Geek Warning
Escape CollectiveGeek Warning
Welcome to Geek Warning, a podcast focused on deciphering the world of cycling tech, explaining how bikes work, and how to make them better. Hosted by Dave Rome and Ronan Mc Laughlin, this weekly show is your fix for tech geekitude, covering the latest tech news, industry trends, answering mechanical questions, and whatever else is on our minds. Escape Collective is member-funded. If you like this podcast please consider supporting us by becoming a member: https://escapecollective.com/geekwarning/
Escape Collective
Welcome to Geek Warning, a podcast focused on deciphering the world of cycling tech, explaining how bikes work, and how to make them better. Hosted by Dave Rome and Ronan Mc Laughlin, this weekly show is your fix for tech geekitude, covering the latest tech news, industry trends, answering mechanical questions, and whatever else is on our minds. Escape Collective is member-funded. If you like this podcast please consider supporting us by becoming a member: https://escapecollective.com/geekwarning/
Escape Collective
Do we ever get tired of bikes?
Introducing Escape tyre testing: Get ready to rethink accepted wisdom
It’s the little things that matter most
One more cut to rim brakes
The value of trade shows and new off-road things
Top-end frames on mid-level bikes
Special ep: Design decisions behind the new Giant Anthem
A big factory tour and Gravel Burn tech
Campagnolo goes top-tier on gravel, now where’s Shimano?
WorldTour rumours and a split in aero bikes
Saddle positioning and Campagnolo goes Ultra
Special ep: In for review, October 2025
Emergency Ep: SRAM's win and what it means for the UCI
Fancy bottom brackets and adjustable crank lengths
Back to basics with chain lubes
Workshop wishes and crooked hoods
Geek Warning Bonus: Trek on testing gravel suspension and bike design
There is no best bike
The barriers to entry-level road race bikes
Riding a 32in and Ronan is now a mountain biker
'There are no new ideas left in cycling'
The spares we carry
Progress creates opportunity in the backfill
The UCI approval sticker is overrated
Brakes, brakes, and brakes on big wheels
Finished with unfinished products in the market
Big wheels, TT saddles, and Five Stars
Tour Tech
Hookless to hooked and pondering spoke colours
Special ep: Bikepacking aero nerd
Shimano Di2, Classified, and Eurobike week
The week of wireless trickle
Special ep: A chat with SRAM about new Rival and Force and trickling down tech
Factory tours and fresh tech
A Week of Wireless
Special ep: Shimano’s MTB Product Manager on the new XTR Di2
Mountain bikers on gravel tyres. What in the upside-down world?
Modern chain wins and questionable pressure sensors
Special ep: Why is kit so expensive?
Tech so smart it’s dumb
Is every flagship drivetrain bound to go 13-speed?
Special ep: In For Review, May 2025
Wheel size history is repeating
Electric inflators and a narrower UDH from Factor
Wrapping Roubaix and Sea Otter tech
A lot of new tech and pricing fears
What’s the widest tyre we’ll see at Roubaix?
Tyre pressure apps and unexpected counterfeits
Special ep: Deep dive with SRAM on mechanical Transmission and new brakes
Unique features that make endurance bikes less desirable
Matching fit between bikes and cordless air tools
The first ’In for Review’ special episode
Gravel things go road and fixing easy rattles
Special ep: Gear that survives the 1,300 km Atlas Mountain Race
The challenges in making quantitative testing useful
Tyre sealants, gearboxes, and wide kicks
Special ep: Clearing up PFAs
Forever chemicals and another product leak
Big tubular is Cross
Explaining Shimano’s new entry-level dropbar range
Special ep: TDU pit walk with aero expert John Pitman
Winners and Losers of the 2025 WorldTour bikes
When AI simply isn’t AI and new bikes galore
Are pro-only road bikes the future?
Members Only: How bike fit trends might change frame geometry with Rob English
Not your typical annual tech awards show
Dedicated aero bikes are coming back in a big way
Just why? The thinking behind Colnago’s new Y1Rs
All for longer-lasting products
A future of simpler integrated bikes
Strava changing the app map
Tyre security, fitting, and setting pressures
Mysterious creaks and snapped chains
Fingers crossed for Campagnolo giving us a thumbs up
Fork me, it's the ring of death
The bikes we’ll never let go
Members only: Gerard Vroomen Opens Up on why most gravel bikes are moving to 700C-only
Gravel Worlds and the Mount Rushmore of cranks
Performance Process: How to ride gravel faster, with Dylan Johnson
How to build a great wheel
Newer ways to sell a new bike
Members Only: Lauf Cycles on mountain bikes, wide tyres, and low prices
Flying with integrated bikes
The Matrix is a system, Neo
Tyre talk and lots of it
Member's Only: Stunning bikes and interesting accessories at Made
Recyclable thermoset carbon fibre is here
Tyre trends outpacing the industry
What's that chirping?
