Special ep: A chat with SRAM about new Rival and Force and trickling down tech

The drowsiness of Eurobike has barely faded just as the Tour is about to kick off. This week, Escape’s tech team members Suvi Loponen, Ronan Mc Laughlin, and Dave Rome are on Geek Warning to discuss the biggest tech of the week and some things on their minds.A recap of Eurobike is provided by Suvi, along with pondering what the future holds for this event that seems to be in decline.Ronan and Dave go deep on Enve’s new road wheels, which quite surprisingly, have a hooked rim. That’s big news from a company that pioneered the hookless road space.Dave poses the impossible question of what coloured spokes he should choose. And there’s a fun PSA related to the countless problematic adverts seen from brands that create maintenance products.The end of the episode wraps with our usual Ask a Wrench segment. This is typically exclusive to members of Escape Collective, but not this week! This week is a free week and so everyone will hear the full member-only version that includes pro race mechanic Brad Copeland answering a few member-submitted technical questions.Time stamps:1:00 - Eurobike recap and whether such trade shows are still relevant18:20 - A deep chat on Enve’s new SES 4.5 Pro going hooked33:00 - Canyon’s new Grizl and a new weird handlebar38:30 - On Dave’s mind: Silver hubs, but what coloured spokes?44:00 - PSA: Be cautious of maintenance product brands giving you maintenance advice on socials.48:00 - Apidura’s Aero System53:00 - Ask a Wrench (open to all for this week!)54:30 - Footwear for mechanics1:03:00 - How to find a mystery clicking noise1:14:00 - General thoughts on hitch racks

In this special Performance Process x Geek Warning crossover, Dave Rome grills Ronan Mc Laughlin about every technical detail from his 3,000 km unsupported lap of Ireland. From aero bag hacks and drivetrain quirks to cleat regrets and a failed light, this is a deep dive into the tech setup behind a truly personal and punishing ultra-endurance ride. Ronan shares what worked, what didn’t, and what he’d change next time – all while reflecting on how the gear supported his mission to raise awareness for food allergy research.The fundraiser is still open here, every contribution makes a real difference.• £10 provides allergy education packs for a school• £25 trains 50 teachers to support allergic kids• £100 covers a life-saving dose of treatment for a child• £1,500 funds six months on the life-changing Natasha Clinical TrialHitting the target, could fund 20 trial places for allergic children, and take a real step toward a future where no child has to live in fear of their food.

We’re not sure we’ve ever experienced a busier month in the world of cycling tech. All the major drivetrain manufacturers have released new things. We’ve had two custom bike shows and now it’s the world’s largest cycling tradeshow - Eurobike. And the tech conversations in the racing world have been a flurry of activity, too.In this episode, you’ll hear the voices of the entire Escape tech editorial staff. Ronan McLaughlin, Dave Rome, and Alex Hunt share their thoughts on new Shimano GRX, Classified’s update, BMC’s new SLR01, and plenty more. Then, Josh Weinberg and Suvi Loponen tease what they’re seeing on the ground at Eurobike.As usual, members of Escape Collective also get our Ask a Wrench segment, which this week sees Dave Rome and pro race mechanic Brad Copeland answer a handful of questions, including: when to rewax a waxed chain; repairing a crashed aluminium rim brake bike and perhaps what to repalce it with; and our thoughts on mini hooked road rims. Members can submit new questions here.Time stamps:2:40 - Shimano GRX 1x Di28:55 - Classified talking with Shimano Di217:30 - Aero gravel race bikes continue to come out26:20 - Brembo returning to bicycles?20:00 - Canyon’s Endurace AllRoad35:00 - BMC’s 5th Gen TeamMachine SLR0142:40 - Conti’s new Archetype race tyre45:55 - Stages returns49:10 - Eurobike intro from Josh and Suvi55:00 - What’s coming up59:00 - Ask a Wrench (member-only)1:01:00 - When to rewax a waxed chain1:09:00 - Chain dropping down the cassette on XPLR1:18:45 - Our thoughts on Mini Hooked road rims1:28:00 - A damaged Klein road bike and what to replace it with

Wow, what a week for those who love cycling tech!If four new dropbar groupsets from SRAM weren’t enough, then Shimano certainly fills that glass with its sudden release of XT and Deore Di2. Join Escape’s Dave Rome, Suvi Loponen and Alex Hunt as they discuss what’s new and some things to be aware of.Meanwhile, the UCI released some upcoming rule changes that have many riders and cycling businesses upset. The geeks discuss why some of these rulings have been blown out of proportion, and why one of them is arguably just wrong.Of course, there are a couple of new bikes (Cervelo and Orbea) to discuss, and CeramicSpeed has released its first do-it-yourself hot melt wax which promises a whole lot of distance.As always, members of Escape Collective have access to the Ask a Wrench segment at the end of the episode. Here, Dave Rome is joined by pro race mechanic Brad Copeland to answer a number of geeky questions, including a trick for keeping valve nuts in place without over-tightening them, our thoughts on the best cone wrenches, mixing-and-matching chainring sizes on SRAM, a rear shock that’s fussy to inflate, and a Shimano front derailleur that’s hard to shift.Enjoy!Time Stamps:2:15 - Explaining the UCI’s Handlebar width ruling and specifically where it’s wrong17:00 - SRAM’s new Force and Rival AXS27:30 - Shimano’s new XT and Deore wireless shifting36:30 - Cervelo’s new Aspero 543:45 - Orbea’s Terra gravel bike gets overhauled47:00 - CeramicSpeed’s new long-lasting hot melt wax52:00 - Ask a Wrench (Member-only!)55:00 - A tip for tubeless valve nuts in place58:30 - A deep dive and our top suggestions for good cone wrenches1:10:00 - Mixing-and-matching chainring sizes with SRAM AXS1:15:00 - Rear shock inflation woes and shock pumps1:21:00 - Fixing Shimano Ultegra front derailleur that’s hard to shift

In this bonus episode of Geek Warning, Suvi Loponen sits down with SRAM’s Dan Stefiuk and Paul Kantor to chat about the all-new Rival and Force AXS groupsets. From tech trickled down from Red, to the design philosophies that shaped these mid-tier offerings, we chat about how SRAM approaches performance, pricing, and compatibility.For the full tech details and reviews of these new groupsets – or to sign up to get the full episode – head over to escapecollective.com.

This week in Geek Warning, tech writers Suvi Loponen and Alex Hunt join Dave Rome to discuss their recent factory visits to SRAM, DT Swiss, Oquo, and more.You’ll hear Dave and Alex debate about using full-suspension gravel bikes instead of a mountain bike. The geeks also discuss a whole lot of new and interesting tech.As usual, members of Escape Collective have access to the Ask a Wrench segment of the episode, and this week, Australian national team mechanic, Peter Arch, joins to help answer the questions. Members can submit new questions here.Time stamps:2:00 - Factory visits18:00 - Full Suspension gravel bikes are coming back25:00 - TRP Vistar with Classified is finally official29:00 - Spoken comes to Sydney in a week30:15 - Oquo now making its own hub33:15 - Industry9 acquires We Are One Composites35:00 - Leaked Roval Rapide wheels37:30 - No.22’s new Drifter gravel bike39:10 - Unno returns to XC with the Horn, room for 2.6” tyres41:50 - Pro’s new internally routed MTB handlebar, please no46:00 - Trek joins the electric air inflator world48:00 - Ronan’s big ride54:30 - Ask A Wrench with National pro mechanic Peter Arch (member-only)56:00 - Solving a skipping hub1:01:30 - What’s going inside a hydraulic disc brake?1:05:30 - Mystery flat tyre1:10:30 - Safer lubricants and lubing cables

June has started with a bang when it comes to new cycling tech. This week we’ve seen the long-awaited release of new Shimano XTR Di2, the next generation Super Record from Campagnolo, and a welcomed new power pedal from Favero. All are new products that Dave Rome and Ronan Mc Laughlin discuss, in addition to being covered in more detail on Escape Collective.In addition to all that, Unbound gravel saw a whole bunch of unreleased bikes being raced, which Dave and Josh Weinberg (US tech and culture editor) discuss.Of course, there’s also the usual PSA, Ronan has something on his mind, and the episode wraps with the member-only Ask a Wrench segment (with Zach Edwards of Boulder Groupetto helping to answer questions). Members can submit new questions here.As a reminder, this week also brought a special episode of Geek Warning where Shimano’s North American MTB product manager, Nick Murdick, was interviewed about all things related to new XTR Di2.Timestamps:2:30 - New Shimano XTR7:50 - Campagnolo’s new Super Record WRL 1319:15 - Favero Assioma Pro RS road power pedals27:45 - PSA on eye safety32:00 - On Ronan’s mind, uh oh40:00 - Unbound tech42:30 - Specialized’s new Diverge45:30 - A name suggestion for the new Pinarello gravel racer47:00 - Factor’s two new unreleased gravel bikes51:50 - Orbea’s also got two new gravel bikes going around54:00 - And Vos on a new Cervelo gravel race bike?55:00 - Euro versus US gravel racing seen in bike design1:00:30 - A pre-installed backup tube1:04:30 - Ask a Wrench (member-only)1:06:15 - How to adjust eccentric bottom brackets on single-speeds1:11:30 - A tip for finding dropped items1:15:40 - Our favourite hand cleaner? Hello gloves.1:22:00 - Removing the impossibly stuck crank

