James Huang

Podcasts

Episódios

  1. Clinchers and inner tubes at Paris-Roubaix?

    11/03/2021

    Clinchers and inner tubes at Paris-Roubaix?

    Team Deceuninck-QuickStep and Bora-Hansgrohe — together with sponsors Roval and Specialized — have been doing a fair bit of experimenting with their wheels and tires over the past couple of years, gradually moving away from traditional tubulars to tube-type clinchers for time trials and tubeless clinchers for road races. In an unusual move, both teams say they’re now wholly committed to clinchers and latex inner tubes for everything — even possibly (but not likely) Paris-Roubaix. To find out more about the surprising decision, James and Dave have a chat with Roval engineering manager Jeff Meyer, as well as three key players from the Deceuninck-QuickStep team: technical director Ricardo Scheidecker, team scientist and coach Koen Pelgrim, and head mechanic Nicolas Coosemans.

    59min
  2. Is it possible to have too many tools? No, it is not.

    28/01/2021

    Is it possible to have too many tools? No, it is not.

    You might look at tools just as utilitarian items — cold lumps of lifeless steel. For the true believers, the difference between good tools and bad ones is like the difference between gas station sushi and the real thing: they both might get the job done, but one is certainly a lot more satisfying, while the other is more likely to leave you feeling more than a little bit of regret. But, what makes a good tool, why is designing one so hard to do, and why should you care? James and Dave get the lowdown with Jason Quade from Abbey Bike Tools.

    1h1min
  3. Wireless 12-speed Shimano Dura-Ace is real!

    26/06/2021

    Wireless 12-speed Shimano Dura-Ace is real!

    The full crew is finally reunited for this week’s Nerd Alert podcast! Now that Shimano’s new 12-speed Dura-Ace Di2 groupset has made an appearance in the wild, we dive into what we can confirm (it’s black), what we think (wiredless?), and what we hope to see (a mechanical version in polished silver!!) in the company’s new flagship road components. We then debate the pros and cons of hookless road wheels, the idea of a flat-proof tube, and finish with an extended Ask a Mechanic segment with questions fielded exclusively from our Veloclub members — and Zach mostly kept his promise to not be too salty this time around.

    1h19min
  4. How much mountain bike is too much when it comes to gravel bike geometry?

    21/05/2021

    How much mountain bike is too much when it comes to gravel bike geometry?

    In this week’s Nerd Alert episode, tech editor Dave Rome has a chat with Australian custom builder extraordinaire Mark Hester of Prova Cycles. Hester was a very early adopter of MTB-style geometry on gravel bikes, incorporating things like long front centers and shorter stems when most other brands — especially mainstream labels — were still using dimensions mostly borrowed from road racing machines. Yet as with anything bike-related, if a little bit of something is good, lots more of it surely makes it even better, right? Hester has some interesting thoughts on the idea, and you won’t want to miss hearing where he thinks things are going from here.

    49min
  5. Wireless for everybody!

    05/02/2021

    Wireless for everybody!

    Recent filings with the US Federal Communications Commission reveal that Shimano’s next generation of Dura-Ace Di2 will be at least semi-wireless — and not only that, but SRAM looks to finally be bringing its AXS wireless system down to the Rival level. Both developments are very exciting, but what do they mean for wired drivetrains, and will both companies be able to deliver in the current environment? While drivetrains are trending toward wireless, indoor trainers might be moving in the other direction with hardwired connections for better signal reliability. Finally, we tackle a whole bunch of fresh questions in our Ask a Mechanic segment (and Caley actually has something meaningful to contribute this time around).

    1h10min
  6. How to spot a good mechanic

    25/05/2020

    How to spot a good mechanic

    There's much tech news to dissect in this week's episode, from Strava's aggressive new paywall to the new Cannondale Scalpel to which podcast host did the dumbest weightweenie things to his XC bike back in the early 2000s. Plus, we bring back Ask a Mechanic, and Zach runs through how to fix a floppy SRAM hydro shifter, the best way to wrap bars, and more.

    1h9min
  7. Peek behind the carbon manufacturing curtain

    16/03/2020

    Peek behind the carbon manufacturing curtain

    This is a coronavirus-free podcast. Just a bunch of nerds sitting around talking bikes.  This week's episode kicks off with a look into the somewhat shadowy world of carbon manufacturing. We speak with someone who has built bikes for big brands and small, and who provides insight into the way the whole system works.  Then, we Ask A Mechanic about corroded cables, proper brake bleed technique, and more.

    1h28min
  8. A new lease on life for clothing and bags

    09/11/2022

    A new lease on life for clothing and bags

    Much of the attention on the Right to Repair movement in cycling has been concentrated on hard goods, like bikes, wheels, components, and so on. But it’s also important to remember that you can often fix clothing and bags at a nominal cost after a crash or even just due to wear and tear. Why throw it away when you can bring it back to life? In this week’s episode, we chat with two brands – Velocolour and Ortlieb – who are doing just that.

    58min
  9. Tech of the Tour de France

    23/09/2020

    Tech of the Tour de France

    With the Tour de France wrapped up, we take a look at the tech that popped up and discuss what it might mean for the rest of us.

    1h2min
  10. 3T’s homegrown Italian robots and the future of carbon fiber

    17/09/2021

    3T’s homegrown Italian robots and the future of carbon fiber

    3T recently wound down its carbon fiber frame production in Asia and brought it in-house to Italy. Manufacturing frames the same way would have prohibitory expensive with Italian labor costs, though, so 3T instead developed an entirely new, and highly automated, process that not only dramatically slashes the amount of manual labor required, but also supposedly makes the frames better.  What’s the secret sauce in 3T’s new frame building technology, and what are the company’s plans for it moving forward? In this episode of the CyclingTips Nerd Alert podcast, we sit down — virtually, of course — with 3T co-owner Gerard Vroomen, who gives us the full scoop on what this technology is, how it’s different, and what its future might look like.

