It’s time for another bonus edition of Geek Warning. This chat is a brief opener to our upcoming coverage of Made, North America’s Custom Bicycle Show.

Held this coming weekend (21-23rd of August), the Portland-based show has grown to be a key event on the calendar for bike lovers, tech nerds, makers, and the like. A show like this also consistently serves as a crystal ball into emerging segments and tech trends.

One such trend is the emergence of custom frame builders offering pre-built options. In the USA, a number of local frame builders have reduced purchase barriers by offering set models and stock geometry options. The likes of No.22, Moots, and Stinner are all examples of this. Meanwhile, one of the most prestigious names in the titanium space has now joined the list - Mosaic.

For this chat, Dave Rome is joined by Mosaic’s founder Aaron Barcheck, along with chief vibe officer (and founder) of Made, Billy Sinkford.

A heads up that the timing of publishing this episode coincides with Mosaic’s announcement of a 32er gravel bike and its accompanying launch of its own carbon component brand – Zero. The news of this only broke after we recorded this episode and so these products aren’t discussed within. We may do a dedicated chat covering those interesting products in the future.

This week on Geek Warning, Dave is joined by Escape’s Suvi Loponen and Alex Hunt to talk about the latest in cycling tech.

Alex was on the ground at the Tour de France Femmes and came away pondering why 1x hadn’t hit the women’s field like it has the men.

Meanwhile, Suvi has spent the past couple of months riding the new Trek Domane endurance road bike. Dave and Suvi discuss why this bike is likely to be a big win for Trek.

Then, as usual, those on our member-only podcast feeds get access to Ask a Wrench. This week Dave is joined by Colin Williams to answer questions related to replicating fit dimensions between bikes, headset changes, and why high-engagement hubs aren’t more popular in road racing.

Time stamps:

• 00:01:20 - Accell group likely to be split up
• 00:08:15 - Tech trends at TDFF
• 00:17:09 - Tyres are growing, slowly
• 00:22:00 - Trek’s new Domane
• 00:33:45 - Bike prices coming down?
• 00:39:30 - The case for semi-integrated cable routing
• 00:43:00 - We’re all having a meet-up
• 00:48:15 - Ask a Wrench with Colin Williams (Members Only)
• 00:50:00 - How to match fit dimensions between bikes
• 01:01:30 - Is it ok to mismatch the headset?
• 01:06:15 - Replacing a proprietary headset
• 01:14:00 - High engagement hubs Crit racing?

This week, Dave and Jack from the Escape Collective tech team talk modern cross-country bikes and where the nuance between race and downcountry sits. Plus, Dave shares why he believes remote lockouts are a race-day product.

Meanwhile, the geeks discuss why rounded bolts are most often user error and how to avoid them (also check out Dave’s Threaded #15 article on the topic).

Like every week, members of Escape Collective (on the exclusive member-only feeds) get access to the full episode, including Ask a Wrench. This week Colin Williams is back on the mic to answer questions from our members, including tips for washing bikes with waxed chains and removing stubborn hub end caps.

Time stamps:

• 00:02:00 - Santa Cruz updates the Blur
• 00:12:00 - The difference between XC race and downcountry
• 00:16:30 - It’s in the lockouts
• 00:20:00 - Differences in spec
• 00:28:30 - A reminder why MTB tech matters to all listeners
• 00:30:00 - A little Clarifications Corner for last week’s PSA
• 00:36:30 - Rounded bolts are a you problem
• 00:43:45 - DT Swiss updates its budget 1800 wheel range
• 00:46:00 - Silca updates its saddle bags
• 00:47:45 - Giant and Liv’s new premium shoes
• 00:51:15 - Ask a Wrench (members only)
• 00:53:00 - How to wash a bike with a waxed chain
• 00:57:45 - How to remove stubborn hub end caps
• 01:06:20 - How to become a bicycle mechanic