Home
Podcast Archive
About
Search
Log In
Subscribe
Search
Full Spectrum Cycling
Full Spectrum Cycling # 79 – Ian Klepetar From Bike Benefits is Back in Wisconsin While JT Hovers in the Background
Sep 25, 2020
Full Spectrum Cycling # 79 – Ian Klepetar From Bike Benefits is Back in Wisconsin While JT Hovers in the Background
15
30
00:00
33:29
Listen on
Apple Podcasts
Apple Podcasts
Spotify
Spotify
Pocket Casts
Pocket Casts
Castro
Castro
Transcript
0:00
[upbeat rock music] Good evening, good morning, good afternoon, good day, good times.
0:20
Full Spectrum Cycling. Show number 79 today. 79. Yeah. Got JK to my right, as always. Oi. Oh, [mic thuds] I'm gonna... Across the table, Mr. Tony Burger. Hey there.
0:32
And splitting them right, like, right up the middle of the goalpost, Ian Kleptar from- Today... Bicycle Benefits is here today. Hello, hello. And we have John Trusky lurking in the background. Not on a mic. Not a...
0:43
[laughs] Yep, one of the, one of the minor, uh, inconveniences about the Gizmo is four people only. Ah. [sighs] Well, there's probably a way to do five, I just have to pull in some more, more gear.
0:55
You know, like sp- I hate buying gear so much. [laughs] Split a connection or something. More gear. More gear. Yeah. No, we gotta figure that out because, uh...
1:03
Hey, you know what you could do is go outside and call in on the phone on the call-in line. [laughs] Call the phone. Which we, which we actually haven't set up today yet. But, uh, that's easy enough to do.
1:14
I mean, you know, as long as- Push the button... Tony and- Did you push the button?... JK moves the boom. Or I can just read. The button is red. That means go- Yeah... which is counterintuitive. Right.
1:22
I keep saying that. Yep. Yep. It'll work out. So Ian, how's it going? Haven't talked to you since, uh, we just looked it up, like November of last year, at least on the show. Oh, it's going very well. Nice.
1:33
I've recently gotten back into Milwaukee as of, I believe, three weeks ago. Maybe, maybe four. Nice. Welcome back. Yeah. Ran, ran into you across the street a couple weeks back, and- Nice... what, what brought you back?
1:47
Uh, you, uh, you had gone to your folks' house for a while, right? Yeah, I was, uh, hanging out with them. They're in their 70s, and, uh, took it easy there. I was, uh... Yeah, I'm do- I'm doing a little writing.
1:59
I write kids' books, and I'm working on a, a book called The Book of Rad right now, and I'm also working on a book called The Land of Lost Bikes. So I was doing some writing. Cool. Nice.
2:11
Uh, I was delivering puzzles by bike too. See, we got, we got kids' bike books over there, but, you know. Yours, yours sound- Yeah... really cool compared to those. Yeah.
2:19
Well, they're, uh, they're, they're further along in the process than mine is. [laughs] Yeah, yeah. So, um, where were you when the COVID hit? When the, when- Um, I was, I was in New York.
2:31
Um, yeah, I guess I was figuring out... You know, I, I move around a lot. I don't really have a set home, so my folks are in New York. And
2:41
I was having some stomach issues, so I figured that would be a good place to investigate things, so. Yeah. Right on.
2:47
So that's, after I had that figured out, I just got to hang out with my folks and tried to get rid of my jigsaw puzzle collection while I was there. So I started doing a project called Puzzles to the People.
2:57
So I made it available that I would deliver my, deliver jigsaw puzzles by bike anywhere in the Capital District. Nice. Nice. Wow. Wow. Very cool. Yeah, so. So how...
3:07
Did a lot of people avail themselves of your, uh, offer? Oh, yeah. I think 120, uh, uh, different locations I dropped puzzles off to. There was a lot of repeat customers. You could very quickly- Nice...
3:19
find out who were the big, uh- [laughs] Puzzlers... the big puzzlers in the region. Yeah. Nice.
3:23
I think, I think, I know my daughter went through all of hers and probably took them apart f- and did them again, 'cause she has one that's com- that's just silver. Oh. There's no picture on it. Oh. It's all just- Shape?
3:35
... shapes. Oh, that sounds good. And it's a thousand pieces or something. Oh. Oh, really? Oh. It, it sounds very frustrating to me. [laughs] Yeah. [laughs] That sounds... Oh.
3:42
I, I like the ones, like the, the w- that are made out of, like, wood and there's maybe six to eight pieces. Yeah. Like Duplo. [laughs] Yeah. Yeah. Then you're kind of done then.
3:52
The off, yeah, the off Lego brand [laughs] that made the big ass puzzles. [laughs] Right. Exactly. And they even had little, little handles on them. You can pick up the pieces. Hell yeah. Yeah, yeah. Yeah.
