Family Pedals
21 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 6 years ago - ★★★★★ - 36 ratingsListen as Sarah Kopper chats with families questioning the status quo and living life a little bit differently. From the bakfiets to the bus, families are finding ways to get around without a car and embracing active and alternative forms of transportation. Each episode will highlight one family's experience living car-free or car-lite.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Homepage Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
Episodes
All-Season Adventures with Doug Dunlop
May 15, 2018 04:30 - 29 minutes - 27.2 MBDoug Dunlop joins me for the final episode of the spring. Many of you may know him from his blog and social media presence where he shares his experiences biking, camping, and adventuring year round in Calgary, Alberta. I hope the episode inspires you and your family take an adventure by bike this summer (or make plans for next winter!). Here are the links we mentioned: Cetma cargo bikes Frost Bike: The Joy, Pain, and Numbness of Winter Cycling by Tom Babin Follow-me tandem Kettle Valley...
Bike Month with Beth Rosenbarger
May 02, 2018 15:09 - 19 minutes - 18 MBIn celebration of Bike Month, I am releasing a bonus episode! Bloomington's bicycle and pedestrian coordinator, Beth Rosenbarger, joins me to talk about how she started bike commuting, her role in the City, and details about Bike Month--both locally and nationally. I hope the episode inspires you to participate in your community's Bike Month and connect with other cyclists. And if you're local, be sure to come to the Ice Cream Ride on the 31st so we can hang out and talk family biking. See t...
Advocacy in Arlington with Gillian Burgess
May 01, 2018 04:30 - 30 minutes - 27.5 MBGillian Burgess and I chat on Episode 19 all about family biking in Arlington, Virginia. She shares both how she became involved with her city's Bicycle Advisory Committee and how she started hosting Kidical Mass rides. She is a wonderful example of how important (and doable!) it is to get involved in your community. See below for links to all of the bikes, organizations, and resources we mentioned: Find Gillian on Twitter Bakfiets NL Xtracycle Cargo Node Bobike Mini front seat Biria Ci...
Bunch Bikes with Aaron Powell
April 17, 2018 14:52 - 30 minutes - 27.9 MBAaron Powell is the owner of Bunch Bikes, formerly known as Urban Tribe Cargo Bicycles. We first chatted in late February, but I held off on releasing the episode until now so he could share the new company name and the reasons behind rebranding. I love that Aaron saw a need for a different type of bike in the American market and went out and created a company to fill that need. You’ll hear how he started biking for transportation, the inspiration behind the company, and where he sees Bunch ...
Babes with Babes on Bikes with Leslie Lilly
April 03, 2018 18:15 - 26 minutes - 24.5 MBToday I’m welcoming my friend Leslie Lilly to the show. She and I met through a group she created in Austin: Babes with Babes on Bikes. Every week, the group would ride to park or other kid-friendly attraction. It was a great way to explore the city and meet other like-minded families. You’ll also hear about her family’s experience spending a year living on the road, exploring the States by bike. If you’re like me, by the end you’ll want to pack up your gear and go on your own cycling advent...
Cargo Bike Republic with Kerry Waldman
March 20, 2018 05:00 - 29 minutes - 27.3 MBKerry Waldman has been riding and working on bikes for most of his life, and now shares that passion with his daughter through their cargo biking adventures. Last year Kerry created the Cargo Bike Republic Facebook group--a judgement free place to ask questions and share inspiration about family biking. It's a group for everyone in the cargo biking community--the families who ride them, the companies that create them, and the mechanics who work on them. In this episode you'll hear some of Ke...
Multi-Modal Transportation with Natanya Bittman
March 06, 2018 06:00 - 37 minutes - 34.1 MBNatanya Bittman joins me for Episode 15. She and her husband are exploring the feasibility of selling their second car and being a one-car family in the Berkshires of Massachusetts. To make that change possible, Natanya is using a bus/bike combination to drop her son at daycare and take herself to work. I love her enthusiasm and determination, and hope you are inspired by her story. Check out all the resources we discuss below: Chris and Kelsey Wharton of the Matrimoney podcast Listen to C...
Newly Car-Free with Jessica Maceira
February 20, 2018 06:00 - 30 minutes - 28.1 MBLast year the Maceira family went from two cars to one. After a positive experience with that change, they sold their second car and are now living car-free in Roseville, CA. Jessica joins me on the show to share how they are faring one-month into the adventure. We chat about how and why they made the switch, what has surprised her most, and what her three kids think about the new lifestyle. If you've been wondering what the first weeks of car-free life are like, this is the episode for you!...
Yellow Bike Project with Savanna Adams
February 06, 2018 06:00 - 25 minutes - 23.2 MBMy friend Savanna joins me to talk about biking with her two young boys, how electric assist has changed her biking life, and the work of the Yellow Bike Project--a community bike shop in Austin, Texas. It's where I first learned how to adjust brakes and an amazing place to learn how to fix your own bike. Here are links to all the great resources Savanna mentioned in the show: Cetma Cargo Bikes Park Tool Big Blue Book of Bicycle Maintenance Chainbreaker Yellow Bike's Instagram If you’...
Yuba Bikes with founder Ben Sarrazin
January 23, 2018 06:00 - 31 minutes - 29.3 MBYuba Bikes founder Ben Sarrazin joins me for Episode 12. He shares what inspired him to create the company, how the bikes have evolved over the last decade, and his thoughts on cargo biking both here in the States and abroad. I know there are many Yuba owners in the Family Pedals community (my family included) and I hope you enjoy learning a little more about the company and the person who started it. Yuba Bikes Bicycle Mobility Consultation form Yuba's social pages: Facebook and Instagra...
