Geek Warning

This week on Geek Warning, Ronan Mc Laughlin and Dave Rome discuss why SRAM’s battle with the UCI may also prove positive for Shimano.

Ronan asks Dave what his workshop wish is, which leads to an unexpected tangent about bike washing. There’s, of course, a PSA, which ends up being a conversation about how to align dropbar shifters. And the geeks summarise a bunch of the latest and biggest new tech.

Lastly, Zach Edwards (Boulder Groupetto) joins the pod to answer some questions from members in the Ask a Wrench segment. As a reminder, only members of Escape Collective get access to this section of the podcast.

Happy geeking!

Time stamps:
1:00 - A hypothetical question
5:30 - SRAM taking the UCI to court, explained (plus a big rumour)
10:15 - Waiting on an update to the UCI’s handlebar ruling (now out of date since recording)
13:00 - Ronan ponders Dave’s dream workshop wish
25:00 - PSA that alignment markings on bars may be fictional plus an explainer on road shifter alignment
38:00 - Rotor returns to the groupset game, sorta
40:15 - Further update on SRAM’s Transmission firmware update
41:40 - Trek’s CheckOut, a full suspension gravel bike
43:15 - RockShox’s matching Rudy XL
45:00 - RLS helmet safety system and Canyon growing the full-service side of the business
48:30 - Lezyne enters the rear Radar game
50:00 - Ask a Wrench (Escape members only)
52:30 - Shimano Di2 rear shifting woes
58:30 - Adding shifters to SRAM AXS
1:04:00 - Greasing posts and cleaning seat tubes

Today, Trek launched a bike that’s sure to spark debate in comments sections. It’s called the CheckOut. It features a new 60 mm travel front suspension fork, courtesy of the RockShox Rudy XL, and 55 mm rear travel to match. It fits gravel-width cranks and has official clearance for up to 56 mm tyres (about a 29x2.25in).

However, it’s the design and testing of this bike that brings our fascination up to a boiling point. Trek published a white paper explaining how it used a rolling road with 3D motion capture, on bike sensors, and a metabolic mask to understand the benefits of having suspension on typical gravel terrain. We had questions.

So with that, Alex Bedinghaus (Lead Design Engineer) and Kyle Russ (Analysis team) jumped on to geek out with Escape's Dave Rome. The conversation covers the design of the bike, what modern off-road efficiency testing looks like, why gravel bikes continue to go where mountain bikes have been, and plenty more.

Meanwhile, head over to Escape Collective.com to see Dave Rome’s early coverage of the new Check Out.

Those on the free feed for Geek Warning get the first 25 minutes free. Meanwhile, members of Escape Collective get the whole thing, which frankly, includes the best parts.

Time stamps:
3:00 - Introductions
6:00 - The design goal of the CheckOut
10:00 - Why not a mountain bike?
15:30 - Designing for bikepacking
20:00 - Longer suspension and stack heights
25:00 - Suspension layout versus Trek’s IsoTrust
27:00 - Testing explained (Escape Members Only from here on)
35:00 - Body is a damper and a spring
37:00 - Suspension versus bigger tyres
44:00 - Measuring steering compensation
49:00 - Qualitative versus quantitative data
53:30 - Is smoother always faster?
57:00 - CheckOut versus a gravel race bike

When Escape Collective first launched, Ronan Mc Laughlin announced plans for an aero leaderboard. The goal was to test race bikes in real-world conditions using the latest testing tools to determine which bikes are the fastest. That obviously didn’t come to fruition, and this week, Dave and Ronan discuss why. The conversation leads to the two discussing how they approach reviews and the anxieties that surround them.

The geeks also have a PSA, Dave attempts to explain pedal kickback in mountain bikes to Ronan, and there's chat of SRAM's speed update for Transmission.

Members of Escape Collective (via the member podcast feed) get the full episode, which contains Ask a Wrench. This week Dave answers a handful of member-submitted questions, which this week relate to bottom brackets, servicing hydraulic disc brakes, and cassette wear.

