Show #426 – November 10, 2018

Guests: Tim Blumenthal; William Bevington

This week I speak with People for Bike’s Tim Blumenthal. He’s got a free gift for you… just offer up your email and name and you will be able to participate in any number of great programs and advocacy initiatives!

PFB has become a mighty force for cycling since it was launched in 1999 and now boasts more than 1.2million members! And, the work they are doing is getting great results!

Then, William Bevington, Professor of Information Design at the Parsons The New School for Design in NYC speaks with me about his long awaited book Japanese Steel – Classic Bicycle Design from Japan.

The book boasts 300 gorgeous photographs, covers the peak export years of the many brands that came out of a post war Japan, and offers up some fascinating details about the industry and its many quirks.

It’s all good!

 

 

Show #271 – November 7, 2015

Guests: Senator Sherrod Brown; Keith Laughlin, Tim Blumenthal

(Note: This show was recorded on Wednesday and Thursday, November 4th and 5th, before the passage of the Surface Transportation Bill Thursday afternoon. Who knew???)

This week we dodged a HUGE bullet when amendments that would have cut funding for bicycle related initiatives including the Recreational Trails Program and the Transportation Alternatives Program were tabled and another amendment, #36, was introduced that will make it EASIER for states to commit funds to bike/ped projects.

News from a variety of sources sent up alarm bells on Tuesday and then, literally overnight – poof! We were “home free”.

I wanted to know what was going on in Congress that suddenly put the transportation bill front and center, creating such a hot topic, and so went looking for answers. I found it in three very tuned-in sources.

My first guest is the senior Senator from Ohio, Sherrod Brown (D). Senator Brown always brings his incredible insight and energy to questions and issues and this week tells us what he thinks might be the outcome of the vote on the Surface Transportation Bill** as well as how and why things might or might not change with the new Speaker of the House. He also explains how important it is that we once again make the U.S. a world class country in terms of infrastructure and transportation.

We then talk with the president of People for Bikes, Tim Blumenthal. Tim explains many of the reasons that Congress, and especially those responsible for programs that make communities more sustainable from an economic perspective, tabled those program slashing initiatives. PFB is now a strong 1.2 million voices and carries some serious clout!

Finally, my go to guy, Keith Laughlin who is president of Rails-to-Trails, gives us his inside-the-beltway understanding of the whys and wherefores of the transportation situation as well as some insight into who helped quash those amendments and what the passage of a new Surface Transportation Bill will mean going forward.

Three great guests – three intelligent and informed perspectives.

Take a listen!

(according to the U.S. Congress web site, the bill passed on November 5th!)

Show #118 – November 24, 2012

GUESTS: MARY MCCONNELOUG, MIKE BRODERICK, TIM BLUMENTHAL, DREW GULDALIAN

If you’ve been hibernating for the past couple of days in order to avoid Black Friday and Small Business Saturday, it’s safe to pop your head out for an hour and enjoy some non-commercial, zero-calorie bicycling entertainment and enlightenment.

This week’s Outspoken Cyclist features interviews with husband and wife mountain bike racers Mary McConneloug and Mike Broderick of Team Seven-Kenda-NoTubes, Tim Blumenthal of Bikes Belong, and Drew Guldalian of Engin Cycles.

Interbike – Day #1 – September 19, 2012

Throngs of people filed into Ballroom G at the Sand’s Convention Center to partake of a breakfast of eggs, sausage, bacon, fruit, juices, potatoes, coffee, tea, and an outrageous number of great lookong pastries!   Free food always attracts cyclists! But, this was about getting people to listen.

The presentations by Fred Clements of the NBDA , Tim Blumenthal  of Bikes Belong, and John Burke CEO of Trek Bicycles, were filled with stats, ideas, and encouragement to grow the industry,grow the sport, and get involved with bicycling on the local level.

I think there was some cyniccism (really?) on a lot of levels:

1. Trek just wants to sell more bikes – which of course would be true, but is that bad?

2. The industry is on the wrong track about how to go about getting more people on bikes – and of course there are always several sides of that questin.

3. Why cna’t we all get along? – wow, solving that problem would be earth shaking!

I will say that I found all the statistics very interesting; changing them for the better?  Daunting!

The presentation ended right on time and the show opened.  It’s BIG!  And, confusing; the numbering system seems so strange this year. The media center has been moved to a good place though.

I’m about to write a short “”story”  about the radio show – there’s a chance to win a prize!  Wish me luck and I’ll update you soon.

Stay tuned!

 

 

 

 

Show #81 – March 10, 2012

Diane’s back from NAHBS this week, and fired up with a show that runs the full spectrum.

First up is Tim Blumenthal, President of People for Bikes. Tim is here talk about the recent bombshell announcement that the three major bicycling organizations in the U.S.: The Alliance for Biking and Walking, The League of American Bicyclists, and People for Bikes intend to unite to form a single, consolidated entity to promote and encourage cycling. There is still a lot for the leaders of the three groups to discuss and decide, but it appears that cyclists will have a unified umbrella after more than 30 years of wishing and hoping. I’m sure we’ll hear more about this, especially after the Bike Summit toward the end of March.

Argyle Armada
After a refreshing dip in the pool of cycling news, and a much needed rest stop, Diane welcomes Mark Johnson, the author of a new book about Team Garmin-Cervelo. Mark was lucky enough to be invited to embed with the team during the 2011 racing season, and talented enough to write and photograph a book about it. The book is titled The Argyle Armada!