mountain bikes

Welcome to a special episode, brought to you by the geeks of Escape Collective. In this deep dive, tech editor Dave Rome interviews Nick Legan and Dave Lawrence from Shimano about all that’s new (and not) in the latest GRX 12-speed mechanical groupset.

At some point in the chat it’s mentioned that new 105 12-speed mechanical is also inbound, and so the conversation covers that, too.

Tune in to hear about all that’s new, how HG+ works, an explainer on freehub compatibility, cable durability concerns, and a few bad (excellent) puns.

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This week’s Geek Warning episode sees James and Dave hanging out in a hotel room together with plenty to talk about and not enough sleep to do it professionally.

The MADE show is on the horizon, and James and Dave touch on some of the things they expect to see. There's a good conversation about the restraints that modern road design is forcing on consumers. And of course, much more.

Enjoy!

Timestamps:

2:35 – Driven raising equity.

4:15 – Moots teases a new wheel size.

9:48 – Trek’s Madone gets a slightly cheaper choice.

16:13 – New things from Wolf Tooth.

20:49 – Leap Components doing cool things and wobbly derailleur pivots.

25:45 – Still thinking about the woes of certain internally cabled bikes, proprietary cockpits, and fit limitations.

34:43 – James goes on an AliExpress shopping spree.

41:59 - A PSA to keep those freehub internals fresh.

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This week's Geek Warning episode is a little different. With James off racing bikes, and Dave travelling (for work), the Geeks instead gathered to answer a bucket full of tech questions from Escape Collective members. Joining James and Dave are former MTB World Cup mechanic Brad Copeland and dream bike builder Zach (of Boulder Grupetto).

Don't worry, the regular weekly show will return soon! In the meantime, enjoy and please let us know what you think of this format.

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James, Dave, and builder of dreams Zach are back and cover a broad spectrum of geeky topics. Specialized has a new iteration of the Tarmac. Ridley has a new bike with Fast in its name. Lezyne has even more products and Velocio clothing expands into mountain bike.

We also summarise our thoughts on the Classified two-speed hub system. And so much more geeking.

4:36 – A quick corrections corner, oops

6:36 – A speed sniffing bike from Specialized

23:00 – Ridley’s new TT bike and Ronan isn’t here

28:49 – A torque wrench for News Tools Day

31:04 – Lezyne and a lot of (too much?) choice

36:15 – Velocio goes mountain

39:45 – It’s Classified, but our thoughts are not

55:22 – Too many logos are on Dave’s mind

1:02:20 – Crazy track bikes from everyone

1:03:44 – MVDP, crashing, and Boas

1:08:55 – A PSA on cleats

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Santa Cruz has revamped its popular Stigmata gravel bike with a new MTB-inspired personality, Allied modernizes its Alfa road bike, Microshift’s new Sword gravel groupset looks extremely promising, and you’ll soon be able to track your bike with Apple’s Find My function without an AirTag. And what the heck is up with that hookless tire blow-off video that’s been going around?

The Geeks have questions.

1:50 — Santa Cruz has a new MTB-like Stigmata gravel bike

12:31 — There’s a new Alfa road bike from Allied

22:50 — Microshift’s new Sword gravel groupset looks fantastic

29:57 — Got a 4iiii power meter? Track your bike without an Apple AirTag

34:27 — Hookless road tires generally don’t just blow off the rim

44:47 — Dave is back to his tool-buying ways

45:18 — Tires are stupidly expensive

48:13 — Maybe suspension stems aren’t dorky after all

54:54 — The hot setup for Leadville 100

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Legendary French wheel brand Mavic is rumored to be gearing up to come back to the US market – but is the US market ready for them to come back?

The Geek Warning crew also had a mountain of new gear to discuss this week, including new bikes from Orbea, GT, and Polygon, stunning road wheels from Syncros, and updated cross-country suspension from RockShox. And what’s up with this giant pile of new go-fast gear the UCI just revealed? Ronan did some digging.

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As Dave and James recover from illness and injury, Ronan sits down with EscapeCollective member Marc Graveline to make sense of Jonas Vingagaard's stage 16 time trial performance. Marc was a data engineer before early retirement allowed him the time to moving into cycling and develop the Notio Konect, the first consumer available aero sensor on the market.

