Geek Warning

There’s certainly been a lot of outrage over the price of bikes in recent years, and for sure, when the price of a new bike falls inline with a new Ducati, it’s bound to give people pause. There are more ultra-expensive flagship bikes than ever before, but are mainstream bikes more expensive in general? Not really. And in fact, you can pretty easily make the argument they’re not only more affordab...

Why are bikes so expensive? In this episode, Factor's Rob Gitelis speaks openly, providing an insight deep into the world of premium bicycle manufacturing and breaking down the costs of making a modern high-end bike. More broadly, Gitelis talks us through some of the inner workings of the manufacturing facilities brands employ, staffing models and transient workforces, and his fears that a repeat...

So many new bikes to talk about this week! Giant’s new TCR is a meaningful evolution of the previous one, but should it have been a revolution instead? Meanwhile, the new Liv Pique offers a preview of the next-generation Giant Anthem, and Specialized’s new Epic and Epic Evo genuinely push the envelope of what XC bikes are supposed to be. And do electronics belong on bicycle suspension? Why does Tr...

Framework Bicycles isn’t afraid to say it’s making its frames a little differently from usual. In fact, the Canadian company is not only extremely proud of that, but feels its unusual methods are also integral to what makes its frames what they are. In this week’s members-only episode, James sits down with Framework founder – and one-person fabricator – Jonathan Kennedy for an ultra-deep dive on h...

Geek Warning is back, with Dave and Ronan on hand to discuss the latest happenings from the world of cycling tech. James is currently roaming the halls of the Taipei show, so this week, you get two-thirds of our geeky Geek Warning trio discussing the Fraser Group's acquisition of whatever is left at Wiggle-CRC after another round of layoffs and the latest questions as the hookless conversation rag...

The time has come for the geeks to share their strong opinions on road tubeless and the movement toward hookless rims. In this episode, and off the back of a high-profile failure , James, Ronan, and Dave dive into the growing concerns related to the many caveats around hookless road rims. Later in the episode, the conversation changes to fancier ways to hide cables through smaller headsets and the...

Silca’s new StripChip claims to take (most) of the hassle out of properly immersion-waxing your chain, but while it sounds promising, Dave’s got his doubts. Favero unveiled its long-awaited SPD-compatible power meter pedals for MTB and gravel, and although they tick a lot of boxes, pedals in general may not be the best power meter format for everyone. In big-brand component news, we read the tea l...

Colnago recently debuted its latest C68 model – the C68 Gravel – and while it seems like a pretty nice gravel bike in its own right, what’s more interesting is understanding more about what that new bike means for Colnago’s strategy in general moving forward, particularly since being bought by a UAE-based investment group in 2020. In this members-only episode, James sits down with Colnago CEO Nico...

It’s time for another episode of Geek Warning. Dave and Ronan are back to discuss the latest happenings in the world of cycling tech and what’s on their minds. Ritchey and Factor have new bike (frame) releases that sit near polar opposites of the road market. Ritchey has brought back its well-loved Road Logic frames, while Factor’s Ostro VAM, a bike we’ve looked at before , is now officially offic...

Welcome back to Geek Warning. In this episode, Dave and Ronan talk through a bunch of the biggest tech news in the cycling world and cover a few test products at the top of their minds. It’s hard to find a new racing product today that doesn’t at least tease the “aero” word, however, TuboLight may just be the first to make such a claim for a product that goes inside the tyre. The recently seen sho...

With much of the industry languishing under the post-Covid, brands are trying harder than ever to carve out a niche for themselves to stay afloat. Colnago’s new C68 Gravel bike is super premium by design, but based on their sales figures, the focus on luxury is clearly getting the job done. Campagnolo seems to be falling into the same strategy almost by accident, but is it working as well? That’s...

It’s time for another gathering of the geeks for an episode of Ask a Wrench. In this member’s bonus episode, Zach (of Boulder Gruppetto), James, and Dave answer more technical questions submitted by Escape members. This week, the geeks answer questions related to using alternative cassette options, fitting bigger cassette ranges than allowed, selecting parts for the Paris-Roubaix sportive, replaci...

There’s always something going on in the world of cycling tech. This week, James and Dave discuss a bunch of news items, what their favourite clothing is for shoulder season, and a little safety warning related to new tyres. It’s been a busy week of tech news out of Europe and the UK. First up, the heritage brand of Eddy Merckx is back, but looking at the range today, it looks a lot like business...

