Spin Cycle

It's time for another bonus episode of Geek Warning.Typically, we keep these bonus episodes for subscribers and members of Escape Collective, however, this one is being left open to all as a teaser for the type of stuff you’re missing by not being a member. If you like this and want more, sign up here. This episode is about gravel tire selection and trends in the thinking that bigger is better. It all came about through an Instagram post by former WorldTour pro-turned Gravel Pro Alex Howes, who had shared just how much he had been obsessing over tire selection for the 2024 edition of Unbound Gravel. And what makes this conversation all the more interesting is that Howes isn’t sponsored by a single tire brand, but rather an online retailer that sells all the brands - biketiresdirect.Dave Rome and Howes cover a lot of ground in this one, including chatting slicks versus treads, picking the biggest volume possible, inserts or not, what to carry on a self-supported race like Unbound, and why white bar tape.If you don’t care about why, where, when, or how, and assuming the weather holds, Howes plans to race on Vittoria Terreno Zero tyres, in a 50 mm width up front and a 47 mm rear with inserts. He expects to start the day with approximately 19 psi in the front, and 24 psi rear. Still, if you find these details interesting, you’ll surely appreciate the conversation. Enjoy!

Welcome back to Geek Warning, a podcast by the Escape Collective, that covers everything to know in the world of bicycle tech. James Huang said farewell in our past episode, and with that, Dave is joined by a new voice that knows a thing or two about bicycle-related things – Brad Copeland.With a mountain bike World Cup race at Nové Město freshly finished, Dave and Brad discuss things in use by the winners, technical problems by a race favourite, and trends in tyre tech.The geeks share their favourite tubeless tyre sealants and a PSA applicable to all.It’s a relatively light week in terms of tech news, still, Brad and Dave share their thoughts on DT Swiss’ new premium gravel wheelsets, new well-priced carbon wheels from Easton, and a new gravel race jersey with its own sweat-patch.Time stamps:4:10 – Pre-Olympic tech spotted in use by Pauline Ferrand-Prevot and Tom Pidcock10:55 – Speculating about Victor Koretzky’s tech woes15:20 – Are wider tyres always better for gravel and MTB? What does that mean for the future of tyre inserts?37:25 - Pick one: tubeless tyre sealant50:05 - PSA: test your spares!57:10 - New DT Swiss GRC 1100 and 1400 Dicut gravel wheels1:08:00 - Easton’s new EC90 ALX gravel and all-road hoops1:10:40 - Castelli adds a hydration bladder to an aero jersey, so gravel

Off the back of the Transparency Report we published on the site a couple of weeks ago, we followed up with a live Discord Q&A with many of our members. We tried to turn that into a podcast, but it didn’t work very well. With so many of our members being podcast listeners, we felt it was important to do a good job at making our Transparency Report Q&A into something this significant portion of our membership would listen to. We hope you enjoy it. 

For years, bikepacker Lael Wilcox wasn't sure whether she wanted to try and break the Around The World record. But with politics and climate change threatening global stability, the 36-year-old thought it was now or never, and has set out to try beat Jenny Graham's 2018 record by two weeks by circumnavigating the globe in 110 days.

Jonny Long and Ronan Mc Laughlin join Caley Fretz to discuss Pogačar's Giro effort, time trialing as a specialty, and the recovery of Vingegaard and Van Aert, and Joe Lindsey pops in to discuss Olympic selection for the United States.Escape Collective's podcasts are made possible by our members. Head on over to escapecollective.com/member to support this show and everything else on our podcast network.

Abby and Loren are joined this week by Matilda Raynolds and Matt de Neef to chat RideLondon Classique, Lizzy Banks, and Elisa Longo Borghini’s possible transfer, and to revisit the Wheel Talk draft!Escape Collective's podcasts are made possible by our members. Head on over to escapecollective.com/member to support this show and everything else on our podcast network.

Dane Cash and Cosmo Catalano break down the final week of the 2024 Giro d'Italia and discuss some of the bigger takeaways from the race as a whole.Escape Collective's podcasts are made possible by our members. Head on over to escapecollective.com/member to support this show and everything else on our podcast network.

Ever feel like you’d like a lighter bike? Now imagine what your current bike would feel like if it was half of your body weight. For all too many kids who are learning to ride bikes, that’s exactly what it feels like to them. Premium kids’ bikes are a relatively new category, but also one that’s rapidly growing with more brands, models, sizes, and genres than ever before. Are they expensive? As compared to what you’d find in a big-box store, sure. But when you really think about what your kid might get out of a nicer bike, what actually goes into them, and even what you might get out of them once they’ve outgrown them, the numbers become easier to justify.Fair warning: The full episode is only available to Escape Collective members. Head on over to escapecollective.com/member to support this show and everything else on our podcast network.

It’s just a regular week in May, but you can bet the bike industry is its usual buzz of activity. James Huang and Dave Rome offer some strong thoughts related to Shimano’s latest release of GRX Di2. There’s chat about Felt clawing its way back into the spotlight. Of course the geeks can't ignore the return of Kona Bikes. And there are rumblings that the old Interbike tradeshow may be coming back, too.We’ve got custom bikes on our minds. We fail at picking one saddle. And there’s a PSA for all. The episode wraps with a round-up of new wheel-related things from Reynolds, Zipp, Roval, Chris King, and Hunt.And then James shares his own news. Indeed this is the last episode you’ll hear James’ voice as he hangs up his digital gauge.Escape Collective's podcasts are made possible by our members. Head on over to escapecollective.com/member to support this show and everything else on our podcast network.Time stamps:2:00 - Shimano GRX 12-speed Di216:40 - Felt’s new VR endurance road bike20:25 - Kona is back!25:45 - Is the Interbike tradeshow coming back?30:40 - On our mind: would we buy our own fully custom bike?43:25 - Pick one: saddles56:45 - You get accustomed to things being crummy1:01:10 - Talking new wheel-related things from Reynolds, Zipp, Hunt, Roval, and Chris King1:11:30 - James’ heart sinking news (tear emoji)

Kit Nicholson and Jonny Long join Caley Fretz on this week's Placeholders to discuss Pogačar's benevolent dominance, Vingegaard's tattoo, and more.Escape Collective's podcasts are made possible by our members. Head on over to escapecollective.com/member to support this show and everything else on our podcast network.