Category Archives: Train Travel

E162 – Elly Blue: Bikenomics

December 17, 2013Advocacy, Bicycling, Business, Car Ownership, Communication, Downsizing, Touring, Train Travel, Transit, Travelsprocketpodcast

Elly Blue is the author of the new book, Bikenomics: How Bicycling Can Save The Economy, and also the star of the now-famous Amtrak incident leading to a broader conversation on bike/train integration. We talk about the benefits of a bicycle lifestyle and multimodalism!

Aaron & Brock also discuss drinking coffee, coffee machine cuisine, Aaron’s new Disc Trucker, Spinlister, and Amtrak: Gangnam Style.

Headlines
Oregonian: new train service added to the Amtrak Cascades corridor
Bicycle Retailer: Specialized makes nice with Canadian bicycle builder
(Listener Dion also sent us the video of Specialized’s Mike Sinyard & Dan Richter getting along in person.)

Mail
Dion shares Martyn Ashton’s Road Bike Party videos – some sweet jumps and tricks!

Martyn later suffered a significant injury after falling backward during a demonstration.

Jeremy from Critical Transit twitters:
I never used studded #bike tires before last week but I’ve become a believer.

Logan sends us a TEDx video from Tall Bike Bobby!

Marcus sends us some info from Streetsblog on how unused parking can cost seattle renters a lot of extra cash.

Jack comments on Steph Routh’s move by bike episode and relates a story about a uhaul.

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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E158 – Shawn Granton does the Pacific NW

November 18, 2013Adventure, Bicycling, Camping, Communication, Touring, Train Travel, Travelsprocketpodcast

Shawn Granton is the adventurous individual responsible for the Urban Adventure League and many exciting events relating to bikes, fun, and travel. He joins us this week to share some stories about his recent travels to the San Juan Islands and other spots around the Pacific Northwest.

Laura Recker is coordinating Cranksgiving Portland 2013, an event happening at Velo Cult consisting of an alleycat race & a giving campaign for Outside In! Brock interviews her about Cranksgiving & other alleycat races, moving to Portland from Minneapolis (and the difference in those cities’ weather systems), and Coalition Brewing’s Imperial Stout.

Aaron & Brock discuss Aaron’s stolen bike, Lance & Becky Poehler’s bike move. Brock shares Purple & Orange’s song from our fundraising rewards at the end of the show – get the bike songs EP here!

Headlines
Streetsblog: Delaware drops “share the road” from signage
[the controversial sign design will be replaced with these two:]

Mail
Dan Flores sends in a TEDx talk from Kent Frankovich of Revolights, an innovative lighting method that illuminates forward and rearward from your wheels.

Albany Tweed Ride is inspired by early morning coffee rides.

Robert from Ocean Shores WA donates to us – thanks! He wants to tour, got a cargo trike for hauling his kids around, and shares the “invisible” helmet solution.

Marcus from Chicago redesigned our podcast icon! It’s awesome.

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E152 – Emily Finch & Sarah Gilbert Ride To Astoria

October 8, 2013Adventure, Bicycling, Camping, Car Sharing, Cargo, Communication, Technology, Touring, Train Travel, Transit, Travelsprocketpodcast

Emily Finch is Portland’s most famous bicycling mom.

Sarah Gilbert is with Stealing Time magazine.

They both took a weekend trip to Astoria on bakfiets over the Labor Day holiday!

Aaron & Brock discuss a trip to Michigan, and getting into Hood River through the back door by bike.

if you like the show, nominate us at PodcastAwards.com during the month of October!

Mail
Former guest Sally from twitter wants to get back into biking.

Our friend Trent says “listening to the show with Dan Flores and laughing my ass off!”

JohnnyK found a boot patching kit on the internet.

Phoebe in Boston deals with helmets and hair.

Antonio shares a sweet randonneuring video.

Headlines
Sandy Post: new bus service makes trip to Mt. Hood by transit bus possible!
All Aboard! via Brandon: Google helps Amtrak share real time train locations

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E149 – Greg Nibler & Sarah X Dylan: Funemployment Radio

September 17, 2013Bicycling, Communication, History, The Law, Train Travel, Transitsprocketpodcast

Greg Nibler & Sarah X Dylan are the hosts of the popular podcast & streaming network Funemployment Radio, and are pretty much responsible for providing an example of podcasting that inspired the creation of The Sprocket Podcast. This summer they teamed up with the Bike Gallery to compete against each other for miles ridden while testing several models of bicycles! We chat with them about Funemployment Radio’s history, their experience during the summer challenge, as well as a little about the controversiality of tallbikes and Brock’s overknowledge of their lives as famous people.

The Funemployment Radio Comedy Showcase happens tomorrow night (September 18, 2013, 8pm) at Secret Society, and will be a great deal of fun! If you’re in Portland, you should go. Get your tickets here!

