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Full Spectrum Cycling
Full Spectrum Cycling #58 – Caitlin from Sufferfest Brewing and Jake from Wis BikeFed
May 1, 2020
Full Spectrum Cycling #58 – Caitlin from Sufferfest Brewing and Jake from Wis BikeFed
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Transcript
0:00
[upbeat music] Let that sink in a little bit, that,
0:20
that catchy theme song. It's time for Full Spectrum Cycling, show number 58. Ain't it great? Yeah. We finally passed all the birthday references- [laughs]... except for that one.
0:34
[laughs] What in the heck was going on today? It... Guess what? It was actually raining inside the shop today. I- Oh... it was pretty crazy [laughs] out there.
0:43
It's o- it's only in the vestibule, but it was actually raining in- Yeah... on the display bike in there. The, uh...
0:48
We got notice that the COVID tents were closing because of inclement weather, and I- It was blustery too... so I pulled up the radar and it was swirling around- Yeah... Madison. I'm like, "Whoa." Yeah, man.
1:04
That's a nice little out of that little song right there. Nice little... [sings] Hey, for a canned thing, thanks Rode. We've been using it- [laughs]... since we got your, uh, RodeCaster Pro business here. Yeah.
1:14
Thank you very much. Uh, thank you. [bottle opens] Oh, oh. Top of the hill. What happened there? Just, uh, cracking a Sufferfest. Sufferfest. Cracking Sufferfest shred.
1:25
Just a couple of minutes, we're gonna hopefully have Katelyn Ledesma on the show, CEO of said Sufferfest Brewing. [smacks lips] Also, a little bit later, Jake Newburn. Does he work for the Bike Fed?
1:37
He does work for the Bike Fed. I thought so. That sounded familiar to me. I think he's upwardly mobile at the Bike Fed. We'll have to- I think I've heard his name once or twice... check in.
1:44
We'll have to check in with what his latest positioning is at the, the Federation of Bikes. All right. So guess what I got, uh, in the Amazon mail yesterday. Battery chargers? No. That's a good idea, though.
1:57
They were really cheap. Oh. Ah, the Val Kilmer book. Oh. [laughs] Well, I had seen a thing online where I could potentially get his autograph, and I was like six hours late. I was like- [laughs]...
2:10
"Damn it," but I'm buying the book anyway, so. [laughs] And so far, pretty good. Good stuff. I like Val. Mr. Kilmer. Mr. Kilmer to you. Right. Jackass. Yeah. Hey, anybody that dated Cher has gotta be pretty all right.
2:23
I didn't know he dated Cher. He's even higher up in my book now. Yeah, right? Yeah. I'd date Cher. Ah, even today. Don't tell Molly.
2:32
[laughs] Actually, he lived with her in Vegas at the penthouse of Caesar's Palace- Whoa... at 21 years old. How the... What? I mean, come on. Yeah, you're- She was in her mid-30s. He was 21. I'm like, yeah, guy. Yeah.
2:44
[laughs] How you doing? [laughs] Yeah. That's a pretty impressive stat. Yeah, they were friends. Yeah. Yeah. Sure. That's what they said. Uh-huh. Right?
2:54
[laughs] Um, also noticed that Amazon seems to be getting better at, uh, doing non-essential deliveries. They've upped a couple of mine that weren't due until probably m- late May or something.
3:05
Now they're coming next week. Oh. Eh, they're figuring it out. Yep, I guess so. That's pretty good. I think some of them are speaker stands. It's, it's, everybody been saying it, the new norm.
3:14
I, I hate that expression, but everybody's using it now. It's here to stay. The new norm. Does it... and how long does that last? Until the old norm dies. If it's working from home- Hey, hey, Nomi... man, I'm all right.
3:24
Nomi, what are you doing there? [laughs] I'm, I'm having, not a problem. I mean, I'm, uh... JK's not furloughed. Ah, yeah. Let's hope it matters. Oh, by the way, yeah, JK is here today. Tony too. Huh? Oh, yeah. Huh? Hey.
3:40
Sven- Huh?... pushing the buttons and making messes of things. [laughs] Push the buttons. Pushing the but- I pushed the button today, both buttons. We're, we're m- redundant as hell today. [laughs] It's a good thing.
3:54
Or redundant, I said. [laughs] Yeah. You're the Department of Redundancy Department. Right. The committee on committees.
4:03
Here's something fun happening this weekend that I think is in conjunction with the Boy Scouts, but it, it's, like, a...
4:10
Since they can't go on their camp outs, they're doing a nationwide camp in your backyard or your living room thing. I'm gonna load up my bike packing rig, ride it all the way to the backyard. [laughs] I like it.
4:21
Rider on the block- Yeah... in the backyard. Just, uh... Well, I could load it up like I'm going somewhere, and I, I told my son, "Once you're out in the yard, you can't...
4:28
unless it's to go to the bathroom, you can't go back in the house and grab anything. So pretend you're packing for a real camping trip." Nice. [laughs] "And you're gonna be out there for a week, boy." [laughs] Yeah, man.
4:41
So- Well, yeah, this weekend's supposed to be really nice, so. Yeah. 70- Looking forward to some sort of rolling around town at a socially distant, safe distance. Socially awkward distance.
4:52
[laughs] Yeah, there's been some, some weather looking good-ness-tivity. Man, after the beginning of this week. Sheesh. Yeah. It's been pretty, pretty moist. 1.65 inches in the last, uh, three days.
5:06
Is that in your own home weather station? No, that's the news. So yeah, home, home weather stations- About the most inaccurate thing-... notoriously inaccurate... yeah, the most inaccurate thing you can...
