The BikeRadar Podcast

Jack, Alex and Rob sit down to discuss the various (and arguably, most common) mountain bike race formats, what they entail, why they’re great and what type of bike and gear you’ll need should you ever wish to compete in one. The guys cover off cross-country, downhill, enduro and four cross, talking through how the races work and how they differ and, with some of their own experiences thrown into the mix, what you might expect if you do decide to get between the tapes.Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

BikeRadar digital writer Jack Evans speaks to Garmin’s global product manager Andy Silver at the launch of the Edge 1040 Solar. Besides the new head unit’s technology, Jack and Andy discuss Garmin’s response to competitors and where bike computers will take us next. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Simon von Bromley, Warren Rossiter and Jack Luke discuss Warren’s recently published review of the latest Ultegra R8170 Di2 groupset. Performance is said to be “indiscernible from its pro-level sibling”, so is there any reason to spend the extra money on Dura-Ace? Is the best high-end road groupset available right now, and, if so, what (if anything) do other manufacturers need to do to catch up? These questions answered, and more, in this edition of the BikeRadar podcast.If you’d like to read Warren’s review of Shimano Ultegra R8170 Di2, you can do so on www.bikeradar.com.Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Description: Endurance road bikes are designed to help you cover long distances in comfort. But the latest endurance bikes are more versatile than ever, with a turn of speed that can rival race bikes and enough adaptability for light gravel riding or bikepacking. BikeRadar’s George Scott is joined by Warren Rossiter and Jack Luke to dissect the evolution of the endurance bike, and help you pick the best endurance bike for your needs. Head to BikeRadar for our full buyer’s guide to the best endurance road bikes: https://www.bikeradar.com/advice/buyers-guides/best-endurance-road-bikes/ Check out our Bike of the Year 2022 reviews: https://www.bikeradar.com/features/bike-of-the-year/ Watch Jack’s coast-to-coast ride on the Specialized Diverge: https://youtu.be/V9WTkYmXePwHosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

BikeRadar’s senior technical writer, Simon von Bromley holds the somewhat controversial view that press-fit bottom brackets are, in fact, superior to traditional threaded bottom brackets. In this episode of the BikeRadar Podcast, Simon puts his case forward to Jack Luke, explaining what a bottom bracket is, a brief history of press-fit standards and the state of play today.Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

To help us gaze into our crystal ball of gravel riding, we chatted to a number of industry experts, riders and racers to discuss where we think the future of gravel will lie. Could we come up with a consensus? Absolutely not, but there are certainly some bright ideas about the different directions that the gravel world could be heading in.Thank you to racers Dalila Lecky and Amanda Nauman, JP McCarthy from SRAM, Canyon’ Matt Leake, James Heaton from WTB, Rapha events’ Louis van Kleef, Ian Carter from Specialized, Tailfin’s James Bracey and Kitty, Alice, Pau, Freddie and Taylor from Steezy Collective for contributing to this episode.This episode is brought to you by Hammerhead.Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Technical editor-in-chief Rob Weaver and technical editor Alex Evans talk about their favourite riding spots across the globe. Rob’s most cherished places include the slickrock trails unique to the USA, the steep, tight training grounds of Downhill World Cup legends Nico Vouilloz and Fabien Barel, Australian rainforest, and, back in the UK, the steeps of the Welsh valleys. Alex chats about two mountain biking hotspots, both he calls home. One in the French Alps and the other in southern Scotland, each offering incredibly varied riding experiences, with hardcore, challenging terrain and buzzing local scenes.Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Bringing together both competition and community, gravel racing creates a unique atmosphere across a range of different race formats the world over. To discuss the proliferation of gravel races and how you can get into racing off-road, we’re joined by American gravel racing OG Amanda Nauman, who has twice won Unbound Gravel, as well as London-based multi-discipline racer Dalila Lecky. To round off our panel, Jack Luke brings his experience of UK and European gravel races from Grinduro! To longer distance events. We demystify the different types of gravel events, explain why we love these novel races and share our top tips for new racers on both sides of the Atlantic.Check out more about gravel racing on BikeRadar.com: https://www.bikeradar.com/features/routes-and-rides/gravel-racing/  This episode is brought to you by Hammerhead.Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Let’s be honest, we all love new bolting on new, shiny upgrades to our bikes. However, changing certain components can have a bigger effect on your riding experience than others.  Luke, Rob, and Will talk through the essential parts you should prioritise when looking to upgrade your bikes spec that will deliver more fun, control and performance from your bike. All essential ingredients for improving your ride experience.Bang on the kettle and listen in to find out where the guys would put their money when looking to improve their bikes.Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The cause of much debate for riders who fondly remember the early years of mountain biking, we call in two of our in-house experts from CyclingPlus and MBUK to debate whether gravel riding is just mountain biking from the 90s. Both Robin Weaver and Warren Rossiter rode and raced mountain bikes across multiple disciplines in the 1990s, but today enjoy riding and testing modern gravel bikes alongside their usual helpings of 21st century road and mountain bikes.Has gravel riding backfilled the void left by the progression of mountain biking tracks and tech? Or are we looking at something new altogether?This episode is brought to you by Hammerhead.Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices