Bike Talk

BikeTalk

4.8 (49)
Health & Fitness
Updated Weekly

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

6d ago

Back in the Saddle 26/29

Is biking in wildfire smoke the new normal? Portland broke the GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ title for the largest electric bicycle ride on July 19! Claire Vlach, BikeLoud PDX Communications Director, reports back to Taylor https://www.portland.gov/transportation/news/2026/7/19/news-release-portland-breaks-guinness-world-recordstm-title-largest#:~:text=(July%2019%2C%202026)%20With,previous%20record%20holders%20in%20Seattle. 2:41 Peter Norton, author of “Autonoroma: The Illusory Promise of High-Tech Driving,” on why Autonomous Vehicles won't save us, Part II https://bookshop.org/a/99134/9781642832402. 13:18 NEWS-The Wu administration shelved safety plans for Boston streets where a driver killed Louisa Gag-a bike activist, transportation planner, and member of Boston Mayor Michelle Wu's staff https://mass.streetsblog.org/2026/07/14/wu-administration-shelved-safety-plans-for-mission-hill-streets-where-driver-killed-louisa-gag. Louisa worked at Living Streets Alliance before working with Mayor Wu https://www.livablestreets.info. Xandro Meurisse struck from behind by car driver after Tour de France time trial https://www.cyclingnews.com/pro-cycling/racing/bike-broken-and-police-on-the-scene-as-xandro-meurisse-struck-from-behind-by-car-driver-after-tour-de-france-time-trial/. Atlanta's new bike barriers are flipping cars (and it's not the barriers' fault) https://www.motorbiscuit.com/atlantas-new-bike-barriers-are-flipping-cars-and-sparking-debate/. RAGBRAI 53 https://ragbrai.com/. 26:03 The president of Greater Boston New England Mountain Bike Association, Mary McCarthy, on the meaning of bike advocate/Boston Transportation Planner Louisa Gag's death to the community in Boston. 28:31 Political stars including Mayoral candidate Nithya Raman spoke in support of CicLAvia’s open street at its “Meet the Hollywoods” event this past Sunday. Meanwhile, CicLAvia reported that LA Metro was about to quietly end future funding for open street events and asked for support. People phoned and emailed Metro’s board, and the Board voted unanimously to advance a motion to identify additional funding dedicated to open street events through 2028 https://mailchi.mp/ciclavia/metro-board-funding-july26?e=acba072215. 29:44 Nick meets Dan Bolognani and Dan McGuinness, core members of the Western New England Greenway, a multi-segment, multi-state bike route that links New York City and Montreal, on a recent ride with Bike Talk listener Tom O’Brien https://wnegreenway.org/events/. 31:31 Robin and Amy Verner, a retired couple on the Western New England Greenway ride, on how they bought a segment of rail trail near their home in Manchester, Vermont and made it part of the WNEG bike network. 35:30 Taylor interviews the Lansing Bike Party members Tim and Jeff Potter, Andy Rohrer, and Rick Oberle https://www.facebook.com/groups/lansingbikeparty/. 38:47 Amy Verner on what it was like to be a boomer in the bike business and how the bike business catered to boomers. 49:50
Jul 17

Welcome Home 26/28

Taylor completes his bike journey from California to Michigan and is met by his 101 year old father, Irving “Irv” Nichols, who still drives. This sparks a discussion of the possibility of a future where Autonomous Vehicles are required with our Bike Lawyer, Jim Pocrass. Listener Email- Mitch Hull of Battle Creek offers Taylor a place to stay and help with his bike. 13:37 Taylor’s day is saved by Rick, mid-michigan bike advocate and urban planner, who lets Taylor draft behind him. 15:06 Why Autonomous Vehicles won't make us safer, with Peter Norton, author of Autonorama: The Illusory Promise of High Tech Driving https://bookshop.org/a/99134/9781642832402. 20:09 An obituary for 77 year old Charlie Cunningham, mountain bike pioneer, by Jim Cadenhead, who interviewed Charlie’s wife, mountain bike pioneer Jacquie Phelan, for Bike Talk https://biketalk.org/2025/03/bike-talk-2509-the-firecracker-a-vigil-an-icon-and-two-directors/. 38:18 Jim also reflects on the killing of Louisa Gag, a longtime street safety advocate and transportation planner, who was on her bike in Boston when hit by a truck driver https://mass.streetsblog.org/2026/07/10/louisa-gag-longtime-street-safety-advocate-identified-as-thursdays-crash-victim. 39:25 Taylor gets a tour from curator Alyssa Young at the Deke Slayton Memorial Space & Bicycle Museum in the self proclaimed bicycling capital of America, Sparta, Wisconsin https://www.dekeslaytonmuseum.org. 41:30 Taylor interviews a group of older e-bike riders on getting e-assisted through the famous pitch black tunnels of the Elroy Sparta trail in Sparta https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/parks/elroysparta. 49:06 Taylor reflects on his trip. 52:40
Jul 10

