Show #377 – December 2, 2017

Guests: Professor Nelson Repenning; Merlyn Townley; Doug Bahniuk

This week’s show is a bit more focused on some perspectives around the economy, business – including of course the bike business – and some pretty heady insights.

My first guest is Nelson Repenning, the distinguished professor of Systems Dynamics and Organization Studies at MIT Sloan School of Management. It’s a mouthful, but Nelson, who raced his bike pretty successfully back in the day, has his finger on the pulse of business as it relates to jobs, manufacturing, and much more.

Nelson also has a consulting firm, ShiftGear, that helps companies figure out those things that always seem to sabotage success – or at least slow it down.

After a short break, it’s up to Vermont to speak with Master Mechanic Merlyn Townley. Last time we spoke, way back in June of 2012, Merlyn was in Chattanooga and we talked race mechanics. Today however, he’s got some things to convey about a direction the bike business might consider taking.

Finally, our “holiday gift” is actually a book by someone who has been in the studio and on the show more than once. Doug Bahniuk has Parkinson’s Disease; yet, he continues to ride his bike on some pretty amazing and challenging rides – even for someone who doesn’t suffer from a disorder that, many times, makes it just difficult to hold a fork.

Doug has ridden across Alaska – you might remember his journey from our last conversation – as well as Oregon and South Korea.

In his new book, The White Line to Denver, Doug details his trip from Boise, Idaho to Denver, Colorado, a trip his doctor suggested he should not take.