Bike Shop Life
Bike Shop Life is a podcast about the life and times of an independent bike shop located in Buffalo, New York called Campus WheelWorks. Campus is a community-centric, urban, full service shop that puts on over 50 events a year! We cater to all kinds of cyclists and therefore have an interesting mix of clientele and staff. No two days at Campus are the same... The host, Ethan Johnson is a 30 year veteran of the bike industry. He is an active participant in cycling as well as the shop Co-owner. These stories and interviews are from his perspective and those he brings into the Bike Shop Life stratosphere. Join Ethan as he searches for the secret to what brings people like himself to choose this line of work as a career. Bike shops are a great example of the classic American small business model, one that is more and more scarce by the day as technology and convenience slowly take over. Independent bike shops continue to fight for survival and relevancy as they evolve or dissolve with the times. Why won't we give up? Tune in as we find out why... Support Bike Shop Life by: 1. Subscribing on your favorite player!2. Giving us a [positive] review on your favorite platform!3. Give me a follow on Instagram at @bikeshoplifepod 4. Donate to @CampusEthan on Venmo (mention Bike Shop Life!) or Donate to the Campus Cycling Collective, Inc. at www.campuscyclingcollective.com
Episodes
22 episodes
Episode 22: Ethan Goes to College
Milo or Ethan, rather goes to college... That's right. On year 30 of his bike shop life Ethan is forced to search out another craft to hone. He finds GIS as his next passion and goes back to complete a long abandoned undergrad degree at UB. Com...
Episode 21: Catch up: September 2021 to December 2023 a Summary...
So... It's been over 2 years since my last episode. I've been busy riding the roller coaster of the Bike Shop Life... Boom. Bust. We. Are. Still. Here. The show must go on. So much has happened. I run through some of it and get you-all caught u...
Episode 20: Cross in the Park 2021
Cross in the Park is our (Campus WheelWorks/Campus Cycling Collective, Inc.) biggest event of the year. Cross in the Park 2021 is this coming Sunday September 19th. I had been fielding many questions regarding our race, cross races in general, ...
Episode 19: Buffalo vs The Catskill Bike Packing Route Part 3 (Ethan's Story)
Part three of this saga is the event solely from my perspective. This episode includes all the live audio I recorded while on the route. It captures a bit of the emotion and sounds of walking riding or flying down dirt roads, moments of clarity...
Episode 18: Buffalo vs The Catskill Bikepacking Route (The Aftermath)
We went, we saw, some of us conquered and some of us were conquered... Welcome to the aftermath interview of our attempt of the Catskill Bikepacking Route. Please enjoy our stories of triumph and tribulation. From their website: “This self s...
Episode 17: Buffalo vs The Catskill Bikepacking Route (Before)
5 guys from Buffalo are traveling to the Catskill Mountians this Friday (June 11th) to attempt the Catskill Bikepacking Route. I gathered them around a table and had a little before interview. I hope you enjoy it. We will be following up a week...
Episode 16: Patrick Meszler Interview Part 3
So you want to be a bike mechanic? Welcome to part three of my conversation with Patrick Meszler. It took an entire episode for Pat to tell us how he got into the bike industry. AN ENTIRE EPISODE. From walking into a barn-basement-bike-sh...
Episode 15: Patrick Meszler Interview Part 2
So you want to be a bike mechanic? Welcome to part two of my conversation with Patrick Meszler. Today we move onto the question of how Pat got into the bike industry. From walking into a barn-basement-bike-shop near Utica, NY at 15 to wor...
Episode 14: Patrick Meszler Interview Part 1
Welcome to the beginning of my conversation with Patrick Meszler. Pat has a deep bike racing history all the way back to starting out as a junior road racer. He has been in, out and about of the bike industry since around the same time. His rel...
Episode 13: Ryan Sarka Interview Part 2
Part 2 of my second interview in a series of conversations with folks who embody adventure by bike. Ryan is a lifelong cyclist, adventurer, mountaineer, bike racer and now bikepacker. He recently completed the TATR a 585 mile self suppor...
Episode 12: Ryan Sarka Interview Part 1
My second interview in a series of conversations with folks who embody adventure by bike is with Ryan Sarka. Ryan is a lifelong cyclist, adventurer, mountaineer, bike racer and now bikepacker. He recently completed the TATR a 585 mile se...
Episode 11: Joe & Emmalee Olgin Interview Part 2
Part 2 of my converstion with Joe & Emmalee Olgin, my first official Local Legend interview. They have a legendary amount of bike touring experience having ridden their bikes to and from 49 states of our great nation. One of these trips was...
Episode 10: Joe & Emmalee Olgin Interview Part 1
Joe & Emmalee are my first official Local Legend interview. They have a legendary amount of bike touring experience having ridden their bikes to and from 49 states of our great nation. One of these trips was over a year, yes over a year liv...
Episode 9: Vanessa Elder Interview Part 2
Part two of my staff interview/exit interview with Vanessa Elder on her way out of town. Vanessa is a 5 summer seasonal employee of Campus WheelWorks. For 5 summers Vanessa has brought her own style and touch to our sales floor adding to the Ca...
Episode 8: Vanessa Elder Interview Part 1
I snagged a staff interview/exit interview from Vanessa Elder on her way out of town. Vanessa is a 5 summer seasonal employee of Campus WheelWorks. For 5 summers Vanessa has brought her own style and touch to our sales floor adding to the Campu...
Episode 7: Justin Plinz Interview Part 2
Part two of my coast to coast episode with Justin Plinz of Ascent Cycles in Ballard, Washington. Justin manages Ascent Cycles and began his career right here at Campus WheelWorks way back in 2007. Old Lucky Justy and I sat down for a few ho...
Episode 6: Justin Plinz Interview Part 1
A coast to coast episode as Justin Plinz of Ascent Cycles in Ballard, Washington is my next guest. Justin manages Ascent Cycles and began his career right here at Campus WheelWorks way back in 2007. Old Lucky Justy and I sat down for a few ...
Episode 5: The Ethan and Alex Show
Our story goes back, way back to 1999 at T&L Cycles... Join me as I introduce to you my best friend, my business partner, my partner in crime, the yin to my yang... Alex Davies. My first guest on Bike Shop Life. So begins my quest to ...
Episode 4: Bike Boom During Covid Gloom
What I hope is my last episode centered on our experiences during the Corona Virus Quarantine. Every week is a new business plan. I touch on some personal challenges as well as those we face at work. Through it all we continue on...
Episode 3: Life as an Essential Worker
A continuation of documenting our experience during the Covid-19 Quarantine. Life on the front lines... Daily challenges and ever changing policies. What we have done to stay safe and stay open. Our story even made WBFO our local NPR affiliate!...
Episode 2: The Corona Chronicles
Covid times at the bike shop. Welcome to the new norm, I hope you like it here. Uncertainty, survival, unemployment, pandemic... These are the feels going into this one. And unfortunately this isn't an April fools joke.Intro/Outro: Orig...
Episode 1: WTF is this(a history and introduction)?
This is a fairy tale of Campus WheelWorks & Ethan Johnson and how the two came upon their life long relationship together. This is my first podcast episode ever. It may not be perfect but it will give you a glimpse into what I hope to cover...