A bonus episode with World Bicycle Relief
Rim brakes, split bearings, and Ask a Wrench returns
How wide is too wide?
Reviewing bikes can get expensive
The (lack of) spares we carry
Flat mount should be flat!
Eurobike week and a two-chain bike for a great cause
Bonus ep: Speaking from Spoken
Lateral thinking, a new way to consider chain wear
Chisel in the Dogma
Flat bottom chains don’t make the wheels go round
Bonus ep: Why experience is still key in the modern bike design world of CFD & CAD
Not peaked, gravel is still growing
Bonus: Picking Unbound Gravel tires with the pro who can pick any tire
A new voice
Bonus ep: Kids might need nicer bikes more than we do
Is new Shimano GRX enough?
Your bikes have secretly been getting longer, and no one told you
Bonus ep: A deep-dive with SRAM on new Red AXS
Bonus ep: Ask a Wrench is back!
Wireless 13-speed Di2?
Cervelo redesigned its Aspero gravel bike, and thankfully didn’t screw it up
Chasing noises and the better way to apply chain lube
Rear Radars need to work 100% of the time
Bonus ep: A deep dive on the new DT Swiss Ratchet DEG
Everyone loves a magnetic personality
When they go high, we go low (with a $160 drivetrain)
Bonus ep: A carbon fork nearly broke Bridge Bike Works before it even got started
A pointless trend in what people carry
Four weeks on from Thomas De Gendt's now infamous crash, Zipp has released its findings and explanation, but many questions still remain.
In this podcast, Ronan is joined by David Morse and Nathan Schickel from Zipp as he seeks the answers to the questions many have been asking.
Bikes aren't actually more expensive than they used to be
Why are modern bikes so expensive?
To be, or not to be
Bonus ep: Precision, process, press-fits, and pandemics with Framework Bicycles
The future of bike servicing is already here
Getting our hooks into hookless road
Chain waxing for all at last?
Bonus ep: Colnago is sharpening its focus, and it’s probably not thinking of you
The return of a loved rim brake bike
Common themed tech rants
Not everyone can be in the cool kids club, and that’s OK
Bonus Ask a Wrench ep: Disc brake fears
The goldilocks of cycle clothing
A pit walk critiquing 2024 WorldTour setups with JP Ballard of SwissSide
Why so many teams are on last year’s bikes
Function-over-form, our favorite gravel shoes, and we’re off to TDU!
Our favorite handlebar tapes, and what we look for in them
No angled levers for you!
Bonus Ask a Wrench ep: Preparing for winter
It’s time for our annual awards!
Has the bike industry reached peak gravel?
Bonus ep: How to build out your home workshop
Our favorite road helmets, mega-pricey chain lubes, and cheap Pinarellos
Plummeting bike prices and our favourite dropper posts
Bonus Ask a Wrench ep: Wax, grease, and degreasing
Shedding mud and our favourite eyewear
Ask a Wrench Bonus Episode
A car collaboration we like
Our favourite road pedals and Lotus’ new road bike
Tire pressures are trending lower, but road racing frames are getting … stiffer?
The road drivetrain market is starting to get very crowded
Welcome back to Geek Warning, the show that proves the world of cycling tech never stops.This week we published our vision for covering tech news. In response, many of you asked for links to see and learn more of what we discuss in the Geek Warning podcas
There has been a slew of wheel introductions recently, with some of the most interesting ones being from Zipp (lightweight carbon XC!), DT Swiss (“Aero for All”!), and Mavic (hookless aluminum gravel!). Wait, what? Yep, Mavic is now so progressive that it
Roughly a decade after problems first started surfacing with its bonded aluminum road crankarms, Shimano has finally issued an official recall for certain Ultegra and Dura-Ace models – and we have some thoughts on the matter. SRAM is also making its long-
This week’s Geek Warning has James, Ronan, and Dave covering a broad range of topics from Fulcrum’s new road wheels, a new airless tyre, and a tyre that’s recalled for being unwantedly airless.There’s also a surprising amount of chat about e-bikes, but pe
Specialized announced its latest Roubaix and Giant launched its fifth-generation Defy Advanced this week, but while they’re both “endurance road bikes”, they could hardly be more different.We’ve also got a new aero all-rounder from Ridley, fancy 3D-printe
Trek has just announced its fourth-generation Domane AL, and it’s even more of a budget-friendly workhorse than before. Over on the Bontrager side, its new ProV all-road/gravel models are the latest to switch to thermoplastic construction (courtesy of CSS
Two episodes of Geek Warning in one week? Oh yes!This second episode has a more familiar format, but there’s still a twist. First, we have James and Dave chatting about what’s new this week and their thoughts from the MADE bike show.And then, you’ll hear
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
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
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
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 mounta
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 F
Is Mavic coming back to the United States?
