Outspoken Cyclist

As many of you know, I have a real soft spot for traditional steel frame bikes and so I always feel somewhat justified in my “curmudgeonly-ness” when I have the opportunity speak with a master frame builder who is still practicing the art of building steel bikes.

Bicycling started out as a “working class” sport and those who supported it were working class folks.  Today, we hold our custom frame builders in high esteem at the same time that the craft of building steel bikes tries very hard to fade into history.

Framebuilder Paul Gibson not only...

In my Substack post about Tucker Schwinn’s new book, Closure – The Final Days of the Waterford Bicycle Factory – I said I had hoped to be able to speak with him directly.

That happened over the past weekend, and I wanted to share that conversation, even though this will be a short podcast episode.

Tucker is the son of Richard and Debra Schwinn.  He grew up in the world of Waterford Precision Cycles and when the announcement of the closure of the factory was made and even before, decided to use his photography degree to documen...

I’m really pleased to welcome two great guests to the show today.

The first is not new to TOC, and in fact has been someone I’ve not only spoken with in the past but have also referred to many times on episodes where he doesn’t even appear.

I love catching up with Strong Towns’ founder Chuck Marohn because I always experience an enlightening and encouraging conversation.  Today is no different.

In this episode we cover a myriad of topics from the Ride for Life Rally that was held in D.C. to Chu...

Every time I think our issues with cars vs cyclists are getting so much worse, which of course they are, I come across something that is even more dreadful!

Seems that Canada – a place where I would have thought cyclists would be not only safer but encouraged – is definitely not that!

In my conversation with David Shellnutt, The Biking Lawyer, I learn that there is not only open hostility to cyclists, but the police seem to be complicit in making cyclists “pay” for infractions while drivers’ who have been issued tickets find themselves with no consequenc...

This episode was going to be an audio with commentary for my Substack.  But, as often happens when I speak with Joe Lindsey from the Escape Collective, the conversation becomes so interesting that I just couldn’t see NOT sharing it on all my platforms.

Another reason I wanted to share this with everyone is that Joe, is an expert on competitive bike racing, which I am not, and since the 2025 continental and world races are pretty much over, I figured it was time to review them.

We begin with a short discussion about this yea...

We read or hear about corruption from a lot of places and when I came across a story from Kevin Duggan from Streetsblog NYC about a prominent family in Brooklyn NY that bribed officials to kill a protected bike lane, I just couldn’t pass up the opportunity to find out more.

The Argentos are big-whigs in the Greenpoint District of Brooklyn, NY – many high-profile television shows are shot on their “Broadway Stages” properties. 

This past August, they were indicted for bribing the mayor’s assistant with not only money, but a cameo on an upcoming sh...

Scott Tong is one of my favorite NPR hosts. Most days, along with Robyn Young and several other Here and Now folks, I listen to Scott on WKSU, our local NPR affiliate.

Over the past year or so, I’ve heard Scott talk about riding his bike, crashing his bike, and more recently, training for a long-distance cycling event.

So I reached out to him, and he was happy to talk about his riding experiences, the bike he rides – which is only one of my all-time favorite brands – and the event he was training for with h...

This episode of the podcast offers up a short discussion with Bicycle Retailer’s EIC Steve Frothingham about U.S. Customs and the seizing of containers from Taiwan manufacturer Giant.

Earlier this week, in a surprise move, US Customs officials seized containers from Giant, the world’s largest bike mfg, over unspecified forced labor accusations.

In an effort to find out exactly what that meant, besides holding up shipments at the ports, I rang up Steve Frothingham, EIC of BR&IN.

His explanation, which was as up to date as of a few hour...

Shannon Binns didn’t make a plan to come to Charlotte, NC and stay; yet here he is more than 15 years after starting his not-for-profit organization “Sustain Charlotte.”

Shannon started out in engineering, did some overseas volunteering, and finally decided that environmental science and public policy were where his interests really lay, leading him to a master’s degree around the age of 30.

