Welcome to a new year of Geek Warning, the cycling tech-focused podcast from Escape Collective.

This week, Ronan and Dave get back into the swing of things by covering some fresh products from Cane Creek, SRAM, BBB, and more.

It seems Ronan and Dave both had PSAs on their minds, so we have two this week. One is about watching wear on what are common wear items. The other is about how to perform a basic safety check on any bike.

Unfortunately, we hit audio issues with the member-only Ask a Wrench that only showed up during editing. For some reason, the recording device decided to give Dave a lisp and mute him off-and-on. Sorry.

Time stamps:

4:00 - Cane Creek answered Dave’s wish
15:30 - BBB’s CoreCap
19:20 - SRAM goes shorter in cranks
22:30 - Tailfin’s bottle cage mount where you want it
24:30 - Garbaruk breaks SRAM’s rules
28:00 - RIP Joe Montgomery
29:00 - Mechanic crystal balling is on Dave’s Mind
38:30 - A basic safety check procedure
43:00 - Ask a Wrench with Brad Copeland (Members Only, with some audio issues, sorry!)
43:30 - SRAM eTap rim brake shifters
50:30 - Draining a bike and warding off corrosion
1:04:30 - Can 3D printing save me from a new Wahoo speed sensor?
1:08:00 - How to make toe spikes last longer

Welcome back to Geek Warning. We’re feeling well-rested from a couple of weeks off, despite the world of bicycle tech not waiting.

To kick off the New Year we’re bringing you a special episode, one with someone who should be a familiar face. Calvin Jones has been the public face of Park Tool’s education resources and programs for 29 years, and this week he announced his upcoming retirement from the role.

Dave Rome sat down with Calvin to talk through a variety of topics, including a number of throwback moments, a chat about the current state of professional bicycle education, how some modern tech changes may be driven by a lack of that education, some life tips for all, and so much more.

This is a wholesale listen to kick off the new year, and so we’ve left it open to all. Hope you enjoy it.

The red carpet is out and dozens of interesting cycling products are strutting their way down it.

In this final episode of Geek Warning for 2025, the full cast of geeks assembles for the GWAs. What’s the GWAs you ask? What’s the GWAs?! It’s only the most prestigious and hard fought nonsense in all of cycling tech!

As always with Geek Warning, there are interesting and informative tangents around every corner. If you’re keen on those time stamps in order to jump through the sections, then you’re truly missing the point of this podcast.

Much of this episode is free to all, but only members of Escape Collective are invited to the afterparty. And as is often the case, it’s the afterparty where things get said and friendships are broken. If you haven't already, it's never too late to join.

We had fun putting this one together and we hope you have fun listening to it.

Time stamps:

2:30 - The about time reward
4:30 - Best new drivetrain
10:00 - The coolest bike of the year
18:30 - Our favourite products (one each)
32:00 - Our most read tech articles
38:00 - The biggest industry story and the word of the year
41:30 - We didn’t see that coming
46:00 - Most overrated new trend
56:00 - The Members Only after party
57:00 - The buyer’s remorse badge
1:08:00 - The ‘Wait, What?!’ Award
1:11:30 - Media Beef of the year
1:24:00 - The reoccurring news award
1:27:00 - The messiest situation (shituation?)
1:32:30 - The Grumpies
1:34:00 - Most anticipated new thing

Geek Warning time! Factor’s new One aero road bike, SRM’s non-power pedals, and whether riding bikes ever feels like work are all things Dave and Ronan discuss this week.

There’s a bit of happy news for Spotify users, with our member-only channels now available on the green app. If you’ve been missing out on the Ask a Wrench segment (this week with Brad Copeland) because you’re loyal to Spotify, then now is the time to jump in.

Time stamps:

3:00 - Factor’s new One
14:00 - New non-power pedals from SRM
23:00 - Cube’s recall
25:30 - Do we ever get sick of bikes?
37:30 - PSA for the bearings on your bike
40:15 - Ask a Wrench (Members Only)
41:00 - When to replace a punctured tubeless tyre
49:00 - How much of a difference do a few millimetres make?
57:00 - Pressures for winter tyres

In this episode, we finally dig into the tyre-testing project that quietly consumed most of my year.

Nine months, six tyre widths, hundreds of test runs, three road surfaces, four identical wheelsets, and far too many cold late-night tests than any sane person should attempt. But it was worth it.

Today, Ronan is joined by John Buckley the founder of Streamlines Aero, the company behind the hardware and technical support so crucial to this testing. Together, we break down how the test protocol worked, why it’s different, and why those differences matter. We also unpack the major findings: why pressure mattered more than width in this dataset, why some long-held assumptions didn’t hold up in the real world, and how tyre temperature turned out to be one of the biggest and least appreciated variables affecting performance.

This is just the beginning. Later in the episode we explain where our tyre testing goes from here and what to expect in the new year.

This week’s episode is perhaps a little more behind the scenes than most. Ronan tells Dave about his nine-month tyre-testing project and why he is now ready to actually test tyres. There’s chat about the struggles in picking products for our favourite things lists. And you'll hear a conversation that involves a lot of cliches such as ‘you don’t know what you don’t know’ and ‘listen to your bike and body’. Of course, there’s a PSA, and somehow the conversation even turns to elephant asses. Oh yes, the Geeks cover some real ground in this one!