5:18
Boy, I went out with a ruler and I had 14 inches of snow. [laughs] But my only r- ruler was only 12 inches, so I had to guess on those last two. [laughs] And it was up against the side of my house. All right, I digress.
5:30
Yep. No snow here, although it was almost snow cold. Yeah. Mm-hmm. It, it was nudging, looking at some of those drops. Like, oh, no, no, no. Don't, don't U-turn. No. [laughs] It's too late.
5:44
No, but just a little flake here and there. Just enough to- Make you worry. [clears throat] Tell you. Make you sweat. Little bit. [laughs] All righty. Hey, guess what we got going on here, folks.
5:59
We got our first caller today. Hey, welcome to the radio program, caller. Who do we have on the line? I think I pushed the wrong button. [laughs] Oh, all of his button pushing. We're sorry, caller.
6:16
Please call- We got it. I think I got things going on now. Hello. Hey, we got the right buttons pushed now, I think. Hi. Welcome to the radio show. [laughs] Hi there. Hi. Uh, this is Sven talking.
6:29
Who are we talking to, talking on the radio to now? Well, hi. [laughs] This is Caitlin Landesberg, founder of Sufferfest Beer Company. Right on. Yay. How's it going? Right on.
6:39
Your name came up as restricted, so I'm like, I pretty much should knew it was you- Right... 'cause you, you must be Skyping in, right? Sorry about that. That's okay.
6:47
I'm Skyping in so that hopefully I don't drop this call. Hmm. Right on. It's always, it's been a 50/50, so. [laughs] So how does that work? Are you in, you're in Southern- California...
6:57
you're in Southern California there somewhere, right? I'm actually in Sonoma County in Northern California. Oh, Northern Ca- well, that's better. I used to, I used to live in the Bay Area. I like it up there. Yeah.
7:10
We're, we're getting some, some great weather, uh, perfect for sheltering in place. [laughs] Right on. And drinking lots of beer. There you go. Yay. Well then, and by cracky, that's why we have you on the horn here.
7:22
Um, just so in case everybody missed it, this is Caitlin Landesberg. She is the founder, female founder actually, of, uh, the Sufferfest Brewing Company. Beer.
7:33
And they've plied us by sending us a few six-packs of beer- Yay... in the old mailbox. [laughs] Um, and today actually- That'll do it...
7:41
we just, we just popped open a Shred just a few minutes ago, so we're right now, uh, sampling your Shred beer. But before we get in- Awesome. Well, it's-...
7:49
before we get into the g- the specific, uh, versions of beer, give us a little background on the company and the idea behind it. Sure, yeah. Um, I continue to describe it as a happy accident.
8:01
Um, I've, I was actually in high tech, uh, working in a, a fitness category in the Bay Area, but, um, as I was running and cycling and playing outdoors and signing up for more races, we'd always get beers at the, at the end of a finish, uh, finish line.
8:18
Um, but the beers I was trying were either way too alcoholic or didn't complement my gut. Um, there was always something that I, I really wanted to improve.
8:27
And so, uh, my boyfriend at the time, who's now my husband, so he did something right, um, he, uh- Congratulations, sir... bought me a, a home brewing kit. [laughs] Thank you.
8:38
Uh, we've got two kids now, so we're, we're, we're an old story, but, um, he did sort of push me to sort of explore what, um, beer could look like for, for those who are really focused on kind of that healthy, active, outdoor lifestyle.
8:53
Um, and I started taking coursework, what would Gatorade do or Clif Bar do, um, if they made a beer, and it just was sort of a twinkle in my eye, and made some beer for our wedding.
9:05
And so many people liked it that I just kept going.
9:07
So quit my job and started Sufferfest, and turns out there were a lot of runners and cyclists and, um, you know, crazy sweaters out there, um, that just want a beer that's really designed for them to complement life's sweaty efforts.
9:24
So that's how it kind of got started. Um, and that was about five years ago now, and we're off to the races. Yeah, yeah, very good. I, I think, um, you know, as, as Midwest cyclists, we tend towards the little
9:40
more alcohol-y side of, uh, your boozeahol beer. Yeah. But [laughs] um- [laughs]...
9:46
last week we had your, a six-pack with like two of each different kind of beer, a stout, uh, something with apple cider vinegar that I think JK had. Yeah, the IPA. And, uh- Yeah... Tony, I've- Our new Gut Check.
9:59
Gut Check, yeah. Yeah, so I, what I...
10:01
The thing about the stouts, which I had both of those just so I didn't, you know, have to switch up, is that even though it was around a 4% or somewhere in there, 4.5 maybe, um, it actually had a really, really good stout flavor.
10:12
I was, I was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't something that I didn't want to drink. Watery down beer. Yeah, yeah, it had good flavor. Yeah.
10:20
Yeah, I was actually just drinking it today thinking, "Man, this is pretty indulgent for 4.5%," 135 calories.
10:27
It, it's really, I think, the coffee notes and the coconut make it, you know, silkier than it, than it needs to be or should be for that, that type of, um, you know, uh, nutritional component.
10:39
But, um, I, um, really wanted Sufferfest to really be focused on never settling, and give people really great craft flavors and a, and a, a, a whole range of craft styles that we really tend to enjoy, but without the calories and, and alcohol weighing you down.
10:57
Um, oftentimes after a race I would drink a beer and literally have to sit down because it would knock my socks off. [laughs] Whoa. So really trying to complement that, that finish line moment.
11:07
Um, and- Was it, was it like a 48-ounce beer? [laughs] It was something like that, but you know, we're chugging at that moment. [laughs] And, uh, it, it can get definitely a little squirrely pretty quickly.
11:19
So these are all really sessionable beers.
11:21
But, um, it's really fun to play with a lot of flavors, play with some non-conventional ingredients and, and give people, you know, I think a real look at what, you know, craft brewers can do even within the constraints of saying, "We want, we want to give something to you that's low calorie, but we think it really delivers on flavor."
