162. The simple (yet complicated) truth behind bike design, with Chris Dodman

This week, James and Will are joined by Cannondale’s Advanced Projects Engineer, Chris Dodman. Chris has been working for Cannondale for the last three decades, and though he might not exactly be a household name, you’ll know who he is if you’re Mario Cipolloini or Peter Sagan – Chris is the brains behind those glorious red Saeco CAAD bikes of the 1990s that saw Cipo dominate sprints, and the radioactive-green cobble-bashing Synapse in the 2010s that gave Sagan countless podiums. Or put it another way, Chris was a pioneer who made aluminium race bikes look viable amid a sea of steel, and who all but invented the endurance bike category (who said all-road?). Chris also holds countless patents in cycling; helped invent the first press-fit bottom bracket, the BB30; and led the charge on Cannondale’s latest CAAD bike, the CAAD 14 – living metal proof aluminium still has its place on the road, and we’d wager one of the cleanest looking road bikes released in years. Who doesn’t love a horizontal top tube?

In this episode, Chris talks us through the potted history of Cannondale, from private jets to failed motorcycle projects to the fabled Volvo-Cannondale mountain bike team. We also talk about the difficulty of furthering design for such a simple machine as a bicycle; convincing Mario Cippollini to ride an American-made, aluminium frame; what he thinks about car manufacturers making bicycles; the smoke and mirrors of things like graphene and carbon nanotubes; and why the derailleur was probably dreamed up by two guys in a pub, is mechanically basic as hell, but is somehow completely brilliant.

Chat begins at 12.14

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This episode is brought to you by Laka bike insurance, the specialist bicycle insurers. see laka.co for more details

...Boyd Cycling, whose full range of hand-built wheels can be found at boydcycling.com

...and the Maserati Grecale SUV car. For more information, go to maserati.com

...and the Green Commute Initiative, the leading provider of the Government's Cycle to Work Scheme, which can help you save up to 47% off the cost of a new bike. See greencommuteinitiative.uk for more details

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