Seven years have passed since we last saw an updated version of Shimano’s flagship mountain bike group. Assuming you weren’t holding your breath, and as a result are still with us, then today is the day of the update.Yes, new XTR Di2 M9200 is here. It represents Shimano’s delayed entry into true wireless shifting, and brings with it a number of other interesting developments (a new brake oil, anyone?).In this episode, Escape Collective’s Dave Rome and Alex Hunt sit down with Shimano North America’s MTB Product Manager, Nick Murdick. The North American offices of Shimano have been playing an increasingly significant role in the development and design of Shimano’s next generation parts, and Nick has been at the centre of that for the new XTR.This episode speaks candidly with Murdick about the new group, some challenges faced, some decisions behind the details, and a few teases of what may still be to come. Alex and Dave wrap up at the end with a few quick thoughts. Meanwhile, you’ll need to visit our article on Escape Collective to find all the nuanced details and ride impressions of the new XTR product range.A chunk of this episode (along with our written report) is free for all to enjoy and learn from. However, as Escape is wholly member-funded (which means this isn’t sponsored or paid content), you will need to be a member of Escape Collective in order to hear it all.

Our necks are hurting from the whiplash of information regarding what tyres are actually fastest off-road. Ronan teases a fresh discussion he had about optimising one sponsored rider for Unbound and some surprising lessons that came from that. It's a topic that continues to fascinate, especially given some of the world's best cross-country mountain bikers have been racing Short Track on 50 mm gravel tyres.In addition to that, you’ll hear Dave Rome, Alex Hunt, and Ronan McLaughlin explain why none of them are currently choosing to use 3D-printed saddles. There’s a PSA for anyone with wireless shifting, and of course, there’s new stuff to talk about, too.As usual, members also get our Ask a Wrench segment, which this week sees Dave Rome and pro race mechanic Brad Copeland answer a handful of questions, including: how keep 11-speed shifting running long-term, understanding bike handling, and best practises for travelling with new SRAM Full Mount derailleurs (Transmission and XPLR). Members can submit new questions here.Timestamps:5:15 - Corrections corner related to 55 mm road tyres8:40 - Corrections corner related to the Zipp 303 SW naming11:00 - So mountain bike tyres aren’t always faster off-road?24:00 - DT Swiss joins the gravel suspension game29:30 - Why we don’t choose 3D-printed saddles42:10 - A PSA to wireless shifting44:30 - Polygon’s new Helios A road racer50:30 - Goodyear’s new Connector gravel race range55:00 - HED’s new gravel wheels58:30 - Ask a Wrench with Brad Copeland (member-only)59:40 - Keeping SRAM 11-speed going long-term1:05:30 - How to understand rear handling?1:09:00 - Travelling with SRAM T-Type/Full Mount derailleurs

Welcome back to the cycling tech podcast with a Geek Warning.  This week, Escape’s tech editors Dave Rome and Ronan Mc Laughlin discuss what’s been on their minds. For Dave, that’s how good modern chains have become and a cool upgrade option for DT Swiss hub users.For Ronan, it’s the new wheels from Zipp that have been occupying his time. This is a fairly long episode for members of Escape Collective (go here). Those on the member-only podcast feed won’t just hear what’s new, but rather will hear some criticism of Zipp’s new built-in pressure gauges and whether the company has addressed Ronan’s concerns about hookless.As always, members also get our Ask a Wrench segment, which this week sees Dave Rome and pro race mechanic Brad Copeland answer a handful of questions related to disc brakes, along with one about the trend to toward wide gravel tyres and where suspension comes into that. Members can submit new questions here.3:30 - Corrections corner: 14-speed cassettes do exist, sigh.4:30 - Williams Racing Product’s Zero Drag Kit is cool9:30 - Some things are really good, especially new chains17:30 - PSA: Don’t pluck your (tyre) hairs20:50 - Gunnar and Waterford names return21:30 - Standert’s new scandium alloy road racer24:30 - Pirelli’s new endurance road tyre that goes to 55 mm wide31:15 - Rex releases its Black Magik drip wax34:30 - Silca’s first grease and Dave’s go-to grease37:00 - Zipp’s new range of wheels42:15 - Wolf Tooth’s new Clik valves and bottom brackets49:00 - Opinions on Zipp’s new wheels and sensors (member-only)1:03:00 - Where we stand on hookless (member-only)1:13:00 - Ask a Wrench (member-only)1:15:00 - Dealing with rubbing discs1:26:00 - Crop circles on disc rotors1:32:00 - Cleaning with disc brakes1:39:00 - Pondering wide tyres versus gravel suspension for Unbound