Geek Warning

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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Whoa, what a week to be a cycling fan. And for the nerds among us, Roubaix rolling into Sea Otter is always great.

This week Ronan, Alex, and Dave discuss some of the bigger tech finds and blunders of Roubaix and what they may spell for future products and trends. Many tangents are had. Ronan got to ride the new Colnago C72 and shares why he’s always dreamed of owning a C-Series.

Of course, the geeks also cover some tech news, and there’s a PSA. It’s a long one, but we think it’s a good one! As usual, members of Escape Collective get Ask a Wrench (via the member-only podcast feeds). It’s perhaps one not to miss for the chain waxers among us.

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A recent review comparing SRAM XPLR AXS to Shimano GRX Di2 1x brought up an interesting comment from a reader: does electronic shifting kill the soul of a bicycle? It’s a topic of discussion in this week’s episode. 

Also in this episode, tech editor and industry reporter Suvi Loponen rejoins Geek Warning to talk about Canyon’s somewhat confusing new Endurace CFR release. You’ll also hear about some other bits of new tech. Meanwhile, the PSA this week doesn’t mince words, calling out a new product on Kickstarter as one to avoid. 

 
 Of course, members of Escape Collective also get access to Ask a Wrench, where this week Dave is joined by pro wrench Colin Williams to answer a number of your questions. 

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This week, Escape’s senior tech editors Ronan Mc Laughlin and Dave Rome are back on the mics to talk about Campagnolo’s big news, Stan’s new products, and a big-tyred aero bike from Ridley.

Also, Dave has easy-to-build bikes on his mind and why they’re the sort of bike he personally still seeks out. Plus there’s a PSA for those who ever turn a hex key near a SRAM Transmission or XPLR-equipped bike.

Geek Warning usually finishes on a member-only segment of Ask a Wrench, but not this week. Instead, Dave catches up with famed frame builder Rob English (of English Cycles) about his time at MADE (the North American boutique bicycle show). 

Happy geeking! 

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Ronan and Dave return to chat through the week of cycling geeking. From emerging trends in one-piece cockpits to the latest in tech news, this episode has plenty of information nuggets. 

As usual, members of Escape Collective have access to the member-only podcast feeds where they receive the full versions of our episodes. Every week, this includes the bonus section of Geek Warning – Ask a Wrench, where you’ll hear pro mechanics answer technical questions from members. This week, the mechanics answer questions related to restoring an older rim brake bike and the reasons to do it; tubeless sealants and dehumidifiers; and a handful of questions related to new disc brake setup.
 
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