Latest / Full Spectrum Cycling / Full Spectrum Cycling #35 – Ian Klepetar from Bicycle Benifits is our in-studio guest!

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Full Spectrum Cycling #35 – Ian Klepetar from Bicycle Benifits is our in-studio guest! · Full Spectrum Cycling

• 0:00
  [upbeat music] Good evening, ladies and gentlemen.
• 0:16
  Sven here with the Full Spectrum Cycling thing, and today we have not one, not two, not even three, but four people bopping- Four... to that catchy tune here in the- Four... Riverwest- [laughs] Ha, ha, ha, ha...
• 0:29
  Studios at Everyday Cycles, blahbity, blahbity, blah. Heck, just a week since we've been here again, huh? Uh-huh. Mm-hmm. Seems like just a week ago. My, how that weather has changed. Oh, and for the better.
• 0:43
  Yes, for the better. Thank you very much. Uh, JK to my right. JK. We have, uh, Ian, our special guest from Bicycle Benefits amongst other ventures, and of course, T Burger. Hola.
• 0:58
  Well, give us a, give us a fill in of your week. We, JK and I, met Ian and crew down at the, uh, pancake shindig on Sunday. Yes, yes. That was cool. I like having those just trail side pancake things and- Power cakes...
• 1:14
  it's not quite a pop-up, but it's sort of like, it is sort of a pop-up, isn't it? Yes. We, uh, we let people know now where we're gonna be setting up. But w- in the early days, we'd just be biking around- [laughs]...
• 1:24
  with the, uh, with the griddle and the mix, and we'd be like, "This s- seems like a good spot." [laughs] "It seems like people go past here. We'll surprise them with breakfast." Right. Yeah.
• 1:33
  Yeah, I, I remember being surprised on certain ones over by, uh, Ecology Center. Mm-hmm. Just kinda crickin' by and [clicks tongue] hey, oh, sure. Yeah. Oh, why not? Yeah, yeah. Oh, thank you.
• 1:43
  There's always room for a pancake. Yeah. Even after finishing breakfast, there's still room for another pancake. [laughs] I would somewhat agree. I think there's room for three or four.
• 1:52
  [laughs] Well, I, I, yeah, not gonna lie. But we, uh, yeah, we separate the maple syrup and, and the fake stuff, you know? Yeah, yeah. I saw that.
• 2:00
  'Cause, you know, you gotta, you gotta have like, pass a test if you want the real stuff. Oh. You gotta be like a responsible pourer. [laughs] See, I, I dislike maple syrup. I like the fake stuff. Get out. I, I know.
• 2:10
  Get out. I, I'm sorry. My wife too. Door. Door. My wife too. No, he's the person you bring in your door 'cause you don't have to worry about him- There you go. See?... you know, cleaning out your stash.
• 2:19
  Yeah, from Vermont or where did, where was the maple syrup from? Well, actually, this stash was, uh, was a dumpster score. Nice. Oh, nice. Yeah, a whole gallon. Hold on. Oh, wow [laughs]. Yeah.
• 2:31
  If you've wondered what the golden horde is, it's, uh, it's finding maple syrup when you're- [laughs]... looking around. Nice. Sealed container. Nice, nice. Right on.
• 2:43
  So, um, we could just get right into talking to, uh, Ian about what he's doing and
• 2:49
  kind of the, just give us a little bit of background on your Bicycle Benefits, uh, thing, and we'll go into some events you're doing surrounding that too in a little bit. Okay, great.
• 3:01
  So yeah, biking for me, uh, th- my first exposure was I was working in a ski shop, and we decided to take on bicycles in the summer, uh, with mountain bikes as the focus.
• 3:12
  So the older shop guys got me on a bicycle, and it became like a passion, you know? Um, I was- Which, which hill was that? Oh, this was back in, uh, New York State. Okay.
• 3:23
  And, uh, yeah, I think it was right around junior high, so I, I f- I, I didn't really feel like I fit in very well. So for me, the, the mountain biking kinda became my, my jam right away. Right on.
• 3:35
  And, uh, so the mountain biking, started doing some racing and incorporated it into, you know, my, you know, my lifestyle. When I went away to college, I picked a school that I could mountain bike and ski.
• 3:46
  I'd bike to class. And, uh, yeah, I think it was, it was, uh, some unfortunate events that happened in my hometown that it was kind of my, my calling to get involved. So I took my passion and started,
• 4:01
  yeah, rallying local folks. I put up signs around town after two people had gotten struck by cars that I wanted, you know, that we should change the way our city was. And
• 4:11
  s- I put on a meeting, and people actually showed up. Wow, that's awesome. Nice, nice. Yeah, I mean, we're certainly having some of those issues here in Milwaukee too. Right now, yeah.
• 4:18
  And it's just a couple recent pedestrian or bike incidents. It's, it's a drag, man. Yeah. Yeah. It's- People are driving like lunatics. Mm-hmm. Um, so yeah.
• 4:29
  I guess it was kind of the, the anti-energy that kind of, that kinda roped me into biking, right? You know, bike advocacy and trying to, yeah, cha- I guess what I see is doing what I c- what was in my power.
• 4:42
  You know, there's a lot that's out of our power, but- Yeah... you know, focusing locally- But-... and changing things that we can or at least working on it. Make a dent. Mm-hmm. And s- put a shoulder in.
• 4:52
  So what, what is Bicycle Benefits specifically? Let- Oh, got- I mean, we've got, we've got listeners all over the world. Oh, yeah. The world, I tell you.
• 4:59
  So, uh, so yeah, I started, you know, advocating for, you know, I created bike racks in my town, r- wrote a bike plan.
• 5:06
  And one of the projects I started was, uh, a partnership with local businesses where if you rode your bike there, you would show a little sticker on your helmet.
• 5:15
  And you'd get, you know, two for one beers or, like, 10% off your groceries, 10% off at your hardware store. So, you know, kind of all the places that you could go on your bike.
• 5:26
  I even, I even, uh- Yeah, like, a dollar off of, uh, what was it? Wisconsin beer at Highbury. Yeah. I know. I've, I've cashed in on that one. [laughs] 5%, at Blifferts every time I go, man. Oh, right on, right on.
• 5:38
  Yep, yep. So yeah, I guess, uh, you know, my, uh, the idea behind that is in, uh, when we drive around, we're essentially being treated like kings and queens.
