Nerd Alert Podcast

Yes, folks, it’s once again that time of year where we here at CyclingTips hand out the most prestigious, coveted, and occasionally dubious awards in all of cycling: the CyclingTippies! What was the most important bike launched this year? What was the biggest miss? What was just the flat-out most ridiculous, or most annoying? And what was the absolute biggest bummer of the year? We cover all of this, and more, in this week’s episode.

James has locked the Nerds out of the recording studio for this episode, disregarding the traditional format to instead do a (very) deep dive into the world of bearings. What makes for a good bearing or a bad one? Are ceramics really all that? How are we supposed to take care of these things? And why does press-fit suck in the bicycle world, but is the norm in industrial settings?

Hope you’re sitting somewhere comfy because we’re nerding out big time for this one.

We’ve said before that we’re in a “golden age” of chain lube these days, with big advancements in recent months that not only reduce drivetrain friction but dramatically extend the lifespan of your components, too. We discuss the latest releases from CeramicSpeed and Silca — one for wet conditions, the other for dry — and make the argument for why they’re actually better bargains than you might think.

We’re also on the cusp of a potentially big revolution in frame materials, with magnesium finally emerging (after multiple attempts in the past) as a truly viable alternative to carbon fiber, aluminum, titanium, and steel. James chats with Bruno Maier, the president of “Super Magnesium” maker Allite Inc., to find out exactly why magnesium is so promising, and why this time around might be different than before. 

James has already reviewed the new Vaast gravel bike if you're interested in reading about that. 

Finally, we cap off this episode with another round of Ask a Mechanic — albeit, without our resident pro mechanic, Zach Edwards, who we were sadly stuck in a giant vat of tubular glue while we recording. How do you true a wheel without a truing stand? How long will that spare tube last in your saddle pack? Is it safe to use a cheap bearing press? Can you bend a steel frame back into shape after a crash? And why are any of us still taking mechanical advice from Caley? All of these answers and more await within, and maybe next time we’ll actually find that mute button on Caley’s mic.

Winter is coming, and so is new winter riding gear. Nerd Alert this week kicks off with a discussion about the new Assos winter jacket that retails at $725 USD (0:03:40) as well as Rapha's new Windproof Explore Pullover sweater (0:13:10).

There are more and more companies adopting environmentally sustainable methods, like Trek's new packaging for their Marlin hardtail. (0:19:10).

James chats with Erik Bronsvoort, author of "From Marginal Gains to a Circular Revolution: A practical guide to creating a circular cycling economy", about the environmental impact of bicycle production (0:23:35).

The Nerds discuss the "platform model" of Bronsvoort's, and how the bike industry used to be before full bike build options were the norm (0:53:20). Would a leasing model work?

Ending the podcast on an up-beat note Zach, and the rest of the Nerds, answer listener questions for the ongoing "Ask a Mechanic" segment (1:09:30).

Remortgage the house: Assos launches new winter collection with a $725 jacket

Rapha's new windproof Explore Pullover is for riding and not riding, maybe both

Trek heads down the road of sustainable packaging

"From Marginal Gains to a Circular Revolution: A practical guide to creating a circular cycling economy" by Erik Bronsvoort

In this episode of Nerd Alert, we discuss the merits of Ratio Technology’s new 12-speed conversion kit for SRAM 11-speed levers, as well as the pros and cons of wireless technology for Shimano’s next-generation Dura-Ace Di2 groupset. We then have a chat with the folks at Cadex and discuss the challenges of positioning a high-end “in-house” brand against established third-party aftermarket labels. Finally, we finish off with another round of “Ask a Mechanic”. Moral of the story: don’t take mechanical advice from Caley.

Rome's tyre article can be found here: https://cyclingtips.com/2017/12/tips-for-installing-removing-impossibly-tight-tyres/

The UCI has a lot of silly technical rules, but there’s one that isn’t on the books that could potentially keep a lot of riders from crashing. It doesn’t have anything to do with the bikes themselves, though; it would apply to bottles and cages. Existing rules for aero tube shapes are also about to change either way and how exactly that will affect the shape of future bikes is anything but certain. Will your next bike sprout a seatpost out of its top tube? Will road bikes look like triathlon bikes? Maybe, or maybe not.

With the Tour de France wrapped up, we take a look at the tech that popped up and discuss what it might mean for the rest of us.

What's the saying? Those who can't make something, podcast about it? 

With much adoration for the good people behind our favorite bike stuff, sometimes things just miss the mark. This episode is a celebration ... no, the opposite of that ... of bike tech that makes us want to pull our hair out.

We kick off this week's episode with some tech news, including a discussion of the new Classified two-speed hub, which gives you a 2x without a front derailleur. 

James chats with Luke Musselman about tire width standards, and why the number on the sidewall often bears little resemblance to a tire's actual size.

This week's episode kicks off with a discussion of EvilCorp's ransomware attack on Garmin's systems, then we take a look at the future of Mavic now that it has new owners. 

James hops on the phone with an analyst from Bank of America who has been looking into the bike industry and has some good news. 

Finally, the tool nerds debate the merits of various brands of hex key.