Spin Cycle

In episode one we heard about the unexpected windfall that the cycling industry saw at the start of the pandemic and how many needed to react. Of course that didn’t last forever, and in this episode I’ve titled ‘the storm clouds’ we talk about the early signs that this new demand was coming to an abrupt halt, and the types of behaviour that was happening and the causes of that behaviour that led to the catastrophe that the industry would later see.

Loren Rowney is back to discuss all the action from the UAE Tour with Gracie and Abby. They try to answer questions like: Will Kopecky’s form impact Vollering’s Classics goals, and what will that mean for SD Worx - Protime as a whole? And is there a cuter couple than Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce (there isn’t)?

In this 4 part series, I wanted to explore the events that took place that led the bike industry to the troubling point it’s at now. I spoke to over a dozen industry professionals from all parts of the supply chain. From well run bike shops, forecasting analysts, distributors, the biggest bike brands in the world, and manufacturers. It’s well known that the bicycle industry went through an unprecedented boom during the pandemic from 2020 - 2022. Jump ahead to 2024 and much of the bike industry is in trouble. New demand has come to an abrupt halt. New entrants into the bicycle market have not stayed as the industry had hoped.We’re seeing massive inventory overruns at bike shops. Big bike brands are taking on extra warehousing space. Businesses such as Niner, Orange, Wiggle/CRC, have gone into bankruptcy. Otherwise profitable big brands have taken on debt to keep afloat. There are brands out there who are doing well, but they’re the exception rather than the norm. In general , I don’t think many would disagree that the situation in major cycling markets, aside from China,  is pretty dire.The episode is this first of four. We’re going to bring you on a journey through the COVID feast, the storm clouds, the famine, and the lessons learned in hindsight.In this episode, The Feast, we speak to a bike shop owner, a demand forecasting analyst for a distributor, company CEOs, and a manufacturer to hear about what they experienced during the initial stages of the pandemic in early 2020. 

JP Ballard joins us once again for part one of our Performance Process deep dive into all things aerodynamics.Ballard is founder and CEO of aerodynamics specialists Swiss Side. The Swiss company produces wheels and aero calf sleeves, but the majority of its work is in offering its aerodynamic expertise to other manufacturers in the cycling industry.Ballard first joined us for a pit walk critiquing bikes and equipment of the 2024 WorldTour paddock during the recent Tour Down Under. He had also sat down with us before that race to record three hours worth of discussion and advice on aerodynamics and performance. In part one of that conversation Ballard gives us an insight into some of Swiss Side's unseen consultancy work and we discuss performance simulation tools, sail effect, the future of cycling aero, and why Ballard thinks we are not even half way to "peak aero."

Welcome back to Geek Warning. In this episode, Dave and Ronan talk through a bunch of the biggest tech news in the cycling world and cover a few test products at the top of their minds.It’s hard to find a new racing product today that doesn’t at least tease the “aero” word, however, TuboLight may just be the first to make such a claim for a product that goes inside the tyre.The recently seen shoe and pedal system from Ekoi caught unwanted attention from the UCI, but them’s the rules. One that is UCI-certified for racing is Ridley’s new X-Night RS cyclocross machine.SRAM has officially issued a recall related to all aftermarket 12-speed dropbar levers, but the fix is one you can likely do yourself. Another you could probably do yourself is convert an existing Specialized Crux or Roubaix to run SRAM’s 1x Transmission (typically requires a UDH-frame); it’s a new product offered by 5Dev.The conversation then turns to the weirdly named premium thermal skinsuit that Ronan is testing from Q36.5. And Dave has a little rant related to the new Trek Domane AL just reviewed.All that, and more, on this week's Geek Warning.Timestamps:3:55 - Tubolite gets aero, inside the tyre11:35 - Ekoi pedals and UCI rulings21:08 - Ridley’s new X-Night RS, aero(ish) meets cyclocross28:49 - A DIY recall related to SRAM’s brake lever33:07 - 5Dev’s adapter to install SRAM Transmission on a Specialized Crux or Roubaix.36:53 - Ronan is testing a £808 thermal skinsuit from Q36.543:05 - What Dave is testing and a rant on entry-level bikes53:35 - A PSA related to dropbar levers, and another related to crockpots58:30 - A quick wrap of other news, including Amer Sports, Curve’s carbon Walmer handlebar, and BeSpoked to be held in Manchester.

Ronan Mc Laughlin, Jonny Long, and Kit Nicholson join Caley Fretz to discuss the rumors of a potential (and large) investment in bike racing from a Saudi Arabian firm as well as the news of the UCI banning a pedal and Zdeněk Štybar's retirement.

Helen Wyman joined Abby for this fantastic episode of the Wheel Talk Podcast. The two talk about all the action from the U23 and Elite races at the World Championships over the weekend, answer listener questions about families in Cyclocross, Lucinda Brand, and more. Plus, lots of laughter. This was such a good episode we’ve even got a longer version exclusively for the members of Escape Collective.

With much of the industry languishing under the post-Covid, brands are trying harder than ever to carve out a niche for themselves to stay afloat. Colnago’s new C68 Gravel bike is super premium by design, but based on their sales figures, the focus on luxury is clearly getting the job done. Campagnolo seems to be falling into the same strategy almost by accident, but is it working as well? That’s not so clear. Hunt also debuted its latest aero wheels and they look like they could be quite the performance bargain – as long as you’re ok with hookless rims – and just when you thought clipless road pedals couldn’t get any better than they already are, French brand Ekoi’s new road pedal-and-shoe system might actually move the needle.And finally, have we finally reached a stable point for road bike tire sizes? Maybe. Or maybe not.Timestamps:6:45 – Colnago’s got a fancy new gravel bike, and they’re ok if it’s out of your reach20:19 – Campagnolo’s new aero road wheels are absolutely gorgeous27:53 – Hunt’s new Sub50 Limitless Aero Disc road wheels could be an incredible performance bargain38:45 – Ekoi has a truly novel new road pedal-and-shoe system in development, and they might actually be good48:04 – Noble Wheels tools are back! Well, sort of49:55 – More musings on using candle wax to lube your chains51:39 – Vittoria’s got a new Corsa Pro Speed go-fast tire52:52 – Want to stand out from the crowd? Bossi has expanded its range of titanium gravel frames54:28 – Orange Bikes is back in business56:49 – Road tire sizes seem to have stabilized (and yes, James is getting old)

It’s time for another gathering of the geeks for an episode of Ask a Wrench. In this member’s bonus episode, Zach (of Boulder Gruppetto), James, and Dave answer more technical questions submitted by Escape members.This week, the geeks answer questions related to using alternative cassette options, fitting bigger cassette ranges than allowed, selecting parts for the Paris-Roubaix sportive, replacing a Cannondale Lefty, and using saddlebags with carbon saddle rails. Then the conversation continues with questions related to swapping Shimano brake components, bike packing with waxed chains, learning to bleed brakes, and torque wrench calibration testing.Our weekly Geek Warning podcast remains unchanged and open to all, we’re now providing additional bonus episodes each fortnight. Only members and paid readers of Escape Collective can access the full versions of these bonus podcasts. These bonus episodes are a mix of Ask a Wrench, deep-dives, or interviews with the people behind popular products.

Abby Mickey, Dane Cash, and Ronan Mc Laughlin join Caley Fretz to talk Red Bull, MyWhoosh, Ekoi, and more ...