• 5:48
  You know, we get the drive-throughs if we go to a grocery store. We get, like, the gas perks. You know, it's like you spend a bunch of money, and then you get, like, free gas or whatever. Right, right.
• 5:57
  It's like, why do you wanna encourage more people to drive? There's so many cars in this world, and they're really not doing any of us a favor, so-
• 6:06
  The Bike Benefits is trying to create more like, yeah, I guess, what is it? Like, equality in transportation. You know- Mm-hmm...
• 6:12
  give back to those that are actually contributing in a, yeah, a more positive way to their community by, by not driving. Yeah, I don't remember when I got my first, uh, Bike Benefits. It's been eight years maybe.
• 6:26
  Uh- I don't know... how, how... When did you start it? Well, here in Milwaukee, I think it was, I think it was, like, six years ago. Okay. Yeah, so- It would've been maybe- Yeah, that's when I got one...
• 6:35
  maybe that's when it was. So it was... It's been a while though. Yeah. So it's interesting. I, uh, I went to, uh, rode from Boston to Madison because Trek Bicycles was, was kind of endorsing the program.
• 6:47
  They thought it was a valuable project for cities everywhere, so I started biking around to different cities. And I was, after Boston, uh, someone from Trek who I was working with was like, "You should come to Madison.
• 6:59
  It's so-" Sure... "bike-friendly here." And after Boston, I was like, "I need a city that embraces this-" [laughs]... 'cause I had, A, I had never lived in a city, and, you know, Boston's pretty big, so. Right.
• 7:11
  So I just passed Milwaukee. I stopped for a day, you know, to check it out, and I actually met, um, you know, someone at, at, at a bike shop. And, uh, he's like, "We'll do Bike Benefits."
• 7:21
  I was like, "I don't think you wanna do Bike Benefits because you'd be the only place in town, you know? It works best if, you know, it's like a bunch of businesses."
• 7:29
  And, uh, yeah, he got on board, and it wasn't till, like, five years later that I came back to town to establish a larger presence of the program. Nice. Yeah, cool.
• 7:38
  Well, it's certainly, um, encouraging people to ride- Oh... and encouraging businesses to help 'em out, and- Yeah, yeah... uh, I looked at the map earlier. I couldn't even count. There's over 100 cities now. Mm-hmm.
• 7:48
  So, you know, folks out there, if you're in, probably in your city there's a Bike Benefits, uh- Yeah, that's what-... presence... surprised me. I g- I, I remember going to the website and thinking,
• 8:00
  I'm like, "Oh, eh, I heard it was maybe regional or whatever." But, like, whatever, I, my computer sucks, so it, like, zoomed out completely, and it had, like, the United States. And I'm like, "Holy shit. Hot damn.
• 8:13
  There i- like, oh yeah, I'm going out east. Oh, da, da, da, da, da. Let's see." And that was awesome. I, I, at, at one point, yeah, this was a couple years ago when I- Yeah... I, boom, you know?
• 8:23
  [laughs] That was so damn cool 'cause I, I really thought it was a very local thing. Well, it's a per- It just feels like it. It does feel like it. It feels, it, it, it- Well, that's the goal. Yeah.
• 8:31
  We, we think, we think of it as everyone's program. Mm-hmm.
• 8:34
  And if there's individuals out there that think it should happen in their town, then we have all the resources available to, to, you know, to give you the greatest chance at success at launching a Bicycle Benefits program in your town.
• 8:46
  Just, just today, someone, uh, ordered some s- some, uh, startup packs in Hawaii. Nice. Oh, wow. Nice. Yeah, they started Bike Benefits there, and, uh, s- You should go visit. You should definitely go visit. I should.
• 8:58
  I should do a work trip. [laughs] Just make sure it's okay. Business trip. Yeah, workshop. Yeah, yeah. I'm f- I'm feeling like a, yeah. That's a tax write-off. [laughs] So yeah, I was doing a little- Time to scheme...
• 9:07
  you know, site, uh, surfing earlier, and you've got a lot of people that are helping on the ground. Mm-hmm. How does, how does it... So how do the, do they just wanna be involved and they do it?
• 9:18
  Or h- how does it, how do they- Yeah... come to help you do this thing? Well, I guess f- you know, first of all, um, there's so much in all of our cities that we might wanna change for biking, you know?
• 9:29
  Maybe there's too many cars. Maybe there's no, there's so... And a lot of those things are out of reach, you know? They require other people to say yes, or they require change of infrastructure.
• 9:38
  But Bicycle Benefits is just, um, based on those relationships between individuals and other individuals.
• 9:46
  So, you know, going around, getting a place that might already be supportive of biking or might wanna alleviate parking- Mm... would, you know, would be easy- you know, an easy yes. Yeah.
• 9:56
  So the second they say yes and they put the decal on and they say, "You know, we'll do two for one beers," it's live. Yeah. So it's, it's an easy win for people that are trying to make biking better.
• 10:06
  Yeah, no three or 10-year plan or anything necessary, and yeah, it sounds great. And it supports, you know, it supports the businesses, and it supports the people that are out there, you know, willing to say yes.
• 10:16
  You know, biking is, you know, to a lot of people it's dangerous or it's cold or, you know, they have a long distance. But it's, it's essentially a support system for them. Cool.
• 10:26
  You know, they- Speaking, speaking of that long distance thing, our, uh, our Governor Evers just signed into law a new e-bike, um, regulation. What is it? I d- I don't know what you would call it...
• 10:40
  Tony knows more about it than I do- It's a, yeah... 'cause he just said, "Hey," he just signed it today. Yeah, he, he- They passed a bill. That's what put on the, uh- They just passed a bill today... Oh, that was you.
• 10:47
  That was the l- Oh, JK knows about that. No, no. No, I put the link on. Whatever. Just somebody talk about it would you? [laughs] Yeah, well, I tried. I tried reading it.
• 10:52
  What they are doing is they have said that- I tried reading it, and-... they have said that electric bikes-... it doesn't make any damn sense...
• 10:57
  now, and, and there's a caveat here, the electric bikes are allowed to go anywhere a regular bicycle can go. So they can be in bike lanes. They can be on trails.
• 11:07
  But, you know, there's always some instigator, me, who would then respond back to them, "Well, you can build an electric bike right now that can go 50 miles an hour."
