The BikeRadar Podcast

The Tech Q&A is back, with Jack Luke your host, and Tom Marvin and Warren Rossiter fielding your questions. This time around, the trio cover: Are new bikes actually any better than old bikes?  How to improve hand comfort on the bike  Can you convert an MTB to a gravel bike?  Tips for fitting stiff tubeless tyres  The perfect brake bleed, according to Shimano  Carbon vs alloy mountain bikes, what’s better?  Got a tech question for the BikeRadar team? Email us at podcast@bikeradar.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Colnago has launched the V5Rs, claimed to be the lightest bike it has ever made. The new bike is the replacement for the V4Rs, which has just had an enviable send-off at the 2025 Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix under Tadej Pogačar.In this bonus podcast episode, digital editor Jack Luke sits down with road tech lead Ashley Quinlan to discuss Ash’s early impressions of the new bike from a press event on Lake Garda, Italy.Of course, it’s lighter and faster on paper, but is that enough to satisfy these two tech nerds? Read the V5Rs news story here: https://www.bikeradar.com/news/colnago-v5rs Read Ash’s first-ride review here: https://www.bikeradar.com/reviews/bike-reviews/colnago-v5rs-first-ride Find out why Ash thinks Colnago might have missed an opportunity to be bolder here: https://www.bikeradar.com/features/opinion/the-colnago-v5rs-has-left-me-feeling-cold  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

George Scott and Simon von Bromley reflect on another classic edition of Paris-Roubaix, dissecting the tech trends that dominated this year’s race. From ever-wider tyres to gravel-inspired hacks, George and Simon chart the latest evolutions in Roubaix tech. How Zipp’s radically wide 303 wheelset ushered in an aero revolution at Paris-Roubaix – https://www.bikeradar.com/features/tech/icons-of-cycling-zipp-303Our tech predictions for Paris-Roubaix 2025... and a decade into the future, in 2035 – https://www.bikeradar.com/features/tech/paris-roubaix-2035-tech-predictionsWhy gravel gearing and clearance for 40mm tyres could be the future of Paris-Roubaix tech – https://www.bikeradar.com/features/tech/gravel-gearing-2025-spring-classics Watch all of our Paris-Roubaix tech videos on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@bikeradar Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With legit suspension and clearance for 50mm tyres, the latest gravel bikes are getting more extreme than ever. Jack and Warren discuss some of the latest trend-setting gravel launches, why big-tyred gravel bikes are good for pros and amateurs alike, and how you can choose the best gravel machine for your needs. Ridley Ignite GTX – https://www.bikeradar.com/news/ridley-ignite-gtxLee Cougan Innova Super Gravel – https://www.bikeradar.com/news/lee-cougan-innova-super-gravelWhy we need more gravel bike categories – https://www.bikeradar.com/features/opinion/gravel-bike-categorisation Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

For many cyclists, the continual churn of standards can be a nightmare. New ‘standards’ shoot up like Tadej Pogaçar on the Plateau de Beille, making our riding lives more complicated than necessary. Innovation and new standards can make our bikes better, but too often the gains don’t feel worth the hassle. With this in mind, Jack Luke sits down with Simon von Bromley and Tom Marvin to discuss their top picks for universal road and mountain bike standards.  Simon says: dear bike industry, these are the only road bike standards you should use Dear bike industry: these are the only mountain bike standards you should use Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Holy Week is here! The biggest week in the one-day race calendar is here, with the Tour of Flanders on Sunday and Paris-Roubaix a week later. The Spring Classics test riders and their equipment to the limit. It’s an annual tech feast for bike nerds so, ahead of Flanders and Roubaix, BikeRadar’s Simon von Bromley make their predictions for the trends that will define this year’s racing. Subscribe to our YouTube channel for all of our tech coverage from Paris-Roubaix: https://www.youtube.com/user/bikeradar Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ahead of the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix, BikeRadar’s George Scott speaks to Glen Leven, Team Support Manager for Lidl-Trek, to find out why the team is using gravel gearing for the Spring Classics. This was an impromptu phone call following Mads Pedersen’s win at Gent-Wevelgem, so the audio quality isn’t quite up to our usual standard, but we still want to bring you this behind-the-scenes chat about the latest Classics tech developments.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Fresh from the launch of her new book, Gravel Rides South West England, Freelance journalist and regular BikeRadar contributor, Katherine Moore speaks to Jack Luke about how to plan the perfect gravel route – or, as Moore puts it, “how to cook up a gorgeous gravel recipe.”  From the absolute basics to shockingly nerdy apps, this episode has something for gravel riders of all abilities.  Learn more about bridleways, restricted and byways: https://www.bikeradar.com/features/routes-and-rides/uk-cycling-footpath-laws Learn more about the UK’s best gravel events: https://www.bikeradar.com/features/routes-and-rides/uk-gravel-race-calendar  Learn more about Katherine’s book: https://www.adventurebooks.com/products/gravel-rides-south-west-england Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Freelance journalist and regular BikeRadar contributor, Katherine Moore, speaks to Jack Luke about her new book, Gravel Rides South West England, and shares three of her favourite routes. Find out more about Katherine’s book: https://www.adventurebooks.com/products/gravel-rides-south-west-england?srsltid=AfmBOoqyqkIOiBKKl3jN29T-w7wdJR7hQf7g5z6b5fOeIJ2kPQEHB016 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this news round-up, Jack Luke grills Warren Rossiter and Simon von Bromley on the new Cannondale Topstone gravel bike, Boardman’s value-packed SLR, and new tyres from Vittoria and Hutchinson. Read more:https://www.bikeradar.com/features/opinion/2025-cannondale-topstonehttps://www.bikeradar.com/news/boardmans-new-slr-promises-to-be-fast-for-all-four-seasonshttps://www.bikeradar.com/news/hutchinson-blackbird-race-blackbird-all-seasonhttps://www.bikeradar.com/news/vittoria-wide-rim-optimised-tyres Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices