings cranks 

1:01:50 - Do you need to bleed brakes after undoing and/or cutting hoses? 

1:09:40 - Rusty chains, chain wax, and when to replace 

1:19:00 - A real fancy bike behind Zach

It’s common for everyone to chase the simple answer for what the best product is. In this week’s Geek Warning, Dave and Ronan discuss why those chasing the best of something may be landing upon fiction. 
 
 Additionally, you’ll hear about the differing paths in aero road wheel design between the latest from Princeton Carbon Works and Cadex. Of course, there’s a PSA. And our Good Thing segment returns. 
 
 As with every week, members of Escape Collective get access to our Ask a Wrench segment. This week, Zach Edwards joins Dave to discuss greasing principles, whether to lube electronic derailleurs, mixing-and-matching SRAM brakes, and more. 
If you like the show, then please consider leaving a review. It’s much appreciated. 
 
 Happy geeking! 

Time stamps:
 

1:20 - Princeton Carbon Works’ research into rim widths

10:50 - Cadex’s new aero combo 

20:00 - SRAM’s new gravity MTB products

22:55 - Ibis has a new XC bike 

24:00 - On our mind: There is no best 

36:50 - PSA: Know when you don’t know  

46:00 - Good thing: Sync Ergonomics Aerobar Three

51:00 - Ask a Wrench (Members only)

51:30 - Do you lube the pivots of electronic derailleurs? 

59:20 - Shimano MTB vs Road on an indoor trainer 

1:04:00 - Mixing SRAM dropbar shifters with four-piston calipers 

1:09:30 - Applying grease to a thread and how much to use

Oh hi, Dave Rome here. It’s time to get geeky about spokes. 
 
I recently wrapped up a long-term review (now live on Escape Collective) where I compared two identical gravel wheelsets, one built with bladed steel spokes and the other built with Berd spokes, a spoke made from a Ultra-High Molecular Weight Polyethylene, aka, Dyneema. 
Those white Berd spokes have been growing steadily in popularity, and off the back of Tom Pidcock and Pauline Ferrand Prevot winning the last Olympic games on them, I was ever more curious. To help with that curiosity, Tristan Thomas of the New Zealand-based wheel company, WheelWorks, lent me some wheels in order to get some answers to questions I had. 
 This episode is a sit-down with Tristan to discuss spokes and the considerations around an interesting polymer product like Berd. Happy geeking!

Think of recent times when Apple, Samsung, or Google have once again claimed to change the phone, just for you to find out that you can now photograph everyone’s wrinkles a little more clearly. Ronan believes we’re in an age where performance bikes are like phones, and of course, the geeks discuss it.
On Geek Warning this week, Dave and Ronan discuss Cannondale’s latest bikes and what they may spell for some other emerging trends. Meanwhile, the PSA segment returns with a warning regarding increasingly common hood slippage.
 All of that is free to all, while members of Escape Collective also gain access to our popular Ask a Wrench segment at the end of the episode. From our favourite bearing greases to headset woes, there’s plenty answered and discussed this week. 
Happy geeking! 
Time stamps: 

1:45 - Cannondale SuperSix Evo 4.5

12:50 - TT frames as aero road bikes? 

24:00 - Favero doubles battery longevity, for free

25:50 - Trek turns 50 

26:30 - New Factor Ostro Gravel spotted 

30:30 - RIP King Liu 

31:30 - Performance bicycles are like phones 

45:00 - PSA related to slipping hoods 

54:30 - Ask a Wrench with Boulder Grupetto (member only)

55:48 - Mixing and matching SRAM Transmission with other cassettes

 1:00:15 - Specialized Crux headset loosening woes

1:10:00 - Quick connectors for fully integrated drop bar bikes? 

1:17:20 - Servicing versus replacing bottom brackets, and our go-to bearing greases