Marc is now a consultant to World Tour teams and counts time trial modelling and analysis among his favourite hobbies, not to mention aero testing some of the world's best riders. Finally, we wrap the conversation with a discussion on what the other World Tour teams can do to narrow the gap to Jumbo-Visma.

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Factor’s new O2 VAM sounds like quite the climbing bike: light, stiff, comfy, and newly aero. But is it too light for the pros? Maybe. There doesn’t seem to be any debate about wider tires at the Tour, though, as even 28 mm doesn’t seem like enough.

SRAM has also brought its innovative Transmission mountain bike drivetrain technology down to the GX level, an Australian company wants to bring high-tech carbon fiber inspection to the bike shop level, and James gripes about water bottles.

4:15 — A roundtable on the new Factor O2 VAM climbing bike

16:25 — Even Tour racers have adopted big tires in a big way

27:00 — GX is now the least expensive Transmission version, and it might be the best one

35:55 — Is ultrasonic carbon fiber testing coming to bike shops?

49:26 — Zach has some thoughts on ever-widening cranks

59:15 — Water, water, everywhere, and too many leftover drops to drink

1:01:05 — Check your chain wear, folks!

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The Tour de France can’t be that big of a deal. After all, they couldn’t even sign up 200 participants! But despite the low turnout, there’s quite the disproportionate amount of new tech to discover there, including a mysterious new Ridley aero all-rounder road racer, new tires and saddles from Specialized, a hint that a new SRAM Red groupset may be pending, new aero helmets, comfy-looking shoes, and upsized wheels from Campagnolo.

We also discuss Pinarello and Tune recently changing hands, how everything new in the MTB world seems to be designed for e-bikes, the return of CNC machining, and why your suspension fork is probably feeling sadly neglected.

3:50 — A sneak peek at Ridley’s new semi-aero all-rounder

7:09 — Specialized now has road tires just for wet conditions

15:50 — Yet another 3D-printed saddle model from Specialized

21:16 — Is a new SRAM Red groupset coming soon?

27:15 — Some funky new shoes from Q36.5

29:13 — Ekoi’s got a new aero road helmet

30:31 — Campagnolo is going wide with its new Bora Ultra WTO 45 wheels

32:31 — Mmm, built-in satellite shifters

36:34 — Pinarello has a new owner

42:40 — Lightweight has purchased Tune to create a German weight-weenie powerhouse

45:35 — Garbaruk has a new CNC-machined road and gravel crankset

49:30 — CNC machining is back in a big way

56:21 — UDH isn’t coming for road bikes; it’s already here

1:05:35 — MTB R&D seems mostly aimed at e-bikes these days

1:13:49 – Your suspension fork probably isn’t working as well as you think it is

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James and Ronan attended the Eurobike trade show last week, and oh boy, did they come back with a lot to talk about. E-bikes were definitely a major theme at this year’s show – again – but there was also a bunch of high-performance goodies, tons of electronic doodads, and as always, cargo bikes galore.

Also: Dave secretly wants to become a firefighter.

7:18 – A convenient way to measure saddle position

9:10 – Ronan likes the looks of the new Look

12:09 – 3T goes fully internal

13:08 – An unlikely new line of bikes from Marcel Kittel and Tony Martin

19:26 – So many amazing kid bikes

22:58 – Who said electronic shifting has to be expensive?

30:10 – Shimano’s 105 mechanical road groupset goes 12-speed

33:53 – There’s a revolution in tires coming, courtesy of Schwalbe

37:20 – Look, ma, no valve stems!

42:15 – A truly promising rethink of the rear derailleur

46:30 – Gearboxes and motors go together like peanut butter and jelly

54:01 – Cargo bikes galore

1:01:30 – NFCs are not the same as NFTs

1:03:15 – Cheap e-bike batteries can be very, very sketchy

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For this week’s Geek Warning, James and Ronan were en-route to Eurobike, and so Dave was left talking to himself. After he submitted a three-hour rambling episode about his colour-coding preferences for hex keys, the team suggested that he record a new episode with Brad Copeland.

