Show #341 – April 1, 2017

Guests: Dave Kirk; Tom Kuglin; Richard Fries

April 1st – No Foolin’

This week I speak with framebuilder Dave Kirk who won two first place ribbons at NAHBS in Salt Lake City last month.

His Reynolds 953 stainless steel bike won in the fillet brazed category and he also won for best road bike.

Dave and I delve into his journey to the one-made shop he runs in Bozeman, MT as well as the reasons his traditional bikes might have attracted the judges’ attention.

We talk a bit about his Dad, who passed away many years ago when Dave was just a little boy; and, how his JK Specials honor his father and his father’s work.

Staying right in Montana, I talk with Natural Resources reporter Tom Kuglin about Senate Bill #363 which just cleared the Montana Senate and was sent over to the House with a $25.00 per bike fee for anyone coming in to Montana from out of state with a bike in tow. Tom’s March 30th article caught my attention and I wanted him to explain why Senator Sales might have pitched this amendment and what is likely to happen next.

Then, we head back to the east coast to catch up with the busier-than-ever director of MassBike, Richard Fries. The organization is about to celebrate its 40th anniversary this year and, while there is no way we can cover everything that is happening in Massachusetts on the bike front in one conversation, we touch on quite a few topics. One that sounded like a lot of fun was opening day at Fenway Park, where you can ride your bike, avoid the $30 parking fee, and enjoy the game while the Bike Valet takes care of the parking for you.

We also just graze the topic of the Spring Classics and Richard’s race announcing schedule for 2017.

Finally, I will read you the short excerpt from Adventure Cycling Association about the sudden and untimely death of Mike Deme. I just spoke with him on the show at the end of February. It was a a terrible blow to the Adventure Cycling community as well as the cycling community at large. Our heartfelt condolences go out to his family and friends.