The BikeRadar Podcast

We cast an eye in to the future to see what might be coming round the corner in the world of road cycling. Yet more aerodynamics, gravel bikes and e-sports are all on the horizon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Look at any review and you’ll see, in a fairly prominent position, the weight of the bike or component – but does weight really matter? BikeRadar’s tech-head Seb has done the maths, and reckons we might be making a mountain out of a molehill… Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The rigours of racing between the tapes demands high performance from both competitors and their bikes, and so the development of bikes, and the components fitted to them, are inextricably linked to racing. At BikeRadar we’re lucky to have two members of the team, Rob Weaver and Luke Marshall, who have competed at World Cup level downhill. They, along with our tech-expert Seb Stott, dig deep in to how the world of racing has, or hasn’t, influenced the design of the modern mountain bike. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Pretty much since the advent of gears on bicycles, the derailleur has been the dominant mechanism for shifting the chain between gears. However, being dangled by the rear wheel, exposed to the elements, is a risky place to hang out. Internal gear hubs and mechanisms have long been touted as the future of mountain bike drivetrains, yet have never had the impact they’ve promised. Why is that? And what could the future hold for gear shifting on mountain bikes – Seb and Tom discuss. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The ideal number of bikes to own is N + 1 is a popular saying among cyclists – with N representing the number of bikes you already own. But does the new breed of highly versatile, go anywhere road (or gravel) bikes mean that, really, one bike is all you need? Bikeradar’s Tom Marvin, Warren Rossiter and Rob Spedding try to work out if they need to buy more bikes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Both your fork and shock rely on their spring to support your weight. This comprises of either a pressurised air spring, or a steel or titanium coil spring. While air springs dominate, for good reasons, it’s not a foregone conclusion as to which may work best for you. Technical Editor Tom Marvin and BikeRadar’s tech guru Seb Stott introduce you to both types, their pros and cons and, ultimately, which you should pick. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

E-bikes; are they an industry conspiracy designed to sell you yet more bikes, or just another way to enjoy yourself out of doors? We’re certainly in the later camp and, in this week’s podcast, Matthew Allen, Tom Marvin and Jack Luke discuss their undying love for the most controversial subject in cycling. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Debates over wheel size in mountain biking seemingly never end. First there was 26” wheels, then 29er stormed on to the scene – their larger diameter finding fans in the XC world, but older geometries just didn’t work out when travel numbers grew. Then, out of nowhere the 650b wheel arrived and killed off 26” almost instantly. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the aftermath of the Eurobike trade show, BikeRadar’s Jack and Matthew discuss some tech highlights including SRAM’s solution to bent derailleur hanger woes and an exciting new bearing design from SKF. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mountain bikers have been rolling without tubes for over a decade, with less punctures, more speed and more grip, so why has it taken their skinny tyre’d brethren to ditch the tubes? Tom, Matthew and Jack discuss what’s happening in the world of road tubeless tyres. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices