Category Archives: Downsizing

E113 – Tracy Gayton: Piscataquis Village

January 22, 2013Bicycling, Brewing, Building, Business, Cargo, Communication, Downsizing, History, Housing, Kitchen, Technology, Transit, Travel, Urban Design, Walkingsprocketpodcast

Piscataquis Village will be a European-styled, carless development in the US state of Maine, and the vision of Tracy Gayton who joins us for this show. Tracy envisions a city with six key elements: small plazas, really narrow streets, attached buildings, arcaded sidewalks, interior courtyards and streets free from car traffic. After it caught our attention, he was kind enough to supply us with a full rundown on how it might look. [piscataquisvillage.org] We also discuss comparisons to the Bicycle City idea, appealing to misanthropes, and how people might get to and from the village, as well as governmental red tape, bad weather, and Tracy’s own downsized life after retirement.

Mentioned resources:
Tracy’s TEDx talk
The Carfree Design Manual & carfree.com
The Small Streets blog, smallstreets.com

Brock & Aaron discuss ice on the roads, ice in Brock’s beard, the months-long soaking of socks, Aaron’s ditching of his cell phone, and Brock & Brandon’s utilization of the supertrailer.

Smartwool socks hold up to a six month soak, though the wool falls out

Brock grows an ice beard over a morning commute

Mail
JohnnyK asks us where to put a sticker on a bicycle, and says that in Jacksonville a fellow cyclist is like “finding water in a desert.” This makes the cycling traffic problems of Portland somewhat niche.

Darren says “thanks” for the song Brock wrote about his cycling journey, and adds:
“I have been meaning to update my blog, write a closing post and list the highs and lows of the journey, but more importantly, sharing what I learnt whilst in the road. I think the song has just inspired me to do so.”
If you’d like a copy of the song, you can find it here.

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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E107 – News Roundtable & Catching Up

December 10, 2012Advocacy, Alternate Fuels, Bicycling, Building, Business, Communication, Downsizing, Housing, Mountain Biking, Technology, Touring, Train Travel, Transit, Travelsprocketpodcast

Brock & Aaron hold down the proverbial fort on their own this week in an episode dedicated to clearing the desk of all the cool stuff they’ve learned about in the last month. We start out with talk about tux mayhem, train etiquette, and Indiegogo perks still to come! We drank Moxie & Bridgeport Ebenezer Ale.

My Bike Won’t Fit Here!
Aaron introduces a new segment this week. Pictures to be posted here when possible – check back. This week’s egregious bike parking: Fred Meyer! This is a photo from the Portland location at SE 82nd Avenue & Foster Road. Thanks to listener David, who works for the corporation, for a timely response to this observation! We’ll see what changes in the future.

Headlines
BikePortland news roundup: Piscataquis Village Project plans to create a carless “micropolis”
BikePortland: a farmer in the Portland region swaps his truck for a cargo bike
BBC News via Brandon: the Uruguayan president is living meager, but happy!
The Oregonian: speeding car crashes into Sunset TC – from above
Rivendell Bicycle Works: MUSA Splats cover ordinary shoes for wet weather
The Atlantic Cities: media hosts an ecology dustup between cars & transit
BikePortland: Tom LaBonty heads to Texas to teach cargo bike building
Lovely Bicycle: When do we need a cargo bike?
Cycle Wild: Petition asks for decent treatment of self-propelled NPS guests
Happy, Simply: former show guest d’Arcy Lunn has a new simple living project
No Tech via Logan: now you can UN-knit your wool with a bicycle
BikePortland: Chris Sanderson not allowed to recycle metal by bike
Fast Co. Design: designer proposes an aerial tram over Austin

Mailbag
David Heddy mentions a couple touring the Great Divide on a tandem

Eric Krimmel wrote us about his new ebook “The Cross Country Adventures of the Blue Highways Cycling Elite,” a true story of three friends who embark on an 4200 mile bicycle trip across the USA, from Anacortes, Washington to Bar Harbor, Maine. It’s available on iTunes, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble.

Dan in MN recommends Nick Mason of the League of American Bicyclists as an interview. Also, Dan just moved into his own tiny house that he built himself!

Kevin from L.A. donates generously and says he can hook us up with Tall Bike Bobby.

