Bike Talk

BikeTalk

We are a bike advocacy and culture podcast based in Los Angeles, Ca.

  1. 7H AGO

    26/07 Holding The Line

    Get a Bike Talk Sticker for your positive review. Listener email: Desmond on winter Riding and specifically mittens that attach to your handlebars, called pogies (1:41). The City of Los Angeles is set to give back over $100 million of previously won money for active transportation projects because it can’t build them in time, reports Founder of LA Streets For All Michael Schneider https://bsky.app/profile/streetsforall.org/post/3metn6f54fk2u (3:22). Can Police Stop You on a Bike for No Reason? Our lawyer says no, but your goal is to get home alive (7:30). Boston cyclists cleared a bike lane themselves after weeks of neglect from the city. With Tiffany Cogell, ED of the Boston Cyclists’ Union (13:18). Charlie’s News: a road diet in Newton, MA has decreased car traffic and increased cycling use https://mass.streetsblog.org/2026/02/10/traffic-analysis-shows-newton-bikeway-project-reduced-car-traffic-speeding-and-crashes. PennDot is set to invest $17 million in safety improvement projects https://bicyclecoalition.org/penndot-to-invest-17-million-to-advance-safety-improvement-projects-in-southeast-pennsylvania/. Little Rock, AZ plans to finish a river trail and implement a road diet https://katv.com/news/local/little-rock-public-works-shares-updates-on-bike-and-pedestrian-projects-reporter-autumn-foltz-director-maneesh-krishnan-bicycle-advocacy-of-central-arkansas-baca-river-trail. Atlanta, GA will have another round of eBike rebates https://www.wabe.org/atlantas-e-bike-rebate-program-is-returning-for-a-second-round/. Zohran Mamdani revives projects shut down by the Adams administration in NYC https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/12/nyregion/mamdani-bus-bike-lanes.html (17:29). Part 1 of an interview with Peter Norton, author of Fighting traffic, Street rivals, and Autonorama: The Illusory Promise of High-Tech Driving (18:39). Luke Hoffman, the executive director of the Iowa Bicycle Coalition,  on House Study Bill 637, also known as the "bicycle ban bill," that proposed restrictive regulations on biking in Iowa https://www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/publications/LGI/91/Attachments/HSB637_ADA.pdf (48:47).

    58 min
  2. 26/06 Solidarity

    FEB 13

    26/06 Solidarity

    Listener Sean in Montana writes a good review for stickers. St. Paul, Minnesota rider and cartoonist Andy Singer drops in virtually to talk about the recent Alex Pretti memorial ride (1:09). A spec Super Bowl ad for kids biking and walking to school by Tom Flood (5:12). 1,200 riders rode 42 stationary bikes for four days to generate power for the first energy-neutral Super Bowl broadcast, the Fox pre-game show https://lancasteronline.com/potholes/bicycles-power-super-bowl/article_b549506f-1944-54f6-a4f9-06dab7060cf6.html (6:51). Chicago’s Cycling Solidarity organizer Rick Rosales drops in to Taylor’s LA garage in real life. Rick talks with Taylor about Cycling Solidarity’s focus on mutual aid and vendor buyout rides to support the community targeted by ICE https://www.instagram.com/cyclingxsolidarity/?hl=en (7:38). Taylor talks to Los Angeles City Controller Kenneth Mejia, who asks why the city spends so much on lawsuits instead of making streets safer (15:50). Femmes and Friends ride organizer Alison Stewart on the 2nd annual bike fair in Toronto https://femmesandfriends.ca/events/ (30:18). Rob Kadota on training “captains” of tandems to ride with disabled or visually impaired “stokers” (40:05). Charlie’s news: NJ eBike insurance could cost hundreds https://whyy.org/articles/new-jersey-e-bike-law-discrimination/. The National Bike Summit is coming up in March https://bicyclecoalition.org/join-the-bicycle-coalition-for-the-2026-national-bike-summit-and-lobby-day/. A new study claims traffic calming leads to better quality of life https://www.cyclingwest.com/news/new-report-shows-that-traffic-calming-leads-to-better-quality-of-life/. Boston cyclists cleared a bike lane themselves after weeks of neglect from the city https://www.instagram.com/reels/DUb045lj2EX/ (48:00). Northeast Los Angeles rider Michael Rucker on a good ride that got big https://www.instagram.com/cyclingclubcyclingclub/?hl=en (50:05).

