The BikeRadar Podcast

High on pretzel fumes and delirious from two days trapsing the chasm-like halls of Frankfurt Messe, Jack Luke is joined by Stan Portus and Tom Marvin to run down on the key trends from Eurobike 2025. From the dominance of DJI to the bewildering growth of the German e-mobility market, the trio distill the key news from the world’s biggest cycling trade show.

Check out all of our Eurobike 2025 coverage here: https://www.bikeradar.com/events/eurobike

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Senior technical editor Alex Evans sits down to discuss Fox's new upside-down fork, the Podium, the first from a mainstream brand of this size in decades.

Together with technical editor in chief, Rob Weaver, they talk through the reasoning behind Fox's move into the inverted fork world, along with the pros and cons of such a design, including how it feels on the trail.

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In this episode of the BikeRadar Podcast, digital editor Jack Luke and senior technical writer Simon von Bromley break down a huge week in cycling tech news.

From the UCI’s latest major rule change to new groupsets from SRAM and Shimano – and motorsport giant Brembo entering the cycling world via Specialized – they unpack all the key stories.

Plus, don’t miss BikeRadar’s top story of the week and our rant of the week.

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The UCI has announced sweeping controversial changes to its technical regulation, including new limits on handlebar width, helmets and tyre size. 

Due to take effect from 2026, officials say the rules are designed to level the playing field and ensure “sporting fairness”, but the response from riders and industry figures has been mixed.

In this episode of the BikeRadar Podcast, digital editor Jack Luke and senior tech writer Simon Von Bromley explain the key details of the changes, and how the experts and racers have reacted to the changes.

• https://www.bikeradar.com/news/uci-tech-rules-2026
• https://www.bikeradar.com/features/tech/uci-handlebar-width-rules-2026
• https://www.bikeradar.com/features/tech/uci-handlebar-width-womens-impact
• https://www.bikeradar.com/news/uci-rejects-one-cycling

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The Tech Q&A is back, with Jack Luke, Tom Marvin and Simon Von Bromley fielding your questions. This time around, the trio cover:

• Do MTBers wear padded shorts, and if so what kind?
• Having recently crashed their gravel bike at a local trail centre, one rider is looking for a fun hardtail with a £2,000 budget – we recommend our three top picks
• Can you fit bigger brake rotors to a converted e-bike to help with stopping power?
• What to do if your mechanical shifting isn’t performing at its best
• Smartwatches as an alternative to GPS bike computers – are they any good, what compromises might you have to make, and what brands we’d recommend.

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In this episode of the BikeRadar Podcast, digital editor Jack Luke grills Simon von Bromley on his experience with Vistar – an all-new drivetrain that neatly integrates Classified’s two-speed hub into a fresh component ecosystem from TRP. 

The pair are joined by MBUK presenter Tom Marvin, who gives his take on the system, having tested Classified for BikeRadar on his gravel bike.

• https://www.bikeradar.com/news/official-tour-de-france-guide
• https://www.bikeradar.com/reviews/components/groupsets/groupset-road/trp-classified-vistar-powershift-groupset-review
• https://www.bikeradar.com/news/shimano-kills-di2-batteries-with-self-powered-qauto-hub

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This week on the BikeRadar Podcast, Jack Luke and Simon von Bromley get stuck into Campagnolo Super Record 13 – the world’s first 2x 13-speed wireless road groupset.

Lighter than the competition, full of smart tech and surprisingly affordable, could Super Record 13 be the comeback Campag fans have been waiting for?

The pair also cover:

• The return of the iconic Campag thumb shifter
• Why SRAM and Shimano should be worried
• Future launches from Campagnolo 
• Shimano’s strangest product launch in years 
• And last week’s top story

Read more on everything discussed in today’s podcast:

• https://www.bikeradar.com/reviews/components/groupsets/groupset-road/campagnolo-super-record-13-first-ride-review
• https://www.bikeradar.com/news/campagnolo-super-record-13
• https://www.bikeradar.com/news/shimano-kills-di2-batteries-with-self-powered-qauto-hub
• https://www.bikeradar.com/features/tech/progress-or-protectionism-in-ebike-industry

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Senior tech ed Alex and video presenter Tom chat all things XTR Di2, from the brand’s removal of wires and internal batteries through to shifter ergonomics and shift performance. Tune in if you want all the juicy insights on Shimano’s latest product.

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In this episode of the BikeRadar Podcast, digital editor Jack Luke takes a super nerdy deep dive into Chris Mehlman's drop bar Pivot Les, which he’ll race at Unbound XL 2025. 

We explore the specifics of his bike setup, including lots of detail on the logic behind his tyre, suspension and bag choices, and how this unconventional approach reflects wider gravel racing tech trends. If you're a fan of big gravel adventures, weird bikes and clever hacks, you won't want to miss this one.

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Mountain bike tyre widths seemed to have plateaued, but could making them wider offer more traction and cushioning, or even make you faster? Some people certainly think so.

In this episode, Tom, Alex and Rob revisit the tyre-width debate, talk through their experiences testing and riding bikes equipped with wider rubber, and discuss the pros and cons.

Have we hit the sweet spot already or is there still room for improvement? Tune in to find out.

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