In the episode, Dave and Brad chat about a lust-worthy new tool from Abbey Bike Tools, Wolf Tooth’s new LoneWolf 1x Road chainguide, and the next frontier of XC race tech. Of course, Brad and Dave also share what’s on their mind, and there’s a PSA that’s likely relevant to many.

3:38 - The biggest things at E-urobike

10:03 - Abbey’s biggest tool yet

19:23 – 1x chain guides for road

26:30 - Bike selection and other tech at the World Cup in Leogang

43:30 - What’s on Brad’s mind? Road Tubeless.

51:30 - What’s on Dave’s mind? You can probably guess.

57:42 – PSA to check those cables! 

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SRAM’s new Apex redesign brings AXS wireless electronic shifting to the masses, but there’s also a new mechanical version, and it’s all 1x12 – and we’ve got all the details. Commencal has announced its first gravel bike that’s “not just another gravel bike” (even though it mostly is), RockShox’s Flight Attendant automatic electronic suspension is coming to XC, someone lost something in Lenzerheide, and Ronan outlines some of the tech decisions from his recent record-setting ride in Ireland. And finally, is UDH coming to road bikes now? (Hint: yes, it is).

12:45 – New SRAM Apex!

31:30 – Commencal gets into gravel

37:33 – RockShox’s updated SID spotted in the wild

43:46 – A big oops on the start line in Lenzerheide

48:17 – Ronan optimizes everything for his 15-hour time trial

1:02:15 – SRAM’s UDH is now coming for road bikes, too

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There is so much new stuff to talk about this week! Unbound Gravel was a smorgasbord of fresh gravel good, including new bikes from Canyon and Santa Cruz, and a sneak preview of Shimano’s new 12-speed GRX groupset.

We’ve also recently spotted new road bikes from BMC and Factor, and Silca aims to make chain waxing (a lot!) easier. And speaking of Unbound, what was the true material cost of entry for this year’s event? Hint: It's almost certainly much, much more than most participants expected.

Timestamps:

6:40 – What’s this new BMC race bike?

13:20 – Will the new Factor 02 VAM be even lighter?

17:44 – Shimano GRX 12-speed spotted at Unbound, plus our thoughts on 1x vs 2x for gravel.

28:05 – A more mountain bike-like Santa Cruz Stigmata on the way?

30:05 – Canyon Grail is due to get one less handlebar.

34:30 – Silca’s new Chain Stripper, the future of chain lubes, and why Caley is back on wax.

45:15 – Highlights of the Handmade Bicycle Show Australia.

54:12 – On your mind, and over the head of your family: Caley gives a shout-out to modern mountain bikes.

58:42 – James asks whether event participants consider the true cost of entry.

1:08:32 – PSA for your spare inner tube.

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Our trio of diehard in-house tech geeks – James, Dave, and Ronan – are on hand this week to talk about the dropped chain that nearly derailed Primož Roglič’s Giro d’Italia, Campagnolo’s new (and outrageously expensive) Super Record Wireless electronic road groupset, fancy new spokes from DT Swiss, and our new comprehensive guide to buying your first custom bike.

Also, all three of us apparently have issues staying upright, Ronan has thoughts on disc brakes in road racing, and a PSA on hidden caffeine.

6:58 — Roglic’s nearly disastrous chain drop

20:37 — Campagnolo goes wireless and ditches the thumb buttons

43:40 — New high-end MTB spokes from DT Swiss

48:37 — The impending return of the Handmade Bicycle Show Australia

49:59 — The return of Matt Wikstrom!

52:10 — Dave fell down

53:41 — James fell down

54:43 — Ronan fell down

55:12 — Ronan has thoughts on road racing with disc brakes

1:00:03 — Seat tube angles aren’t always what they seem

1:02:20 — Ronan needs to start reading the fine print

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Lots of new stuff to chat about this week! Specialized’s Allez revamp is hardly revolutionary, but there’s a lot to be said for a no-frills and accessible bike that’s executed well. Dave has some (bad) ideas for Kask on how to market its new Elemento flagship helmet, Wahoo’s founder owns his company again, and Trek makes an interesting move with the Bontrager brand name.