Time stamps:
2:00 - Why bike reviews can’t have conclusive answers
26:00 - PSA related to replacing disc brake pads
31:00 - DT Swiss’ new DF system and pedal kickback explained
39:30 - A quiet release from SRAM that speeds up Transmission shift speed
50:00 - Ask a Wrench (member-only feed)
50:00 - Specialized’s OSBB explained
56:30 - Cassette wear and how to measure for it
1:04:00 - SRAM Road Hydro lever service
1:11:00 - Buying a bike with a BB86 bottom bracket

This week, Ronan and Dave ponder how they would equip an entry-level road bike, and while chatting, realise that maybe the industry has backed itself into a costly corner.

Of course, there’s a PSA and a bunch of tech news to discuss. Meanwhile, members of Escape Collective get access to Ask a Wrench, where this week Dave and Zach Edwards answer four member-submitted technical questions.

Enjoy!

Time stamps:

3:15 - How would we spec an entry-level road race bike
22:30 - A PSA to grease your axles
27:20 - Cervelo’s new R5
30:40 - Castelli’s PFAS-free poor weather jacket
37:00 - SRAM’s 1987 Limited Edition Silver group
38:00 - What’s coming up, plus Escape gets a much-wanted feature
42:00 - Ask a Wrench (member’s only)
44:00 - Suspension service intervals and not riding
50:00 - Breaking chainring bolts
56:00 - Using a shorter fork on a modern XC bike
1:01:30 - Why are aero wheels not a thing in fast MTB races?

An Irish road cyclist walks into the R&D department of an international bike brand and rides a prototype mountain bike. That’s the joke.

In this episode, Dave and Ronan discuss 32-inch-wheeled mountain bikes and whether Ronan is now a mountain biker.

There’s a detailed chat about the torque required when working with UDH hangers or SRAM Full Mount derailleurs, along with some buying advice for an appropriate torque wrench.

There are new road bikes from Pinarello and Scott worth talking about, while Shimano’s new cleats are equally worthy of discussion.

The free-version of the episode wraps with a quick chat about Dave’s recent counterfeit chain article, while the Member-only version offers some more detailed answers on this matter. Then it’s time for Ask a Wrench, where Dave is joined by mechanic Zach Edwards in answering a handful of member-submitted technical questions.

Happy geeking!

As requested by a few members, we're now offering episode chapters – hope it works as expected! And a language warning for around the 9-minute mark, as Ronan is a potty mouth.

Time stamps:

1:23 - Corrections Corner for another podcast
3:55 - Ronan is now a mountain biker?
20:00 - PSA - Torque that UDH and Full Mount, plus a tangent on torque wrench choice
33:28 - Shimano's new cleats
42:26 - Explaining Pinarello's Dogma F-Series
50:12 - Scott's interesting new Addict endurance road bike
58:42 - Counterfeit versus Fake Chains
1:14:18 - Ask a Wrench: Chain waxing in hot conditions (member only)
1:20:50 - Ask a Wrench: Wheels with creaking spokes (member only)
1:28:00 - Ask a Wrench: Setting up a kids bike for better shifting (member only)

The Portland-based Made show has wrapped up for another year, and our website has been buzzing with coverage from the handmade bike event.

This week’s Geek Warning is a bit different from the usual format, with the conversation focused mainly on what was seen at Made. Here, Dave Rome chats with Escape’s US tech editor Josh Weinberg along with famed framebuilder (and Escape contributor!) Rob English.

Within you’ll hear about emerging trends from the custom bike world, why Rob believes there are no new ideas left for bicycles, and some of Rob and Josh’s top picks.

As usual, the episode wraps with our regular Ask a Wrench segment, where Zach Edwards (Boulder Groupetto) and Dave Rome answer technical questions from Escape members. You’ll need to be on the Escape member podcast feed to listen to this section.

See all the coverage from Made 2025 here.

Time stamps:

2:40 - Explaining Made and industry vibes
10:00 - Trends in the handmade scene
18:30 - Josh and Rob’s favourite bikes of Made
31:30 - Rob’s absolute favourite - a bike from 1979
36:00 - A little Aero bike
38:30 - Favourite small parts of Made
55:45 - Ask a Wrench (Members only)
57:00 - A corrections corner related to impact wrenches
58:40 - Bottom bracket torque settings
1:03:15 - Solving a worn dropout
1:09:00 - Sticky cables, sticky drink mix

It’s a shorter episode this week as Escape’s Suvi Loponen and Dave Rome catch up to discuss the spares they carry and how to ensure they work when you need them most.