11:38
So it's all about never settling, and that's, that's really when we decide this beer is good enough to bring to our, our drinker base or not.
11:47
Um, and we believe that the, the beers that hopefully you tried, um, you'd agree that they've got some meat to them. Yeah.
11:52
They all have something, uh, quite diff- and like the Shred was having, definitely has bite to it. It, it's, uh, it's got some heat. Yeah, it's like a, what is it? Yeah, it does. The cayenne.
12:01
Sort of a, it's a Kolsch-y kind of thing, isn't it? And the cayenne's coming through at the end there. Yeah. [laughs] Yeah, for sure. As a guy that- It's a m- As a guy that eats cayenne every day.
12:11
Get you a little, little sweat on the brow, so it makes you keep drinking it, I think. Um, but that's, uh, one of our new flavors, and 95 calories. Um, or, you know, obviously a, um, a really,
12:24
m- you know, straight down the road light beer, but that Kolsch style, I think gives it some earthiness and, uh, super drinkable.
12:30
But, you know, we called it Shred because it, it really does, I think, um, you know, tear some things up.
12:36
But we really see the, that apres moment or getting off of the, the bike in that, in that snowy weather and being able to, to not have to throttle your drinking experience and enjoy these, as many as you want.
12:48
[laughs] Yeah. That sounds pretty good. So was, was this, uh, Shred the one that you make, uh, had the recipe for the, uh, the bloody Mary with? Uh, we have... Yes. Well, we've, we've done a couple of fun concoctions.
13:04
The Shred is definitely, uh, the, a bloody Mary drink. We had a couple of on-premise locations touting that, and it's obviously a really nice topper or floater to something given its spice and its aroma.
13:17
Uh, our Head Start, since we were talking about that, actually because we've been getting some really warm weather here in California, I've been adding that- Rub it in, rub it in... with some shaved ice.
13:27
Sorry, but, but we have, and I'm, I'm just letting you know if you feel- [laughs]...
13:30
this is really good for cold weather too, but our drinkers love our Head Start Stout with some, a little Kahlua topper or even over a scoop of ice cream. Ooh.
13:39
So again, our drinkers are really about fun concoctions, mixing it up, seeing sort of like where craft beer can take us in sort of a 2.0 shelter-in-place creative, you know, uh, lifestyle where I think we're all trying to spend more time in the kitchen and out on the roads and, and doing some fun things and, and, um, yeah.
14:00
So the Head Start's a really fun one too that I think is really great for all year round drinking. Cool. So, uh, I don't know if you're aware, but, uh- Yeah... fatbike.com is heard in 168 countries around the world.
14:13
I'm just wondering what distribution is like for Sufferfest these days? [laughs] That's a... Well, certainly not worldwide, but- [laughs] You can, you-... uh, we got our- Well, you can plan ahead.
14:23
[laughs] Well, I, I'm absolutely planning for world domination.
14:28
[laughs] But, uh, for now, we got our start here in northern California and, and the Bay Area and, and Boulder, Denver, um, and, and, um, Austin have really been our three real big areas where we've really gone a mile deep and an inch wide and spent a lot of time, uh, running, riding, swimming, cycling, everything with our consumers there.
14:50
Um, but we do now, um, uh, have national distribution, so we are available in every state in the union and are very excited about that. Nice.
15:00
Um, and obviously with, with t- today's climate and, um, our shelter in place ordinances and how they vary across the country, uh, we are, um, working with more e-commerce and more online delivery services which are available on our site.
15:16
Um, but, uh, for, uh, for all intent and purposes, um, you know, anyone who's ready to go out to the store and, and venture, um, the grocery store, they can find us in, in, in their great state.
15:28
So I'm really, really, really proud of that, and it's taken us a lot of, of sweaty efforts to get to this moment, but we're here now. Cool. So it's, it's really exciting. Excellent. Um, so, like in a, in a- Yeah...
15:40
in kind of a cycling m- mecca type place, like, I don't know, maybe Austin, for instance, where it's not your backyard- Mm-hmm...
15:47
and there's a bunch of local brewers there, how are, how are you finding people, um, you know, kind of accepting what you're doing? Is that... Are they stoked about it? Yeah.
15:57
You know, I th- I think that's what's given, uh, Sufferfest its ability to be a national brand when I think obviously, uh, beer generally and craft beer is so hyper local.
16:10
Um, but that's typically if you have a real on-premise approach and you're going on and going off and, and phoning up a wholesaler and dropping off beer and, and hoping it succeeds in that on-premise distribution footprint.
16:21
But for Sufferfest, I think we've really been included because we, we are athletes ourselves.
16:27
I mean, we talked about, um, you know, from day one, you know, this is by athletes for athletes, and our whole team of misfits are climbers, runners, cyclists, mountain bikers, gravel riders.
16:39
I mean, you name it, um, there's a little bit of everything in all of us, and we show up, and I think that's our difference and what really allows us to partner with awesome bike shops, um, awesome, really great establishments, uh, because we're going, we're, um, not necessarily selling beer, but we're supporting athletes.
16:58
And, um, you will find us at a lot of finish lines. We don't have a tap room.
17:03
We never have had, um, a, um, on-premise, uh, focus because we really do believe in a virtual tap room where we sort of find you at that moment of inspiration or at that finish line.
17:15
Um, and for that reason, I think being able to sweat with people and cut tape with people and really grind something out, um, allows us to really form a relationship and a bond and a lot of friends along the way.
