Escape Collective

In the episode, Ronan talks to Sadie Fitton. Sadie has a Stage IV breast cancer diagnosis and recently attempted the 24-hour elevation gain world record. Stage IV, also known as Metastatic Breast Cancer (MBC), is when the cancer that has moved beyond the breast to other parts of the body. It is different from earlier-stage breast cancer in that it is treatable but incurable. In the episode, Sadie tells of her journey from a prior world record attempt to cancer patient in a foreign country in a matter of weeks right the way up to a second attempt at the world record. Cancer will touch all of our lives and so this podcast is a must listen for all. Sadie tells us what we need to know about that journey and all the fantastically nerdy optimisation work that went into a 24-hour elevation record attempt. You do not want to miss that! You can follow Sadie’s journey at UpstageMBC on Instagram and donate to her fundraiser for the Peter MacCallum Cancer Foundation at upstagembc.com

It's time for another bonus episode of Geek Warning. Typically, we keep these bonus episodes for subscribers and members of Escape Collective, however, this one is being left open to all as a teaser for the type of stuff you’re missing by not being a member. If you like this and want more, sign up here. This episode is about gravel tire selection and trends in the thinking that bigger is better. It all came about through an Instagram post by former WorldTour pro-turned Gravel Pro Alex Howes, who had shared just how much he had been obsessing over tire selection for the 2024 edition of Unbound Gravel. And what makes this conversation all the more interesting is that Howes isn’t sponsored by a single tire brand, but rather an online retailer that sells all the brands - biketiresdirect. Dave Rome and Howes cover a lot of ground in this one, including chatting slicks versus treads, picking the biggest volume possible, inserts or not, what to carry on a self-supported race like Unbound, and why white bar tape.If you don’t care about why, where, when, or how, and assuming the weather holds, Howes plans to race on Vittoria Terreno Zero tyres, in a 50 mm width up front and a 47 mm rear with inserts. He expects to start the day with approximately 19 psi in the front, and 24 psi rear. Still, if you find these details interesting, you’ll surely appreciate the conversation. Enjoy!

Welcome back to Geek Warning, a podcast by the Escape Collective, that covers everything to know in the world of bicycle tech. James Huang said farewell in our past episode, and with that, Dave is joined by a new voice that knows a thing or two about bicycle-related things – Brad Copeland.With a mountain bike World Cup race at Nové Město freshly finished, Dave and Brad discuss things in use by the winners, technical problems by a race favourite, and trends in tyre tech.The geeks share their favourite tubeless tyre sealants and a PSA applicable to all.It’s a relatively light week in terms of tech news, still, Brad and Dave share their thoughts on DT Swiss’ new premium gravel wheelsets, new well-priced carbon wheels from Easton, and a new gravel race jersey with its own sweat-patch. Time stamps: 4:10 – Pre-Olympic tech spotted in use by Pauline Ferrand-Prevot and Tom Pidcock 10:55 – Speculating about Victor Koretzky’s tech woes 15:20 – Are wider tyres always better for gravel and MTB? What does that mean for the future of tyre inserts? 37:25 - Pick one: tubeless tyre sealant 50:05 - PSA: test your spares! 57:10 - New DT Swiss GRC 1100 and 1400 Dicut gravel wheels 1:08:00 - Easton’s new EC90 ALX gravel and all-road hoops 1:10:40 - Castelli adds a hydration bladder to an aero jersey, so gravel

Off the back of the Transparency Report we published on the site a couple of weeks ago, we followed up with a live Discord Q&A with many of our members. We tried to turn that into a podcast, but it didn’t work very well. With so many of our members being podcast listeners, we felt it was important to do a good job at making our Transparency Report Q&A into something this significant portion of our membership would listen to. We hope you enjoy it.

For years, bikepacker Lael Wilcox wasn't sure whether she wanted to try and break the Around The World record. But with politics and climate change threatening global stability, the 36-year-old thought it was now or never, and has set out to try beat Jenny Graham's 2018 record by two weeks by circumnavigating the globe in 110 days.

