November 29, 2025 • 46 mins
In this episode, host Tom Butler reflects on three transformative years and shares the fitness strategy he plans to follow for the rest of his life. Then, Tom sits down with Seattle cycling legend Kathleen Emry, co-founder of Free Range Cycles in Fremont. Kathleen didn't just build a bike shop—she created a community hub that proved the bicycle can be a powerful connector, bringing people together around something greater than themselves. Whether you're a cyclist or simply believe in the power of community, this conversation will inspire you to see how two wheels can change lives.
LINKS
WA Scenic Bikeway Nominee: teleiomedia.com/crossstatetrailsouth.html
Kathleen's Instagram: instagram.com/kathleenjemry
Swift Industries Campouts: builtbyswift.com/pages/swiftcampout
Ligo 10X Info: ebikes.ca/shop/electric-bicycle-parts/batteries/ligo10x-battery.html
Here is your invitation to join a great launch party for the summer cycling season. Join the Cycling Over Sixty Tour de Cure PNW team. Whether you are local or come out to experience cycling in the great Northwest, I would love to have you help make this a ride with a purpose. And to send a message that the joy of cycling is here for everyone, regardless of age. Go to tour.diabetes.org/teams/CO60
I know it is early but we are looking to get the Cycling Over Sixty Tour de Cure team together as soon as possible. You can find all the info at tour.diabetes.org/teams/CO60
Thank you Konvergent Wealth for sponsoring CO60 Jerseys for the Tour de Cure!
Become a member of the Cycling Over Sixty Strava Club! www.strava.com/clubs/CyclingOverSixty
Cycling Over Sixty is also on Zwift. Look for our Zwift club!
Please send comments, questions and especially content suggestions to me at info@cyclingoversixty.com
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Show music is "Come On Out" by Dan Lebowitz. Find him here : lebomusic.com
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Tom Butler (00:04):
This is the Cycling Your 60 Podcast.
This is season 4, Episode 5,More Than a Bike Shot, and I'm
your host, Tom Butler.
I want to ask you to pleaseconsider donating to the Cycling
(00:26):
Over 60 Tour de Cure team forGiving Tuesday, which is
December the 2nd.
That is, of course, if youaren't going to ride with us.
I sincerely want as many of youas possible to join us on the
ride on May 2nd.
As I've been saying, it mightseem early to be looking at a
ride in May, but I've got a lotto prepare for and I need to
know as soon as possible howmany riders will join us.
(00:48):
And remember, the first 50riders to qualify for the ride
get a free cycling over 60 tourdecure jersey.
It's now been three years sinceI decided to get serious about
cycling.
My understanding of cycling haschanged dramatically over that
time.
My understanding of my physicalcondition has been the biggest
change of all.
As you know, cycling iscurrently a huge focus of my
(01:10):
life.
I'm expecting not to learn asmany new things next year as I
have in the past three.
However, I might be surprised.
I kind of hope so.
It'd be great to keep expandingmy knowledge of cycling and my
health and everything associatedwith it at a high rate.
One thing that I feel like I'mstarting to really dial in is my
workout program.
(01:30):
I think I'm onto something nowthat could be the program for
the rest of my life.
Distilling down what I've beenlearning, it results in this.
I want to make sure and put in10 hours a week of serious
activity.
And as I've noted before, Ibelieve I need to act like an
athlete.
We are coming up on the WinterOlympics and we're going to get
(01:52):
stories about athletes and theirtime commitment.
For this phase of life, I wantto have that kind of commitment
to activity and see where ittakes me.
I didn't start out this journeythree years ago as someone who
had been athletic over like thelast 30 years.
I know that does describe someof you.
I hope my story is inspiringfrom the perspective of what
(02:17):
turnaround can happen if fitnessis taken seriously after 55
years old, in my case after 59years old.
I've come to believe that thatcan only happen with a really
serious focus on being fit.
So 10 hours a week and also sixdays a week of activity.
In the past three months I'vehad a lot of demands on my time,
(02:39):
and it's been difficult to getin six days of activity in a
week.
But I believe I just simplyneed to change that.
I just simply need to find theways to create different habits
so I'm more consistent.
I just had an importantexperience on Thanksgiving.
