Monthly Archives: November 2012

E105x – Beer & Bike Talk

November 27, 2012Bicycling, Brewing, Funsprocketpodcast

The Professor and Brock go on a bit longer about beer and bikes.

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E105 – The Professor Does The California Coast

November 26, 2012Beer, Bicycling, Brewing, Camping, Downsizing, Touring, Train Travel, Travelsprocketpodcast

Aaron “The Professor” LaVanchy of Fort Collins, CO joins us for another entertaining discussion of his summer bicycle travel and the fantastic people one meets along the way.

We discussed:
Some beer talk (we talked even more about beer, and you can hear it here!)
Moving & downsizing,
The posse for the journey,
Bit Tai Tai (or Stanley S. Bay) & his omnipresent qualities,
Jugwater & the merits of a bucket for travel,
pizza & beer delivered to a state park,
the sturdy boot technique (Lance Armstrong’s new drug of choice),
meeting epic travelers on long rides,
#hobofabulous & #hoboprophet apply,
Tour De Fat and recognition of a distinct appearance,
“typical Americans with your junk and beer,”
our collective sports illiteracy,
destinations full of interesting people,
a legitimate vacation by bicycle,
a return trip by Amtrak, compassionate employees and the Trails & Rails program,
and sundry other travels as well (Doe Bay Fest)!
and mentions of unique tours including Tall Bike Bobby.

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)

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E104 – Darren Alff Does Europe

November 19, 2012Bicycling, Camping, Communication, Touring, Travelsprocketpodcast

This week Brock speaks to Darren Alff, proprietor of the fine bicycle touring sitebicycletouringpro.com, about his most recent bicycle touring venture: a year on a bicycle, circling Europe and heading towards Africa! We discuss:

Iceland
touring with his old roommate Brandon
the itinerary
touring with Bike Switzerland
bicycle infrastructure in Europe
Istanbul to Bulgaria & Romania
meeting friends on the road
pizza in a bag
unexpected joy in a new city
the tension between travel and maintaining friendships at home
drawing inspiration from other tourists
drawing inspiration from art & fashion
being overwhelmed by information
the value of variety
developing pragmatism and accepting challenges to thought

Many thanks to Darren for making the time to share his thoughts!

We had planned to have Elly Blue & Martina Fahrner into the studio, but a scheduling snafu made this too complicated to be a reality for this week. We plan to have them back in the studio sometime after the new year.

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E103 – Ellee Thalheimer & Lucy Burningham: Hop In The Saddle!

November 12, 2012Bicycling, Brewingsprocketpodcast

Hop In The Saddle is the new book project from Ellee Thalheimer, Lucy Burningham and Laura Cary on bikes and beer in the Rose City! Ellee and Lucy join us to tell all about Portland’s scene.

Headlines
The Oregonian: Aaron has a bone to pick with this article
Atlantic Cities via Brandon: Behold the YikeBike, the Super Lightweight Folding E-Bike That Looks Like a ‘Star Wars’ Droid

Mailbag
from Josh in PDX: The book Waiting on a Train: The Embattled Future of Passenger Rail Service is a real mind blower and will tell you everything you ever wanted to know about Amtrak’s shotgun marriage with big freight rail.

Rance says: On your “Transit Adventure”, you mentioned how often it’s 4:20. This guy talks about how often 4 a.m. is mentioned.

Gus says: So this exists…and is awesome/seems ridiculous…

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E102 – Steph Routh: Willamette Pedestrian Coalition (now Oregon Walks)

November 5, 2012Advocacy, Bicycling, Building, Communication, History, The Law, Transit, Walkingsprocketpodcast

This week Brock sat down with Steph Routh from the Willamette Pedestrian Coalition (now known as Oregon Walks) and the KBOO Bike Show (as well as many other projects & organizations) to discuss walking, bicycling, and relating to the “old guard” in our town about simpler transportation.

Aaron tells stories and gives tips on his experience with walking as a primary mode of transport.

Headline
BikePortland: pedal-powered phone charging for NYC’s public after disaster