17:29
And so, uh, because we're focused on, on athletes and, and sort of the athlete in all of us, you don't have to be an athlete with a capital A, but for folks who are just trying to get out there and, and finish something and get cheered on by people, we wanna be the first thing that they grab, and, um, hopefully they're really, really, um, excited by the flavor and all the good things that they can get from our beer, um, and our team- How many-...
17:50
that's, that's r- racing with them. So- How many path- That's, that's been a great- How many pathletes [laughs] are on your team?... uh, journey. I, I thought, how many pathletes are on your- I'm sorry?
17:59
Well, we have pathletes here. They're basically the people who ride up and down the, uh, the local, uh, bike trail. Oh. Which would be a path, not a... You know, it's like, th- but we call them pathletes. Path- Yeah.
18:09
I like that. Is this a pathlete beer or more of an athlete beer?
18:11
[laughs]I think it's a mix, and I think that's what, like, the, the beer that we de- designed, the five, the lineup that we have addresses sort of the multiple tenets of a, a healthy and active lifestyle.
18:26
And, you know, the Shred for me, at 95 calories, is sort of a, is a path wheat beer.
18:31
It's sort of a maintenance mode, where you really want something enjoyable that's not gonna disappoint you, that, that really pairs well with food.
18:38
And then you also have our FKT, our Fastest Known Time, which is designed especially for that finish line moment, with black currant and salt, um- That's the one Tony had last week...
18:47
to really recognize the moment- That's what I had. Yeah... that you want. T- yup, Tony had that one. Yeah. I was trying to remember which one it was. I remembered mine and JK's, but Tony had the FKT last week. Oh, cool.
18:56
What, uh, what is your, what have you been producing as far as capacity? I'm, I'm sorry, I'm more the beer guy here that does brewing and stuff, so what's your production as of, you know, how's it been growing?
19:09
It's, it, obviously things have changed a lot [laughs]. Right. Um, you know, we were, we're just getting into a, a pretty big on-premise moment, given that we have new national expansion. But, um, it, just this...
19:22
Uh, I'm not sure if you're aware, last year, about 12 months ago, we were acquired by Sierra Nevada Brewing Company. Oh, okay.
19:29
And for that reason, we've been able to expand nationally and really focus on, uh, you know, going deeper in our areas that we just hold so near and dear.
19:39
And of course, like I mentioned, California, our great state, and then, like, where you'd imagine people are really riding a lot, Nor- Pacific Northwest, Colorado, Boulder, uh, that area- Wisconsin... and then Austin.
19:51
We've really been spending a lot of time and focus there. Um, off premise right now is actually going really, really well.
19:57
Um, and I think that's just the, the fact that we have been able to, uh, focus on, uh, chain retailers and off-premise since our nascency, and given the, the change in, in patterns of behavior of how people are shopping, um, you know, we're, we're up, and we're really excited by the trend.
20:15
Um, we're obviously not excited for the reason, but, um, uh, you know, production is, is going really well. And obviously, um, having that footprint now nationally with Sierra Nevada has not hurt.
20:26
[laughs] I kinda got a, a little bit of a clue when we got our box, that it was in a inside out, uh, Sierra Nevada box. [laughs] Oh, that's right. I was like, I was gonna ask you, but I didn't wanna be rude- Yeah...
20:36
and saying, "Are they b- are they brewing your beer now or..." So yeah, that's great. Well, I mean, you went from zero to 100 pretty quickly there. Yeah.
20:43
That's, uh, it, it shows that a kind of, uh, a little bit of thinking outside the box type of a, a marketing approach and, and, uh, brewing approach can have, you know, some good legs, even with as much saturation as there is in the beer market now, so.
20:58
Um, really appreciate you being- Great... on the show, Kaitlyn. I, I, you, anything you wanna- Thank you for having me... uh, anything, any thought you wanna leave us with when we kick you off the phone here? Uh, no.
21:09
I, I really appreciate your time. I hope you guys are all, um, path leading or, or athleteing responsibly and staying healthy.
21:17
And, uh, again, we're just, these are brand new beers, um, brand new fucking out for, for folks, um, in all walks of life, so I really appreciate you taking the time to try them, and please send any and all feedback.
21:28
We'd love to hear what you think. Absolutely. Thank you very much. Um, check the, check out the show, have your friends listen to it.
21:33
If you're in Wisconsin, make sure that you, uh, hook up with us, 'cause we'll, uh, we'll, we'll ride you around a little bit. Absolutely. Yeah. All right, Kaitlyn. All right. Thanks, thanks again for being on the show.
21:42
Thank you. Okay, I'll catch you up on that. All right. E- enjoy your evening. Take care. Have a great one. Thanks, you too. Yep. Bye. Bye. All right. Kaitlyn Landisberg, the CEO of Sufferfest Brewing. And head brewer.
21:53
And head brewer. And head brewer. And athlete and mom, according to the beer can. Says right on it. So that was cool. I'm, that's an interesting concept. I...
22:01
You know, the, the last, uh, the last person that was touting a low-calorie beer that I remember was Lance Armstrong, and it was Michelob Light, so- Ooh. So, you know, we got a little more flavor here.
22:10
I, I will say I didn't read anything about this beer until about four sips into it, and then I'm like, "Well- Cayenne... my mouth's got a little flame going in here." My ears are kinda burning a little bit.
22:20
"What's going on?" Yeah. And then I look and I see, oh, it's made with honey and... Wait a minute, that say cayenne? [laughs] I'm like, "Aw, people."
22:27
Yeah, that's why I think it was the, the bloody Mary mix beer- That, I bet this would be-...
22:30
that we actually never did, because somebody drank the beer at, [laughs] before, in one of those nights when we've kind of running out of beer or somebody was like, "Oh, I'll just drink that." Oh. So. All right.