The 2024 WorldTour season is under way at the Tour Down Under and Escape Collective is on the ground all week bringing you the latest news, tech, and Escape podcasts. Today we've got a combined Geek Warning and Performance Process tech special episode as Jean Paul Ballard of SwissSide joins us for the first of two podcasts with the former F1 aerodynamicist.  In this episode JP takes us on a wander...

Dave and Ronan are in thick of the Tour Down Under and have a whole lot of new (and old!) race tech to discuss. The industry has woken up from the holiday break with a flurry of new products worthy of discussion. And, as usual, the geeks cover so much more. Timestamps: 3:00 – Spotting three new helmets on rider heads. 11:10 – Trek working on a knit shoe. 15:15 – New Look pedals, and more from Time...

Dave and James have lots of spy photos to discuss this week! Factor’s got a revamp of its Ostro VAM lightweight road bike about to break cover, and Specialized and Trek have some enticing new road shoes roaming about in the wild. Lazer also brings its Kineticore technology to its popular Z1, we debate the pros and cons of anti-seize vs. grease, and we chat about what we look for in our favorite gr...

Geek Warning is back for the new year! In this week’s episode, Dave and James chat about some mysterious Boa dial failures and how some pros are using gravel bikes this cyclocross season, how 3D-printing is becoming just as much a marketing tool as a manufacturing one, and what we look for in our favorite handlebar tapes. You might also just want to head out to the shed and check your disc brake r...

Following a break for our inaugural Awards episode, Dave and Ronan return with an episode of a familiar format. There’s plenty on the minds of the geeks, plus a sprinkling of new tech to know in this final Geek Warning episode for 2023 ... The biggest news is that the UCI wants to control just how weird racers can get with the angles of brake hoods. Dave and Ronan discuss the claimed safety concer...

The Geeks are back for another round of Ask a Wrench. In this member’s bonus episode, Zach (of Boulder Gruppetto), James, and Dave answer a bunch of technical questions submitted by Escape members.  This week, our geeks discuss how to find a good mechanic, how to torque bolts when there are multiples, change of crank bolt material for easier removal, servicing of cartridge bearings, rattling saddl...

We’re skipping the usual news this week because it’s once again time for our annual tech awards! 2023 was certainly a memorable year for a multitude of reasons, but what were the cycling tech-related things that stuck in our minds of our resident geeks, James, Dave, and Ronan? What were the biggest trends? What were our favorite products? Who was doing things right? What was the biggest flop? What...

Hoo boy, it’s been a big week in tech, and our resident geeks had a lot to talk about. It was just a matter of time before Cervelo jumped into the e-bike market, and that day has finally come with the new Rouvida . The same frame is used for two road and two gravel models, but Cervelo has incorporated flip chips in the front and rear dropouts to adjust the geometry accordingly. Despite the sizable...

It's time to treat our members to another bonus episode of the Geek Warning podcast. This week, Brad Copeland – former World Cup pro mechanic and now service director at Hush Money Bikes – joins James and Dave to geek out on all things related to building a dream home workshop. In this episode, you'll learn about how to build out a tool kit, our thoughts on tool organisation, what to do if you don...

Good chain lubes can extend the life of your drivetrain, and bad ones can shorten them – but do you know how much that might actually cost you? A new online calculator using Zero Friction Cycling’s data aims to tell you just that. Our crew of geeks also pick their favorite road helmets, Ronan has some thoughts on stock component sizes, the UCI is at it again, 3T and Bianchi have some fancy new gra...

This week's regular (and free!) episode of Geek Warning has James Huang, Zach Edwards (of the Boulder Grupetto), and Dave Rome back on the mics. With only a small amount of news to discuss, much of the conversation surrounds bigger and broader-reaching topics. Seeing so many sales out of the bike industry is great for those in the market for a new bike, but it's a worrying sign of financial strugg...

It's time for another bonus episode of The Geek Warning podcast, exclusive to our members. This week, Brad Copeland – former world cup pro mechanic and now service director at Hush Money Bikes – joins James and Dave to answer member-submitted questions. This week, the geeks answer questions related to chain waxing, degreasing, what grease goes where, removing stuck cassettes, tool tips, how we sto...