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Show #107 – September 15, 2012

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‘Cross season is upon us, this weekend is Ride for Miles at JCU, and women will be riding for charity next Mother’s Day in Washington State. Plenty to talk about this week on The Outspoken Cyclist.

Guests: Richard Fries, Tina Kuna, Jeff Mapes

Cycling renaissance man Richard Fries was about to board a plane for the Netherlands (where he’ll be announcing the World Championships) when we caught up with him to talk about the Providence Cyclo-cross Festival, coming up in Rhode Island October 6th and 7th. As Richard says, “in New England, ‘Cross is racing; everything else is just warmup.”

Billed as “Washington State’s Most Beautiful Bike Ride for Women”, Women’s Living the Dream Ride debuts in Snohomish, Washington May 11, 2013 (time to start planning that spring cycle travel). It’s a benefit for Snohomish Community Kitchen thru Living the Dream Foundation, and guys are welcome, but the event’s focus is on being woman-friendly. Ride organizer Tina Kuna joins us to talk about all the details.

After some news (including a riveting micro-analysis of traffic light and intersection dynamics) Diane welcomes journalist, author, and bike commuter Jeff Mapes. Jeff has authored a book entitled Pedaling Revolution: How Cyclists Are Changing American Cities, and he’s in town this weekend to speak at the Natural History Museum as part of the Ride for Miles activities.

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Repairing Carbon Fiber Frames & Parts

FYI: The following “letter to the editor” is presented as written and published in the October 1, 2012 issue of Bicycle Retailer & Industry News.

Supplier doesn’t endorse repair of carbon fiber

(Bicycle Retailer & Industry News – October 1, 2012 Issue)

I am compelled to comment on your Aug 15, 2012, carbon fiber repair article (“Crack problem? Carbon repairers have you covered.”) Contrary to the impression given by your article, Trek Bicycle does not endorse or recommend repairing damaged carbon fiber frames or parts, nor do we endorse or recommend any business that offers such repairs.

Carbon fiber is a superior material that is lighter, stronger and has a greater fatigue life than either aluminum or steel.  However, when it is overloaded and becomes damages, we recommend that it  be replaced – not repaired.  In fact, while we realized that we cannot stop bicycle owners from seeking carbon fiber repair services, such repairs void Trek’s lifetime warranty and we require repair shops such as Calfee’s to provide us with the serial number of the carbon Trek bicycles they do repair in the event of a future warranty claim or injury.

Trek offers a generous Loyalty Replacement program under which we replace damaged Trek carbon fiber frames and parts at greatly reduced cost.  If you, as a dealer, have any doubt regarding the integrity of a carbon fiber frame or part, you should recommend that a customer replace it with a newly manufactured frame or part.

Robert Burns
Vice president & general counsel
Trek Bicycle Corp.

 

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Hollywood Rides A Bike – Now It’s An “App”

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Back in April,  author Steven Rea, who is also the film critic for the Philadelphia Enquirer, talked with me about his book, “Hollywood Rides A Bike”.  Well, today, he sent me an email that the book is now available as an app on iTunes.   He says:

“It’s a mega-powered e-book, with all of the rare and wonderful cycling-stars-of-cinema photos and text from the original Angel City Press publication, plus scores of new images and more bells and whistles, links and cross-media features than you can possibly imagine. Half the price, twice the fun!!

Here’s the link to iTunes to buy your very own app for your iPad:

Steven still collects photos of celebs on bikes on his “ridesabike” blog.

 A download of the show with his interview is below.
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Show #106 – September 8, 2012

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9/8/2012
Kicking off this first post-Labor Day 2012 show is a conversation with Karen Bliss. Karen is known as the American cyclist with the most career wins. These days, she’s the VP of Marketing for Fuji Bicycles, and she’s an active participant the bicycle industry as a whole. Karen has a most interesting perspective as a woman and former racer.

In the second half of the show, we get a chance to hear from a guy with simply amazing tales to tell, and a way of telling them that conveys his sense of adventure and fun. Willie Weir is a world cycle tourist, author, columnist for Adventure Cycling, and a heck of a fun guy. Diane’s conversation with him is sure to brighten your week.

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Show #105 – September 1, 2012

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Guests: Charles Pelkey, Keith Laughlin

Charles Pelkey is an attorney, cyclist, and regular contributor to Red Kite Prayer. With more articles about Lance Armstrong, the USADA, the UCI, and doping accusations, it seems almost impossible to sort it all out.  Charles puts it all in perspective and more.

Keith Laughlin is the President of Rails to Trails and lives in Washington, DC.  Keith is also one of the best informed cycling professionals I know.  He is keenly aware of what is happening in Congress and around the country as it pertains to cycling advocacy.  In this election year, Keith helps us understand what is at stake and what you can do to make syre that bicycles are not shoved under the rug.