Landing in Charlotte, which was growing at breakneck speed – but without a lot of planning – he discovered he absolutely had to buy a car to get anywhere when he moved into a suburban nei...

It’s kind of a special episode for TOC because on September 4th, I will celebrate 15 years of TOC podcasting.

From my very first guest, frame builder Ben Serotta, until today, when my guests are far afield from frame building, I’ve had the privilege and honor or speaking with so many interesting, smart, talented, and accomplished people.

And so much has changed in the podcast space over the years.  This show started out as not only a podcast, but also a 1-hour radio broadcast.  Now we use the Zoom platform to record my conversations as wel...

I’m a huge believer in print – magazines, newspapers, books.  I prefer to turn pages and read from them, so when a client of ours mentioned this new magazine FAUSTO, I jumped right on it.

The editor graciously sent me Issues #1 & #2 and I was hooked, promptly subscribing to future issues.

Brad Roe and Tim Schamber have a long history with print magazines going WAY back to some early cycling publications, including Peloton, which was acquired Outside – another whole topic of conversation by the way.

So they took a beat and began ruminating on the wha...

This episode of the podcast covers good news for cyclists in PA and a look at what’s happening in NYC – from the mayoral election to Central Park.

Ed Blazina has been a transportation writer in Pittsburgh for over 20 years and is or was employed by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.  I say is/was for a particular reason; he and his fellow journalists have been on strike for 2 ½ years! 

But that’s apart from the original reason I contacted him.  Apparently, bicyclists in Pennsylvania were NOT entitled to be on the road with other vehicles – until the state su...

Today, my guests are Mark Van Tongeren from Michigan Adventure Racing and Professor Jim Martin from the Nutrition and Integrative Physiology and Neuromuscular Function Lab at the University of Utah.

I’m not sure how I didn’t know about Michigan Adventure Racing.  The organization seems so together, and Mark Von Tongeren, the founder and producer of these events seems to be the best kind of ride director.

If you are into well organized events that offer up some challenging riding, Michigan Adventure Racing might just have what you’re looking for this summer.

I was...

My guest is not new to the show, and he is certainly not new to U.S. cycling or to the custom bike business.

In fact, Toby Stanton – Mr. Hot Tubes, Mr. Junior Development Team Guy, and probably one of the few people in the U.S. who has watched U.S. bike racing ebb and flow with deep insight and broad knowledge, is one of the most knowledgeable and approachable people in the biz.

I was fortunate enough to get “schooled” on the current state of U.S. bike racing – including how he views team dev...

How’s your heart?  Do you regularly keep tabs on the highs and lows of your heart rate? Have you noticed any irregularities?

My guest today is Dr. Tamanna Singh.  She is a sports cardiologist at the Cleveland Clinic and, in her words, an “advocate for athletes.”

Dr. Singh reviewed an article in Bicycling Magazine on March 12th titled 6 Myths About Max Heart Rate Cyclists Need to Stop Believing and at the top of the list was the statement: If You Exceed Your Max Heart Rate, Your Heart Explodes.

It seemed ridiculous of course...

I wanted to get this episode out right away as it is time sensitive.

It isn’t always my great good fortune to be able speak with one of the iconic American pro riders who is still “in the bike world,” but today is one of those days.

Retired pro racer Levi Leipheimer’s career goes back to the mid-90’s, and throughout that decade and beyond he racked up some impressive stats including an Olympic medal, the U.S. championship, and winning three tours of California – the list is very long.

When he was 13, h...

She really wanted to wear skirts and get her nails done, but Alison Tetrick, while remaining ever the fashionable girl, is a feisty competitor – in all sorts of ways.

Starting out as a tennis player in high school, she played in college on a full ride where she studied biochemistry.  She worked in drug discovery research for Amgen, and then….with all her energy and competitive urges, was egged on to bike racing by her grandfather Paul Tetrick, who found his passion for bike racing in his 60’s and raced well into his 80’s.

Alison’s trajector...

I love talking about bike racing with Escape Collective’s Joe Lindsey because he has such a superb grasp of the sport – for both men and women.