I find it to be tough to excusemyself after a Thanksgiving
meal and go exercise for 30minutes.
(03:01):
And this year I just didn't dothat.
And the result was that myblood glucose stayed elevated
for about an hour.
That feedback from mycontinuous glucose monitor was a
kick in the butt.
So I blew it.
Now, if I didn't have a bloodglucose problem, I should still
have done activity.
At my age, in my early 60s,it's important no matter what's
(03:24):
going on medically that I amactive.
I believe that I have to fightnow for standing health in my
80s.
And that means that I need todo things like announce to
people at the Thanksgiving tablethat, hey all, I'm going to be
gone for the next 30 minutes.
So in a month from now, I'll beable to practice this again at
(03:45):
the Family Christmas.
I plan to do better.
I've been saying that two ofthe six days of activity that I
do each week need to beweightlifting.
But I don't think I can get 10hours in a week of some serious
cardio work unless I also dosomething on those lifting days.
So I need to figure that out.
(04:06):
I need to figure out whatriding looks like on days that I
do heavy lifting.
So that's the framework of aprogram that again I think I can
do for life.
Ten hours a week, six days aweek, and two of those days do
some lifting.
Armed with that, I think I'mready to schedule an appointment
and talk everything over withthe pros at Physician Coach.
(04:29):
And I look forward to sharingthose discussions with all of
you.
I mentioned Cranksgiving lastepisode, but I want to revisit
it.
If you go to cranksgiving.org,you'll see what is happening
across North America with thisunique celebration of the power
of cycling.
There are a couple things thatare making me want to see
Cranksgiving 2026 be absolutelymassive.
First, I think it's verypossible that November 2026
(04:52):
could see an abnormally highnumber of people be food
insecure for the holidays.
In my mind, there are somereally disturbing economic
forces that could mean realhardship for a bunch of people.
The other factor is that 2026is likely going to be a year of
attack on the bike as a form oftransportation.
Bike lane grants are beinglabeled as hostile to cars.
(05:14):
The fight to bring someperspective to road
infrastructure should be prettyactive next November.
I think it would be perfect forthere to be about a million
social media images of people onbikes helping to feed their
neighbors.
So this is my call to have someconversations this holiday
season and recruit some familyand friends to participate in
Cranksgiving next year.
(05:34):
In my state, there is adeadline coming to nominate a
route as a Washington StateScenic Bikeway.
The designation means that theroute will get special attention
from Washington State Parks.
Our scenic bikeways program isset in law and funds are
designated for state parks topromote the route and for the
placement of signs designatingthe route as a scenic bikeway.
(05:56):
My company is helping to puttogether the application.
If you're curious about it, youcan find information on our
route at tellumedia.com forwardslash crossstate
trailsouth.html.
I'll put that in the shownotes.
The route has been identifiedover the years by Bob Meyrick,
president of the TacomaWashington Bicycle Club.
(06:16):
Bob has been a champion forbike infrastructure and earlier
this year received a lifetimerecognition award acknowledging
decades of advocacy.
If you go check out the route,I'd be interested in any
comments you might have on it.
There's a wonderful bike shopin Seattle called Free Range
(06:41):
Cycles.
I would describe them aspractical.
Here is how they describe thebikes that they carry.
Quote, when it comes to bikes,we favor a utilitarian approach.
We sell bikes that we like toride, bikes that can carry you
through all sorts of terrain andshenanigans.
Our bikes will last fordecades, look lovely, perform
(07:01):
well in the Pacific Northwest'svery terrain, and carry things
with ease.
End quote.
The ethos of free range cycleswas set by founder and longtime
owner Kathleen Emery.
I see Kathleen as a legendaryfigure, someone who made free
range cycles a place thattranscends bikes and truly was a
light to the community.
In today's world, we need a lotmore Kathleen's.
(07:24):
Here's my conversation withher.
I'm being joined today bysomeone I see as a legend.
Thank you, Kathleen Emery, forjoining me.
Kathleen Emry (07:32):
Thank you for having me, Tom.
Tom Butler (07:34):
So you opened free range cycles in the Fremont area
in Seattle in 1997.
And you operated it for like 20years.
Am I right about that?
