Monthly Archives: November 2014

E212 – Bryan Blanc: ORcycle, “a new way to digitalize bread crumbs.”



Bryan Blanc is a podcast listener who is studying transportation at Portland State University and collaborating on the ORcycle mobile phone app that aims to collect data for the purpose of improving our local infrastructure (BikePortland article here).  We also talk about his experiences in Connecticut & Oregon on both sides of the transportation choice he made when he sold his car!

Also: Steph mentions an article about bike equity, and Brock hasn’t had any adventures since the last taping.  We mention the Amtrak writers’ residency program.  Happy Thanksgiving if you observe it, folks!

Mail

Rory from Michigan is in New Zealand!

Jim in NY finishes a charity ride he’s been training for, and oh, what a ride it was.

Fine Print
email us: thesprocketpodcast@gmail.com
twitter: @SprocketPodcast
phone in or SMS: 503-847-9774
web: http://thesprocketpodcast.com
music: Ryan J. Lane (intro & outro) & Hurtbird (headlines)

Thanks to our sustaining donors for supporting our show costs:
Logan Smith, JohnnyK, Shadowfoot, Kathrina Mellemgaard, Wayne Norman, Doug Robertson, Ethan Georgi, Justin Martin, Eric Iverson, Cameron Lien,Richard Wezensky, Tim Mooney, Orange & Purple, Glenn Kubish, Matt Kelly,Jim Goodin, Eric Weisz, Doug CohenMiller, Todd Parker, Scott McAllister Morgan, Chris Gonzalez, Dan Gebhart, Zoe Campagna


E211 – Jeff Everett: The FBC, Y’all



Jeff Everett (the Jeff Everett) is a relatively new Portland resident, but he’s been coordinating bike fun for years.  We talk about his early life in the southern US states, the bicycling scene in St. Louis, Missouri, and his move to Spokane, Washington where he established the long-running FBC, a series of rides at night leading from bar to bar, and through some shenanigans.  Jeff also fearlessly disassembled our sound board before the show to fix an issue, like a champ.

Check out the great short form documentary about Spokane’s FBC, Keep It Simple, on Vimeo.

Also: Brock & Team Sincerity do Cranksgiving, and Aaron goes to see Cold Specks.

Headlines

BBC, from From Anna in PDX: The psychology of why cyclists enrage car drivers

From Bike Portland:  Oregon Walks celebrates Vision Zero plan and honors livable-streets visionaries, & Tenth annual BikeCraft set for December 6-7

From Clever Cycles: Who says poetry doesn’t pay?

Mail

JohnnyK sends us instructions for using a protractor to determine how steep that hill you’re climbing is.  “add a small level to toptube then hang a short string with a small weight at the end from  toptube card for degree.” (conversation on Twitter)  He also shares a story about using your bike to hunt rabbits.

Anna sends us a link to Cycling Without Age.

Ben sends in a record-playing bicycle.

Chris in Arcata sends us a video about a bike trip full of left turns.
[reminds me of what Tom Allen likes about touring]

Phil in AK on why he’s not vegan, but appreciates our considerations on clothing.

The Stickman tells us that Phoenix gets its bike share going ahead of Portland. Starts November 25th care of gridbikes.com

Glenn in YEG did Coffee Outside!

Fine Print
email us: thesprocketpodcast@gmail.com
twitter: @SprocketPodcast
phone in or SMS: 503-847-9774
web: http://thesprocketpodcast.com
music: Ryan J. Lane (intro & outro) & Hurtbird (headlines)

Thanks to our sustaining donors for supporting our show costs:
Logan Smith, JohnnyK, Shadowfoot, Kathrina Mellemgaard, Wayne Norman, Doug Robertson, Ethan Georgi, Justin Martin, Eric Iverson, Cameron Lien, Richard Wezensky, Tim Mooney, Orange & Purple, Glenn Kubish, Matt Kelly, Jim Goodin, Eric Weisz, Doug CohenMiller, Todd Parker, Scott McAllister Morgan, Chris Gonzalez, Dan Gebhart, Zoe Campagna


E210 – Rachael Pecore-Valdez: Tracking Wolves by Bike



Rachael Pecore-Valdez is a storyteller and educator from the Wolf OR-7 Expedition, a venture of several curious adventurers to follow the path of a radio collared wolf through eastern Oregon and into northern California, where it became the first documented free-roaming wolf there in about 90 years.  She tells us about some details of the project and its subject, the team’s use of cyclocross bikes during its travels, and learning about different kinds of people on all sides of the wolf conservation issue by meeting them in person.  Thanks to Jonathan at BikePortland for turning us on to this story last spring!

