Geek Warning

Silca’s new StripChip claims to take (most) of the hassle out of properly immersion-waxing your chain, but while it sounds promising, Dave’s got his doubts. Favero unveiled its long-awaited SPD-compatible power meter pedals for MTB and gravel, and although they tick a lot of boxes, pedals in general may not be the best power meter format for everyone.

In big-brand component news, we read the tea leaves on Campagnolo’s new Ekar GT midrange gravel groupset to see what it might indicate for the Ekar family in general, and SRAM’s new Maven mountain bike hydraulic disc brakes could signal a sea change.

Colnago recently debuted its latest C68 model – the C68 Gravel – and while it seems like a pretty nice gravel bike in its own right, what’s more interesting is understanding more about what that new bike means for Colnago’s strategy in general moving forward, particularly since being bought by a UAE-based investment group in 2020. In this members-only episode, James sits down with Colnago CEO Nicola Rosin and Colnago’s head of marketing, Manolo Bertocchi, to get the scoop on how things have been going there (shockingly well), where Colnago wants to be (“the most desirable”), and who the brand sees as its customer base in the years ahead (hint: probably not you).

It’s time for another episode of Geek Warning. Dave and Ronan are back to discuss the latest happenings in the world of cycling tech and what’s on their minds.

Ritchey and Factor have new bike (frame) releases that sit near polar opposites of the road market. Ritchey has brought back its well-loved Road Logic frames, while Factor’s Ostro VAM, a bike we’ve looked at before, is now officially official.

There are new shoes from Trek and Specialized, with the former leaving Ronan a little confused over what size his feet are. And Dave shares what’s on his mind (hint, tools), and then there’s a quick wrap of other interesting tech and industry news.

Timestamps:

5:03 - Ritchey Logic brings back its rim brake road frames
8:03 - Factor’s new Ostro VAM is now official and Ronan has built one
23:43 - Black Inc’s 1,270 g aero wheels
26:45 - Specialized’s new mid-price helmet and shoes
28:45 - Trek’s many new shoes, many new fits
41:45 - On Dave’s mind
46:58 - 4iiii’s new Pro 3+ dual-sided powermeter
50:40 - KMC gets into cassettes
52:05 - F+B Shift wheels bring thermoplastic carbon to a lower price point
54:52 - Giant Bicycles to be sold by Dick’s Sporting Goods

Welcome back to Geek Warning. In this episode, Dave and Ronan talk through a bunch of the biggest tech news in the cycling world and cover a few test products at the top of their minds.

It’s hard to find a new racing product today that doesn’t at least tease the “aero” word, however, TuboLight may just be the first to make such a claim for a product that goes inside the tyre.

The recently seen shoe and pedal system from Ekoi caught unwanted attention from the UCI, but them’s the rules. One that is UCI-certified for racing is Ridley’s new X-Night RS cyclocross machine.

SRAM has officially issued a recall related to all aftermarket 12-speed dropbar levers, but the fix is one you can likely do yourself. Another you could probably do yourself is convert an existing Specialized Crux or Roubaix to run SRAM’s 1x Transmission (typically requires a UDH-frame); it’s a new product offered by 5Dev.

The conversation then turns to the weirdly named premium thermal skinsuit that Ronan is testing from Q36.5. And Dave has a little rant related to the new Trek Domane AL just reviewed.

All that, and more, on this week's Geek Warning.

Timestamps:

3:55 - Tubolite gets aero, inside the tyre
11:35 - Ekoi pedals and UCI rulings
21:08 - Ridley’s new X-Night RS, aero(ish) meets cyclocross
28:49 - A DIY recall related to SRAM’s brake lever
33:07 - 5Dev’s adapter to install SRAM Transmission on a Specialized Crux or Roubaix.
36:53 - Ronan is testing a £808 thermal skinsuit from Q36.5
43:05 - What Dave is testing and a rant on entry-level bikes
53:35 - A PSA related to dropbar levers, and another related to crockpots
58:30 - A quick wrap of other news, including Amer Sports, Curve’s carbon Walmer handlebar, and BeSpoked to be held in Manchester.