Almost 22 years, yes.
Okay.
And we're going to get intosome of the reasons why I see
you as a legend.
But first, what do you rememberas your earliest meaningful
(07:54):
experience on a bike?
Kathleen Emry (07:56):
I would say that I grew up in eastern Washington
in a small town called Othello.
And I my most meaningful wasjust getting a bike, having a
bike, I can remember aroundseven, eight, riding up to go to
swimming lessons through afield field on a western flyer.
Tom Butler (08:15):
Nice.
Yeah, and some big fields inOthello.
Kathleen Emry (08:20):
Yeah.
Tom Butler (08:21):
So were you active as you grew up, pretty much?
Kathleen Emry (08:25):
Yes, I was very active as a child.
I played a lot of team sports: basketball, volleyball, (08:27):
undefined
baseball.
Yeah.
I was always wanting one of mysisters to join me throwing the
ball outside.
And Othello was a very flattown, so you could ride your
bike around town easily.
Tom Butler (08:44):
Before you opened free-range cycles, how would you
describe your relationship withbikes?
Were they transportation?
Were they recreation?
Were they something else?
Kathleen Emry (08:55):
I had moved to California after graduating from
high school.
And primarily bikes were a formof recreation.
But when I moved back toSeattle in 1984, I just saw the
opportunity to use a bike aroundtown as transportation.
And I went to Greg's Green Lakeand bought a specialized hard
(09:17):
rock to commute on.
Tom Butler (09:19):
And streets were a lot different then.
Also, the whole bicycle wasdifferent then, I think is right
to say.
And at some point you gotinterested in working in a bike
shop.
Can you talk about that?
Kathleen Emry (09:35):
Yeah, I think it was 1987.
I had uh finished a master's inministry to Seattle U.
Being queer, I decided that Icould not work within the
Catholic Church.
So I sort of one day I took mygirlfriend's bike to Wright
Brothers and noticed they had arepair class.
So I took the repair class andthen I was like astounded by how
(09:58):
much satisfaction there was inworking with my hands.
There was always an endpoint toit.
You got to make somethingbetter.
And so I got a job at WrightBrothers and started collecting
tools.
Started early on having a dreamabout owning a bike shop.
It took 10 years, and I metanother mechanic at Wright
Brothers who had the same dream.
(10:20):
And so we put it together.
Tom Butler (10:22):
It sounds like you hadn't ever really considered a
mechanical career or somethinglike that before that discovery.
Is that right?
Kathleen Emry (10:31):
That's very true.
Tom Butler (10:32):
I think Wright Brothers still exists.
Kathleen Emry (10:35):
Yes, it does.
Tom Butler (10:36):
And I it's today you kind of can see decades and
decades of stuff at White WrightBrothers.
It must have been a little bitdifferent back then.
Kathleen Emry (10:46):
It it was different, and he was
alternative even back then.
He was sort of the champion ofuh Campanola and Italian parts.
I mean, if that's where youwent to find any part, and it
was a workshop.
People could come in and theystill can.
They'd buy a membership for$25, lifetime membership.
And you could come in and workon your bikes anytime you the
(11:09):
shop was open.
And it also had a repair aspectto it.
We did repair bikes, but theythey didn't sell bikes there.
Tom Butler (11:16):
That's an interesting model of having
people being able to come in.
I'm guessing that that's kindof the first place where you
really started becoming a memberof the bike community.
Is that fair to say?
Kathleen Emry (11:30):
It's fair to say that I was a part of the bike
community, but I moved to VashonIsland in 1990.
So that sort of limited myability to be a part of the
Seattle bike community, exceptfor during work hours.
Tom Butler (11:46):
You talked about the owner of Wright Brothers, and
I'm forgetting his name.
Charles.
Charles.
You got uh mentoring fromCharles at Wright Brothers.
Was there other training thatyou did?
Were you seeking other placesto build your craft?
Kathleen Emry (12:02):
No, it was there I learned to build wheels.
I mean, we saw everything thatcame in the door at Wright
Brothers.
It was at such a variety ofbikes, especially older bikes,
square tapered bottom bracketbikes.
But those were very common atthat time in history.
Tom Butler (12:19):
And then you make this leap to owning your own
shop.
