Spin Cycle

Caley Fretz joins Dane Cash and Cosmo Catalano to break down all the storylines from Milan-San Remo: Jasper Philipsen as a bona fide Classics contender, Mathieu van der Poel as an MVP teammate, whether Michael Matthews could have closed the door in the sprint, whether UAE could or should have done anything differently, and more.

So many new bikes to talk about this week! Giant’s new TCR is a meaningful evolution of the previous one, but should it have been a revolution instead? Meanwhile, the new Liv Pique offers a preview of the next-generation Giant Anthem, and Specialized’s new Epic and Epic Evo genuinely push the envelope of what XC bikes are supposed to be. And do electronics belong on bicycle suspension? Why does Trek offer seven colors in one model of Emonda? And what the heck does “Ari” mean? All of that and more in this week’s episode of Geek Warning.

Timestamps:

3:04 – Giant’s got a new TCR road racing bike, but is it all it could (or should) have been?
14:04 – Liv’s new Pique Advanced mountain offers a sneak preview of what’s to come in the new Giant Anthem
16:35 – The new Specialized Epic ticks an awful lot – maybe all? – of the boxes.
26:33 – RockShox’s Flight Attendant electronic terrain-sensing suspension finally comes to XC
34:33 – Trek is “right-sizing” in a big, big way
41:01 – US-based consumer-direct brand Fezzari finally addresses the elephant in the room
46:24 – Not everyone wants to know how the sausage is made
52:50 – The suckiest addition to any home workshop

Dane Cash, Jonny Long, and Kit Nicholson join Caley Fretz on the Placeholders this week to discuss this generation of Americans after Matteo Jorgensen's Paris-Nice win, where things stand for the WorldTour sprinters, and what's on tap this coming weekend at Milan-San Remo.

Loren, Gracie, and Abby sat down this week to break down Ronde van Drenthe, look ahead to what some performances mean for the upcoming Cobbled Classics, the return of Ellen van Dijk, and how Trofeo Alfredo Binda fits into the calendar.

On this week's How the Race was Won podcast, Cosmo Catalano and Dane Cash discuss the surprising Paris-Nice podium, Primož Roglič's early season form, Jonas Vingegaard's dominance, and new developments in the Republic of Sprinters after Tirreno-Adriatico.

After two years at home racing the Life Time Grand Prix and working coaching and bike fitting roles, Ruth Edwards is back in the WorldTour peloton and already back on the pro road podium. We sat down with Ruth in Adelaide just days after her first WorldTour race back at this year's Tour Down Under in January to discuss all things returning to professional road racing. 

We kick start the conversation deciding this is not a "comeback" but merely a return from sabbatical. Ruth talks us through the whys of needing to walk away from the WorldTour, why gravel is not for her, and why ultimately the lure of a road return was too much to ignore. We discuss the process of determining if a return is the right idea, setting goals with no idea where your level is, and process for mitigating the challenges that ultimately led to her needing a break just over two years ago. 

Ruth explains why you do things because you want to, not because you should and how the rapidly changing landscape of pro racing was a major motivation in wanting to return. 

Framework Bicycles isn’t afraid to say it’s making its frames a little differently from usual. In fact, the Canadian company is not only extremely proud of that, but feels its unusual methods are also integral to what makes its frames what they are. In this week’s members-only episode, James sits down with Framework founder – and one-person fabricator – Jonathan Kennedy for an ultra-deep dive on his philosophy behind what makes a good bike.

Geek Warning is back, with Dave and Ronan on hand to discuss the latest happenings from the world of cycling tech. James is currently roaming the halls of the Taipei show, so this week, you get two-thirds of our geeky Geek Warning trio discussing the Fraser Group's acquisition of whatever is left at Wiggle-CRC after another round of layoffs and the latest questions as the hookless conversation rages on following what appears to be another failure.

There's also news of Look's new Keo Blade and X-Track power meter pedals and Rapha's latest aero jersey that might save you 7 watts, four watts, or both; we're not sure. 

Later in the episode, the conversation changes to Ronan's concerns we may be headed for an automotive industry-style "approved service centre only" model for our bike's servicing and maintenance needs. While the conversation throws up some potential positives from such a move, worryingly, Dave suggests we are already there. 

Finally, Dave has another reason to buy more tools dressed up as a PSA. 

Time stamps:

5:20 - Frasers Group's Wiggle-CRC takeover
10:00 - Hooked on hookless 
16:50 - New Giant TCR
21:55 - Stupid helmets everywhere
28:10 - Look's new power meter pedals
32:50 -Rapha's new Pro Team Jersey
37:40 - On Your Mind - "Approved service centre only" 
48:00 - A PSA from Dan Bigham's mechanic 

Ronan Mc Laughlin, Jonny Long, and Kit Nicholson join Caley Fretz on this week's Placeholders to discuss new helmets and new helmet regulations, Tadej Pogačar's talent, and hookless rims.

The crew also gives the BikeGrid game a go.

Loren, Gracie, and Abby get together to talk about all the action at Strade Bianche, and the exciting change that will impact Ronde van Drenthe next weekend. Plus, Abby is losing the Draft and is quite stressed about it.