Marginal Gains Cycling Podcast, Presented by Silca

If the premise of these Q&A episodes is that you can Ask Josh Anything, and we continue asking questions forever, shouldn't we really change the name of this series to "Ask Josh Everything?" The answer to that question is, of course, "it depends."  In this installment, Josh addresses the surprisingly contentious oval chainring, speculates on why a squeaky wheel is squeaking, talks about the present and future of TPU tube recyling...but not before Fatty line-jumps with his current fascination: how, with an unlimited budget, you could build the perfect Everesting route and bike.  This is a fun — and as always, sneakily educational — episode. Enjoy!

Dylan Johnson is back with a follow up to the testing he and Josh did in the spring. The race season started with the two of them in the wind tunnel looking for Marginal Gains that could be used in the Lifetime Grand Prix and the other off-road races Dylan had on his calendar. Dylan reports back with his "on-course" experience and a look at how other racers are adopting some of the advantages he and Josh first discovered. Dylan also has questions for Josh on how some of the new "finds" and Silca products can be used at the pointy end of off-road racing. This is two Marginal Gainers sharing notes on another season of discovery and execution. 

Is it a coincidence that Fatty picked all the questions for this episode, and that all the questions in this episode are topics Fatty finds either interesting or personally relevant? Probably not! But if you're wondering if chain waxing makes sense for dusty trail conditions, are curious how much (if any) the outside temperature should affect your tire pressure, or are wondering how inflexible cyclists should set their bikes to be as aero as possible, you'll find Josh's answers as intriguing as Fatty did. Enjoy the show!

Zwift VP of Product Mark Cote joins the Marginal Gains crew, picking up where we left off in our last conversation: the wind tunnel. This time, his time in the tunnel is all about future-looking features for Zwift, and this peek at what's to come is not to be missed.  From there we talk about everything in the present and future state of Zwift and Marginal Gains, from the extremely practical (tips and warnings for your own Zwift setup) to the philosophical (is Zwift for racing, training, or fun?) with everything in between.  Whether you ride a smart trainer or not, you will not want to miss this episode!

Bryan Larsen tells us his only real talent is that he's too dumb to quit. We strongly disagree, but take his point: Bryan is no quitter. In this episode, Bryan talks us through how he took the constraints given to him through birth and accident, and used passion, perseverence, and a love of marginal gains to reinvent his racing career.

We're so excited to kick this 35th episode of our "Ask Josh Anything" series with a discussion of the announcement of Silca's partnership with Visma Lease-A-Bike. Fatty does his level best to pitch having Hottie in the team car, hot-waxing on the move. We move from there to the challenges of high pressure with hookless rims, and how it has put Josh in the position of being the PSI bartender and cutting pressure-thirsty riders off. And that's just for starters. We also get into group ride marginal gains, changing pressure prescriptions for worn tires, whether 3D-printed Ti quicklinks should be a thing, the likely aero effects of Tadej's six-figure watch, and more. Enjoy this packed episode of Marginal Gains!

Amy Charity, founder of SBT GRVL and former pro roadie, discusses the growth of gravel racing and her transition from finance to cycling. The podcast covers the origins of SBT GRVL, challenges of event organization, mentorship cultures in different countries, and the unique aspects of gravel cycling events. Additionally, it compares American and European cycling event cultures, highlighting the inclusive nature and business strategies of gravel events.

At this point we've lost track on how many episodes we've dedicated to wind tunnels, but this is at least partially one of them. We've also got great questions about Fatty's new Firefly and the Ti-printed parts Silca created for it, a classic question on the best body position for riding in a strong tailwind, axle handle alignment, and a remarkably well-considered question on calculating tire pressure for full-suspension bikes. 

Gravel Racing has gone global, and governing bodies have gotten involved. The UCI is now in its third year of putting on its Gravel World Series. It has more than two dozen races on four continents. Instead of running the series itself, the UCI has turn to a sports group and the point person in that group is three-time Cyclocross World Champ Erwin Vervecken. It's an understatement to say he knows drop bars and dirt. He is. We talk to Erwin about how the series began, the lack of a major presence in the US, how to get into Worlds, UCI rules and Gravel, and we throw in some Cross questions.

Tony Karklins is the founder of Allied Cycle, is currently the founder of Time, and has deep knowledge of all aspects of the cycling industry, all the way back to when as a teenager he owned a bike shop. He's the perfect match for a conversation with Josh about bike business, manufacturing, racing and more.