Explaining Shimano’s new entry-level dropbar range

Oh hi, welcome back to Geek Warning!

There are some things to tell this week. We’ve had a number of changes to the pod over the past few months (sorry!), and we’ve got a few more to share.

Ask a Wrench, which sits at the end of our episodes, is now members-only. That means you’ll need to be on our member podcast feed to hear that extra part of the podcast. Meanwhile, the first hour of goodness is free for all.

Additionally, you’ll still hear from UK-based tech writers Suvi Loponen and Alex Hunt on occasion, just not every episode. Suvi will soon begin on a new podcast series that investigates industry-related topics. Meanwhile, you’ll also hear Alex and Suvi on an upcoming and recurring special episode where we’ll catch up on the bikes and gear we’ve been testing.

With all that said, jump on in to hear Dave Rome, Ronan McLaughlin, and the return of Zach Edwards (Boulder Groupetto). Also, Brad Copeland is present at the end to answer some of your Ask a Wrench questions.

The episode itself is jam-packed. The geeks offer their opinions on what the UCI’s relaxed equipment ruling from four years ago are doing to bikes of today and tomorrow. They cover the details of new Shimano CUES. And talk about the realities in the durability of modern road pedals. Plus a whole lot more…

Time stamps:

0:00 - Changes are happening
2:30 - The impact of the UCI’s relaxed rules from 2021
19:45 - New Shimano CUES and ESSA for dropbar bikes
31:00 - On our mind: Pedals should be serviceable
41:35 - Ritchey ditches the World Champ rainbow
46:20 - QO cranks, from the founders of Rotor
48:05 - Wolf Tooth’s EnCase mini pump line
49:10 - A bad week for smartwatch users
52:20 - CeramicSpeed has a new tool for (DUB) crank removal
55:20 - State’s new 4130 All-Road is very cheap
57:42 - Biggest tech news for the week comes from Chris King (spoiler, it’s a coffee tamper).
59:22 - Tangent into our favourite tool-related bottle openers
1:01:00 - Switch to the Member-Only feed if you want Ask a Wrench!
1:05:00 - Modern drivetrain compatibility leading to road and MTB gravel (recorded a week before the CUES announcement, oops)
1:11:00 - Sweating tubeless tyres and what to do about it.
1:17:00 - Disc brake performance and bed-in when using multiple wheelsets, plus a dive into bed-in procedure.