4:00
Those are perfect. That's my speed right there. Go crawl before you walk and run. Like that. So that's why I have to have John build our bike wheels, 'cause it's- 'Cause-... too confusing for me to- [laughs]...
4:10
[laughs] figure that all out. Well, and you know, we could build for 10 years and they still wouldn't be as good. He did- That's right... he did say he'd help me learn some time here.
4:18
I would love to learn too, but I- I'm polish. Wait. I'll teach you guys. I'll teach you guys. Oh, that would be a great... We could video that. Winter is coming. I'll teach you guys. Winter is coming.
4:26
[laughs] Yeah, for sure. We, we could have a, a video- I gotta be a... Yeah. I know... podcast for that. Video podcast. For wheel building. Yeah. With...
4:34
Well, as soon as all these bikes are out of here, which I'm trying to get rid of- Yes... then we'll have a couch there- Jeez... and we can sit on it and do, like- Wheel building... tech sessions and shit. Yeah.
4:43
That'll be good. I like that. Oh. So right on. So New York for a while, and then you, y- you came back here for a specific purpose, or just 'cause you so love Milwaukee? Yeah.
4:53
I like Mil- Milwaukee, and I also- [laughs]... uh, I guess I'd been sitting around too long, and it, I felt like the time was right to do some, uh, yeah, do some bike promotion.
5:02
And, you know, a lot of people, as you know, more people are getting on bikes, and I guess a lot of the work, my work is, uh, yeah, capturing people's attention on bikes and keeping them excited about it. And, uh,
5:13
so I came back here and put on some events, and, uh, yeah, I'm excited to be in town. Right on. Yeah. So, um, we've talked about it on the last show a little bit, but just refresh our memory on bike benefits.
5:24
What's the basic idea behind that?
5:26
So it's to give an incentive for people to ride their bikes to breweries, restaurants, and other places by working, um, yeah, with the businesses, creating a relationship, getting them to provide a perk or a benefit if a person rides their bike there.
5:43
So, um, up until now, we've had a bicycle benefit helmet sticker that people, um, show to the barista or the cashier to get the discount.
5:52
We're investigating, well actually, we've, we, we actually have a bicycle benefits card that we might- Oh, right on... bring to life in Milwaukee if we get the support of our current partners.
6:02
Um, 'cause in, you know, in places like Milwaukee, about half the people don't wear helmets, so- [laughs]... it excludes them from the program.
6:08
Well, and, and, and mine ends up on my helmet, but- I think mine, mine might be in my wallet or something... I was a marine a lot, so I end up re- re-upping- Uh-huh... re-upping my, my membership. Yeah. Yeah.
6:16
Am I the only one that's still on my helmet? No, mine's on my helmet. Really? And, and, I, I, I, yeah, I was double checking that it hadn't worn. [laughs] Well, yeah, my problem is- I was like, "Damn"...
6:24
I have too many helmets. I have several helmets- Yeah... and you can't have one on every helmet if- You sh- Well, you can, I guess... well, you could. You could support them more. You could. Yeah. Yes, you can.
6:31
That's why I have no problem. It's like, okay, well it has worn away, and there- And there's five... there's the end. All right. Well, that's, you know, that's the reason we- And I think you gave me a...
6:38
Yeah, you gave me a dis- or offered me the discount- Oh, got it... of repeat customer, but, you know. Well, that's why we keep it at five bucks a sticker. I also know not to take advantage. Exactly, exactly. You know?
6:45
I mean, you use it once at one of the breweries, you get the buy one, get one. Right. You've paid it back. Bingo. Exactly, yeah. So if you, if you use it for six months or- Oh, for sure...
6:52
six days, you've gotten your money's worth, right? Yeah, for sure. So are you working with the Bike Fed on it? So this is actually the first year that we've, uh, fully partnered up with them.
7:01
So they've dis- uh, discontinued their, uh, member benefits, and everyone statewide now gets a bicycle benefits sticker with their membership. Nice. Oh, nice. Very well done. Right on.
7:10
Now they just had sent an email around, I think this morning even, that mentioned it, so I don't, don't feel like I let the cat out of the bag too much. [laughs] Oh, okay. [laughs] No, it's great.
7:18
It's, uh, it's something that's, uh, it's a partnership that's long overdue. Sure. We have about 500, uh, partnering businesses in Wisconsin, about 2,500 around the country.
7:27
So you know, bicycle benefits is just w- you know, a tool in the community's or state's toolbox to increase riding.
7:35
And if we're not working with state organizations or city organizations, there's a, there's a disconnect there. Yeah, for sure. Sure.
7:43
So a bicycle benefits sticker in Wisconsin works the same way for any other state that has bicycle benefits? Absolutely. Right on. Yep. Yeah. Yeah. AAA. Yeah, I checked out the website. Good for travelers. AAA.
7:55
Yeah, yeah. And I was like, I'm like, "Hot damn." I'm like, "Yeah, yeah, yeah." I was just like checking around the DC area, and I'm like, "Yeah, da, da, da, da, da, da."
