Oh hi, welcome back to Geek Warning!

There are some things to tell this week. We’ve had a number of changes to the pod over the past few months (sorry!), and we’ve got a few more to share.

Ask a Wrench, which sits at the end of our episodes, is now members-only. That means you’ll need to be on our member podcast feed to hear that extra part of the podcast. Meanwhile, the first hour of goodness is free for all.

Additionally, you’ll still hear from UK-based tech writers Suvi Loponen and Alex Hunt on occasion, just not every episode. Suvi will soon begin on a new podcast series that investigates industry-related topics. Meanwhile, you’ll also hear Alex and Suvi on an upcoming and recurring special episode where we’ll catch up on the bikes and gear we’ve been testing.

With all that said, jump on in to hear Dave Rome, Ronan McLaughlin, and the return of Zach Edwards (Boulder Groupetto). Also, Brad Copeland is present at the end to answer some of your Ask a Wrench questions.

The episode itself is jam-packed. The geeks offer their opinions on what the UCI’s relaxed equipment ruling from four years ago are doing to bikes of today and tomorrow. They cover the details of new Shimano CUES. And talk about the realities in the durability of modern road pedals. Plus a whole lot more…

Time stamps:

0:00 - Changes are happening
2:30 - The impact of the UCI’s relaxed rules from 2021
19:45 - New Shimano CUES and ESSA for dropbar bikes
31:00 - On our mind: Pedals should be serviceable
41:35 - Ritchey ditches the World Champ rainbow
46:20 - QO cranks, from the founders of Rotor
48:05 - Wolf Tooth’s EnCase mini pump line
49:10 - A bad week for smartwatch users
52:20 - CeramicSpeed has a new tool for (DUB) crank removal
55:20 - State’s new 4130 All-Road is very cheap
57:42 - Biggest tech news for the week comes from Chris King (spoiler, it’s a coffee tamper).
59:22 - Tangent into our favourite tool-related bottle openers
1:01:00 - Switch to the Member-Only feed if you want Ask a Wrench!
1:05:00 - Modern drivetrain compatibility leading to road and MTB gravel (recorded a week before the CUES announcement, oops)
1:11:00 - Sweating tubeless tyres and what to do about it.
1:17:00 - Disc brake performance and bed-in when using multiple wheelsets, plus a dive into bed-in procedure.

At the 2024 edition of the Tour Down Under, Ronan Mc Laughlin was joined by aerodynamicist JP Ballard as they walked through the pits to talk about the aero hits and misses within the latest bikes of the WorldTour. For 2025 we’re back with something of a similar theme.

This time Dave Rome is joined by the Head of Aerodynamics at South Australian Sports Institute (SASI), John Pitman.

Now, with access to a wind tunnel he oversees (a story we aim to share soon), Pitman takes a stroll through the pits, talking about general aero themes, the effectiveness of design flourishes, and other random things seen.

Normally, this type of episode would be exclusive to members of Escape Collective, but instead, we’re keeping things open to give you a taste of the sort of content you may be missing out on. If you like this episode, and if you haven’t already, then please consider becoming a member of Escape Collective. Similarly, please share it with a friend who may enjoy it.

Hey Geeks! With the 2025 WorldTour kicking off in Australia, this episode dives straight into the bikes (and bits of tech) that caught our eyes, whether for the right or wrong reasons.

The cast of Dave, Suvi, Ronan, and Alex discuss the recently leaked SRAM Force update and the ethical dilemma in covering such an unreleased product. And of course, there’s plenty more new things discussed, too.

Toward the end you'll find the usual Ask a Wrench where Dave is joined by pro race mechanic Brad Copeland to answer member-submitted questions. All this and more in this week’s episode.

Also, keep an eye out for a bonus episode of the Geek Warning podcast, where Dave Rome goes for a walk through the mechanic pits at the Tour Down Under with aerodynamics expert John Pitman. Unlike most of our bonus episodes, this one will be free to all. Please give it a share if you like it.

Timestamps:

1:16 - On Our Minds: Winners and Losers of the 2025 World Tour Peloton Bikes
38:00 - SRAM Force leak and its impact on the bike market
44:08 - Lapierre recalls some road models
45:00 - Rouvy Acquires Fulgaz
47:50 - Classified releases a crank and expands cassette options for SRAM
50:40 - Formula Cura road calipers
52:12 - Pashley’s all-road bikes
54:36 - 4iiii factory expansion
55:00 - Ask a Wrench: Getting better longevity from an oil-based lube
1:02:00 - Ask a Wrench: Slipping D-shaped seatpost woes
1:07:50 - Ask a Wrench: Shimano GRX 12-speed braking and compatibility
1:17:21 - Escapecollective.com content highlights
1:21:19 - Outro