Brock & Aaron chat about bicycling in Tacoma, sleeping at a Travelodge, and eatingunhealthy food, and mention Joe Biel’s Amtrak Update and C-TRAN’s updates to routing.

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E146 – Beth Hamon: Music, Bikes and Slowing Down

August 27, 2013Bicycling, Communication, Downsizing, Family, Music, Train Travel, Travelsprocketpodcast

Beth Hamon is a musician who plays “Jewish music for the rest of us,” and is a big supporter of Portland’s bicycle culture and the utility of bicycles in general. She joins us today to share some stories, songs, and heartfelt spirituality.

Beth mentioned these reads:
Energy & Equity, by Ivan Illich
The Jaunt, by Stephen King

Brock, Aaron & Brandon also discuss dental problems, stream cleanups, and weight loss.

Mail
JohnnyK writes in on several episodes with his take: E143 with Dan Flores: “This has got to be one of the funniest episodes ever!” and E144 with Cory Poole and the legality of street skating.

Cory responds with an upbeat take on the skateboarding as transportation trend.

Phoebe writes in to comment on Tim Mooney’s episode, in which we mention Washington DC’s bikeshare program; her experience with bikeshare changed her outlook on the city!

Steve in WY clears up the german tire company’s pronunciation for us.

Rance wrote: “Here is a video for the Follow Me Tandem that you guys talked about.”

Aaron’s brother Tito was highly amused by E143, as was their mom.

Oh, and Marcus, that egg/avocado recipe bakes at around 425º!

Headlines
Cycle Wild: new website offers more resources to discover Oregon camping options
BikePortland: Opening day fire causes serious damage at the Bike Farm
And lastly, Brandon Rhodes finds the Noomad!

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E118 – Adham Fisher: Tube Challenge

February 25, 2013Communication, Running, Technology, Touring, Train Travel, Transit, Travel, Walkingsprocketpodcast

Adham Fisher attempts to break the records held for visiting every station in urban rail systems in as little time as possible. He has been to many cities in this pursuit including London, New York, Barcelona, Toronto, and Chicago, and while he does not yet hold the current record, he is perhaps one of the most dedicated practitioners in his field. We spoke about the Tube Challenge, his experiences with transit, and cultural perspectives on its use.

Adham’s compilation of transit-themed music, 1000 Stations – Metro EP, can be found on the iTunes Store. Also, see Adham’s kit for these challenges.

Also, Brock & Aaron chat about Little Free Libraries and organized bike rides in the neighborhood.

Headlines
Atlantic Cities via Brandon:Austin develops bike maps based on rider comfort level
The Mail via Logan: Cycle tourists killed in Thailand collision(http://www.twoonfourwheels.com)

Mail
Zed writes from PDXK’s CrankMyChain: “Here is a story on the show from bikeportland.org & one of our favorite shows for Open Bike.”

Thanks to former guest Dan for a generous donation! It’s going to keep us rolling easy.

David Heddy mentions new bicycle travel publication Bunyan Velo!

Dan in MN texts us a burp.

JohnnyK asks how to get your significant other to bike with you if they’re not really that into it yet.

And Jeremy leaves us a voicemail!

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E110 – 10 Years of Breakfast On The Bridges

December 31, 2012Advocacy, Bicycling, Cargo, Communication, Touring, Train Travel, Transit, Travel, Walkingsprocketpodcast

photo by Mike Vogel

Breakfast On The Bridges is Portland’s regular grassroots good-will event featuring kind volunteers handing out free morning snacks to people propelling themselves to work. Velo Cult, quickly becoming a legendary bicycle shop and community space in the Hollywood District, offered their room for a celebration of ten years of free breakfasts on the iconic bridges that span the Willamette River. Thanks to Steph Routh of Oregon Walks and the KBOO Bike Show for capturing audio from this event and allowing us to share it with you!

Also, to open the show I taped a conversation with Jeremy Mendelson, the transit maven behind Critical Transit, during our multimodal adventure around Providence, RI.

photo by Portland Afoot

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E109 – Humanity On Wheels 2

December 24, 2012Bicycling, Communication, History, Train Travel, Transit, Travel, Walkingsprocketpodcast

The Sprocket Podcast is pleased to present a partial rebroadcast featuring the best bits from the most recent installment of the highly regaled Humanity On Wheels storytelling event! Many thanks to Kick Ass Oregon History and TriMet Diaries for hosting these amazingly entertaining forums for the unique parade of culture and experience that is found in the public transportation experience.

The roster for this event included:
Doug Kenck-Crispin, resident historian at ORhistory.com
William Reagan
Doctor Jeff
Dan Christensen, driver and author of Roll Easy Blog
Bill Lascher, Amtrak enthusiast and independent journalist
Portland’s Mark Russell
Ian Stude, “The Bike Guy”

We wish you the happiest of holiday seasons, and look forward to the new year! Yours truly,
Brock & Aaron.

P.S. if you’re interested in some Christmas music, here are Brock’s selections for your enjoyment.

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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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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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