Are trail running and mountain biking the same thing? Well, no, but maybe also yes. Patrick watches his son careen off a cliff toward a creek, and we sift through some recent pro race results. That and Paceline Picks are the show this week.

This week John takes on the question: "How do you get better at bikes?" It's probably simpler than you think. Patrick discusses his experience at a new gravel event called the Rust Bucket.

This week John considers what goes into a brand. He wonders just where a brand's identity comes from and relates the tale of Independent Fabrication, sorta. Patrick takes on the question of why someone might want to try group rides and learning to draft in a peloton.

John introduces the idea of the Phil Collins paradox. Patrick went on a group ride, but not the sort you might guess.

This week John takes a look at how the bike industry is still in a mess as a result of the pandemic and how at least one industry expert believes that e-bikes may well save us all. Patrick takes a look at the growing number of options in fit in cycling apparel and how there are companies that not only offer more sizes than we typically see, they are offering bigger sizes than we've previously seen.

This week John considers his approach to fitness as a "multisport" athlete. Patrick takes on a question about whether or not aerodynamics matter for mortals and regl'r folk.

This week, John talks about the difference between bike fit and bike design, but not until he explains the difference between the two. Patrick takes on the question of why mountain bike head tube angles continue to slacken. And when that might stop.

This week we try to see the forest for the trees in American cycling culture and then discuss the merits of giving another rider a pull, versus sitting on their wheel. Then we're off to the magical land of Paceline Picks for protecting your steel frame or venturing into the strange new land of eMTBs.

This week John discusses answers a question a friend asked him: "How did you get from being a roadie to mountain biking?" The journey is maybe more obvious and less obvious than we might think. Patrick takes a look at how someone might establish a basic fit for a new bike if they don't have a shop to perform a fitting.

How's your mud game? Or, more specifically, how is your mud etiquette. John takes on the issue. Patrick takes a look at something most of us have experienced, and none of us like: toe overlap.

My guest is Isaac Howe, the CEO of the company Orucase. The company is known primarily for its bike travel cases, but they are branching out into new products.  I’ve known Isaac for a few years now and have admired the company’s approach to travel with bikes and I thought of him when the trade publication Bicycle Retailer and Industry News reported that cyclists traveling with Southwest Airlines had experienced inconsistent application of their policy and charges. I’ve known that Orucase’s...

In engineering terms, a standard refers to something that a bunch of smart people have agree is a good solution. The bike industry seems short on that, John says. Patrick talks about his recent experience at a National Interscholastic Cycling Association skills clinic for coaches.

This week John looks at a new-ish phenomenon in training called CLM, or Continuous Lactate Monitoring. Sounds like a party, huh? Patrick recently returned to a non-cycling activity: skate skiing, and he has some observations that might be a fit for many (most?) cyclists.

Today we talk about New Zealand. John is just back from some of the best riding of his life, and so we break down why it's a mountain biking paradise, how friendly the people are, and how to go about getting the most from a bike rental. Patrick is currently trying to figure out how soon he can make the trip himself.

We're dipping into the archive this week with John off to New Zealand. This is episode #175: This week Selene discusses her experience with Iron Cross, the gravel/cyclocross/insanity event that takes place in Central Pennsylvania. This is her tenth anniversary of doing the race and she has won it four times previously. The event is so challenging the word "ludicrous" comes up, possibly more than once. Conditions that day were not the best and Selene said she wanted to just roll over and stay...

Today we discuss the two core abilities of riding a bike, the cardiovascular and the proprioceptive, i.e. how hard can you pedal and how well can you steer. These turn out to be fairly distinct abilities for many riders, including the pros. All that and some Paceline Picks for your listening pleasure.

This week Patrick and John take on the Christmas season with gifts for the cyclist who is incredibly hard to buy for. Or put another way: Most cyclists. Show links:SIBERIAN 2.0 GLOVE (craftsports.us)Essential Wool Hooded – Men’s Long Sleeve Baselayer | SalomonMEN’S GLIDE WIND TIGHTS (craftsports.us)Velo Classic Bike ToursBackroadsWestern Spirit Cycling Adventures Sportful Fiandre NoRain […]

You don't know Julian Wall. You've never heard of him. But if you've watched pro racing over the last decade plus, then you've seen his work. Not only is he co-director of London's Cyclefit, one of the premier fit studios in Europe, but he also fits pro cyclists across the spectrum, including the EF/Easy Post men's and women's team. Today we're talking to him about Cyclefit's holistic approach to bike fitting and how his pro clients are different (but largely the same) as his "normal" clients.

This week we see the return of John and he takes a hard look at the way bike shops are having to cope with servicing products they may not be experts in. Patrick takes on the question of whether gravel bikes need dropper posts.

This week we welcome back Selene Yeager to the show to check in. We talk about her podcast "Hit Play, Not Pause," as well as her work with Feisty Media, and the new book she co-wrote with her brother, Kirk Yeager, who is the FBI's top bomb scientist.

John talks to one of the U.K.'s foremost fitters of pros and freds alike. He lends considerable wisdom, not just about fit, but what it means to work hard in cycling.

John talks finding balance, especially how the bike helps us find balance and how finding balance changed for many of us thanks to the pandemic. Patrick takes on a listener question about learning to be a better descender.

This week we’re talking about things that we’re not very good at, like podcasting, but still really enjoy. Basically, we’re taking failure back from all the people who are doing it wrong, and if anything, 99 episodes of this podcast are a testament to the possible successes of continuing to fail.

This week John takes on a number of small issues, mostly style points and asks Patrick's opinion to see who has the more correct perspective. Patrick relates the many lessons cycling taught readers who responded to his question on social media.