Ride Safe 26/27

Back on the bike and headed East in Minneapolis, Taylor finds out what’s next from Brian and Mary Georgia on day 33 of their ride West from the Outer Banks of N.C. 2:23 Tom O’Brien goes over the 2-day ride Nick’s about to do on the Western New England Greenway, a bike-friendly route from Norwalk, CT to Canada https://wnegreenway.org. 6:09 Listener emails: a boost from Baltimore Fred, concerned Karen in L.A., and Jens in Norway on the politics of bikelash. 9:00 Families For Safe Streets on who they are, their Stop Superspeeders laws in 18 states, their framework requiring Autonomous Vehicle travel to be as safe as air travel, and increased insurance requirements in D.C. With Sam Trumbull, D.C. FSS leader https://www.familiesforsafestreets.org/stop-super-speeders. 16:19 News: Conservationists ride 2,500 miles for whooping cranes https://flatwaterfreepress.org/a-nebraska-photographer-rode-his-bike-from-texas-to-canada-he-did-it-for-the-cranes/. Cape Verdeans in New Bedford, Mass. celebrate 51 years of independence with their 47th annual community bike ride https://www.newbedfordguide.com/cape-verdeans-revive-47-year-bike-ride-picnic-tradition-to-celebrate-dual-independence-in-new-bedford/2026/07/02. Edmonton, Canada bike path plans hit resistance from parking advocates https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/edmonton-city-council-bike-lanes-capilano-9.7260871. The US Transportation Secretary will redirect $1.73 billion in Biden-era grants away from establishing “DEI bike lanes” to build car infrastructure https://newrepublic.com/post/212853/donald-trump-transportation-secretary-bike-lanes-dei. 30:25 Taylor talks with Minneapolis bike advocates Laura Mitchell, Luke Van Santin and Brett McGraw about whether there are too many bike advocacy organizations. 33:08 Fellow traveler Jake Hess on the transition back to normal from a big bike tour. 39:56
Jul 3

Taylor's Trip Interrupted 26/26

Taylor unwinds with Dylan, Laura, and Brett Mcgraw after they escort him into Minneapolis. 2:38 Taylor talks to Jules, Mel, and Brian at Minneapolis’ People’s Pride Ride. 10:01 Taylor talks to Christina, a Hennepin County DOT Bike & Ped planner, at the Minneapolis Pride Ride. 16:28 Taylor talks to the manager at Venture Bikes, more than a bike shop in Minneapolis. 21:05 Advice for a listener, Kimberly, planning a bike tour in North Dakota. 24:15 News: Carlsbad launches an online portal to report dangerous e-bike riders https://www.cbs8.com/article/news/local/carlsbad-launches-online-portal-report-dangerous-e-bike-riders/509-1ff0af88-5118-4c0f-828d-09c3edf32a90. Virginia and Arizona will be the first states to incorporate speed-limiting devices for dangerous drivers https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/virginia-install-speed-limiter-combat-144534834.html. The Dutch National Soccer team bought 17 bikes from a Kansas City shop after Momentum magazine ranked the 16 World Cup venues by bike access and KC came in last place https://www.kansascity.com/sports/fifa-world-cup/article316077245.html. 28:50 Families For Safe Streets released a framework for regulating autonomous vehicles like the aviation industry. Marco Connor summarizes the framework https://www.familiesforsafestreets.org. 31:21 Taylor meets Bob, a rider touring America from East to West coast. 45:18
Jun 26