Jonny Long and Ronan Mc Laughlin join Caley Fretz to discuss Pogačar's Giro effort, time trialing as a specialty, and the recovery of Vingegaard and Van Aert, and Joe Lindsey pops in to discuss Olympic selection for the United States. Escape Collective's podcasts are made possible by our members. Head on over to escapecollective.com/member to support this show and everything else on our podcast network.

Abby and Loren are joined this week by Matilda Raynolds and Matt de Neef to chat RideLondon Classique, Lizzy Banks, and Elisa Longo Borghini’s possible transfer, and to revisit the Wheel Talk draft! Escape Collective's podcasts are made possible by our members. Head on over to escapecollective.com/member to support this show and everything else on our podcast network.

Dane Cash and Cosmo Catalano break down the final week of the 2024 Giro d'Italia and discuss some of the bigger takeaways from the race as a whole. Escape Collective's podcasts are made possible by our members. Head on over to escapecollective.com/member to support this show and everything else on our podcast network.

Ever feel like you’d like a lighter bike? Now imagine what your current bike would feel like if it was half of your body weight. For all too many kids who are learning to ride bikes, that’s exactly what it feels like to them. Premium kids’ bikes are a relatively new category, but also one that’s rapidly growing with more brands, models, sizes, and genres than ever before. Are they expensive? As compared to what you’d find in a big-box store, sure. But when you really think about what your kid might get out of a nicer bike, what actually goes into them, and even what you might get out of them once they’ve outgrown them, the numbers become easier to justify. Fair warning: The full episode is only available to Escape Collective members. Head on over to escapecollective.com/member to support this show and everything else on our podcast network.

It’s just a regular week in May, but you can bet the bike industry is its usual buzz of activity. James Huang and Dave Rome offer some strong thoughts related to Shimano’s latest release of GRX Di2. There’s chat about Felt clawing its way back into the spotlight. Of course the geeks can't ignore the return of Kona Bikes. And there are rumblings that the old Interbike tradeshow may be coming back, too. We’ve got custom bikes on our minds. We fail at picking one saddle. And there’s a PSA for all. The episode wraps with a round-up of new wheel-related things from Reynolds, Zipp, Roval, Chris King, and Hunt. And then James shares his own news. Indeed this is the last episode you’ll hear James’ voice as he hangs up his digital gauge. Escape Collective's podcasts are made possible by our members. Head on over to escapecollective.com/member to support this show and everything else on our podcast network. Time stamps: 2:00 - Shimano GRX 12-speed Di2 16:40 - Felt’s new VR endurance road bike 20:25 - Kona is back! 25:45 - Is the Interbike tradeshow coming back? 30:40 - On our mind: would we buy our own fully custom bike? 43:25 - Pick one: saddles 56:45 - You get accustomed to things being crummy 1:01:10 - Talking new wheel-related things from Reynolds, Zipp, Hunt, Roval, and Chris King 1:11:30 - James’ heart sinking news (tear emoji)

Kit Nicholson and Jonny Long join Caley Fretz on this week's Placeholders to discuss Pogačar's benevolent dominance, Vingegaard's tattoo, and more. Escape Collective's podcasts are made possible by our members. Head on over to escapecollective.com/member to support this show and everything else on our podcast network.

This week Abby and Loren were joined by Matilda ‘Tils’ Raynolds to talk about the Vuelta a Burgos, Demi Vollering, and sprint finish safety. They also dove into a few of the lesser one-day events and tried to make sense of USA Cycling’s Olympic team. Obsessions: Abby - Bridgerton Season 3, Loren - her bike, Tils - Racing Unbound! Escape Collective's podcasts are made possible by our members. Head on over to escapecollective.com/member to support this show and everything else on our podcast network.

Cosmo Catalano and Dane Cash discuss the wholesome breakaway wins, the clear sprint leader, the shifting meta, and the dominant GC rider at the Giro d'Italia. Escape Collective's podcasts are made possible by our members. Head on over to escapecollective.com/member to support this show and everything else on our podcast network.