8:01
You know, there should be some sort of- I'm like, "God," and I left my helmet at home. [laughs]... I know. I know you prefer a, a less digital life, but there should be some sort of app that we can find bike benefits
8:13
places. The website. 'Cause I mean, Bluebird, I, I- You mean like the website? Yeah, the website. That's what I was using when I was out east. It's all techy and whatnot, but- Do you even take your helmet? I got who...
8:21
You know, I got this one. [laughs] Never mind. Go ahead. I got this one. Yeah, I checked this out for these guys. [laughs] Handle, handle the tech questions. Yeah, never mind. All right, I guess it's already been done.
8:29
It is, is it bikebenefits.com? Um, I think it's bicycle- Bicycle... I, yeah, I think they all kinda funnel into, into one. Oh. I think we got all the good ones.
8:38
[laughs] We'll figure out what it is and put it in the show notes. Oh, great. Probably. So, so that- I w- I would assume bicyclebenefits.com. But when you assume... You're making assumptions.
8:49
Oh, Lord, we went to the- So last week was, uh, Bike Week here in, uh, Wisconsin. Every- Every week... and you guys had a ride.
8:57
We had, yeah, it wasn't technically part of the Bike Week thing, but it was during the week of bikes, so I guess it was kinda. You know, you're right- Fortuitous... you're right there with me, Craig.
9:05
It was, uh- Every, every week is Bike Week. [laughs] Yeah, we did a, we did a version of Steel Is Real, which was a sort of a, a, a scaled back version, but I think there was around- Oh...
9:17
40 people that kinda joined in and out of it. Yeah. And we, we, we worked with places that had outside seating and enough room for... We could have had more people at some of them, for sure. Yeah. But- You know-...
9:30
it was still a fantastic time... we, we had some, we had some classic places. Roman Co- tha- uh, thanks to all these folks, is what I'm gonna say right now. [laughs] Uh, Roman Coin, Zads,
9:39
Icehouse, Liquid Johnny's, Lefty's Lucky Town, and Black Husky, and the, uh, St. Paul Fish Market Palapa. Those were our stops.
9:50
Is everyone, uh, the people that show up on your rides usually responsible drinkers, or do you get some freshies? Uh- No, they're usually pretty experienced drinkers. Pretty, yeah. Yeah. Pretty- For the most part, yeah.
10:01
I mean- I was, yeah... and who are we to judge, though? Yeah. I mean, you know. Yeah. Well, it's not even judging, but I know what you mean. Uh- I've been on rides where it's like, I've never seen this guy before.
10:09
This person is- And they're, they're, and they're seeming very jolly, and we haven't even left. Yeah. Yeah. Either of they, they haven't ridden a bike in 10 years, and they haven't drinken in 10 years. Oh, yeah, yeah.
10:17
There's problems. Yeah. I remember my first beer. [laughs] [laughs] I, um, I will say- Yeah, this wa-... that next year I am done with this whole riding some stupid ass silly bike. I'm gonna ride- Yeah...
10:28
a real bike instead, because 22 miles on that little two-speed f- you know, separator bike, yeah, I felt like sh- crap for, like, two days. [laughs] I only feel decent today. It, it's a very small, silly, little bike.
10:42
It was pretty ridiculous. Is it like one of the swervy ones? I wish. No, it's just a 22-inch- It, it looks like. [laughs] It's a 22-inch wheeled, two-speed, kickback, Dutch separator bike. Oh, interesting.
10:53
I mean, it's great for five miles, but 25, I was in pretty rough shape. [laughs] Um, but I did make that another one, too. Sure. Um, I did, uh- Sure... I did get to ride a 36-inch wheel, uh- Uh, so you had a Coker?
11:10
I, well, it was a Surly, actually. Oh, it- Prototype. It's- No, it had a Surly sticker on it... it just had a Surly sticker on it? It was a prototype bike from somebody? [laughs] Or was that just a Coker?
11:20
Oh, it was just a Coker? Oh, okay. Um, yeah. Yeah, it just, it ju- So I got to ride a Coker, and it was fantastic. It just says Ugly on it. It is- Ugly... you laugh the whole time you ride it, man. Ugslee. Ugslee.
11:29
You are just like, 'cause you're e- the wheel, the tires. We had to help Berta off of it. She couldn't stop riding- It's just, yeah... because she couldn't put a leg down. [laughs] I mean, she, it's that tall.
11:42
The wheels are, I mean, they're 36-inch wheel. It, it's just, it was so fun. [bell ringing] Top of the hill. Top of the hill. That's probably one of several hill stops we'll make today.
11:56
[laughs]I wanted to bring out Tony's contribution to our beer today. [sighs] It is a, an Ale Asylum beer from Mad City that says, "Fvck Cvid" or however that is pronounced.
12:12
Fvck Cvid. [laughs] Yeah. Fvck Cvid. Or just fvck Cvid. Yeah. We all know. We all know it's fvck. [laughs] By the way, this is... My, my wife- It's already got the explicit...
