A recent review comparing SRAM XPLR AXS to Shimano GRX Di2 1x brought up an interesting comment from a reader: does electronic shifting kill the soul of a bicycle? It’s a topic of discussion in this week’s episode.

Also in this episode, tech editor and industry reporter Suvi Loponen rejoins Geek Warning to talk about Canyon’s somewhat confusing new Endurace CFR release. You’ll also hear about some other bits of new tech. Meanwhile, the PSA this week doesn’t mince words, calling out a new product on Kickstarter as one to avoid.

Of course, members of Escape Collective also get access to Ask a Wrench, where this week Dave is joined by pro wrench Colin Williams to answer a number of your questions.

Time stamps:

• 02:41 - Is electronic shifting lacking a soul?
• 16:36 - New Canyon Endurace CFR isn’t an Endurace
• 31:59 - New things from Easton, Vittoria and Surly
• 41:28 - PSA: You can’t lube a chain with nonsense
• 50:00 - Ask a Wrench with Colin Williams (Member’s Only)
• 52:00 - Should I clear coat raw aluminium?
• 57:35 - Mystery Di2 chain dropping issue
• 1:05:00 - SRAM dropbar sticky pistons
• 1:10:20 - Bringing a bike out of winter storage

Ronan and Dave return to chat through the week of cycling geeking. From emerging trends in one-piece cockpits to the latest in tech news, this episode has plenty of information nuggets.

As usual, members of Escape Collective have access to the member-only podcast feeds where they receive the full versions of our episodes. Every week, this includes the bonus section of Geek Warning – Ask a Wrench, where you’ll hear pro mechanics answer technical questions from members. This week, the mechanics answer questions related to restoring an older rim brake bike and the reasons to do it; tubeless sealants and dehumidifiers; and a handful of questions related to new disc brake setup.

Time stamps:

• 4:20 - Mixing and matching cockpits
• 18:00 - Do modern handlebar measurements measure up?
• 24:40 - Escape Explained
• 25:45 - Prologo joins the pressure mapping game
• 34:45 - Safety first: Pikio Labs’ Si helmet
• 39:00 - New Canyon spotted
• 41:00 - A PSA for crummy pump heads
• 46:00 - Ask a Wrench (members only)
• 46:30 - Bringing an old CAAD9 back to life and whether to upgrade the drivetrain
• 53:30 - The Chisel dropbar conversion continues
• 58:30 - Storing bikes with tubeless
• 1:02:45 - A fussy and sticky SRAM hydraulic disc brake, plus some sneaky tips

This week, we have tech editors Ronan Mc Laughlin and Josh Weinberg coming in from opposite ends of the world, both in dimly lit hotel rooms, and without their usual podcast recording equipment. It’s only up from here!

In the first section, Dave Rome chats to Ronan about his previous day touring Pirelli. Then Dave reminds us of the real-world compromises that 1x shifting continues to battle. Also, you’ll hear a rant, and Ronan has a Good Thing that many probably already own.

Next stop is Dave catching up with our US tech editor Josh Weinberg, who finds himself in Taiwan for the Taipei Cycle Show.

And finally, members of Escape Collective (who get access to everything we do at Escape Collective), can tune in for our popular Ask a Wrench segment, where Dave and pro mechanic Zach Edwards answer technical questions from members.

Finally, the day has come for Geek Warning to be a motion picture. You’ll now find episodes on YouTube, too.

Happy Geeking!


Time stamps:

• 4:40 - Touring Pirelli HQ
• 12:00 - Pirelli’s new flagship race tyre
• 18:00 - Wolf Tooth’s new flagship Mark Zero range
• 21:40 - The real world compromises of 1x shifting
• 34:00 - Content creation that has Dave ranting
• 40:20 - Ronan’s Good Thing that you may already own -
• 44:45 - Taipei Cycle Show with Josh
• 52:00 - 32er manufacturing is brewing, 3D printing, and other trends
• 1:07:00 - Ask a Wrench (members only)
• 1:08:00 - Shimano brakes gone bad if not used
• 1:17:30 - Stuck tyre bead on rim. Solutions?
• 1:26:00 - Re-using old brake hoses during re-routing