Today, our conversation covers a little bit of the Spring Classics – Paris-Nice, Milan San-Remo – both men’s and women’s editions – as well as looking ahead to Paris-Roubaix and on into the upcoming Big Tours.

Having failed at Milan-San Remo five times, Tadej won’t be satisfied until he wins that as well as any other Monument he has in his sights.

We muse about how Tadej will do at...

My guest today is Professor Alex Karner from the U. of Texas in Austin. 

I learned about Alex and his work in an article by Magdalena de Valle written  for Bloomberg News on February 26th.  She stated: “Alex Karner got an email from the Transportation Research Board ordering him to stop work on his research project studying equitable access to goods and services.” 

My ears perked up and I took a dive into the rabbit hole, contacting the Professor to find out more. Alex will be with me in a moment.

My second guest to...

My guests today are NYC’s Professor John Surico and the bike fitter’s bike fitter, Paul Swift.

John is one of my favorite repeat guests as those of you who are regular listeners know.

And go figure, this conversation was recorded exactly one day before the President put the kabosh on congestion pricing in NYC.

John and I had spoken last May about the project and how it was on again and off again and how he was looking forward to what it might do for NYC. The cameras went online in Janu...

It is a tough day for the Outspoken Cyclist Podcast as well as the many shows and most of the staff of WJCU – the radio station at John Carroll University that hosts my show. 

Back in 2010, when TOC first went on the air – and we were a radio broadcast as well as a podcast for many years – my co-host, engineer, and mentor was a gentleman named Greg Priddy. 

He spent endless hours editing our show for podcast and taught me ins and outs of the studio sound board, how to edit, mix, and upload my shows, a...

The holidays are literally around the corner and today, I wanted to offer up one of my favorite year-end opportunities for giving.

Leah Missbach Day is one of the founders of WBR, and World Bicycle Relief is about to turn 20.

In the years since its inception, it has grown from aiding 20,351 people in Sri Lanka after the 2004 Tsunami to 850,000 bicycles on the ground in 7 African countries and in Colombia, South America.

These bicycles have helped girls to go to school, health workers to deliver life saving aid, and farmers to get their goods...

Hello and welcome to TOC.  I’m your host Diane Jenks.  Thanks for tuning in today.

Yes, it’s been a minute – well, maybe a bit longer – since the last episode, but I’m back and today’s show is the first in our year-end series highlighting gift-giving opportunities.

That’s not all though.  My first guests are husband and wife Deb and Tom Gardner.  They live in Indianapolis and have such a great story to tell.

Both are now retired and the accomplishments they have under their belts are mind blowing.  Before they became heavily...

Brendan Quirk is the CEO of USA Cycling.  Brendan fell in love with bike racing as a teenager and throughout his young adulthood and beyond, has immersed himself in everything from owning his own shop and developing a thriving online business to his present position – imbuing USA Cycling organization with his passion for the sport.

Brendan’s determination for success for the organization, beginning with member ship and working on the Foundation Board, led to his role as CEO.  His commitment to spreading the word about cycling, from local grass roots organizations to our Olympic goals for Los An...

This episode of our show was intended to highlight another great riding trail along with a conversation with renowned traffic engineer and planner Professor Wes Marshall at the University of Colorado in Denver.

My conversation with Wes happened the day after the news of the deaths of Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau were announced and when we logged in to talk, we had both been reading the same news summary. 

The horror and disbelief of the tragedy really struck me hard and because so much of the topics Wes and I were to talk about were d...

As August comes to a close we are beginning to wrap-up our series on great riding trails.  This episode, we take a ride down the Katy Trail in Missouri with trail manager Cassie Brandt.

We’ve had clients tell us how much they enjoy the Katy and listening to Cassie, you might just want to add it to your bucket list.

Before we get to the trail though, my first guest today is Laura Moulton.  Back in 2011, I spoke with Laura about her then 3-month art project, Street Books, in Portland, Oregon.

Fast forw...