12:21
my wife picked this up for me, and the other one I had was actually their pale ale, Fvck Cvid. Oh. And this is way better. Is it? Really? Yeah. This is a much nicer beer. It is a pilsner one. It's a very nice beer.
12:32
Yeah, it's a pils. It's a 4% pils. Oh, yeah. Um, so I... And then I noticed- Tasty bitter water... did you guys notice the little star next to the Cvid? It's, uh, also hoarders on the bottom. [laughs] Oh, nice.
12:46
Yeah, yeah. I'll have to take a picture of one of these. Oh, nice. [laughs] Also, also hoarders. Also hoarders. [laughs] So, um- Well, I kinda have that gene in me... you know.
12:54
I mean, it's kinda diluted through my family, but- I'm, I'm in bad shape with the hoarder situation, I'm not gonna lie. I have way too many bikes. I'm being very optimistic in my own appraisal of myself there.
13:04
[laughs] A lot of parts, and a lot of computer shit, and yeah. And you are on the other end of that spectrum.
13:10
[laughs] So we were, w- we were gonna have, uh, uh, gluten-free beer for Ian, but, uh, he's hydrating after his ride down to Chicago. That's cool. Well, yeah. What, what...
13:22
So h- you've had gluten-free beers in the past, right? Yeah, they actually make, uh, make one right... Actually, two here in Milwaukee. I like Broary. Yeah. And Express it makes one too.
13:32
I've had the, it's, it's their most valuable beer, you know that? Most valuable? The one they make they sell the most of. Oh, really? And it's, yeah, it's the, yeah, it's the- The New Grist?... the New Grist.
13:41
The L- the- I went on the tour and found that out... Lime, Lime Gose. That's actually pretty good. I, I've ordered that. G- I like that, like a sour beer. Yeah, yeah. So- Goes along with your personality. [laughs] Yeah.
13:55
I had a moment over the weekend. Uh-oh. [laughs] Were you in a park in Illinois? I was at, I, no, I was in a sour. I had a sour. [laughs] I got called out on being a little sour. [laughs] Hmm.
14:08
[laughs] So yeah, this bicycle excursion to Chicago is really fun. I, uh, one of the people that I've been, uh, going on a lot of these trips with is Evan Pack, who's, uh- Yeah... runs a local community bike shop.
14:21
He's- With the cutest dog in the world. [laughs] With the cutest dog in the world. A Xoloitzcuintle. But, uh- It's a hairless dog, right? Mm-hmm. Yep. Yeah. Yep. Semi. But he's all into the night riding.
14:32
[laughs] So we, we do an annual night ride to Madison. We leave at about 7:00 or 8:00 PM, and this one we took off- Wow... to Chicago at 11:00 PM. Wow. Yeah. That's just badass. So. What route did you take down there?
14:46
Uh, we went through Burlington. Um, yeah, so we a- actually went to Wheaton. Wheaton was where the puzzles were, so we took- Ah, there was a, there was a destination to pick up puzzles. Yes.
14:56
[laughs] But we rode, I think we rode on roads, uh, yeah, pretty much till about 4:30 AM or 5:00 AM, then we slept till 7:00. And then got up and, uh, yeah, rode till f- uh, like 3:00 or 4:00 in the afternoon.
15:12
Nice, nice. And got to our destination. [clears throat] Wow. So yeah, and we, and I, uh, between me and Evan we were able to recruit three others, so there was a- [laughs]... a whole posse of us. Right on, right on.
15:24
And, uh- Strength in numbers... yep, it was great. It's like almost a puzzle per bike. Yeah, I had to carry the whole back. Um- You, you got a Bob trailer, is that what you're rolling with? Yeah, I have a Bob trailer.
15:35
Oh. Yeah, I like the Bob. That, uh- Easy on, easy off... it's all covered up with crap over there, but that, uh, that Coho's kind of an interesting thing. That's a- It's a- Yeah... Burley, it's sort of a Burley Bob.
15:46
Over here? S- sitting in the w- it's, it's- Yeah, it's sitting over with the blue bag on top of it and stuff... got junk all over it, but- Mm. Oh, yeah. That's, that's- It's a, it's a quick release and- Mm.
15:54
Cool thing about that one is it can fit on any bike because of the way they made the yoke, and you just get an axle that goes through the...
16:01
They, they have all sorts of different ones, so you can use it on anything from a, a road bike to a fat bike. I think I've used that. And it even has a fat bike tire on it right now, so. Oh. Yeah. Oh, really?
16:10
In case you really need to use it. In case you really wanna go on the sand- Yeah... which we don't have any of anymore. [laughs] Right.
16:15
Yeah, the, I, I like the t- you know, the trailer works well for me 'cause I'm pretty unorganized. Yeah? So I can just like- [laughs]... throw the bag in there and just toss stuff right in.