Virtuous Cycle 26/25

Highs and Lows- Shane, a rider who’s fresh off a double century in North Dakota, lifts Taylor’s sagging spirits. 1:48 Bike mechanic/ owner of Battle Road Bikes Jim Cadenhead advises Taylor on his stuck shifter. 9:45 News: A cop hits a rider in a protected lane in Brooklynhttps://nyc.streetsblog.org/2026/06/16/to-protect-and-unnerve-cop-hits-cyclist-with-squad-car-in-a-protected-bike-lane. California denies LA’s request for more time on its street improvement projects https://laist.com/news/transportation/california-active-transportation-grants?fbclid=IwZnRzaASgRHBleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEeWu2I2rXzwMIat2-qiF9g4b12PPTK_Eg_Mu_6wjc0mxFVPtnhCode1038OBE_aem_cXjPTApaDIK1kyfEFIhnGg. The UCI Mountain Bike World Series finishes Lake Placid https://www.ucimtbworldseries.com. Lime beats world bikeshare record during the USA-Australia 2026 World Cup match in Seattle https://www.sounderatheart.com/2026/06/lime-bikes-smashes-ridership-record-for-usa-australia/. 15:30 A new study by Marcel Moran shows protected bike lanes increase ridership, unlike sharrows and painted lanes https://www.nature.com/articles/s44333-026-00107-2. 18:50 Preserving Safe Bikeways SB 569, Sponsored by the California Bicycle Coalition, would make it a little harder to rip out bike lanes that took years to build. With Andrew Wright, Communications Director of the California Bicycle Coalition https://www.calbike.org/press-release-preserving-safe-bikeways-sb-569/. 30:26 Host of RollingThru, a PBS bicycle travel series exploring climate solutions, community and culture from Buffalo to Brooklyn-Patrick Kelly https://www.pbs.org/video/trailer-rolling-thru-i1xoju/. 34:45 Taylor meets 71 year old cross country rider Kay, again https://kaybikes4kids.com. 50:15
Jun 18

26/24 Creative Approaches to Open Streets

Still touring, Taylor finds the Stray Bullet Restaurant in Ovando, MT and talks with the owner, Leigh Ann Valiton. 2:39 Taylor gets his shifter fixed by Brandon on the mechanic's last day at Bighorn Bike Shop in Great Falls, MT. 7:43 In a NY Minute, Streetsblog NYC Editor Gersh Kuntzman explains how Knicks fans reclaimed NYC streets from cars. 10:30 News: Driver kills kids on bikes on an unprotected path in the Netherlands https://dutchreview.com/news/four-dead-after-car-hits-dutch-school-group/. A student bikes from Pennsylvania to Texas to root for Japan in the World Cup https://www.wtae.com/article/western-pa-student-bikes-world-cup-match/71580228. Fans bike 11,000 miles from Argentina to the World Cup in Texas https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/argentina-fans-bike-over-11-200036030.html. 11:37 Chicago Bike Grid Now! organizer Chris Gentry on a die-in and rides in memory of Riley O'Neil, a Complete Streets planner who led Chicago's bike parking program and was killed after being doored in an unprotected bike lane https://chi.streetsblog.org/2026/06/17/complete-streets-planner-riley-oneil-died-in-a-paint-only-bike-lane-protesters-demand-we-value-people-over-parking. 13:00 Creative approaches to funding open streets events from the pros who organize open streets in LA, Minnesota, San Francisco and NYC: John Surico https://www.johnsurico.com, Max Musicant https://www.musicantgroup.com, Dr. Adonia Lugo https://www.urbanadonia.com, Tafarai Bayne https://recreation.parks.lacity.gov/commissioners/tafarai-bayne-bio, Darin Ow-Wing https://livablecity.org/our-team/, and Yuliya Flynn https://www.yuliyaflynn.com. Executive produced and hosted by Karen Douglas. 17:00 Taylor gets tips on where to eat and camp in Fort Benton, MT. from Tim. 54:10
Jun 12

26/23 Car Supremacy

Who can you sue when an AV hits you? “Everyone," says our lawyer, Jim Pocrass. 4:52 Taylor, still on his bike tour, reaches Adventure Cycling Headquarters in Missoula, Montana and gets a tour of bike “Mecca” from Customer Experience Coordinator Josh Bowden. 13:04 News CDOT employee known for bike safety work killed in a painted bike lane https://abc7chicago.com/amp/post/riley-oneil-cdot-chicago-employee-known-bike-safety-work-killed-semi-crash-cycling-halsted-street-bridgeport/19248650/. Seattle teacher killed biking where a planned bike lane had been cancelled https://www.axios.com/local/seattle/2026/06/05/seattle-teacher-killed-bicycle-crash-12th-yesler-protected-bike-lane. Las Vegas Advocates map bike racks https://usa.streetsblog.org/2026/06/01/these-advocates-are-mapping-and-grading-every-bike-rack-in-town. 11:09 Car supremacy: Deconstructing the ideology driving our modal hierarchy, a study by Ashton Rohmer. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/00420980261437938 19:15 NYC's 72nd st. 2-way protected bike lane wins the Manhattan Community Board 7 vote, but the backlash at the meeting says a lot https://nyc.streetsblog.org/2026/06/03/upper-west-side-w-72nd-vote. 35:28 Taylor meets cross country riders Jenny and Vince in Stites, Idaho. 48:55
Jun 5