22:40
I think this would make a great bloody Mary. Hey, we're on a roll tonight, folks. Uh- Another caller? Get a caller Can it be? Get, get more callers on the line. Hey, welcome to radio program caller.
22:48
Who do we have on the line? Uh, hey, guys. It's... Oh, hello? Hello. Thought you were trying to hang up on us. I didn't know. Yes.
22:57
[laughs] Sorry, I'm, I'm putting, I'm, I'm putting my, uh, I'm gonna put my headphones in so I can hear a little better. In or on? Give me one second. Headphones on or in. What? On. They could, they could be in-ear.
23:10
Your earbuds go in. All right, mister. Headphones go on. Okay. They're, they're in the, uh, earbuds are in my ear. Nice. [laughs] Right on. Sorry. And who are you? [laughs] What's your name again?
23:21
[laughs] This is Jake Newborn. I am the assistant director with the Wisconsin Bike Fed. Uh, before the show, we were kind of, uh, talking about how you were working your way up the ladder over there at the old Bike Fed.
23:35
Yeah. Well, when you're there for 13 years, uh, someone's gotta know what's going on, so. Just by attrition, you get thrust into the spotlight. [laughs] Pretty, yeah, pretty much. So cool.
23:49
Um, we just had, uh, Kaitlyn Landisberg on the horn. You just caught the very last seconds of her, uh, her show.
23:55
She's, uh, a brewer that makes a beer brand called Sufferfest, which is kinda low calorie, but interesting flavored beer, tasty beer. Some of it's tasty. Mm-hmm. Dig it. Um, so Jake- Okay... uh, what's happening?
24:08
You, you haven't been on the show for a while. Have you been on the show before? I don't know. Usually you got Schlabowski in here- No, I-...
24:13
hawking, hawking the Bike Fed wares, but- [laughs] Pretty sure Jake's a virgin. Jake's a virgin. Oh, shit. Yeah. Fir- [laughs] first time caller[laughs] And he won't even go into the longtime listener, will he?
24:24
[laughs] So yeah, what's happening at the Bike Fed these days? A little bit of a change in how things might be working, so fill us in. Yeah. Um, it's definitely been different, but I would say kinda no less busy.
24:39
Um, y- the big, the big change is, uh, we can't do a lot of our education programs, uh, with, with schools. We can't host big rides with hundreds of people. So the... You know, it's, it's pivoted. Um,
24:57
we're looking at developing some of our programming for s- um, for school kids, you know, to be done electronically, kinda creating worksheets and slideshows and videos for them.
25:10
Um, I'm currently planning on a way that we can do the Polish Moon Ride kind of virtually as well, so researching some options for that. Cool. Um- Yeah. Any of those options for kids sound very interesting.
25:24
My son is 13 and he's a NICA racer, but you know, right now all he's doing is keeping track of when he goes out and rides. He just writes it down. It's like, "Yeah, I rode over some logs today, Dad."
25:34
But you know, there wasn't really a whole lot- [laughs]... of, uh, structure to it or anything. And even more so for- Yeah... you know, I, it, I'm interested in what you're doing with that. That's cool.
25:43
That's kinda where you got your start at the Bike Fed, right? More on the education side of stuff? Yeah.
25:48
Well, when I started at Bike Fed, I was just, um, coming on as a, a mechanic, um, helping fix bikes for our, our Safe Routes to School program that was kinda just launching.
25:58
Um, and then, and then yeah, I ran the Safe Routes to School program here for, for many years, uh, doing that.
26:05
So yeah, youth education programs, teaching kids to ride, getting kids out riding, taking them on trails, um, and city streets, just all around. So we've, uh,
26:16
since 2005, we've educated over 30,000 kids, um, in the, in the county area. Wowzers. And, and taught hundreds how to ride for the first time.
26:30
So it's, it's really rewarding work, and I don't think I could ever pull myself totally away from it, no matter what position I have here at the Bike Fed. Excellent. Um, so- Yeah, s- so go ahead.
26:44
[laughs] I, I, the, uh... [laughs] Sorry. I mean, I think the, the other stuff that we're working on, um, you know, is just very related to the, the times, what, [laughs] just what the heck we're going through, you know.
26:56
[laughs] Um, and that's been, you know, A, changing every day. Um, kinda new news coming out back, uh, in early April when, uh, the... Oh, God, I, I'm, um, I'm losing track of, like, what even date it is.
27:14
[laughs] Right. Um- It, it's late April now, so that's- 20, 29th, sir. 29th. Right.
27:20
Um, early April, Governor Evers had, just after the safer-at-home order had gone into effect, um, people were flocking to state parks, um, outdoor recreation areas. We had some nice days out there.
27:33
Um, and that unfortunately didn't go very well. No. People were- They ruined it... being messy. Jackasses. Uh, yeah. [laughs] Well, when you make stuff...
27:43
First of all, when you make entrance to the parks free- Free, yeah... I think you kinda stuck your foot in it right there, for one thing. Um- Mm-hmm... but, uh- Right... yeah, it was certainly...
27:52
You know, I, I don't know. I mean, if I would've gone to Devil's Lake or if I would've gone to Kohler-Andrae and seen a parking lot full of cars, I would've turned around and left and said, "You know what?
28:00
I'm gonna go up the road." But apparently people don't get that.
28:03
And it, to me, it's part of the problem with opening stuff up again too early, is that everybody assumes that people are gonna be smart about this, but I guarantee you that's not [laughs] gonna happen.
28:14
I mean, we've witnessed it way too many times. Mm-hmm. But, uh, I digress. Um- That's a- [laughs] No, that's, that's definitely a concern.
28:21
So, you know, so now we just heard, I believe that was yesterday, that they announced May 1st they're gonna start reopening some of those parks again. Um- With a fee at this- So we'll see... at this time now.
