{"id":2151449,"date":"2026-09-18T15:30:25","date_gmt":"2026-09-18T12:30:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2151449"},"modified":"2026-09-18T15:30:25","modified_gmt":"2026-09-18T12:30:25","slug":"big-dumb-rides-aero-gravel-tires-and-the-enve-melee-v2-velo-podcast","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2151449","title":{"rendered":"Big Dumb Rides, Aero Gravel Tires, and the Enve Melee V2 | Velo Podcast"},"content":{"rendered":"

[analyse_image type=”featured” src=”https:\/\/velo-cdn.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Velo-Podcast-thumbnail-Velo.jpg”]<\/p>\n

\n
\n
Published September 18, 2026 09:30AM<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n

Table of Contents<\/h4>\n
    \u2022<\/span>Get right to the audio link<\/span><\/ul>\n<\/div>\n

    The Velo Podcast wouldn\u2019t happen without subscribers. We\u2019re offering listeners of the show a special 25% discount on an Outside+ membership. <\/i>Enter the code velopod at checkout<\/i> to score these savings, and thank you for your support!<\/i><\/p>\n

    We\u2019ve had some major topics on the show the last few weeks, so this week we are taking a step back a little and answering some questions. We read every comment, and Logan Jones-Wilkins, Lisa Charlebois, and I will often jump in to respond. Mike Levy also reads them, but he actually brings the comments to the show so we can answer them out loud, so to speak.<\/p>\n

    Before we get to that, though, Levy starts with a question: Have you ever done a ride just for the sake of going somewhere dumb and unimportant? I\u2019ve had this idea for years to ride from Los Angeles to the Mexican border for tacos, then back. It\u2019s a 500km ride, and there\u2019s no real point other than to ride a bike. Lael Wilcox once rode all the roads in Alaska for a similar reason. The whole crew is on this week, so we get to talk about our silly reasons for big rides. Let us know in the comments if you\u2019ve ever done anything like that. Or, if you are like Logan and just ride for training, let us know that too.<\/p>\n

    \n
    ADVERTISEMENT<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

    We also have some news to talk about. Mostly, it comes down to Logan and me trying to convince Lisa and Mike that aero matters. For Logan, it\u2019s all about aero gravel tires. He went very deep into the weeds in his article, and there\u2019s a good reason for that. Then it\u2019s my turn to talk about the Enve Melee V2 and why it features aero bar tape and aero bottle cages. I also have a question that I am hoping you can help me answer.<\/p>\n

    Poll Question<\/h2>\n

    \n<\/div>\n

    Timestamps<\/h2>\n

    00:00:00 \u2013 Intro & Vel Membership Code
    \n00:02:08 \u2013 Bond Almond Ultra-Endurance Story
    \n00:06:03 \u2013 Big Adventure Rides Discussion
    \n00:13:19 \u2013 Arrow Gravel Tires from WTB
    \n00:28:02 \u2013 Envy Melee V2 & Aerodynamic Handlebars
    \n00:31:38 \u2013 Desert Ride Plans (Vegas to Death Valley)
    \n00:41:34 \u2013 Q&A Segment Begins
    \n00:42:46 \u2013 Front Derailleur Q&A & Comments
    \n00:47:02 \u2013 Shimano vs Sram Brakes Debate
    \n00:54:44 \u2013 Environmental Impact of Bike Materials
    \n00:58:35 \u2013 Gravel Bike vs Mountain Bike Comparison
    \n01:04:16 \u2013 Arrow vs Lightweight Bike Poll
    \n01:13:38 \u2013 32-Inch Wheel Comments & Discussion
    \n01:21:16 \u2013 Suspension Fork Question
    \n01:22:32 \u2013 Closing Remarks & Listener Poll<\/p>\n

    Articles covered this week<\/h2>\n
      \n
    • WTB\u2019s New Stromm Collaboration Aero Tires Are Exactly What Gravel Tires Should Be<\/li>\n
    • The Story of a Cyclist, 32 NFL Stadiums, and One Very Important Football<\/li>\n
    • ENVE\u2019s New Melee V2 Proves Hyperbikes Don\u2019t Need to Look Insane<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
      \n\n

      Subscribe to the Velo Podcast<\/h3>\n

      \"Listen<\/p>\n

      \"Listen<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n

      \n
      Published September 18, 2026 09:30AM<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

      [analyse_source url=”https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-gear\/velo-podcast-enve-melee-v2-aero-gravel-tires\/”]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      [analyse_image type=”featured” src=”https:\/\/velo-cdn.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Velo-Podcast-thumbnail-Velo.jpg”] Published September 18, 2026 09:30AM Table of Contents \u2022Get right to the audio link The Velo Podcast wouldn\u2019t happen without subscribers. We\u2019re 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! We\u2019ve […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[226,71],"class_list":["post-2151449","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-crawlmanager","tag-velo-outsideonline-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2151449","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2151449"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2151449\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2151449"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2151449"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2151449"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}