Members of Escape Collective get all of that plus the Ask a Wrench segment (with pro mechanic Brad Copeland). It’s a big segment this week with five questions answered, but like every other week, it’s only available on the member-feed. Speaking of which, members can now access these episodes on Spotify!

Time stamps:

00:45 - Ronan’s long-awaited tyre testing
15:10 - The struggle of picking our favourite products
23:00 - It’s the last 5% that counts the most
39:00 - The latest Rabbit Holes
42:00 - PSA: The organised mess
51:00 - Ask a Wrench (members only)
52:00 - Servicing hubs and dealing with freehub drag
1:01:25 - Singlespeeds and chain wear
1:08:30 - Toe spikes and dealing with faulty shoes
1:14:00 - Our preferred safety window for Hookless Road
1:21:00 - A torque adapter question

Big wheels, a product recall, and another rant about poor bike design – oh yes, it’s time for Geek Warning.

This week Dave and Ronan return to your digital radios. On the list is a sneaky disappearance of a liked SRAM product, news from UCI regarding 32in wheels, and a recall from Trek. Some time on the tools has Dave ranting about a particularly bad example of internal cable routing, and of course, there’s a PSA.

Members of Escape Collective get access to the full episode, which includes our popular Ask a Wrench segment (this week with pro race mechanic Brad Copeland). Just a note that we had an audio issue, and so Ask a Wrench this week has us answering two questions rather than the usual three. Still, there’s plenty of ground covered.

Happy geeking!

Time stamps:

4:00 - SRAM quietly discontinues older AXS rim brake options
7:20 - UCI leaves the door open to 32in wheels in MTB
12:00 - Trek’s big recall of little things
17:10 - Rant time from Dave
24:00 - PSA for another place to look for a creak
29:00 - Ask a Wrench (Members Only)
32:00 - Corrections Corner for the previous Ask a Wrench
34:00 - Can a chainring wear out before a chain?
41:00 - Shimano 105 shifter levers not engaging

In a tech-launch heavy week, Suvi, Josh, and Alex have taken over the pod to chat about what was happening at the recent, season-ending Rouleur Live show, which led them to discuss the value of these cycling exhibitions a little more. 

To wrap things up, the team chatted through the – admittedly very off-road focused – new product launches from Nukeproof, Ritchey, Velocity USA, and Lazer. If you scroll past the show timestamps, we've also included a little Rouleur Live gallery there for you to browse. 

Timestamps:

00:10 – Intro, and Suvi's Brompton skills
04:49 – Rouleur Live: crowds, vibes & venue
05:45 – Show tech highlights: Reap aero gravel bike & POC bags
10:30 – What are trade shows even for now?
15:00 – Industry networking, media value & meeting members
20:39 – Nukeproof is back: new Reactor trail bike
25:00 – Ritchey Septimer breakaway gravel bike
32:00 – Tangent to talk about travel bikes vs hire vs bags
39:44 – 32" wheels & the emerging 32er niche
46:40 – New Lazer Impala: Dual Core trail helmet, helmet testing, MIPS rivals & Virginia Tech ratings
55:00 – Outro

If you were buying a mid-level performance bike, would you prefer an exceptional frame or a little compromise to get better components? That’s something that Ronan and Dave ponder in this week’s episode of Geek Warning.

In addition to that, you’ll learn about DT Swiss’ first wheel that features spokes that aren’t its own. There’s a PSA for anyone ignoring noises from their drivetrain. And Dave nerds out on some funny-looking screwdrivers.

Of course, members of Escape Collective get access to the Ask a Wrench segment at the end of the episode. Here, Dave and Brad Copeland go deep on whether bottom bracket bearings can last a lifetime and take a detour on the topic of flat mount mountain brakes.

Timestamps:

1:00 - Bigham’s Laser Bubble Tunnels
6:00 - Giant’s big bet on XC and high-end frames bumping up price points
19:00 - DT Swiss has a wheel with spokes that aren’t made by them
25:00 - Trek’s Project One now offering frame-only
29:00 - A PSA for your drivetrain
36:00 - Dave’s Good Thing of the week (decade?)
45:00 - Ask a Wrench with Brad Copeland (Members Only)
46:00 - A watery floor pump
52:00 - Can a bottom bracket bearing last a lifetime?
1:02:00 - Upgrading flat mount brakes on a mountain bike

It’s rare to get a bike that’s raced professionally throughout the season, that wins a World Championship title, and only then is released.

The new Giant Anthem cross-country bike is finally official, and tech editor Dave Rome recently flew to Taiwan to see how it’s made and get some early ride time on it.

While at that launch, Dave sat down with the bike’s lead category manager, Joe Staub, to learn about some of the design decisions, how Giant designs for manufacturing, and plenty more. At the end of the episode, you’ll also hear an interview with current XCO World Champion Alan Hatherly (as well as team manager Sebastion Boyington) about some specific tech thoughts for cross-country racing.

Usually, the full versions of our special episodes are only available to members of Escape Collective. We’re making an exception for this and keeping the full episode free for all. We just ask that if you find it interesting, please consider sharing it with someone who may also like it.

If you want more information on the bike, then head to EscapeCollective.com for a full write-up, including early ride impressions.