28:31
Yeah, they're gonna charge a fee, and they're gonna monitor it a lot more closely- Yep... and they're gonna not let, you know, people run amuck, you know? Uh, basically, I think- Mm-hmm...
28:39
hopefully [laughs] they learned their lesson. Once bitten- Yeah... twice shy. Yeah, hope... Right. Well, the good thing is, um, that,
28:47
you know, if you ride your bike into a state park, you don't have to pay for that sticker. So that's a benefit there. I had one person comment about how, um,
28:59
you know, we're selling trail passes, uh, still through our website and, and online, uh, where we can ship them right to you, and someone was complaining about how, well, the Bike Fed in all this time, you know,
29:12
hasn't been able... You know, we don't, we, we, we still have to buy trail passes, and, and, you know, hikers don't.
29:18
But, uh, you know, one benefit that we have as a biker is if you ride your bike into the park, you aren't paying that, that parking pass. So- Yeah, I think-... one, one benefit there...
29:28
people get a little bent out of shape about spending 25 bucks a year or whatever it is on a pass. That's for sure. Yeah. Um, you know, one thing I noticed- Yeah, and-...
29:36
which I, I was gonna bring up, I, it, is that, uh, you guys just redid the website. It looks fantastic. Eh, benefits. Oh, thank you. Yeah. Uh, check it out, wisconsinbikefed.org.
29:48
Um, the goal of that really is to make it more user-friendly. It's mobile-friendly now, which it wasn't before. [laughs] Um,
29:59
focusing more on, on rides and, and places to ride and, and trying to make it more helpful to kinda just the, the riders, so the, so the people who wanna find out more information. Um, so you know, yeah, check that out.
30:14
Um, if you have ideas, you know, we're always looking for just more content, more rides to be posted there. So- Rides... you know, we'd love to, to get-
30:24
You know, smart guys like you, uh, like you two giving us information. He's talking about JK and I, Tony. [laughs] You're, you're left out of that conversation. God damn right. [laughs] Smart.
30:36
So, uh, you know, you mentioned that the, the site is kind of rider-focused and, I, I mean, it, to some extent it always has been.
30:42
But, um, the Bike Fed is also advocacy-focused and, and, and going to the state capital and pushing for things that are kind of outside the realm of just a single rider or an experience of riders.
30:54
Um, how do you guys- Mm-hmm...
30:55
decide to, you know, divide up your time between things that are gonna help, you know, the state as a whole for cyclists and things that are gonna make it more palatable for an individual rider?
31:06
It seems like they're not necessarily totally at odds, but they certainly would require different resources. That's a good, good question. Um, it's a tough, and it's tough to, uh, determine that always.
31:19
Uh, you know, 'cause things will come up.
31:21
So there's a balance of trying to put out fires like, say, um, a few years ago I remember there was a push by a state legislator to put a tax on all bicycle sales, um, that was kind of specifically just on bikes.
31:37
Um, and so then you have to kind of respond to these, to these attacks and things like that. Um, we're kind of constant, always pushing for some of the general things. Um, more funding, um,
31:51
rewriting the laws to, to be more supportive of, of bikers and, and keep them safer and to hold people, you know, driving more accountable.
32:02
Um, and it, it's tough as a, you know, even though we're a statewide organization we're still relatively small, um, as far as staff goes. And so to
32:14
determine what your biggest needs are and what, you know, where the wins can be had. Sometimes there's, there's things that we just, we know we're not gonna win on, um [laughs], and so you kinda gotta pick your battles.
32:25
Right. You know, I mean, I, I don't- Uh...
32:27
know that this is necessarily a good thing, but, uh, places like Portland are using this, this, the stay-at-home and the, the less cars on the street and things to kinda try and push
32:38
a, push a more bike-friendly agenda and a safer streets agenda during a time when it, it... I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing.
32:46
I guess it's, it's, it's good in that people are hearing about it, but, um, w- have you been following that at all? Yeah.
32:54
So we do have, if you go to our website, on the main page we have a, uh, what we're calling right now a Trails in Every Neighborhood action alert, uh, where we have sent communications to the governor, to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation and health secretary saying, you know, the, the trails are becoming overcrowded.
33:12
Uh, there's not access for a place to kind of properly social distance in, in every neighborhood, and we're hoping that they will be supportive of communities, you know, cl- temporarily closing streets, uh, reducing even more so the car traffic, so no through traffic, um, and looking to try and make that space.
33:35
And it's been, across the country it's been successful in some places, some places not so much. Again, getting back to those people who are gonna ruin the parks for everyone. Um,
33:45
you know, just because a, say a street is closed down doesn't mean it's time to go hold a barbecue there with all your buddies.
33:52
Um- [laughs] But we, uh, so you know, that's, that's one of our statewide pushes, kind of statewide and locally. Um, I am on a call tomorrow actually with, um, WisDOT representatives, kind of what they foresee,
34:08
uh, some of the overall changes happening, and I'll be advocating for some, um, updates regarding this initiative. Um, we had, you know, 500 people sign our petition online and, uh, from all across the state.
34:26
And of course, in typical fashion, uh, Madison acted very quickly on that. They've already closed some streets, um,
34:34
widened some streets, put cones up to create more space to, to ride and run and rollerblade and whatever. Yeah. So here's a- Um, and they-... here's a question for you. I'm kinda curious about it.
34:46
Might, it kinda dovetails into this a little bit. Because you've been around so long- Yeah... and following things so long.
34:51
How does a place like, like Madison, uh, or maybe even more specifically or, uh, comparatively, um, uh, Minneapolis-Saint Paul have such a strong bike culture where... I mean, Milwaukee's obviously getting a lot better.
35:06
But what makes a place- Mm-hmm...
