The BikeRadar Podcast

What are the best mountain bikes on sale in 2024? We have the answers. Bike of the Year has come around again, and Tom, Rob and Al have been hard at work testing some of the best mountain bikes around.  In this episode, our tech team discuss the best trail, enduro, full-fat and SL ebikes, following three months of dedicated testing. For full reviews, head over to BikeRadar.com as we reveal the win...

In this edition of the BikeRadar Podcast, senior technical writer Simon von Bromley and senior technical editor Ashley Quinlan discuss Ash’s recent test of £500 alloy wheelsets. The duo cover off the key winners and losers, deliver some surprising findings and discuss whether a £500 alloy wheelset is worth buying in 2024.  Finally, Ash shares some of his key thought-provoking takeaways following t...

If you’ve been paying attention to the pro road-racing scene recently, you may have noticed many riders are increasingly using oversized chainrings.   Are today’s pro riders so fast they simply need bigger gears than before, or could there be more to this tech trend than meets the eye?   In today’s episode of the BikeRadar podcast, Simon von Bromley sits down with Liam Cahill to discuss this devel...

Are you confused by the jargon you read in our reviews? Find technical terms all a bit much? In this podcast, our technical writer and all-round tech-head Luke Marshall guides you through some of the terms that pop up frequently in our mountain bike reviews. If there are other terms you’re not sure the meaning of, pop us an email, and we’ll do our best to help. Our email address is podcast@bikerad...

Sea Otter 2024, part trade show, part mountain, road and gravel festival, has just wrapped up. The beady eyes of George Scott and Jack Luke have been on the search for the best MTB kit at the show, and they bring you their top picks here. From fancy frames to brand new pedals, via a very fast set of tyres, the 2024 Sea Otter has provided the goods. Our team pushed out a lot of tech content on Bike...

Sea Otter 2024 has landed, merging trade-show tech with bike-festival vibes. Our editorial duo of Jack Luke and George Scott are pounding the grounds of Laguna Seca Raceway to bring you the best bits. This podcast focuses on the best of the drop-bar tech seen on day one. Jack Luke almost lost his marbles when he spotted Ritchey’s new Montebello randonneur bike, and was blown away by 5Dev’s scuff-p...

In today’s episode of the BikeRadar Podcast, deputy editor Jack Luke and senior technical writer Simon von Bromley discuss the latest tech news in road cycling.   Last week saw the launch of the new ENVE Fray and BMC Roadmachine – both endurance road bikes with an all-road slant. As well as sharing details of each new bike the pair discuss whether all-road bikes can really do double duty off and o...

In this episode of the BikeRadar Podcast, Jack Luke, Tom Marvin and Warren Rossiter answer questions sent in by you, our beloved listeners. From average chain life to describing the feel of tyres, the trio shares solutions for your burning tech questions.    Thanks to Steve Wilson, Nicolas Rogowski, Tom Parish, Owen Lockwood and everyone else for sending in your questions!   If you have any questi...

It's the morning after the night before and, with the dust settling on another edition of Paris-Roubaix, George, Liam and Simon sit down to digest this year's tech highlights. Big tyres, bigger chainrings, aero optimisations and even gravel bikes featured over the cobbles of the Hell of the North.   Got a question for the team? You can email us at podcast@bikeradar.com Learn more about your ad cho...

Dropper seatposts are near-ubiquitous on modern mountain bikes, but what separates the good from the bad, how do they work and what should you look out for when shopping for a new one?    Hot on the heels of a nine-way test, BikeRadar digital writer Nick Clark outlines the key buying considerations and spills the beans on the best and worst of dropper seatpost tech today.   He’s joined by BikeRada...

It’s easy to assume professional bike riders get access to the best kit available, but the reality can be very different.   From wild monocoque triathlon bikes through to ultra-light climbing bikes, long socks and myriad aerodynamic upgrades, there are many things pros simply aren’t allowed to use due to stringent regulations or sponsor restrictions.   In this episode of the BikeRadar podcast, two...

BikeRadar’s XC fans Rach and Tom look ahead to the 2024 XC season. The first rounds are coming up shortly in Brazil and the summer’s Olympic Games are on the horizon. The past six months have seen a host of exciting, new XC bikes and tech being launched, so in this episode we discuss the latest race bikes as well as picking out who we think will take home the gold from the summer Games in Paris. L...

Which accessories do you need for mountain biking and which don’t you need? We run through the five most important mountain bike accessories and reveal the five you don’t really need (though they may be nice to have). With over 70 years of cumulative MTB experience, Tom, Rob and Al know what makes our riding lives easier — and what doesn’t really make much difference. Learn more about your ad choi...