16:24
[laughs] Instead of going through the whole bike packing, packing scenario. Yeah, with the panniers- I might need, I might need, I might need... you have to be organized. It's like a filing cabinet.
16:30
[laughs] One's like a dresser drawer, the other's like a filing cabinet. You know, speaking of- I like that dresser drawer idea. [laughs]...
16:36
speaking of, like, panniers and storage and such, I'm, uh, I, I'm thinking that for 2021 I might try to go the whole year without wearing a backpack. I'm on the no backpack plan. That's a pretty good plan.
16:50
I, uh- Do it for a whole year, man. I've been trying, but- Including, like, my work backpacks and stuff like that... ba-a-a, I'm telling you, I am Linus. I mean, that's a security blanket. I love, I totally get it.
16:59
It's a hug every time I'm riding. Even if I don't got shit in it. [laughs] You never know, I got, I have to pick up. To me it's also, like, you know, not necessarily...
17:09
It's, like, it's keeping the weight off the bike, and if I'm out riding someplace where I have to actually do some, like, actual,
17:16
well, moves on a bike, I'd like to keep the weight off the f- bike just so I can keep it on my back. So- Mm. Mm-hmm... it's, it's a, it's a balancing act, I think. It, it really is.
17:26
I think it's truly a balancing act on that one. I can tell you one I haven't, uh, mastered yet, is putting on a fairly heavy backpack whilst riding a bike no-handed. That does, did not work well for me.
17:37
[laughs] Did you do a digger? No, you forgot your freaking backpack and I- Oh, yeah. Thank you. [laughs] There was a lot of stuff in that backpack. I was trying to throw it on, I'm like, "Whoa."
17:45
[laughs] I didn't, I didn't bail, but it was, I had to hold onto the bar and do it one shoulder at a time.
17:51
We, uh, we left the, an establishment and, and, uh, I was riding with my friend Sam and his wife, and I can't remember what triggered the, "Oh, my God, I'm not wearing my backpack."
18:03
But I was in Cathedral Square, and I'm just like, "I left my backpack at..." And I turned around, and Sam's like, "I'll ride with you." And just as I turn around, here comes Greg riding by.
18:13
He's like, "I got your backpack." I'm like- [laughs] Got your backpack... or, or wait, didn't you say, "Check out my backpack"? [laughs] Yeah, I said, "Look at my new backpack." Yeah, [laughs] "Look at my new backpack."
18:20
[laughs] And I'm like, "Oh, thanks." Ground score. [laughs] So yeah, it was, uh, pretty fortunate 'cause I had my pump in it, uh, my- [laughs]...
18:28
electric, uh, you know, pump, uh, and some other- and some beer and stuff like... Somehow all my beer got drank on that trip. [laughs] Amazing. Nine, nine beers. Nine IPAs. I might have had a few of them. Nine times.
18:44
Nine times. But yes, uh, so Greg was the hero of the day, and I let him know that on the megaphone, uh, once or twice. Speaking of, where is the megaphone? It's at my house. Oh, good- Yeah... 'cause- I didn't lose it...
18:54
the box is empty here, so. [laughs] Yeah, I didn't lose it. The batteries took a beating. Uh, they fell out once. I know. So somebody else was hoarding it for a while.
19:01
Yeah, I left Kenny have it on- 'cause he bought that cool holder and, and then he yelled at me for making me carry shi- him carry my shit. So you use the thing- Happy birthday, Kenny, by the way.
19:09
Oh, it's Kenny's birthday. Oh, yes. Two days. Well, it was- Well, two days ago... it was two days ago- Yeah. Yeah... on Wednesday. Do you have the rock that he gave you? Yes, I do. God bless America.
19:19
[laughs] How long has that been g- They keep passing this rock back and forth. Yeah. Oh, yeah? Well, they- Since, um- They started out being very large rocks- Oh, shit. Yeah...
19:26
put them in each other's backpacks and- Yeah... just try to get them to carry it somewhere else.
19:30
Yeah, back at the old, uh, Solvay Coke, the old urban j- Actually, no, it was just by the tracks, kind of like by where Boone is now. Uh, my derailleur had a explosion. And as I was [laughs]
19:43
trying to like jerry-rig it and get it all together, here he's loading rocks and rocks and rocks into my backpack. [laughs] So I don't... I get it in single speed hamster wheel mode.
19:54
Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. Leave him there. Ugh, I don't even think about it. And I'm just like, "Sam, ugh, I got my backpack." I'm thinking everything else. I didn't all...
20:03
I got, ugh, from like Boone to damn Swinging Door, and that's when I figured out where all my damn weight went from. Kenny, happy [laughs] fucking birthday. [laughs] Ah, Kenny. That's- Right?
20:15
[laughs] That's the m- that's the best move that you can do- [laughs]... for e- you know, forever, sneak things into people's backpack. Oh, yeah. Yeah, that's a good one. Whatever it happens to be.
