E572 – Sprocket Ride!

June 29, 2021Bicycling, Funsprocketpodcast

Image of a group bicycle ride, with several people on bikes with helmets on a neighborhood street The Sprocket Podcast goes for a bike ride! We convinced some folks to ride with us on a blazingly hot Portland evening, and we recorded an episode along the way. Listen to podcast listeners and friends chat with us at Irving Park, Colonel Summers Park, and Ladd’s Addition Park about their bicycling pet peeves, common misconceptions about bicycling, good things happening in their bike lives, and what else they’re looking forward to this year. We had a great time, and we’re so glad so many folks wanted to join us for a bike ride. This is one of our favorite episodes of the year so far, and we hope you enjoy it too!

FinePrint
Produced at home thanks to:
music: Ryan J. Lane (intro & outro) & Hurtbird (headlines)
graphic design: Marcus Norman
web: http://thesprocketpodcast.com
email us: thesprocketpodcast@gmail.com
phone/SMS: 503-847-9774
Twitter & Instagram: @SprocketPodcast
Donate: Patreon (ongoing), Venmo (one time) or Square Cash (one-time)

Thanks to our sustaining donors for supporting our show costs:
Shadowfoot, Wayne Norman, Cameron Lien, Richard Wezensky, Tim Mooney, Glenn Kubish, Eric Weisz, Doug CohenMiller, Chris Smith, Caleb Jenkinson, JP Kewley, Peanut Butter Jar Matt, Marco Lo, Rich Otterstrom, Drew the Welder, Anna, Andre Johnson, Richard G, Guthrie Straw, Kampcite, Aaron Green, Mac Nurse David, Jeremy Kitchen, David Belais, Tim Coleman, Harry Hugel, E.J. Finneran, Brad Hipwell, Thomas Skadow, Keith Hutchison, Ranger Tom, Joyce Wilson, Ryan Tam, Jason Aufdenberg, Todd Tillinger, David Moore, Todd Groesbeck, Chris Barron, Sean Baird, Simon Paice, Gregory Braithwaite, dudeluna, Emma Rooks, Philip M, Lillian Karabaic, Spartan Dale, Josh Myles, Dennis O’Brien, Sarah G, Adam D, Go Dig A Hole, Beth Hamon, Greg Murphy, Mayra M, Oso, Isaac M, David C, Byron Paterson, Kurstin Graham, Erinne G, Rachel Moline, Jimmy Diesel, and Christopher Barnett.

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E571 – Commuting By Bike!

June 24, 2021Bicycling, Commutingsprocketpodcast

Image of two people on bikes in a bike lane, as shown from behind — Photo by Jonathan Lee, @subtledream

The pandemic bike boom and shifts in working life may mean more folks will be commuting by bicycle as remote workers return to the office. Experienced bike commuters Armando, Guthrie, and Joan chat about bike commuting to make this episode a helpful resource for new bike commuters. We discuss common questions from folks new to bike commuting and share our best tips along with advice from Sprocket Podcast listeners. Topics include clothing, route planning, the ride itself, arriving at work, some gear basics, and attitude and mindset. Get some great advice about riding your bike to work.
Photo credit: Jonathan Lee

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E570 – All Bodies On Bikes with Kailey Kornhauser

June 15, 2021Adventure, Bicycling, Camping, Clothingsprocketpodcast

Joan and Armando talk with Kailey Kornhauser about her fantastic new film, All Bodies on Bikes, and fatphobia and size discrimination within the world of bicycling. Kailey is a PhD student and bikepacker based in Corvallis, Oregon. She and her collaborator Marley Blonsky are advocates for size-inclusivity in bicycling, consulting with vendors and leading webinars along with working with Shimano on the new documentary. Kailey chats with us about bikepacking and what it’s been like to have a large following of folks looking for inspiration.

Links for stuff we talked about
Kailey on Instagram: @kornhausersauce
Kailey’s website
All Bodies on Bikes Facebook group
All Bodies on Bikes on Instagram: @allbodiesonbikes
Bikepacking.com routes
Molly Sugar’s website

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E569 – The Chingonas!

June 7, 2021Uncategorizedsprocketpodcast

We take a moment to catch up with Ashley, Katya, and Arley about their experiences riding together, and creating space to ride as “The Chingonas” in PDX!

What we talked about
Everybody Climbs

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E568 – Swift Summit with Trevor

June 2, 2021Adventure, Bicyclingsprocketpodcast

Trevor joins us to chat about the Swift Summit, the spirit of a well tuned event, and aspirations for the future.