And I'm really curious aboutthat.
It's some it's one of thosethings that I'm always
interested in, is kind of theentrepreneurship behind things.
And so you decided to launchout in open free range.
Uh, what was thatdecision-making process like?
Kathleen Emry (12:38):
Kind of gathered a committee of the um Mitchell
Mead, who opened it with me, andum Jim Hoff, and there was
another guy, Tom, and we startedjust meeting and gathering
ideas about what it would belike and where we should open a
shop, what our budget might be.
I happened to have a degree inbusiness.
(12:58):
At first, we're looking onCapitol Hill.
We didn't want to pay more than$1,000 a month.
We couldn't find any place thatwe liked.
Then one day we were justriding our bikes by the current
location of free range cycles,and there was a for rent sign on
the door.
And so we inquired, and it was$750 a month.
(13:19):
It was in our budget.
And it was a quirky littlespace, but we thought we could
make it work.
And we started off very slowlyby uh paying ourselves $10 an
hour.
I think we put in each put in$3,000 in credit card debt, and
we started buying used bikes anddoing repair.
And that very first year wewere successful.
Tom Butler (13:41):
Now, free range is a to me a special name.
The first time I heard it, it'slike that sounds like a good
place to be.
Can you talk a bit about thatname?
Kathleen Emry (13:53):
Sure.
My recollection of it is that Iwanted a coyote on a bike, and
Mitch said, not too easternWashington.
One day our friend Jim Hoffcame back from PCC with a free
range sandwich, and Mitch said,I've got it.
And he was an artist, and so hewent home and built the free
range chicken with dreadlocksout of a piece of steel, and
(14:16):
that became our name.
And people always brought uschickens.
That's awesome.
Tom Butler (14:23):
Did you have a chicken for bike swap program at
all?
Kathleen Emry (14:27):
No, we did not have any live chickens, no live
chickens.
Tom Butler (14:31):
That's awesome.
Kathleen Emry (14:33):
We have an array of t-shirts through the years of
the free range chicken on 20,you know, like five years on the
road on a touring bike and on aracing bike.
And it was a very fun logo togo with.
Tom Butler (14:47):
I love it.
You were successful that firstyear.
It seems like there's alwayssome nervousness about it.
Was it a tough year, or how didyou find it to be?
Kathleen Emry (14:59):
I don't remember it being tough.
Mitch left after two and a halfyears.
I bought him out after two anda half years that he was gonna
ride his bike around the world.
That was a a bit tough for mebecause I was wondering how, you
know, how am I gonna do thisalone?
In the bike industry, you youreally have to learn to trust
because one day you can make twodollars and then the next day
(15:19):
you can make five thousanddollars.
So it's like it's justpracticing it, practicing
trusting, I think.
So each year it got easier tobelieve that it was gonna work
the next year.
Tom Butler (15:31):
Gotcha.
A woman operating a bike shopthat seems to me to be like
working in a male-dominatedindustry at that time.
Is that a correct assumption?
Kathleen Emry (15:41):
That is a correct assumption.
There were so many people thatwould tell me that everyone had
a dream to have a bike shop, youknow, insinuating that it would
fail.
I don't know.
It was for me, it was it wasnot about a head decision, it
was more about a heart decision,about trusting that my vision
would manifest.
Tom Butler (16:02):
This is one of those things that I see as legendary
about you.
You know, you you see thisthing.
Again, I think if I put some ofthe pieces of the story
together, you've got in yourmind something you're gonna do
with your life, and then thatbecomes something that you see
as unsustainable, the ministry.
And so you then start workingwith your hands and discover I
(16:27):
think passion for it or uhconnection to it as being really
strong.
And then you take that and youmove into an area where you can
apply that and you can benefitfrom that and you can structure
that the way that you want to.
It's a it's a brave move, Ithink, and it's also an
inspirational move.
Kathleen Emry (16:46):
Well, thank you.
I found also that there was alot of ministry in the bike
shop.
Tom Butler (16:52):
I can see that, and I I'd like to talk a little bit
more about that in a bit.
I'm wondering, you know, if youcan kind of encapsulate how you
would navigate difficultconversations with people that
maybe questioned whether or notyou belonged in that space.
