Show #179 – January 25, 2014

Guests: Sky Yaeger, Shinola and Lindsay Wyskowski, USATriathlon

 

When we think of Detroit, we used to think about the manufacture of automobiles. It is the Motor City, after all. Today, Detroit usually brings to mind images of large-scale blight and municipal bankruptcy. However, Shinola, a small bike, watch and leather goods company is working to be part of Detroit’s rebirth in the post-Rust Belt era. A few weeks ago, we spoke with Ricard Schwinn, whose Wisconsin-based company is building Shinola’s frames. This week, we get to talk with the designer of Shinola bikes, Sky Yaeger. Sky has a long history in the bike biz, including 17 years with Bianchi, and now she’s helping bring a new brand onto the scene.

After the news and a break, we wrap up with a short conversation with USA Triathlon‘s Lindsay Wyskowski, who talks about the current state of the multi-sport world including the relatively new off-road triathlon.

Show #178 – January 18, 2014

Guests: Eli Damon and Adventure Cycling’s Jim Sayer

If you got a ticket for riding on a roadway where the law says you’re allowed to ride, what would you do? How many of us would simply pay the fine and find a friendlier place to ride in the future? How many would actually retain a lawyer and fight the charge? Eli Damon of Hadley, Massachusetts found himself in this situation, and decided he would rather “fight than switch”. Because his eyesight prevents him from driving a motor vehicle, bicycling is Eli’s primary means of transportation, so he had plenty of motivation to defend his right to the road. Eli Damon joins us in the first part of today’s show to talk about his experience, and how it led him to become a bicycle advocate.

After the news and a break, we return to have a conversation with Jim Sayer of the Adventure Cycling Association. Even in the off-season, the ACA is busy working out new routes, updating their maps, and strengthening partnerships with other organizations to make touring by bicycle in the United States an even better experience.

Show #177 – January 11, 2014

Guests: Team Rwanda Coach Jock Boyer; LAB President Andy Clarke

Today’s show is a study in contrasts, and an illustration of how, regardless of the circumstances, cycling is one of the catalysts of change in society. Got an intractable problem? Have you tried cycling?

We start all the way over in Africa, with Jock Boyer, who has been working for several years now to foster bike racing in Rwanda and other African countries. Jock and his now-wife Kimberly Coats are specifically known as the organizational force behind Team Rwanda, which is the subject of the documentary film Rising from Ashes, which will screen on January 23rd at the Cedar-Lee Theater here in Cleveland. Jock joins us to talk about the recent successes of African bike racers, and their plans for the future of the sport there.

Meanwhile, back here in the U.S.A., the League of American Bicyclists is gearing up for the annual Bike Summit. Held in Washington, DC March 3rd through 5th, this year’s theme is United Spokes: Moving Beyond Gridlock. Andy Clark, president of the LAB joins us to talk about the summit, and a number of other initiatives the League is working on. We may not be rising from ashes here in the ‘States, but we cyclists are rising to the challenges faced by an industrialized society.

Show #176 – January 4, 2013

Guests: RBR’s Jim Langley and the newly appointed UCI Tech Commission’s Dimitris Katsanis

 
 
If you can tear yourself away from thoughts of the frigid apocalypse about to descend on the northeast United States, we’ve got a great show for you this week. And if you’re listening from somewhere else in the world, try not to gloat as you kick back on the porch in your shorts and sandals.

First up is Jim Langley, bicycle mechanic, cycling author and former Bicycling Magazine tech editor. Jim has a long history with the bicycle, much of which is chronicled here and here. Most recently, he achieved the nearly unbelievable milestone of having ridden his bike for 7,300 consecutive days. That’s 20 years’ worth of daily riding! Jim is also the technical editor for SmartEtailing, a service to help local bike shops maximize their online presence.

In the second half of the show, along with news from the world of cycling, Diane talks with Dimitris Katsanis, the engineer who designed Team Great Britain’s current crop of track bikes. The big news is that Katsanis has been named as a consultant to the UCI’s Equipment Commission. The UCI has been much-maligned for its perceived stifling of technical innovation. Will this appointment signal a change in the governing body’s approach to equipment? Listen in and find out.