From the race:

Join those who are looking to dig deep for an event like no other: part brevet, part gran fondo, part self-supported endurance road race. Riders are provided a cue sheet, a marked course, and aid station/control points approximately 40 miles apart to restock. In between those support checks, riders can access convenience stores and other neutral amenities along the course as needed. The 200-mile route boasts over 10,000 feet of climbing and features several short sections of hard-packed gravel roads, while the 100-mile route checks in just over 5,000 feet of climbing and has no gravel. Both courses offer scenic views of the Cascades Mountain range and run alongside the swift Santiam and Calapooia Rivers.

What we talked about
– non-binary categories

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E567 – Tony Jordan, Parking Reformer

May 25, 2021Advocacy, Car Ownership, Urban Designsprocketpodcast

Tony Jordan is the co-founder and president of the Parking Reform Network. He’s been an advocate for parking reform for more than a decade. He talks with Joan, Armando, and Aaron about parking, why it’s so bad, and how it could be so much better.

The Stuff We Talked About
What is parking reform?
Tony’s path to parking reform
Why free parking is bad for everyone (from Vox)
Sightline series on parking
Book: The High Cost of Free Parking
Metafilter thread: The High Cost of Free Parking

@Parking_Reform on Twitter
@twjpdx23 on Twitter

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E566 – Rethinking Streets During COVID-19 with Marc Schlossberg and Rebecca Lewis

May 20, 2021Uncategorizedsprocketpodcast

Marc Schlossberg and Rebecca Lewis from the University of Oregon talk about their new open access book, Rethinking Streets During Covid-19, part of the Rethinking Streets project, and how cities around the world changed streets for pedestrians, bicyclists, and more during the pandemic.

The Stuff We Talked About
Rethinking Streets
Sustainable Cities Institute
Bicycle Transportation Study Abroad

Headlines
Forget Tech Bro Fantasies of Self-Driving Cars and Just Invest in Buses Already
Via Bike Portland, in the New Republic: “What we need are not more energy-efficient cars or self-driving cars or, as Zimmer fantasized, privately owned fleets that are available for hire, but fewer cars entirely. We need people biking, walking, taking buses and trains and subways, or otherwise riding in something besides a free-ranging, 3,000-pound metal exoskeleton with an error-prone operator, digital or human. If safety is often cited as a prime reason for developing autonomous vehicles—about 36,000 Americans die in car accidents every year—then perhaps a better way of saving lives is to have fewer cars on the road, replaced by mass transit and other public options.”

Mail
From long-time listener and Patreon supporter Emma Rooks: “After listening to Guthrie and Joan talk about herbs and herb spirals a few episodes back, I wanted to share the one my girlfriend and I (mostly her) put together recently. It’s still waiting on some seed starts to hurry up and get ready to be planted.” Emma inspired Joan to finally plant her own her garden.

Events
Pedalpalooza!

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E565 – Baja Divide

May 11, 2021Uncategorizedsprocketpodcast

Rock Garden On The Baja Divide — Photo courtesy of Bikes 4 Good

This week we catch up with the Bike for Good Baja Divide Ride Border Angels Fundraiser group, type 2 fun, all the way!

The Stuff We Talked About

Bikes for Good: https://bikes4good.org/

Baja Divide Blog: https://bikes4good.org/trip-blog

GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/paula039s-campaign-for-border-angels

Photos week 1: https://www.funatakecyclecraft.com/baja-divide-in-pictures-week-1/

Photos week 2: https://www.funatakecyclecraft.com/baja-divide-in-pictures-week-2/

Headlines
Where’s the Beef?
As electric vehicles become more popular, a growing number of detractors have come out of the woodwork to express their anti-electric car views. While most just simply turn to social media to voice their opinions, there are a few out there who have taken a more hands-on approach.
https://futurism.com/the-byte/vandals-are-stuffing-meat-into-electric-vehicle-charging-stations

New Columbia Gorge Express connection to Dog Mountain

New Weekend Transit Service to Dog Mountain
Portlanders, Gorge visitors, and Gorge residents can now catch public transportation to the popular Dog Mountain hiking trail near Bingen, Washington—and get their required permit in the process. Transit options are available from both Portland and Hood River on the Columbia Gorge Express. Riders transfer to the Dog Mountain Shuttle in Cascade Locks, Oregon.
https://www.ridecatbus.org/pressroom/news/public-transit-option-now-available-to-columbia-gorge-dog-mountain-trail-permit-included/

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E564 – Helmets & Hi Viz

May 1, 2021Bicycling, Clothing, Infrastructuresprocketpodcast

Screenshot from video meeting. There are 4 boxes with 3 people, all in bright yellow jackets with headphones. — Joan, Armando, and Guthrie (aka Bob Vance) donned their brightest yellow jackets to record this episode, while Aaron’s camera went blank, preserving his all-black look.