• 11:17
  Well- But the deal is, is they are only class A, B, and C or 1, 2, 3 depending on who you talk to- Yeah... that are allowed to follow these laws.
• 11:26
  So we're talking, you know, for people that don't know, class 1 bikes are 20 mile an hour throttle only. Uh, class 2 are 20 mile an hour pedal assist or throttle, and class 3 is 28 miles an hour
• 11:43
  or, and pedal assist. Uh, you know. How the hell did you remember that? 'Cause I'm looking at it. I'm looking at this. [laughs] [laughs] 'Cause I'm an e-bike nut. Just saying. 'Cause he's a- I'm an e-bike nut, man.
• 11:52
  [laughs] I, I love my e-bikes. Just saying. Heck. [laughs] Fuck. You know, very helpful. [laughs] You know? So I was the instigator that immediately responded back and said, "Well, I can build a 50 mile an hour e-bike."
• 12:01
  In which case two people have already contacted me asking me to do that. [laughs] Um, I'm like, "Hey, you know, um, you know- Hey, speed's just a question of money. How fast do you wanna go? You know? Exactly.
• 12:10
  Um, you know, it, it, so it is a, you know, there's-... some regulation out there now because it's been kind of a gray area. So- And, um- You know, what it could also be viewed as is marketing for
• 12:25
  the companies that, the bike shops that already have a plethora of electric bikes as a tool for them to potentially sell more of these electric bikes. Yeah.
• 12:33
  Well, we're gonna have a few more here at the old- Yes, we are... Everyday Cycle Shop, so. Yes, we are. Got one right there. Yeah. Yeah, that's a kick-ass one, too. Yes, it is. Um, so yeah, that's pretty exciting news.
• 12:45
  Um, I have a Bike Benefits story I'd like to share. Okay. Um, and it, and it- Well, it's not like we're done talking to you- It's, uh, it-... and I just thought that we could talk about it... I know.
• 12:52
  [laughs] But it's gonna tie in really well because I happen to- It's fluid... I, I, I have been known to occasionally like a, a malted beverage. And, uh, one time I was at Stubby's and had my, my helmet
• 13:07
  on the bar as I always do, and pointed out to the owner that, you know, "Hey, there's my Bike Benefits helmet, might give me a deal." And he's like, "That's not the right color."
• 13:17
  And I'm like, "I've had this-" [laughs] "... Bike Benefits since the first year it started here." He's like, "Is that counterfeit?" I'm like, "It is not counterfeit."
• 13:23
  Um, full disclosure, he was totally joking, and he has purchased a very fantastic bike, a, um, a Slick Cycles- [laughs]... Ape from us. Uh, but Brad is a- Brad... great guy. Brad's a great guy. He is a great guy.
• 13:34
  And what I'm bringing this all into, in is because you don't drink beer, but you know what the special is tonight at, uh, at Stubby's should we decide to, uh, go somewhere after this, uh, podcast is over? Is it a BOGO?
• 13:45
  It is, it is $3 off whiskey. Ooh. [laughs] And the Bike Benefits is buy one, get one. Yeah. So you got your choices. [laughs] That could be, uh... I'm gonna say- Well, it's not that far away... it's not that far away.
• 13:58
  All of this- And there's a bike path that goes right to it... basic- basically, basically all downhill all the way [laughs] there. That's like- Yeah, max... that's like Bike Benefits tier two.
• 14:05
  Bike Benefits tier one is, like, they offer a Bike Benefits deal. Tier two is the owner is also a biker. [laughs] Yeah, right. [laughs] Yeah, yeah. He- Different levels.
• 14:13
  He's r- he's ripping up that Ape pretty good for a couple- He is... years there, I think he's. Yeah. Then he had a baby. Then he had a baby. He has a baby. Tony has a baby. I have a baby. All right. Jesus Christ.
• 14:22
  [bell ringing] Top of the hill. Top of the hill. Top of the hill, folks. Top of the hill. So, uh, Top of the Hill is- Top of the Hill has some news this time... having a beer and- Talking about- Yeah. I don't know.
• 14:33
  Do we do news first or beer first? Let's, let's do- Let's do the beer first... well, let's do beer 'cause it ties into news, so. Yeah, yeah.
• 14:38
  This week's show beer is something I don't think we've had since the weekly dose at, you know, show 120 or something. Yeah. Um, is Lakefront Brewery's India pale ale, or Lakefront IPA. I- IPA... with an I on it.
• 14:51
  And, uh, this is a local Milwaukee brewery, but not so local anymore, and- A regional brewery... it's a regional brewery, and they do make a very fine product. Yes, they do.
• 15:00
  Uh, you know, we go into all the stuff about it. It's just a tasty IPA. It's been a staple for their brewery for many years.
• 15:08
  And to digress just slightly, it was formerly in Scardina's sandwich shop when it originally started. Right. Yeah. True. You know? Yeah. So we're throwing out a shout-out to another great Riverwest institution.
• 15:17
  Well over a block away from the shop- Yeah... where they originally had their first low Larry, Curly, and Moe, uh, tanks. Oh, yeah. Yep, yep. Yeah, those ear- those early tours are just awesome. Yep. Yeah.
• 15:27
  It was like, "Okay, you got a half hour." Drink as much as you can. Just drink as much as you can. [laughs] Here's a cup. At the end of the tour, just go. Yep, that was exactly it. Here's one traveler for it.
• 15:37
  And a half, and they, and it was two bucks- And then when you're-... for a glass... something like that. And they gave all of the money to the Vietnam Veterans Against the War. Whoa.
• 15:44
  I mean, they are a great group of guys. [laughs] Man. So anyway, I digress. It has just aged into- May I digress a little more? Yes, please.
• 15:50
  So this time when I was, uh, biking out to Madison, I stopped in Milwaukee, and one of the reasons I did is 'cause I knew that there was a gluten-free beer at- Yeah... Lakefront.
• 15:58
  So I stopped in, and I don't think they were open at that hour, but the doors were open, so I- [laughs]... made my way in and, uh, met the owner. He pulled a gluten-free beer off the line. He was bottling- Russell...
• 16:08
  at the time. Yeah. Handed it over, and I said, "Maybe I'll come back to Milwaukee sometime." [laughs] Yeah. Right on. He's a great gentleman. Yeah.