35:08
is it y- you know, what are, what's the, what's the magic sauce that makes a place just, you know, explode into being super bike-friendly and bike-accepting at, whereas other places where you go, "Why, this place really could be or should be, but isn't quite yet," you know?
35:23
Yeah. I, I wish I had the perfect answer. I think, I don't know, I... Political willpower and political, like your local mayors, alderpeople willing to back those things is a huge part of it.
35:40
Um, I think that that kind of shows in, up in Milwaukee where you have a lot, a great culture, a lot of people who ride, a lot of people who love to do fun stuff and ride.
35:49
But we have not seen much support from our city officials, um, to prioritize those changes, um, that are necessary to, to in- increase infrastructure, to build more trails, things like that. Um,
36:06
and so that's where we always have to be putting pressure, you know? We, the Bike Fed works statewide, um, on kind of policies, but we can't be in every small community constantly lobbying, you know, a, a,
36:23
a mayor or an alderperson. But we can hopefully help support people who want to be doing that and pushing for it. Um-
36:31
I think one example more recently was Humboldt Boulevard, um, is getting reconstructed and the DPW said, "Well, here, we're not gonna- we're just gonna kinda do it the same we did it before with the bike lane on the outside of the parking lane.
36:45
And oh, we might narrow the travel, the car travel lane a little bit."
36:48
But we organized a lot of people to come out to that meeting, um, informed people, let them know, um, because I think also sometimes the cities don't do great at letting you know about a public input meeting.
37:01
Um- Oh, I think that's very true... and we're, yeah.
37:05
And so we are hearing that they're reviewing that, that plan and, and we're awaiting, you know, the next proposal and, and hoping that that has some, um, improvements there. So [sighs]
37:20
yeah, but I don't know what the magic, what the silver bullet is in, in places, you know, in, in, that are similarly weather-wise, similar in size, as population and, um, when you, when you figure it out, let me know.
37:35
Right. I was just gonna ask you that. I said maybe next time you're on the show you'll have an answer [laughs]. Yeah. [laughs] Uh, Jake Newbern, what, uh, what type of beer are you drinking right now? Uh, Hamm's.
37:46
There we go. Hamm's. The land of sky blue waters. I think there's some back in the fridge right over there. Yeah. Yeah. Well, let's, let's do a- We keep some Hamm's in stock...
37:54
[bell ringing] let's do a virtual- Top of the Hill with Jake... a virtual Top of the Hill with Jake.
37:58
[laughs] Uh, we've switched from, we've switched, we've switched from Fufferfest to, uh, Hopping Nomad IPA from, uh, Terrapin here. Oh, no, this is from, uh- No, this is, this is, uh-... this is from, uh, Trader Joe's...
38:10
yeah, this is the Trader Joe beer- I, I got fooled by the can... which is pretty drinkable for- [laughs]... for pretty inexpensive. Much like their whiskey, I must say. If you, if you- You must say...
38:20
you know, if you want a, uh, pretty tasty $15 bottle of whiskey, that is pretty good, as featured on last week's show. And it keeps refilling itself somehow. [laughs] I have no idea how it does that. Mm. Yeah. Cool.
38:34
Well, Jake, um, is there anything specific you wanna talk about before we let you fly? Um, no. I mean, I just say, you know, I'd, I'd love for people, yeah, to check out the new website.
38:45
There's lots of updates on events. Obviously, a lot of the events kind of are changing.
38:49
So, um, look for updates there on, you know, if there's a new date or any more information, but poke around that website and let us know what you think. Um, you know,
38:59
I will make the, uh, the, the call for join, donations, renew your membership now. Like I said, we- Oh, wait, I can just [laughs]... we aren't [laughs]
39:10
we aren't able to, you know, we aren't able unfortunately to be out at the big bike expos and talking with people and, um, raising donations and, and doing our, you know, programming and running our bike camps.
39:23
And so, um, you know, now, now's a great time if you are financially stable enough, if a little bit of that stimulus check you wanna float our way, we'd greatly appreciate it because there's definitely work that we're doing now, you know, with
39:37
so many more people getting out and biking, and, uh, it's just kinda just as important now as it, as it was before. So we'd greatly appreciate that. Sweet. And, um- Jake, I wanna slightly digress...
39:50
yeah, Mike Uh, I want you to know that, that, uh, Everyday Cycles now is, um, getting equipment to fully test electric bicycles. Wonderful. So if you hear of anyone such as yourself- Wonderful. I need to-...
40:02
that needs diagnostics... yeah, I need to bring in our electric Bullet. Yeah. The- And ha- I'm having some motor trouble, I need to get, need to have you look at that.
40:09
We, uh, should be able to be doing testing very soon. Very soon. S- shortly. As we prepare- Yeah... to ramp up the electric bike movement. Yeah. That's one of the things- Wonderful...
40:19
I think actually may help, uh, cycling in urban environments for people who are maybe not quite as fit as the average person who's been riding- Like me... for a long time. Mm-hmm.
40:28
Uh, electric bikes really get you up to speed a little quicker, and they help you kind of flow with traffic a little better. And, uh, I think for folks- Yeah...
40:36
who are not, you know, really strong riders, it may be one of the things that helps more people get out there and roll. Yeah.
40:43
I, I think they're, they're really great, and that was our big legislative win last year, um, you know, at the state wide level is, is getting the e-bike legislation passed and legalized and classed.
40:52
And so that was, um, you know, a big win- Yeah. But-...
40:55
um, going forward, and I, I think you're right that, uh, even for someone like, like us, you know, us, us, uh, people who ride a lot, like, I think that electric bikes can
41:07
give you that chance to take the bike more often. You know, it's like, oh, it's that much, I know it's that much easier. I don't have to get where I might have to get in a car and go a little bit farther.