Rachael also wants to thank Methow Cycle & Sport in Winthrop, WA for their assistance in making their Kona bikes a reality for the expedition!

Also: Brock & Aaron discuss the unusual cold weather, and Brock issues a call to action around Michael Andersen’s recent proposition for better urban development.

Headlines

Bikecommuters.com: Veloloop (via Marcus in Chicago)

Mail

Todd the Truck Driver: “The grocery getter snowed in, in Oakdale WI”

Listener Jim thanks us for the book recommendation from E197: Going Somewhere by Brian Benson; he liked it!

Fine Print
email us: thesprocketpodcast@gmail.com
twitter: @SprocketPodcast
phone in or SMS: 503-847-9774
web: http://thesprocketpodcast.com
music: Ryan J. Lane (intro & outro) & Hurtbird (headlines)

Thanks to our sustaining donors for supporting our show costs:
Logan Smith, JohnnyK, Shadowfoot, Kathrina Mellemgaard, Roger Grigsby, Wayne Norman, Doug Robertson, Ethan Georgi, Justin Martin, Eric Iverson, Cameron Lien,Richard Wezensky, Tim Mooney, Orange & Purple, Glenn Kubish, Matt Kelly, Jim Goodin, Eric Weisz, Doug CohenMiller, Todd Parker, Scott McAllister Morgan, Chris Gonzalez, Dan Gebhart, Zoe Campagna


E209x – Eugene’s Vegan Taxidermy, Portland Windstorms, & Bears



We had such a good time with Daniel Harkins & Nathan Jones that we asked them to stay and hang out while we taped updates on our personal lives!  Also featured: Anna, Aaron, & Brock.


E209 – Daniel Harkins: Feats of Strength (with Nathan Jones)



Daniel Harkins, as the muscle of Team Sincerity, is a certifiable badass due to his many feats of strength.  He is the only person we’ve met who once commuted 65 miles in the snow by bike, has completed many adventurous bicycle tours with a bit of stealth camping, and is also a member of the National Guard.  He tells us what it takes to be awesome no matter where you are.

We’re also joined by another certifiable badass who’s no stranger to feats of strength himself: Nathan Jones of Portland bicycle shop Ride Yr Bike and the TransAm Bike Race.

A great resource for people on bikes in Oregon is Ride Oregon Ride.

Also: Nathan Jones had a burger jump BBQ, and Brock had some issues with a U-lock, and Minnesota Public Radio’s Pedal Hub is a fantastic show!

Headlines

CityLab: Does Cycling Culture Have a Drinking Problem?

The Wide Path Camper (From Marcus in Chicago), which reminds us of Brian Campbell & the Bike RV project.

BikePortland:
Portland legislators launch effort to put 82nd Ave under PBOT control

Thoughts on “passing chaos” on new Williams Ave bike lane

Why civil disobedience needs more bikes

Mail

JohnnyK asks “where’s Brock’s tiger tail?”, and reminds us that you can charge USB devices in many ways.

Richard from TX adds his support to the use of bicycling mirrors, especially homemade ones from ReBcycle!

Jim in NY assures us he likes public transit as much as we do, but loves not waiting for stalled trains in the subway tunnel when he can be riding his folding bike.  Brock adds a link to smarter fare math in NYC.

Marcus goes for a tweed ride in the windy city!