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Show #104 – August 25, 2012

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8/25/2012
It’s one week to Labor Day, and definitely a time in the cycling year when we separate into the ‘glass half full’ and ‘glass half empty’ camps. Is it almost the end of the prime summer season, or simply the threshold of ‘bonus’ season? Regardless of your perspective, one directive is always appropriate: go ride your bike!

Our first guest should have his picture in the dictionary next to the entry for altruism. Bob Lee and his Ride for 3 Reasons have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for cancer research, ALS, and hospice funding. Because Bob covers his own expenses, all donations go directly to his designated charities. He’s headed out on the road again in September, so listen for all the details, including how you can contribute.

In the second half of today’s show, Diane chats with artist and framebuilder Dave Bohm. Dave owns Bohemian Bicycles, Acel Tubing and Joining Products, and a framebuilding school. That’s right, if you have 10 days and some cash, you can build your own frame and fork with Dave’s expert guidance. A heckuva lot more useful than that bird house you built in shop class!

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Show #103 – August 18, 2012

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8/18/2012
We’re cruisin’ like a fat-tire single-speed at the beach this week. Lots of news to tell you about, and two great guests. What could be better?

Hans Rey is a mountain biking legend who has a new coffee table book entitled A Life of Mountain Bike Adventures: 25 Years of Riding the World. He also runs a charity dedicated to providing bikes to people who need them in developing countries. Wheels 4 Life reflects Hans’ passion and integrity by maximizing the direct impact of every dollar donated.

Mike Magnuson is a writer, musician and cyclist, not necessarily in that order. He’s been a contributor to Bicycling magazine for many years, and his latest book is Bike Tribes: A Field Guide to North American Cyclists. Beyond all that, he’s a hell of a fun guy to shoot the breeze with, which is exactly what Diane did this week.

We found a lot of variety in the cycling news which ranges from triathlete deaths to Metroparks sharrows to 13-year old hit and run drivers to trail funding to Route 66. Grab something cold and wet, kick off those cleats and join us for a wild ride on this week’s Outspoken Cyclist.

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Show #102 – August 11, 2012

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8/11/2012
Temperatures under 80 degrees? Skies that are cloudy (and occasionally rainy) all day? What can these things be? Just glad I didn’t sell my fenders and rain jacket yet. To celebrate the refreshing weather change, we’ve got two great guests lined up for you this week:

First, April Streeter talks about her new guidebook, Women on Wheels. April is a writer from Portland, Oregon, with an emphasis on environmental and women’s issues.

In the second half, Diane talks with adventurer, author and force of nature, Frosty Wooldridge. Frosty’s new book is How to Live a Life of Adventure: the Art of Exploring the World.

Finally, we send our condolences to the family of Stan Bugarcic, a local triathlete who died this week as a result of complications from a near-drowning at a race in Mentor, Ohio last Sunday. Plans for a memorial fund-raiser are pending. Keep listening to The Outspoken Cyclist for details on how you can help.

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Show #101 = August 4, 2012

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8/4/2012
August has arrived, and here on the (relatively) temperate north coast, that means peak season for local triathlons. The TOC crew (and their animals, I’m told) will be on hand to cheer for friends at the Greater Cleveland Triathlon tomorrow morning at Headlands State Park.

How appropriate then, that our first guest today is IronMadMan Ryan Schneider, who also writes for LAVA Magazine, (and has a day job in the video game industry). Ryan describes himself as the world’s least likely triathlete, and he maintains that anyone with the right motivation and dedication can complete an IronMan. Great stuff!

After the break and some news, Diane welcomes back Steve Magus, the Ohio Bike Lawyer to the show. In addition to his legal practice based in Cincinnati, Steve analyzes bicycle fatalities to see what really happened and if the law enforcement agencies got the story right. Steve also has great statistics that you can use to reduce your risk on the roa

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Show #100 – July 28, 2012

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7/28/2012
Your bike won’t roll without tires, and what would cycling be without kids to remind us of our roots? We’ve got both this week on the show.

Richard Goodwin joins us to talk about Hutchinson, one of the oldest surviving makers of bicycle equipment. Hutchinson is still manufacturing tires in France, and they are one of the leaders in tubeless technology for bicycles.

The Richmond Cycling Corps is just a couple years old, but their motto “Can’t Stop. Won’t Stop.” is a testament to their determination to use cycling to get kids from Richmond, Virginia out of public housing. Director Craig Dodson is one of the most passionate people you’ll ever meet, and we’ll hear from him about what Richmond Cycling Corps is doing, how, and why.