Nerd Alert Podcast
118 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 1 year ago - ★★★★★ - 347 ratingsThe CyclingTips Nerd Alert Podcast dives deep into the bikes and tech we all love. Road, gravel, mountain bikes, we cover it all. Hosted by James Huang, Dave Rome, and Caley Fretz.
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Episodes
A new lease on life for clothing and bags
November 09, 2022 16:07 - 57 minutesMuch of the attention on the Right to Repair movement in cycling has been concentrated on hard goods, like bikes, wheels, components, and so on. But it’s also important to remember that you can often fix clothing and bags at a nominal cost after a crash or even just due to wear and tear. Why throw it away when you can bring it back to life? In this week’s episode, we chat with two brands – Velocolour and Ortlieb – who are doing just that.
Advancing metal bikes with No.22
November 04, 2022 14:41 - 1 hourThe Nerd Alert podcast had an unplanned week off, but rest assured we’re now back on schedule. In this episode, Senior tech editor Dave Rome chats with No.22’s co-founder Bryce Gracey. For those unfamiliar with No.22, let’s just say they’re often one of our first stops at the USA-based custom bike shows they attend. This episode has a varied chat: including a deep-dive on the updates that No.22 revealed at the Philly Bike Expo, geometry concepts, stealthy travel bikes, and more. Enjoy!
Suspension on gravel bikes
October 20, 2022 16:00 - 38 minutesOne fun fact came out during our discussions with Specialized engineering mastermind Chris D’Aluisio: much of his testing of the company’s new Diverge STR fully suspended gravel bike has been on tarmac with a full complement of road components. In his words? “It’s awesome!” That got us thinking, especially given D’Aluisio’s background in Moto GP racing: if full suspension is good for gravel, then might it also make sense on the road, too? Give this one a listen before you pick up the pitchfork.
Dan Bigham explains how hour records are broken
October 15, 2022 01:14 - 51 minutesThis week's episode is all about aerodynamics, efficiency, Filippo Ganna, and how Dan Bigham engineered two hour records.
3D printing a stem with Dimitris Katsanis
October 12, 2022 01:24 - 1 hourWith the news that Pinarello's new Bolide F HR 3D track bike is the first UCI-approved 3D printed bike, Ronan visited Metron Dimitris Katsanis and find out how a bike is 3D printed and why.
Dropper posts for gravel bikes – yay or nay?
September 29, 2022 16:04 - 1 hourWe’re back in the studio for a group show after a whirlwind of activity at the recent UCI world championships, and we’re wasting no time with the heated debates. Do dropper posts (or even suspension posts) have a place on gravel bikes? What about Meta’s tease that it’s entering the virtual reality world for indoor cycling? Do our opinions even matter?? Either way, the Nerds really did do their homework this time, sharing their thoughts on the ideal setup for hidden cable routing – frame desig...
On the ground at Road World’s
September 23, 2022 07:17 - 47 minutesWelcome back to the Nerd Alert podcast! This week sees Dave Rome and Caley Fretz together in Wollongong, Australia for the 2022 Road World Championships. And along with VeloClub community manager Andy van Bergen, this episode circles the topic of the big event. Things start with a few new things in the world of tech. The talk then turns to those dropped chains plaguing the past week of racing. And then we wrap up this relatively brief episode with a chat about the logistics involved in racing...
You can 3D print that
September 16, 2022 07:57 - 1 hourWelcome back to the CyclingTips Nerd Alert podcast! This week senior tech editor, Dave Rome, gets to cover something that has become a personal hobby of his – 3D printing. Joining Dave is Brian Park, the editor-in-chief at Pinkbike and Chris Heerschap, an engineer, bike mechanic, Veloclub member and 3D print extraordinaire. These two tinkerers have both created, designed and manufactured their own saleable 3D-printed products (such as a few covered on Pinkbike this week). From the basics of h...
An extravaganza of new bikes
September 09, 2022 14:57 - 1 hourDo bike companies conspire to release a whole bunch of new bikes at once? It sure felt like it this week, as we saw the announcement of the new Trek Domane, the new Canyon Ultimate, and the new BMC Kaius all in the past few days. The Nerds discuss the salient features of each one — pros and cons — as well as a big industry indicator that the market really is cooling off big-time. Prices might finally be coming down for some stuff, but other items are still super hard to come by.