Fine Print
email us: thesprocketpodcast@gmail.com
twitter: @SprocketPodcast
phone in or SMS: 503-847-9774
web: http://thesprocketpodcast.com
music: Ryan J. Lane (intro & outro) & Hurtbird (headlines)

Thanks to our sustaining donors for supporting our show costs:
Logan Smith, JohnnyK, Shadowfoot, Kathrina Mellemgaard, Roger Grigsby, Wayne Norman, Doug Robertson, Ethan Georgi, Justin Martin, Eric Iverson, Cameron Lien, Richard Wezensky, Tim Mooney, Orange & Purple, Glenn Kubish, Matt Kelly, Jim Goodin, Eric Weisz, Doug CohenMiller, Todd Parker, Scott McAllister Morgan, Chris Gonzalez, Dan Gebhart, Zoe Campagna


E208 – type 5 MAX car preview



Hey there folks!  So we promised you an episode, then we tried to record it and the forces of nature knocked out the power to our studio and sucked our first attempt into the abyss. Fortunately, I have all of this interview audio from my visit to the TriMet Type 5 rail car preview lying around, and I’d been meaning to get it out to you anyways.  So accept this rough sketch of a show as a token of our appreciation for you, the listener!  We’ll be back next week with the elements on our side.  Until then, cheers!  – Brock


E207 – Meghan Sinnott: Head & Shoulders Knees & Toes



Megan Sinnott joins us to talk about her employer, Nutcase Helmets & their design contest, trade tips on clothing & fashion aboard bikes, running social media for many events including the WNBR and the Midnight Mystery Ride and her connection to the much-loved Filmed By Bike festival.

Note: a portion of this week’s recording was lost to technical problems; the break in recording is signified by a static sound effect, and we reference the lost conversation occasionally from then on.  Our apologies, and we’ve ordered some new equipment to mitigate these sorts of problems in the future. Thanks for your patience & understanding!

Also: Brock dressed as a tiger for Halloween and appreciates sewing; Aaron does a little more rain cape testing.

Headlines

BikePortland: National ‘Bicyclist Safety’ report out today gets actual safety trends backwards
BikePortland: Vision 0.08: Why any major safe-streets effort must tackle alcohol

Mail

Mark S. has the Portland rain jacket from Showers Pass, loves it, and tells Aaron to splurge.  He also shares his experience with an (almost) vegan bacon cheeseburger made by a young Orthodox Jewish lady.

Dan in MN shares some bicycle camping photos. (and, pertinent to last week’s musing, Shawn Granton does know about him, as evidenced by a tumblr trail.)

Jeremy from Transit Matters shares his thoughts on the finger, Aaron’s legal patch, and sharrows; also recommends use of mirrors for communication while riding.

Orfos Flares are the next big thing in bicycle lighting, says Pete Clyde.  Kickstarter in progress, based out of Seattle and designed for wet climates.

JohnnyK shares Nauticraft out of Michigan, makers of pedal-powered watercraft!

Doug says: “OK, that was weird. There was a 60 sec segment during this podcast where Dan from Minnesota, Shawn Granton, and Garrison Keillor were all mentioned. What’s weird about that? I’ve met all three of them!”

Jim in NY is riding to work!  “Ride on rain this morning. Breaking in my new commute to work less #mta more pedaling @SprocketPodcast a #dahon (pictures)

Scott Morgan finds Cory Poole a longboard stroller.

Fine Print
email us: thesprocketpodcast@gmail.com

twitter: @SprocketPodcast

phone in or SMS: 503-847-9774

web: http://thesprocketpodcast.com

music: Ryan J. Lane (intro & outro) & Hurtbird (headlines)

Thanks to our sustaining donors for supporting our show costs:

Logan Smith, JohnnyK, Shadowfoot, Kathrina Mellemgaard, Roger Grigsby, Wayne Norman, Doug Robertson, Ethan Georgi, Justin Martin, Eric Iverson, Cameron Lien,Richard Wezensky, Tim Mooney, Orange & Purple, Glenn Kubish, Matt Kelly, Jim Goodin, Eric Weisz, Doug CohenMiller, Todd Parker, Scott McAllister Morgan, Chris Gonzalez, Dan Gebhart, Zoe Campagna