<p>Cycle Systems is a leading bike mechanic training school both in Devon, UK and Online with https://www.cyclesystemsonline.com. Our pod always delivers entertaining ways to educate all lovers of bike tech, with interviews, mechanical expertise and a bit of humour thrown in.</p>
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Cycle tech chat for mechanics and riders alike

Cycle Systems Online

For the first time since 2007 and the formation of Cycle Systems, Sean is working for someone else. In this episode, he looks at the differences of bike shop life in 2022 to back then and shares what these changes in bike design mean for mechanics and consumers. He also gives a quick wish list of 'money no object' dream bikes. Never an easy selection to make, but as you might imagine, none of the bikes coming out of boxes make it!

Episode 158 Back to Basics in Bern (1) (1)

This week Sean and John look at the trends in modern road bike design and their impact on carbon fibre design and manufacture. Specifically how this affects riders safety, both in the world tour and the Sunday club run. Based on an in depth discussion on this subject Sean has with Raoul Luescher from Luescher Teknik for Team Camp members, expect a bit of a rant! 

Episode 157 Rider Safety and Bike Design, an Educated Rant

As the Tour de France has just wrapped up and we get into the Tour de France Femmes, let's look back a few years and join Sean having a chat with Gary Blem, then Team Sky's mechanic assigned to Chris Froome. If you've ever wondered what life as a pro mechanic is like at the very top of the game and how to get there, this pod is for you. Join us next week for a look at Eurobike 2022.

Episode 155: Gary Blem - Life in the World Tour

Sean gives his mid term review of the DT Swiss ARC, ERC and Mon Chasseral wheels. Riding uphill and down dale, on and off road has given the wheels a good little workout so far. 

Dt Swiss Wheel Test - Mid/Users/julialally/Desktop/New Tech fro Term Review

Shimano finally releases its much anticipated 105 Di2 groupset. The question is, beyond the hype, will this benefit the bike world? In this pod, Sen tries to take a balanced view of a much polarised issue and give the trade and mechanic's lowdown of this new tech milestone for Shimano.



A Balanced Look at 105 Di2

Jack Thurston's Lost Lanes

As the final week of the Giro d'Italia hit the big mountains, the bikes got lighter and less aerodynamic. Sean and John moun the dearth of Pantaniesque action and mbike mods in this year's race, but do have a look at Sean's new climbing bike.

Episode 149: Giro d'Italia Climbing Bikes

Bike racing in Sierra Leone has exploded into mainstream consciousness in 2022 with the Tour de Lunsar being covered in Cycling Tips and the Guardian UK. In this podcast, Sean speaks to the organiser of the Tour - Abdul Karim Kamara - and Ibrahim Jalloh, one of it's star riders. 

Episode 150: Cycling in Sierra Leone

This week we welcome back Jean Paul Ballard, CEO of Swiss Side. Sean has been testing the new Gravon 420 wheels and we get into the technical details of Swiss Side's performance analysis for gravel wheels and tyres. 
We also recap on Jean Paul's recent visit to the IronMan World's in Utah. 

Episode 148: Gravel Wheels and Ironman Worlds with JP Ballard

Misha Sakharoff - Holisitc Health Engineer

New Tech from Bosch and Garmin with Mike Stead

Rider Safety and Bike Design, an Educated Rant

Hi, it's Sean here -

The world is in a strange place right now...

Things we previously felt were stable - such as our careers - are feeling a lot less reliable.

It's pretty common to be waking up in the middle of the night worrying if you're going to be able to continue providing for your family.

A lot of our past students have been taking their knowledge and skills around bike repair and turning it into a profitable business - either on the side or as a full-time career.

The demand is pretty high right now, and there simply aren't enough bike mechanics to go around.

Perhaps you too have dreamed of turning your passion for bikes into a side income?

Well, funnily enough, as I'm starting a new life in Switzerland, I am also doing just that. I'm setting up a workshop in my garage and aim to do a few services a week of high end bikes for the most demanding customers. I've gone right back to basics, although this time I won't be filling my calendar for 8 hours a day with fixing bikes, even though I'm sure I could and very quickly.

If you're inspired to learn more and chat with me, you can visit www.https://go.cyclesystemsonline.com/teamcamp

Episode 147: Starting Out All Over Again

This Week's podcast is an introduction to the enviable selection of wheels has been sent by DT Swiss and SwissSide for testing. From performance gravel and adventure wheels to the best superlight and aerodynamic offerings, Sean is testing them all this Summer to see what difference the right top end wheel can make.

This is just a short primer for the main testing, and you can look forward to chats with SwissSide and DT Swiss, in a factory visit very soon.

Episode 146: Swiss Wheel Test Primer

John Galloway and Sean take a look at the bikes and equipment used for this Springs arduous cobbled classics races. From Omloop Het Nieuwsblad to Paris Robaix, this season within a season contains many cycling fans favourite races.


Episode 145: 2022 Cobbled Classic Tech

Avoid epic fails in the backcountry!

Regular guest and Bike Shop Show star, Scott Dedenbach returns to talk about the mechanics and tech of bikepacking.


Episode 144: Scott Dedenbach on Bikepacking Tech (1)

Zero Friction Cycling

After Biniam Girmay’s win in yesterday’s Gent Wevelgem, the first victory by an African rider, we speak to Britain’s only ever winner, Barry Hoban.

While you can hear incredible racing tales from Barry on the https://cyclinglegends.co.uk/ podcast, on this show we focus as much on the bikes that Barry rode and the tech of the 1950s, 60s and 70s. 

Of course, there is much racing discussion and some fascinating as well as vivid descriptions of races of 60 years ago, as well as Barry’s description of his first ever race bike and machines he rode in the amature and then pro ranks in the continent.


Episode 142: Barry Hoban 


This week join Sean and editor of https://www.imbikemag.com/ Jarno Hoogland to look at the latest MTB technology and trends.

Looking at acoustic and electric mountain bikes, as well as events that are opening up in 2022, Sean and Jarno pick through the hype and marketing to see if 2022 is a year of technological evolution or revolution.






Episode 141: MTB Tech 2022 with Jarno Hoogland of IMBM

This week’s episode is a look at the mechanics of the body. Trevor Payne works with athletes from varied sports, including cycling and triathlon from which he was an elite competitor himself.

www.athleticperformancetherapy.com is Trevor’s homepage where you can find out more about rehabilitation from injuries, something most of us have to deal with at some point.

Episode 140: Trevor Payne on Sports Injuries

This week Mike Stead returns, joining Sean for a chat with the owner of www.Silca.cc

From a diverse background, including motorsport and a real life ‘Breaking Away’ Little 500 race, Josh was a key part of https://www.sram.com/en/zipp and has worked with such cobbled classic luminaries as Fabian Cancellara and Peter Sagan on Paris Roubaix victories.

We get into Silca’s tools and why Josh decided to buy the company and get into some of the engineering behind bike racing, covered in more depth in Silca’s Marginal Gains podcast and YouTube channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHhgHOQoD_AQ84jYWfzWvAw

Episode 139: Silca's Josh Poertner

In this week’s podcast we pay tribute to a giant of the sport of cycling in the South West UK, Ken Robertson.

