Is electronic shifting soulless? episode artwork

EPISODE · Apr 9, 2026 · 50 MIN

Is electronic shifting soulless?

from Geek Warning · host Escape Collective

A recent review comparing SRAM XPLR AXS to Shimano GRX Di2 1x brought up an interesting comment from a reader: does electronic shifting kill the soul of a bicycle? It’s a topic of discussion in this week’s episode. Also in this episode, tech editor and industry reporter Suvi Loponen rejoins Geek Warning to talk about Canyon’s somewhat confusing new Endurace CFR release. You’ll also hear about some other bits of new tech. Meanwhile, the PSA this week doesn’t mince words, calling out a new product on Kickstarter as one to avoid.   Of course, members of Escape Collective also get access to Ask a Wrench, where this week Dave is joined by pro wrench Colin Williams to answer a number of your questions. Time stamps:  02:41 - Is electronic shifting lacking a soul?  16:36 - New Canyon Endurace CFR isn’t an Endurace  31:59 - New things from Easton, Vittoria and Surly 41:28 - PSA: You can’t lube a chain with nonsense 50:00 - Ask a Wrench with Colin Williams (Member’s Only)  52:00 - Should I clear coat raw aluminium?  57:35 - Mystery Di2 chain dropping issue  1:05:00 - SRAM dropbar sticky pistons  1:10:20 - Bringing a bike out of winter storage 

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Apr 9, 2026

Embed this episode

Ready to play

Is electronic shifting soulless?

0:00 50:08

No transcript for this episode yet

We transcribe on demand. Request one and we'll notify you when it's ready — usually under 10 minutes.

No similar episodes found.

No similar podcasts found.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of Geek Warning?

This episode is 50 minutes long.

When was this Geek Warning episode published?

This episode was published on April 9, 2026.

Can I download this Geek Warning episode?

Yes. Use the download control on the episode player to save the publisher-provided media file.
URL copied to clipboard!