Ask Josh Anything #006

The ongoing "Ask Josh Anything" series is back from Summer vacation and we've got a fun — and surprisingly informative — set of questions for Josh, including:

  • What marginal gains are made by following the TTT instructions in a pre-TdF video by Team EF?
  • When you've got a tailwind, is it better to still make yourself as small as possible, or should you sit up and try to take advantage of the wind behind you?
  • What's going on when the dish changes the first time a tire is mounted on a new wheel?
  • Some riders claim their bike feels faster and lighter on climbs when they move their bottle to their jersey pocket. Is there any merit to this, or is the effect in fact the opposite? Or neither?
  • FFWD claims to have made the fastest wheel ever. Is it possible to legitimately make this claim?

All this and an in-depth discussion of what happens to your aero-ness when you grow a beard (with a side discussion on types of beards), in the show that makes a big deal about the little things, and how those little things can be a big deal.

Got a question you’d like to ask? Text or leave a voicemail at the Marginal Gains Hotline: +1-317-343-4506 or just leave a comment in this post!

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19 comments


  • Lyle Rawlings

    I just did a Silca hot wax treatment on a new Dura Ace chain, following the video procedure to degrease the chain, then clean the chain with my ultrasonic cleaner, then use alcohol – then the hot wax bath. I also purchased the Super Secret Chain Lube to top-up the lubrication after riding RAGBRAI.

    How should I clean the chain before using the Super Secret Chain Lube, without overdoing it and losing the benefits of the hot wax treatment?


  • Meble Blog

    Thank you for every other informative blog. The place else could I am getting that type of information written in such an ideal means? I’ve a mission that I am just now operating on, and I have been on the glance out for such info.


  • Robert Chung

    i think what you’re asking about is related to crank inertial load. Even at the same power, cadence is related to crank inertial load, though the strength of the relationship varies from individual to individual. Since the power is the same but the cadence varies, crank torque (or pedal force) must also vary. In general, crank inertial load is low when in a low gear climbing a steep hill, and CIL is high when in a high gear while on the flat or descending.


  • David Owen

    A really insightful podcast and thanks.

    I was recently reading the recently published book about the 1989 TdF. It got me thinking about the uphill time trials in these grand tours.

    At what percentage gradient does aero stop being a thing? What does aero mean in relationship to the gradient? For example, when does a disc become, a pair of 808s, 404s, 202s… of you get my drift?


  • Steven Toby

    To go along with the discussion concerning wheels, in particular the problem of differential spoke tension between Drive and Non-Drive side on a rear wheel; I am curious what Josh’s thought are concerning a 2:1 lacing pattern? Fulcrum, Shimano, and the now defunct brand American Classic have all used the 2:1 lacing on some of their wheels over the past decade. I own a few sets with 2:1, and have had really good longevity with them. Alternatively, I just bought a high dollar wheelset in the last 12 months with a standard lacing pattern, as I was looking to get something wide and tubeless compatible so that I could run 28mm tubeless tires on a new road bike (I also changed to disc brakes). They came out of dish after less than 1000 miles of use. I checked the spoke tension when they came out of the box, and they were all well over 100 kgf to start, probably to account for the de-tensioning expected from mounting the tire. When I discovered the wheel was out of dish, the non-drive spokes were basically at 0 tension. I shipped them back to the manufacturer and they re-laced the wheels with new spokes. I’ve put well over 1500 miles on them since I got them back with no problems, but I’m keeping a wary eye on them now. I also just re-laced a buddies standard laced rear wheel that came out of dish, but attributed that to high mileage. Meanwhille, the 2:1 wheels just keep rolling along.


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