This week, Ronan and Dave discuss Muc-Off’s much-delayed entry into premium drip wax lubes. Better late than never?

With some new gravel wheels from Swiss Side and Scope hitting the market, the conversation turns to how hooked rims are quickly becoming a sales feature even in disciplines where hookless is perfectly fine. The geeks also chat about rim widths and wheel choices.

Of course, there’s a PSA, while the free episode wraps with Ronan sharing a new app for the watts-obsessed – wattsthedifference.

Something you'll be missing in this free feed is that members of Escape Collective get the full episode, including Ask a Wrench. This week, Dave is joined by pro mechanic Colin Williams to answer questions related to torque, DOT fluid, and picking one grease.

Time stamps:

• 02:45 - Muc-Off does the thing they debated against
• 17:20 - Swiss Side’s budget gravel performance and
• 20:16 - Hooked is a selling feature
• 22:30 - Scope enters the wider rim space and a rabbit hole down the rim width tunnel
• 31:15 - Wolf Tooth joins the nice semi-internal headset game
• 35:00 - Sapim expands beyond steel spokes
• 41:00 - PSA for the eyes
• 43:30 - Ronan’s good thing
• 1:00:00 - Ask a Wrench (members only)
• 1:00:40 - More on torque, dry threadlocker, and carbon paste
• 1:08:00 - Worry about a frame repair
• 1:11:00 - How long does DOT fluid keep for?
• 1:14:00 - Picking one grease for general use

This week, Ronan reveals to the world that he’s never even sat on a Cannondale CAAD. Relatedly, Escape is now hiring a new tech editor.

Separate from that controversy, Dave and Ronan chat through some interesting but unreleased products. Dave worries he’s got too much on his mind when it comes to modern electronics in bicycles. And conversation turns a little behind-the-scenes.

Members of Escape Collective also get access to Ask a Wrench, where we answer your technical questions. This week a lot of those questions were up Ronan’s alley, so he’s present to answer them.

Happy geeking!

Time stamps:

• 3:40 - Escape is hiring!
• 7:00 - The new CAAD
• 16:30 - Interesting concept handlebar from Champn
• 24:00 - Pogi’s new Enve 6.7s
• 26:33 - Bianchi’s Infinito puzzling press launch
• 35:40 - New travel cases from Evoc and Post Carry Co
• 40:00 - Dave has no more mental capacity for electronics
• 50:00 - Ask a Wrench (members only)
• 51:00 - Corrections Corner
• 52:00 - Bike choice for Paris-Roubaix Challenge
• 1:04:00 - Hookless confusion in the real-world
• 1:10:00 - First bike with electronic shifting. Things to know.

From hookless hubs to the latest in 11-speed shifting, the past week of tech has been quite the rollercoaster for the tech-minded.

This week on Geek Warning, Ronan, Dave, and Alex from Escape Collective’s tech team catch up to run through the news and offer plenty of thoughts along the way. This one is a little heavier on the news than we typically like to do, but it’s been quite the busy week on that front!

Of course, members of Escape Collective also get access to the full version of the episode that tacks on Ask a Wrench at the end. Zach Edwards joins Dave in answering a handful of interesting member questions, including one from a former winner of Unbound 200.

Time stamps:

• 2:40 - The new Cervelo Caledonia
• 3:34 - OneUp joins the XC SPD pedal game
• 6:40 - Nobl’s new sub-1,000 gram MTB wheels
• 9:20 - MicroShift’s Advent MX 1x11 shifting
• 10:10 - Shimano Tiagra goes 11-speed
• 11:50 - Hookless hub failures in the WorldTour
• 17:00 - Giant’s vaguely new Propel
• 22:00 - Merida’s new Reacto is finally released
• 31:00 - Closely overlapping road range confusion
• 50:30 - A SPD to flat pedal adapter that’s a Good Thing
• 53:50 - Ask a Wrench (Members Only feed)
• 54:45 - Getting specific with 2x shifting on Cane Creek EEwings cranks
• 1:01:50 - Do you need to bleed brakes after undoing and/or cutting hoses?
• 1:09:40 - Rusty chains, chain wax, and when to replace
• 1:19:00 - A real fancy bike behind Zach

It’s common for everyone to chase the simple answer for what the best product is. In this week’s Geek Warning, Dave and Ronan discuss why those chasing the best of something may be landing upon fiction.

Additionally, you’ll hear about the differing paths in aero road wheel design between the latest from Princeton Carbon Works and Cadex. Of course, there’s a PSA. And our Good Thing segment returns.

As with every week, members of Escape Collective get access to our Ask a Wrench segment. This week, Zach Edwards joins Dave to discuss greasing principles, whether to lube electronic derailleurs, mixing-and-matching SRAM brakes, and more.

If you like the show, then please consider leaving a review. It’s much appreciated.

Happy geeking!

