Geek Warning: A climbing bike too light for the pros, but carbon inspection for everyone
Spin Cycle
Escape Collective
4.9 • 1.1K Ratings
🗓️ 14 July 2023
⏱️ 70 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Factor’s new O2 VAM sounds like quite the climbing bike: light, stiff, comfy, and newly aero. But is it too light for the pros? Maybe. There doesn’t seem to be any debate about wider tires at the Tour, though, as even 28 mm doesn’t seem like enough.
SRAM has also brought its innovative Transmission mountain bike drivetrain technology down to the GX level, an Australian company wants to bring high-tech carbon fiber inspection to the bike shop level, and James gripes about water bottles.
4:15 — A roundtable on the new Factor O2 VAM climbing bike
16:25 — Even Tour racers have adopted big tires in a big way
27:00 — GX is now the least expensive Transmission version, and it might be the best one
35:55 — Is ultrasonic carbon fiber testing coming to bike shops?
49:26 — Zach has some thoughts on ever-widening cranks
59:15 — Water, water, everywhere, and too many leftover drops to drink
1:01:05 — Check your chain wear, folks!
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hello everyone welcome back to Geek Warning from The Escape Collective. |
| 0:12.6 | I'm James Huang and for the first time in quite a while, |
| 0:15.3 | sitting here in the Boulder Group Hetto next to our resident pro mechanic, |
| 0:17.9 | Zach Edwards. |
| 0:18.7 | Hi, Zach, hi Zach, hello. |
| 0:20.5 | And joining us remotely from Sydney Australia is tech editor Dave Rome. |
| 0:24.0 | Hi Dave. |
| 0:25.0 | Hello. |
| 0:26.0 | Ronin is sadly out sick today and Kayle is still somewhere in France swimming, I believe he's swimming |
| 0:31.3 | laps in an Olympic-sized cool full of rosé so we'll just have to check back with |
| 0:36.3 | Kaling when it comes up for air anyway. |
| 0:38.5 | If there's any truth to that I want to be there. |
| 0:41.6 | Sounds lovely. I'm sure it will be on an Instagram story somewhere. |
| 0:45.0 | Zach, it's been a while since we've had you on, but as usual, things look pretty busy here in the shop. |
| 0:49.8 | I have to say though, I'm a little surprised to see a certain something on your |
| 0:53.0 | personal bike hanging up in the wall there is I believe I see a ceramic speed OSPW on |
| 0:57.6 | your bike you do which seems very unzak-like saving all the lots |
| 1:01.3 | marginal gains on my gravel bike. |
| 1:05.0 | It's like your bike is self-propelled now. |
| 1:07.0 | Yeah, I barely have to pedal. |
| 1:09.0 | Dave, I noticed on your Instagram stories that you had a little shipman come through recently. |
| 1:14.6 | Yeah, yeah, it's a new tool that I paid for a few months ago. |
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