Nobody enjoyed seeing (or hearing about) Chloé Dygert's recent crash, but it was an extraordinary illustration of one of the effects discussed in our most recent episode on Bifurcation. Josh breaks it down (and we all wish her a fast recovery and speedy return to racing).

We also discuss UCI frame rules modifications, and how those open the door for changes (some massive, some marginal) in how bikes perform and look. 

And of course we take on a slew of awesome listener questions, including:

• Could Primož Roglič have won the Tour de France if he'd paid more attention to marginal gains?
• How to accommodate non-bifurcation segments in a race as well as the moment of bifurcation
• When is Silca going to come out with a pre-treated chain?
• Robert Chung's maxim on bicycles 

What do aircraft wings, the Tacoma Narrows bridge and Coronavirus modeling all have in common? As you may have guessed from the title, it's bifurcation — just about the least intuitive (or predictable) behavior known to humankind. In this episode, we talk about bifurcation and its relation to all of these — as well as how understanding bifurcation can affect real-world racing...and how the same effect that can tear the wings off a plane can also make for the terrifying speed wobble you may have experienced on a fast descent on your bike.

This is an Engineer's episode if there ever was one. Josh talks to James Woolcock of Bastion cycles, a maker of custom frames, or as the site puts it, "Bespoke Luxury Performance Bicycles." As you would expect, these bikes come with a significant price tag, but there's a lot of custom engineering based on a customer’s wants and needs going into each of their highly unique, high-performance bikes. Even if you're not in the market for an ultra-high-end bike, however, you'll enjoy the conversation between these two marginal gainers with engineering degrees.

The Tour de France is underway, and we've got questions (and answers) about it. For example, do racers REALLY still ride with tires at 120psi as Phil Liggett suggested? (Hint: no.) Why are riders turning their hoods inward? Is tubeless on the verge of replacing tubular as the wheel setup of choice?

We've also got a great crop of questions from our listeners, including: 

• What are the meaningful aero differences between solo and group riding?
• Is a wheel upgrade worth it when the primary difference is round vs aero spokes?
• What is the most efficient way to execute your bottom-of-segment turnaround in an Everesting attempt?

Got a question you'd like to have answered? Give us a call or text us at 317-343-4506.

Factor is a relatively new name in the industry.  But after just a few years in the marketplace, a leading publication put Factor alongside Giant, Specialized and Cannondale as the next bike to own. And Factor has been brought to prominence by Rob Gitelis. In addition to applying his experience as an engineer to build a really terrific bicycle, Rob has shown incredible instinct to quickly elevate the Factor name. In this conversation, Rob tells Josh how many of the most popular bike products get made. 

Nick Legan is a name anyone with more than a casual interest in cycling has probably come across. Nick was the tech editor at Velo Magazine and Adventure Cyclist Magazine. He is also the author of the book “Gravel Cycling.” 

Josh and Nick talk about Gravel riding, bikepacking (not exactly the aero discussion we normally have around these parts but what the heck), Nick's time as a pro bike mechanic in Europe, running a “Service Only” bike shop in Colorado, coaching and what it’s like to oversee one of the most important component brands on the planet. 

Shortly after setting a new Everesting record — obliterating Alberto Contador's time by 20 minutes — Ronan McLaughlin reached out to Josh with some remarkable news: Silca Products and the Marginal Gains podcast had been an important piece of his extraordinary accomplishment. Needless to say, Josh immediately set up this interview to talk about Ronan's incredible accomplishment.

We've asked you to ask Josh anything (kind of meta, we know), and you do not disappoint. In this episode, however, we completely lose track of the "ask" thing because we are SO GEEKED OUT on Ronan McLaughlin's new Everesting record. If ever there's been a full-circle Marginal Gain moment, this is it. Listen and you'll understand.

Eventually, however, we do get to your questions, including:

• The most reasonable way to measure your wheel circumference
• The best bike positions ... if you take aero OUT of the equation (hi Zwifters!)
• Whether new pavement means you should start putting more air in your tires
• How nearby barriers affect your time trialing

We love our listeners' questions. Keep them coming.

Sean Small of Ruckus Composites is our guest for this episode. This is going to be a great interview for any listener who has spent any amount of time on a carbon bike. Sean is going to reveal a frame’s strong spots and the areas where it is most vulnerable. We also talk about the importance of torque, which company is making the best product and at the very end of the interview, Sean has some great tips on how to spot a problem before it happens. Ruckus is considered the premier composite repair company in the country and next to Calfee, one of the first one of the first to launch a business devoted to fixing Carbon frames.

Tom Anhalt was one of the first to turn conventional wisdom regarding inflation on its head. He is a smart guy. No doubt. But his true talent is curiosity. In this episode we learn that questioning the norm and having an open mind can lead to more than just marginal gains but to revelations. 

Tom Anhalt runs the blog site, blather ‘bout bikes where he does deep dive posts on tire comparisons, bike aerodynamics and most importantly: rolling resistance. He is also a regular contributor to Slowtwitch.com.