Back in April, 65 members of the European Cyclists Federation, representing 40 countries, signed the EU Declaration of Cycling.

Founded in 1983, the European Cyclists’ Federation is a Brussels-based independent non-profit association dedicated to achieving more and better cycling for all in Europe.

The ECF’s mandate?  That by 2030 there will be more cycling, safer cycling, and stronger political support for cycling that includes higher investment with more and better infrastructure.

Today, my guest is Jill Warren, the CEO of the ECF and in a moment, she will tell us more about the ECF and what the f...

In our ongoing series on favorite riding trails, I took Jim Sayer’s advice and contacted the Empire State Trail’s Chris Morris for a look at New York’s 750 miles of cycling and walking paths through the State.

Chris is the Empire State Trail Program Manager, living a short distance from one of the trailheads as well as having traversed many a mile on the trail himself.

Brian and I spent a couple of days riding our tandem on the Erie Canal Towpath back in 2016, traveling from Lockport to Brockport and back, staying in a love...

Last time, we began our series on favorite bike trails with the Ohio to Erie Trail and today, we’ll be exploring the Mickelson Trail in South Dakota.

A couple of years ago, Jim Sayer, who was with the Adventure Cyclist Association for many years, was riding cross country and stopped in to stay with Brian and me for a night.  We got to talking about the trip he was making.  He told us he would be taking in some of the Mickelson Trail in South Dakota on his way back to Montana.

When several peop...

Finally, we will begin our series on cycling trails and paths.  I did hear from quite a few of you about your favorites and we will begin the series here in my home state, Ohio.

Tom Bilcze is the president of the Ohio to Erie Trail Foundation and he has ridden almost every inch of the 326 mile route from The Ohio River to Lake Erie.  Tom will offer us some of the highlights of the trail along with some great information about how to plan your trip including an interactive map.

A couple of weeks ag...

On my last show, I spoke with London cycling Advocate and the truly delightful Carla Francome.  Not a moment after we ended our conversation, Carla sent me a note asking if SHE could interview ME.

Carla had many questions for me, and I hope I didn’t bend her ear too much.

She asked me about my childhood, how I got into the bike business, and of course, about Brian.

As we chatted, I made notes so, if you go to the outspokencyclist’s website, you’ll see links to some of the things...

I’m not sure how I ended up with two guests who exhibit almost identical traits – they’re gutsy, funny, and passionate about everything they do.

And yet, they are completely different from one another.

Guest #1 is Carla Francome.  She lives, works, and rides in London.  She’s a TV producer and a cycling advocate extraordinaire. I discovered her on Twitter (X) and just knew she’d be a great guest. 

Carla Francome is a bicycle campaigner – especially for women. 

When she found her work as a TV producer coming to a screeching hal...

We have two great conversations today.

My first guest is Christian Sander, the producer and writer of Hard Miles, a full-length feature film starring Matthew Modine as Greg Townsend, a social worker who takes a group of incarcerated teenage boys on a 762-mile bike trip to the Grand Canyon.  It’s based on a true story – there really IS a Greg Townsend and he really has taken thousands of kids on this trip.  In fact, Greg was on set every day during the shooting of the movie!

Brian and I went to a local theater last w...

The world of bike racing, from the high school through pro levels, has been predominantly male and predominantly white, so when I saw Ian Dille’s article in Outside Online about the Richmond Cycling Corps – the kids from Cool lane, I wanted to know more.

Founded by pro-racer Craig Dawson in 2010, The Richmond Cycling Corps is not just about bike racing – it’s about community and education and giving young disadvantaged youth a perspective that expands their horizons through cycling.

Ian Dille is a journalist, writer, and producer and learned about the Richmond Cycling Corps some tim...

This episode features two incredibly thoughtful and knowledgeable guests.

First is someone I would term a renaissance man – at least he’s a modern renaissance man.

Adam Rogers is curious about A LOT of things and while we have a great topic that he recently reported on about bike lanes and their impact on businesses, I just had to ask him about some other projects he’s delved into in his career as a journalist – so far.