20:23
I'm still holding the rock. Yeah. And one of the slabs I kept from that- Greg, why do you have a bike up there? From that adventure is in my backyard. It's like part of garden lawn art now.
20:33
All r- Is that a bike getting shipped out or did that just come in? What bike? Huh? What, what, what, what? There's a bike wrapped in cardboard there. Was there- What's going on? What, what, what's happening?
20:40
Blue carbon, huh? I see an Elfin. What, what, what? Shiny thing. Shiny thing. Uh, that's one of the f- There's jingle keys. [laughs] That's the electric conversion. [laughs] That happens. Nice. Okay.
20:48
That will be a, a Grin all axle- Nice... healthy motored- Axle... thing. Axle. It'll be, it should be. Axle. A- axle fully. Uh, here's something. Hm? Chewy and Spinner were in town. Yes, they were. Those jerks.
21:05
I put Chewy's, uh, second show, Chewy's Salon Chair Number 2, posted that last Sunday. Nice. Might give that a listen. Oh yeah. It's, it's a conversation with his buddy Jeremy about all the rag bees they've done. Nice.
21:19
Nice. Yeah. Chewy's got a, Chewy's got a big-ass salon chair, like hair dryer thing for blue-haired ladies in his garage. That's where he puts his podcast guest, sits in that chair. Oh, yeah? [laughs] Nice.
21:30
That's a good one. That's a good one. Yeah. Yeah, they were, um, you know, they were their usual selves. Um, shit tons of fun. Uh, as you know, they're just- We did make it underground, which was good. You guys did?
21:42
That- We did the tunnel up to the first part- [laughs]... the first crossover. Chad's new name is Bubba? Bubba? Oh, yeah. Bubba. Chad Bubba. But that wasn't inside the tunnel.
21:52
That would've been kinda weird, 'cause it's dark in there. Oh, shit. That would've been- Have you ever been in there? It's underneath State Fair Park. Underneath State Fair Park? Never.
22:00
[laughs] It's three-quarters of a mile long of a storm... Well, it's actually Honey Creek is what it is, but it- It's a storm drain... it's underground for three-quarters of a mile. Wow. And if you- Like pitch black...
22:11
go all the way to the end, you have to turn around and go back out the way you came in, 'cause you can't exit. What's preventing you from exiting? A pit- Pit... pit of despair. [laughs] Oh, yeah? Big wire bars.
22:23
Big, big bars. Yeah, and, and they have this big pit to catch all the crap coming down the river so it doesn't go into the tunnel. Oh, wow. And then, so yeah, there's, so there's four tunnels. They're...
22:31
I mean, some of them are as big as this room around. They're big. Oh, geez. And, uh, yeah, it was fun. Sounds like a good place- A lot of those-... to go... a lot of people hadn't been in there yet. Yeah.
22:39
It, yeah, it's worth, it's worth checking out, even by foot. Uh-huh. I mean, just, yeah. With galoshes on. For like a first date- Yeah... kinda thing? Yeah, [laughs] exactly. Yeah, you gotta find that special someone.
22:49
[laughs] Let's go tunneling. Did you ever see the light when it comes through the manhole cover? [laughs] Or that- At midday- That's exactly-... where it takes you forever and- The pictures were-...
23:00
you're absolute blackness the way there... I, I rode on, uh, the bike that could not do that, but they, the pictures were pretty dark- Yeah... and- Yeah... and- I was surprised. I was surprised by the-
23:10
There was a lot of good lights- Way to go, way to go Technomology... which helped. Yeah. You know? Yeah, we definitely need lights. Oh, yeah. Yeah. And good ones- Lots of them... 'cause I've had sh- Yeah...
23:17
I, I remember going in there with my shit-ass light and eh, huh. [laughs] And it's, it, it's definitely better on a fat bike. Why don't you have one of those lights?
23:25
Well, you're blowing a 500 lumen at least if you wanna go- Yeah, and ours. Yeah. No, I j- actually- That's, well, that's what we were... That's what a couple of guys were riding. Oh, no. When was I?
23:33
No, no, I have the, uh- Yeah, I had a light in motion. No, I have just a [blows raspberry] What? I don't even- A cycle light... some kinda light. Like a 200. Yeah. You know, it ain't gonna do shit. I know.
23:43
Don't be going into a tunnel with a bad light. Yeah, exactly. Yeah. [laughs] Yeah. You need something to provide enough light. Or eat a shitload of carrots before you do it.
23:50
[laughs] Just hope for a damn- Hope for the best. Yeah. [laughs] Feel your way through. Do you guys follow bikepacking at all? Bikepacking.com? Not that much. No. It's my... I, I like that site.
24:01
Um, sh- Dave Schlabowski had a story about his bikepacking rig on there. I- that's a pretty good story. Dave writes good stories. What's the difference- Tell me a story...
24:10
between, uh, bike touring and bike, bike packing? Is there, like, a diff- a weight differential once you hit, like, 20 pounds, you're, like, into bike touring or- I mean, I- That's a great question...