• 16:16
  And, you know, the s- the, the story of that, that brewing empire, I think we can almost call it now, is fantastic. I did the, uh, wood floors at his brother's house with Marcus in the distant past at, uh- Wow...
• 16:28
  not Russ, but, uh- Uh, yeah. W- Jim... Jim Klisch. Yeah. Gotcha. Um, someone's phone went off. [laughs] My, my JK's blowing up a little bit. I'll take it. I'll take the hit. Yeah. I'll fall on that grenade. Yep.
• 16:40
  [laughs] Um, so well, so what got me to thinking about this Lakefront IPA thing is that, uh, uh, Bel- New Belgium just got sold. Yep. And we've had... So it's like a couple- Yeah...
• 16:51
  of, of the beers we've had on the show recently, major things have happened at the brewery, some not so good and some sales- Some pretty damn good...
• 16:57
  well, between, you know, selling, which I'm not a big fan of the selling. I quit drinking Lagunitas just for that reason.
• 17:04
  In-bound But, uh, now I'm thinking since we've had this on the show [laughs] today that- We're worried that, yeah... there's gonna be an, uh, announcement tomorrow that Lakefront is selling.
• 17:11
  [laughs] Yeah, I s- Well, I just got the word. Yo, did you get the word, uh, Vitucci's closed? Yeah. Vitucci's closed. That was another thing that came up today. I was just like, "Whoa, what?"
• 17:18
  Like, eh, this world gone mad. But, eh. So ve- very good beer.
• 17:25
  [laughs] And, uh- And New Belgium selling out, at least, you know, some of the people are y- they're not just the owners running away with a f- a- Oh, no, not at all... ass-ton of money...
• 17:32
  it's been employee-owned for a lot of years, so. Almost, almost since the get-go. Right. I used to be able to ride... I lived eight miles away from that brewery, and I would ride.
• 17:39
  They have, at the time that it was there, I think it's still in the same location. There was- Then they stopped bringing Tour de Fat to Milwaukee. Yeah. Eh. Yeah, we can talk about that argument anytime. Oh.
• 17:47
  [laughs] Um, I would ride my bike there, and they had parking for about 50 bikes and four cars. Yep. Nice. I'm like, "This is..."
• 17:55
  And it was one of the first places I ever heard that if you worked there, you also got free childcare and dog care. Oh, wow. And I, I think after a year you got a bike, too.
• 18:06
  You got a fat tire bike, and after five years you got to go to Belgium for a month. Really? That was part of their, part of their package. And I remember that some of the custom bikes they did were- Were...
• 18:15
  James' Black Sheep- Yeah... kick-ass- They were killer... handmade in Colorado bikes. I tried to get a job there, and the person I talked to that worked there said, "Well, what do you have on the owner?"
• 18:24
  I'm like, "Nothing." He's like, "Then you ain't working here." [laughs] I'm like, "Wow, really?" He's like, "It is virtually impossible to get a job here 'cause the line is so long." [laughs] I'm like, "Okay." Yeah.
• 18:34
  That was a biodiesel conference I was at with him. Wow. That was a long time ago. Well, so good luck to those guys. Yeah.
• 18:39
  And, you know, the, well, the 700 people that are there, I think the majority of the employees are benefiting from this in some way, I'm sure. Pretty well, yeah. You know. Anyway. All right.
• 18:48
  So that's Beer Talk for the day, folks. Yeah. We're done with Beer Talk. Done with beer. Top of the hill. So, um- Find a bridge... we're talking a little bit about the bicycle benefits thing.
• 18:56
  Specifically now there's an event coming up this weekend, uh, Bike Bingo. Yeah, Bike Bingo 9 to 5.
• 19:04
  Kinda lay into what Bike Bingo is and, you know, just this is happening this weekend, which is kind of a little short notice, but, um, it's applicable- Tomorrow for you people. Yeah, it's like, 'cause this...
• 19:14
  Yeah, the... Right. It's, um- [laughs]
• 19:18
  It's applicable to anywhere, and the idea is so good that it just, you know, it gets people out there and going to places where they haven't gone before or maybe be a little out of their comfort zone.
• 19:26
  And, uh, kind of lay into it. What is, what is the deal with it? Yeah. It's, it's for all those, uh, those of us that, uh, like the sounds of bingo but, but don't wanna sit around and wait for our number to be called.
• 19:37
  [laughs] [laughs] Let me hasten- Yeah... this B13 to- Yeah. I wanna go up there- [laughs]... and grab the B13 right now. [laughs] So yeah, it's, uh, it's like a bingo layout. We have locations on it.
• 19:50
  And, um, yeah, people bike around the city, um, get stamps and win prizes.
• 19:56
  So usually when they go into a, a location, there's some kind of physical challenge or riddle they have to figure out or item that they have to pick up.
• 20:04
  Um, and then, you know, s- a lot of these stops will be further outside the city's core, so if you're not willing to put the miles in, there's, like, extra, extra challenges that you can do to, like, get that spot.
• 20:17
  Got you. Got you. Yeah, so. So you can either ride a long ways or do something and- Yeah. Take your clothes off. [laughs] [laughs] Well, at least the weather's- For example... improved since last week. So 9 to 5.
• 20:29
  That's Saturday the, what is it, 23rd? Yeah. So usually we, we set up the bingo as, like, a six-week event. Yeah. So people can do it on their own time.
• 20:38
  You know, p- people that just have the weekend off can plan their trips around. Um, you know, we incorporate events into it. Um, but this year it's...
• 20:48
  Or, well, actually, we did the, you know, the six-week one in the summer, and I was in town and felt like we'd do a 9 to 5. Sweet. Mm-hmm. So it's like a condensed version. Yes. That's cool.
• 20:57
  And then there is also a winter Bike Bingo- Mm-hmm... that, I don't know, is that gonna happen this year? Um, I'm not the one that puts on the winter Bike Bingo. Right. Bingo.
• 21:07
  I was- Yeah, I'm not sure it's gonna keep going. That was- That was, uh- Coast Inn... Coast Inn- Uh-huh... which is now Hometown. Who knows if they'll- Which- Yeah...
• 21:13
  seemed like sort of a, you know, a, a, a- They did Cranksgiving this weekend... a, uh, yeah, as hosting it. Did they actually- Yeah... do... What, what- Well, Zart, [laughs] Zart's kid won the- Zwart? Schwart- Zwart...
