Category Archives: History

E254 – sysfail

September 1, 2015Adventure, Beer, Bicycling, Boats, Building, Cargo, Communication, Fun, History, Mechanics, Simpler Living, Urban Designsprocketpodcast

Portland’s own Sysfail from Dropout Bike Club, PAZ, and many other bike fun things, joins us to talk about our city then and now, and the state of bike fun.

Headlines
from theverge.com via Logan in Cali
Google’s self-driving cars might be too good at braking for cyclists

from mplsbike.org the Minneapolis Bike Connection
Health Connections: “Active Transportation” Report Summary
link to the referenced report and summary

from bikeportland.org
SW 3rd Avenue is about to get downtown’s only buffered bike lane

Please step up and support BikePortland today

Mail

Glenn says you can can meat.

-tweets

from Scott M: he rides with us in his ear.\

from Eric Iverson: “Clearly this guy needs to listen to @SprocketPodcast.”

from Rory C.: #coffeeoutside at Lake Michigan

-comments

“E253b – News, Mail, and an Overnight Ride”

Tim Mooney and JohnnyK support late night riding.

Richard Wezensky likes our old-timey voices.

“E252x – grapes of confederate flag wrath”

Brother Dan in HI clearing up our import/export confusion: “Aaron is an island export!”

-Physical Mail!

Extra-excited to see what Listener/Donor Christi Caister mailed us: instant underpants!

Fine Print

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

Brock Dittus/The Sprocket Podcast
℅ IPRC
1001 SE Division St
Portland OR 97202

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, John Blood, Alison Wiley, Andy Brunner,Dave Knows, Lars V., Chris Smith, Christi Caister, Caleb Jenkinson, JP Kewley, Peanut Butter Jar Matt, Patrick Archain, Gabriel Trainer, Sebastien Poule, Marco Lo, Rich Otterstrom, Andrew Alderson, Drew the Welder, Anna Olsen, Marco Lo, Rich Otterstrom, Andrew Alderson, Krista Skucas, Jon Wasserman, Andre Johnson, Shelly & Troy

Audio Player

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E252x – grapes of confederate flag wrath

August 19, 2015Communication, History, Kitchen, Simpler Livingsprocketpodcast

we spend 20 minutes trying to start the show, but get distracted by the flavor of Thomcord grapes, the nature of cultural export, the problem with free speech and dated symbology, and then some more talk about grapes.

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E243 James Longhurst BIKE BATTLES

June 23, 2015Advocacy, Historysprocketpodcast

Americans have been riding bikes for more than a century now. So why are most American cities still so ill-prepared to handle cyclists? James Longhurst, a historian and avid cyclist, tackles that question by tracing the contentious debates between American bike riders, motorists, and pedestrians over the shared road.

Bike Battles explores the different ways that Americans have thought about the bicycle through popular songs, merit badge pamphlets, advertising, films, newspapers and sitcoms. Those associations shaped the actions of government and the courts when they intervened in bike policy through lawsuits, traffic control, road building, taxation, rationing, import tariffs, safety education and bike lanes from the 1870s to the 1970s.

note: our computer AND backup recorder stopped in the middle of our news section. So if you find yourself wondering “did I miss something?” The answer is yes.

Also: Will Vanlue joins to bring his perspective, aaron rides the solstice, and Lisa is back in PDX!

Thanks to our beverage sponsor, The Beer Mongers, and, as always, thanks to our generous Patreon donors that keep us going!

Headlines

from bicycling.com via Doug Robertson(sustaining donor): Introducing the McBike – McDonald’s New Bike-friendly Takeout Container

from thehill.com: Scott Brown takes up bicycle repair

from theguardian.com: People power: the secret to Montreal’s success as a bike-friendly city

from momentummag.com: Unifying Bike Advocacy: National Brotherhood of Cyclists Conference

Fine Print

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

Brock Dittus/The Sprocket Podcast
℅ IPRC
1001 SE Division St
Portland OR 97202
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, John Blood, Alison Wiley, Andy Brunner, Dave Knows, Lars V., Chris Smith, Christi Caister, Caleb Jenkinson, JP Kewley, Peanut Butter Jar Matt, Patrick Archain, Gabriel Trainer, Sebastien Poule, Marco Lo, Rich Otterstrom, Andrew Alderson, Drew the Welder, Anna Olsen, Marco Lo, Rich Otterstrom, Andrew Alderson, Krista Skucas, Jon Wasserman, Andre Johnson

