It was an idea teased in a previous episode of the Geek Warning podcast, and we’ve finally done it! Welcome to a pilot episode of In for Review – a special and approximately-monthly edition of Geek Warning that chats about some of the bikes and products we’re actively testing, the things on our minds related to those products, and the tangents that follow.

This episode is entirely free for all to hear, but the upcoming content that we discuss will largely be exclusive to members of Escape Collective.

This was a first draft, and we already have ideas for making it better. Still, we’re all ears if you have ideas, praise, or criticism.

Time stamps:

1:20 - The new Scott Addict Ultimate and Schwalbe Aerothan tyres
10:20 - Another Scott as Ronan is wrapping up the Foil
15:00 - Testing the Enve MOG through a Scottish winter
21:00 - Tangent into swapping between dropbar shifter brands
24:00 - Swapping between bikes
27:30 - Suvi is down the Rear Radar rabbit hole
37:40 - Fizik’s custom 3D printed saddle
49:15 - Ronan is trying to find a shoe he actually likes
53:00 - Just a pure shameless plug from Ronan
58:30 - Dave’s heaviest delivery in recent memory

It’s a geek-packed episode as senior tech editors Dave Rome and Ronan Mc Laughlin, plus Zach Edwards (Boulder Groupetto) discuss the week in tech.

Ronan ponders the real highs and lows of Lidl-Trek experimenting with SRAM XPLR 1x13 drivetrains in road races. There’s a skeptical point of view to integrated pressure sensors in tubeless wheels. And the geeks discuss the importance of Trail figures in geometry, and why it’s oddly not provided by all brands – a topic Ronan was inspired to put into writing, too (coming soon).

It had been a few weeks since the last PSA, and Dave has one related to common noises. And we’ve got a wrap of some fresh product news.

As per usual, the episode ends with our Ask a Wrench segment that sees pro race mechanic Brad Copeland and Dave Rome answer a few member-submitted tech questions. It’s something you’ll need to logged into our member-feed of the podcast to hear.

Time stamps:

1:40 - Lidl-Trek using a 1x gravel groupset
13:00 - Zipp playing with integrated pressure sensors
21:10 - Where are all the trail figures and fork rakes?
30:50 - PSA on easily solved bike noises
31:10 - Continental’s new Gran Prix TR tyre
42:00 - OneUp’s little pedal fumble
43:30 - Industry9’s new Hydra2 hub
47:50 - Velocio’s new high-riding hydration pack
49:35 - Hammerhead Karoo gets its own “native extension” library plus a tangent on computers.
58:30 - Ask a Wrench with Brad Copeland (members-only)
1:00:00 - A further tip for comparing chain wear between riding disciplines (members-only)
1:01:05 - Plugs and repairing tubeless tyres (members-only)
1:06:10 - Speeding up the drying process of drip wax (members-only)
1:10:00 - A complement for a previous answer - the advice worked (members-only)
1:12:30 - Squealing Shimano brakes strike again (members-only)

In this special episode, we chat with Ultra-Distance specialist Kevin Benky Benkenstein on his bike and gear selections for a recent race across the Moroccan Atlas Mountain Range. That big ride is the Atlas Mountain Race (AMR), a beast of a ride that covers some 1,300 km with 23,000 m of elevation. It covers every surface imaginable, and both rider and bike are tested thoroughly in the little over four days that it took him to complete (good enough for a tied third-place finish in the men’s).

Designed to accompany an article that Kevin wrote for Escape Collective, this chat covers why a full-suspension frame ended up being the pick, why such trail-focussed tyres were selected, drivetrain choices, and plenty of geeky insight.

Enjoy! Oh, and don’t forget to check out escapecollective.com for the full write-up (or at least to see some photos).

Why don’t you see much wind tunnel-based testing on Escape Collective? It’s something the geeks are forever discussing internally, and in this week’s episode, they discuss some of the difficulties in getting such testing to provide truly useful results.

You’ll also hear Ronan McLaughlin, Dave Rome, and Zach Edwards (Boulder Groupetto) cover the latest news in the world of cycling tech, including a recent high-profile wheel failure, Canyon’s new customisation program, and BMC’s latest recall.

Members of Escape Collective get an extra 20 minutes in the form of Ask a Wrench. This week the geeks answer questions about converting a bike for triathlon, why chains wear more rapidly on mountain bikes, and silencing a certan type of creaky seatpost.

Enjoy!

Time stamps:

4:20 - Chris Froome’s wheel failure
9:15 - Canyon’s new customisation program
15:55 - On Ronan’s Mind: Quantitative testing making bikes worse
33:20 - BMC recalls the Kaius gravel bike
39:30 - Nukeproof returns
41:45 - Ask a Wrench: a first triathlon (member-only)
48:55 - Rapid chain wear on MTB (member-only)
53:25 - Fixing a creaking Canyon/Ergon seatpost and our thoughts on carbon pastes (member-only)

The derailleur looks set to continue ruling the roost, but the increased attention to gearboxes is one to watch. In this week’s shorter-than-usual episode, the geeks chat about Fox Factory’s recently approved patent in the space.