    43min
  11. The 2021 CyclingTippies tech awards!

    10/01/2022

    The 2021 CyclingTippies tech awards!

    There are all sorts of awards handed out in the cycling industry. There’s the Arlo Pfeiffer award for most convoluted cable routing; the Emma Stouffy prize for the more pungent tire; and the David St. Hubbins trophy — the “Hubby” — for blackest paint. But when all is said and done, none of these matter as much as our annual CyclingTippies tech awards. What was the best bike we rode this year (and the worst)? Who shook up the industry the most? What new trend had us really scratching our heads? Go grab some popcorn and kick your feet up while you listen to this one.

    1h5min
  12. More fun new stuff from Sea Otter, and the future of traveling with your bike

    19/04/2022

    More fun new stuff from Sea Otter, and the future of traveling with your bike

    Caley promised to be more prepared for our second Sea Otter episode, but his list of neat new stuff that he found at the show was a little… questionable. Luckily for him, we had a special guest on hand: Orucase co-founder Isaac Howe. Isaac gave us plenty of detail on the magical folding full-size travel case Orucase has in development, shared with us a bunch of tips on how to pack your bike for a trip, and described how he sees the future of traveling with your bike in general now that most of the US domestic carriers no longer charge oversized fees. TL;DR version: it’s time to go into weight weenie mode.

    40min
  13. An extravaganza of new bikes

    09/09/2022

    An extravaganza of new bikes

    Do bike companies conspire to release a whole bunch of new bikes at once? It sure felt like it this week, as we saw the announcement of the new Trek Domane, the new Canyon Ultimate, and the new BMC Kaius all in the past few days. The Nerds discuss the salient features of each one — pros and cons — as well as a big industry indicator that the market really is cooling off big-time. Prices might finally be coming down for some stuff, but other items are still super hard to come by.

    1h11min
  14. Fixing broken carbon fiber

    12/05/2020

    Fixing broken carbon fiber

    This week's episode is a deep dive on carbon repair. After Caley broke his mountain bike, he sent it off to be fixed. We speak with Shawn Small and Dan Steinle from Ruckus Composites about the process, what they'll fix, and what they won't.  Then, James chats with Raoul Leuscher about why carbon bikes break in the first place.

    1h39min
  15. Rim brakes aren't dead yet

    30/06/2022

    Rim brakes aren't dead yet

    The bike industry may have shifted entirely to disc brakes, but there are millions of happy rim-brake users out there with bikes that still have years — or even decades — of life left in them. Mainstream brands have already stopped spending money on anything related to rim brakes, and while that’s a bummer in one sense, it’s also created an opportunity for smaller brands to fill the void.

    32min
  16. So. Many. New. Bikes.

    09/06/2022

    So. Many. New. Bikes.

    June is turning out to be an exceptionally hot month in terms of new bike releases, and Ronan joins James and Dave as a special guest to help us talk through them all. Although we don't have official information just yet, we know a new Trek Madone, Giant Propel, Canyon Ultimate, and Scott Foil are all likely to be announced within the next few weeks -- and thanks to revamped UCI technical regulations, there's once again some legitimately unique thinking going on in terms of design features. We also dissect Pinarello's new Grevil F gravel race bike, chat about Dave's favorite bikes from the Handmade Bicycle Show Australia, and wrap up with another round of Ask a Mechanic.

    1h17min
  17. Things that shouldn’t break

    03/06/2022

    Things that shouldn’t break

    Modern bikes are marvellous creations that continually push engineering boundaries with a continued focus on lighter, faster, and sleeker. However, that raises a big question, is the bicycle industry flying a little close to the sun when it comes to safety? It’s exactly this concern that this week’s Nerd Alert deep dive episode covers. Join James and Dave, as they speak with world-renowned carbon fibre repair, testing, and inspection expert Raoul Luescher of Melbourne-based Luescher Teknik. The conversation covers existing test standards related to forks, the perceived gaps in those standards, where the industry could (and should) do more, and some helpful hints for safety checking what's arguably the most critical part of your bike at home.

    1h10min
  18. Does it matter where your bike is built?

    28/07/2022

    Does it matter where your bike is built?

    The Nerds are back with a long overdue group show, and they’ve got a lot to talk about! James recaps some of the highlights from the recent Eurobike show in Frankfurt, Dave chats about the pitfalls of modern e-commerce with Silca’s Josh Poertner, we chat about two new road bikes — the Cervelo S5 and the Enve Melee — and debate how much it matters where a bike is manufactured. And finally, after a long hiatus, it’s another round of Ask a Mechanic!

    1h6min
  19. Tech from the Tour paddock

    12/07/2022

    Tech from the Tour paddock

    We’re a little late with this week’s Nerd Alert episode and for good reason – the Wi-Fi at the Tour de France is terrible. That’s right, Caley Fretz and Ronan Mc Laughlin are in France and chat about all things Tour de France tech. From prep for the cobbles to bikes with hidden motors (just kidding!), Ronan and Caley catch up with a number of pro riders to hear what they’re riding and why.

    44min
  20. Flat tires and sketchy brakes — it’s Field Test time again!

    23/06/2022

    Flat tires and sketchy brakes — it’s Field Test time again!

    This week’s episode comes to you live from Steamboat Springs, Colorado, where we’ve assembled four testers and a video team to evaluate ten different bikes. We’ve split them into six gravel and four road models this time around, with a focus on lower-priced options. The full reveal will come a bit later once we’re all done with testing, but let’s just say some of the bikes have already genuinely surprised us with how good they are, while others have made some unforgivable missteps.

    40min
James Huang na Apple