Escape Collective

Geek Warning: XC MTB is so hot, even die-hard road brands are getting into it

Modern cross-country mountain bike racing is absolutely on fire these days. The riders are faster, more skilled, and more interesting than ever, the courses are technical and physically demanding, and the bikes are so capable they'd put the "trail bikes" of yesteryear to shame. But one has to look no further than some dyed-in-the-wool road brands to see how hot the segment is right now, because even they're getting into the game.
Also, in this week's show: (some) bikes are getting cheaper, there are prototype cross-country suspension forks everywhere, and the UCI dropped a logistical bomb on teams just weeks ahead of the Tour.
Episode time stamps (oh, that’s new for us!):
2:35 - BMC’s TT bike and company news.13:30 - Pinarello is returning to mountain bikes.16:35 - What are P1 Race Tech mountain bike wheels?19:29 - Cervelo getting deeper into XC.21:23 - A flurry of forks and the boom of XC.30:35 - Lauf drops Seigla prices in the USA. Plus other price drops.35:30 - Will we see new UCI technical controls at the TDF?49:45 - The growth of tyre inserts.60:00 - On our minds and debating cup and cone bearing hubs

Pretty Serious Bike Racing: Resurgences at Romandie and the arrival of the Vuelta Femenina

In this week's episode of the Pretty Serious Bike Racing Podcast, Abby Mickey joins Dane Cash and Cosmo Catalano to talk:
A big week for both Brits and Colombians at the Tour de Romandie
Matteo Jorgensen's versatility
Ally Wollaston's emergence
What to expect at the Vuelta Femenina

Wheel Talk: La Vuelta Femenina Preview with Amanda Spratt

We are dropping this week’s Wheel Talk Podcast episode a little earlier because La Vuelta Femenina by Carrefour.es kicks off on Monday, May 1 with a TTT in Torrevieja. Amanda Spratt of Trek-Segafredo, who will be racing this week in Spain, joins Loren and Abby to talk about the stages and riders to watch at the race.

Wheel Talk: Megan Jastrab’s last few years have been a whirlwind

On this bonus episode of the Wheel Talk Podcast, Abby caught up with up-and-coming American talent Megan Jastrab to discuss her years at Team DSM and her experience racing the team pursuit at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics while working to graduate from college in four years.

Placeholders: A red card for Zaaf (and maybe others)

In the latest episode of the Placeholders, Caley Fretz, Dane Cash, and Abby Mickey talk Soudal-QuickStep's 2023 campaign, the latest from the Tour de Romandie, Tadej Pogačar's injury, Miguel Ángel López, and the new CRIT series, while Iain Treloar provides an update on Primož Roglič's Twitter tribulations and Joe Lindsay offers some insight into what has been going on over at the Zaaf Cycling Team.

Geek Warning: How hardtail mountain bikes are like cats

On this week's episode of Geek Warning... Specialized says its new Epic World Cup will replace hardtails for racing, and while the bike looks interesting, this isn't the first time we've heard such a thing and hardtails have proven time and again that they've got a lot of lives.
Also in this week's show: Wahoo is probably for sale, but who should buy it? Might you soon be taking your e-bike to an auto mechanic for service? Why did Boyd Cycling open up an aluminum rim factory in South Carolina? And James gives a recap of the shiny new stuff – both affordable and expensive – he saw at last week's Sea Otter Classic, along with a PSA on how your DRL might not be providing the visibility you think it is.

Wheel Talk: An inevitable yet exciting end to the Spring Classics

Abby, Matt and Gracie break down the final two races of the Spring Classics and Ardennes week. Both La Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège had potentially inevitable winners but kept us on the edge of our seats.
Plus, we answer a couple of listener questions and talk about what we’ve been obsessed with lately (non-cycling related, of course).

Pretty Serious Bike Racing: Liege-Bastogne-Liege

Ruth Winder and Kit Nicholson join Dane Cash and Cosmo Catalano to talk...
Vollering's dominance in Liège
Trek-Segafredo's solid effort
Soudal-QuickStep's lead-out to Evenepoel's move on La Redoute
Pogačar's absence
The upcoming Tour de Romandie

Placeholders: Flèche the hand sandwich and horrible AI

Caley, Ronan, and Jonny are back this week to dive into the biggest stories in cycling, including:
- Is Fleche Wallone the ideal mid-week snack?
- Things not to do with AI
- Brits at the Tour of the Alps
- A Liege-Bastogne-Liege preview with Dane Cash
 

Geek Warning: A new Tarmac and the worst bike James has ridden

This week on Geek Warning, James, Ronan, and Caley talk through rumors of a new Specialized Tarmac SL8, dig into the worst bike James has ever ridden, the return of Mavic (but not where you think they would be), and much more.