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E235 – Bikes For Humanity PDX / OK Mom

April 28, 2015Advocacy, Bicycling, Building, Family, Fun, History, Housing, Mechanics, Transitsprocketpodcast

Andrew Shaw-Kitch & Scott Anselmo from Bikes For Humanity drop in to chat about how they’re getting more bikes under people for the common good and enjoying themselves along the way! Also, Anna’s mom Betsy Meeker visits from Oklahoma and fills us in on the “bike phenomenon” of the 1970’s!

Thanks to our beverage sponsor, The Beer Mongers, and, as always, thanks to our generous Patreon donors that keep us going!

Also: Thanks to Sebastien for the mugs! Brock rode another century; Aaron is done with tubeless rims and describes a toe injury in graphic detail.

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, John Blood, Alison Wiley, Andy Brunner, Dave Knows, Lars V., Chris Smith, Christi Caister, Caleb Jenkinson, JP Kewley, Peanut Butter Jar Matt, Patrick Archain, Gabriel Trainer, Sebastien Poule, Marco Lo, Rich Otterstrom, Andrew Alderson, Drew the Welder, Anna Olsen, Marco Lo, Rich Otterstrom, Andrew Alderson, Krista Skucas

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E230 – Glenn Kubish & Darren Markland: #YEGbike Pocket Sprocket

March 23, 2015Advocacy, Bicycling, Car Ownership, Communication, Downsizing, Fun, History, Simpler Living, Urban Designsprocketpodcast

Glenn Kubish is a longtime listener and supporter of our show. He’s well connected in the Edmonton, Alberta bicycling community, and when he recommended a guest, we knew that we’d never make it up to Canada in time to interview him, so we asked, “would you be willing to do the interview?” A resounding positive answer meant that we now get to deliver this gem of an interview with a man who, in Glenn’s words, has “the spirit of the @SprocketPodcast” in him. “Plus,” he adds, “he’s a doc, built abamboo bike, roasts his own coffee.” Darren Markland also sports a wicked ice beard in the winter!

We’re grateful for this little window into the #YEGbike community! Many thanks to our friends up north, and here’s to hoping there will be a new podcast on the horizon. Who knows? With enough friendly encouragement, they might just do it…

If you enjoyed this Pocket Sprocket format and feel like you know someone interesting in your town, be sure to get in touch. We want your positive vibes to spread, and would love to help bring someone’s story to the rest of the world if you’d like to help us find it. See below for our contact info!

We’ll be back next week with more Portland-produced episodes! See you then.
(oh yeah, and there was that time we met Glenn at Filmed By Bike)

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, John Blood, Alison Wiley, Andy Brunner, Dave Knows, Lars V., Chris Smith, Christi Caister, Caleb Jenkinson, JP Kewley, Matt B., Patrick Archain, Gabriel Trainer

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E228 – Adron Hall: Transit Sleuth

March 10, 2015Bicycling, Car Ownership, Car Sharing, Family, History, Housing, Technology, The Law, Train Travel, Transit, Urban Design, Walkingsprocketpodcast

Transit Sleuth is on the case; he’s been following sustainable transit modes and reporting on them for some time here in Portland OR! We chat about the state of transportation in our town, along with Adron’s youth near trains and his eventual disenchantment with sweating in traffic. Read the latest updates at transitsleuth.com

Also: TriMet’s annual report is available, Inspired to Ride film is coming soon (4/18 in Portland), Brock dug some dirt out of Will Vanlue’s yard and is sore, and Aaron ran into Jeff on the street.

Donate at Patreon if you’re able to help keep us going!

Headlines

Human Transit: How do I find a hotel near good transit?
and How do I find a hotel near good transit? Not (yet) via google!

BBC News via Logan: Ford Motor Co. experiments with e-bikes

bikeportland.org: Half of Portland car2go vehicles now have rear bike racks

Mail

Many thanks to new donors JP Q-lee, Matt B, Patrick, & Gabriel! And all of our previous ones.