    58 min
  3. 26/04 One of Us

    JAN 30

    26/04 One of Us

    Alex Pretti, murdered by ICE in Minneapolis, was a bike rider. Laura Groenjes Mitchell of Our Streets Minneapolis and Brett Macgraw of the West Metro Active Transportation Alliance share a multi-city memorial ride for Alex Pretti started by his local bike shop, the Angry Catfish https://bikepacking.com/news/alex-pretti-memorial-rides/. Also, a fundraiser for people trapped by ICE in Minneapolis https://bsky.app/profile/lauragmitchell.com/post/3mbvajnjdx22t (0:46) A Die-in on the steps of Los Angeles’ City Hall to protest the 290 traffic deaths in LA last year. With Damian Kevitt, E.D. of Streets Are For Everyone (8:10). Charlie's News: A damaging e-bike bill is signed in New Jersey https://www.peopleforbikes.org/news/new-jersey-most-restrictive-ebike-law, and Hoboken’s successful pilot program that got drivers out of bike and bus lanes hasn’t been renewed https://nyc.streetsblog.org/2026/01/20/hobokens-short-lived-camera-enforcement-program-got-drivers-out-of-bike-and-bus-lanes, but at least the state is getting $14 million for bike and pedestrian projects https://bicyclecoalition.org/14-million-awarded-to-bicycle-and-pedestrian-projects-in-new-jersey/. Columbia, South Carolina won’t be getting its bike share program back https://www.thestate.com/home-page-carousel/article314414134.html. Atlanta is poised for another round of e-bike rebates https://atlanta.urbanize.city/post/atl-hit-e-bike-rebate-program-making-comeback (17:31). Jim Pocrass addresses Scofflaw Cyclist myths (12:20). Our all-weather bike panel address the “no one bikes x months of the year” trope. Sarah Bisbee in Edmonton, Patty Wiens in Winnipeg, Patrick Murphy in Montreal, Nicholas Laporte in Vancouver, Victor Koves in Chicago, Jim Cadenhead in Boston, and Ignacio “Nacho” Delgadillo in Tempe- for the hot perspective (21:40). Stacey’s Bike Thought (54:18).

    58 min
  4. 26/03 Occupied By Biking

    JAN 23

    26/03 Occupied By Biking

    Do we need e-shifters? Is Taylor a luddite? (0:19) Listener Email: South Carolina’s Freeway for Bikes https://www.reddit.com/r/bikecommuting/comments/1qinw7z/south_carolinas_freeway_for_bikes_it_makes/ (2:43) Blind riding in tandem with Sonya Chapnick (3:44). Charlie’s News: New York Governor Kathy Hochul proposes a “stop super speeders” pilot program https://empire.streetsblog.org/state-of-the-state-exclusive-hochul-will-push-stop-super-speeders-bill-through-her-budget. Check out the best new bike lanes of 2025 https://www.peopleforbikes.org/news/best-new-bike-lanes-2025. A New Jersey ebike lumping law threatens low-income riders and immigrants https://hudsoncountyview.com/op-ed-murphy-must-veto-anti-safety-anti-affordability-anti-immigrant-e-bike-bill/. Ontario government spent hundreds of thousands in the legal fight to rip up bike lanes in Toronto https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/foi-shows-province-external-lawyer-cost-bike-lane-challenge-9.7042278 (14:33). NY Governor Kathy Hochul wants to appease our car oppressors with cheap insurance and low coverage in NY, StreetsblogNYC editor Gersh Kuntzman says in this NY Minute https://nyc.streetsblog.org/2026/01/14/gov-hochuls-car-insurance-cuts-threaten-payouts-to-crash-victims-experts (17:19). On “Everything That Has Changed Since Congestion Pricing Started in New York,” with NY Times writer Emily Badger https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/05/11/upshot/congestion-pricing.html (19:43). Los Angeles Bikerowave Co-op Head Mechanic Shane Quentin on the co-op model. Interviewed by Liana at Bike! Bike! in Mexico City (39:50).

    58 min
  5. 26/02 Hopes

    JAN 16

    26/02 Hopes

    Bike Mechanic Jim Cadenhead consults with Taylor about fixing a flat on his Surly. Problems: there's a thru-axle and he thought it was tubeless (2:45). Charlie’s News: Virginia plans to get rid of parking minimums in September https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/HB262. Zohran pleases some as he smooths a notorious bump at the end of Williamsburg Bridge https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/06/nyregion/mamdani-pothole-williamsburg-bridge-bump.html, but leaves others dissatisfied with the continuation of cyclists receiving criminal summonses https://nyc.streetsblog.org/2026/01/07/mamdani-says-he-opposes-tischs-criminal-bike-crackdown-but-its-apparently-still-in-place. Over 2,700 ebikes have been sold and subsidized in the Bay Area in the last 6 months https://oaklandside.org/2026/01/08/alameda-ava-energy-ebike-voucher-program-2000-purchased-east-bay/. As mountain biking gains popularity, bike parks are becoming the status quo instead of traditional trail development https://www.bikemag.com/mountain-bike-trails/mountain-biking-parks-vs-trails (11:13). Zohran Mamdani's transportation and bike focus in his first week as Mayor of NYC through the eyes of Carl Mahaney, Director of Streetopia Upper West Side; Sophia Lebowitz, reporter with Streetsblog NYC; Miser, who runs the Micromobility NYC subreddit; and Shabazz Stuart, founder and CEO of Oonee bike storage (16:20). The NYPD targeted cyclists in the Williamsburg Bridge bike lane near the “zohramp,” where Mamdani personally fixed a bump. Meanwhile, drivers ran red lights with impunity https://www.reddit.com/r/MicromobilityNYC/s/Wi4hDxk6eA (42:22). Los Angeles is ‘throwing good money after bad’ trying to solve the traffic problem at its airport, LAX, says Jacob Wasserman https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2025-12-16/lax-airport-traffic-olympics (46:06).

    58 min
4.7
out of 5
42 Ratings

About

We are a bike advocacy and culture podcast based in Los Angeles, Ca.

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