One such project involved color, and you might remember the controversy.  Did you see a blue dress wit...

Today’s episode features two very accomplished guests.

First up is Mike Lydon – and where to begin! Well, let’s see.. Mike is an internationally recognized planner, writer, speaker, and advocate for livable cities.

But wait, there’s more; in fact, so much more that I would direct you to his website, street-plans.com where there is a great description of what he does and the accolades, and projects he’s been part of are enumerated.

Mike Lydon seems to have been “born to” the profession of urban planning with a love for towns and citi...

Today’s episode is about one man and his life as told in a new documentary as well as a new biographical novel.  Marshal Major Taylor is a name so many of us know, yet what do we really know ABOUT him?

Todd Gould is an Emmy award winning producer and author who lives and works in Bloomington, Indiana.

Todd is the executive producer of Major Taylor, Champion of the Race, a one-hour documentary that will air Monday, February 26th, at 8pm eastern time as well as stream on your PBS Passport app. The film wil...

We’ve talked about biking and walking infrastructure a lot over the past few years, and it always amazes me that there is so much more to say. For instance…

Crosswalks – who do you think is legally protected in a crosswalk? 

Well, you might be surprised to learn that all pedestrians are protected in crosswalks, yet very few States have protections for cyclists, wheelchairs, even babies in strollers. 

And this is just one issue that my first guest, Dr. Cara Hamann and I talk about in our conversation today.

Cara is an epide...

My first guest today is Dave Simmons, the executive director of Ride Illinois.  In our conversation we talk about bicycle related crashes and fatalities in the state along with some data, or lack of it about eBikes.

I wanted to catch up with Dave because of the Ride Illinois “Bill Tracker” that the organization has made available on their website.  It offers you the ability to not only track statewide bills, but also federal legislation as it pertains to bicycling infrastructure and such things as eBike rebates.

Illinois, along with so many other states, is experi...

As many of you know, I have an abiding interest in urban planning, walkable and bikeable cities, and sustainability. In furthering that interest, I love speaking with folks who are involved in any or all of these areas and today is no exception. 

My guests today are Jeff Speck and Chris Dempsey.  In the past, Jeff and I have had several powerful conversations about the work he does in assisting cities, towns, and municipalities become “walkable” and “bikeable.”  His books, Walkable Cities and Walkable Cities Rules, are nothing short of step-by-step instructions on how to achieve these goals.

Happy New Year everyone!  I’m back for a new season of the show and today we begin with conversations with two guests we’ve spoken with in the past.

First up is John Surico.  John’s work is all about sustainability, safety, cities, and transportation.  He melds it all up on his Streetbeat blog on Substack and today we’re going to look back at some things from 2023 as well as look forward to his work in 2024.

In his latest Streetbeat newsletter on Substack, John Surico tells us about Hoboken, NJ, where there have been zero –...

This year, with so much turmoil in the world, I wanted to feature a story that is both heartwarming and inspirational.

Homelessness is a real thing – and a very disconcerting one.  So, when a hard-working homeless man, who saved his money to buy an eBike to commute to his job and was swindled out of the money he paid to share an apartment so he wouldn’t be homeless, wakes up to find his eBike stolen, you just have to ask youruself –  what is wrong with people?

But John Robinson, owner of Johnny Velo Bikes in Colum...

My guests this show couldn’t be more different in terms of their focus – one is a civil enginer, ardent urban planner, and transportation specialist, the other is an accomplished Master’s bike racer, winning several medals in this year’s PanAm Games.

But, variety is the spice of life as they say… so hopefully you’ll get something from each of them – whether it be inspiration to do more about your local bicycling/walking infrastructure or decide to enter an event you had been thinking about but have yet to sign on the dotted line.

Veronica Dav...

As promised, my conversation today is with one of the pioneers of women’s frame design Georgena Terry.

I’ve known Georgena for many years and it is always great to speak with her.

She started out as an engineering student in Pittsburgh and took that engineering mind into the bicycle business in 1985, launching Terry Precision Bicycles.

