Bike Talk

BikeTalk
  • 4.7 (45)
  • HEALTH & FITNESS
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

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

  1. 1D AGO

    26/15 Bike Bus, Bike Tour, Bike City, Bike Sport

    A school bike bus is recognized by the Burbank, California City Council for promoting safe, active Transportation. With Alfonso Directo, Jr. Advocacy Director of Act-LA and Roosevelt Elementary School parent https://www.act-la.org/ (2:53). Bike Films: “Major Taylor: Champion of the Race" Earns National News & Documentary Emmy Award Nomination-can now be streamed https://video.indianapublicmedia.org/video/major-taylor-champion-of-the-race-7pwxvd/ (9:40). “Changing Lanes,” a documentary about the conflict over a protected bike lane in Greenpoint, Brooklyn on McGuinness Boulevard. Taylor talks with the Director of Changing Lanes, Ben Wolf https://www.changinglanesdoc.com/ (10:28). Listener Email: Julian disputes Asha Weinstein’s take on high powered bikes from Bike Talk’s 26/12 episode https://biketalk.org/2026/03/26-12-bike-more-worry-less-e-bikes-and-avs/(15:04). Stacey’s (Charlie’s) News: Jersey City Approves First Protected Bike Lane in The Heights Along Franklin Street https://jerseydigs.com/protected-bike-lane-jersey-city-heights/. The City of Detroit makes bike lane data available to all riders online https://www.wxyz.com/news/region/detroit/city-of-detroit-makes-bike-lane-data-available-to-all-riders-online. Local Cyclists Fund Their Own Bike Lane Sweeper as City Fails to Maintain Infrastructure https://momentummag.com/bike-lane-sweeper-richmond-virginia/ (18:25). An urban planner running on safe streets and active transportation for the City Council of Glendale, California, Alek Bartrosouf https://www.alekforglendale.com/ (20:39). The Spring Classics 2026 with Dane Cash of the Escape Collective https://escapecollective.com/author/danecash/ (32:50). Coffee and bikes (53:32). A bill to cap NY Citibikes at the price of a bus or subway ride by NYC Councilmember Lincoln Restler https://nyc.streetsblog.org/2024/09/16/restler-bill-to-cap-e-bike-fees-sets-the-bar-high-for-citi-bikes-future (54:35)

    58 min
  2. 26/14 Biking Is Not a Crime

    APR 10

    26/14 Biking Is Not a Crime

    Taylor plans a May bikepacking trip from San Francisco to Michigan. A listener explains why she uses a backpack instead of panniers, and Tim Dyet’s review says “everyone gets a seat at the (Bike Talk) table.” (5:15) The Safe Speeds Act will require the CSPC to distinguish ebikes from illegal emotos, if passed https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/7839/text?s=1&r=1&hl=hr+7839. However, the CSPC, charged with protecting consumers from things like exploding e-bike batteries, was gutted by the Trump administration for regulating lithium ebike batteries. Caron Whitaker, Deputy Director of the League of American Bicyclists, explains (8:04). Stacey’s Charlie’s News: Federal legislation addresses e-moto issue. 85 bikes seized after authorities stop planned Bay Bridge takeover. 8-year-old girl on bicycle dies after colliding with car in Charlotte, CMPD says. Guardian Bikes wants children's bikes made in the U.S.A. — and tariffs against rivals (15:26). The Mamdani administration has reversed the Adams administration policy of criminalizing ebikes https://nyc.streetsblog.org/2026/03/18/mamdani-ends-nypd-ebike-cyclist-criminal-summons. Oonee bike storage founder Shabazz Stuart and Streetsblog NYC reporter Sophia Lebowitz put it in context (18:21). Terence Heuston spent ten years fighting for Sunset For All, a protected bike lane on the famous arterial Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles https://www.la-bike.org/sunset4all. Now he’s burned out, because the city spends too much time seeking community input on data-supported street safety designs that save lives (37:00).

