Category Archives: Interviews

Martina Brimmer: Swift Industries and the Empowerment of Adventures by Bike

Posted on February 19, 2014 by josh| 3 Comments

Bike Portraits
Photo courtesy of Martina.

Martina Brimmer is the force behind Seattle-based pannier and bag company Swift Industries. She’s also a dedicated bike tourist, adventurer, writer (she is a co-contributor, along with me, to the forthcoming bike touring guide Cycling Sojourner Washington), teacher and more. She and her partner, Jason Goodman, launched Swift Industries out of their home in 2008. It’s now a full-fledged business with full time employees and customers worldwide. I sat down with Martina in the Swift studio to talk about the challenges, successes, and growth of the company, her bike adventuring, her literary project Tough and Tender, and much more.

Continue reading →

→ 3 Comments

Posted in Advocacy, Bike Industry, Bike Touring, Interviews

Tagged , , , , , ,

Mary Gersemalina: Coffeeneuring, Community, and Some Seriously Long Rides

Posted on January 22, 2014 by josh| 6 Comments

CMB Photo by Felkerino
Photo by Ed Felkerino.

From policy wonks working to effect change to trail builders giving mountain bikers a place to ride to a cyclist helping a friend buy a bike; advocacy comes in many forms. Mary Gersemalina’s version of bike advocacy falls somewhere on that spectrum with a marriage of coffee and cycling. Mary created coffeeneuring, a formalized coffee shop ride series that plays on the rigid rules of randonneuring (Mary is also an accomplished randonneur). Though the whole thing may sound a little odd at first blush, coffeeneuring is catching on and getting people out on their bikes and last year expanded to include participants in Canada, Europe, and Australia. Mary and her husband, Ed Felkerino, are also behind Washington DC’s Friday Coffee Club, a weekly, pre-work event that encourages DC’s bike commuters to stop and get to know one another.

In this interview, Mary discusses her inspiration for coffeeneuring and its quick growth, the impact of Friday Coffee Club, the attraction of 750 mile bike rides, her randonneuring adventures in the US and abroad, and more.

Continue reading →

→ 6 Comments

Posted in Advocacy, Interviews, Randonneuring

Tagged , , , , ,

The All-Powerful Bicycle Lobby: Conspiracy, Control, and a 1% Mode Share

Posted on December 17, 2013 by josh| 9 Comments

David-Byrne-on-a-bike
Some say David Byrne is the leader of the All-Powerful Bicycle Lobby. Others say he’s just a pawn in their game.

Little is known about the All-Powerful Bicycle Lobby (APBL). In fact, until the Wall Street Journal’s Dorothy Rabinowitz made a video last Spring lamenting the APBL’s efforts to “begrime” New York City with Citi Bikes, few people (if any) knew that the group existed. Exactly who they are and the extent to which they influence the world’s affairs remains unclear. But, I had the rare opportunity to interview the APBL and help shed light on their dark conspiracy. In it we discuss their history, their slow and steady reshaping of the free world, their end game, and much more.

Continue reading →

→ 9 Comments

Posted in Advocacy, Interviews

Tagged , , , , , ,

Adam Abramowicz: a Kinder Approach to the Bike Industry

Posted on December 5, 2013 by josh| Leave a comment

BikeStory_PostRace
Adam (right) after a race.

Adam Abramowicz wants to run a different sort of bike company. Like many boutique brands in the industry, KindHuman sells carbon and steel framesets, apparel, and components. But the profits earned go back, in part, to a youth cycling scholarship and their team sponsorships are based on character first and results second. It’s a model Abramowicz hopes will create a welcoming, fostering atmosphere for would be cyclists and racers. I spoke to him about his company’s model, their youth scholarship program, the challenges of being a start up in a big, broad industry, and much more.

Continue reading →

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Bike Industry, Cyclocross, Interviews, Racing

Tagged , ,

Elle Anderson: Cyclocross’ Up-and-Coming Crusher

Posted on October 24, 2013 by josh| 1 Comment

elleanderson
Photo from theroaddiaries.com.

A relative newcomer to the sport of cyclocross, Elle Anderson came into this season swinging hard. She bagged four wins in a row, taking the top step on both days of the Trek CXC Cup and both days of the Grand Prix of Gloucester. To the casual cyclocross observer, it seemed like Anderson had simply appeared out of thin air. I spoke to her about her success so far this season and how it’s shaping her cycling goals,  her short career as a cyclist and long history as an elite athlete, balancing a non-racing career with her high-level racing, and much more.

Continue reading →

→ 1 Comment

Posted in Cyclocross, Interviews, Racing

Tagged , , , ,