41:18
Just every trip that we can not take by car and take by bike or electric bike is gonna, is, is for the better. Right. Well, I think two out of the, two out of the three hosts of the show have drank the Kool-Aid.
41:30
They're the- [laughs]... JK, I don't think he's drank the Koo- He had, probably just hasn't been on one [laughs] He hasn't been on the 30-mile an hour build.
41:36
He's like, "I'm not go- I'm not going on that because I know I'm gonna want one." [laughs] I'm not gonna want one. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Right on, Jake.
41:45
[laughs] Well, thanks for, uh, filling us in, and you're welcome to come on any time. It's not like we have a plethora of guests, although I must admit, we do have a great- [laughs]... we have a great guest next week.
41:53
Um, Chris from The Psychic Derailleur down in Indianapolis is gonna join us. And, uh, if you've never watched his YouTube stuff, I recommend watching him. He's, he's, uh, he's got some good stuff to talk about.
42:04
Usually it's, uh, what I learned from that or something like that, and they're pretty short things, but entertaining guy and he runs a, kind of a one-off Surly/Rivendell shop.
42:13
He's the only guy that, that works in it, and kinda like, kinda like yours truly here. Yeah. Kinda like Greg Schmidt. So it just, uh, should be a fun show next week.
42:22
But, uh, yeah, any time you wanna come on, just drop me a line and we'll, we'll make room for you. And of course bring beer. Yeah. And next time stop in. [laughs] Hopefully we don't have to do this virtually.
42:32
Yeah, next, yeah Right on, Jake... yeah, exa- uh, yeah, I, looking forward to it, and thanks so much, guys, for having me. Uh, stay safe and, and enjoy the ride. All right. Appreciate it. Donate to the Bike Fed.
42:42
Thank you. Bye. Come again. [laughs] Thank you. "Thank you, come again." All right. Well, what a show, hey, with, uh- Sh-... two, two good guests there... 43 minutes already? Oh, don't be looking at the time.
42:54
Listeners, man, listeners, you just gonna- They're gonna be like- This time's gonna fly right by... this is like a bonus show. Yeah. That's like you had the show- We get the extra time...
42:59
with Caitlin on in the beginning, and then you get a bonus show with Jake. Yeah, it's great. Bonus. We could split it in two shows, maybe and take next week off. Yeah, so we- Let's not do that.
43:07
Well, we're gonna have Chris next week, so. Right. He's probably gonna be able to do a whole show himself. Nice. So I wa- called him up just to talk to him a little bit, and we were on the phone for an hour.
43:15
So- [laughs]... I can tell you this, he's got lots of good stories, and, uh, he's been around the biz.
43:20
He's owned a humongous shop, 16,000 square feet or whatever, the shop that he owned for however big it was for many years, and then decided at early to mid-50s that he was not gonna wanna do that much anymore, and he opened a shop as by appointment only, basically.
43:36
Nice. Kickass. He's my, he's my hero. Hero. Chris, you're my hero. Talk to you next week. Yeah. Yeah. Uh, what, anything else we gotta talk about this week while we're still on the show?
43:46
Um- Before we send you out on your bike... if you're stuck at home, if you're stuck at home, you can buy bike parts and get them delivered to your place by calling me, and I can send them there, if that's- Or-...
43:55
something you wanna do, or... or you could just call Greg and drop your bike off here and let him do the work. Or you could do that, too. Or... Yeah. Unless you live in LA. JK was suspiciously quiet today.
44:05
I'm not certain. [laughs] I have one more quick thing. It is bike-related. Go. It's one of the last days to get your baby maker. Oh, for crying out loud. Or- Is it, or isn't... your, your Baby Maker Pro. Or isn't?
44:20
We don't know. It, that, that Facebook ad, the, the, for the $15 million or whatever they've got made in bikes, they've spent 5 million on a fucking Facebook advertisement.
44:29
Yeah, but still, if you can spend 5 and make 10, I'd do that all day long, seven days a week, 365 a year. Yeah, if you can make it 10, but they're probably doing pretty well. I would imagine. Yeah.
44:38
Can afford that fancy model they got there. Baby Maker. She's a baby maker. She's a... no, she clearly isn't a baby maker. [laughs] She has made no babies. [laughs] Not made no babies yet. Not made any babies. All right.
44:50
Not yet, she's- So Tony's probably selling more baby makers than the Baby Maker Facebook ads. I probably am. So just saying. And tell you have to take out the batteries. Oh my God, that's ridiculous. Oh my God. Oh.
44:58
And be careful for your forks. Oh. Hey, it lends more credence to my, uh, direction of electric bicycle open source because that was a nightmare. I, I almost, I couldn't watch it for very long. [laughs] Oh, boy.
45:12
Watch that video if you really wanna get an entertaining look at how to take a battery out of a bicycle- Yeah... that was built into the frame at the factory and then welded in there almost.
45:21
[laughs] Yeah, you, you- It's like-... it's-... you gotta be kidding me. Yeah, no. No, no. Your baby ma- you're not gonna wanna take your battery out of that thing anyway. Yeah, no. No, yeah. No. Yeah? No? Yeah?
45:28
'Cause you're already gonna have to pack it up- Yeah? No... and mail it back somewhere to get support or pay us. Yeah, no. Yeah. No? Yeah? Yeah. Yeah, no? No. All right. Yeah. That's it. LA.
45:38
[laughs] Greg, are you going to LA next week? I thought, uh- To hock your-... Caitlin was from LA. That's too bad we couldn't- Hock your bog... couldn't make fun of that. Hock your bag. Hock your bog. Head to LA.
45:50
[upbeat music] And away we go. Bye. [upbeat music]
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