$16K Cannondales, Thoughts From The Traka, and DT Swiss’s Not-So-Secret Weapon
New Tech Alert: A speedy all-road bike with all the tire clearance,
an unreleased (and still embargoed) gravel bike, and a clever gravel
suspension fork from DT Swiss make this a gear-focused show.
Senior Tech Editor Alvin Holbrook chats with Levy about riding Cannondale's completely redesigned Synapse that offers massive tire clearance, a best-in-class storage box, and integrated lighting that (might) finally make sense. Further, he explains how one battery powers all of it and the AXS derailleur. The price? $16,499.
He's also spent some time on a new gravel suspension fork from DT Swiss that features integrated brake hose routing and aero-ish shaping, and even
got to use one while racing a very wet Traka 100 in Spain just a few days ago.
Topics covered:
First Ride: The New Cannondale Synapse Road Bike Gets Gravel Tire Clearance and Integrated Lights
Canyon’s Unreleased Gravel Suspension Fork Surfaces Again at The Traka
The Bikes of the 2025 Traka Gravel Race
--------
56:40
How We'd Design Our Anything-Goes Dream Bikes
This week's show sees Alvin, Josh, and Levy step into a parallel timeline where they have the power to create the bike of their dreams
without those pesky engineering limits we have to put up with here.
Impossibly good tire clearance, ultra-light aero everything, more frame
storage than a steamer trunk, and gravel bike geometry that's not trying
to kill you is all too much to ask for in the real world, but it's
entirely possible in today's podcast.
The crew also talks about riding Kona's MTB-influenced Ouroboros Carbon, the pros and cons of the new Coros Dura computer, and what should be done to the "fan" who rode alongside the race leaders at last weekend's
Liège-Bastogne-Liège Femmes.
--------
1:23:01
The Liège-Bastogne-Liège Preview, Pogačar's Revenge, & Factor's Less-Expensive Aero Bike
Beware: this episode of Velo Podcast is a packed one.
Amstel Gold has to be one of the best races of the year, and this year was no exception. While everyone thought Tadej Pogačar was gone, he sat up and started to soft pedal. And instead of blowing it all up at the last climb, Amstel Gold ended up being decided in a three-person sprint. The first two names–Pogačar and Remco Evenepoel–are to be expected. But Mattias Skjelmose? He seemed surprised to even be there, much less that he won.
In this latest episode of the Velo Podcast, we talk about Skjelmose winning Amstel Gold, Mischa Bredewold taking the win at Women's Amstel Gold.
They also preview Liège-Bastogne-Liège and discuss Remco's 100-percent win record at The Old Lady; two starts, two victories! Can he do it again against the likes of Pidcock, Pogi, and Van der Poel? Levy is a believer, whereas Hoody has his money on a certain Slovenian.
And in the tech world, Levy and Tech Editor Alvin Holbrook talk about the newly-released Factor Monza aero bike, his latest gravel bike in for test, and Silca’s Tariff-Limited Electronic Pump.
We told you it would be a packed one!
Topics of discussion:
‘Terrible Cold’ at Flèche Wallonne Reminds Peloton That Mother Nature Is Racing’s Toughest Rival
Pogačar and Vollering vs. the Pack: Can Anyone Stop Another Rout at Liège-Bastogne-Liège?
Giant-Killer Mattias Skjelmose Stuns Pogačar and Evenepoel to Win Amstel Gold Race
The Factor Monza Road Bike Promises Pro-Level Aero and Stiffness at a (More) Accessible Pricepoint
This Week In Tech: Silca’s Tariff-Limited Electronic Pump, Strava’s Strike on Fake KOMs, and Smart Kids Bikes
Cannondale Revives The SuperX Name for Its New Go-Fast Gravel Bike
5 Trends and Takeaways from the 2025 Sea Otter Classic
--------
1:00:06
Pogi's New Colnago Race Rig, the Most Aero Road Bike, & Tons of Sea Otter Tech
Josh, Alvin, and Levy unpack a massive week in tech that includes self-inflating tires winning Paris-Roubaix under a mountain biker, Pogačar's fresh V5RS, and an aero road bike that promises forward thrust in any wind conditions. The guys also dig into Allied's new Able that combines speed and tire clearance, the smart geometry of Norco's redesigned Search, and why (or why not) drop-bar mountain bikes make sense.
--------
1:45:45
Paris-Roubaix Primer: Cobbles, Chaos, & How To Beat Pogačar
There isn't anything else like the Queen of the Classics and, if this season so far is anything to go by, we've got an exciting weekend of racing in front of us. The women's field will face the thirty cobbled sectors under the sun on Saturday, while there's a chance of rain and mud for the men on Sunday as Tadej Pogačar aims to be the first reigning Tour de France champion to win the Hell of the North in decades.
Velo's Andrew Hood, Jim Cotton, and Mike Levy sat down to chat about how to ride the cobbles like a pro, Roubaix bike setup, favorites and wildcards, the chances of anyone beating Kopecky in the velodrome (slim), and how van Aert, Pedersen, Ganna, and Van der Poel could tag team Pogi.
Netherlands