• 21:24
  won the, uh, the Bruiser frame. Nice. Um- Oh, nice. So yeah. Uh, so that's happening on the 23rd. Milwaukee 9 to 5, and that's starting at- At Beans- Well, at Beans and Barley... Beans and Barley.
• 21:38
  Our newest, uh, bike benefit spot. Right in, uh, the- They're the newest? Right ar- I would've thought they would've been the first... basically right across the street- You know?... from the now closed Vattucci's.
• 21:46
  What takes us so long? Yeah. [laughs] You know? No, it's a forest for the trees. You're just like, "It's like- You know?... hey, it's right here." [laughs] Some of us need a f- [laughs]...
• 21:54
  a few years to make those kind of decisions. All right. And then, uh, Sunday we got the Pie Ride. Oh, yeah. Oh. That is, uh, that's, that's... I think this is gonna be the third or fourth annual.
• 22:08
  It's, it's- Shout out to Annie. Yeah, for sure. Shout out- Oh, have you had her pies?... to Annie. The, the, the third annual. She's a pie, uh... [laughs] She's, she's quite the pie maker.
• 22:16
  Yeah, she's probably making some even as we speak. Yeah. I bet you she is.
• 22:18
  [laughs] I think the first annual, before we didn't know, you know, how many people would turn out, I think she's like, "Okay, Ian, I've made 40 pies." I'm like, "40 pies?" [laughs] "I haven't in...
• 22:29
  I've only invited, like, 25 people." You know? Well, a, a pie and a half each. Pie and a half each. Yeah, that's a good- A piece of cake... that's a good ratio. Yeah.
• 22:36
  [laughs] So, uh, yeah, we bike around to different locations, mostly people's houses, um, they host. We, uh, yeah, we go about 20 miles total, stop every four or five miles and, uh- Eat pie...
• 22:48
  eat pie, and try to pair it well with a nice, uh, beverage of choice. Indeed. So it's- Indeed, indeed. I, I haven't thought about pairing pie- Bet you-... with- Whiskey... beverage.
• 22:56
  I bet you pie and whiskey goes really well together. Yeah, pie and whiskey, eggnog. Maybe like a mincemeat pie- Bacon... or some kind of spicy pie and whiskey. Oh, yeah. Yeah. I'm thinking like a spicy bacon.
• 23:07
  Spicy pumpkin. Yeah, really like- Apple cranberry pie with bacon on top with a whiskey. Yes. Ooh. Yes. That sounds fabulous. Yes. Sign me up. [laughs] With an orange rind. Zest.
• 23:16
  [lips smacking] So that's, yeah, I mean, there's- [laughs]...
• 23:18
  you know, oddly enough, and I, I say this more often than I probably should, 'cause most people will hear, have heard me say it, I ride more in the winter than I do in the summer pretty much.
• 23:28
  And there's a lot of events coming up here in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Midwest, the world. There's tons of events that go in the, quote, unquote, "off-season". Off-season. Um,
• 23:41
  case in point, we've got, uh, Aaron and, uh, Steel Force One from Surly coming to do a ride with us on the th- th- 13th... uh, 12th. 13th? It's a Thursday night. Yeah. So it's the 12th or 13th.
• 23:55
  We'll have something on the... Don't worry about it. It's in that ballpark. It said 12/13 on the show notes. Yeah. I'll go with that. So 12/13 is- I'm ignorant-... December 13th. I'm ignorant to this. What is this?
• 24:05
  Oh, this was... Aaron just sent me a thing. They're gonna do- Yeah... whatever that Saturday is, they're doing a demo at Camrock.
• 24:10
  And he said, "Well, we're gonna be over there anyway, we should do something out of the shop." And I said, "Yes, we should." [laughs] So we're gonna meet here. Steel Force?
• 24:18
  Uh, there will be Surly demo Wednesdays and, uh, ice cream trucks available for a few people. Uh, I would recommend bringing your own fat bike if you have one. Ice cream trucks. What's that, ice on ice?
• 24:28
  Yeah, that's, that's one- There's one in the window, man... one hanging in the window over there. It's their five-inch platform fat bike. Ooh. It's a big old fat bike.
• 24:35
  And, um- It's fantastic You know, we're gonna do a little meet up at the shop, and then do some riding and hit the beach. We actually have a little bit of beach to check fat bike sand performance out on.
• 24:44
  And, uh, I imagine we'll stop at Black Husky on the way back for libations at the end of the ride. It's a Thursday. Make sure you let- That is a Thursday... yeah. There's no karaoke.
• 24:55
  We should let them know because they close early sometimes on Thursdays. [laughs] 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM. Oh, I'll let them- Oh, karaoke trivia. Yeah. My bad. Otherwise, if we have to, we can always hit Gathering Place, too.
• 25:04
  The world is our oyster. Yeah, that was, that was- It's Milwaukee. Guess what? Number two on the hit list. [laughs] Yeah, yeah. There's always a brewery, a church, or a bar that's gonna be open.
• 25:12
  Well, nothing says we can't hit both of them either, so. True that. True that. But that's exciting. That's, that's, uh- And these days, a distillery as well.
• 25:18
  Yeah, that's- So Thursday is the 12th, notwithstanding my lack of knowing the calendar. 12th. I don't know. I'm just going with w- whoever's saying- I should make you guys a custom, uh, bike bingo just for Riverwest.
• 25:30
  [laughs] Well, you could certainly, uh... You might want to get, like, a really small scooter or something and just kick around, though. [laughs] I don't know. It's, it's, it's [laughs] Pretty exciting.
• 25:39
  Well, that said, you know, the 24 Lap is four miles, so you could just do- Yeah, it's four mile... five of that lap and you'd be good to go. Yeah. Very true. Very true. That's pretty exciting. Um, other stuff.
• 25:50
  What, what... There's a whole, like I said, there's a whole bunch of stuff. Um, pie ride. Global Fat Bike Day is December 7th, which everybody that- Santa's Rampage day...
• 25:59
  is knowing about the, uh, Fat Bike stuff knows it's Global Fat Bike Day. But the Santa Rampage thing has also taken off. Uh, kinda like Bicycle Benefits in a way. It's kind of an organic growth thing.
• 26:11
  It was originally an idea to let people know that cyclists ride 12 months a year, and to get that message out there. A couple dozen people, it wasn't very many on the first one- Yeah...