    58 min
  3. 26/13 Bikeside at the National Bike Summit

    APR 3

    26/13 Bikeside at the National Bike Summit

    Hands Off DC bike lanes, says the Washington Area Bicyclists Association in the face of the Trump administration’s intention to remove a key part of the bike network. Kalli Krumpos, Advocacy Director, gives WABA’s perspective https://waba.org/2026/03/24/four-dc-actions/ (2:34). Voices from the March 24-26, 2026 National Bike Summit in Washington, DC from bike messenger/reporter Joel Gwadz: Terry Lansdell, ED of Walk Bike North Carolina, Niles Barnes, Deputy Director of East Coast Greenway Alliance, Natasha Smith, Coordinator of Bike Walk Bowling Green in Kentucky, Patrick Martin, President of Bike ABQ in Albequerque, NM, Steven Hardy-Braz, a board member of BikeWalk NC, and Desiree Squire, Education Manager at Bike Durham in North Carolina (13:36). Charlie’s News: Bike East Bay’s Celebrate Trails Day ride supports the Bay Skyway. Queensland may implement strict e-bike regulations. The T’s bus service will exceed pre-pandemic levels this spring. Bike-friendly Emmanuel Grégoire has won the Paris mayoral election (23:22). Los Angeles is finally adding 125 speed cameras https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2026-03-30/speeders-beware-125-traffic-cameras-are-coming-to-l-a-along-with-hefty-fines-what-you-need-to-know (25:41). Truck crash survivor Marianne Karth created the Stop Underrides Town Hall April 15 because she’s hoping lives will be saved by this commonsense legislation -already law in Europe- mandating sideguards on trucks https://annaleahmary.com/2026/02/stop-underrides-national-town-hall-save-the-date/ (27:53).  “Which bike should I buy?” Taylor gets answers to the eternal question for Gloria Ines, who’s in the market, from Battle Road Bikes owner Jim Cadenhead (27:53).

    58 min
  4. 26/12 Bike More, Worry Less - E bikes and AVs

    MAR 27

    26/12 Bike More, Worry Less - E bikes and AVs

    Taylor talks with Brent Muth at Ojai's MOB bike shop and then at a farmer's market with Annette, a member of the international nonprofit Cycling Without Age, which takes the elderly out for free bike rides (1:33). The League of American Bicyclists' National Bike Summit https://bikeleague.org/events/summit/ (9:33). Charlie's News: Cambridge, Massachusetts has seen a 250% ridership increase over two decades, with a crash rate decrease https://momentummag.com/city-shows-the-huge-payoff-for-investing-in-safe-cycling-infrastructure-with-250-increase/. There will be a National Town Hall on April 15th for the Stop Underrides Act of 2026 https://annaleahmary.com/2026/02/stop-underrides-national-town-hall-save-the-date/. Bike lanes next to the National Mall are set to be removed despite lower crash rates and faster car travel times https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2026/03/20/15th-street-dc-bike-lane-removal/. The NYPD will stop giving cyclists criminal summonses for minor offenses https://nyc.streetsblog.org/2026/03/18/mamdani-ends-nypd-ebike-cyclist-criminal-summons (10:18). Listener Email: Terry Fitzgerald questions our “cyclists can do no wrong” approach, but gets Bike Talk stickers for a positive review on Apple (13:09). A meta study on how Autonomous Vehicles can be safer yet may increase Vehicle Miles Traveled and displace transit. With Farah Naz, University of Texas-Arlington, co-author of the study https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2214367X26000372?via%3Dihub (16:05). Bob Mittelstaedt and Asha Weinstein Agrawal discuss the Mineta Transportation Institute report on ebikes and an e-moto “rogues gallery” of illegal ebikes https://www.ebikeaccess.org/rogue-gallery-e-motos-to-avoid https://transweb.sjsu.edu/research/2423-Electric-Bicycle-Safety-Data-Policy (31:28). The irrational fear of ebikes in Massachusetts and a Micromobility report by MassBike, with Galen Mook, a.k.a. “Mookmaster Bikes,” the Executive Director of MassBike, and friend-of-the-show bike shop owner/mechanic Jim Cadenhead https://www.mass.gov/doc/special-commission-on-micromobility-report-january-2026/download (49:34). A study shows biking may reduce dementia https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2835115 (54:59).