Ken passed away recently, while riding his bike and thus ended a lifetime of cycling, racing, organising and nurturing new and seasoned riders alike in the sport that we love.

Mid Devon CC’s very moving tribute page is https://www.middevon.cc/ken-robertson-memorial-and-tributes where you really get a grasp on how much he contributed to the sport over many decades and what Ken meant to the people he touched. 

In this podcast we speak to seasoned cycling veterans, relative newcomers and a young semi-pro rider, all of whom worked with or were guided by Ken on their cycling journeys.

We’d like to thank Ken’s family for giving their blessing to this podcast, which we hope will provide a lasting audio tribute to a genuine legend who will be sorely missed by so many.


Episode 138: Ken Robertson Tribute 

Recorded exactly ten years to the day of The Bike Shop Show episode 1, Sean catches up with Scotty D to find out if he still bans mix and match kit and loves glueing tubular tyres. 

You too can sit and listen to every episode of the BSS right here https://bikeshopshow.libsyn.com/2012/01

Episode 137: A Decade of The Bike Shop show

Morocco has become a real destination for gravel and adventure racers as well as mountain biking in recent years. Hisham Ghourdmani www.instagram.com/moroccosingletracks is an MTB guide and bike mechanic in Marrakesh and is perfectly placed to tell us about the riding and cycling culture of the country.

BH Bikes visited Hisham in 2019 with pro rider Alex Cure and filmed a real sick edit to launch their Lynx bike. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkvs14BDN3o is the making of the film and https://youtu.be/meE96Va8vz0 is the full edit. Stunning stuff, I’m sure you’ll agree?

Episode 136: Morocco Singletracks with Hisham Ghourdmani

www.cyclingindustry.news is our favourite source of, well industry news worldwide.

Editor, Mark Sutton has his finger on the bike trade, from collecting data about UK bike business’ to worldwide transport trends.

In this, the first episode of 2022 Mark and Sean get into all of this and more.


Episode 135: Cycling Industry News' Mark Sutton

When you come to Cycle Systems Academy you don’t just get an education, you get comradeship and shared stories and love for the bike.

Some of these stories are inspiring and powerful. One such is the life so far of Chris Jones, Cycle Systems Instructor, our resident MTB and suspension specialist.

From early days in the British Army, to injury and a long, difficult journey to competing and winning at the highest level in adaptive surfing and mountain biking, Chris’ tale is inspiring, sometimes upsetting and ultimately incredibly life affirming.

This is the final pod of 2021, so thanks for joining us on our journey through bike tech this year. We look forward to joining you next year for a massive step up for our digital content with the Alpha launch of www.cyclesystemsonline.com see you there.

Episode 134: CSA Instructor Chris Jones

Sean is joined by Bosch technical trainer, Mark Haylett and regular guest, Mike Stead to discuss the new Bosch Smart System. Launching in 2022, this is in fact the fourth generation of eBike tech Bosch have launched,

Mike has just completed his dealer training course with Mark, (who incidentally is one of CSA’s oldest friends), and so both guests are in a very good position to educate all of us in what is coming our way from the German eBike boffins.


Episode 133: Bosch SmartSystem Tech

Today, as promised we bring you a suspension special with Mat Clark from https://plushsuspension.uk 

We get into not only the latest fork and shock tech, but also the importance of set up, an oft overlooked but critical factor. 


Here's that video of Jordie getting pummeled with "rider feedback"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pI0YFmD-Ys&list=PLWM_256O70OsN7T8BFN1tHUO4kCAz63fx&index=134

Actually, the entire Dialled series is incredible. 150 videos of suspension service, setup, tips, theory etc.

Here the Flight attendant podcast

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-inside-line-podcast-vital-mtb/id1193681611?i=1000537746175


Episode132: Mat Clark on Suspension Set Up and Technology

Ryan Downes has been creating quite a buzz with his company https://www.ryanbuildswheels.co.uk a workers co-op where all staff are paid equally and co-own the business.

Being a wheel obsessive himself, Sean was chomping at the bit to ask Ryan all about his work and quite a few niggling wheelbuilding issues that keep us all awake at night. (Ok, that’s just Sean.)

So be prepared to sort your inbound from your outbound spokes, your nipple lubers from your dry threaders and another two barrel blast at road hookless rims!


Episode 131: Ryan Builds Wheels

This week we are joined by Cycle Systems friend and long term podcast listener, Andy Pettitt. 

Andy is a very well travelled cycle tourer, a bike collector and connoisseur of fine beer and music, so we had plenty to chat about.

I’m sure many of you are planning some cycling trips after a couple of years at home, so tune in and let Andy inspire you to hit the road.


Episode 130: Cycle Touring with Andy Pettitt

While many from the cycling world went to Glasgow for COP 26, not many did so with a journalist's pass. Luckily for us,Carlton Reid was one of the few who did. We managed to chat to him as soon as he returned and got right into why seemingly green activities like cycling were sidelined by the conference.

Here is Carlton’s dispatch from the conference 
https://www.forbes.com/sites/carltonreid/2021/11/10/electric-cars-wont-save-the-planet-say-transport-experts-at-cop26/?sh=4993d7579782 

And his article about Biden’s creepy transponders https://www.forbes.com/sites/carltonreid/2021/11/06/bidens-12-trillion-infrastructure-bill-hastens-beacon-wearing-for-bicyclists-and-pedestrians-to-enable-detection-by-connected-cars/?sh=5a9aafe35a3d

If all this is too depressing, here is Kim Stanley Robinson’s novel of what could be possible, The Ministry for the Future https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50998056-the-ministry-for-the-future

As discussed in the pod and featured in KSR’s book, The 2000 Watt Society https://www.2000watt.swiss/english.html

Episode 129: Cop 26 with Carlton Reid 

This week we welcome back Graeme Freestone King from https://www.velotech-cycling.ltd.uk/campagnolo.shtml as well as catching up on Graeme’s latest news and finding out how Campagnolo are faring in the current economic climate, we find out about Graeme’s work in South Africa with the https://buffalo.foundation/ and https://songezo.co.za/ 

In a far reaching and humbling interview Graeme discusses being introduced to South Africa by our friend, Sven Thiele from https://www.hotchillee.com/ and seeing first hand the massive disparity in opportunity between the haves and have nots in the suburbs and townships of Cape Town.

Being a practical sort, Graeme decided to do something to help and his insight can maybe inspire all of us to make the world a better place? You can donate bikes, equipment and of course money directly at the Buffalo Foundation website above, or contact Graeme at Velotech directly. https://www.velotech-cycling.ltd.uk/index.shtml and https://twitter.com/gfk_velo even old, punctured inner tubes will be welcomed.

Episode 128: Bike Mechanics in the Townships of South Africa

The UK’s national hill climb championship, hosted by the RTCC, ran yesterday at Winnats Pass in Derbyshire. 

https://www.cyclingtimetrials.org.uk/race-details/22013

While many of you know Xavier Disley from https://www.aero-coach.co.uk for his work in Aerodynamics (doh), drivetrain optimisation and rolling resistance, he is also a bit of a (not so)  secret weight weenie!