How to beat a World Record with Dan Bigham
September 01, 2022 12:44 - 1 hourThis week’s episode of the Nerd Alert podcast is certainly a special one. Dave Rome and Ronan Mc Laughlin chat with the newly crowned Hour World Record Holder, Dan Bigham. Prior to besting Victor Campanaerts' 2019 World Record, the British track cyclist was best known for his work in aerodynamic engineering. He’s worked with Mercedes F1, Canyon-SRAM, Team KGF/ HUUB-Wattbike, and Jumbo-Visma, and is currently a performance engineer with the Ineos Grenadiers. He also happens to be the brains be...
The Superstrata doesn’t need your silly seat tube
August 25, 2022 12:52 - 51 minutesRemember the Superstrata? That wacky looking 3D-printed custom carbon fiber bike that blew up Indiegogo a couple of years ago? Well, it turns out that the bike isn’t vaporware — and in fact, we now have one on hand to check out for ourselves. In this week’s episode, James also sits down with Superstrata CEO Sonny Vu for a chat on what makes the Superstrata different, why you may (or may not) care, and how the company’s ambitions extend far beyond cycling in general.
What’s up with this new Giant Propel?
August 19, 2022 05:50 - 1 hourThe Nerds are back with another group episode, this time with Ronan doing his best Aussie impersonation since Dave is away on holiday. On tap this week is a detailed introduction of Giant’s new Propel aero road bike — and its wild Cadex 50 Ultra Disc carbon fiber wheels — along with a frank discussion of what’s going on with Wahoo’s revamped Speedplay pedals. And as always, we wrap up with a round of Ask a Mechanic, including a little incident Caley himself had with a little hydraulic fluid.
Looking under the hood of Shimano Di2
August 12, 2022 06:44 - 51 minutesWelcome back to the CyclingTips Nerd Alert podcast! This week tech editor Dave Rome chats about the things to know with Shimano’s new Di2 12-speed shifting and how it differs from previous generations. And what better guest to speak to about common issues, limitations, fun features, and things to look out for than the Di2 nerd himself, Terry Seidler of BetterShifting.com.
Should more people consider a custom bike instead of a production one?
August 04, 2022 11:22 - 1 hourWe finally have our full crew of Nerds back on this week’s episode, and boy, was there a lot to discuss. There’s a new custom bike show in the works for 2023 called Made, which will be based in Portland, Oregon, and will be held outdoors. No one will ever complain about another opportunity to see beautiful custom bikes in person, but are they just eye candy, or should more people actually consider buying one instead of a stock machine? Upstart brand Aerosensor also has a new portable device t...
Does it matter where your bike is built?
July 28, 2022 15:24 - 1 hourThe Nerds are back with a long overdue group show, and they’ve got a lot to talk about! James recaps some of the highlights from the recent Eurobike show in Frankfurt, Dave chats about the pitfalls of modern e-commerce with Silca’s Josh Poertner, we chat about two new road bikes — the Cervelo S5 and the Enve Melee — and debate how much it matters where a bike is manufactured. And finally, after a long hiatus, it’s another round of Ask a Mechanic!
The future of aero wheel development might be a bit rocky
July 22, 2022 13:00 - 55 minutesComputational fluid dynamics (CFD) and wind tunnels have long been the primary tools used by wheel engineers and aerodynamicists. However useful they are, though, they’re still based on laminar airflow — those picture-perfect parallel lines you see in illustrations — that doesn’t necessarily reflect real-world conditions. So what happens if you introduce a degree of turbulence to the R&D process? Do things change? Can the wheels get better? And what might this mean for bikes and other gear in...
Tech from the Tour paddock
July 12, 2022 03:10 - 43 minutesWe’re a little late with this week’s Nerd Alert episode and for good reason – the Wi-Fi at the Tour de France is terrible. That’s right, Caley Fretz and Ronan Mc Laughlin are in France and chat about all things Tour de France tech. From prep for the cobbles to bikes with hidden motors (just kidding!), Ronan and Caley catch up with a number of pro riders to hear what they’re riding and why.
