Geek Warning

A report published by CyclingIndustries.com highlights an extreme shortage of skilled mechanics and the issues that presents. Dave and Ronan discuss some of the challenges behind this and what it may take to better retain skilled mechanics. Later in the episode, Dave shares why he thinks rim brakes will return in popularity, at least a little. Ronan argues why Dave’s crystal ball is faulty.You’ll also hear a tech tip that’s perhaps more just an excuse to treat yourself. To wrap things up, and as per usual, members of Escape Collective get our Ask a Wrench section, where Dave and Zach Edwards answer technical questions from listeners. Happy geeking!Time stamps: 02:30 - Skills shortage facing the cycling industry  22:15 - Yet another wheelsize that’s to cause ever more havoc  29:00 - Will rim brakes make a comeback on the road?  40:00 - Your bike is only as good as its worst part (language warning for this segment)  47:45 - Ask a Wrench (Members only)  48:00 - Yet another mystery disc brake noise  53:30 - Chasing a stubborn creaking pedal noise  59:00 - Glazed brakes and how to solve it  1:05:00 - A rattly RockShox XPLR dropper post  1:11:00 - Does the suspension linkage design matter? 

Geek Warning is rarely about the chapter titles, but rather the expertise and information shared within. That sure applies this week, as the conversation covers the real story behind Pidcock’s recent wheel choice at Worlds, Ronan’s ideal rim widths for road racing, and what Dave considers to be the benchmark in SPD pedals. There’s also a relatively new Good Thing for SRAM Transmission, a tech tip for anyone turning a spanner, and plenty more.   As usual, members of Escape Collective (on the member-only feed) get Ask a Wrench at the end of the episode. This week, Zach Edwards of the Boulder Groupetto returns to help answer tech questions from our members. Timestamps:    00:01:30 - Ronan “working” at Road Worlds  00:04:00 - The rumoured story behind Pidcock’s wheels 00:11:00 - The UCI to review its Lugano Charter  00:19:45 - Enve’s new SES 6.7 Pro have us patting ourselves on the back 00:28:00 - Wolf Tooth trickles down its excellent ALT SPD pedal 00:34:00 - A tech tip to tighten up tool fitment  00:39:00 - SRAM has a Good Thing for Transmission users 00:45:30 - What Ronan and Dave are busy with 00:47:40 - Ask a Wrench (Member-only feed)  00:48:00 - Why don’t all tubeless rims have a solid rim bed?  00:55:00 - Shigura brakes?  01:05:45 - Reuse a plugged tyre?  1:10:00 - A front wheel causing brake resonance 

Many brands within the bike industry often speak about higher-performing products being stiffer, lighter, more aero, and faster-rolling. And yet when it comes to off-road disciplines, it’s rare for brands to discuss smoothness as a performance metric. It’s an area many have dabbled in over the years, but it’s tough to market a product on. Berd, makers of rope-like spokes, recently published a white paper detailing why they believe their new gravel race wheels are the fastest for the off-road discipline. A big part of that claim relates to vibration damping and impact reduction, metrics that historically haven’t been included in the performance modelling used today to calculate a road cyclists’ speed. In its white paper, Berd proposes that vibration damping and impact reduction should be included as a component of rolling resistance. Geek Warning host Dave Rome has long shouted as much for off-road – smoother is faster – and thought that was all quite interesting. So he sat down with Berd co-founder and CEO, Charlie Spanjers, to hear more. An edited transcript of the conversation is also available at EscapeCollective.com.

Talk of big wheels continue to dominate headlines in the cycling tech world. This past week, Trek and Scott raced production-ready 32ers at the World Cup round in Utah, while Sea Otter Europe showcased other production-ready options. With that, Dave Rome chats with Escape’s Suvi Loponen and Alex Hunt about what they each saw in person at these respective events. For Suvi, Sea Otter Europe, with about 80,000 attendees this year, offered an opportunity for a vibe check from members of the European bicycle industry. Members on our member-only feed will also hear Ask a Wrench, this week with Zach Edwards. Time stamps: 00:02:00 - Big brand 32ers revealed  00:09:45 - Sea Otter Europe  00:14:00 - Suvi rides a 32er  00:18:00 - Other big things seen at Euro Sea Otter  00:19:00 - Tyre options are growing quickly 00:23:00 - Industry vibe check at Sea Otter  00:27:00 - On-the-ground interviews 00:51:00 - Ask a Wrench (members only)  00:53:00 - How to service a cartridge bearing  00:59:00 - When to measure chain wear (and our go-to tools)  01:08:00 - How to deal with a rusty part

Welcome back to Geek Warning. This week, Dave Rome and Ronan McLaughlin talk through Shimano’s new road pedal system, which will eventually supersede the now two-decade-old SPD-SL. Dave has been hands-on with the new pedals and offers insight into how nuanced the differences are. Dave is then joined by Suvi Loponen to discuss the new Canyon Grail gravel bike along with a number of other standout bits of tech news from the week.At the end of the episode, and for those listening via a member-only feed, we have an interview with Bill Alcorn of BikeFlights about how air freighting and door-to-door bike delivery have changed, and potentially how to mitigate those increased costs. Timestamps:  02:00 - Shimano SPD-SLR, ridden and explained  18:00 - The potential performance gain of lower stack height  22:30 - Shimano’s three shoe widths, wide going wider.  25:00 - Suvi joins to discuss the new Canyon Grail gravel bike  37:00 - Scott’s interesting return to cable routing options  41:00 - Specialized goes internal routing with Future Shock  43:30 - Wolf Tooth gets into hubs  48:00 - Members-only section: Talking bike freight