In this episode: Jack chats with teammate Matevž Govekar from a pre-Dauphiné Tenerife training camp about altitude, why teams pick various high-altitude locations, being a pro with celiac, making one's way into the pro peloton, and lots more. Sign up to be a member: https://escapecollective.com/member

This week we add some dirt to our ongoing bike position conversation as former World Tour pro and gravel privateer, Nathan Haas joins the show to discuss bike fits for gravel. Ronan quizzes Nathan on why his gravel fit is so different to his road bike setup and the polar opposite of the progressive saddle positions this podcast has covered previously. In return, Nathan explains the principles guiding his bike fitting, his hopes to become an osteopath, and the current neurology blind spot in much of bike fitting. Escape Collective's podcasts are made possible by our members. Head on over to escapecollective.com/member to support this show and everything else on our podcast network, and to get access to this full episode.

Not surprisingly given the big product launch this week, Dave and James have a lot to dive into with SRAM’s new Red AXS wireless road groupset: what’s different about it, what’s not so different, what’s been improved, and what’s stayed the same – and the thing everyone will invariably ask us, whether we’d choose that or the latest Shimano Dura-Ace. We also chat about the neat features embedded into the new Hammerhead Karoo GPS computer, and the significance of the new tire partnership between Zipp and Goodyear, Dave gets his thoughts about road bike cockpit reach off his chest, we choose our favorite tubeless plug kits, and we’re still worried about loose headsets. Escape Collective's podcasts are made possible by our members. Head on over to escapecollective.com/member to support this show and everything else on our podcast network. Timestamps: 2:05 – A neat detail about Chris King’s new hubs we overlooked 3:51 – A clarification on our position regarding road hookless tubeless wheels and tires 6:04 – The lowdown on SRAM’s new Red AXS road groupset 12:22 – Do we like it? 16:19 – SRAM Red AXS or Shimano Dura-Ace Di2? 21:15 – Don’t call it the Hammerhead Karoo 3 25:45 – Goodyear’s new tires are Zipp-specific, but we’re not entirely sure why 30:02 – Effective reach is an overlooked fit dimension 36:50 – Pick One! Our favorite tubeless plug kits 47:20 – We’re still worried about loose headsets 53:08 – Ratio Technology has a neat cage option for SRAM Transmission rear derailleurs 55:53 – Pirelli has gotten even more Italian

Kit Nicholson, Jonny Long, and Abby Mickey join Caley Fretz to discuss Decathlon's recent success, the Intergiro, transfers in the women's peloton, and more ... Escape Collective's podcasts are made possible by our members. Head on over to escapecollective.com/member to support this show and everything else on our podcast network.

Much leaked and recently teased, SRAM has now officially unveiled the latest iteration of its Red AXS road groupset. This top-tier offering introduces a new approach to shifter ergonomics and braking, along with a number of other smaller changes. Shile at the product launch, tech editor Dave Rome sat down with a few key members of SRAM’s road product and engineering team to discuss what’s new, what isn’t, and why. Following the chat about new SRAM things, Dave then sat down with the team from Hammerhead to discuss the equally new Karoo computer. You can also read our thoughts (and see photos) of these new products over at escapecollective.com. This deep dive is a bonus episode of Geek Warning podcast. Full access to such bonus episodes are typically limited to Escape Collective members, however, this one is free for all to access. If you enjoyed this content then please consider supporting our mission of being a wholly member-funded and independent media outlet. You can join at escapecollective.com/member.

This week Abby, Loren and Matt de Neef marvel over SD Worx-Protime’s Itzulia statistics, their approach to the race, and why the courses were so good. Plus, rumours! Obsessions: Abby - TTPD Live (bonus: Album Files podcast) live, Matt - Dune, Loren - the weather

Dane Cash and Cosmo Catalano tackle the talking points of the Giro so far, where Tadej Pogačar and his aura of invincibility have taken control of the GC, but where plenty of stage battles have provided intrigue. Escape Collective's podcasts are made possible by our members. Head on over to escapecollective.com/member to support this show and everything else on our podcast network.