    58 min
  5. 26/11 Biking is Political

    MAR 20

    26/11 Biking is Political

    The cost of cars is skyrocketing https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/16/business/car-ownership-prices-interest-rates.html. Listener emails: a request for Kevin Grishkot’s bike poem https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nlAMBnuj05sUe7kwv2ABNo7zPsHbhX6-92GEOqckKlo/edit?usp=sharing, and Stephen Bingham on House and senate bills mandating side underride guards on new trucks https://www.gillibrand.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/KAT26057.pdf. Charlie’s News a protected bike lane for Prospect Park in Brooklyn. New federal legislation would expand automatic emergency braking to detect bicyclists. Caltrans replaces perfectly good bike lanes with useless sharrows. Parisian bike friendly Mayor Anne Hidalgo will leave office. 6:37 NY Minute: NY Governor Hochul’s bill will lower driver insurance cost and payouts to crash victims to make it cheaper to drive. With Streetsblog NYC Editor Gersh Kuntzman https://nyc.streetsblog.org/2026/02/02/the-explainer-how-gov-hochuls-car-insurance-agenda-hurts-victims-helps-big-car-big-insurance 8:38 How new ebike laws will affect civil cases that arise from crashes. With James Pocrass 10:28 The Adventure Cycling Association restructures 17:00 Parked Bikes of New York, a photographic Instagram account by Rui Pereira http://instagram.com/parkedbikesofnewyork/ 32:25 Bike Friendly Universities MSU and University of Louisville. With Tim Potter and Justin Mog 39:10 Mayoral contender City Councilmember Nithya Raman’s Great News for Los Angeles: A Griffith Park bike lane https://www.instagram.com/reels/DV9YyaYknqo/ 55:41

    58 min
  6. 26/10 Ride Across America: Guns, Dogs, Trucks, and Nice People

    MAR 13

    26/10 Ride Across America: Guns, Dogs, Trucks, and Nice People

    Taylor joins hundreds of Los Angeles bike people in the pre-dawn Marathon Crash Ride last Sunday, previewing the 26 mile route of the 2026 Los Angeles Marathon. With Joe Borfo and Joni Yung (0:20). New Jersey’s anti-ebike law from New York and California points of view. With Justin Hu-Nguyen, Bike East Bay and Anne Savage, New York Bicycle Coalition: (7:15) Automatic Emergency Braking in all U.S. cars? With Caron Whitaker, League of American Bicyclists https://bikeleague.org/take-action/action-center/ -check to see if your member has cosponsored the bill- https://bikeleague.org/take-action/policy-advocacy/federal-policy/cosponsorship-tracker/ (16:05). Charlie’s News: The Bicycle Film Festival is taking submissions https://www.bicyclefilmfestival.com/submit. Trump’s attempt to end congestion pricing is deemed illegal https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/03/nyregion/nyc-congestion-pricing-ruling.html. Volunteers survey sidewalks in Pittsburgh https://www.post-gazette.com/local/city/2026/03/03/sidewalk-survey-pittsburgh-safety-infrastructure/stories/202602270074. In SF, Caltrain is placing heavy restrictions on which bikes can ride https://sf.streetsblog.org/2026/03/04/as-bike-cars-overflow-caltrain-bans-large-bikes-and-panniers (21:13). Resistance, Solidarity and Bicycles-bikes as protest in fascist Europe during World War Two. By Michela Grasso of the Urban Cycling institute https://urbancyclinginstitute.substack.com/p/resistance-solidarity-and-bicycles (23:57) Part 2 of Simon Parker’s ride across America: guns, dogs, and trucks, but nice people https://bookshop.org/a/99134/9781914613876 (38:43).