You’ll also hear some early speculation about Fizik’s entry into helmets, some new EU-based helmets standard inbound, and what our go-to tubeless tyre sealants are.

Tech reporter Alex Hunt just wrapped up a big feature on big shoes, and the geeks give a basic overview of that.

Finally, members of Escape Collective (if on the member-only feeds) will be privy to the Ask a Wrench segment that, this week, chats tyre width selection for crit racing and how to best switch disc brake pad compounds.

All that and more in this week’s Geek Warning. Enjoy!

Time stamps:

1:55 - Fizik is getting into helmets
4:22 - Explaining why things are a bit quiet on the tech front
5:20 - Fox Factory gets a patent approved for a gearbox
9:50 - On our minds is shoe width
18:00 - Silca’s new Ultimate tyre sealant, plus our picks
24:00 - A farewell to Matt Opperman
25:30 - New helmet standards inbound in Europe
29:00 - Ask a Wrench: picking a width of new road race tyres
35:40 - Ask a Wrench: Brake pad compound switching

PFAS – also known as “forever chemicals” – are in everything from waterproof jackets to chain lubes and electronics. They’re praised for their stain, friction, and water resistant properties but notorious for their environmental and health risks. These chemicals never break down, accumulating in water, soil, and even our bodies.

As regulations restricting the use of PFAS roll in, the cycling industry is facing a dilemma: how can brands replace the chemicals that have been used in nearly every part of the supply chain? Is something called “PFAS-free” even possible to achieve? And is the performance going to downgrade as a result?

In this episode, we cover the challenges of going PFAS-free, the trade-offs in performance, what the upcoming regulations mean and why some brands are moving faster than others to eliminate the forever chemicals.

It’s a new week and that means a new episode of the Geek Warning podcast. This week you’ll hear Suvi Loponen and Zach Edwards (Boulder Groupetto) join Dave Rome in covering the big tech topics of the week.

You’ll get a beginner’s guide to PFAS (forever chemicals) and why you should care. Thoughts are shared on the new Cannondale SuperX gravel race bike. And a widespread leak teases new full wireless from Shimano.

There’s something silly on Dave’s mind, and then the geeks wrap up the remaining tech news of the week.

Finally, and as usual, the episode wraps with Brad Copeland, Zach, and Dave answering mechanic-related questions from Escape’s members – including a tangent into our favourite shift cables. As a reminder, Ask a Wrench is now exclusively available on our members-only podcast feed. Head to escapecollective.com/member in order to hear the full episode.

Time stamps:

2:00 - PFAS’ and why you should be aware
13:55 - Cannondale’s SuperX returns, now more gravel
23:45 - Next generation of Di2 appears to be truly wireless
27:05 - Dave thinks the white off-road shoe trend won’t last
32:00 - iceBike, a trade show from a single distributor
36:35 - TrainerRoad training programs now work in Zwift
3730 - A new tool from Enduro Bearings
38:40 - Berd collabs with HED on a road wheel
41;30 - Garbaruk teases its entry into wheels
43:50 - Pivot joins the lifetime bearing replacement policy club
48:00 - Removing dried tyre sealant from inside of a tyre (member-only feed)
53:05 - Diagnosing SRAM AXS battery and derailleur issues (member-only feed)
59:00 - Cable routing for Shimano mechanical 11-speed and our favourite cables

This week on The Geek Warning podcast, join Ronan McLaughlin, Zach Edwards, and Dave Rome as they discuss the latest happenings in the world of cycling tech.

The geeks cover what is believed to be the first win for tubeless in a cyclocross World Championship. There’s a UCI rider survey circling that strongly points to a few technical changes being considered. An approved patent and many rumours point to new SRAM Transmission mechanical coming soon. And there’s a new headset that claims to solve for cable routing woes, but we’re not so sure.

Plus, there’s something mechanic-related on Ronan’s mind, a few little bits of news, and of course, Ask a Wrench (now with the addition of Zach, joining Brad Copeland).

As a reminder, Ask a Wrench is now exclusively available on our members-only podcast feed. Head to escapecollective.com/member in order to hear the full episodes.

Time stamps:

1:20 - Corrections Corner on Shimano CUES
2:11 - Zoe Backstedt’s CX win on tubeless
10:20 - UCI’s new “Safer Group” rider survey
19:30 - SRAM Transmission looks to be going mechanical
26:20 - Easy Bike Parts’ solution (or is it?) to headset cable routing
30:15 - On our minds are angry mechanics on social media
39:40 - US government changes mean you should hold off on some overseas orders
43:25 - MADE Bike Shows, dated announced
43:50 - Welcoming Josh Weinberg to Escape Collective
44:48 - Bianchi’s new TT bike
47:50 - Ask a Wrench (member-only) about storing tyres
53:00 - Ask a Wrench (member-only), more about bottom bracket plastic top-hats
1:01:00 - Ask a Wrench (member-only), switching chain lubes for cleaning running