Having seen some pictures of Xav’s tasty looking hill climb machine on social media, we decided to look at the funny old world of super lightweight equipment and the waif-like riders that excel when the road points uphill.

Of course, not all of us have thousands to spend on a specialist hill climb bike like the ones used in the Nationals, but we may want to scour eBay for some equipment to lighten up our bike. Sean and Xavier discuss the best equipment for competition and day to day leisure rides for those of you who want to save a few (hundred) gramms.
https://www.bikeradar.com/features/pro-bike/2020-hill-climb-national-championship-tech-gallery

If you want more, here is a great film just out about hill climbing. https://youtu.be/kdGEbwxsauE

Episode 127: The Great British Hill Climb with Xavier Disley

Remember when the Cyclist Touring club geeks were the butt of all jokes? Plastic bags full of oily components, a 30 year old steel touring bike and a Carradice saddle bag that was older than Grandad?

Well, guess what. Turns out they were preppers for 2021. Not only will their bikes go on forever with no firmware upgrades needed, but cycling touring is the coolest thing right now! With even pro bike teams unsure if they can get components for next season we are all in new territory for bike maintenance, whether you are a pro wrench or home enthusiast, you can’t magic a Di2 mech or hydraulic caliper into existence.

In this pod, John and Sean delve into the world of post apocalyptic bike mechanics and try not to get too glum while looking at the best way to keep riding in 2022.

China’s 3 day week https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/sep/29/china-hit-by-power-cuts-and-factory-closures-as-energy-crisis-bites

Back to the 1990s https://cyclingtips.com/2017/12/mixing-road-groupsets-what-works-together-and-what-doesnt-2/ 

Hack your gears 
https://archercomponents.com/


Episode 126: Revenge of the CTC Nerd Army

Jean-Paul Ballard, CEO of https://www.swissside.com/ joins us again for an engaging chat about aerodynamics and Swiss Side’s new Pressure Measurement Rake which visualises as well as measures aerodynamic drag.  

We also discuss frame and wheel design, tyre technology and particularly the current ISO road bike tubeless standards and what they mean for consumers.

Finally, Jean-Paul has a beef, and we ain’t talking medium rare! Tune in to find out.


Episode 125: The SwissSide Pressure Measurement Rake 

This week we follow on from recent mountain bike pods by chatting to World Cup MC, Dan Jarvis.

Mostly focussed on the world of XC racing, we look at the scene historically and in 2021.


Episode 124: World Cup Dan

You’ve probably read all about the new Dura Ace 9200 and Ultegra 8100 groupsets. Mostly gushing reviews and podcasts have given us the perfect marketing hook.

What do a couple of grumpy mechanics make of it though, (I’m sure you’ve been thinking) as flash is all well and good, when it's not in a pan.

Now we know that Di2 is now over a decade in (it’ll never catch on said John) but are the strained supply lines and crumbling edifice of just in time economics now unable to support such a high tech product?


Episode 123: The New Shimano Di2 Road Groupsets

Join Sean on a trip to the UCI headquarters in Aigle to meet Britain’s Simon Burney, head off all things off road.

Encompassing MTB in all its disciplines, BMX, Cyclocross and Gravel, the off-road sector is as wide as it is deep. Simon’s decades of experience in Cyclocross and Mountain Bike racing are shown to be valuable assets in the world of increasingly specialist off road racing niches.


Episode 122: UCI Head of Off Road, Simon Burney

We have all heard of the new cyclists hitting our streets, towpaths and trails since the first lockdown. Well, meet Noor and Sham from https://www.youtube.com/c/2MuslimNightRiders who have discovered the love of cycling and inspired thousands of people from many diverse communities to try it for themselves.

Their videos on YouTube are very well shot, and show a side of Manchester only a cyclist will see. So, while we normally speak to experts about cycle tech, let’s hear what it has been like for two brand new cyclists to get into riding, how to select the right gear, where to ride and keep safe while doing so!

We are sure you’ll agree that Noor and Sham exude positivity and represent all that is great about cycling and as Noor says, “a holistic lifestyle for wellbeing”.


Episode 121: Meet the 2 Muslim Night Riders

In this week’s pod we have invited Mark Barfield back to discuss his framebuilding business and to look deeper into manufacturing standards in the bike industry. 

We also discuss the relative velocities of wild boar and eBikes!


Episode 120: Framebuilding with Mark Barfield 

As the track cycling events for the Tokyo 2020 (sic!) Olympics start today we are releasing the audio from a CSA Membership webinar in late 2019. Sean speaks to Dimitris Katsanis about his revolutionary design for Team GB and the development of this bike with manufacturers Hope and Lotus.

Let us hope (no pun intended) that Team GB’s Olympic run is not Lot’s Of Trouble, Usually Serious!

Episode 119: Olympic Special - Team GB’s track bikes

As the Tour starts we catch up with our friend, Dimitris Katsanis from Metron Engineering https://additive-engineering.co.uk/ to find out about the intricacies in the design of the new Pinarello Dogma F bikes. https://pinarello.com/uk/en As ever, many mainstream media outlets will have missed the subtle and not so subtle details of these new superbikes and Dimitris shares some surprising results from the analysis of the different models.

We also get into the world of 3D printing, of which Dimitris has been a pioneer in the world of bikes. Hear how he had to persuade a reluctant Team Sky to use 3D printed bars for Wiggins’ hour record attempt and how he did it.

We also get into the ecological side of engineering and production, not just of bikes, but transport in general.


Episode 118: Tour de France Bikes with Dimitris Katsanis

Who do you turn to when you want an insider’s view on UCI tech rules, life as a workshop and race mechanic and what people are saying in the Federation of the European Sporting Goods Industry? Introducing Mark Barfield. The man with more hats than, well, Johnny Two Hats.

Covering such luminary subjects as Brian Cookson’s ‘Tree of the Day’ and what he actually DID as head of the UCI, the supply of goods in the bike industry (Spoiler alert, stock up when you can!) and all those niggly tech questions mechanics and cycling fans shout at the telly when they watch a race on Eurosport and (phew) an exciting new European venture for bike mechanics, this pod will be the first of several with Mark, who I’m sure you’ll agree is a very engaging and brilliantly knowledgeable guest.

Enjoy the pod and peruse the links below;
Mark’s ‘day job’ https://www.velometier.com/fr
His side hustle https://fesi-sport.org/
His former Bond villain lair workshop domain https://www.uci.org/
And you can check out Brian Cookson’s Tree of the Day here https://twitter.com/BrianCooksonOBE

Episode 117: Inside Big (Bike) Tech with Mark Barfield

This week John Galloway rejoins Sean for a look at whether to buy the new Sram Rival AXS groupset for his bike.

Rather than rehash press releases and a slew of in depth internet articles we decided to take a fairly in depth look at the design and manufacture of transmission components and then looked at which of these features in this, supposedly entry level groupset.


Episode 116: Transmission Design and Sram AXS Rival

https://www.northroadcycles.com have established a well loved and respected high end bike brand based in Manchester, England. We were interested in where a small, family bike company sits in the modern marketplace of internet only mega-brands and companies that employ 100’s of engineers.

Ian and Jane take us through the startup of Northroad and the growth of the company from a (posh) garden shed to a high street ‘Bikery’ where you can grab a coffee and discuss your dream road, TT or gravel build.