24:19
I kind of consider bike packing if, if you're gonna be doing more off-roading and trying to ride m- true mountain biking trails.
24:26
A setup with a frame bag and a seat bag and a handlebar pack is narrower and a little bit more nimble than having panniers on- Mm-hmm... um, and racks and whatnot. And so I would think, I mean, certainly I,
24:40
uh, you can certainly do both with either. But, um, yeah, John's going to get more beer. [laughs] Um, I think that, like, bike touring is, you know, more- More roadie and- Yeah, I guess, you know-...
24:55
and heavy and- I mean, I mean, my fat bike has a rack on it that takes panniers, but, you know, 'cause you, if you're on the beach or you're on groomed snow trails that's not as narrow- It's like a more like, more like a 700c-type road tire, you know, touring tire than a...
25:10
Where bike packing is mountain biking tires. Or just different letters. Yeah. I think in the end it's what you're actually- Or it could just be different letters [laughs] Just different letters. Yeah.
25:17
It's what you're- Or it could be a new industry to market to... what you're riding. Which- It might have something to do with that, you know? Bike rack-y It could be a whole new world to promote people to- Uh-huh...
25:25
you know, buy bike, more bike stuff. Expensive bike stuff- You know? Yeah... because bike packing you wanna have a- 'Cause bike packing's pricey... you wanna have nice light- Yep...
25:32
gear so that it's not- I, I, and I have not investigated a difference, and I don't really know, but I mean, just off the- Coffee...
25:40
whatever, I'm thinking touring feels like you're touring, and you're gonna stop and stay at a hotel. Like, packing makes it feel like you're backpacking and out in the elements. Yeah, that's even better. Yeah.
25:55
'Cause then all you have to carry is this- And you just, uh-... little lightweight plastic thing. Right. And then you just go from hotel to hotel. And all your problems are solved.
26:01
See, I haven't gone through the nuanced layers of this, the many- No, those are your-... shades of gray. That's the [growls] I'm sorry.
26:08
That's just like the epitome of old white guy touring right there, is credit card touring. Oh, I... Why do you look at me with such venom? I just [laughs] said the word.
26:18
[laughs] I would look at the difference as being like, you know, bike touring is like you're carrying all your load on your bike, and then, you know, bike packing, you're carrying a mix of load on your bike as well as on your body so that the bike can still handle like the bike is intended to handle.
26:36
This is a good description. Huh. Minus the backpack. Aren't, aren't touring bikes- [laughs]... meant to handle being packed up full of stuff too though? Well, sure. Well, absolutely, yes.
26:48
However, those are designed more for paved paths rather than the off-pave paths. So if you have things that are hanging off your sides of your bike, that affects how your center of gravity behaves on off-camber trails.
27:03
And trees. Uh, I mean this in all the most due respect, but for a second there, I just totally channeled William Shatner through you.
27:12
[laughs] The way you were, the way you were stopping at certain times, I'm like- It's-... "Oh, I have to keep listening to him," but all I'm thinking of, "He's William Shatner." [laughs] Sorry, dude. Compliment.
27:23
I'll take it. [laughs] Point made. [laughs] Watching roaches climb the walls. Oh, we have to play that after this show. [laughs] Oh, that's such a good song. Such a good song. Okay. We're back. Sorry. Sorry.
27:39
Sorry for the non-sequitur. [laughs] I'm tearing. I'm tearing, that was so funny. I started watching, uh, Long Way Up last week. What's that? It's a, it's a show with Ewan McGregor from, uh- Ewan?...
27:53
Star Wars fame, and, and his, a buddy of his, Charley, that, uh, they've done adventure motorcycle riding around the world- Mm... in several different places. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
28:03
The current one though is kinda cool because they're using Harley Livewires. Well- From the tip of Patagonia to- They're using a Livewire as well as a Sportster, and I've seen- Two Livewires.
28:13
Uh, well- They're completely... Did you watch it yet? No, it's... Yeah. No, I've seen, I have the bikes where I work. Ah.
28:19
Well, the ones that they're using on the show are the s- they're the same and they've been adventure bike-ized, so maybe they swapped them out or something. [laughs] Yes.
28:26
Yes, there's a, uh, there's a one, one of them is a Livewire, and then one of them is a Sportster 1200. 1200. And not what you're gonna get off the showroom floor, folks.
28:37
[laughs] They have two of the prototype Rivian electric trucks too. Nice. And Rivian- Those are kinda cool...
28:44
did a whole all the way up Centr- uh, South and Central America, they put charging stations in just for this thing that they're gonna leave there- [laughs] Nice... after the trip so that they can- Pretty cool. Yeah.
28:56
Yeah, it's a cool...
28:57
I mean, it's a good, it's a good bit if you like that kind of like go to a cool place, see some stuff, do some motorcycle riding and- Well, as long as you're leaving something behind like a charging station, I, I approve.
