Cycle Systems Online

Welcome to a first in a series of bite size Tdf tech pods. We know that your listening quota goes nuts over the Tour’s three weeks so we are going to drop in a few shorter shows. As John is busy with daily Tour shows for www.velocast.cc this is Sean on the events of stage 1 and the tech that defined them. Will the race be defined by the bikes that were ridden, or the riders upon them? Ok, we all k...

This week join us on a journey around the world by bike. 87,000km, six continents, and a life changing experience for on English doctor, Steve Fabes from https://stephenfabes.com/. His new book, Signs of Life documents this journey, the cycling, camping, the people he met, and stories such as drinking soup at gunpoint. Many of us have a certain view of the world based on what we read or watch, but...

This week our friend, Mike Stead @tweetymike on Twitter, joins us for a look at some of his top products he’s reviewed for www.road.cc recently. Intelligent, insightful and lucky enough to live in the dreamlike cycling test ground of Perthshire, Mike can be relied upon for a strong opinion on anything cycling and well, anything really! We also look at a superb-looking collection of gravel bike and...

Well no, not reinventing the wheel, but how about a revolutionary new chain design, the first one for well over a century? Marcel Fowler, the CEO of www.newmotionlabs.com joins us to talk about his Dual Engagement chain and what it means for the cycle tech world.eBikes, racing bikes, commuters and many other industries use roller chains, a 19th century invention which may not be optimal for modern...

In this episode Sean and John look at the world of eBikes. There’s a huge amount of new tech since we delved into this sector a couple of years ago and we’ll give you our take on the latest eMTBs, commuter machines and eCargo bikes. What are the service requirements for an eBike? Is there a single best motor system? Are the prices finally coming down? We’ll answer these questions and as ever go of...

EVERYTHING YOU DIDN'T KNOW YOU NEEDED TO KNOW ABOUT YOUR HEADSETThe humble headset, not the first component you’ll think about on your bike. Tyres, wheels, gears and brake systems, even pedals tend to get more attention. However, being a bearing system your headset needs servicing and, as ever, there is more than one type and many ways to go wrong. Take a look at CSA graduate, Steve Fabes kit...

In this episode Sean and John catch up and chat about John’s mysterious lost bet and the fact he now can’t shave until he pedals to China! What bike does John plan to ride, after some careful consideration of the touring bike world? Then, getting down to business, we look in depth at hub standards and how people make simple mistakes, which mean your shiny new wheels will not fit. Honestly, it’s mo...

We are joined this week by one of Cycle Systems oldest and dearest partners, Pedros Tools. These are the tools we have used day in, day out for over a decade, and the favourite for our students to buy when starting out in the trade or building their dream garage. Matt Bracken is not only head of Pedros USA, but he has had a fascinating life in bike mechanics and cycle racing. As you would expect,...

Track 85 in Cycle Systems Academy. Want to immerse yourself in community and a year long learning programme in bike maintenance? Check out our Team Camp membership program.

From the basics of gears last week to the very cutting edge of research and development with Ceramic Speed. From optimising professional’s bikes to helping you go faster, Ceramic Speed’s Chief Technical Officer Jason Smith started in his garage, building machines to test for chain efficiency. He now has his own testing lab, a team of engineers, and some heavyweight industry partners like Specializ...

We kindly beings at CSA and Velocast Towers are here to help, with a simple but in-depth look at gear inches, mech capacity and compatibility. No more will you be the person walking into a bike shop with a carrier bag full of oily bike parts and a dejected looking, unrideable steed. Want to immerse yourself in community and a year long learning programme in bike maintenance? Check out our Team Cam...

We take a look at the options out there for touring bikes, mainly looking at gears and transmission systems. Want to immerse yourself in community and a year long learning programme in bike maintenance? Check out our Team Camp membership program.

Continuing the series covering Cycle Systems Academy graduates we visit Bradley Knight at his amazing mobile bike shop in Manchester. Want to immerse yourself in community and a year long learning programme in bike maintenance? Check out our Team Camp membership program.

Co-host of the excellent Cycling Tips and Nerd Alert podcasts, James has covered so many tech topics to such a depth we wanted to find out more about the man behind the mic and keyboard and thrash out a few topics that we hope you’ll find as fascinating as we do. Want to immerse yourself in community and a year long learning programme in bike maintenance? Check out our Team Camp membership program...

The Bike Project is an award winning charity and social enterprise, founded by Cycle Systems Academy graduate, Jem Stein. Want to immerse yourself in community and a year long learning programme in bike maintenance? Check out our Team Camp membership program.

Matt covers tyre liners, grips, bars and fork offset in this show all about mountain bikes. The seemingly small changes to rider contact points, trail and offset can make a major impact on your riding experience. Want to immerse yourself in community and a year long learning programme in bike maintenance? Check out our Team Camp membership program.

One source of inspiration here at CSA has been the superb, ‘Bikes or Death’ podcast. This week, we are joined by host and creator, Patrick Farnsworth to talk about his life with bikes, bike-packing, adventure racing and the meaning behind it all. It's a super personal and inspirational account of one man's recovery and how bikes helped him do that. Want to immerse yourself in community a...

Sean is joined again by Matt Letch, self confessed facial hair trend setter and North West England’s #1 deep fried whole turkey chef. Expect the lowdown on all things MTB for 2020 from one of the UK's great insiders. Want to immerse yourself in community and a year long learning programme in bike maintenance? Check out our Team Camp membership program.

John and Sean reunite with Scott Dedenbach of the Bike Shop Show to discuss the lowdown of the importance of bicycle maintenance during the Covid-19 crisis. Want to immerse yourself in community and a year long learning programme in bike maintenance? Check out our Team Camp membership program.

Meet Dave from Sinewave Cycles. Sinewave are at the vanguard of a whole new generation of hub dynamo systems that will light your way in a dark forest, charge your GPS and phone and even look cool in the process. Want to immerse yourself in community and a year long learning programme in bike maintenance? Check out our Team Camp membership program.

Every now and again we see a graduate through our academy with the most amazing story. Kevin Stacey is one of those - and in this podcast Sean and John get to understand a little bit more about his life. And what inspired him to recover from the battlefield and to get into bikes. Want to immerse yourself in community and a year long learning programme in bike maintenance? Check out our Team Camp m...

To finish our wheel building series we bring you an ultra geeky and in depth look at wheel tech and aerodynamics from a world leading expert. After 14 years designing F1 cars, Jean Paul Ballard decided to get into manufacturing carbon fibre wheels after a rather unfortunate experience with a top end brand on his own bike. Be prepared to go down the most delightful wheel building rabbit-hole. Want...

It's been a while since we've talked wheel building on the pod, and in this one Sean and John wanted to give you the absolute lowdown on why you should build your own wheels and how to do it. Part one of three. Want to immerse yourself in community and a year long learning programme in bike maintenance? Check out our Team Camp membership program.

It's been a while since we've talked wheel building on the pod, and in this one Sean and John wanted to give you the absolute lowdown on why you should build your own wheels and how to do it. Part one of three. Want to immerse yourself in community and a year long learning programme in bike maintenance? Check out our Team Camp membership program.

In this episode Sean and John give their full, unadulterated opinion into the latest 2019 MTB groupset technology. It's a place to learn more about how the tech has changed this year and what to expect. Want to immerse yourself in community and a year long learning programme in bike maintenance? Check out our Team Camp membership program.