THE SHORT ANSWER
Craig Geater, head mechanic for team jayco alula; new zealand pro cycling mechanic with 20+ years on the tour, previously with discovery channel and csc, has appeared on the Roadman Cycling Podcast. Here's where Geater lands on periodisation. The positions below are drawn from those conversations, quoted directly.
WHO IS CRAIG GEATER?
Craig Geater has spent more than two decades as a professional cycling mechanic, currently head mechanic at Team Jayco–AlUla, building and maintaining the bikes WorldTour riders trust at 70km/h. He has watched every tool, product and maintenance fad come and go, which makes him an unusually grounded guide to what actually keeps a bike running well — and a useful corrective to the marketing that surrounds amateur bike maintenance.
GEATER ON PERIODISATION
Geater’s key positions on periodisation.
- A good set of Allen keys and a torque wrench will build three-quarters of a modern bike — you need fewer tools than you think.
- Cheap tools are a false economy; quality tools last, work better, and are kinder to delicate carbon parts.
- A torque wrench is non-negotiable on a modern bike — it prevents both cracked carbon and slipped components.
- Diesel cleans a chain aggressively but strips the pins; pro teams use a standard degreaser plus a wax or lube suited to the conditions.
- Consistency beats deep cleans — wiping and re-lubing the drivetrain regularly saves more watts and wear than an occasional strip-down.
IN GEATER’S OWN WORDS
Verbatim from Craig Geater’s appearances on the podcast.
“I think some of us old fashioned mechanics were so used to it that you ended up just putting up with it and doing it even though you didn't like it. I remember the first years of Jacob or of Green Edge. I turned up to training camp in December in Australia and I had the team was brand new so we had 35 sets of wheels to do tour down under and national championships and things with all brand new continentals. We didn't have any rims to stretch them on and I think I lost most of the skin off my fingers doing it.”
“The most dreaded thing to do is changing headset bearings. Although the system is so simple, somewise crack decided to put brake cables up through the center of bearings. Now, so to change a set of headset bearings, you have to disconnect all the disc brakes and then rebleaded all the disc brakes. And it's just a massive task to change a bearing.”
“Most people generally tend to run in our team sorry and JCO tend to run between 3.7 3.8 bar and 4.5 to 4.8 bar.”
HEAR IT ON THE PODCAST
Episodes where Craig Geater covers periodisation and related ground.
FREQUENTLY ASKED
What does Craig Geater say about periodisation?
Craig Geater, head mechanic for team jayco alula; new zealand pro cycling mechanic with 20+ years on the tour, previously with discovery channel and csc, has appeared on the Roadman Cycling Podcast. Here's where Geater lands on periodisation. The positions below are drawn from those conversations, quoted directly.
What is Geater's main point on periodisation?
A good set of Allen keys and a torque wrench will build three-quarters of a modern bike — you need fewer tools than you think.
Which Roadman Cycling Podcast episodes cover Craig Geater on periodisation?
Geater discusses periodisation in this episode: "Pro Mechanic's Most Hated Products | Roadman Cycling Podcast".
EXPLORE THE TOPIC
Training Plans— The Complete Guide →OTHER EXPERTS ON PERIODISATION