Thanks to Stacy from A Simple Six for recommending our show on Twitter.

Dodson gets in touch about interviewing Brek Boughton (blogger and adventurer) from Cycling Into The Dark: http://cyclingintothedark.com

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E106 – Honky Tonk Prison

December 3, 2012Bicycling, Camping, Cargo, Downsizing, Music, Performance, Travelsprocketpodcast

Honky Tonk Prison is (left to right): Timo Forsberg, Esther Harlow, Chelsea Kline, Ken Southerland, Vivian Yuan, and Amos Hunter.

Portland’s premier bicycle-loving ukelele band Honky Tonk Prison was kind enough to invite Brock into their weekly rehearsal to share some songs and talk about eco-friendly life in the Pacific Northwest, as well as many bad puns and some rollicking laughter! We present an hour of music and conversation as this week’s show.

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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.

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E098 – Tammy Strobel & Logan Smith: Rural Happiness

October 8, 2012Bicycling, Car Sharing, Communication, Downsizing, Family, Housing, Technology, Touring, Train Travel, Transit, Walkingsprocketpodcast

Tammy Strobel, author of You Can Buy Happiness (And It’s Cheap) and editor of the blog RowdyKittens.com, and Logan Smith join us to speak about the book’s release, downsizing and simplicity, and living without a motor vehicle in rural northern California.

Also, The Sprocket Podcast continues its Indiegogo fundraising campaign to underwrite the next season of the show during a year with thin budgets. We will be offering many personalized rewards to our backers! Thanks to this week’s donors: Alison (fly on the wall), Bill (no perk, just $50 generous!). See the details here!

Mailbag
Dan in MN says: “I will miss Mr. Roads [sic] four letter wording. :)”

From Deanna:
“I am planning a Fixie World Tour-Riding a fixed geared bicycle over 30,000 miles, 6 continents, and taking under 2 years to create a documentary and photo book. Check out my kickstarter page!
also the blog: http://fixieworldtour.blogspot.com/p/past-ventures.html”

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E088 – Tom Allen (with Ben Allen): Janapar

July 30, 2012Bicycling, Camping, Downsizing, Touring, Travelsprocketpodcast

I had the pleasure of meeting the man behind the independent film project Janapar, Tom Allen and his brother Ben Allen on a sunny day near the waterfront in downtown Portland, Oregon. We discussed his travels, the upcoming film release, and his current journey through the US Pacific coast with his brother. Adele Dittus makes an appearance as a second interviewer towards the end of the episode after disappointingly long lines made donut acquisition impossible.

Watch the trailer and follow the film’s release at janapar.com!

Bike Safe Portland wallet-sized accident reports are available now in Portland bicycle shops near you! Thanks to Josh Zisson from Bike Safe Boston and the Bike Safe Nation project.

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E084 – Darren Sinn: Cycle Tourer

July 2, 2012Bicycling, Camping, Downsizing, Touring, Travelsprocketpodcast

Listener Darren Sinn connected with me a few months ago as he was beginning his tour through Europe by bicycle. We spoke about: traveling New Zealand, meeting people, staying over in London, the tour plan, Willy Weir and the bicycle as a passport to adventure, bankrolling a year-long tour, diversions while traveling like photography and beer, the iPhone bucket amplifier, the Surly Long Haul Trucker and its facility for BMX parks, touring gear, problem stories, and Darren’s immutable law of bicycle touring.

Read about the tour on http://cycletourer.blogspot.com; also catch up with his sources for planning The Path Less Pedaled, TravelingTwo, andBicycle Touring Pro.

Tour de Clack is coming, led by our friend and former guest Matt Picio! Tour de Clack is an inaugural bike ride in rural Clackamas County on July 7 2012. It’s free, and to draw attention to water quality projects done by the ride’s sponsor, the Clackamas River Basin Council (CRBC).

Bike Safe Portland wallet-sized accident reports are available now in Portland bicycle shops near you! Thanks to Josh Zisson from Bike Safe Boston and the Bike Safe Nation project.

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E083 – Stacy Bisker: A Simple Six

June 25, 2012Bicycling, Camping, Communication, Downsizing, Family, Housingsprocketpodcast

Stacy Bisker is the author of the family bicycling website and blog A Simple Six and took some time to tell us the story of her family’s transition to bicycles as a primary mode of transportation.

