Is it safe to ride a road bike on gravel? Plus, the death of suspension fork boots, and your other tech questions answered

Heat training has taken the professional peloton by storm in recent years, promising improved cycling performance in all weather.   But what exactly is ‘heat training’ and how do you do it? To find out, Liam and Simon are joined by Dan Lorang, director of coaching and sports science at Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe, and Puck Alkemade, who holds a PhD in thermophysiology and is a physiologist and study coordinator at CORE.   Could heat training be the secret to unlocking your full potential on the bike this winter? Tune in to find out. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

6 Jan 34min

The BikeRadar team has tested more than 500 products this year, but which ones stood head and shoulders above the rest?   In this podcast, Jack Luke hosts Simon von Bromley, Ashley Quinlan and Warren Rossiter to discuss their top picks for road and gravel.   From the best budget aero helmet to an ebike conversion kit, power meter pedals, electric shoe driers and more, tune in to find out which kit impressed us the most this year and why. BikeRadar’s Gear of the Year Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

30 Dec 202450min

With the 2025 WorldTour season just around the corner, Liam and Simon are joined by Dan Bigham, Red Bull-BORA-Hansgrohe’s head of engineering, to discuss what the big tech trends might be.   Starting with the question of whether there’s any low hanging aero fruit left to pick, the conversation moves onto the ongoing controversy over the relationship between speed and safety in professional bike racing.   The trio then discuss the UCI Hour Record, whether breaking the 60km mark is possible and how it could be done.   Wrapping up, Liam and Simon turn the lens on themselves and ask whether Dan thinks there’s anything cycling media could do to help audiences understand complicated topics and cut through marketing claims. Dan Bigham: Pro cycling needs safer courses and heavier bikes, not reduced speeds Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

23 Dec 202442min

We have all bought some truly awful bike products over the years and there are plenty of pitfalls to make when spending money on cycling kit.   But a lot of products, while far too expensive, are still ones we really want.    Liam is joined by Warren and Ash to identify the offending items and help you avoid making the same mistakes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

16 Dec 202434min

Liam and Simon are joined by Nathan Haas, a former WorldTour professional turned gravel privateer, to discuss the tech trends that could define gravel racing in the coming years.   Having started his cycling career as a mountain biker, Haas explains why he thinks MTB tyres and suspension forks are overkill for gravel racing.   The trio also touch on the recent UCI Gravel World Championships, and how the sport’s governing body could improve its support for the independent gravel racing scene.   To hear more from Haas, check out his podcast, The Gravelog. 2024 Gravel World Championship tech trends Best gravel suspension forks Gravaa KAPS on-the-fly pressure adjustment system helps Vos secure Gravel Worlds win Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

9 Dec 202456min

In this episode of the BikeRadar Podcast, senior technical editor Warren gets an exclusive sit-down with Sir Chris Hoy at Manchester Velodrome to talk about his astonishing career. They discuss everything from E.T.-inspired BMX racing, mountain bike, and road racing to how Sir Chris became a track legend. We hear who inspired him, what brought him to track racing, and how he stayed on top for so long. Sir Chris also tells Warren about his post-racing life, from launching a bike brand and his love of e-bikes to his passion for motorsport and rallying – leading to competing in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2 Dec 202430min

The bike industry is, like any industry, home to aspects which are great and things which boil our brakes.   But from the outside, some of these positive and negative aspects can be missed. In the spirit of openness, we wanted to talk about them.   So these are five things that we love, and six things we think the bike industry could improve on. https://www.bikeradar.com/news/longest-bike-stem https://www.bikeradar.com/features/opinion/bike-industry-mtb-standards Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

25 Nov 202454min

BikeRadar’s testers are in the fortunate position to be able to test the latest bikes. But reviewing bikes and making a significant financial investment to buy one, are two very different things.   The gravel discipline has expanded rapidly over the last decade and the bikes which fall under this dusty umbrella range from aero racers to monster adventure rigs. So with gravel bikes becoming ever more numerous, choosing what to buy is getting harder.   We gave Jack Luke, Warren Rossiter and Liam Cahill a tricky task. Choose one bike which they could realistically buy and one that would require a significant win on the horses or lottery.   Given each rider has a very different take on gravel, there were a wide range of options brought to the table. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

18 Nov 202437min