• 26:23
  dressed up as Santas and rode around the city. It was Schlabowski's deal. Dave started that thing, and, um, it's grown. And I mean, it's in a lot of ci- I know it's even in Boston. Oh. Um, you know, it's in Nashville.
• 26:34
  It's in Rochester, Minnesota. Madison. It's in Madison. And this all happens on the same Global Fat Bike Day, December 7th. Like Cleveland. And it started here in Milwaukee? Yeah, pretty much started here in Milwaukee.
• 26:44
  Yeah. Um, and really I think that those first several years of the Rampage were some of the best rides I've ever been on. Um, y- some of the last ones that aren't kind of the current format, we were escorted,
• 26:57
  not, like, bad by the police- [laughs]... but escorted good by the police. Yeah. Uh, one of, one of- Stopped roads for us and stuff. Yeah It was fantastic. How were you being escorted? Right, right?
• 27:07
  One of our- Not by the nape of the neck? No, no, no. Just like- No, no. One of our guys, Eric, had a, a low power FM transmitter, and the, the cops had it blaring out of their speakers. And- It was great...
• 27:17
  you know, they were escorting 400 plus Santas at this point to our various stops. So- The neighborhoods were going crazy... in, right It was fantastic. And yeah, they would have 15 minutes of Santas riding by. Yeah.
• 27:29
  And people in cars would not really care. They would wave and have a good time and- Yeah, you can't get pissed off in your car... film it on their phones. You know?
• 27:37
  People were, again, flip Santa off And, uh, so those first, those first several years were, like, the whole ride had different stops.
• 27:43
  The new version's actually pretty cool because there's a main Santa ride, again, police escorted, from, uh, out in Wauwatosa, down North Avenue, which is one of the main east-west arteries, um, between the west side of Milwaukee and the lake.
• 27:58
  That is police escorted. It's approximately six miles, and there's hundreds and hundreds of Santas. It gets to Lakefront Brewery, and then it disperses from there, and people go to points all over the city.
• 28:10
  So there's Santas going everywhere. Yeah. And again, I mean- That's a big spider web of Santas. Right. Santa web. And, and, and the whole- Santa web... the whole impetus of it, besides- With the occasional dreidel...
• 28:19
  maybe having a, a libation along the way- Sure... is to, to let people know that cyclists do ride year-round. Nothing says that like a drunk Santa Claus. [laughs] Shitload of Santas [laughs]
• 28:30
  dri- drifting around the city Or a bunch of drunk Santa Clauses- Throwing fireworks... throwing beer cans in my plastic Santa. [laughs] Not cans. You know, you got- I, uh, I- That's why you gotta get bottles- I may-...
• 28:41
  because they sound better when you break them... I may get in trouble for saying this- [laughs]... but I think I'm gonna do Global Fat Bike Day. Well, you can do, you can ride a fat bike and still do the Rampage.
• 28:49
  Why not both? Hey. I know, but it's just different. I was considering going to Rochester. I don't know- Oh...
• 28:55
  'cause Chewy's gonna be there doing that thing and- Speaking of, of not quite Rochester, but how about the, whoever came up with the idea of the enduro/cornhole contest? I just saw that posted this week.
• 29:09
  Don't have a clue what you're talking about. You liked it, didn't you, on Facebook? It's, uh- Facebook? What's that? It's gonna be a... It's, I know. It's a, um, a, a fat bike- The next generation MySpace...
• 29:19
  fat bike race. It's like a biathlon only it's instead of, like, swimming and biking, it's gonna be bike- fat biking and cornhole. [laughs] That's now called BAGS. Wow. Bags. Bags. Bags. Bags.
• 29:31
  Well, they're calling it, they're calling it Cornholio. Oh, it's called BAGS. So it's, it's, uh, it's kind of up north, up by the... It's in Vilas County. If you were doing- Oh, I don't have coverage up there...
• 29:42
  if you were doing that in LA- LA... you'd call it BAGS. LA. I'm not going to LA. LA. I'm going to LA. It's not a bag. It's a BAG. BAG. Not a bag.
• 29:52
  Now I gotta find out what it is 'cause I'm intrigued as to what they're calling it. Nothing wrong with Cornholio, as I have TP for my bunghole. You're not threatening me. TP for my bunghole. How do you threaten anyone?
• 30:02
  I know. Yeah. All right. Well, there was a little slide into nostalgia there, lads. Yeah. Yep, yep, yep. All right, Ian, what else you got? Let us know the things- What else?... that are on your mind.
• 30:14
  You're a plethora of information.
• 30:16
  And, uh, folks, I think Ian's pretty open to people contacting him and figuring this bike benefits thing out, and other kind of, uh, make bikes the thing in your neighborhood kind of, uh, grassroots organizational type stuff.
• 30:31
  Yeah. We, uh, if people wanna start the program, they can order startup packs and distribute them around the city. They can add businesses to the website. It's pretty easy Sweet.
• 30:40
  Yeah, I didn't see the add a business thing. That's actually pretty cool. Mm-hmm. You can, uh...
• 30:44
  So yeah, all your, uh, your technology is good because, um, getting people to know about it is, is a key thing, and the, there's a mobile version of the site, and, uh...
• 30:55
  So you can do it on your, on your p-hone while you're riding your bicycle. [laughs] Uh, what else can I say? Um, yeah. Somebody poked you in the eye today, didn't they? Yeah. The, uh- [laughs]...
• 31:06
  the water's getting cold here. [laughs] And aside from the, uh, the biking, I think the, uh, jumping in the water is one of the oases of, uh- [laughs]... Milwaukee.
• 31:16
  So I usually, you know, run around and hop around to increase my body temperature before I jump in. And today I forgot to take my, uh, keys off my key chain- [laughs]...
• 31:26
  that was hanging around my neck, and it slapped my key into my eye before I jumped in. Oh, no. Oh, ow. So that would be considered a freak accident. Yeah, for sure.
• 31:35
  So do you jump in Lake Michigan, or do you jump in the river or anywhere anywhere? Yeah, Lake, Lake Michigan. Right on. Nice. Try to do it most days. And you've done the Polar Bear Plunge in the past, then?
• 31:43
  I usually take that day off. [laughs] I only go, honest- Avoid the crowds. Honestly, I only go into Lake Michigan in the winter when I fall in it on accident, which has happened more than once. Oh, wow.
