The Vuelta’s Influencer Misstep and Why Silca Ditched Aero

The Vuelta a España is in full swing, and this week the whole crew is in the house to break down the racing, new tech, and the latest industry chaos. Hit play on the video above to catch the full conversation with host Mike Levy, Logan Jones-Wilkins, Lisa Charlebois, and myself, covering:

• Vuelta a España Wackiness: The race has a reputation for the unexpected, and Logan and Lisa walk us through the organizers’ questionable decision to hire a specific influencer. It seems like nobody vetted the content before handing over the credentials, and the resulting shock was entirely predictable.
• New Silca Tires: Logan gives the rundown on Silca’s latest rubber and the inevitable claims of being the absolute best. I also jumped in with intel directly from Josh Poertner, who I caught up with at the MADE show, to explain why the master of marginal gains chose to make a road tire that explicitly isn’t aero-optimized.
• The Best of the MADE Show: I spent the week shooting rolling art and picked my five favorites. We dive into my absolute top choice. No spoilers, but it features exposed cables, is built for ultra-endurance distances, and comes from fellow Oregon resident Rob English, who builds highly functional steel frames just down the road.
• Van Rysel Gravel Reviews: Lisa drops two reviews covering the newly launched Van Rysel gravel line. We look at the adventure model that somehow maxes out at with only a 50mm tire, and Logan and I get into the weeds on why the “racy” version should probably be categorized as an all-road bike rather than a dedicated gravel racer.

Timestamps

00:00 – Intro
02:47 – Pogacito
14:32 – Silca tires
33:45 – MADE bike show
44:22 – Van Rysel EDR-G and RCR-G review

Articles covered in this episode:

• MADE bike show hub
• Silca Enters the Tire Game With Big Treads and Big Claims
• The Van Rysel RCR-G: A Road Bike Cosplaying as a Gravel Race Bike
• Van Rysel EDR-G Review: It’s the Antidote to Gravel Racing