Geek Warning Escape Collective

We know, we know, it’s been ages since we did our last Ask a Wrench episode – late January, in fact. Guilty as charged. Better late than never? But as a nice bonus, our panel of geeks had an extra-long list of repair and maintenance questions to answer this time around, like why bedding in your new brakes is important, what not to do with your fancy digital torque wrench, how to diagnose a curious front-end clunk, how to protect your fancy new bike for the long haul, the best way to fix a paint chip, and much more.
Fair warning: The full episode is only available to Escape Collective members. Head on over to escapecollective.com/member to support this show and everything else on our podcast network.

Welcome back to Geek Warning! This week, James and Dave have a varied conversation covering tech related to road, gravel, and mountain bike.
The Giro has begun and Tadej Pogačar took a little tumble that many were quick to blame the equipment for. James and Dave discuss that such finger pointing was not warranted this time.
At the opposite end of UCI disciplines, the conversation then turns to aero gains returning to professional downhill mountain bike racing.
In the tech new front, the geeks praise Chris King’s new Gen 4 hubs and discuss why Forge+Bond entry into the road market may not be hugely successful. Plus there’s discussion of a new Bike Yoke dropper, Zwift’s price rises, and more.
Meanwhile, a new Shimano Di2 patent has surfaced teasing wireless 13-speed shifting. Dave got Terry of BetterShifting.com on the phone to discuss the discovered patent and what it may mean.
Our pick one this week is perhaps better described as a buyer’s guide to selecting a wheelset for gravel. From rim choices, to spoke choices, to hub choices, you’ll hear what our geeks prefer for their own bikes.
Please jump into the comments section on our website for any feedback or questions related to the episode.
Escape Collective's podcasts are made possible by our members. Head on over to escapecollective.com/member to support this show and everything else on our podcast network.
Time stamps:
4:00 - Hookless now getting undeserved blame..9:25 - Downhill mountain bike racing getting aero?16:30 - Chris King’s new Gen 4 hubs21:45 - Forge+Bond brings its thermoplastic rims to road28:40 - Chatting with Terry of BetterShifting.com about a certain Di2 patent36:07 - e-Cargo bikes being covered by car media is on James’ mind40:50 - Picking one gravel wheelset, or at least, what we look for52:00 - A member-submitted PSA56:15 - 3T’s Strada Italia, made in Italy57:15 - Bike Yoke’s Revive V3 dropper looks great59:20 - Wolf Tooth updates its chainguides1:00:25 - Zwift price increases1:04:20 – A gimmicky indoor stationary bike on Kickstarter

The Sea Otter Classic just wrapped up literally a few days ago, but clearly someone forgot to turn off the tap of new bikes and gear. Cervelo just announced a redesign of its ultra-popular Aspero gravel bike, and clearly put a lot of thought into what needed to change – and perhaps more importantly, what didn’t. Colnago also just dropped a new gravel bike of its own, the G4X, and Giant finally revamped its Trinity TT bike – no more rim brakes! Dave and James also chat about the eight billion tubeless valve stems out on the market, our favorite mountain bike computer mounts, and some of the latest happenings on the industry side.
Escape Collective's podcasts are made possible by our members. Head on over to escapecollective.com/join to support this show and everything else on our podcast network.
Timestamps:
3:17 – Cervelo’s ultra-popular Aspero gravel bike gets a careful redesign10:50 – Zwift has added a whole bunch of new features, and some of them sound pretty sweet15:15 – What’s up with seemingly everyone having their own high-flow tubeless valves now?28:11 – Pick one! Our favorite mountain bike computer mounts38:54 – A dirty cassette can easily turn into a skipping chain43:22 – Colnago announces its new G4X gravel race bike58:54 – The last holdout of rim brakes in the pro peloton is no more59:30 – Enve Composites has been sold1:01:07 – What the heck is going on at Rapha?1:06:29 – More industry layoffs, this time at Cannondale

In this episode of Geek Warning, James is just back from the Sea Otter Classic and Dave is still thinking about chain lube and tools.
On the Sea Otter front, James and Dave discuss new eco-friendlier tyres from Vittoria, new metal bikes from Ritchey and Digit, parts from 5Dev and Xpedo, along with new tools from PrestaCycle and Stan’s NoTubes. Check out James’ Sea Otter Classic galleries for visuals of what was discussed (and so so so much more).
The conversation then turns to larger questions around Stages Cycling and Kona who were both missing-in-action at America’s largest trade show and cycling event.
On Dave’s mind is a better way to apply chain lube following a recent video from Josh Poertner of Silca. Our PSA is less of a public service announcement and more a basic guide into figuring out where noises may be coming from in order to silence them. And then the geeks bring back the Pick One segment to discuss floor pumps.
The episode finishes up with a new crank-related recall from FSA.
All this and more in this week’s episode of Geek Warning – a podcast created for and funded by the members of Escape Collective.
Time stamps:
3:00 - Sea Otter highlights, including things from Vittoria, Ritchey, Digit, PrestaCycle, 5Dev, Xpedo, and more.26:00 - Unknowns ahead for Stages Cycling and Kona Bikes36:00 - Circling back to the HighBar helmet strap as seen at Sea Otter39:20 - A better way to apply chain lube?45:15 - Chasing down those noises52:40 - Picking one floor pump1:02:30 - An explainer on Time’s revamped pedal range1:06:00 - FSA recalls some its AGX+ gravel cranks

In this jam-packed episode, James and Dave discuss a handful of new gravel and road bikes that caught their attention during the week. Trek enters the rear Radar game to compete with Garmin, yet James’ early impressions of the CarBack raises more questions than answers.
DT Swiss has just released a new mountain bike rear hub with a wholly new ratchet system, you can read about the new 240 DEG hub at escapecollective.com, and a bonus episode of Geek Warning with DT Swiss is also available, too. Meanwhile the coverage of new products from EVT, Fox, RockShox, and more continues at the end of the episode.
On our mind and over the heads of the geek's families is the topic of gravel suspension. The geeks discuss who it’s for (and who it’s not), and why it’s proving to be more than a gimmick.
Plus there’s a PSA, which is likely a repeat on something previously discussed, but that only makes it more important.
Time stamps:
3:00 - Kona’s new gravel bike for mountain bikers6:30 - FiftyOne’s new Sika road bike11:55 - Parlee’s new and unexpectedly-European-made Ouray road bike15:40 - Trek enters the rear radar game with its CarBack23:15 - DT Swiss’ 240 Ratchet DEG hub26:30 - Chatting all things gravel suspension (including Cane Creek’s Inverted answer to the space)43:25 - PSA: Your dropper needs love47:50 - Classified adds Enve to its partners list49:25 - New RockShox things50:40 - Fox overhauls its Transfer dropper53:00 - EVT enters the portable repair stand game55:10 - OnGaurd’s new RockSolid angle-grinder-resistant lock

It’s time for another bonus episode of the Geek Warning podcast. Typically only Escape Collective members have access to the full versions of these, but this week we’re feeling generous.
This episode coincides with the release of DT Swiss’ Ratchet DEG system (link to review), effectively an oversized 90T version of the famous Star Ratchet design. Here, tech editor Dave Rome interviews Friso Lorscheider and Brandon Wold from DT Swiss about this new mountain bike rear hub and how it fits into the company’s modern line-up.
The discussion then turns to new spokes, how to choose spokes, and an explainer on understanding DT Swiss’ wheel range names. Geek Warning, indeed.
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