Category Archives: Mountain Biking

E217 – Branden Shelby & Daniel Harkins: Summer Tour 2014

January 6, 2015Adventure, Bicycling, Camping, Mechanics, Mountain Biking, Touring, Travelsprocketpodcast

Branden Shelby & Daniel Harkins come in to tell us about their epic wilderness tour last summer. They took a turn through the Gifford Pinchot National Forest and lived to tell about it, including negotiations after a stealth camping bust, a difficult fix on the side of a road, and midnight attempts for tacos at a fast food drive-thru.

Also: it’s Boston month (interviews), Brock went to Boston, and Aaron went to Missoula.

Headlines
BikePortland: For a slumping cycling city, there are reasons for optimism in 2015

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Richard TX shares Glympse, a great option to link group rides in addition to Bike Fun Finder.

Tammy Strobel: “Every time I listen to The Sprocket Podcast, I want to move back toPortland. I miss our friends, the cycling culture, and the amazing coffee shops.”

Josh G: thinks we’d dig this weather wonkery.

Glenn Kubish helped to rally people in YEG to support suicide prevention.

Logan shares the Seatylock, a bicycle saddle that doubles as a lock.

Doug says our scatalogical emergency reminded him of this TED talk, and thinks bicycling can make people more compassionate. Glenn said that it needed a “soiler alert.” [wah wah] Richard shared his similar experience, and recommends imagining a farther-off destination.

Eric has a picture of a car that was driven into a ditch across a cycletrack in Portland.

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

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

November 18, 2014Adventure, Bicycling, Camping, Cargo, Downsizing, Fun, Mountain Biking, Technology, Touring, Transit, Travelsprocketpodcast

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!

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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E199c – Katie & David Proctor: Car Free Lifestyle

September 10, 2014Advocacy, Bicycling, Car Ownership, Car Sharing, Cargo, Communication, Downsizing, Family, Housing, Mountain Biking, Transit, Urban Design, Walkingsprocketpodcast

Katie & David Proctor live in Portland without owning a car despite having children and enjoying outdoor recreation. We ask why and how.

Also: e200 live show!, retort to close pass contest, Bike Scout! Oh yeah, and Brock rented a moving truck.

Headlines

Pedalshift: trying Amtrak Express to ship a bike home after tour

Mail

Patreon switches for our donations, including new donor Richard, Tim from Pedalshift, and Orange & Purple!

Richard sent us “bikes allowed full lane” pins! We wore them for Bike Scout.

Uncle Lou asks about shed flats.

Jim in NY joins the listener army and shares his newfound passion for charity riding.

JohnnyK says all routes are flatroutes in Florida.

David in NC writes in.

Thanks to our sustaining donors for supporting our show costs:
Logan Smith, Shadowfoot, Kathrina Mellemgaard, Roger Grigsby, Wayne Norman, Doug Robertson, Ethan Georgi, Justin Martin, Eric Iverson, Cameron Lien, Richard Wezensky, Tim Mooney, Orange & Purple

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E199b – Nathan Jones: TransAm Bike Race

September 1, 2014Adventure, Bicycling, Downsizing, Mountain Biking, Racing, Touring, Travelsprocketpodcast

Nathan Jones is the owner of Ride Yr Bike who conceived of and organized the Trans Am Bike Race, an unsupported ride from coast to coast in which the participants competed simply for the bragging rights! He tells us about the trip.

Also: e200 live show!, retort to close pass contest, explosions on the waterfront

Headlines

BikePortland: Community bike rally against violence in North Portland

Mail

Dan from MN recommends the Surly Disc Trucker.

Drew clarifies the strength of Brock’s bike repair.

Logan recommends the Soma Saga for its kickstand plate.

Phil in AK corrects Aaron on the origins of the band X.

David joins PDX cargo bike gang!