• 31:54
  You know, when, when the ice shelf gets out there and you're fat biking along and you make a bad decision on how solid the ice is right on the edge, you might kind of fall in the water. Mm. Wow.
• 32:06
  The nice thing is it's, you know, we're know it's a couple feet deep. It's cold, though. Don't worry about that. Yeah, this is- [laughs]... this is wake-up water around here. Oh, yeah, yeah.
• 32:15
  Heck in- Over, over by, uh, that, uh, when I, uh, turtled out, you know, on Harrington. Yeah, that was beautiful. I did not fall into- We should have video of that...
• 32:23
  in Lake Michigan, but there was, like, a little- Tributary... tributary coming in. And just a slow, like, "Move, move, move," and then slowly fall and bam. I'm just- Sorry... laying in this tributary.
• 32:36
  On his- On my back... on his backpack... like a turtle. [laughs] Like a turtle. [laughs] Oh, as long as- And I'm like, "Ar," but wet as shit. And it was, like, 40 and wet.
• 32:42
  So you were kinda, like, stuck on your bike, but you were upside down. Yeah. And it was just bad news. That's the same thing that happens if you're wearing a cape- But it was-... and you go biking. I know.
• 32:51
  That's why I can't be a hero anymore. Stuck to the bike. Yeah, there is nothing. [laughs] There are no heroes, folks. [laughs] No shit. Uh, a couple other quick eventy things- Sorry...
• 33:00
  I wanna mention while Tony's- Yeah... looking at his phone for something. And laughing. It's the Lambeau Fatathon, and that is the- Oh... fat bike and cornhole biathlon. [laughs] In, but not in Green Bay.
• 33:12
  No, it is, uh, January 4th in St. Germain, Wisconsin. Gotcha. That might be something worth going to. It sounds kinda- That and-... silly enough to attract my attention...
• 33:23
  that and, and the other reason why I'm considering going to Global Fat Bike Day instead of Santa Rampage is The Crystal Method is playing in Madison that night. Oh. So, so what do you mean going to Global Fat Bike Day?
• 33:33
  Where are you gonna go? Well, yeah. I might go to Global Fat Bike Day instead of- Well, well, what, what is this- But Global Fat Bike Day is all over the globe... this is global... so where would you go?
• 33:39
  It's wherever you are. Sure. Why, dude, [laughs] like... It's not called Global- It's like it's Friday today... except- You're hurting me. You're hurting me, bro. It's like it's Friday today.
• 33:47
  [laughs] So where, which Global Fat Bike Day event- [laughs]... would you be going to? [laughs] I'll be going to the one- Got lost... between here and Madison. Camrock. Camrock. Which- Shit... is between...
• 33:59
  That's near where, uh, some dang old NASCAR driver's from over there. The- Dick Trickle? Matt Kenseth is over there from Cambridge near Camrock, and- Dick Trickle? Yeah, that's... No. [laughs] Worst name y- Best name-
• 34:14
  Who, what-... ever. Yeah. Yeah. What do you, what is- His last name is Trickle. I'm gonna name my son Dick. That's Richard. Well, I don't care. So what do State Fair Park and Dick Trickle... No, no, no.
• 34:22
  What do VD and State Fair Park have in common? [laughs] State Fair Park? No. [laughs] Dick Trickle. Oh. Damn it. Whatever. Dang ole. Dang ole. Whatever, man. Dang ole. I don't know. Question for y'all. We- Yes.
• 34:35
  Do you ever do the, uh, the fat, like a fat bike, uh, ride to Madison in the middle of winter? Have not gone that far- Huh... yet on that trail. That sounds like a really good time. No, I've just done the- Sign me up...
• 34:48
  I've just done the, uh, uh, Milwaukee to Port Washington- Mm... ride up and then, and then riding in Port, but... And that, but that's also just trail. Mm-hmm.
• 35:02
  And that's just to have the fat bike there to play on the beach. Yeah, and the snow globe and the- Oh, yeah. That was a, I mean, [laughs] um- That one worked out... yeah. You know, um, fat bikes really...
• 35:15
  We did a trip this summer where you, we took the ferry over to the other side in Michigan and rode 50 miles on roads, and they have a pretty nice trail between Muskegon and, um, Silver Lake where we went.
• 35:31
  Again, to ride sand was the goal, so you're not gonna ride a road bike up there 'cause you're not gonna be able to ride the sand. Mm. So you have to ride your loaded up fat bike.
• 35:40
  And honestly, they don't, you know, you might not go quite as fast, but you're s- you're riding a bike. It's really not like it's- Yeah, it's not that horrible... a, a big, uh, a major, a lot more effort. Uh-huh.
• 35:51
  Put a little- Effort, and you'll get there five or 10 minutes later. Yeah. Put a little more air in the tires- [laughs]... than you might normally have, and you roll pretty good. Yep.
• 35:59
  Um, I, uh, the, you know, the four season fat bike thing's something we've all advocated for many years, and, uh, I still do. And then when you get to the sand, you can do stuff nobody else can. Yep.
• 36:10
  [laughs] Or snow, which is coming. There are gonna be a ton, a ton of groomed trails around. You promise, Greg? Oh, yeah. You promise there's gonna be a white Christmas?
• 36:19
  Uh, our own metro Milwaukee metro mountain bikers have a snow dog coming, and they're grooming Minooka Park. They're grooming Pleasant Valley- Nice...
• 36:28
  and looking for permission to do Alpha Trails, Hoyt, and, uh, Klutch Park, so- Nice. Wow. 'Cause Klutch would be a blast.
• 36:35
  They're kind of like, "Uh, we gotta figure out how many of these we can actually maintain," and which happens to a lot of people in a lot of areas when they get big ambitions about, uh, running snow machines on snow to make it fun for fat bikers.
• 36:48
  But, uh, just go up to Hayward and get yourself 70 miles of beautiful groomed trails, and you'll see it can be done. Yeah. Yeah.
• 36:55
  And, you know, that's just, it's another way to open up the outdoors for people that don't normally think about it, and, uh- Yeah... it's a super blast. Yeah, the, the winter's the time to do it. Yeah. Totally.
• 37:08
  Or you can just be a gloomy Gus- [laughs]... if you just wanna sit inside and go like, "Ew, it's too cold. It's gloomy." Oh, that's- It's like, "Oh, it's blah." Winter is the- No... you don't get sweaty.