Do helmets protect our heads in bike crashes or make it more likely we’ll get into a crash? Do high viz clothes and gear actually make us more visible to people driving cars? Why do we spend so much time talking about helmets when better infrastructure would make us safer than helmets ever could? We don’t know the answers to any of these questions, but that didn’t stop us from talking about them! Aaron, Armando, Guthrie, and Joan chat safety culture in the bike world.

The Stuff We Talked About
Via Twitter user @cathasach4bikes:
“Regular reminder that no one makes helmets for Black girls’ everyday hair. This means that Black girls are disproportionately excluded from bike safety classes that require helmets. This should be the real helmet discussion.”

“Bike helmets – a dangerous fixation? On the bike helmet’s place in the cycling safety discourse in the United States”
Applied Mobilities, by Gregg Culver

“How US helmet laws are used against cyclists of colour and homeless people”
From the Guardian, April 20: “In Seattle, 43% of citations since 2017 have gone towards homeless people, while Black cyclists received citations at nearly four times the rate of white cyclists”

“Why It Makes Sense to Bike without a Helmet”
“…if we start looking into the research, there’s a strong argument to be made that wearing a bike helmet may actually increase your risk of injury, and increase the risk of injury of all the cyclists around you.”

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E563 – David Plotz, Podcaster & DC Bike Commuter

April 24, 2021Air Travel, Bicyclingsprocketpodcast

David Plotz, podcaster extraordinaire, joins Joan and Armando to talk about bike commuting in Washington, DC, his new podcast venture, City Cast, and how we can explore the world without making it worse. Or can we? Plus, David threatens to start a rival bike podcast!

Follow David on Twitter and learn more about City Cast (and listen in Chicago and Denver).

Headlines
‘The pandemic trade-off’: Some parents are reassessing which kids’ activities feel safe
From the Washington Post: “With most kids’ team sports suspended or restricted because of concerns about covid, parents have been reassessing which activities feel safe and which seem risky. It’s led to some unorthodox trade-offs, as people turn away from traditional team sports and start looking at alternative sports in a new light. Skateboard sales jumped 75 percent last year compared with 2019… mountain bike sales increasing by 75 percent in 2020. Baseball and softball equipment sales dropped 17 percent, and soccer and football equipment fell more than 10 percent. Hordes of new skateboarders and cyclists may be a bright spot in the decades-long trend of declining physical activity rates among kids. Some wonder whether the shift will become part of a broader trend away from highly structured team sports and toward more free-range forms of physical activity.”

Pedalpalooza is on! Organizers announce three-month festival to start in June
From BikePortland: Portland’s favorite free fun festival of bike rides and events will make a big return in 2021… Organizers of Pedalpalooza announced Thursday this year’s fest will last three months — from June through August. Since Covid-19 and its variants are still very much circulating in the community, the emphasis this year will be on smaller rides.

Thanks to our sustaining donors for supporting our show costs:
Shadowfoot, Wayne Norman, Cameron Lien, Richard Wezensky, Tim Mooney, Glenn Kubish, Eric Weisz, Doug CohenMiller, Todd Parker, Chris Smith, Caleb Jenkinson, JP Kewley, Peanut Butter Jar Matt, Marco Lo, Rich Otterstrom, Drew the Welder, Anna, Andre Johnson, Richard G, Guthrie Straw, Kampcite, Aaron Green, Mac Nurse David, Jeremy Kitchen, David Belais, Tim Coleman, Harry Hugel, E.J. Finneran, Brad Hipwell, Thomas Skadow, Keith Hutchison, Ranger Tom, Joyce Wilson, Ryan Tam, Jason Aufdenberg, Microcosm Publishing, David Moore, Todd Groesbeck, Chris Barron, Sean Baird, Simon, Gregory Braithwaite, dudeluna, Emma Rooks, Marshall, Lillian Karabaic, Paula Funatake, Spartan Dale, Bike Initiative Keweenaw, Sarah G, Adam D, Go Dig A Hole, Beth Hamon, Greg Murphy, Mayra M, Oso, Isaac M, David C, Byron Paterson, Kurstin Graham, Erinne G, Rachel Moline, and Jimmy Diesel.

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