Geek Warning

Hello fellow bike nerds. This week, Suvi Loponen, Ronan McLaughlin, and Dave Rome are on to talk through the week’s tech plus what’s been on their minds.  Suvi’s been busy riding in foul weather in order to test a number of premium rain jackets. The chat covers how to get better performance from such technical materials and where the compromises are.  There’s been some big news on the industry sid...

This week, Escape’s Dave Rome and Jack Duncan go a little behind the scenes of the bike industry. Dave explains how some products come to be, the value of a brand, what open mould means, and how the business of generic products works.  Later in the episode, the talk turns to new head units from Garmin and Coros, and whether some of this is merely duplicating technology we already own. Then the gee...

Recently, Escape’s Ronan McLaughlin surfaced from a multi-month outdoor tyre testing project. That test not only sought to find which fast road race tyres were fastest , but also to study the testing itself.  All of this was only made possible with the expertise and instruments made available by John Buckley of Streamlines . As a former lead aerodynamicist at Mercedes F1, Buckley brought a unique...

Every other Geek Warning episode typically ends with the geeks answering 3-4 technical questions submitted by members. This week, we’re opening up our usual Member-Only ‘Ask a Wrench’ section to everyone. For this episode, Dave Rome is joined by US tech writer Jack Duncan and mechanic Zach Edwards of the Boulder Groupetto. The episode starts with some tech news from the week, and then gets into an...

This week on Geek Warning, Dave chats with Ronan about his extremely comprehensive road tyre test, published a week ago. The conversation covers how the test was run and why the data is so reliable.  Then, Ronan and Dave chat about Silca’s acquisition and re-release of the analogue-watch-lookalike Omata cycling computer.  Midway, Escape's US-based tech writer Jack Duncan jumps on to discuss Colnag...

A report published by CyclingIndustries.com highlights an extreme shortage of skilled mechanics and the issues that presents. Dave and Ronan discuss some of the challenges behind this and what it may take to better retain skilled mechanics.  Later in the episode, Dave shares why he thinks rim brakes will return in popularity, at least a little. Ronan argues why Dave’s crystal ball is faulty. You’l...

Many brands within the bike industry often speak about higher-performing products being stiffer, lighter, more aero, and faster-rolling. And yet when it comes to off-road disciplines, it’s rare for brands to discuss smoothness as a performance metric. It’s an area many have dabbled in over the years, but it’s tough to market a product on.  Berd, makers of rope-like spokes, recently published a whi...

Talk of big wheels continue to dominate headlines in the cycling tech world. This past week, Trek and Scott raced production-ready 32ers at the World Cup round in Utah, while Sea Otter Europe showcased other production-ready options.  With that, Dave Rome chats with Escape’s Suvi Loponen and Alex Hunt about what they each saw in person at these respective events. For Suvi, Sea Otter Europe, with a...

Welcome back to Geek Warning. This week, Dave Rome and Ronan McLaughlin talk through Shimano’s new road pedal system, which will eventually supersede the now two-decade-old SPD-SL. Dave has been hands-on with the new pedals and offers insight into how nuanced the differences are.  Dave is then joined by Suvi Loponen to discuss the new Canyon Grail gravel bike along with a number of other standout...

This week, Caley Fretz returns to Geek Warning alongside Jack Duncan and Dave Rome. It’s been a week full of big new bike launches (all of which Escape Collective attended) and there has been some equally big industry news.  The geeks discuss new bikes from Scott, Factor, and Enve, and how each finds (or doesn't) a balance between performance and enjoyment. Plus, there’s a shift in product from WT...

This week sees a big first for the Geek Warning podcast as the entirety of Escape Collective’s tech crew meet up in person over in Takayama, Japan. With that, we recorded live in front of a select group of Escape members!  It’s certainly been a huge week on the tech front for our entire tech team to be away riding bikes at the annual Member Summit. Not only is the Vuelta a España in its first week...

It’s time for another bonus edition of Geek Warning. This chat is a brief opener to our upcoming coverage of Made, North America’s Custom Bicycle Show.  Held this coming weekend (21-23rd of August), the Portland-based show has grown to be a key event on the calendar for bike lovers, tech nerds, makers, and the like. A show like this also consistently serves as a crystal ball into emerging segments...