Tim Mooney sent us news on the possibility of c&o trail camping fees – it’s still gonna be free! Also, he’s pro-pug.

Josh G sends us a non-bikey writer’s review of biking in Vancouver WA.

Tomas Q. is working with Ride With GPS on their Ambassador Program.

Nurse David explains how to clean a peanut butter jar.

Dan in Bemidji: Fatbikes race in MN! Also Aaron mentions a Cyclofemme event.

Richard finds an article about Hub Powderworks from Gizmodo!

Anna sent in the TED talk about why buses represent democracy in action.

Glenn in YEG had #coffeeoutside!

John from Goldendale has a very “Portland” moment that reminds him we’re all human beings.

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, John Blood, Alison Wiley, Andy Brunner, Dave Knows, Lars V., Chris Smith, Christi Caister, Caleb Jenkinson, JP Kewley, Matt B., Patrick Archain, Gabriel Trainer

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E227a – Aaron M. Green: We Were Like Sons

March 3, 2015Adventure, Bicycling, Camping, Cargo, Communication, Downsizing, Fun, History, Housing, Simpler Living, Touring, Transit, Travelsprocketpodcast

Aaron M. Green is the author of the soon-to-be-published We Were Like Sons, a memoir describing his bicycle tour from California to New York City and how he changed along the way. Help him reach his goal for self-publishing the book on Kickstarter! He’s even offering guided bicycle tours as a reward. We discuss, among other things, the writing process, and the nature of offering or receiving hospitality.

This is part one of a two part conversation with 3 Aarons and a Brock. Catch part two afterward!

Also: Donate at Patreon if you’re able to help keep us going!

Headlines (or, “Some Ol’ Bullshit News”)

BBC News Toronto, via bikeportland.org: Canadian ‘freezeway’ could let residents skate to work

bikeportland.org: Oregon lawmaker wants to punish people who bike without reflective clothing

bikeportland.org: Thoughts on lawmakers who “just want to start a conversation”

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E224 – Alex Reed & Kari Shlosshauer: Bike Loud PDX

February 24, 2015Adventure, Advocacy, Bicycling, Communication, Family, History, Simpler Living, Technology, The Law, Transit, Urban Design, Walkingsprocketpodcast

Alex Reed helped to launch and coordinate Bike Loud PDX. Kari Schlosshauer is a concerned and involved bikey mom who lives near SE Clinton street. We talk about starting an advocacy movement, the case study of Portland’s first neighborhood greenway, the nature of advocacy vs. that of activism (and are they the same thing?), and innovative experiments such as Better Block.

Want to support a Safer Oregon? Buy some Clinton Street swag inspired by Bike Loud PDX!

Also: Brock takes an 80 mile pub crawl ride & borrows a Bike Friday, Aaron rents a fatbike.

Donate at Patreon if you’re able to help keep us going!

Headlines

OregonLive.com: Modest Mouse releases music video shot on MAX

Mail

Logan shares the xtracycle megarack that converts standard frames to longtails!

Antonio shares a map made by EEG-enabled helmets of Manhattan

Tim Mooney shares Brock & Adele’s tour journals from 2012 on Pedalshift Project

Harm in NZ shares Portland news: sustainable electricity harvested from city water utility pipes

Zoe asks: ”We want to ride from Portland to the coast this summer so I’m looking for the best, most beautiful route with the lightest traffic.” Brock likes Oregon’s highway 6 to Tillamook, but Alex prefers the idea of the Nestucca River Road (Path Less Pedaled did this a while back)

Gerald likes chemical handwarmers in his gloves.

Not mail but from the shift list: Tall Bike Tour!

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, John Blood, Alison Wiley, Andy Brunner, Dave Knows, Lars V., Chris Smith

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E211 – Jeff Everett: The FBC, Y’all

November 25, 2014Adventure, Bicycling, Communication, Fun, History, Urban Designsprocketpodcast

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!

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

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E210 – Rachael Pecore-Valdez: Tracking Wolves by Bike

November 22, 2014Adventure, Advocacy, Bicycling, Camping, History, Mountain Biking, Travelsprocketpodcast

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!

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

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