26/22 Touring Together

Taylor and Marc Gomes on the unexpected beauty of Eastern Oregon and the dynamics of long-distance riding with an old friend. 0:22 Eurosports Bike Shop in Sisters, Oregon 4:58 The Good Bike Company Prineville, Oregon 9:39 Jalet Farrell at the Spoke'n Hostel, a five star, donation-based hostel in Mitchell, Oregon https://www.spokenhostel.org 10:32 News: An escooter/bike crash kills both riders on NYC's Queensboro Bridge https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/deadly-queensboro-bridge-crash-enforcement/?intcid=CNR-02-0623. A Netherlands court decides how much foot movement counts as ‘pedaling’ an e-bike https://electrek.co/2026/05/31/a-court-just-decided-how-much-foot-movement-counts-as-pedaling-an-e-bike/. Wildlife is impacted by an oil spill in the LA River https://ktla.com/news/local-news/wildlife-impacted-by-oil-spill-in-la-river/. 17:07 Dan Langenkamp talks about getting the Sarah Debbink Langenkamp Active Transportation Safety Act into the Federal Transportation Reauthorization Act. The bill is named for Dan's wife Sarah, who was killed by a truck driver while riding in a bike lane. It highlights the need to fill gaps in biking and walking networks and makes it easier for states and local governments to use Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) dollars to build safe bicycling and pedestrian infrastructure. https://bikeleague.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Sarah-Debbink-Langenkamp-Safety-Act-Fact-Sheet.pdf#:~:text=What%20it%20is»%20Sarah%20Debbink,killed%20weeks%20later%20while%20riding, https://rideforyourlife.org 19:15 Another email from Baltimore Fred and one from Nick’s mom, both rooting for Taylor on his ride. 29:00 Irwin from the Netherlands rides with an American flag since getting hit by a car in Kentucky. 30:22 Advocates declare a Traffic State of Emergency in Los Angeles. We talk to Damian Kevitt of Streets Are For Everyone and Jonathan Hale of People's Vision Zero https://ujoin.co/campaigns/4275/actions/public?action_id=6456. 35:28 Taylor and Marc meet Kay Schuster, woman who rode coast to coast in 1976 at 21, and is riding again at 71 https://kaybikes4kids.com. 51:27

See All (500)

4.8

out of 5

49 Ratings

Must listen podcast

Jul 3

Baltimore-Fred

I wrote a review for Bike Talk in March, 2026. Somehow, the rating shows as 3 stars - NOT INTENTIONAL ! It is definitely a 5 Star podcast.I love this show even more now. Taylor’s trip across the US (and the wonderful interviews that go with it) keep me waiting for the next episode to drop.
Entertaining and Informative

Jun 21

Mast8ce

Thank you for making the world a better place. Appreciate the stories, insights, and updates!
Consistently excellent show, covering bicycle stories from LA to Chicago to NYC.

Jun 4

escalator66

Bike Talk is the one podcast I never miss. It is about more than bicycle advocacy, although Nick and Taylor have lots of bicycle advocate guests and that is always informative. It is really about the joy that riding a bicycle can bring to EVERYONE. From children to people with disabilities, older people, people who never learned to ride until well into their adulthood. All these groups need places to ride safely, without fear. There is a lot going on across the country and Bike Talk somehow covers it all.
Liberating

Apr 4

TimSoulsurfer

The in-depth nature of bicycles and culture doesn’t get spoken about enough, Bike Talk on every episode has guest speakers who are educated and practiced in what they discuss about bicycle culture and how it impacts everyone’s life. Nick and Taylor aren’t hosts full of themselves, they are here to tell the ever unfolding story of the bicycle. The opinions of lawmakers, politicians, blue collar, white collar, everyone has a seat at the Bike Talk Table.

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

Creator

BikeTalk
Years Active

2017 - 2026
Episodes

500
Rating

Clean
Show Website

Bike Talk

Bike Talk

Back in the Saddle 26/29

Welcome Home 26/28

Ride Safe 26/27

Taylor's Trip Interrupted 26/26

Virtuous Cycle 26/25

26/24 Creative Approaches to Open Streets

26/23 Car Supremacy

26/22 Touring Together

Must listen podcast

Entertaining and Informative

Consistently excellent show, covering bicycle stories from LA to Chicago to NYC.

Liberating

About

Information

Bike Talk

Episodes

Back in the Saddle 26/29

Welcome Home 26/28

Ride Safe 26/27

Taylor's Trip Interrupted 26/26

Virtuous Cycle 26/25

26/24 Creative Approaches to Open Streets

26/23 Car Supremacy

26/22 Touring Together

Ratings & Reviews

About

Information