Listen now by clicking here: [audio:http://traffic.libsyn.com/spokesmen/The_Spokesmen_90.mp3]
Panelists:
Topics Included:
- UCI Lawsuits
- Floyd Landis
- Paul Kimmage
- What Does This Mean for Bike Sales?
- Video: 4-year-old on MTB with his Dad
- International Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day
- What do Dealers Talk About?
- Online Competition
- eCommerce and Social Media
- Buy Local Now
- At My Local Bike Shop
- What Do You Love About Bikes?
How to Listen:
Great show everyone! Great reasons why you all love cycling, but I’m not sure Tim loves cycling enough. Brilliant. Thanks for the conversation, all! Hope to be on the next one.
I ride my bicycle because, I enjoy the feeling I had when I was a kid. The freedom to go were I want/need to go.
“I want to patronize my favorite bike shop” begs the question. I live in DC. There are varying levels of bad bike shops here. This is the case for most places in the country. You need to build the goodwill first. Most LBS start from the position that we owe them our business, and that customers who shop online are “cheating” on them. That’s a recipe for going out of business.
Given the choice of buying a cassette online from Amazon the next day, or paying 50% more and waiting a week at the LBS, you’re going to need to build a Hell of a lot of goodwill.
Some of the panel appear confused as why Paul Kimmage needs a legal support fund.
Paul Kimmage needs a legal support fund because UCI is suing him personally not the publication (The Times). This is not normal in UK law (and USA law?) but to convenience themselves the UCI are using Swiss law. Kimmage was laid off by The Times earlier in the year so is unlikely to be affluent at this time.
Having some donated funds to help fly in witness’s and put up a robust defence is seemed by many to be worthwhile.
Its only the scale of the donations which shows the level of peoples unhappiness with UCI and their tactics.
Great show this week guys. Loved hearing all your reasons to love riding (esp Arliegh’s)
I may be aging (45) but I still get a thrill out of going fast on my bike. Don’t need any other reason (though there are many).
Keep up the great work.
Scott,
Thanks for your comments. Glad you enjoyed the show. Several of us Spokesmen might take exception to your comment that those of us in our mid-40s and beyond are “aging.” 😉
David
When I step into the pedals of my bike, I feel like I’m plugging into a connection to everything. I feel connected to my bike, my body and my city. I’m out these and not closing myself off from anything. With each mile I can hear the different sounds whether they be traffic, or a dog barking or kids playing in a marching band. I can see everything as I have an uninterrupted view all around me. I get to smell the bakeries, restaurants, coffee roasters and fresh cut grass and I get to meet new people and say hi to old friends along my route. Most importantly to me, I get to connect with my kids. My one year old son and two year old daughter love Love LOVE to ride with me on the cargo bike. Riding with them is like having my own cheering session as they ring their bells and my daughter yells, “faster daddy, FASTER!” Riding makes every single trip a sensory adventure.
Looking forward to the next podcast now that the Hincapie admission was released, as well as the USADA statement. With all the admissions, and suspensions, and fallout… It’s going to be an interesting off-season for the pros.
Riding without a helmet is nice. Very rarely do it any more.
I really enjoy the show! I ride because its fun! I recently joined the fat bike club to extend my commuting season all winter …while its obviously slower than my road bike, fat biking definitely brings out the fun in bicycling. I encourage everyone one to give it a try. If you don’t have winter, riding on a beach may be even better (warmer).