Kathleen Emry (17:07):
I think I've been pretty open and upfront most of
my life about just listening topeople.
Now I'm a spiritual director,so that's that is something that
I probably was all my life, butI'm officially I'm a spiritual
director now.
You know, people would tell mewhat to carry, what I needed to
carry in the bike shop.
There was a lot of mansplainingto me.
(17:30):
You know, I took it with agrain of salt.
I mean, I had to do what Ineeded to do for myself.
It was I wasn't doing somethingfor someone else.
Tom Butler (17:38):
Or because you were trying to do something for your
ego.
It doesn't sound like that waspart of it either.
Kathleen Emry (17:45):
No, I don't think so.
Tom Butler (17:46):
Yeah.
Kathleen Emry (17:47):
It was feeding a passion for me.
Tom Butler (17:49):
And again, I think that's a it's a wonderful place
to be in.
And I think that's aninspiration for other people
that want to pursue that to bein a place every day that you
can be passionate about.
I think that's wonderful.
So I'm wondering about runninga business in Fremont.
Can you talk a little bit aboutFremont?
Do you do you see it as havingthis community identity?
(18:13):
If so, how did that communityidentity shape the culture and
your customer base?
Kathleen Emry (18:20):
Well, Fremont changed a lot.
When we first, when I workedthere in the 80s and early 90s,
it was there were a lot of drugsand um it was a hub for drug
use and unhoused folks.
I cultivated my love for theunhoused population early on in
that process.
We often had marginal peoplecoming in looking for money, and
(18:41):
I would find work for them.
And people knew they that theywere welcome there.
And to this day, some of mymost treasured memories are of
the marginalized people thattaught me about my own white
privilege and actually hoping towrite a memoir about that.
Tom Butler (18:56):
I love it.
Please, please do, and pleaselet me know about that.
I would love to do whatever Ican to promote that.
What a wonderful thing when youthink about having a bike shop.
I look at biking as you know, atool for anyone to use, to have
that kind of be a bit of acommunity hub for different
(19:20):
things, you know, the bike, andthen also if you're if you're
like you say, kind ofministering to people, I think I
see that as wonderful.
Kathleen Emry (19:28):
There were other bike shops in the Fremont area.
Right Brothers was, of course,just around the corner.
And second use, I think it wascalled, or was it second bounce,
was down the street.
And I I always thought of thatit was not so much competition
to have other bike shops in theneighborhood neighborhood, but
that they could feed off of oneanother.
(19:48):
Because biking is so specificto each individual.
Some people want it fortransportation, other people
want it for recreation.
Each shop can serve a differentperson.
Tom Butler (19:59):
You talked about Fremont being different back
then.
Can you kind of lay out some ofthat transition that happened
in Fremont?
Kathleen Emry (20:08):
Uh yeah.
I remember that Halloweens inFremont were very unusual and
freaky, lighting lawnmowers onfire and pushing them around.
Then it became gentrified, as alot of places in Seattle.
Adobe moved in, Tableau,Google, a lot of tech industry
(20:28):
moved moved into theneighborhood, which was actually
quite good for business.
In fact, Adobe bought, I think,six bikes from me to have their
employees use for commuting, asdid Children's Hospital.
So yeah, the flavor of Fremontchanged a lot.
There was just new restaurantsand it just became a more hip
(20:51):
place to come.
Tom Butler (20:52):
It has a bit of a re reputation of being kind of a
quirky artistic place.
Kathleen Emry (20:57):
Yeah.
Tom Butler (20:58):
Did you experience that?
Do you see it as being that waystill?
Kathleen Emry (21:02):
Oh, I still see it as being that way.
In fact, I met somebody hererecently who said, Oh, I'm going
to Seattle and we're going tostop and see Linen in Fremont.
I said, Well, stop by FreeRange Cycles, because he was a
cyclist.
Tom Butler (21:16):
You'll have to explain a little bit about Linen
for people who are listeningthat are not from the Seattle
area.
Kathleen Emry (21:23):
You know, I don't know how the Linen got there,
but I know that it's a statue indowntown Fremont of Linen.
Tom Butler (21:31):
It gets some attention.