This week on Geek Warning, Dave is joined by Escape’s Suvi Loponen and Alex Hunt to talk about the latest in cycling tech.  Alex was on the ground at the Tour de France Femmes and came away pondering why 1x hadn’t hit the women’s field like it has the men.  Meanwhile, Suvi has spent the past couple of months riding the new Trek Domane endurance road bike. Dave and Suvi discuss why this bike is lik...

This week, Dave and Jack from the Escape Collective tech team talk modern cross-country bikes and where the nuance between race and downcountry sits. Plus, Dave shares why he believes remote lockouts are a race-day product.  Meanwhile, the geeks discuss why rounded bolts are most often user error and how to avoid them (also check out Dave’s Threaded #15 article on the topic ).  Like every week, me...

This week we got new Shimano R9300 Dura-Ace, although not quite the release many had wished for. Escape’s senior tech editors, Dave Rome and Ronan Mc Laughlin, talk through this new release, the details that are easily overlooked, and where Shimano could do more. Ronan then shares what he saw while covering tech at the Tour de France and how perceived trends can often be false. Dave then raises th...

We’re going back to basics in this week’s episode. While Geek Warning is usually for tech-obsessed cyclists, this edition covers the common conversations a bicycle mechanic would have with a client. It’s for everyone and anyone who does a little of their own bike maintenance.  Many road cyclists are still relatively new to disc brakes, so Jack Duncan and Dave Rome start the episode with a deep div...

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, listener...

It’s the first week of the Tour and Escape’s geeks are seemingly all down different rabbit holes. This week, Dave Rome is joined by new hire Jack Duncan to talk through the week in cycling tech, which seems to involve a handful of juicy rumours.  From rumours of new Dura-Ace to big wheels from big brands, there’s a lot to chew on. Dave and Jack also discuss airbag tech that keeps circling big budg...

It’s the week of the Tour de France Grand Départ, and with it have come a few big bike launches. Escape’s senior tech editors, Dave Rome and Ronan Mc Laughlin, jump on to discuss whether Specialized’s new Tarmac hits the mark.  There’s also a new bike from Orbea. Plus Dave asks Ronan to confirm just how progressive his fit is, and as it turns out, the answer is not very. Ronan then jumps on a call...

It's time for a Geek Warning crossover episode! Ronan Mc Laughlin and Jack Duncan join Caley Fretz ahead of this year's Tour de France to break down how bikes and gear are changing and highlight what our tech reporters think will be the most important equipment of a modern Tour. 

The tech crew at Escape Collective have been paying close attention to the progression toward 32in wheels in gravel and mountain bike, and while the conversation has come up a few times, it felt time to dedicate some real time to the topic. This week, Escape tech staffers Dave Rome, Ronan Mc Laughlin, and Alex Hunt chat about 32ers in the news, whether the UCI’s potential involvement will slow thi...

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 t...

New bikes are now rolling in from all directions with both the road and mountain bike race seasons in full swing. In this week’s episode, Dave chats with new hire Jack Duncan about what he’s been seeing at the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (aka, the Dauphine).  Later in the episode, Jack and Dave discuss new cross-country mountain bikes from Orbea and Lapierre. Then Alex Hunt joins to talk about his e...

Geek Warning gets a new voice as Escape’s new US tech editor - Jack Duncan - joins the motley crew.  Together with Dave Rome and Ronan Mc Laughlin, the geeks cover a broad range of topics from Unbound tech, UCI doing UCI things, Ronan’s custom inner sole journey, and hubs that allow cassettes to fall off.  Of course, members of Escape Collective also get Ask a Wrench. This week, Dave is joined by...

Howdy geeks! It’s Unbound race week, and with that, we’ve seen an expected amount of fresh new tech in the gravel space. This week, Escape’s senior tech editors Dave Rome and Ronan Mc Laughlin discuss Specalized’s long-awaited update to the Crux. There’s, of course, a bit of big wheel chatter. A fun new project product from Wheels Manufacturing. And plenty more. As a reminder, members of Escape Co...