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E180 – Dan Kaufman & Nathan Jones: Fatbikes & GPS

April 21, 2014Adventure, Advocacy, Bicycling, Camping, Cargo, Mountain Biking, Racing, Technology, Touring, Trail Riding, Train Travel, Travelsprocketpodcast

Dan Kaufman runs CrankMyChain Cycle TV & pdxk productions and has a deep love for bicycles and their implications for culture & conservation (and this time around, we didn’t make him come on the show while he lost his voice!)
Nathan Jones is the proprietor of Ride Yr Bike and has had numerous inspiring adventures in nature using bikes, including Tour Divide, the Oregon Outback, and his inspired TransAmerica touring race.

Both of them also are enthusiastic supporters of the Salmonberry Corridor project to renovate a derelict rail line into a multi-use path from Washington County to the Oregon coast; so much so, in fact, that they rode self-supported to one of the public input meetings in Wheeler, OR to add their voices. We talk about all of this and more!

Also:
tickets now available for Aftermass
Pedal powered talk show season three launch party

Headlines
OregonLive: a name is chosen for the new transit bridge!

Mail
Steve in WY feels for Aaron & his donut shop conflict, and is glad that the small towns he lives in are bike friendly places.

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
Shadowfoot
Kathrina Mellemgaard
Roger Grigsby
Wayne Norman
Doug Robertson
Ethan Georgi

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E175 – Phil B: The Ice Beard Cometh

March 18, 2014Adventure, Advocacy, Bicycling, Car Ownership, Communication, Family, Mountain Biking, Technology, Transitsprocketpodcast

Phil B writes insightfully on his blog Multimodal Alaska Adventures about bicycling, transit, and everyday adventures in the last frontier; we learned during the interview that he is also writing a column for Alaska Commons. He is far more equipped to deal with the cold than we will ever be, and looks fantastic in a beard of ice. We discuss Anchorage & The Valley as the grist for his commute, dealing with cold, ice, and how riding the bus can get you some personal time before returning home to the family.

Also: the Bicycle Film Festival in Portland (including the film Boy, featuring actor Timothy Spall), Lucas Brunelle, as well as the shortest and longest midnight mystery ride. AND:John Malkovich sings on Russian television.

Headlines
BikePortland: Oregon State Parks unveils “bike pod” facility plans for bicycle travelers
Amtrak: recycling facilities are being added to bi-level trains!
OregonLive: Did “Top Gear” go [pause] …too far… with bicycle safety spoofs?
[Steve in WY sent us Top Gear staffer James May’s take on bicyclists some time back, whose primary complaint was simply that bicyclists aren’t friendly enough.]

Mail
real, physical mail from Rory in Michigan! He made a custom tote for six-packs which he mailed to us. we are flabbergasted and thankful.

Jolene on facebook muses on the pronunciation of “Velo Cult.”

Tim in DC: locking up a bikeshare bike is “like paying to put car2go in a garage.”

Robert C. dispells the notion that Iowa is flat. In fact, it’s not even in the top 10 flattest states! (The flattest is Florida) However, Iowa is #13. He adds a postscript asking about the nature of the term “cross-country.”

Brother Dan enlightens us on the history of daylight savings time.

JohnnyK points us to the Bike Fisherman website!

Jame on bus routing: “Transit map reading should be required to graduate middle school!”

Dan from Tennessee writes in – apparently we influenced his decision to relocate to Portland!

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 sustaining donors Logan Smith, Shadowfoot, Kathrina Mellemgaard, Roger Grigsby & Wayne Norman for supporting our show costs.

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E165 – Mr. Bob Crispin: Making a Mountain Bike

January 7, 2014Adventure, Bicycling, Building, Car Ownership, History, Mountain Biking, Train Travelsprocketpodcast

Mr. Bob Crispin lived near some sweet singletrack in the seventies and wanted a bike that was up to the task; since one wasn’t available, he put one together himself. We chat with Bob about making a little bicycle design history. It currently on display at Velo Cult Bike Shop & Tavern in Portland, OR.