It's uh a point of expression,I guess would be a way to say it
for different people.
Kathleen Emry (21:40):
Right.
And so, I mean, as does therocket and the troll.
And the bike trail is, youknow, a block away from free
range.
What that was that was quite anasset also.
Tom Butler (21:49):
Maybe talk a bit about that.
When you, you know, in the late80s, 90s, what was the mindset
around bike infrastructure inSeattle?
Was it the same as it would betoday, or do you think not so
much?
Kathleen Emry (23:14):
Oh, I think it's uh the bike infrastructure in
Seattle has um changeddramatically since then.
There wasn't really one backthen.
There weren't greenways.
The Burt Gilman was there, butthere weren't a lot of streets
that had bike paths along them.
Biking was thought of as youwere it was kind of a
marginalized if you rode a bike.
(23:36):
It was it wasn't mainstream asit is today.
Tom Butler (23:40):
I think it's interesting for people that come
to Seattle now and see thewaterfront without the overpass
in the way the feel is sodifferent.
It is, and a great place tobike, I think, too.
And yeah, and getting more so.
I read something that youspecifically wanted to have
balance in your life, even withdemands of running a business.
(24:02):
Were you able to accomplishthat?
Kathleen Emry (24:04):
Yes, I think I was early on the the first year.
I remember Mitch saying, Well,we have to be closed on Mondays
because I have yoga in themorning.
And I was like, Oh, really?
Okay.
And from there, yeah, I was Iit was always a 24-7 business
because you know the alarm couldgo off at any time.
(24:26):
But I took time off.
I trusted my employees to dowhat they could do while I was
gone.
I mean, this shop would stillbe there when I got back, and so
it was really important to meto have a balance.
And eventually in 2007, I movedinto town because the commute
was actually I was committedalways to commuting by bike, and
(24:47):
and the commute from Vashanmeant that I was usually gone 12
hours a day.
So in 2007, I decided it wastime to move back into town.
Tom Butler (24:57):
Again, I applaud you for that focus.
And I think that had to go along way in creating a culture
at free range.
Kathleen Emry (25:07):
Yeah, it was sort of mentoring in a way that this
isn't important to me, and howdo you want to make cycling
important to you?
What you know, what aspects ofit.
And free range cycles wasprimarily and still is primarily
a commuter shop.
Tom Butler (25:22):
I'm sure you witnessed significant changes in
the cycling industry over yourtime.
Can you talk about whattransitions stand out most to
you?
Kathleen Emry (25:31):
Well, uh, technology certainly has changed
during the time.
And as a commuter shop, I thinkwe were sort of known for
fixing the older bikes.
Speedy Reed's was down the onthe Burt Gilman Trail, and I
remember them, you know, ridingtheir bikes up to get us to our
(25:52):
shop to get a square taperbottom bracket.
In the early days, we didn'tstock the uh other bottom
brackets, so we'd have to ridedown there and and get those.
But um that was one way itchanged.
I think in Seattle, the culturejust began to grow, you know,
with coffee on Fridays or thethe bike culture, the the uh
(26:14):
campouts, everything juststarted to grow with the the uh
younger community.
And having swift industries inin town was really important in
making those uh bike campingtrips valuable to the community.
Tom Butler (26:30):
I'd like to see some of that come back.
I'm quite new to the bicyclecommunity.
I see that as time to get awaytogether, camp together, as as a
need.
I don't know that there's adesire for it with younger
people.
I think that's a wonderfulthing.
(26:51):
That would it'd be wonderful tosee it coming back.
Kathleen Emry (26:55):
Well, I think they they have it.
Swift Industries has a campout, which is not only in
Seattle, but would as all overthe United States.
They they used to do beforeCOVID, they would do folks that
had gone on tours present onCapitol Hill.
And it was a great opportunityto people for people to learn
about how to map out a journey.
Tom Butler (27:18):
That's awesome.
Kathleen Emry (27:19):
And I did three years in a row, I did what was
called the Great Escape fromAnacortis to Newport, Idaho, and
it was an organized ride withassociated grocers to raise
money.
Yeah, it was fabulous.
To we camped out and theycarried all our gear.
It was about a 500-mile route.