• 37:16
  It's like i- it's the, it's the ideal time to ride. I agree with you. I probably- The body takes care of itself. It warms itself up... I'm pretty even year-round riding, but I do love to ride in the winter.
• 37:26
  You know, it's just- Yeah, I j- I guess I, I, I ride around the city all year round, but I do more events in the winter- Yeah... I would say, for sure.
• 37:33
  Um- We should, uh, re, uh, revisit, uh, Shiver West '24, 'cause I know that- Ooh. We should. Oh, yeah... he, uh, he re-up'd the domain. Yeah, that's definitely- Bartered it...
• 37:43
  something that just needs a, uh- Needs a little push... it needs a little bit of a format and a little push. Yeah. But I, I'm all for it. I think it's a great idea. You know? It's just, you know, we'd be
• 37:54
  like, we'll pick a month, and the first day it's 24 degrees is the race. Oh, I like that. You know? It's like, all right, get out there. You know, and you, it's totally, it's, uh- But I'm working, Tony.
• 38:03
  How do I get off of work? Tough shit. [laughs] You're sick that day. [laughs] Yeah, just have that hanging offer at your boss. You know, I mean- You're like, um-... you fall, you gotta do a s-...
• 38:13
  "This is a strange, this is a strange request," uh [laughs] Yeah. You fall, you gotta do a snow angel. That was so much fun.
• 38:17
  [laughs] I have no idea when this is gonna happen [laughs] That was, for the record, the first one was my first experience at The Swinging Door. Ah. Such a fantastic- What a great place.
• 38:28
  [groans] Is that, is that how it was planned the first day that was 24, or...?
• 38:32
  No, we just decided to do it one day, and it turned out to be a lot colder [laughs] than 24, and it was like, uh, maybe a dozen of us, maybe a little less.
• 38:41
  Uh, Denardo, your cousin Denardo, was out on a rally with, with ram brakes. [laughs] He couldn't stop to save his soul. [laughs] Um, and anyone that wiped out had to do a snow angel, and then we went along the lakefront.
• 38:53
  And someone, maybe you, suggested, "Hey, we're pretty close to The Swinging Door." I'm like- Hmm, could be... I'm like, "What's that?" [laughs] And we went to The Swinging Door, and it blew my mind.
• 39:02
  [laughs] It was like, I can't believe I don't know about this restaurant, because I like to eat. And that, as I've said multiple times, you can't have a bad meal at The Swinging Door. That- You, you just can't...
• 39:11
  is true. It's like anything you go in there and have, it's, like, gonna blow your mind. I like how consistent they are even- Yeah... through, uh, people who come and go as far as the p-people who are preparing food.
• 39:21
  It's just, it's very consistent and wonderful. Mm-hmm. Downtown Milwaukee, folks. It's awesome. But one of the first- Get Caesar salad. Get the Caesar salad... I'll never forget, one of the first times there,
• 39:30
  I was just like, "Okay, this place is rad," and dun, dun, dun, go outside for a smoke. And they had the, uh, music kicking on the outside.
• 39:38
  [clears throat] And the music on the outside was the music being played in the kitchen. Nice. And it was just Slayer. [laughs] And I'm like, "Oh." Must've been when Dan- Oh, yeah... was still working there. Probably.
• 39:53
  Dan... probably. That's right. Uh, yeah, yeah, I think I'm pretty sure it was. [laughs] And it was just like- You know- Yeah, yeah... and shout out to Dan- This, this is working out well...
• 39:59
  because I went there once, and Cleona was having, Cleona was a little kid, and she was having a conniption that we didn't go to Taco Tuesday. And Dan came out and said hi to me.
• 40:06
  I'm like, "Dan, any chance you can make my daughter a taco?" He's like, "Yeah, no problem, man." [laughs] And not even on the menu, Cleona gets a taco, shuts right up. I'm like, "This is great." There you go. Oh.
• 40:16
  Keep the kids quiet. Yep. That's the, that's the goal here. Yep. Yep, yep, yep. A couple more quick things to mention event-wise.
• 40:22
  Uh, Fatter by the Lake, we'll talk about this again, is coming up, uh, January 3rd through 5th in Zion, Illinois. Uh, staying overnight at the Illinois Beach Resort and Convention Center. Beautiful.
• 40:33
  And also, there's an ancillary event called- The Huge Ass-... The Huge Ass Fat Bike Race in the same park. So be a good time to come and do fat bike stuff on the beach. It will be fun.
• 40:44
  And then, uh, fatbike.com does have an event calendar. You can go on the website.
• 40:48
  You can go to the thing that says Submit An Event, and you can submit your own event, where it will come under scrutiny, and we will decide whether you're worthy.
• 40:57
  [laughs] And if you are, we will publish your event to the [laughs] event calendar. Wow. So- [laughs] So, hey, I think that that is- Well, you're gonna wanna run the gauntlet before you get your event on the site.
• 41:08
  Don't worry about it. [laughs] Basically someone checks if you have a pulse and you're in. As long as it says fat bike in the thing. Yeah. I mean, we're not doing triathlons and whatnot- Yeah...
• 41:15
  unless you're on a fat bike. And it's not coming from Russia. Yeah, that's- Ta-da. [laughs] Sorry, didn't wanna get political. Yeah, okay.
• 41:22
  We gotta, we gotta- [laughs] We gotta end this now and get some more testimony under our belts, so. All right. Exactly. The best napping music in the world. Yeah. The impeachment hearings.
• 41:31
  [laughs] All right, Ian, thanks for being on the show. Yeah. You got anything you wanna leave us with, uh, as far as last thoughts? No, this has been great. Enjoyed coming into the shop- Thanks for coming in...
• 41:41
  and hanging out with you guys, and, uh- The controlled chaos... I think you reignited the, uh, the reason that I got into biking in the f- in the first time. Nice.
• 41:49
  So I'm excited to, uh, spend some more time mountain biking this year. Right on. Right on. Right on, man. Yeah. So thank you. All right, everybody. We'll be back here next week, day before Thanksgiving, eh?
• 41:59
  Um- No, Friday. No. We'll be- Well, we hear the day after Thanks- We'll, we'll re- The day after Thanks- We'll- Well, we'll be here the day before. Yeah. Happy Thanksgiving, everybody, when you hear us next. Next week.
• 42:08
  Yep. Friday. Probably.
• 42:11
  [upbeat music]