Shimano Breaks Pedal Compatibility, Canyon’s Handlebar Surprise, and Finding Ride Motivation | Velo Podcast

The Velo Podcast wouldn’t happen without subscribers. We’re offering listeners of the show a special 25% discount on an Outside+ membership. Enter the code velopod at checkout to score these savings, and thank you for your support!

This week we have a full house with Logan Jones-Wilkins, Lisa Charlebois, Mike Levy, and myself (Josh Ross), with the big topic being ride motivation. All of us ride a ton of miles, and we’ve done it for years through major life changes, weather, and all kinds of world events. Levy wanted to know why. What gets us out of bed when we don’t feel like it, and what might work for listeners? Mine is perpetually searching for validation… or not, but you’ll have to jump into the episode to get the full details.

Before we get to that topic, though, we’ve got a lot of news to unpack. I’m not normally the curmudgeon, but in this episode, I got to play the part a bit. Shimano has new pedals, shoes, and cleats this week, and they break compatibility. Are you excited, or heading out to buy new-old-stock to get you through to retirement? I explain why I’m not super excited, then we move to the latest Canyon Grail, where I actually have some sharper criticism. In many ways, it seems like a good bike, but there’s a “fun” surprise when it comes to the handlebars.

Logan was a bit more positive on that topic, but he also got to tell us about the latest Mathieu van der Poel achievement. He was very excited about a really amazing moment to watch, sharing how he thinks that might affect the World Championship race. Of course, this chat also devolved into another aero chat, but please forgive me—I just can’t help myself.

Poll Question

Timestamps

00:00:00 – Intro & Episode Overview
00:02:10 – Josh’s Early Impressions of the Envy Melee V2
00:04:18 – Shimano’s New SPD-SL Pedals & Cleats
00:14:39 – The Third-Gen Canyon Grail
00:23:40 – Van der Poel’s 174km Solo Breakaway
00:30:40 – Pogačar & World Championships Preview
00:36:26 – Poll Results: 1.6 Watts vs 1 Kilogram
00:38:05 – Josh’s Melee vs Factor 1 Aero Testing
00:43:58 – Listener Comments on Aero vs Weight
00:51:19 – Electronic Shifting on Long Rides
00:53:24 – Where Does Cycling Motivation Come From?

Articles covered this week

• Mathieu van der Poel Issues 174km-Long Warning to the Climbers Ahead of Road Worlds
• The Third-Gen Canyon Grail: 57mm Tires, 35 km/h Aero Claims, and No Front Derailleur
• Shimano’s New SPD-SLR Pedal System Breaks Backward Compatibility After 23 Years
• ENVE’s New Melee V2 Proves Hyperbikes Don’t Need to Look Insane