Tom Butler (27:38):
I tried to do that route last fall, and
unfortunately, I had Bursitis inmy knee flare up.
I just couldn't go very far.
I made it over Washington Pass,but uh that's so two days I I
made it, but that that was aboutit.
So it's a great route.
It is a great route, and Ithink what I would need to do,
(28:01):
it'd be wonderful to go with agroup.
I was going on my own, and thento leave more time.
I I'll have to check out whatSwift Industries is doing.
They call themselves a bicyclebags and adventure culture.
I gotta get connected more tothem, it sounds like.
Would you say that the bicycleindustry's relationship with
women cyclists has evolved overthe years?
Kathleen Emry (28:22):
Yes, I would say that.
So every year, quality bikeproducts, which is the big
distributor of parts and bikes,distributed surly and salsa and
also bike parts, would have aevent in the winter called
Frostbike.
And I remember going there oneyear and they were having an
event for women, and I thought,oh, I'm gonna go to this.
(28:43):
I'd say 80% of the people werethere were flannel shirted,
bearded men.
And so I thought, wow, great.
And so I went to the seminarfor women, and it was on how you
can sell clothing to women.
And I was like, oh no, this isnot something I want gonna do.
(29:04):
And I anyway, I think for them,I I made them understand that
bikes were generally made to fitmen.
And one of the things I gotquality to do was to stop
cutting their steer tubes so Icould put more spacers to
effectively shorten the top tubebecause generally women have
(29:25):
longer legs and shorter torsos.
It took some time to have getthat to happen, but it did
finally happen.
And it was I I heard someonesay that I had grandmothered
some things in.
Tom Butler (29:37):
Nice.
Do you think that uh that was asymptom of being so male
dominated in as far as executivepositions?
Do you think they just weren'tgetting feedback from women?
Uh why would you say that itwould take them a long time?
Kathleen Emry (29:53):
Well, the bike industry is very male-oriented.
It's more men ride bikes thanwomen, especially back in in
those days.
And you know, men are morewilling to spend money on bikes.
So I think it's changing theculture with women too, to
understand how important it isto have a nice bike.
Because if you do, if you havea nice bike, you're more likely
(30:14):
to ride it.
And if you have a bike thatfits, you're more likely to ride
it.
Tom Butler (30:19):
At some point you made a decision to step away
from free range cycles.
Talk about that.
What what was that like?
Kathleen Emry (30:26):
That was interesting.
I was in in 19 or in 2017, Iwas turning 64, I think.
And I thought to myself, I waswearing down a bit, my body was
wearing down a bit.
And I thought, uh, I think I'llgo on a pilgrimage on my bike
in Italy, ride my bike from St.
(30:47):
Bernard Pass to Rome on the ViaFrancigena.
And that's going to excite me.
I'll come back and I'll beready to go another 10 years.
Well, I came back and I waslike, I'm done.
It was another intuitive, like,you know, I'm done.
And so then it was it wastrying to figure out, you know,
the next step on how to.
(31:08):
What I should do.
I really didn't know what todo.
So I put an advertisement onsocial media and I got about
five individuals or groups ofpeople.
And Shauna had been a pastemployee of mine, and she was
now working at Bikeworks.
And she came to congratulate meand take me out for a beer.
And when we were having a beer,all of a sudden I looked at her
(31:28):
and I said, Are you interestedin buying free range?
And she looked up at me and shesaid, I think I am.
And I really wanted to hand itto another woman.
And she was the only singlewoman and the most knowledgeable
woman that was interested inthe shop.
And it really felt right.
So I I'm, you know, I made ithappen.
Tom Butler (31:52):
And so you're talking about Shauna Williams,
who is current owner, and she'sin there a lot and a wonderful
person.
I've met her.
You talk about her working atBikeworks, and I I did an
episode on Bikeworks, but forpeople that don't know about
Bikeworks, it is a nonprofitorganization in Seattle, and
(32:13):
they really focus a lot on bikeequity or access to bikes.
And a great organization.
And you know, for me, that'slike a great person, uh, a great
place to find a person from.
Kathleen Emry (32:28):
And she first she had worked at free range.
That was her first job was infree range, and then she moved
to bike works.
And she was leading, she hadmore of a community focus at
bike work.