Time stamps:

• 1:20 - Princeton Carbon Works’ research into rim widths
• 10:50 - Cadex’s new aero combo
• 20:00 - SRAM’s new gravity MTB products
• 22:55 - Ibis has a new XC bike
• 24:00 - On our mind: There is no best
• 36:50 - PSA: Know when you don’t know
• 46:00 - Good thing: Sync Ergonomics Aerobar Three
• 51:00 - Ask a Wrench (Members only)
• 51:30 - Do you lube the pivots of electronic derailleurs?
• 59:20 - Shimano MTB vs Road on an indoor trainer
• 1:04:00 - Mixing SRAM dropbar shifters with four-piston calipers
• 1:09:30 - Applying grease to a thread and how much to use

Oh hi, Dave Rome here. It’s time to get geeky about spokes.

I recently wrapped up a long-term review (now live on Escape Collective) where I compared two identical gravel wheelsets, one built with bladed steel spokes and the other built with Berd spokes, a spoke made from a Ultra-High Molecular Weight Polyethylene, aka, Dyneema.

Those white Berd spokes have been growing steadily in popularity, and off the back of Tom Pidcock and Pauline Ferrand Prevot winning the last Olympic games on them, I was ever more curious. To help with that curiosity, Tristan Thomas of the New Zealand-based wheel company, WheelWorks, lent me some wheels in order to get some answers to questions I had.

This episode is a sit-down with Tristan to discuss spokes and the considerations around an interesting polymer product like Berd. Happy geeking!

Think of recent times when Apple, Samsung, or Google have once again claimed to change the phone, just for you to find out that you can now photograph everyone’s wrinkles a little more clearly. Ronan believes we’re in an age where performance bikes are like phones, and of course, the geeks discuss it.

On Geek Warning this week, Dave and Ronan discuss Cannondale’s latest bikes and what they may spell for some other emerging trends. Meanwhile, the PSA segment returns with a warning regarding increasingly common hood slippage.

All of that is free to all, while members of Escape Collective also gain access to our popular Ask a Wrench segment at the end of the episode. From our favourite bearing greases to headset woes, there’s plenty answered and discussed this week.

Happy geeking!

Time stamps:

• 1:45 - Cannondale SuperSix Evo 4.5
• 12:50 - TT frames as aero road bikes?
• 24:00 - Favero doubles battery longevity, for free
• 25:50 - Trek turns 50
• 26:30 - New Factor Ostro Gravel spotted
• 30:30 - RIP King Liu
• 31:30 - Performance bicycles are like phones
• 45:00 - PSA related to slipping hoods
• 54:30 - Ask a Wrench with Boulder Grupetto (member only)
• 55:48 - Mixing and matching SRAM Transmission with other cassettes
• 1:00:15 - Specialized Crux headset loosening woes
• 1:10:00 - Quick connectors for fully integrated drop bar bikes?
• 1:17:20 - Servicing versus replacing bottom brackets, and our go-to bearing greases

It’s time for another bonus episode from the geeks. Hosted by Dave Rome, this episode is a dive into the world of torque wrench usage. Oh yes, it’s time to get nerdy.

Anyone who uses a torque wrench should find value in this episode that covers the do’s and don’ts in using a torque wrench. To help with this topic, Dave is joined by Alex Boone, an aerospace engineer who works at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Formerly a quality control engineer, and before that, a bike shop rat, Alex knows the ins and outs of using a torque wrench and how best to apply that in bicycle terms.

For more on this topic, head on over to EscapeCollective.com for Dave’s latest edition of Threaded that summarises and shows many of the concepts discussed within.

The full version of this episode is only available to members of Escape Collective. Those on the free feed will hear approximately half the episode. If independent journalism matters to you, you want access to all that we offer (and without ads), or you just want a website that’s not trash to look at, then please consider joining at escapecollective.com/geekwarning .

Have you experienced certain models of Shimano 12-speed chains rusting more easily than expected? It’s one of many topics in this week’s Geek Warning, the cycling tech podcast from Escape Collective.

This week, Suvi, Alex, and Dave also discuss limitations and concerns regarding the fast-arriving 32in wheels. There’s talk of new bikes. And what we carry for fixing tubeless punctures.

Those on our member-only feeds also get access to Ask a Wrench, where this week Colorado-based pro mechanic Colin Williams joins Dave for the first time.

Happy geeking!

Time stamps:

• 1:40 - Trek’s new XC bike has been spotted
• 6:40 - Big (32”) wheels continue to gain momentum, but maybe we should pump the brakes?
• 18:00 - Basso’s new gravel bike
• 22:30 - Do 12-speed Shimano chains have a rust issue?
• 31:00 - Tubeless tyre plugging
• 42:30 - What we’ve finished working on
• 45:00 - Ask a Wrench (Member-only, with pro mechanic Colin Williams)
• 46:00 - When cutting carbon goes wrong
• 51:00 - Are there short-cuts to setting up SRAM Transmission?
• 58:40 - Tips for gravel racing in sand
• 1:04:00 - Specialized FutureShock headset tips