Often bikes designed for World Tour professionals are not the best thing in the world for the likes of you and me. Especially me! Jane and Ian describe how they began designing bikes for their friends and have gone one from there. 

We get into road bike design, gravel bike geometry and of course the commercial realities of the current mess that is the world trade situation. Ian’s new personal gravel bike certainly looks nice. You can see it here. https://twitter.com/NorthRoadCycles/status/1399396238504693761?s=20

Their carbon fibre expert is https://carbonwasp.com/ and we shall certainly look at getting them on the show if we can.

Episode 115:  Introducing Northroad Cycles

While all the racing is done from the 2021 we have a short Giro d’Italia tech round up for you. From banned hubs to custom time trial bars, Sean tries to cover the tech on show as seen at a distance. Even though we did make it to the race, the riders were climbing the San Bernadino pass when we saw their bikes, so no close inspection was available!

Hopefully things will get back to normal soon as we can peruse round the pits to closely look at team bikes.


Episode 114: Tech of the 2021 Giro d’Italia

The world of bespoke frame building has consolidated in the last decade to a solid and interesting part of the worldwide cycle industry. We spoke to leading UK builder, Richard Hallet back in 2018 and wanted to catch up with him to see how he was faring in 2021.

You can read about Richard’s work and see the bikes here
http://www.halletthandbuiltcycles.com/
https://www.bespoked.cc/hallet.html
We also recommend you tune into the pervious pod where Richard discusses his particular techniques in framebuilding. https://www.cycle-systems.co.uk/podcast-with-richard-hallet-master-framebuilder/

Richard is also a veteran tech journalist and we discuss the bike industry of 2021 from this viewpoint also. Richard currently writes for https://www.cyclinguk.org (formerly the CTC).
He is also the author of a superb book, The Bike Deconstructed. https://www.bookdepository.com/Bike-Deconstructed-Richard-Hallett/9781616892289

Episode 113: Richard Hallet - Framebuilder and Veteran Tech Journalist

As the Giro d’ Italia has just begun, Sean and John trawl through some of Italy’s memorable, amusing and world changing bicycle tech. Why WERE Italian marques the envy of the world and are they still?

From trendy furniture, weapons of war, motorbikes and cars, the bike industry has grown from and cross pollinated with many others in Italy, as elsewhere. Join us for some of the stories.

Here is a very amatuer production but interesting vid about the cultural history of the bicycle in Italy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdEx0Yq3XTk 

Here are some links to the manufacturers we discuss
https://dariopegoretti.com/
https://www.colnago.com/en/history/
https://pinarello.com/history
https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/gallery-more-than-50-years-of-pinarello/
https://www.bianchiusa.com/history/ 

Episode 112: The Reduced Italian Bike Tech Episode

A return of the ever popular and exceedingly knowledgeable ‘Campag Kid’ for a show all about the development of Campagnolo’s renowned hubs and wheelsets.

We all know that Campagnolo has been the benchmark in road cycling for decades and that their hubs and later, as one of the first ever producers of complete ‘factory built’ wheelsets have been innovative and sought after. However, the nuanced and detailed history of these components is a story known by very few.

Enter @the_campagkid again for a detailed timeline from the 1930’s hubs right up to the modern World Tour level WTO wheel collection.

I think you’ll agree that no-one can be considered a true bike geek without this story in their organic hard drive! See the_campagkid on Instagram and Twitter for some reference to today’s topic and to see some of his Campagnolo equipped bikes that we discuss. The C40 and C59 and both stunning examples of that period of bike design.


Episode 111: A History of Campagnolo Hubs and Wheels with The Campag Kid

Taking a break from guests, Sean and John have a catch up about some of the latest tech out there in the bike world. Also, with the increasingly sparse supply of bikes and parts we delve into the shadowy world of counterfeiting in the bike trade.

Here is the link to ‘Faking it’ by recent guest, Carlton Reid
https://www.dropbox.com/s/qixhqqtfij25gw3/FAKING%20IT%20pdf.pdf?dl=0

Factor mechanics epic fails. 
https://cyclingtips.com/2021/03/factor-finally-sheds-light-on-that-broken-ostro-vam-steerer-tube/

Canyon’s broken bikes

https://road.cc/content/tech-news/canyon-promises-solution-aeroad-seat-post-issue-281003

https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/canyon-issues-stop-ride-for-aeroad-after-van-der-poel-handlebar-failure/

General carbon failure nastiness

https://www.outsideonline.com/2311816/carbon-fiber-bike-accidents-lawsuits

https://bikerumor.com/2021/04/01/bombtracks-new-bsa-47-threaded-bottom-bracket-standard-is-the-best-of-both-worlds/ April fools 

https://bikerumor.com/2021/04/02/vittoria-air-liner-road-doubles-as-bead-lock-and-run-flat-foam-liner-if-you-get-a-flat/ not so much. Gonna try this.

Episode 110: Easter Tech Chat with Sean and John

One of our graduates from the class of 2021 (when CSA was based in London) is Graeme Hart, who has established a cherished bike shop in Corstorphine, Edinburgh. https://harts-cyclery.co.uk is the sort of shop you can pop by for a chat and an inner tube and walk out with a Dutch eBike, custom built Campagnolo equipped road bike with hand built wheels, and some socks... Hey, we’ve all done it. Hopefully his success hasn’t been built on underhand testosterone patches and a blind eye from UKAD, as the BC Olympic success from 2012 appears to have been.

In all seriousness, Graeme and his team, Frank in the workshop and Danny in the shop are thriving and are putting energy back into their community by campaigning for safer cycling routes for all. 

Graeme is very active on social media, find him at https://www.instagram.com/harts_cyclery and https://twitter.com/harts_cyclery and is well worth a follow for a chat or to get advice.

Episode 109: Graeme Hart of Hart’s Cyclery

Kevin Stacey from https://42cycling.com/ joins us again to talk about his first year in business during a global pandemic. If you missed pt 1, which included Kev’s amazing story, it can be found here. https://www.cycle-systems.co.uk/kevin-stacey/

We also look at some of the off road gear Kev has been using, like the https://www.dirtlej.com/ onesie and a range of kit from https://www.liquid-life.de/

Kevin’s mtb guiding training was done at https://www.instagram.com/scottishadventurecycling/

We then get into a one year review of Kev’s Hope HB130 which has seen some action in the last 12 months. Here is a nice article on Hope’s own site about it. 
https://www.hopetechhb.com/hb-news1/2020/2/5/catching-up-with-new-hb130-owner-kevin-stacey


Episode 108: Kevin Stacey Returns

Currently a Senior Contributor to https://www.forbes.com and author of the excellent  http://www.bikeboom.info/ and https://roadswerenotbuiltforcars.com/ Carlton Reid has had a colourful and varied life within the world of cycling.

As ever, we feel we could have talked for many hours on a variety of subjects, but we hope to have covered enough for you here. We hope you’ll discover some worthwhile avenues after listening, not the least the digital version of Roads Were Not Built For Cars, here. https://roadswerenotbuiltforcars.com/special-offers/

A fantastic example of a life well lived (with many miles left to cover), Carlton’s engaging stories and warm manner certainly inspire us to get out there and live our own, we hope you feel the same.

