{"id":2175946,"date":"2026-10-02T16:03:33","date_gmt":"2026-10-02T13:03:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2175946"},"modified":"2026-10-02T16:03:33","modified_gmt":"2026-10-02T13:03:33","slug":"the-rapha-meltdown-worlds-drama-and-selling-6500-wheels-in-2026-the-velo-podcast","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2175946","title":{"rendered":"The Rapha Meltdown, Worlds Drama, and Selling $6,500 Wheels in 2026 | The Velo Podcast"},"content":{"rendered":"

[analyse_image type=”featured” src=”https:\/\/velo-cdn.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Velo-Podcast-thumbnail-Velo-1.jpg”]<\/p>\n

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Published October 2, 2026 10:03AM<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Table of Contents<\/h4>\n
    \u2022<\/span>Get right to the audio episode!<\/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

    You requested road bike content, so this week you\u2019ve got it. Last weekend was Worlds and the race for the rainbow stripes. Logan Jones-Wilkins was in attendance, and Mike Levy, Lisa Charlebois, and I handed him the mic for a breakdown of what he saw. We talk about Brandon McNulty and whether his World Championship win was out of left field or expected. We also discuss Kate Courtney and a ridiculous positional rule that could have completely upended the women\u2019s race.<\/p>\n

    Before that, we start with some listener questions. We received lots of corrections on the Canyon mounting system, but I argue that the technicalities are irrelevant to the greater point. The Q&A gives me a chance to put on my family-man hat and share advice for riders trying to balance their mileage with time for their kids, while Logan answers for his Haro bike.<\/p>\n

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

    Later in the episode, we dive into a couple of topics close to my heart. We start by discussing why the Rapha financial meltdown is a textbook example of a marketing fail, while Logan presents a strong argument for why the recent CEO departure might have actually been a voluntary exit after all. From there, we pivot to high-dollar bling. The new titanium Firefly rim brake bike makes no logical sense in 2026 but still commands attention, while the $5,500 Partington wheels serve as a positive case study on how Western brands can maintain appeal against cheaper Eastern competition.<\/p>\n


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    Timestamps<\/h2>\n

    00:00:00 \u2013 Intro: Lisa\u2019s Heat Training for the Desert
    \n00:02:17 \u2013 Logan at the Montreal World Champs
    \n00:06:21 \u2013 A Road-Only Episode Challenge
    \n00:08:53 \u2013 Listener Q&A: Grail Mounts, Motivation, Water Bladders & the Old Haro
    \n00:19:58 \u2013 Firefly Bicycles: Titanium Rim-Brake Art
    \n00:30:23 \u2013 Fran Miller Steps Down & the Rapha Story
    \n00:37:34 \u2013 Manufactured Scarcity & Cycling Fashion
    \n00:43:25 \u2013 World Champs: The Men\u2019s Race & McNulty\u2019s Win
    \n00:48:41 \u2013 Should Poga\u010dar Be Unbeatable?
    \n00:53:48 \u2013 The Women\u2019s Race: Vollering vs Kopecky
    \n00:56:35 \u2013 Demi\u2019s UCI Fine & the Puppy-Paw Rule
    \n00:59:33 \u2013 Kate Courtney & the Crash
    \n01:01:56 \u2013 Trade Teams vs National Teams
    \n01:05:42 \u2013 Tom Pidcock\u2019s Partington Wheels
    \n01:14:45 \u2013 Wrap-Up<\/p>\n

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

    \"Listen<\/p>\n

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

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    Published October 2, 2026 10:03AM<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

    [analyse_source url=”https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-gear\/rapha-marketing-fail-worlds-recap-high-dollar-gear\/”]<\/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-1.jpg”] Published October 2, 2026 10:03AM Table of Contents \u2022Get right to the audio episode! 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! You […]<\/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-2175946","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\/2175946","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=2175946"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2175946\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2175946"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2175946"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2175946"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}