Marginal Gains Cycling Podcast, Presented by Silca

Most of us hardly give those water bottles in our cages a second thought. It's plastic. It's there. It's got what we need. But in the late 20-teens, Carina Hamel and her partner started giving those bidons and second thought. And a third. And a fourth. And like a lot of new ideas, they thought, "There's got to be a better way." Their critical thinking led them to develop Bivo Bottles: stainless steel bottles that fit properly in bike cages. 
Since late 2020, Bivo has been trying to convince cyclists that they are better off with a metal bottle than plastic. They've made progress but the ride has  not been smooth. First came Covid, which delayed their launch and stalled their grassroots marketing campaign. Then just as they started getting  momentum, along came massive tariffs which threatened to end Bivo altogether. 
But Bivo is still here and as of this episode, celebrating a five year anniversary. We talk to co-founder Carina Hamel about their ideas, innovations and a chance run in with a NASA engineer.

Josh answers listener questions about essential race-day gear, from what to pack for Cape Epic to whether digital torque wrenches are worth the beeping. We into Lifetime's controversial drop bar ban at Leadville, exploring whether safety concerns justify the change and what aero options remain for marginal gainers.

For most of us getting into a wind tunnel is but a dream. Tunnels are hard to find and harder to afford. As an alternative Josh has recommended the Chung Method. It's proven yet it does take some expertise to get right. What if there were something in the middle? Something that is more accessible and less expensive than a wind tunnel yet doesn't require the hours of commitment and trial and  error of field testing? Our guest believes he has just that. 

AiRO may sound like a company that is trying to latch onto the "AI" craze. But its founder, Ingmar Jungnickel, has been into cycling aerodynamics long before Chat GPT became a thing. He has a degree in engineering, he's developed on-bike aero hardware, and he worked for Specialized where he logged many hours in that company's wind tunnel. All of that, along with a chance opportunity to work with speed skaters, led him to develop a CFD program that attempts to make cycling aerodynamics more accessible. 

Ingmar's back story includes meeting are own Josh Poertner. But the real story here is how good Computational Fluid Dynamics has become. The potential of AiRO and its data even blew the mind of Josh as you will hear in this episode of Marginal Gains.

This Ask Josh Anything grab-bag starts with Tucson's new aluminum velodrome, evolves (devolves?) into altitude hacks for hour records, "no-rules" speed dreams, and holiday gift picks. From buying a kid's first bike (and why chain waxing might be the cleanest parenting win) to ESG-minded shop habits, Roubaix wheel diameter fever dreams to, aero brake-hose routing, and the Clik Valve debate—this episode covers the weird, practical, and wildly opinionated. Happy Holidays!

Fatty sits down with 2024 Leadville champion (and his daughter) Melisa Rollins to discuss her meteoric rise from riding borrowed bikes to the professional peloton. Joined by fitter Barry Anderson, they dig into the biomechanical challenges of world-class power, the dangers of athletic stoicism, and the chaotic reality of stage racing in Africa.