Fastest Known Times (FKTs) are individual time trials raced over typically mixed-terrain ultra-endurance routes.   A long-established racing format in the thru-hiking and backpacking worlds, cycling FKTs have surged in popularity in recent years.    In today's episode of the BikeRadar Podcast, custodian of fastestknowntimes.org.uk and ultra-endurance racing legend Molly Weaver explains what FKTs a...

How do you pick a pocket-friendly gravel bike? What should you look out for and what key features can you expect if you’re spending around £1,000? Senior road technical editor Warren Rossiter has recently completed a test of budget gravel bikes, and in this episode he and Tom discuss the entry-level gravel bike market.  They cover the kit you’re likely to find, and the types of bikes available at...

Bike of the Year is coming! Testing for our annual bike review bonanza is well underway. In this episode, George Scott is joined by two of our lead testers, Tom Marvin and Warren Rossiter, to preview Bike of the Year 2024. With nine categories across road, gravel, MTB and urban, what bikes can you expect to see in the test? Tune-in to find out…    Read more on L-Twoo’s new gravel groupsets from th...

Specialized’s cross-country bike, the Epic 8, was launched with an updated RockShox Flight Attendant, updated to work seamlessly with XC race rigs. In this episode, Tom Marvin speaks to Brian Gordon, Specialized’s product lead on all things XC, and Chris Mandell, North America PR man for SRAM. They discuss the new Specialized Epic 8 and Epic 8 EVO, as well as the latest wireless developments in su...

What are your baseline fork settings? The dark-arts of bar tape, and our pick of the best workstands, plus more, feature in this episode of our Tech Q&A series. Tech experts Warren Rossiter and Alex Evans weigh in to help out our listeners navigate the world of cycling tech. Have you any unanswered questions? Pop them to podcast@bikeradar.com and we’ll include them in a future episode. Learn more...

It’s (another) new bike day at BikeRadar – the 10th generation Giant TCR has launched, and we’ve jumped into the podcast studio to cover the major headlines. Senior technical editor Ashley Quinlan is your host, joined by road tech aficionados Simon von Bromley and Liam Cahill to discuss how the latest TCR stacks up. We also hear from Giant’s Andrew Juskaitis, who helps us position the TCR versus t...

In this latest edition of the BikeRadar Podcast, senior technical editor Ashley Quinlan sits down with Factor Bikes CEO and founder, Rob Gitelis. They discuss Rob’s history in the cycling world, firstly behind the scenes in carbon manufacture before taking over at Factor, then move on to the future of the material as well as take on the big question about the state of the bike industry today. Lear...

Manufacturers of carbon rims are increasingly adopting hookless rims, citing benefits such as lower weight, improved aerodynamics and reduced manufacturing costs.   Last week, though, on stage five of the 2024 UAE Tour, Thomas De Gendt suffered a high-speed crash while – seemingly – just riding along.   De Gendt’s wheels, a set of Zipp’s 353 NSW carbon wheels with hookless rims, were initially dee...

How do we test the best road cycling kit on the market? In a follow-up to our MTB testing secrets podcast, Tom sits down with Ash and Simon to discuss the trickiest road cycling kit to test, and how we overcome those difficulties. Power meters, saddles, shoes, wheels and smart trainers all pose their own difficulties, but with a bit of know-how and experience, we can ensure our reviews are as accu...

It’s been a big week for tech news on BikeRadar. George, Jack and Simon discuss five of the week’s most interesting stories, from Campagnolo’s new gravel groupset to a revamped Canyon Spectral trail bike, via five-star power meter pedals.   Read more on BikeRadar: Campagnolo Ekar GT is the brand’s widest-ranging gravel groupset ever – and it's cheaper than Ekar https://www.bikeradar.com/news/campa...

Our Tech Q&A episodes are back, with Rob and Warren giving their expert advice on all things cycling tech and answering the questions our listeners have sent to podcast@bikeradar.com . In this episode, we weigh in on light versus heavy spokes, and the plethora of headset options out there. We’ve questions on the necessity of cycling computers and the differences between single-pivot linkage actuat...

In today’s episode of the BikeRadar Podcast, deputy editor Jack Luke and senior technical editor Tom Marvin discuss this week’s biggest news stories in MTB tech.    With Orange Bikes saved from administration, the pair consider how the brand may evolve in the coming years. They also ponder what it is that makes Pivot, and brands like it, so cool, and the proliferation of integration on modern moun...