You can hear Carlton regularly on the excellent https://www.the-spokesmen.com/ podcast, a longtime favourite of ours. 

Episode 107: Carlton Reid 

Working for the Mighty Heron. Nick Rearden from Raleigh UK

This week we take a look at the UK bike industry with our good friend, Nick Rearden from Raleigh UK.

Nick is a lifelong road cyclist and has been involved with the bike industry since most of us just had our noses pressed up against the local bike shop window.

We take a look at how Covid has affected the industry, what this means now and in the future and also look at bike mechanics training within the trade.


Episode 106: Working for the Mighty Heron. Nick Rearden from Raleigh UK

After a look at commuter eBikes and Campagnolo, you mountain bike tech heads must be wanting some action? Well, I hope this was worth the wait? We have a stunning show with Jarno Hoogland. He is not only a former downhill racer from the Netherlands (!) but also has a long career in the mountain bike trade as is now editor of the excellent https://www.imbikemag.com

In this pod we discuss what bikes and components will actually reach the consumers and trade this year, eMTB and acoustic MTB innovation and tech goodness, why downgrading your MTB is sometimes a good idea and of course, why Jarno chose to live in Switzerland over anywhere else in the world. (I think Slough was a close second.)

Once you’ve heard the show, check out the latest IMB online, it’s a cracking read and makes us yearn for a Europe wide road trip with the mountain bikes before a blat over to Whistler for a pilgrimage.


Episode 105: MTB tech 2021 with Jarno Hoogland, Editor of International Mountain Bike Magazine

eBikes for many years were the joke of the cycle trade shows. Funny old men with egg stained beards trying to flog staggeringly heavy and appalling looking pieces of wiring and batteries, attached to some shoddy wheels. It was all a bit expensive, poor in performance, unreliable, unsupported by infrastructure or a dealer base and, well, a bit square...

In 2021 we find ourselves in a very different marketplace. Here in Europe, the eBike has gone mainstream and the USA, Australia and many other countries are fast catching up. So it is no surprise then, that individuals and companies from outside the bike industry are entering it with some pretty advanced product, with all the dealer network, tech knowhow, branding, marketing and build quality they have established elsewhere, Think Bosch, Yamaha and now, Harley Davidson with the new https://serial1.com/ eBikes, launching in Germany and the USA soon.

In this pod, Sean talks to Ben Lund, the Vice President of Product Development at Serial 1 Cycle Company powered by Harley-Davidson. His work with both Sram and Harley puts him in a perfect place to lead these new bikes. We get into the tech, the marketplace and the political realities of travel policy and how the large automotive companies may now actually help and not hinder liveable cities and streets.

So whack on some W.A.S.P. or Motley Crue and cruise down Sunset Strip with us.

Let us know what you think of the bikes, the emerging market and the implications for active, green travel.


Episode 104: The big boys and girls come out to play (on eBikes)

Join Sean and The Campag Kid for the fourth and final part of our Campagnolo tech journey.

We look at 11 and 12 speed groupset technology as well as Campagnolo’s electronic shifting system, EPS.

We finish up with a look at the legacy of Campagnolo, both in terms of engineering, and as a brand. This wraps up four incredibly interesting shows which we hope will last as a vital aural history of Campagnolo in the English language.


Episode 103: The Campag Kid pt 4

Welcome back to class! In this episode we have part 3 of the definitive Campagnolo history with the exceptional, Campag Kid. We get into Campagnolo’s tools, which are the precursor for many modern workshop kits and the return of Campag’s Jedi with the 10 and 11 speed era.


Episode 102: The Campag Kid Part 3 - The 10 speed era

We had such a great time talking to The Campag Kid last week that we have invited him on for a few more shows to fill in the Campagnolo story. We had such a flow going for pt 2 here that we ended up with over 90 minutes of unmissable audio.

Given how most folks like to listen to content these days we have broken this down to pt 2 this week and into pt 3 next week. Not to fear, as we shall also record a pt 4 to finish where we get right up to the 12 and 13 spd era.

To say there were some eye openers in this show is an understatement! The Campag Kid’s empirical knowledge, backed up by years of riding and fully refurbishing Campagnolo equipment means that we are now students in his university.

So, quiet at the back, notebooks at the ready as Professor Campagnolo is in the house!


Episode101: The Return of The Campag Kid

As you may have noticed this is our 100th episode of our podcast. From early days on steam powered internet in Devon, to broadcasting from Cycle System’s new Bond villain lair in Switzerland we have had quite a fun ride with these shows.

To create a nice symmetry, the first thirty episodes, which we thought were lost, have been sent to us by longtime listener, Roger Stilwell. We have now got them uploaded, in order on the feed. Just scroll back to find some real gems. What is interesting is that even in five years, these early shows are time capsules in many ways.

We’ll get them uploaded to the website, with some shownotes soon.

Anyway, we wouldn’t let ep 100 pass us by without doing something special right? Beginning on the idea of covering, ‘100 Years of Bike Tech’ we firstly talk to the wonderful @thecampagkid of Twitter and Insta fame. https://www.instagram.com/the_campagkid I’m sure you’ll agree that this conversation just gets us started on Campagnolo history, so loojk out for a follow up episode or two!

We then leap into the 21st Century with Dave Roam from www.cyclingtips.com Dave has a stunningly empirical knowledge of bike tech and especially tools. Here is a sample of Dave’s work, probably the ultimate article on chain efficiency. https://cyclingtips.com/2019/12/the-best-bicycle-chain-durability-and-efficiency-tested/
If you think you know your Torx from your Torque, listen on.


100 Years of Bike Tech

Episode 100 : 100 Years of Bike Tech

In a week rocked by tumultuous world events, Sean and John are joined by Scott Purchas from https://girodilento.com to talk about the world changing topic that is, riding your bike indoors...

Inspired by a few comments on twitter by Sean, as he noticed some tweeters were not even tough enough to ride their turbo trainers in the garage as it was a bit cold (!) we decided to take a look at the reasons for riding your bike without going anywhere.

As ever we delve into the tech, useful mods and hacks and insult half the world’s population on the way.

Hopefully this will be part 1 of 2 as we plan to research and then produce a deeper show on this topic covering the digitalisation of exercise and society as a whole and what this means for our lives on and off the bike.


Indoor cycling for all

099: And Indoor Cycling For All

Hello, and welcome back to another year with Sean, John and a raft of wonderful guests at the Cycle Systems Academy podcast.

We kick off with a cracker, recorded on New Years Eve (it wasn’t as if we were off to a party!) with Mike Stead from www.road.cc 

In this episode, Mike discussed the new D1X retro fit wireless shifting system from https://archercomponents.com/ it may or may not be for you, but it does open up a realm of possibilities for the creative bike mechanic.

We also discuss the https://www.hopetech.com/ road brake callipers and the contrast between a Kiwi and Stopfordian (Yes, that Is a word!) New Years Eve.

098: Hacking your eBike’s transmission w/ Mike…

To round off the tumultuous 2020 we shall try to lift your spirits with a round table, ‘virtual Christmas drinks’ with some of our and hopefully your favourite cycling tech people. 

