Before Open Cycles and the now-famous U.P., Gerard and Josh collaborated in Europe with Test Team Cervelo. Like a lot of guests on this show, Gerard Vroomen is an engineer first. He and Phil White took a school project they started in a basement in Montreal and turned into Cervelo Bikes. Against much bigger companies, their bikes not only revolutionized how we thought about frame design but Cervelo went on to win the Tour, the Olympics and Ironman.  Nowadays, Vroomen and Andy Kessler run Open cycles. And the Open U.P. is a bike that has heavily influenced the modern gravel bike. Enjoy this conversation with an innovative engineer who's passionate about the bikes we ride and how to make them better.  

A Conversation with Gerard Vroomen

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.

Professional

Sports & Recreation

Amateur

Outdoor

College & High School

Tony Karklins is the founder of Allied Cycle, is currently the founder of Time, and has deep knowledge of all aspects of the cycling industry, all the way back to when as a teenager he owned a bike shop. He's the perfect match for a conversation with Josh about bike business, manufacturing, racing and more. 

Time's Tony Karklins and Josh Talk Bike Shops and Carbon Manufacturing

John Cobb may be best known for his bike saddles, but his experience and innovation go much deeper. John may be the first person to take a bike to the wind tunnel, and is likely the only person to crank up the tunnel to 70mph...with a rider in it. Enjoy this great episode with a cycling innovator

John Cobb-Wind Tunnel Pioneer

Life Time puts on what is arguably the biggest and most important pro bike racing series in the US: The Life Time Grand Prix. And one man is in chage of it all: Kimo Seymour. Fatty and Hottie talk with Kimo changes in the race, the "Call of a Life Time" series, aerobars, Keegan's Swenson's chances for dominating the event for a third year running, and much more. 

Kimo Seymour and the Life Time Grand Prix

Our recent wind tunnel episodes have triggered a LOT of aero questions from our listeners, and Josh -- with hand hovering over the "It Depends" button -- takes them on. From IRL Burrito Powerups (IYKYK) to the StripChip and the Chain Waxing System to aero chainrings to leg hair stubble as a potential aero advantage to shoe aerodynamics, Josh will — apparently — answer anything. Enjoy!

AJA #33: Wind Tunnels and Wax

Josh answers more of Fatty & Hottie's pressing questions about the surprises people are in for when visiting a wind tunnel for the first time, what happens when key learnings from a wind tunnel session are ignored, how often follow-up questions triggered by a wind tunnel session are actually followed up on, whether it's worth it to bring anyone but a top-pro into the wind tunnel, how bike companies twist wind tunnel results, and much more. If there's anything more Marginal-Gain-y than our fascination with wind tunnels, well...we'll do a trifecta of episodes on that, too. Enjoy the show!

A Conversation with Gerard Vroomen

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