The Bike Year with Bill Brodegard
January 09, 2018 06:00 - 33 minutes - 30.9 MBBill Brodegard joins me in Episode 11 to share how his family's "bike year" is going. Last spring they sold their car and committed to the adventure of a car-free lifestyle for one year. He talks about what he has discovered through the project, whether they will continue once the year ends, and his theory about how life is like slicing tomatoes. The Bike Year Check out their homemade, duct-taped bike tent! Yuba Spicy Curry Perennial Cycle Surly Moonlander (though sadly not the tricked ...
Small Town Cycling with Rachel Jonat of the Minimalist Mom
December 12, 2017 06:00 - 47 minutes - 43.5 MBRachel Jonat, founder of the Minimalist Mom blog, joins me for Episode 10. We chat about her experience with active transportation in very different locations: Vancouver, on the Isle of Man, and now in small town British Columbia. She illuminates the unexpected benefits of cycling in a smaller city and the ways in which active transportation is supported differently there. Below you'll find links to everything we mentioned in the show: Minimalist Mom The Month I Paid $30/mile to Drive Get...
Electric Bikes and Inclusivity with Dave Cohen of Vbike
November 28, 2017 06:00 - 39 minutes - 35.9 MBDave Cohen, the founder of Vbike, joins me for Episode 9. We have a wide ranging discussion that covers Vbike origins and role in the community, how electric bikes can help mitigate poor infrastructure, ways bike shops can cater to a wider clientele, the dangers of automobilism, and how biking can engage our senses and create a deeper sense of connection to the world around us. If you are interested in hearing more about the concepts behind automobilism, check out this New York Times Magazin...
Planning, Parking, and Pedaling with Lindsay Bayley
November 14, 2017 06:00 - 38 minutes - 35.6 MBLindsay Bayley is a planner for the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning. She joins me on the show to talk about how she became car-free, how parking policies affect livability, and how to get involved at the local level to support active transportation policies. See below for all the resources we discussed in the episode. The High Cost of Free Parking by Donald Shoup Victoria Transport Policy Institute Charles Marohn from Strong Towns, who also has a podcast Gabe Klein Workcycles K...
Talking (Bike) Shop with Elsbeth Cool
October 31, 2017 05:00 - 47 minutes - 43.3 MBElsbeth is back for another episode, this time talking about her business--Four Star Family Cyclery. She shares what they do (cargo bike rentals! mobile service! no mansplaining!), why she started the business, and what it's like to be a woman in a male dominated industry. Be sure to listen all the way to the end to hear her thoughts about the freedom her family's gained from the limits of life without a car. Check out the shownotes to find all of the links mentioned in this episode. And a...
Switching to Cycling with Elsbeth Cool
October 17, 2017 05:00 - 55 minutes - 51.2 MBElsbeth Cool was car-free for years in Chicago before becoming a cargo bike enthusiast and now owner of Four Star Family Cyclery. In this episode she shares how she went from walking and using public transit to riding all-year round. We have a great conversation about the evolution of her biking set-up, her advice for biking through the winter, and how she handles the curiosity and judgment that comes with biking as a family. Tune back in next time for part two where she shares more about wh...
Active Transportation Advocacy with Lisa Corriveau
October 03, 2017 05:00 - 43 minutes - 40.2 MBLisa Corriveau--aka Spokesmama--joins me for Episode 5 to talk about living car-free in Vancouver, British Columbia. She shares how she started cycling, how her family uses car-share, which cargo bikes she prefers, and how she advocates for active transportation both through her work teaching cycling classes and as a member of Vancouver's Active Transportation Policy Council. To find links to everything mentioned in the show, head over to Family Pedals for the shownotes. You can find me on ...
Family Bike Camping with Mark Stosberg
September 19, 2017 05:00 - 42 minutes - 38.8 MBMark Stosberg joins me for Episode 4. He lives a car-lite life in Bloomington, Indiana with his wife and two kids. In addition to riding all over town, he regularly goes bike camping with his family, including a ten-day tour of Southern Indiana in the summer of 2016. He is writing a book called Let's Go Family Bike Camping that will include stories from his many trips, detailed gear explanations, and tips for making these adventures a success. To find links to everything mentioned in the sh...
Creative Car-Sharing with Caitlin Macklin
September 05, 2017 05:00 - 39 minutes - 36.5 MBMy friend Caitlin Macklin joins me for Episode 3. She is a parent, teacher, and active transportation enthusiast living in Austin, Texas. We discuss how she's learned to be flexible and creative when facing physical injuries that have kept her off her bike, how she created a car-sharing arrangement with another family down the street, and how she moved her schoolhouse to its new location via bicycle. I would love to hear your feedback on the show! You can find me on Instagram @familypedals...
Cycling in Suburbia with Chris Wharton
August 22, 2017 05:00 - 51 minutes - 53.5 MBIn episode two I interview Chris Wharton. Chris and his family live in Gilbert, Arizona--a suburb in the sprawling Phoenix metropolitan area. A few years ago he sold their second car and began incorporating more utilitarian cycling into his everyday life. We touch on a variety of topics including: How and why they became a one-car family How he travels with his two kids by bike How he has fostered a love of cycling in his children The biggest challenges of being a one-car family in Phoen...
Becoming Car-Free with Neil Kopper
August 08, 2017 06:00 - 50 minutesIn the first episode of Family Pedals, I interview my husband Neil Kopper. I thought it would be a good place to start so listeners can get to know more about our family, how and why we ended up selling our car eight years ago, and how we where we need to go with two young children in tow. You can find the show notes for the show here: http://www.familypedals.com/2017/08/08/podcast-neil-kopper/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.