Rim brakes aren't dead yet
June 30, 2022 20:24 - 31 minutesThe bike industry may have shifted entirely to disc brakes, but there are millions of happy rim-brake users out there with bikes that still have years — or even decades — of life left in them. Mainstream brands have already stopped spending money on anything related to rim brakes, and while that’s a bummer in one sense, it’s also created an opportunity for smaller brands to fill the void.
Flat tires and sketchy brakes — it’s Field Test time again!
June 23, 2022 16:47 - 39 minutesThis week’s episode comes to you live from Steamboat Springs, Colorado, where we’ve assembled four testers and a video team to evaluate ten different bikes. We’ve split them into six gravel and four road models this time around, with a focus on lower-priced options. The full reveal will come a bit later once we’re all done with testing, but let’s just say some of the bikes have already genuinely surprised us with how good they are, while others have made some unforgivable missteps.
Only a crazy person would think we need yet another bike brand, right?
June 16, 2022 13:12 - 1 hourIf you’ve got a decent chunk of change and are looking for a higher-end carbon drop-bar bike, there’s certainly no shortage of good options -- and probably too many of them, in fact. So why on earth would someone think it’s a good idea to start yet another one given this hyper-competitive environment? Well, that’s just what the folks at Bridge Bike Works are doing in Toronto, Canada. The company’s first bike sounds interesting enough, but the story behind the brand is arguably more compelling.
So. Many. New. Bikes.
June 09, 2022 04:24 - 1 hourJune is turning out to be an exceptionally hot month in terms of new bike releases, and Ronan joins James and Dave as a special guest to help us talk through them all. Although we don't have official information just yet, we know a new Trek Madone, Giant Propel, Canyon Ultimate, and Scott Foil are all likely to be announced within the next few weeks -- and thanks to revamped UCI technical regulations, there's once again some legitimately unique thinking going on in terms of design features. W...
Things that shouldn’t break
June 03, 2022 23:51 - 1 hourModern bikes are marvellous creations that continually push engineering boundaries with a continued focus on lighter, faster, and sleeker. However, that raises a big question, is the bicycle industry flying a little close to the sun when it comes to safety? It’s exactly this concern that this week’s Nerd Alert deep dive episode covers. Join James and Dave, as they speak with world-renowned carbon fibre repair, testing, and inspection expert Raoul Luescher of Melbourne-based Luescher Teknik. ...
Free the feet!
May 25, 2022 15:02 - 1 hourRiders commonly complain that they can’t find cycling shoes that are wide enough, but when was the last time you heard someone say their shoes are too wide? Maybe that’s a sign cycling footwear should be wider in general. We also chat about the utility of bike-mounted cameras (and radar), what Goodr still needs to do to really shake up the cycling sunglass market, and where to draw the line between buying tools and paying for labor.
A little honesty goes a long way
May 19, 2022 22:44 - 1 hourRoval has finally cleared the air on why its earlier Rapide CLX and Alpinist CLX wheels weren’t tubeless-compatible when they launched in 2020, and while the final outcome is positive, it would’ve been nice if it hadn’t also come with a healthy dose of obfuscation for the past two years. We also give Wilco Kelderman a lesson in how bikes work, speculate about Campagnolo’s mysterious new wheels spotted at the Giro, discuss some new hardware developments at Zwift (or lack thereof, as the case m...
The future of helmet safety
May 12, 2022 00:10 - 43 minutesWelcome back to the Nerd Alert podcast! This week we have a deep dive episode about something that’ll likely bring positive change to the helmets we all wear. Our guest is Peter Haldin, the Chief Science Officer and a Co-Founder of MIPS. However, in this interview, Peter is wearing another hat (helmet?) and speaks about his role as the Convener of the Working Group 11 (WG11). In short, WG11 is working to bring rotational-based testing to helmet safety standards, and the goal is to help reduce...
To lug or not to lug? That is the question
May 04, 2022 17:35 - 1 hourSo much to talk about this week! Colnago's new C68 is more modern-looking than any C-model that came before it, but it's also lost much of what made its predecessors unique. Headset bearings are still a pain to service on modern bikes, though at least they're lasting longer. And what's going on at Wahoo? Caley unfortunately had to skip out for this week's Ask a Mechanic segment, but that's ok; none of the answers required hammers, anyway.
