The tech crew at Escape Collective have been paying close attention to the progression toward 32in wheels in gravel and mountain bike, and while the conversation has come up a few times, it felt time to dedicate some real time to the topic.

This week, Escape tech staffers Dave Rome, Ronan Mc Laughlin, and Alex Hunt chat about 32ers in the news, whether the UCI’s potential involvement will slow things, and if a new wheel size is of positive net gain for the wider industry. 

In addition to big wheels, the geeks also talk about some other new products. Meanwhile, members of Escape Collective get Ask a Wrench, the weekly segment where our members’ technical questions get answered.

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This week, Dave, Ronan, and new guy Jack chat about Eddy Merckx’s new bike and why it’s surprised Ronan. The bike provides good fodder for diving into more serviceable cockpits and for understanding why only fashion may limit the uptake of progressive road geometry. 

There’s good news for those who prefer cable-actuated shifting, as Shimano has updated its mountain bike offerings. Dave has other things on his mind, too, including Australia’s Spoken bike show and how downhill is teasing future puzzling for disc brakes.

Of course, there’s plenty more than that, and members of Escape Collective also get Ask a Wrench at the end of the episode (members-only feed).

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New bikes are now rolling in from all directions with both the road and mountain bike race seasons in full swing. In this week’s episode, Dave chats with new hire Jack Duncan about what he’s been seeing at the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (aka, the Dauphine). 

Later in the episode, Jack and Dave discuss new cross-country mountain bikes from Orbea and Lapierre. Then Alex Hunt joins to talk about his experience with the new Scott Spark. 

Not even prompted by Dave, the geeks also cover space and weight-efficient tools for travel. And as per usual, members of Escape Collective get access to our popular Ask a Wrench segment at the end of the episode.

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Geek Warning gets a new voice as Escape’s new US tech editor - Jack Duncan - joins the motley crew. 

Together with Dave Rome and Ronan Mc Laughlin, the geeks cover a broad range of topics from Unbound tech, UCI doing UCI things, Ronan’s custom inner sole journey, and hubs that allow cassettes to fall off. 

Of course, members of Escape Collective also get Ask a Wrench. This week, Dave is joined by Jack Duncan to answer a number of questions from our members. Also, Dave sends his apologies to members listening to Ask a Wrench as his mic settings had changed without warning. 

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Howdy geeks! It’s Unbound race week, and with that, we’ve seen an expected amount of fresh new tech in the gravel space.

This week, Escape’s senior tech editors Dave Rome and Ronan Mc Laughlin discuss Specalized’s long-awaited update to the Crux. There’s, of course, a bit of big wheel chatter. A fun new project product from Wheels Manufacturing. And plenty more.

As a reminder, members of Escape Collective also get access to Ask a Wrench, where member questions are answered by Dave Rome and a quest mechanic (this week, Colorado-based Colin Williams returns).  

If you liked this episode, please leave us a review. It helps like-minded cyclists discover us.


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With Unbound on next week, and the Gralloch on last weekend, it felt timely to talk about going further on gravel. For this, Escape’s tech and industry reporter, Suvi Loponen, joins Dave Rome. Also joining this week is special guest (and occasional Escape contributor) Kevin ‘Benky’ Benkenstein, a familiar face in the ultra world. 

There's also talk of whether the trend in wide gravel rims is a good direction. And of course, there’s plenty more. Just a quick note that Kevin did have some internet issues, so we apologise for the occasional delay in the recording. 

Members of Escape Collective get the full episode (and no ads!), where mechanic Colin Williams joins Dave to answer technical questions. 

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 In a rare treat, Caley Fretz (aka, The Hammer) makes a return to Geek Warning. Joined by Escape's Senior Tech Editor Dave Rome, this week’s chat covers electronic suspension on mountain bikes and whether it makes sense for future gravel bikes. 

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Are full-blown aero gravel bikes all they’re cracked up to be? Dave and Ronan share some strong thoughts on why this may be the wrong path, or at least, why it’s still early days for these being the faster choice. 

For those in the workshop, Dave shares the importance of good lighting and some of his favourite hand-held options for seeing better. 

Alex Hunt then jumps on to talk about XC tech from the opening round of World Cup racing, including why the conditions caused so many dropped chains. 

Of course, members of Escape Collective get Ask a Wrench, this week with guru Colin Williams. Dave and Colin answer a handful of questions, but a chunk of the time is spent chatting about their most underrated and overrated tools. 

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It’s an episode of three parts this week and there’s been lots of big tech releases to chat through. 

Things kick off with Ronan Mc Laughlin and Dave Rome chatting about Campagnolo’s new Record 13 release and why it may prove to be the move to put Campagnolo back in the minds of many. 

There’s chat of where Zipp may be gone wrong with its latest 202 wheel release, and Ronan shares some thoughts of BMC’s new gravel racer, the Kaius. 

Then Dave gets tech reporter Alex Hunt on the phone to talk about two new cross-country bike releases - the Specialized Epic 9 and Canyon Lux World Cup. 
 
 Finally, and as per every episode, members of Escape Collective get Ask a Wrench. Zach Edwards and Dave offer their insights to three member-submitted questions. 
 
 Happy geeking! 

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It’s the week after the Sea Otter Classic, and the geeks speak surprisingly little of the products shown there. Instead, Ronan and Dave cover new budget drivetrains from SRAM and Shimano. Dave is thinking about unsustainable warranty policies. And there’s plenty more covered from the world of cycling tech. 
 

As a reminder, members of Escape Collective also get access to Ask a Wrench (at the end of the free episode). This week, Zach Edwards joins Dave in answering a variety of questions from members. 

Happy geeking! 

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