April 09, 2026

Is electronic shifting soulless?

50 minutes

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.

Time stamps:

02:41 - Is electronic shifting lacking a soul?

16:36 - New Canyon Endurace CFR isn’t an Endurace

31:59 - New things from Easton, Vittoria and Surly

41:28 - PSA: You can’t lube a chain with nonsense

50:00 - Ask a Wrench with Colin Williams (Member’s Only)

52:00 - Should I clear coat raw aluminium?

57:35 - Mystery Di2 chain dropping issue

1:05:00 - SRAM dropbar sticky pistons

1:10:20 - Bringing a bike out of winter storage

...more

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By Escape Collective

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