The Tour de France can’t be that big of a deal. After all, they couldn’t even sign up 200 participants! But despite the low turnout, there’s quite the disproportionate amount of new tech to discover there, including a mysterious new Ridley aero all-rounder road racer, new tires and saddles from Specialized, a hint that a new SRAM Red groupset may be pending, new aero helmets, comfy-looking shoes, and upsized wheels from Campagnolo.
We also discuss Pinarello and Tune recently changing hands, how everything new in the MTB world seems to be designed for e-bikes, the return of CNC machining, and why your suspension fork is probably feeling sadly neglected.
You can listen to the Tour de France Daily Podcast on iTunes, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Or click play below.
Of course, you can listen to all the Escape podcasts (Placeholders, Geek Warning, Wheel Talk, and Pretty Serious Bike Racing) over on the Escape Collective podcast network.
Timestamps:
3:50 — A sneak peek at Ridley’s new semi-aero all-rounder
7:09 — Specialized now has road tires just for wet conditions
15:50 — Yet another 3D-printed saddle model from Specialized
21:16 — Is a new SRAM Red groupset coming soon?
27:15 — Some funky new shoes from Q36.5
29:13 — Ekoi’s got a new aero road helmet
30:31 — Campagnolo is going wide with its new Bora Ultra WTO 45 wheels
32:31 — Mmm, built-in satellite shifters
36:34 — Pinarello has a new owner
42:40 — Lightweight has purchased Tune to create a German weight-weenie powerhouse
45:35 — Garbaruk has a new CNC-machined road and gravel crankset
49:30 — CNC machining is back in a big way
56:21 — UDH isn’t coming for road bikes; it’s already here
1:05:35 — MTB R&D seems mostly aimed at e-bikes these days
1:13:49 – Your suspension fork probably isn’t working as well as you think it is
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