With much of the industry languishing under the post-Covid, brands are trying harder than ever to carve out a niche for themselves to stay afloat. Colnago’s new C68 Gravel bike is super premium by design, but based on their sales figures, the focus on luxury is clearly getting the job done. Campagnolo seems to be falling into the same strategy almost by accident, but is it working as well? That’s not so clear. Hunt also debuted its latest aero wheels and they look like they could be quite the performance bargain – as long as you’re ok with hookless rims – and just when you thought clipless road pedals couldn’t get any better than they already are, French brand Ekoi’s new road pedal-and-shoe system might actually move the needle.

And finally, have we finally reached a stable point for road bike tire sizes? Maybe. Or maybe not.

Timestamps:

6:45 – Colnago’s got a fancy new gravel bike, and they’re ok if it’s out of your reach
20:19 – Campagnolo’s new aero road wheels are absolutely gorgeous
27:53 – Hunt’s new Sub50 Limitless Aero Disc road wheels could be an incredible performance bargain
38:45 – Ekoi has a truly novel new road pedal-and-shoe system in development, and they might actually be good
48:04 – Noble Wheels tools are back! Well, sort of
49:55 – More musings on using candle wax to lube your chains
51:39 – Vittoria’s got a new Corsa Pro Speed go-fast tire
52:52 – Want to stand out from the crowd? Bossi has expanded its range of titanium gravel frames
54:28 – Orange Bikes is back in business
56:49 – Road tire sizes seem to have stabilized (and yes, James is getting old)

It’s time for another gathering of the geeks for an episode of Ask a Wrench. In this member’s bonus episode, Zach (of Boulder Gruppetto), James, and Dave answer more technical questions submitted by Escape members.

This week, the geeks answer questions related to using alternative cassette options, fitting bigger cassette ranges than allowed, selecting parts for the Paris-Roubaix sportive, replacing a Cannondale Lefty, and using saddlebags with carbon saddle rails. Then the conversation continues with questions related to swapping Shimano brake components, bike packing with waxed chains, learning to bleed brakes, and torque wrench calibration testing.

Our weekly Geek Warning podcast remains unchanged and open to all, we’re now providing additional bonus episodes each fortnight. Only members and paid readers of Escape Collective can access the full versions of these bonus podcasts. These bonus episodes are a mix of Ask a Wrench, deep-dives, or interviews with the people behind popular products.

There’s always something going on in the world of cycling tech. This week, James and Dave discuss a bunch of news items, what their favourite clothing is for shoulder season, and a little safety warning related to new tyres.

It’s been a busy week of tech news out of Europe and the UK. First up, the heritage brand of Eddy Merckx is back, but looking at the range today, it looks a lot like business as usual from when we last saw the name on downtubes.

French cycling brand Look has officially released its new Keo Blade pedals. Meanwhile, the two-speed hub maker Classified has updated the rims of its carbon wheels.

In the UK, Mason has a new version of the Definition aluminium dropbar bike. Plus we cover further news regarding Schwalbe, Holding, Wolf Tooth, and candles, yes, candles.

Timestamps:

5:25 - Eddy Merckx bikes are back
11:25 – Our obligatory segment related to chain waxing
16:50 - Look release its new Keo Blade pedals
22:30 - Picking one, our favourite shoulder-season kit (all disciplines)
34:45 - PSA on brand new tyres
40:20 - Classified’s own carbon wheels get lighter and wider rims
41:12 - Schwalbe consolidating its manufacturing
42:39 - Mason’s new aluminium dropbar bike
43:54 – Hovding files for bankruptcy
45:15 - Wolf Tooth ReMote Pro now in colours

The 2024 WorldTour season is under way at the Tour Down Under and Escape Collective is on the ground all week bringing you the latest news, tech, and Escape podcasts. Today we've got a combined Geek Warning and Performance Process tech special episode as Jean Paul Ballard of SwissSide joins us for the first of two podcasts with the former F1 aerodynamicist. 