On the news front, they discuss the latest developments regarding the ongoing Shimano crank recall and an unexpected (and hopefully short-lived) issue affecting older Wahoo Bolt and Roam head units.

Finally, Zach Edwards of the Boulder Grupetto returns to Ask a Wrench to answer a number of member-submitted questions.

Time stamps:

2:00 - Shimano crank recall update
11:20 - Older Wahoo devices living in 2006
15:00 - a PSA to check your spares
20:00 - The specific spares we carry
35:00 - Made is coming up!
37:45 - Ask a Wrench (Member Only)
39:25 - Impact wrenches around e-bikes
45:20 - Sprockets versus Cogs
48:00 - Slipping SPD cleats on carbon shoes
53:00 - Hanging up modern bikes

It’s time to geek out. This week, Ronan Mc Laughlin and Dave Rome discuss how as bikes progress, market opportunity is often created in what those bikes previously provided. Through this conversation, Ronan and Dave come to an agreement on a specific style of bike that’s obviously missing today.

You’ll hear a PSA relevant to any modern bike, along with a few quick updates that provide a couple of brief tangents.

The episode wraps with Ronan and Dave discussing a fancy type of hex key (the topic of Dave’s Threaded article this week). We love our members, and so those on the member-only feed of the podcast get a little extra bonus chat before the regular 'Ask a Wrench' segment kicks in.

Happy geeking!

Time Stamps:

4:45 - There is always an opportunity to backfill
23:00 - PSA: Don’t ignore worn bearings
27:30 - No.6’s new gravel suspension corrected rigid fork
30:15 - Fara’s new GR4 gravel bike and a tangent on claimed frame weights
38:00 - Dave has sliding T-handle hex keys on his mind (again)
42:15 - The best sliding T-handle hex key (Member’s only)
49:30 - Ask a Wrench (Member’s only)
50:00 - Can a chain wear out even when it doesn’t measure as worn?
57:15 - The best spoke wrench to avoid nipple damage
1:02:00 - How should you clean a disc brake? How often?

A mix of rumours circling and the recently reviewed FiftyOne Sika road bike have Ronan and Dave pondering whether the UCI frame sticker is relevant to many of us. Spoiler, it’s not.

The episode was recorded a few days before we know for sure, but the social media profiles of athletes strongly point toward some interesting drop-bar-converted mountain bikes for the Leadville 100 race ahead.

Ronan and Dave discuss a PSA for themselves, and of course, members of Escape Collective get access to the Ask a Wrench segment with Brad Copeland, where this week a handful of drivetrain-related questions are answered, including one about measuring for lateral chain wear.

Enjoy!

Time stamps:

2:20 - The UCI approval sticker overrated
16:50 - Wild bikes expected at Leadville
31:30 - PSA for those with an air compressor
40:00 - Standert’s new Keiswerk
44:00 - Ask a Wrench with Brad Copeland (Members Only)
45:30 - Chasing noises that only occur under high load
54:00 - Upgrading an old MTB drivetrain that’s locked to an HG freehub
1:03:00 - All about lateral chain wear

What in the upside-down world is this? Ronan Mc Laughlin has been investigating rumours around the UCI getting involved with the new 32 in wheelsize, and in this episode of Geek Warning, you’ll hear the crew discuss what it may spell.

Additionally, you’ll hear the geeks (Ronan, Dave, and Alex) talk about some products that have left them a little underwhelmed as of late. New SRAM centerlock lockrings are on Dave’s mind. And there’s a PSA related to disc brake bed-in.

Members of Escape Collective also get access to our popular Ask a Wrench segment, where Dave and pro race mechanic (with Specialized Off-Racing Racing) Brad Copeland answer a number of member-submitted questions with helpful tips for all.

Enjoy!

Time stamps:

1:00 - Products that leave us wanting more
9:45 - UCI looking to ban 32in wheels and will it matter?
28:00 - SRAM finally has centerlock lockrings
33:00 - PSA: Brake bed-in is skipped far too much
39:30 - DT Swiss’ and Swiss Side’s recall
43:00 - Ask a Wrench with Brad Copeland (Escape members only)
45:00 - A call to action for the industry in regards to manuals
51:00 - Best chain lube for indoor cycling
58:15 - Stubborn tubeless tyre installs
1:09:00 - Dehumidifiers and tubeless sealant longevity