Recycling carbon fiber is no longer a pipe dream
April 28, 2022 07:15 - 45 minutesThe topic of sustainability and carbon fiber has long been a black eye on the bike industry, but one company in Tennessee — called Carbon Fiber Recycling, of all things — is seemingly turning that around. Old broken frames? Random components? Scrap uncured pre-preg? It’s all good, according to CFR: just stick it all in its magic machine, and usable raw material comes out the other end. Best of all, the process is supposedly quite economical for everyone involved, there’s almost no waste produ...
Tubeless domination at Paris-Roubaix, and a look at the state of retail
April 21, 2022 07:07 - 1 hourThis year’s Paris-Roubaix was all about tubeless tires and foam inserts — so much so that it’s easier to talk about who wasn’t on them than who was. But the best part of modern Paris-Roubaix tech? The fact that it’s all so normal. The Nerds also bring on the owner of a small brick-and-mortar shop to talk about the state of retail in the bike industry, and then he joins us as a guest wrench on a super fun segment of Ask a Mechanic.
More fun new stuff from Sea Otter, and the future of traveling with your bike
April 19, 2022 08:15 - 40 minutesCaley promised to be more prepared for our second Sea Otter episode, but his list of neat new stuff that he found at the show was a little… questionable. Luckily for him, we had a special guest on hand: Orucase co-founder Isaac Howe. Isaac gave us plenty of detail on the magical folding full-size travel case Orucase has in development, shared with us a bunch of tips on how to pack your bike for a trip, and described how he sees the future of traveling with your bike in general now that most o...
What were the coolest things we saw at Sea Otter today?
April 11, 2022 16:04 - 52 minutesThe Sea Otter Classic trade show is back for 2022, and the Nerds are on site with a special episode, recorded right on the expo floor! James, Dave, and Caley talk about the coolest things we saw at the show on day one — like lower-priced 3D-printed saddles and one seriously sweet garage door opener, of all things — and then we chat gravel tire trends with Vittoria’s VP of product development, Ken Avery.
Inside the mind of mad scientist custom builder Rob English
April 06, 2022 10:24 - 1 hourRob English is one of the most highly coveted builders of high-performance steel bikes these days, and he’s also an elite athlete in his own right. His distinctive function-over-form style is very much rooted in his engineering background, but much of his vision and creativity comes from his eclectic experience in folding bikes, tandems, recumbents, unicycles, and even HPVs. What makes English tick, and where does he get his ideas from? How much skinnier does he think his seatstays can get, a...
High-end aluminum bikes and dropper posts for everyone?
March 30, 2022 16:00 - 1 hourThings have been a little wacky in the road bike world lately, with Specialized launching a new Allez Sprint high-end aluminum race bike that’s both heavier and more expensive (but potentially better?) than the one it replaces, dropper seatposts in pro racing, and bikes that positively laugh in the fact of that 6.8 kg UCI weight limit (how about 3.3 kg instead?). Plus, ever wonder what word sets off Zach? Yeah, we were a little surprised, too. Add in another round of Ask a Mechanic, and you’v...
Confused about tubeless and tire pressures? You’re not alone.
March 23, 2022 05:48 - 1 hourThis week’s Nerd Alert episode came about after consumer-direct wheel company Hunt released a 1,213 g ultralight disc brake road wheel with a hookless tubeless rim. Where some of the other more prominent hookless road wheels have 23 to 25 mm internal widths to supposedly support the tyre at lower pressures, Hunt’s have a marginally narrower 21 mm figure. And with that, some readers raised questions through our Mailbag column over whether the recommended 72.5 psi maximum pressure actually make...
Finding the best chain lube for your needs
March 16, 2022 14:40 - 1 hourThis week we’ve got a deep dive episode on a topic that’s applicable to everyone that rides a bike. Chain lube. As we’ve covered plenty before, the difference between running a good chain lube suited to your riding conditions versus a poor lube can come at an enormous financial cost to parts replacements, and that’s if you can find the parts to begin with. Unfortunately, there’s no doubt a load of BS floating around when it comes to chain lubes and what’s best. In August 2021 we had independe...