In this episode JP takes us on a wandering roam around the Tour Down Under pit zone talking us through which teams and manufacturers are optimising and which are compromising. JP breaks down some aero myths, explains the true benefit of aero bikes, wheels, helmets, critiques some of the latest tech, and whether a "do-it-all" all rounder can really do-it-all as we discuss each team's setup.

Timestamps:

07:06 – SwissSide's AG2R partnership and a conflict of interest.
12:12 – Bora Hansgrohe & Soudal Quickstep setups from Specailized.
14:59 - Arkea's dedicated aero and do-it-all bike choices. 
16:08 – UAE's Colnago V4RS, handlebars, wheel, and tyre choices.
19:38 – Do wider tyre rolling resistance savings offset the increased aero drag? 
21:05 – Cofidis team bikes and their "catastrophic," double digit watt penalty tyre choice.
23:31 - Jayco's bikes and why rider preference isn't always best. 
27:06 – Are hookless rims more aero?
28:37 – Aero versus vented helmets.
30:05 – The counterintuitive effect of helmet visors.
31:58 - One of the best aero bikes on the market and handlebar sail effect.
33:52 - Varying rim depths and tyre widths front to rear and a common mistake. 
34:51 - The "detrimental for performance" design elements of the Ineos Pinarello Dogma F.
37:54 - Is there an aero gain from smaller front brake rotors? 
39:58 - The importance of textiles. 
41:55 - The other "aero interesting" design element of the Trek Madone. 

Dave and Ronan are in thick of the Tour Down Under and have a whole lot of new (and old!) race tech to discuss. The industry has woken up from the holiday break with a flurry of new products worthy of discussion. And, as usual, the geeks cover so much more.

Timestamps:

3:00 – Spotting three new helmets on rider heads.
11:10 – Trek working on a knit shoe.
15:15 – New Look pedals, and more from Time.
19:50 – Enve’s new InnerDrive hub and SES AR one-piece handlebar, including a quick tangent on measuring lever angle.
27:10 – Budget smart trainers from Decathlon.
31:25 – Explaining Australia’s two competing custom bike shows.
34:20 – Last year’s race bikes are on our mind.
39:08 – Pro mechanics making do with things from a hardware store.
43:32 – Our PSA.
47:55 – Rapid fire of tech news including new Fulcrum Speed 25+ wheels, OneUp’s V3 dropper seatpost, BlackHeart’s new Gravel AL bike, and Leap Components’ Blip button adapter.

Dave and James have lots of spy photos to discuss this week! Factor’s got a revamp of its Ostro VAM lightweight road bike about to break cover, and Specialized and Trek have some enticing new road shoes roaming about in the wild. Lazer also brings its Kineticore technology to its popular Z1, we debate the pros and cons of anti-seize vs. grease, and we chat about what we look for in our favorite gravel shoes.

Timestamps:

1:52 – Ostro’s new Factor VAM may be fast, but it’s not especially pretty – and it’s not alone
7:03 – Lazer brings Kineticore technology to the revamped Z1
12:01 – Even tools aren’t immune to hacking
15:27 – Blurring the lines between auto mechanics and bike mechanics
18:17 – Dave (anti-)seizes the day
26:12 – Pick One! Our favorite gravel shoes, and what we look for in them
32:54 – PSA: dried sealant and wheel imbalance
36:02 – New lightweight S-Works road shoes coming from Specialized?
37:09 – Some very intriguing mid-range road shoes are definitely coming soon from Specialized
37:58 – And some new flagship road shoes from Trek/Bontrager, too!
38:15 – Ratio Technology is at it again with a new aluminum cable spool for SRAM DoubleTap levers
38:46 – Iconic UK MTB brand Orange is in serious financial difficulty
40:24 – Enve parent company Amer Sports Inc is going public
41:12 – Brompton with a capital B!
41:19 – 9point8 has angle-adjust headsets for IS-style frames