Tag: Road Bike Rider

Posted on

Show #563 – July 10, 2021

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

Guests: Professor John Pucher; Martin Sigrist

How much has changed in our world of cycling since 2012? When I think back to some of the very first chatter about advocacy and how we can get more people riding, it seems SO long ago.

But, as with many things, cycling and its place in a sustainable world, has evolved much more quickly in the past 10 years than in the previous 25!
With that in mind, I welcome Professor John Pucher back to the show. Back in February 2013, right after his book City Cycling had been published by MIT press, John and his co-writer Professor Ralph Buehler spoke about the urban cycling renaissance including topics such as bike share, protected bike lanes, and more.

Now, almost 10 years later, John’s new book, Cycling for Sustainable Cities, is out and it’s remarkable how much has changed in such a short period of time.
A compendium of chapters that cover sustainability from every possible angle, John and his co-writer Ralph Buehler, have scoured the world for experts in their respective fields to round out chapters for the book.

We’ve been watching a TdF that started out being fraught with crashes and mayhem. Some of it came from inconsiderate or uninformed spectators, and some of it … well, the jury is still out on that – but there IS a lot of speculation. Is it the bikes – they’re stiffer and smaller; is it the speed? Is there a new generation of riders who may not be as respectful in the peloton?

My second guest is Martin Sigrist. Martin is a writer and very deep thinker about cycling – and a lot more.

I saw his article for Road Bike Rider about a topic I hadn’t thought about much – if at all – it was titled Learning From Perishable Skills. What that means and what can happen if you don’t continually work on skill building – especially on the bike – is at the heart of our conversation; although Martin has a lot to say on quite a variety of topics – mostly related to cycling.

Posted on

Show #556 – May 22, 2021

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

Guests: Dr. Etienne Krug; Jim Langley

This week, Dr. Etienne Krug, Director of the Department of Social Determinants of Health at WHO, joins me to talk about the UN Global Road Safety Week – it’s not only a thing – it’s a BIG thing! Every day, 3,000 children and young people are killed or seriously injured on the world’s roads.  It’s a statistic that is both staggering and sobering. Dr. Krug and I will talk about that and a lot more in a moment.

The hashtag is #Love30 and its meaning could be the difference between losing thousands of children’s lives every year – worldwide – from street crashes and saving them.

But, #Love30 means a whole lot more than that and Dr., Etienne Krug,  joins me today to talk about Global Safety Week, and more.

Then, I talk with Jim Langley.  His name and his work in cycling go back decades.  If you receive the RBR Newsletter every Thursday, or watch his YouTube channel to learn things such as how to build wheels, or any of a number of other of his fingers-in-the-gamut-of-bicycle pies, you know who I mean.   Then there is his extensive and comprehensive website, JimLangley.net.

And, last week Jim completed one of his long-time goals riding 10,000 consecutive days.  I thought THAT unto itself was impressive enough to chat with him.  But, the conversation is a whole lot more

Posted on

Show #176 – January 4, 2013

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

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.