Mr. Bob’s Tankagnolo is extensively documented, and he was kind enough to share some of the photos and press about this bicycle. Click here for an archive, and enjoy the gallery of photos below:

Aaron & Brock also discuss Brock’s most recent crosscountry Amtrak journey, books on the future of reading, and stripped out saddle parts.

Headlines
BikePortland: Marilyn Hayward, owner of Coventry Cycles, tries to rebound from serious crash
The Verge via The Stickman: Architects propose 136 miles of elevated cycleway in London

Mail
A Donation from Logan! Thanks!

Gus shares the innovative recyclables-for-transit-fare trade option available in Bejing.

Christopher in WY shares the heartwarming story of the 66 year old man who won the race across Sweden after being barred from official entry due to his age.

Former guest Sally on twitter:
“Caught up with a few back episodes of the @SprocketPodcast kinda like binge watching The Walking Dead.”

Daniel on Elly Blue’s Amtrak kerfuffle & Texan travel advice for bicyclists.

Patrick in Davis CA wishes us a happy new year and compares Thunder Island Brewing toBerryessa Brew Co. wishing both the best of success.

Nick on twitter shares a tallbike with tandem chain setup, cable steering, adjustable height and disassembles for travel.

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 sustaining donor Shadowfox for supporting our show costs.

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E131 – Tomas Quinones: Renaissance Man

May 27, 2013Bicycling, Business, Camping, Cargo, Communication, Downsizing, Mountain Biking, Technology, Touring, Travelsprocketpodcast

Tomas Quinones has many things to discuss! He is an artist, tiny house dweller, employee of Velo Cult, founding member of Cycle Wild, works with the 55th Cascadia Scouts, and, if all the above was not enough, an independent adventurer in his scant free time. We also discuss the Path Less Pedaled and their Portland rain shirt, bicycling beginnings & the move to Portland, Kael’s Cargo Flyer bike, wool clothing, adventures to Ape Cave & Mt. Hood. You can find Tomas’ coloring and activity books at Bikeasaurusif you’re in Portland.

Co-host Aaron Flores will be in Hawaii this week on vacation, the lucky bastard. He will resume his standard duties in two weeks, and be sorely missed until then.

Mail
Richard from the UK donates (thanks!) and inquires for advice on an upcoming ride that will be his longest yet.

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E125 – Ayleen Crotty: Filmed By Bike 11!

April 15, 2013Advocacy, Bicycling, Communication, History, Mountain Biking, Technology, Travelsprocketpodcast

album selections: Aaron has Stevie Wonder, Brock has The Who, and Ayleen has Floyd Cramer

Ayleen Crotty is at the helm of the fabulous Filmed By Bike festival, in its 11th year running. We chat about this year’s festival, the bike confessional project which will be similar to NPR’s StoryCorps, the historic Clinton Street Theater, connections to iconic personality Rev. Phil, the surprising role Vancouver BC’s bike culture played in that of Portland OR, and the happy intersection of the film festival with NW Documentary.

Brock & Aaron also discuss bicycling adventures along North Portland’s Willamette River shores and its associated pirate cove, and the history and development of the Midnight Mystery Ride.

Headlines

Gizmodo via Brandon: why this smartphone is better as a dumbphone

BikePortland via Miles: new bike clothing boutique opens in Portland

Salon.com via Miles: Saudi Arabia lifts ban on women bicycling

Mail

Tim in DC addresses the difficulties of transporting one’s bicycle by airline.

Phoebe from Boston made a donation to WalkBoston in honor of Brock’s recent walk to work.

Tito shares his amusement and implores Brock to visit Missoula again.

Dan from MN chuckled at Brock’s reference to stealing land from First Nations – he’s studying Federal Indian Law for his future career.

Patrick from Davis CA wrote: “Cool episode, 12 miles does not seem far away but if your only choice is to walk it would take a major portion of your day to get from point A to B. ”

Steve in WY writes on gluten intolerance, and he also mentions that studded tires don’t last as long as he’d like them to; regarding difficult turns while using them, we may be able to attribute that to rutted snow or ice.

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