Over these many decades, she not only produced her very special women’s specific designs, but added saddles, shorts, jerseys, and more.

In fact, I would suggest that almost everyone who has been riding for th...

With the demise of events such as NAHBS, The New England Builder’s Ball, Classic Rendezvous Weekend, and even the postponement of The Philly Bike Show until Spring of 2024, any opportunity to see classic bicycles and talk with other enthusiasts is welcome.

So, come next Sunday, October 22nd, you can head on out to Long Island, NY for a few hours of vintage and handmade bikes along with a swap meet.

Jamie Swan, frame builder and machinist extraordinaire, is the producer of this little event and he’s my guest today.  Jamie will fill us in on...

This episode was supposed to air a week earlier to coincide with an event my guest was having at his Brooklyn, NY workshop.  Due to COVID and nasty weather, it was postponed to this coming Sunday, October 1st.  We’ll have more at the end of the show.

Also, I want to preface this episode with an important announcement from Shimano.  Last Thursday, September 21st, Shimano issued a massive recall of over 760,000 cranks. 

Instead of reading you all the information about how to tell if your Ultegra or Dura Ace crank has been recalled, I’ve put a...

There is only one word for my guest today and that word is hero!  And, Lynne Salvo is definitely one of mine.

Back in 2019, pre-covid of course, I spoke with Lynne as she was riding across Canada as the oldest woman to complete the trek coast-to-coast for a Guiness World Record.

Then, two days ago and ahead of the hurricane that was about to pummel Maine, Lynne completed her 2023 west-to-east ride to break a record set by another woman (under a completely different set of rules!) and break it she did, once again becoming the o...

First up is a name that is synonymous with bicycles – I would venture to say that no one who listens to this podcast doesn’t know the name OR hasn’t had a bicycle with that name on the downtube at some point in his or her life.

And after a lifetime of living and breathing bicycles, Richard Schwinn has decided it’s time to retire and at the end of June, his Waterford Precision Cycles stopped taking new orders and prepared to close the business – which he did the following month.

Richard Schwinn and I have bee...

Sometimes I wonder how I ever became so lucky as to be able to have conversations with the people I do, and this episode of the show highlights two of those people.

First up is Jennifer Boyd.

Jennifer is the founder of Boyd Productions,LLC, a documentary production company that prides itself on creating films that spark curiosity, connectivity, and societal change. Her multilingual, female-led team has more than 20 years of experience in filmmaking, music, television, and journalism.

Jennifer has produced and directed more than 25 documentaries on topics ranging from climate change to...

This episode of TOC offers up two very different topics.

First up is Matt de Neef.  He is the managing editor of Escape Collective, the online presence of independent cycling journalism.

I caught up with Matt just before Stage 1 of the Tour to chat about his article, In Pursuit of the UCI Overlord, published June 22nd on the Escape site. 

In his story, Matt details the shady goings-on of one Aaron Brown who, in 2012, disappeared with more than $70,000 of “other peoples’ money.”  That money was intended for a defense fund for Irish journalist Paul Kimm...

In my last podcast, I mentioned my guest – Jenny Graham.  In 2018, she embarked upon and completed a round-the-world trip by bicycle.

This, however, was not just ANY trip – THIS was a Guinness World Record attempt and break the record she did – by 110 days!

Her story – from start to finish – is detailed in her new book, Coffee First, Then the World, which was just released in the States on June 13th.

Her telling of her story is extraordinary – the story itself is extraordinary – and our conversation is soooo much fun.

From the custom Shand Bi...

This is a sort of special episode.

Beginning Tomorrow, June 17th, PL And Kristen Meindertsma will begin the first of 5 yearly journeys to raise a cumulative $2.5 for 5 charities over 5 continents.

PL and Kristen met at an Ironman competition in 2000, married, and have been working and raising their two children.

But, the call of the needs of people around the globe coupled with that desire to get back on the bike was the genesis of what has become a most unusual philanthropic event.

So, this conversation is their send-off!  And, I hope y...