The Rundown: It is Thanksgiving week, which means the guys are running through the best cycling and tech deals worth grabbing before the boxes get put away. There is cyclocross talk, a meditation on pro rider attitudes, and a long, useful breakdown of watches, radars, chain care, tires, and headphones to put on your list.
What Happened on Dialed Podcast 348?
A full Black Friday deal guide: watches, radars, chain waxing, tires, and headphones worth stocking up on now.
Backpedal: Base Miles and a Muddy Night Race
The crew eased into base season. Matt kept up the Tuesday Zwift team rides and out swam his own kids, Ian came home from visiting family in the UK with a bonus case of COVID right in his transition season, and Lance lined up last minute for the muddy Crossmas night race at Washougal under the Christmas lights, finishing seventh in a stacked field while Paul of Dialed took third in the 1-2 race. Jake was prepping for a surgery and off the bike for a bit.
Champ Bailey: World Cup Season Opens
The first UCI World Cup cyclocross race in Antwerp went to Eli Iserbyt over Laurens Sweeck and Michael Vantourenhout, with Fem van Empel taking the women's race. The segment also dug into rider attitudes (a nod to van der Poel apologizing after the Felipe Nys incident versus less gracious behavior elsewhere), Pidcock's likely shift to focus on the road, and which young riders could become genuine grand tour contenders.
The Main Topic: Black Friday Deal Guide
This was a true gear guide. On watches, Matt highlighted big discounts across the Garmin lineup, including the Forerunner and Venu series, while noting the brand new Garmin Fenix 8 holds its price (with a workaround through the lab's newsletter). Jake called the Garmin Varia radar deals the standout of the season at 25 percent off. On chain care, Silca's waxing kits and tools drew praise, the kind of premium, science backed gear worth grabbing on sale. The crew also flagged subscription renewals like TrainingPeaks as smart now, and Ian ran a Dialed Performance Coaching special.
Tires, Tools, and Audio
Pirelli's Cinturato tire line was set for a deep discount, a perfect example of buying consumables now to use all year. On tools, the lab leans on Silca, Park Tool, and Feedback Sports, with Silca multi tools and torque wrenches making great gifts. For audio, the table split between Apple AirPods Pro for in ear comfort and Shokz OpenRun bone conduction headphones for ride awareness, with the Shokz earning points for letting you hear traffic and your Garmin radar alerts.
One Last Thing
Matt previewed his Amazfit T-Rex 3 review and an upcoming Black Friday deals video. Ian planned to buy a VPN router so he can finally watch European cycling coverage at home. Lance headed to Boise for Thanksgiving and put a Garmin Fenix 8 on his own wish list. Jake wrapped with a wish for twelve healthy months and a confession about his first attempt at No Shave November.
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