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 mo
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 h
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-rounde
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 electr
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 ep
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 bik
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 bike
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 roa
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 flag
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
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 ca
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"
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'
This week on Geek Warning, James, Ronan, and Caley talk through rumors of a new Specialized Tarmac SL8, dig into the worst bike James has ever ridden, the return of Mavic (but not where you think they would be), and much more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.
Paris-Roubaix has been a better predictor of the bike tech that will be common in the future than any other pro race. It was the first with bigger tires, the first with disc brakes, the first with endurance frames. So what were teams riding this year? Ron
Lots of news in this week's live episode! Fresh patent filings have revealed Campagnolo's upcoming wireless electronic groupsets will have thumb buttons after all, we've got an intriguing new thermoplastic wheel brand as well as two more wheel intros from
Fresh off his round-the-world hot air balloon trip, James Huang is back! And so is our resident GrumpyH8ter mechanic, Zach Edwards. They sit down with Dave Rome to chat about a trio of new bike releases, Time’s monstrous new carbon fiber factory, the pros
In this week's Geek Warning, Dave Rome, Ronan Mc Laughlin, and Caley Fretz dive into...- Dave's hurt feelings- Taipei Cycle Show- Specialized's wild-looking Sirius- Ronan's spec-bikes thing- Wax lub on our minds- and a PSA. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/
Dave Rome, Ronan Mc Laughlin, and Caley Fretz are back with another nerdy episode, this week they dive into...Two broken handlebars in the same raceThe broader implications of SRAM's new derailleur hanger-killerThe crazy levels of excess stock in the bike
We promised deep dive episodes, and here's the first of many more. In this episode, Dave Rome sits down with SRAM's Lachlan McKillop to discuss the nitty-gritty details of the new Eagle Transmissions. This episode may focus on new mountain bike technology
This week’s Geek Warning episode lands with some big news! No, it’s not the new cover art (which is great), but rather that we now have a website that can be found at EscapeCollective.cc.Also discussed in this episode…- Official and unofficial things from
The Escape Collective has officially launched and with that, it’s time to kick off our first show in front of a (virtual) audience. This week Dave, Ronan, and Caley discuss...•New and old tyre-related things from Conti, Specialized, and Tubolito.•Ronan sh
It’s been a big week for the Geek Warning crew and we’ve got an equally big episode!This week Dave, Ronan, Caley and one other familiar voice discuss...Shimano’s biggest product release, ever?New SRAM and how it stacks upA win for Princeton CarbonWorksTha
This week Dave, Ronan, and Caley discuss...New Silca pumpsA 62-tooth chainring at Omloop Het NieuwsbladNew Enve gravel bikeNew PinarellosBad news for a power meterNew ETRTO standardsA dropper that's also an upperWhat you can do to stop your steerer tube f
Welcome back to Geek Warning. This week Dave, Ronan, and Caley dig into...- A Parlee restructuring update- Peaks and bulges as a lawsuit between Zipp and Princeton Carbon goes to trial- Lab71, the fastest Cannondales- Strava's CEO is stepping down. What d
Geek Warning is here! This week Dave, Ronan, and Caley discuss...Ideal Everesting geometry A phone holder that doesn't Parlee's bankruptcy'90s mountain bike gripsA very cool toolbox Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Welcome to Geek Warning, the new tech podcast from the thoroughly redundant minds at Placeholders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Aero bottles are often a step too far
July 16, 202653min 44sec
Dave and Jack are back for another round of Geek Warning. This week, new road bikes from Cervelo and Pinarello bring the discussion to topics such as what makes a good endurance road bike, where emerging Chinese brands are seeing success, and why aero bottles are an impractical feature.
In this episode, you’ll also hear what Dave considers the best multi-tool and plenty more.
Meanwhile, listeners on our members-only podcast feed will hear "Ask a Wrench" at the end of the episode. This week, Dave Rome is joined by pro mechanic Colin Williams to answer questions about sticking Shimano dropbar levers, how to handle failed internal dropper-post routing, and a difference in SRAM chains that the company has remained silent about.
Happy geeking!
Time stamps:
- 00:02:13 - A correction’s corner related to airbags
- 00:04:00 - Pinarello’s Dogma X is a pure road bike
- 00:19:15 - Cervelo’s new Soloist is now less affordable
- 00:32:00 - Wrapping up the WheelTop EDS GeX review
- 00:42:00 - Dave’s multi-tool pick(s)
- 00:48:30 - Tern updates its compact cargo bike
- 00:53:30 - Ask a Wrench (members only feed)
- 00:54:30 - Sticking Shimano brake levers when tightened
- 00:58:45 - When internal dropper post routing fails
- 01:09:00 - SRAM T-Type versus Flat Top chains