Featuring, Caroline Stewart of https://cscyclecoaching.wordpress.com/ Troy Laffey from https://www.sram.com/en/sram Scott Dedenbach and David Palan from https://wideanglepodium.com/bike-shop-cx/ John Galloway from https://velocast.cc/ and of course Sean from CSA, we take a look at everyone’s life in 2020 and try to make sense of it all.

Have a tipple of booze or herbal tea with us as we get as close as most of us can to a good old knees up down the pub. Enjoy, thanks for your company this year and we’ll all see you soon.

Sean, Julia and the Cycle Systems team!



097: The very 2020 Christmas drinks party

https://www.dtswiss.com/en are a very well established brand in the busy wheel market. In this superb gear head pod we get down and not very dirty (it IS Switzerland after all) into the technology behind world beating wheels.

Here is the factory tour video Sean mentions https://www.dtswiss.com/en

So tune in and find out why aluminium nipples are not so bad, steel is most definitely real and women are the best wheel builders!

You can check out the DT Swiss Academy Martin mentions here
https://www.dtswiss.com/en/dtswiss/business-partner/dt-swiss-academy

This pod will be the first of two, with the next one to focus on DT Swiss’ suspension development and design coming in the New Year.


096: Wheel and spoke technology with DT Swiss …

https://cyclingtips.com despite sounding like a beginners guide, is in fact one of the most interesting cycling media platforms of the moment. Including traditional racing coverage, in depth reportage and superb tech content and a successful and engaged Membership subscription to help to pay for it all, the Veloclub. https://cyclingtips.com/veloclub-welcome-page/

Their weekly podcast is a mainstay for many people’s engagement with the cycling world and has sprouted equally entertaining offshoots, such as Sean’s favourite, the Nerd Alert tech pod. https://cyclingtips.com/tag/nerd-alert/

Sean chat’s to Caley Fretz, editor-in-chief about his background in cycling, how Cycling Tips found it’s unique voice and a few small topics such as diversity and corruption in cycle sport!


95: A chat with Cycling Tips Editor in Chief, Caley Fretz

Sean is joined again by Mike Stead from www.road.cc to discuss the growth of touring by eBikes and the rise of infrastructure that supports this. Mike has particular insight into this as he has facilitated four new Bosch charging stations on the www.Perthshiregravel.com route he has been instrumental in creating.

Other charging stations can be found here https://www.bosch-ebike.com/en/service/powerstations/

Of course it wouldn’t be a new genre of cycling without new bikes, right? The German manufacturers in particular have been heads down for a few years working on just this, the ‘Trekking eMTB’. With models as radical as the Nikolai G1 Eboxx e14 https://en.nicolai-bicycles.com/bike/g1-eboxx-e14/ through to the similar but more sedate Reise und Muller Delite https://www.r-m.de/en-gb/bikes/delite/ this genre looks to appeal to hardcore shredders and a completely new market too.

Of course, we always come across a few funny gems along the way. Here’s the electric trailer we mentioned. https://ridekick.com/

Here’s the cargo eBike trip with a dog Mike mentions https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GX_uhdP3SM0&ab_channel=THESEARCH 

A nice film by Marcus Stitz about the Perthshire Gravel routes
https://youtu.be/r29PQeOjtZ8

Ed Oxley’s European odyssey on a freight eBike 
https://ebiketips.road.cc/content/news/video-900-miles-across-europe-on-an-e-cargo-bike-1389


094: Touring with eBikes

We all know that The UCI is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side.
(Thank you, Hunter S. Thompson)

However, they do have a technical department that prevents the Tour de France being ridden on Triathlon bikes, so there is that!

All joking aside, the UCI technical regulations are a critical part of cycle sport and of course affect the bikes we will eventually ride as well.

Join John and Sean as they look in detail at these new rules and how they may pan out in 2021 for the bikes the pros (and you) will be riding.


093: The New UCI Bike Regulations

Many of you will know that generic bike reviews are often little more than marketing pap or re-hashed press releases, only for the bike’s flaws to be knowingly highlighted in the following year’s review of its replacement. As if the reviewer didn’t know them in the first place!

As mechanics, we work on many 9/10 reviewed bikes regularly, see which ones walk the talk and why. What factors make a bike great to ride, simple to work on (or at least not a nightmare) and future proof in an ever changing world? 

Join Sean and John for a subjective, if informed view in what they look for when selecting a new steed.


092: What Do Mechanics Look For When Buying a Bike?

Once upon a time there was no such thing as mountain bikes. Yes, many people rode all sorts of bikes off road, some even modified their machines into true all terrain machines, but it took a bunch of Bay Area hippies to create mountain biking as a bona fide sub culture, with a brand new type of racing, (downhill off road time trials), an underground ethos and truly radical and beautiful bikes that evolved from mechanical experiments with old clunkers into handbuild masterpieces by Gary Breeze and Tom Richey.

That story is told in full in the film Klunkerz https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0sjRCzRrPac and one of the main characters is the one and only Gary Fisher. https://mmbhof.org/gary-fisher/

Gary’s story has been told many times, although there are so many ideas and memories buzzing round his head at any one time, it is a bit different each time, like looking at a different side of a gem and seeing many reflections. 

Very exciting news for us is a new book by Gary called ‘Being Gary Fisher (and the Bicycle Revolution) is out 01/11/20 and Gary takes us through it’s conception, creative process and most importantly, where we can buy it! https://www.trekbikes.com/

For this week’s pod, we didn’t want to cover old ground that you’ve heard before, but rather draw on Gary’s roots with the Grateful Dead, Ken Kesey and Jefferson Airplane and his early days of road racing right through to what drives and inspires him now. At a time when the humble bicycle could really change the world (again) Gary, as ever has many words of wisdom, humour and kindness for us.  

So whether you like to shred a black run, bike pack over mongolia, race an eMTB or even groove on 1960s psychedelic light shows, Gary has helped define your life as he has mine. Enjoy the ride.

For the first time this week’s pod also has its own playlist, because for us the 60s children really were the greatest generation. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2IRomebwJKFW11Pw88txe4

091: Being Gary Fisher and the Bicycle Revolution

Now and then we meet an individual who is not your average bike trade type, but who has such a great insight into and passion for the bicycle that we end up talking for hours. 

Such was the case when Sean met Hani Rashid at an event in Treviso and despite their varying backgrounds hit it off immediately. We knew that Hani would be an engaging podcast guest and it has proven to be the case.

The co-founder of https://www.asymptote.net/ and Professor at https://www.dieangewandte.at/ Hani has just released a very limited edition of Pinarello bikes for World Bicycle Relief. https://www.hanixpinarello.com/ 

In this pod Sean delves into Hani’s past and philosophy in order to try to understand the mind and soul behind this varied and inspiring body of work. We then look together at the future and where we (and bikes) fit in!


090: Hani Rashid and the New World Pinarello bike

This week we welcome the return of Scott Drawer, the former Head of Performance at Team Sky, British Cycling as well as other leading roles in British Rugby and other sports inferior to cycling!

Scott has now stepped back from the manic schedule of a full time employee of a World Tour team and has taken a role at a leading English school, as head of Sport. 

