Geek Warning

This week, Dave, Ronan, and new guy Jack chat about Eddy Merckx’s new bike and why it’s surprised Ronan. The bike provides good fodder for diving into more serviceable cockpits and for understanding why only fashion may limit the uptake of progressive road geometry. There’s good news for those who prefer cable-actuated shifting, as Shimano has updated its mountain bike offerings. Dave has other things on his mind, too, including Australia’s Spoken bike show and how downhill is teasing future puzzling for disc brakes.Of course, there’s plenty more than that, and members of Escape Collective also get Ask a Wrench at the end of the episode (members-only feed).Time stamps: 00:01:30 - The new Eddy Merckx and an exploration into progressive road geometry 00:22:45 - Shimano’s mechanical shifting update 00:29:00 - Shimano updates a real classic 00:31:45 - Don’t miss Overnight Success 00:33:50 - Downhill tech is on Dave’s mind and the pursuit of heat-regulated brakes 00:39:15 - Dave makes a case for why Australia’s builder scene is world-class 00:46:00 - Cannondale’s nostalgic Team Dream CAAD14s 00:47:15 - Bianchi’s new Specialissima 00:51:45 - Ask a Wrench with Colin Williams (Members Only) 00:54:00 - A Shimano mechanical dropbar shifter that’s coming undone 01:03:00 - Inconsistent Torx tooling 01:13:45 - Noisy eccentric bottom bracket challenges 01:21:20 - Disc brake pads for high elevation bike packing

Think of recent times when Apple, Samsung, or Google have once again claimed to change the phone, just for you to find out that you can now photograph everyone’s wrinkles a little more clearly. Ronan believes we’re in an age where performance bikes are like phones, and of course, the geeks discuss it.On Geek Warning this week, Dave and Ronan discuss Cannondale’s latest bikes and what they may spell for some other emerging trends. Meanwhile, the PSA segment returns with a warning regarding increasingly common hood slippage. All of that is free to all, while members of Escape Collective also gain access to our popular Ask a Wrench segment at the end of the episode. From our favourite bearing greases to headset woes, there’s plenty answered and discussed this week. Happy geeking! Time stamps: 1:45 - Cannondale SuperSix Evo 4.5 12:50 - TT frames as aero road bikes? 24:00 - Favero doubles battery longevity, for free 25:50 - Trek turns 50 26:30 - New Factor Ostro Gravel spotted 30:30 - RIP King Liu 31:30 - Performance bicycles are like phones 45:00 - PSA related to slipping hoods 54:30 - Ask a Wrench with Boulder Grupetto (member only) 55:48 - Mixing and matching SRAM Transmission with other cassettes 1:00:15 - Specialized Crux headset loosening woes 1:10:00 - Quick connectors for fully integrated drop bar bikes? 1:17:20 - Servicing versus replacing bottom brackets, and our go-to bearing greases

Have you experienced certain models of Shimano 12-speed chains rusting more easily than expected? It’s one of many topics in this week’s Geek Warning, the cycling tech podcast from Escape Collective. This week, Suvi, Alex, and Dave also discuss limitations and concerns regarding the fast-arriving 32in wheels. There’s talk of new bikes. And what we carry for fixing tubeless punctures. Those on our member-only feeds also get access to Ask a Wrench, where this week Colorado-based pro mechanic Colin Williams joins Dave for the first time. Happy geeking! Time stamps: 1:40 - Trek’s new XC bike has been spotted 6:40 - Big (32”) wheels continue to gain momentum, but maybe we should pump the brakes? 18:00 - Basso’s new gravel bike 22:30 - Do 12-speed Shimano chains have a rust issue? 31:00 - Tubeless tyre plugging 42:30 - What we’ve finished working on 45:00 - Ask a Wrench (Member-only, with pro mechanic Colin Williams) 46:00 - When cutting carbon goes wrong 51:00 - Are there short-cuts to setting up SRAM Transmission? 58:40 - Tips for gravel racing in sand 1:04:00 - Specialized FutureShock headset tips

Welcome back to Geek Warning! Turn up that radio and listen Suvi, Ronan, and Dave as they discuss the latest big stories in cycling tech.From why many dropbar MTBs being sold have it wrong, through to a rant about stem designs with limited adjustability, there’s plenty to geek about this week.Members of Escape Collective also get Ask a Wrench, where Zach Edwards (Boulder Grupetto) and Dave Rome answer a number of technical questions.Happy bike nerding!Time stamps: 2:08 - Our first Velofollies6:00 - Why many dropbar MTBs are half-baked16:00 - A concept bike designed partly for reality25:30 - Less happy industry times29:30 - Gravaa ceases33:00 - On Dave’s mind: Stems that can’t be moved without cutting steerers42:00 - MADE tickets now open43:00 - Ask a Wrench with Boulder Grupetto (Members Only)44:00 - How do Hookless Max tyre pressures scale with size?51:00 - Quick connectors for hydraulic disc brakes?56:00 - Cannondale Ai offset confusion1:01:00 - Converting an old 29er MTB to dropbar

Welcome to a new year of Geek Warning, the cycling tech-focused podcast from Escape Collective.This week, Ronan and Dave get back into the swing of things by covering some fresh products from Cane Creek, SRAM, BBB, and more.It seems Ronan and Dave both had PSAs on their minds, so we have two this week. One is about watching wear on what are common wear items. The other is about how to perform a basic safety check on any bike.Unfortunately, we hit audio issues with the member-only Ask a Wrench that only showed up during editing. For some reason, the recording device decided to give Dave a lisp and mute him off-and-on. Sorry.Time stamps:4:00 - Cane Creek answered Dave’s wish15:30 - BBB’s CoreCap19:20 - SRAM goes shorter in cranks22:30 - Tailfin’s bottle cage mount where you want it24:30 - Garbaruk breaks SRAM’s rules28:00 - RIP Joe Montgomery29:00 - Mechanic crystal balling is on Dave’s Mind38:30 - A basic safety check procedure43:00 - Ask a Wrench with Brad Copeland (Members Only, with some audio issues, sorry!)43:30 - SRAM eTap rim brake shifters50:30 - Draining a bike and warding off corrosion1:04:30 - Can 3D printing save me from a new Wahoo speed sensor?1:08:00 - How to make toe spikes last longer