With Unbound on next week, and the Gralloch on last weekend, it felt timely to talk about going further on gravel. For this, Escape’s tech and industry reporter, Suvi Loponen, joins Dave Rome. Also joining this week is special guest (and occasional Escape contributor) Kevin ‘Benky’ Benkenstein, a familiar face in the ultra world.

There's also talk of whether the trend in wide gravel rims is a good direction. And of course, there’s plenty more. Just a quick note that Kevin did have some internet issues, so we apologise for the occasional delay in the recording.

Members of Escape Collective get the full episode (and no ads!), where mechanic Colin Williams joins Dave to answer technical questions.

Time stamps:

• 00:01:31 - Suvi's time at the Gralloch
• 00:10:48 - How to get comfortable when going far on gravel
• 00:17:13 - New Specialized and Canyon spotted at the Gralloch
• 00:18:29 - What benefits the pros doesn’t always benefit us
• 00:20:33 - Unbound is coming
• 00:35:07 - New Enve gravel wheels
• 00:41:49 - Is wider really better, or is this just a trend?
• 00:45:55 - Niner bikes goes on pause
• 00:49:00 - Ask a Wrench (member-only feed)
• 00:50:30 - How long does a bag of wax last?
• 00:55:15 - Running a road cassette with mountain bike derailleurs
• 00:59:30 - Building a tool to stress relieve a wheel
• 1:06:04 - Does suspension need servicing after storage?

In a rare treat, Caley Fretz (aka, The Hammer) makes a return to Geek Warning. Joined by Escape's Senior Tech Editor Dave Rome, this week’s chat covers electronic suspension on mountain bikes and whether it makes sense for future gravel bikes.

Time stamps:

• 00:00:00 - Intro, Caley is back
• 00:02:01 - Caley is a fan of Flight Attendant
• 00:25:30 - Electronics for gravel suspension?
• 00:34:30 - Endurace CF range
• 00:41:00 - Rotor in trouble
• 00:42:00 - Why Escape Collective
• 00:44:56 - Ask a Wrench (members only)
• 00:45:50 - Can you fix a creaking saddle?
• 00:50:10 - How to find info on older bikes?
• 00:56:30 - More Cannondale Ai oddness
• 01:02:20 - Why don’t mechanics provide their own tools?

Are full-blown aero gravel bikes all they’re cracked up to be? Dave and Ronan share some strong thoughts on why this may be the wrong path, or at least, why it’s still early days for these being the faster choice.

For those in the workshop, Dave shares the importance of good lighting and some of his favourite hand-held options for seeing better.

Alex Hunt then jumps on to talk about XC tech from the opening round of World Cup racing, including why the conditions caused so many dropped chains.

Of course, members of Escape Collective get Ask a Wrench, this week with guru Colin Williams. Dave and Colin answer a handful of questions, but a chunk of the time is spent chatting about their most underrated and overrated tools.

Time stamps:

• 00:02:13 - A Traka load of new, unreleased gravel bikes from Factor and Ridley
• 00:06:46 - Cervelo Aspero 5 where it’s good and where it’s really not
• 00:13:41 - Has gravel learned everything it knows from XC?
• 00:18:03 - Is the Factor Sarana Ronan McLaughlin’s bike for ultras or just confusing?
• 00:29:42 - A good thing to share about lighting
• 00:41:47 - Alex joins to talk MTB World Cup
• 00:43:51 - New bikes spotted in South Korea from Scott and Lapierre
• 00:51:56 - Lots of mud and 1x drivetrains aren’t a good match
• 01:01:15 - Ask a Wrench (member-only feed)
• 01:02:40 - Best mechanical shifting options for dropbar?
• 01:12:10 - Chainline variance and e-bikes
• 01:17:30 - Squeaky shoes with SPD
• 01:22:00 - Our most overrated and underrated tools