In this wide ranging and fascinating chat, Scott discusses the realities of life at the top, for riders, mechanics and staff as well as the route to get there avoiding the classic angry P.E. teacher methodology.


089: Life in the World Tour with Scott Drawer

While you may have read about the new Campagnolo Ekar groupset online, or even been lucky enough to test ride it from a Campagnolo Pro Shop dealer, you won’t have had this much insight we reckon.

Long term listeners will have heard Graeme before but for the uninitiated, he is the head of Campagnolo tech training in the UK and founder of the excellent https://www.velotech-cycling.ltd.uk/training.shtml He also spanners for the World Tour team, Movistar and is involved in much product development at Campagnolo’s HQ in Vicenza, Italia.

In this pod, Graeme explains the thinking behind the new Ekar gravel groupset, its place in the market and the tech in each piece as well as how it all works together. 

We were particularly pleased with some of the news concerning disc brakes as well as excited to try this new groupo out for ourselves soon.

Many CSA Level 3 graduates go on to do the Campagnolo Pro Shop course with Graeme. Contact him at Velotech for details, for non UK listeners, contact Campagnolo to find out your regional training provider. 
https://www.velotech-cycling.ltd.uk/campagnolo.shtml

Graeme has also provided some excellent lessons for CSA Members, from EPS to Ergopower servicing and much more new and old Campag tech. https://cycle-systems.lpages.co/cycle-systems-founding-members/


You can find your nearest Campagnolo Pro Shop here https://www.campagnolo.com/UK/en/Shops/proshop

Graeme is active on social media, on twitter as @gfk_velo 


088: The New Campagnolo Ekar groupset with Graeme Freestone King

In this week’s pod Sean and John revisit John’s planned trip to China, https://www.johngalloway.online/
And continue to muse on the spec for his bike. A frame has been selected, wheels just about sorted and the dynamo system chosen. What about the gears then? There are SO many options and this is confounded by the face that John was yet to choose between flat or drop bars. 

Join us as decisions are made, products are ordered and we just might reach the final spec sheet for John’s expedition bike. 

Some links as promised in the show.

Gradient calculator 
https://www.cyclingabout.com/gradient-threshold-steepest-hill/

Compatibility chart GRX
https://productinfo.shimano.com/#/com?cid=C-453&acid=C-454

Wide range cassettes for bikepacking
https://bikepacking.com/index/wide-range-cassettes/

Drivetrain efficiency
https://www.cyclingabout.com/drivetrain-efficiency-difference-speed-between-1x-2x/


87: All the gears, no idea. An expedition bike's transmission

This week we are joined by Dr Xavier Disley from https://www.aero-coach.co.uk a former fellow mechanic with Sean at the Humble Oxford Cycle Workshop, Xavier is one of the cycling world’s leading aerodynamic experts.

In this short pod for the end of the Tour de France we look at Aero gains made in this year’s tour and the potential for more gains in the future.

You’ll be amazed at some of the mistakes and mishaps that happen, even at World Tour level, with his work with several teams (no names mentioned) Xavier can share some of these, as well as letting you know how you can go faster on your bike.

The ‘Aero Piece by Piece’ pod can be found here https://cyclingtimetrialpodcast.libsyn.com/59-xavier-disley-is-back-aero-piece-by-piece-part-1

And https://cyclingtimetrialpodcast.libsyn.com/60-xavier-disley-aero-piece-by-piece-part-2

Aerocoach’s free resources can be found here
https://www.aero-coach.co.uk/learn


Podcast 86: Tour de France Aerodynamics with Xavier Disley from Aerocoach

Welcome to another Tour de France tech pod. Here is an interview with Pinarello/Team Ineos bike designer, Dimitris Katsanis, who is also famous for designing the British Cycling track team bikes.

This chat was recorded for the Cycle Systems Members https://cycle-systems.lpages.co/cycle-systems-founding-members/ last year and I thought it was better to release the full audio from this than try to re-hash it in my own words. 

So, while you have seen endless reports of the new Specialized or Trek models, the Pinarello F12 has flown under many people’s radar, with barely a mention in many ‘Bikes of le Tour’ articles and podcasts. As you’ll find out there is more than meet  the eye to the F12.


085: Tour de France BIKE DESIGN WITH DIMITRIS KATSANIS

Welcome to a first in a series of bite size Tdf tech pods. We know that your listening quota goes nuts over the Tour’s three weeks so we are going to drop in a few shorter shows.

As John is busy with daily Tour shows for www.velocast.cc this is Sean on the events of stage 1 and the tech that defined them. 

Will the race be defined by the bikes that were ridden, or the riders upon them? Ok, we all know the answer to that, but races HAVE been won or lost by seemingly innocuous objects such as plastic bags getting stuck in chains (Paris Roubaix 1988) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQsJK81rZ4E 

Also as promised in the pod, here is the Sram eTap/Shimano Di2 shifting test. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqTsxsly3pA

And here is an up to date vid on the newer Sram AXS vs Di2.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5oH_S2vYPA

What new tech have you spotted on this year’s Tour bikes?


084: Tour de France stage 1 bike tech

This week join us on a journey around the world by bike. 87,000km, six continents, and a life changing experience for on English doctor, Steve Fabes from https://stephenfabes.com/. His new book, Signs of Life  documents this journey, the cycling, camping, the people he met, and stories such as drinking soup at gunpoint. 

Many of us have a certain view of the world based on what we read or watch, but as Steve found out, seeing with your own eyes is a different story altogether.


083: Touring the world by bike with Steve Fabes

This week our friend, Mike Stead @tweetymike on Twitter, joins us for a look at some of his top products he’s reviewed for www.road.cc recently. Intelligent, insightful and lucky enough to live in the dreamlike cycling test ground of Perthshire, Mike can be relied upon for a strong opinion on anything cycling and well, anything really!

We also look at a superb-looking collection of gravel bike and bikepacking trails that Mike has helped to bring to fruition. The http://perthshiregravel.com/ router is one we want to ride for sure.

Links for products and routes mentioned in the show 

Perthshire Gravel routes
http://perthshiregravel.com/

John’s cycle to China wheels
https://www.swissside.com/blogs/news/swiss-side-launches-all-new-hadron2-ultimate-500-625-and-800

Silca mini ratchet https://cyclingtips.com/2018/03/silca-t-ratchet-ti-torque-tool-kit-review/

Topeak Tetrarack R2 https://www.topeak.com/global/en/products/tetrarack-series/1288-tetrarack-r2-(road)

Ribble CGR eBike
https://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/ribble-cgr-al-e-red-105/

Park Tool DOT bleed kit
https://www.parktool.com/product/hydraulic-brake-bleed-kit-dot-bkd-1

And remember John’s blog for his China trip
https://www.johngalloway.online/


082:  Mike Stead from Road.cc

Well no, not reinventing the wheel, but how about a revolutionary new chain design, the first one for well over a century? Marcel Fowler, the CEO of www.newmotionlabs.com joins us to talk about his Dual Engagement chain and what it means for the cycle tech world.

eBikes, racing bikes, commuters and many other industries use roller chains, a 19th century invention which may not be optimal for modern day use. Marcel is one of those rare people who are not only innovative and  inquisitive, but also dynamic enough to bring their visions to fruition. 