LeMond is back in the road business, but is it for real?
March 09, 2022 07:55 - 1 hourWe’re back with another group show this week, and taking a hard look at the new LeMond 8 carbon aero road bike that was announced last week. It sounds sweet, and includes a lot of intriguing features like structural foam filling, internal carbon truss reinforcements, size-specific chainstays, and — get this — carbon threads in the bottom bracket, bottle mounts, and derailleur hanger. There’s so much we want to love about the thing, but also a whole bunch of red flags. We also discuss the pr...
Custom options are great, but only if you’ve got the parts on hand
February 28, 2022 09:12 - 55 minutesLots of things have been hard to come by over the last year or two, and while it’s definitely been a big inconvenience for a lot of us, it’s potentially crippling if you’re trying to sell bikes — and maybe especially so if you’re a consumer-direct brand like Fezzari that has a full range of bike types and also prides itself on offering a huge list of custom options. Ever wonder what the logistics look like for such an operation? It’s as complicated as you might think, but thankfully, it turn...
OldGrumpyH8ters gonna hate
February 22, 2022 06:45 - 1 hourRoval and Specialized appear to be returning to road tubeless after last year’s curious non-tubeless tubeless wheel launch, we question the merits of Ratio Technology’s latest 12-speed conversion kit, and — no surprise — Shimano made a heck of a lot of money last year. But we also now have more concrete proof that the Covid-fueled bike boom might finally be cooling off a bit. And what’s Dave Rome’s favorite chain checker? What’s on the Nerds’ wish list for internal cable routing? How do you g...
Maybe slower is better when it comes to cycling clothing?
February 14, 2022 14:42 - 53 minutesApparel — apparel in general, not just cycling-specific stuff — is predominantly manufactured in bulk, with orders placed through contract factories well before anything will actually be offered for sale. It’s done this way because it’s cheap, but it also carries a lot of downsides, like the uncertainty of forecasting, long lead times, and literal mountains of waste. Maybe there’s a better way? US-based brand Kitsbow certainly thinks so, and while their sewn-on-demand business model has hurdl...
Will all bikes eventually be sold consumer-direct?
February 07, 2022 07:44 - 1 hourSpecialized rocked the industry last week with the announcement of its Rider Direct program, which allows buyers in select markets to have complete bikes delivered right to their door — either by a participating dealer or in a cardboard box. Dedicated consumer-direct brands like Canyon and YT bike brands already do this, of course, but Specialized is the first major traditional brand to go that route. Without question, the world has gotten used to buying anything and everything online, so thi...
How do you know you’re not buying a used bike lemon?
January 31, 2022 07:55 - 50 minutesFormer MTB pro Nick Martin started The Pro’s Closet out of the back of his old VW van 16 years ago, and now it’s a multi-million dollar operation with nearly 200 employees, a monstrous warehouse, and roughly 2000 used bikes for sale on any given day. TPC’s ace-in-the-hole is its Certified Pro-Owned program, which promises you’re getting a used bike that’s been fully inspected, serviced, safe, and ready to go — and it even comes with a 30-day return policy. The CPO thing has worked wonders for...
Lights, camera… action?
January 24, 2022 11:35 - 1 hourThe Nerds had quite a few new bikes to talk about this week, and a lot of details to debate, especially regarding Cannondale’s new Synapse. On the one hand, it’s strikingly normal now with no proprietary fittings whatsoever (even a threaded bottom bracket — from Cannondale!). But there’s now also a fully integrated onboard battery powering built-in lights and a custom rear-facing Garmin Varia radar. Is this a good thing, or is it a little half-baked? Meanwhile, Canyon has moved away from thre...
Gravel tech Q&A with Geoff Kabush
January 17, 2022 14:04 - 57 minutesIt turns out Canadian pro Geoff Kabush is pretty good at racing bikes — first in XC MTB and cyclocross, then more recently, gravel and enduro — and throughout it all, he’s never been afraid to speak his mind. But along with chasing podiums, Kabush has always also put his engineering degree and technical mindset to good use in a product development role, providing valuable feedback on what works, and what doesn’t. So what’s he think about gravel gear? James and Dave ask the questions, and Kab...