We also chat about Aerocoach’s latest round of rolling resistance tests, and Fairwheel Bikes’ intriguing crank stiffness tests. And finally, Dave shares some thoughts on cross-country mountain bike suspension, Zach reveals his secret love of cheap track bikes, James revisits his weight-weenie past, and we all take a leap through the Ring of Death.

2:45 — Specialized Allez

16:52 — Kask Elemento

22:11 — Trek vs. Bontrager

27:52 — Wahoo is back?

30:54 — Aerocoach measures the Vittoria Corsa Pro

35:16 — Which crank is stiffest?

43:40 — Dave likes things saggy

48:30 — Zach likes inexpensive track bikes

55:08 — James slips back into weight weenieism

1:02:34 — The Ring of Death, revisited

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This week’s episode of Geek Warning sees former World Cup mechanic, Brad Copeland, join the team to talk all things bike tech. With Brad onboard, it was time we kicked off the first "Ask a Wrench" segment, which answers questions from our live audience of Escape Collective members.

Before the geeks get to answering questions, they discuss some of the latest tech seen at the opening round of the mountain bike World Cup.

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Don't you dare call it a tire; it's "endurance engineering"!

Jokes aside, Specialized and Vittoria are upping their games when it comes to high-end road tires that (supposedly) won't leave you stranded, Chris King is expanding its range of thermoplastic carbon wheels with a new aero all-road model, we debate the pros and cons of the latest crop of fancy bike care products, and Ronan outlines the UCI's latest foibles. And as always, Dave has tools on his mind.

A manually curated list of time stamps:

2:30 - The narrow tread of the new Vittoria Corsa Pro tyres.

13:00 - “Don’t call it a tyre!” Specialized’s Mondo tyre.

21:42 - Chris King brings thermoplastic rims to road

29:22 - CeramicSpeed’s new Bike Care line and a discussion on wax lubes.

42:57 - The growing segment of Bike Care products.

46:50 - More price drops! This time it’s Salsa.

47:53 - Rome gets excited about new bearing removal tools.

50:37 - An update on the peculiar new UCI product registration rules coming to the TDF.

56:45 - Does the UCI need a Jig for its Jig?

1:02:45 - On Rome’s mind and over the head of his family.

1:08:07 - News for next week’s episode!

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Modern cross-country mountain bike racing is absolutely on fire these days. The riders are faster, more skilled, and more interesting than ever; the courses are technical and physically demanding; and the bikes are so capable they'd put the "trail bikes" of yesteryear to shame. But one has to look no further than some dyed-in-the-wool road brands to see how hot the segment is right now, because even they're getting into the game.

Also, in this week's show: (some) bikes are getting cheaper, there are prototype cross-country suspension forks everywhere, and the UCI dropped a logistical bomb on teams just weeks ahead of the Tour.

Episode time stamps (oh, that’s new for us!):

2:35 - BMC’s TT bike and company news.

13:30 - Pinarello is returning to mountain bikes.

16:35 - What are P1 Race Tech mountain bike wheels?

19:29 - Cervelo getting deeper into XC.

21:23 - A flurry of forks and the boom of XC.

30:35 - Lauf drops Seigla prices in the USA. Plus other price drops.

35:30 - Will we see new UCI technical controls at the TDF?

49:45 - The growth of tyre inserts.

60:00 - On our minds and debating cup and cone bearing hubs

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On this week's episode of Geek Warning: Specialized says its new Epic World Cup will replace hardtails for racing, and while the bike looks interesting, this isn't the first time we've heard such a thing and hardtails have proven time and again that they've got a lot of lives.

Also in this week's show: Wahoo is probably for sale, but who should buy it? Might you soon be taking your e-bike to an auto mechanic for service? Why did Boyd Cycling open up an aluminum rim factory in South Carolina? And James gives a recap of the shiny new stuff – both affordable and expensive – he saw at last week's Sea Otter Classic, along with a PSA on how your DRL might not be providing the visibility you think it is.

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