With partnerships like the mighty  www.huubwattbike.com track racing team and www.pedalsmart.com who produce cargo eBikes, New Motion Labs are an exciting research team who I am sure will be changing the cycling world over the coming years.

As ever, you can join Marcel and Sean on ‘Take the Mic Tuesday’ on 11/08/20 at 19:00 UK time on www.facebook.com/cyclesystemsac

081: Re-inventing the wheel with New Motion Labs

In this episode Sean and John look at the world of eBikes. There’s a huge amount of new tech since we delved into this sector a couple of years ago and we’ll give you our take on the latest eMTBs, commuter machines and eCargo bikes.

What are the service requirements for an eBike? Is there a single best motor system? Are the prices finally coming down? We’ll answer these questions and as ever go off on a few tangents.


080: Together In Electric Dreams. eBikes in 2020

EVERYTHING YOU DIDN'T KNOW YOU NEEDED TO KNOW ABOUT YOUR HEADSET

The humble headset, not the first component you’ll think about on your bike. Tyres, wheels, gears and brake systems, even pedals tend to get more attention.

However, being a bearing system your headset needs servicing and, as ever, there is more than one type and many ways to go wrong. 

Take a look at CSA graduate, Steve Fabes kit review after 87,000 miles of touring. https://cyclingthe6.com/2013/10/kit-reviews-2013.html/ the humble headset is also an item you can go large on, with very reassuring results. 

Links discussed in the pod
http://canecreek.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/canecreek-shis-poster.pdf

https://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-help/headset-standards

https://cyclingthe6.com/


Join Sean and John on a journey through SHIS, TPI and a multitude of different frames, forks and ‘standards’.

We’ll also catch up on John’s China trip, which now has its own website. https://www.johngalloway.online/



Join Sean and John on a journey through SHIS, TPI and a multitude of different frames, forks and ‘standards’.

We’ll also catch up on John’s China trip, which now has its own website. https://www.johngalloway.online/


079: Understanding Headsets

In this episode Sean and John catch up and chat about John’s mysterious lost bet and the fact he now can’t shave until he pedals to China! What bike does John plan to ride, after some careful consideration of the touring bike world?

Then, getting down to business, we look in depth at hub standards and how people make simple mistakes, which mean your shiny new wheels will not fit.

Honestly, it’s more fun than it sounds! Come along for the greasy ride into bearings, cups, cones and very expensive seal bearing tools.


078: DEMYSTIFY YOUR HUBS - WHY YOUR WHEEL WON'T FIT

We are joined this week by one of Cycle Systems oldest and dearest partners, Pedros Tools. These are the tools we have used day in, day out for over a decade, and the favourite for our students to buy when starting out in the trade or building their dream garage.
Matt Bracken is not only head of Pedros USA, but he has had a fascinating life in bike mechanics and cycle racing. As you would expect, he has a whole raft of stories about cycling culture, learning to be a Mavic mechanic in Europe, and what it means to run a company, be a good and safe mechanic, and navigate the world we find ourselves in right now. 


77: Matt Bracken from Pedros Tools on his life as a race and bike mechanic

76: Troy Laffey, SRAM's Technical Ambassador, on why SRAM are supporting mechanical training

From the basics of gears last week to the very cutting edge of research and development with Ceramic Speed. From optimising professional’s bikes to helping you go faster, Ceramic Speed’s Chief Technical Officer Jason Smith started in his garage, building machines to test for chain efficiency. He now has his own testing lab, a team of engineers, and some heavyweight industry partners like Specialized to help him achieve his goals of a drivetrain with over 99% efficiency.


75: Jason Smith - the brain behind Ceramic Speed's Driven concept

We kindly beings at CSA and Velocast Towers are here to help, with a simple but in-depth look at gear inches, mech capacity and compatibility. No more will you be the person walking into a bike shop with a carrier bag full of oily bike parts and a dejected looking, unrideable steed.

74: Gears - the technical bits

We take a look at the options out there for touring bikes, mainly looking at gears and transmission systems.

73: UNDERSTANDING YOUR GEARS - DEEP DIVE 1

Continuing the series covering Cycle Systems Academy graduates we visit Bradley Knight at his amazing mobile bike shop in Manchester.


With Brad Knight

72: CSA graduate talks about the resilience of bike mechanics

Co-host of the excellent Cycling Tips and Nerd Alert podcasts, James has covered so many tech topics to such a depth we wanted to find out more about the man behind the mic and keyboard and thrash out a few topics that we hope you’ll find as fascinating as we do.


With James Huang

71: James Huang, Global Tech Editor from Cycling Tips talks all things tech and being the @a

The Bike Project is an award winning charity and social enterprise, founded by Cycle Systems Academy graduate, Jem Stein. 

With Jem Stein - Founder of the Bike Project

70: CSA GRADUATE STORY - THRIVING BIZ STORY

Matt covers tyre liners, grips, bars and fork offset in this show all about mountain bikes. The seemingly small changes to rider contact points, trail and offset can make a major impact on your riding experience.

Episode 69: MATT LETCH AND MTB TECH PART 2

One source of inspiration here at CSA has been the superb, ‘Bikes or Death’ podcast. This week, we are joined by host and creator, Patrick Farnsworth to talk about his life with bikes, bike-packing, adventure racing and the meaning behind it all. It's a super personal and inspirational account of one man's recovery and how bikes helped him do that.

CSA talks to Patrick Farnsworth of "Bikes or Death" fame.

EPISODE 68 - When Can I Go Bike Packing Again?

Sean is joined again by Matt Letch, self confessed facial hair trend setter and North West England’s #1 deep fried whole turkey chef. Expect the lowdown on all things MTB for 2020 from one of the UK's great insiders.

Sean is joined again by Matt Letch, self confessed facial hair trendsetter and MTB aficionado.

EPISODE 67: MTB 2020 Latest, With Matt Letch

John and Sean reunite with Scott Dedenbach of the Bike Shop Show to discuss the lowdown of the importance of bicycle maintenance during the Covid-19 crisis.

With Scott Dedenbach of the Bike Shop Show

EPISODE 66: BIKE MECHANICS ARE KEY WORKERS

Meet Dave from Sinewave Cycles. Sinewave are at the vanguard of a whole new generation of hub dynamo systems that will light your way in a dark forest, charge your GPS and phone and even look cool in the process. 


Dynamo systems made cool

EPISODE 65: How to Charge Your Phone Whilst Cycling

Every now and again we see a graduate through our academy with the most amazing story. Kevin Stacey is one of those - and in this podcast Sean and John get to understand a little bit more about his life. And what inspired him to recover from the battlefield and to get into bikes.

Kevin Stacey - from the Battlefield to the Bike

EPISODE 64: CSA Grad With an Incredible Story

To finish our wheel building series we bring you an ultra geeky and in depth look at wheel tech and aerodynamics from a world leading expert. After 14 years designing F1 cars, Jean Paul Ballard decided to get into manufacturing carbon fibre wheels after a rather unfortunate experience with a top end brand on his own bike. Be prepared to go down the most delightful wheel building rabbit-hole. 