We discussed: getting into cycling as a family and finding the right bike, living in the most unhealthy city in America, “societal mirroring” and blazing the way for others, advice for those trying to follow their lead, Liz Canning’s cargo bike documentary, ruminations on the east and west coasts, bicycles as a connecting force to bring disparate people together, bike camping with a family, TRANSPORTland on bike camping, and Team Sincerity’s Crater Lake tour.

Bike Safe Portland wallet-sized accident reports are available now in Portland bicycle shops near you! Thanks to Josh Zisson from Bike Safe Boston and the Bike Safe Nation project.

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E075 – Michael Andersen: Low-Car Life & Politics

April 30, 2012Advocacy, Alternate Fuels, Bicycling, Communication, Doin' It, Downsizing, Gardening, Housing, Kitchen, Technology, Transit, Walkingsprocketpodcast

We welcome our favorite relentlessly upbeat transit journalist Michael Andersen, chief dictator of the fine publication Portland Afoot, back to the show for more talk about Portland’s transit environment and economy and the joys of low-car life.

Brandon is freaked out by billionaire asteroid miners.

Bike Safe Portland wallet-sized accident reports are available now in Portland bicycle shops near you! Thanks to Josh Zisson from Bike Safe Boston and the Bike Safe Nation project.

The Sprocket Podcast is now available on Stitcher smart radio! If you use the service, you can add us to your programming roster.

Michael brings a lightning round quiz for simple life perspectives on nouns, but after a discussion on local transit politics.

Headlines
BikePortland: “Dutchtubs” are about to revolutionize Portland OR’s leisure scene
BikePortland: jogger asks about legality and courtesy of jogging in streets
Grid Chicago: Bees are coming! On bikes!
Taking the Lane: Elly Blue hosts a contest to discover the nation’s worst bicycling streets
BikePortland: circling Mt. Hood on a mountain bike just got easier
PSU Vanguard: Bus, MAX, streetcar, or taxi?

Mailbag
Jim says: “Check out this link to an upcoming indie film to be released regarding Tom Allen’s big tour and the decisions he had to make….:http://janapar.com/ Looking forward to your upcoming path less pedaled interview… and also appreciated your interview w Rebecca Lerner.”

Dan in MN on the foraging episode: “looking for free food was a must in my family when I was growing up. We caught fish, ate mushrooms, harvested wild rice, did maple sirup camp, picked hazelnuts, and ate ferns. We also made our own medicines. Nice to know that other people do this.”

JohnnyK in FL: “if you don’t want flats from glass just get Tire Liners; however you will never get a Fred to use these because God forbid they add weight to their bikes.” Also: “Ok just got back from the Dinner with Elly Blue and friends. I really enjoyed it and it was very much a learning experience. So now I cannot wait for your interview with her.”

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E073 – Rebecca Lerner: First Ways

April 17, 2012Communication, Downsizing, Gardening, Kitchen, Simpler Living, Walkingsprocketpodcast

Rebecca Lerner is an experienced forager who has taken on many experiments in eating wild local food. She shares with us how she got interested in foraging, some stories about her experiences and the nature of our relationship with food.

The Sprocket Podcast is now available on Stitcher smart radio! If you use the service, you can add us to your programming roster.

Headlines
NBC 11 News: Aspen CO remorseful drunk returns stolen bike
Denver Post: Hot on Velo Cult’s heels, Bicycle Cafe offers beer & space

Mailbag
Listener Ryan from Georgetown ON: “Buy something Canadian. Brandon’s highbrow tase will enjoy a Unibroue “Maudite” (look for the devil in a Canue). Brock you should try a Mousehead [sic?]. Keep up the excellent work.”

Logan in PDX: “I saw a new post by Jonathan Maus on Bike Portland and I looked at the figure depicting carbon emissions of Portland relative to the US average and I noticed something astounding. After listening to the latest podcast and learning the wonders of the year 2002 I was really impressed to see your observations also apparent in carbon emissions. The year 2002 marks the first year Portland deviated its carbon emissions away from the US average and started its current trend downwards! Wow! Pivotal year indeed.”

Donation from James in Maryland – thanks! (you can donate here if you wish)

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