    58 min
  7. 26/09 New Jersey Versus Ebikes

    MAR 6

    26/09 New Jersey Versus Ebikes

    Cars are in the way in LA. The last Los Angeles Critical Mass was also a memorial for Regan Cole‑Graham and her newborn child Ophelia https://la-criticalmass.org/la-critical-mass-riding-miles-for-regan-this-february-2026/ -with Damian Kevitt, Founder of Streets Are For Everyone (2:15). Thoughts on oil, geopolitics, and how we can rebuild the world with renewable energy and bikes (7:20). Charlie’s news: Maryland’s Stop Super Speeders bill passes in the House https://www.instagram.com/p/DVRzVqjlWWD/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link. California could face an eBike registration law https://www.ijpr.org/outdoors-leisure-and-sports/2026-02-28/license-plates-for-e-bikes-california-bill-sparks-debate-over-safety. Roughly 3 in 4 young people in Wales support street redesign https://cyclingindustry.news/research-three-in-four-young-welsh-back-street-redesign/. Australia is taking advantage of deactivated rail lines to create cycling infrastructure https://bicyclenetwork.com.au/newsroom/2026/02/26/from-sugarcane-trains-to-bike-lanes/. (9:32) A New Jersey law https://pub.njleg.state.nj.us/Bills/2024/S5000/4834_R1a.PDF requires license and registration for all ebikes. It’s a Catch-22 because there’s no way to register ebikes in New Jersey. It’ll result in more mopeds and motorcycles, which can actually be registered, say Andrew Wilson, Executive Director of Bike Hoboken, and Tyler Newcomb, President of Bike Jersey City (11:48). The California Bicycle Coalition is co-sponsoring SB 1167 to clarify e-bike definitions and stop deceptive marketing of e-motos, to keep what happened in NJ from spreading https://www.calbike.org/sb1167announced/. With Kendra Ramsey, Executive Director of Calbike (27:51). The ramifications of riding an ebike that may not be legal, with Jim Pocrass (33:07). A Ride Across America: Small Towns, Big Issues and One Epic Adventure https://bookshop.org/a/99134/9781914613876 -with author Simon Parker, Part 1 (39:25).

    57 min
  8. 26/08 Bikes Versus Superspeeders

    FEB 27

    26/08 Bikes Versus Superspeeders

    Taylor and Nick’s bike origins as told on Sustainability Now! on Forward Radio in Louisville, Kentucky to Host Justin Mog https://soundcloud.com/wfmp-forward-radio/sustainability-now-nick (1:11). Taylor joins Walk ’n Rollers to fix up bikes for kids https://walkmorebikemore.org (4:02). Charlie’s News: The Bayview Black History Ride is happening February 28th in San Francisco https://www.sfexaminer.com/news/community/bayview-black-history-month-bike-ride-highlights-sf-culture/article_32cfbfbf-fe1f-41a2-b20f-8a12e700e7e0.html. A proposed New York law would create something of a tax-free transportation costs account https://www.wxxinews.org/local-news/2026-02-17/new-york-commuters-could-soon-be-able-to-use-pre-tax-earnings-toward-bus-fare-bike-shares-and-more. New York City’s garbage problem stands in the way of vacuum snow removal https://gothamist.com/news/why-doesnt-nyc-use-a-giant-snow-vacuum-like-montreal-its-world-famous-garbage. A new bike path in Australia next to a metro line will make the city even more accessible https://cityhub.com.au/cyclists-elated-by-metroway-announcement-want-to-see-more-like-it/ (7:27). Leave a review, get your bike talk sticker (9:15). NY State Senate Bill 2025-S4045A, the “Superspeeders” bill, requires the installation of intelligent speed assistance devices in the cars of drivers who are repeatedly caught speeding https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/S4045/amendment/A. Families for Safe Streets sponsors the Superspeeder laws, which have passed in 3 jurisdictions and are pending in 15 states. https://www.familiesforsafestreets.org/stop-super-speeders With Families for Safe Streets Founder and President Amy Cohen and FSS member Julie Nicholson, who leads the “Stop Superspeeders” campaign in California (10:13). NYC Mayor Mamdani “Revives Bus and Bike Lanes Killed by Adams in ‘Backroom Deals’-” https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/12/nyregion/mamdani-bus-bike-lanes.html with Danny Pearlstein, Riders Alliance Policy and Communications Director (23:35) The history of how car dependency was sold to America, by author of Fighting traffic https://bookshop.org/a/99134/9780262516129, Street rivals, and Autonorama https://bookshop.org/a/99134/9781642832402, professor Peter Norton. Part 2 (31:35).

    58 min
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4.7
out of 5
45 Ratings

About

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

Information

  • Creator
    BikeTalk
  • Years Active
    2017 - 2026
  • Episodes
    500
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © All rights reserved
  • Show Website
    Bike Talk

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