No questions asked warranties aren’t all upside

No questions asked warranties aren’t all upside

From Geek Warning by Escape Collective

April 23, 2026 · 1h 2m

About this episode

The episode discusses new budget drivetrains from SRAM and Shimano, warranty policies, and features a Q&A segment with Zach Edwards.

It’s the week after the Sea Otter Classic, and the geeks speak surprisingly little of the products shown there. Instead, Ronan and Dave cover new budget drivetrains from SRAM and Shimano. Dave is thinking about unsustainable warranty policies. And there’s plenty more covered from the world of cycling tech. As a reminder, members of Escape Collective also get access to Ask a Wrench (at the end of the free episode). This week, Zach Edwards joins Dave in answering a variety of questions from members. Happy geeking! Time stamps: 00:01:29 - Should you grease headset spacers? 00:05:39 - Lifetime warranties on wear items 00:16:14 - Sea Otter - lots of 32” wheels and the rise of Chinese brands 00:31:38: - SRAM S-Series, where 9 becomes 3 00:39:54 - Shimano CUES 2x11 overlapping with Tiagra 2x11 00:45:37 - UCI vs SRAM. The UCI will make everything safer with limit screws 00:56: 11 - Ronan’s nipples are sore, but it’s in the name of unlocking performance 1:00:00 - Ask a Wrench (member-only) 1:02:00 - How does new Campagnolo differ in installation? 1:15:00 - Tips for maintaining a full suspension MTB 1:26:00 - Sweat causing Shimano pedal failures?

People in this episode

Hosts: Ronan, Dave

Guest: Zach Edwards

Topics covered

  • cycling tech
  • warranties
  • budget drivetrains
  • Sea Otter Classic
  • Ask a Wrench

Keywords

  • warranties
  • SRAM
  • Shimano
  • Sea Otter Classic
  • cycling tech
  • Ask a Wrench
  • budget drivetrains

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: SRAM, Shimano, UCI

Products: SRAM S-Series, Shimano CUES 2x11, Tiagra 2x11

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