Marginal Gains Cycling Podcast, Presented by Silca

We take a look at what has become a dilemma for some Marginal Gains seekers and that is optimizing aero, rolling resistance on a tubeless, hookless rim. Josh has an admittedly unpopular take on the subject. We also get into the aerodymanic idea known as the Magnus Effect. The principle says that a spinning object will develop unequal pressure on either side as it moves throught air. Josh expains how -- if at all -- the Magnus Effect, affects that rotating thing we love; the bicycle wheel. We also have questions on hot waxing in a vacum oven, the aero cost of external cables, and what is kind of a Silca product shocker: it's Ultimate Shock Pump.

We know, the title sounds like we're doing an episode about drug paraphernalia, but trust us, it's the (very good) answer to one of many great questions posed to Josh in this latest listener-driven Q&A episode. We get into using the right lube under the right conditions (including super dry moondust mountain biking), aero combos with the Conti Aero 111, TPU tube challenges, and much more. It's a fun and info-packed episode from the show that dares to say, "It depends."

Behind every great cyclist is a great bike fit, which means a great bike fitter. Honestly, we're not sure it’s possible to overstate the gains — or losses— a bike fit can bring. And a startling number of top pros we’ve had on this show trust Barry Anderson of Cyclologic, in Scottsdale Arizona. Barry has popped up on our radar numerous times and for numerous reasons recently. We're excited to share Barry's practical guidance on the why, how, and who of a great bike fit.

Cécile Lejeune is a rising star in women's pro cycling, but this Frenchwoman (and now Arizonian) is no stranger to speed. With roots in Tri and a number of impressive running records in her native country, Cécile has been challenging herself since the age of 12. A RED-S survivor, Cécile brings an inspiring and candid story to this year's Life Time Grand Prix, where she currently sits in a top-10 ranking. This is even more impressive when you consider that last year she wasn't even accepted into the race. With a love of gravel, tips on where to get married in a hurry, and an outsized helping of wisdom, this conversation with Cécile is not one to miss.

Fatty is obsessed with mini compressors and so jumps the line in this episode of Ask Josh Anything with several questions he has about Silca's new Elettrico series, Silca's innovative, just-released electric mini pump that is available everywhere (except the US) now. We also got some great feedback/pushback on part of Josh's recent FAQ episode, and a novel new product idea involving tap water from Indianapolis. And, as always, so much more.

We are on the ground at Sea Otter chasing Marginal Gains. A top theme at this year's show is something we have been discussing in our episodes: the wider tire revolution. Older XC tires have found new life on gravel race bikes and tire makers are responding. We hear from two major players on the tire side of things. Plus Dylan Johnson weighs in on how widespread the wider tire movement has become at the pointy end of races. We also wadedinto some new terrirotry: bike rack and bag maker Tailfin talks about its go-fast approach to bike packing. And finally, we met up with a one-of-a-kind company that has brought Marginal Gains...to leg shaving.

We've done plenty of interview episodes before, but this one's a little different. The twist here is we have pro cyclist Melisa Rollins joining as co-host in hopes of improving her chances at Levi Leipheimer's The Growler, a race that boasts the world's largest payout in a one-day race: a $156,000 purse, split evenly among men and women.

We had a whole suite of super nerdy and fun questions ready to ask Josh...and we will still ask them, next time. But we also wanted to know Josh's thoughts about how the newly-announced tariffs might affect Silca, the businesses it buys from and sells to, and its customers. The resulting unscripted conversation is a must-listen.

2024 Unbound Champion Rosa Klöser’s trajectory to the top step started with a stolen townie, and has kept surprising —and impressing — ever since. You're going to love this conversation with this analytical, detailed, smart, and fast fellow marginal gainer.

This is a little different from most Ask-Josh-Anything episodes. Here, we ask Josh to answer the questions he gets most often. What we got was an insightful hour of experiences, career advice, and thoughts on the culture within pro cycling teams. This is seriously an episode you do NOT want to miss.