The 2021 CyclingTippies tech awards!
January 10, 2022 16:24 - 1 hourThere are all sorts of awards handed out in the cycling industry. There’s the Arlo Pfeiffer award for most convoluted cable routing; the Emma Stouffy prize for the more pungent tire; and the David St. Hubbins trophy — the “Hubby” — for blackest paint. But when all is said and done, none of these matter as much as our annual CyclingTippies tech awards. What was the best bike we rode this year (and the worst)? Who shook up the industry the most? What new trend had us really scratching our heads...
The CEO of SRAM gives us the lowdown on the supply chain
January 04, 2022 17:28 - 44 minutesIf you’ve tried to buy anything bike-related over the last couple of years, you’ve undoubtedly noticed that no one has anything in stock — like, ANYTHING. But why is that? Has the pandemic really disrupted global production that much on the supply side, or is it that so many more people are trying to buy stuff on the demand side? James and Dave sit down with the CEO of SRAM, Ken Lousberg, to get the inside story from one of the biggest players in the industry to get the full story. You won’t ...
Is adjustable geometry a genuine feature or just another gimmick?
December 20, 2021 17:05 - 1 hourThe Nerds are finally back with another group show! This week, one of the things we’re discussing is one of the hottest trends in gravel bikes: adjustable frame geometry. On paper, the idea of having multiple bike personalities in one sounds awfully appealing, but how much of a difference does it really make, and how many people are actually going to use it regularly? Is it a way to really make bikes better, or is it just a way bike brands can hedge their bets? And what happens if it’s done p...
The ins and outs of 3D-printed saddles
December 13, 2021 23:15 - 51 minutes3D printing is the hottest new development in manufacturing, and as far as cycling goes, saddles have curiously emerged as an area that has seen the most widespread application with several models on offer from both Fizik and Specialized (and more to come, surely). Although they’re horribly expensive, 3D-printed saddles have also proven to be freakishly comfortable while still being extraordinarily light and highly supportive. But what makes them so comfortable? When might they become more af...
Designing a cyclocross race bike that isn’t a gravel bike
December 02, 2021 14:00 - 40 minutesThis/next week’s episode of the Nerd Alert Podcast has dropped a little early. That’s because it’s a timely chat about the new Cervelo R5-CX cyclocross race bike that was just announced. Our guests for this episode are Cervelo’s director of product management, Maria Benson, and the company’s engineering manager, Scott Roy. Dave Rome fills in as host and chats about all the nerdy details of the new model (such as the new threaded bottom bracket!) that was designed specifically for Marianne Vo...
Loved products that didn’t make our top 10s
November 29, 2021 17:05 - 1 hourThis week’s episode of the CyclingTips Nerd Alert podcast sees tech editors Dave Rome and Ronan McLaughlin take control of the airwaves. They chat about new headset bearings that apparently can’t be killed, some big industry news, and a few new features you can expect to see on Zwift. Ronan and Dave then share a few of their most loved products for this year that didn’t make their respective Top 10s. And finally, the episode wraps up with a teaser of what they’re working on for CyclingTi...
Turns out some bikes are more sustainable than others
November 22, 2021 17:44 - 1 hourTrek released an inward-facing sustainability report a few months ago, and it’s eye-opening. The document doesn’t paint an especially rosy picture (e-bike haters will have a field day with this one), but it does provide some very useful information along with a solid roadmap for how to improve things. In this episode, The Nerds sit down with Trek’s director of brand marketing and public relations, Eric Bjorling, to discuss some of the details of the report, and also ask some hard questions ...
Are we finally getting turtle shells for indoor cycling?
November 15, 2021 16:37 - 1 hourThe Nerds have been pining for some sort of Mario Bros and Zwift mashup that lets us toss turtle shells at our competitors, but Zwift still seems to be too serious for these kinds of shenanigans. However, a new indoor bike called Tiltbike from UK outfit Muoverti nevertheless gives us some hope that we’ll see something like that from someone because built into one of its levers is — for real — a joystick! Will our prayers ever be answered? We chat about some other tech news items in this week...