29:06
Charging stations, and they do stuff for UNICEF- That's kinda baller. I mean- They do stuff for UNICEF too. They stop at a lot of places- All right... and do- All right. I guess I can kinda-...
29:12
charity work for UNICEF I don't know enough of the details, but I just see the bikes sitting at me where, across from where I work. I've seen those bikes. So- Watch the show... yeah...
29:22
I'm, I'm interested because- They have two electric motorcycles. [laughs] Say it again. Long Way Up. It's on Apple TV, so you're gonna have to buy an Apple product and then get it somehow. Eh, it's gonna happen.
29:31
[laughs] Or, or some other way around. Way around it. I bet you I could find- There's another way. There is a way around it. There's always a way. There's always a way. Like- You can watch it right here on this TV...
29:40
uh, uh, oh yeah, see? Uh, uh, like- Where's the new couch going? Like right there... uh, finds a way. Uh. Watch it over there. Watch it. Hey. Ian, what are your plans coming up? How long you hanging in Milwaukee for?
29:53
Um, at least, well, I don't know. I haven't decided. Tomorrow we're, uh, putting on a, a banana bread at Juneau Park, kind of like a bike commuter, uh, breakfast. Was that yesterday in, since this goes on Friday?
30:05
[laughs] Yesterday. Yesterday we did that. How was it? It was great. It was so good. Yeah? Oh, that wa- oh, man. People ate so much bread and drank so much coffee. Num, num, num.
30:15
They were suited out and- So what, where is it and what time? Oh, June- Just in case we wanna go to it... Juneau Park at, uh, 7:30 to 9:30 AM. Right on. I'm already working.
30:24
Yep Well, take off for half a day Yeah, maybe I'll do some deliveries Yeah. [laughs] It's like, "Oh, oh, yeah, I have a thing." You know, when you have a Face- I worked this Saturday...
30:33
when you have a Facebook page, you can just kinda come up with an event, post an event, and just do it And people show up. Yep. Who's making the banana bread? Let me guess. Oh, it's already made. Eh? Annie?
30:43
Oh, no, I made it. Oh, nice. Nice. No, but Annie does make some good banana bread. And pies. And pies. Mm-hmm. Oh, yeah, y'all were on the pie ride. Yeah, the pie ride. Oh, that was good. It was a good ride.
30:55
Let's do that, let's do that again. Y'all went on the pie ride and I didn't. [laughs] I like, well, and I like the pie ride idea because it isn't just going to establishments- Yeah...
31:02
and stopping at folks house that make stuff for you to eat along the way and- Mm-hmm. Yeah, that was nice that you were around for that. Yeah, that's coming up.
31:10
And we might be- That's the, it's, it's a whole different crew than I normally ride with, which was- Uh-huh... kind of fun because people do different things on their bikes and- I'm curious about this.
31:18
Yeah, let's bring our crews together. And involves pie and bikes. How could you not be curious? I, I make paella. Oh. That would probably add a new- Ooh, that's a good one... twist to the pie. Oh. Starts with pie.
31:30
Paella. Paella. This is good. Paella rider. We wanna have you as a stop this year. It's P-I-A dot dot dot. Or P-I-E dot dot dot dot. No, but it's all about- P-I-... the sound. Yeah, exactly Yeah. It sounds like pie.
31:43
Tony, make sure you get a picture of, um, John's shirt. That too, yeah. Since we do pimp Steve-o Knievel's site every now and again, it said, "All hail the black market"- Yeah... shirt. It, it looks fairly new too.
31:54
Sandtown proud, my friend. Suck it in. Third, third wearing. Suck it in. That, that's... [laughs] That's me a little fat boy. Husky, husky. No, that's big-boned. Husky, husky. You're not fat, you're big-boned.
32:10
Yeah, we should have some kind of ride this year, like, when bike gangs unite or something like that. [laughs] We all dress as like, yeah, like- Oh, that'd be funny. You got the- Warriors.
32:18
[laughs] You got the fat bikers showing up, spandex crowd, and then, like, the ragtag crews, and they all kinda like show up. That should be the way it goes all year round. Yeah. Mm-hmm.
32:28
The crazy bike black ribbon guys just- Yeah Yeah... And the path- the path leads just do laps around you. [laughs] We ride together. We ride shit together.
32:36
And sometimes it's fucking scary, and sometimes it's fucking easy, and it's all the time it's fucking fun. All, all fun all the time. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm. All right, man.
32:46
Well, anything else you wanna add in before we wrap this puppy up? Ooh, anything I wanna add? Yes. Save- The website, bicyclebenefits.org. Yeah. Org. Org. Yep. Start the, start Bike Benefits in your community, and, uh,
33:00
stay hyped, ride bikes. Right arm, right arm. Right arm. Love that. Thanks for coming, dude. Thanks for being on.
33:07
[upbeat music]
New episodes, straight to your inbox.
Subscribe