Jonathan Lee is Communications Director and one of the OG’s at TrainerRoad, one of our favorite tools for marginal-gaining our bodies. TrainerRoad is all business (or at best, Type 2 fun) about making you the strongest, fastest version of yourself...or at least, it was that way until recently. Hottie and Fatty talk with Jonathan about TrainerRoad's why, how, and what's next.

Short cranks are all the rage right now, and it just wouldn't be right to let this cycling trend go by without asking Josh to weigh in on its actual merits from aero, weight and engineering perspective. We've also got practical answers for your tire inserts and rolling resistance questions, measuring CRR, old-school cables and bar tape strategies, and an inquiry into the compromises tandem and benefits of tandems.

We could have talked with Sofia Gomez Villafane for hours about nothing but her head-spinning palmares: Olympian, winner of Lifetime Grand Prix Series in 2023 and 2024, Leadville, twice at Unbound and Sea Otter, Belgian Waffle rides, and so much more. But the fact is, her wins are just the exclamation marks to the powerful voice Sofia is bringing to the sport. Do not miss this smart, instructive and fun interview with the top off-road woman in North American racing.

The Marginal Gains crew thought we'd throw a real curveball this episode and make every single question about cycling...and relevant, even. Wacky, huh? We talk about how the Silca Endurance chip might affect your lube schedule, the challenges of riding with a waxed chain in very cold weather, strategies you can use to reduce / remove speed wobbles on your bike, how a racer in the Leadville 100 MTB might make his artificial knee more aero, and much more. Enjoy the show, and send us your own questions by texting or calling 317-343-4506.

Chase Wark shares his unique journey in the cycling world, from his unconventional bike setups to his passion for community-building through cycling events, Chase's story is one of creativity, resilience, and a deep love for the sport. Josh Poertner and Chase Wark discuss innovative bike setups, aerodynamics, and the importance of tinkering with equipment to gain performance advantages. Enjoy this distinctly midwestern conversation, equal parts innovation, iteration, and post-race hugs and hotdish.

If the premise of these Q&A episodes is that you can Ask Josh Anything, and we continue asking questions forever, shouldn't we really change the name of this series to "Ask Josh Everything?" The answer to that question is, of course, "it depends." In this installment, Josh addresses the surprisingly contentious oval chainring, speculates on why a squeaky wheel is squeaking, talks about the present and future of TPU tube recyling...but not before Fatty line-jumps with his current fascination: how, with an unlimited budget, you could build the perfect Everesting route and bike. This is a fun — and as always, sneakily educational — episode. Enjoy!

Dylan Johnson is back with a follow up to the testing he and Josh did in the spring. The race season started with the two of them in the wind tunnel looking for Marginal Gains that could be used in the Lifetime Grand Prix and the other off-road races Dylan had on his calendar. Dylan reports back with his "on-course" experience and a look at how other racers are adopting some of the advantages he and Josh first discovered. Dylan also has questions for Josh on how some of the new "finds" and Silca products can be used at the pointy end of off-road racing. This is two Marginal Gainers sharing notes on another season of discovery and execution.

Is it a coincidence that Fatty picked all the questions for this episode, and that all the questions in this episode are topics Fatty finds either interesting or personally relevant? Probably not! But if you're wondering if chain waxing makes sense for dusty trail conditions, are curious how much (if any) the outside temperature should affect your tire pressure, or are wondering how inflexible cyclists should set their bikes to be as aero as possible, you'll find Josh's answers as intriguing as Fatty did. Enjoy the show!

Zwift VP of Product Mark Cote joins the Marginal Gains crew, picking up where we left off in our last conversation: the wind tunnel. This time, his time in the tunnel is all about future-looking features for Zwift, and this peek at what's to come is not to be missed. From there we talk about everything in the present and future state of Zwift and Marginal Gains, from the extremely practical (tips and warnings for your own Zwift setup) to the philosophical (is Zwift for racing, training, or fun?) with everything in between. Whether you ride a smart trainer or not, you will not want to miss this episode!

Bryan Larsen tells us his only real talent is that he's too dumb to quit. We strongly disagree, but take his point: Bryan is no quitter. In this episode, Bryan talks us through how he took the constraints given to him through birth and accident, and used passion, perseverence, and a love of marginal gains to reinvent his racing career.