She was taking kids on biketrips, and she's and she's
continued that at free range.
Tom Butler (32:44):
That's awesome.
I love it.
It must not be as unique of athing for her running a bike
shop as it was for you, but Imight be wrong about that.
Is it still the unique thing tohave a woman running a bike
shop?
Kathleen Emry (32:59):
I think it still is a unique thing.
I mean, I don't I I just don'tthink there's that many
women-owned bike shops,especially, you know, without
partnering up with anotherperson.
I can't think of another one inSeattle.
There are some women-ownedbicycle shops in Seattle that
like Mont Lake that's co-ownedby a woman, Carolyn.
Tom Butler (33:20):
Well, I'm so glad Shauna took that on.
Good for her, and I'm glad thatthat continues on in Fremont.
Kathleen Emry (33:26):
Yeah, I was recently there, uh, just about
three weeks ago, and of course Istopped and had coffee with her
and hung out at the bike shop.
And this time I didn't get putput to work.
Last time I was there, I I Igot a chance to see if I could
still build a wheel.
That's awesome.
I love that.
Tom Butler (33:45):
Well, that would be awesome to walk in and find you
working in the bike shop.
Kathleen Emry (33:49):
I'd love to well, it was funny because uh one of
my old customers rode by and helooked over and he was like, Oh
my gosh, and he stopped and andthen another guy came in while I
was there that I had outoutfitted on Surly Long Haul
Druckers.
He and his wife, they were fromthe Kit Sap County, and it was
fun to see him also.
Tom Butler (34:08):
Nice.
Do you have a feel forindependent bike shop management
these days?
Is it uh really different fromwhen you started?
Uh it is it really difficult?
How would you characterizethat?
Kathleen Emry (34:22):
Well, of course, during COVID, it was extremely
difficult.
The supply and demand, therewas just nothing available at
the time.
I was lucky I actually got outin the summer of 2018.
But now she has been worriedabout the tariffs on bikes, that
they could be as much as 40 to50 percent.
(34:43):
And so, really considering, youknow, if that happens, bikes
will become too expensive forpeople to buy.
And what might be heropportunity in going into the
used bike business again?
And that is how free rangestarted was in the used bike
business.
Tom Butler (35:00):
I we I'll be interested.
I'll have to connect withShauna here.
Kathleen Emry (35:05):
I'm sure she could give you some insight into
that.
Tom Butler (35:08):
So as you look back at your years, and again, I'm
advocating for your memoir, butas you look back over the years
of the shop, what are you mostproud of accomplishing?
Kathleen Emry (35:18):
I think I'm most proud of accomplishing uh the
welcoming aspect of free range.
We welcomed everyone, and thatwas really important to me.
And recently I met a PT whoknew I live in Colorado Springs
now, and I met a PT in Seattlethat knew of free range.
And the one thing he said, oh,of course I remember free range.
(35:40):
It was a very welcoming place,and it was known around town
that it was welcoming, and thatwould listen.
I think a lot of times in bikeshops, there's a lot of
mansplaining and free range.
I think we tried to hear whatpeople wanted and also do a good
job with fitting.
Um, so yeah, I'm I'm very proudto have had the shop for 22
(36:05):
years.
Tom Butler (36:05):
You mentioned to me in an email that you're hoping
to bike across Italy soon, Ithink maybe next year, and
you'll be 74.
I'm wondering uh if you couldtalk a bit about that adventure.
And then, you know, you youmentioned Italy back uh when you
took a break to kind of uhrecharge.
(36:27):
Is there something specialabout biking in Italy to you?
Kathleen Emry (36:31):
Yes.
My grandparents immigrated fromItaly to eastern Washington in
the early 1900s, and along withmy siblings, we grew up in
Othello, a small town in easternWashington with 23 cousins.
Tom Butler (36:46):
Wow.
Kathleen Emry (36:46):
And so my identity has always rooted me in
that side of my family.
I actually have my Italianpassport.
My dream is to ride from wheremy grandparents were born in a
small village in in the Piedmontregion of Italy, uh called
Gambasca and Saint Front, and toride to my cousin's pastry
(37:06):
shop, which is an hour an hournorth of Venice.
I thought, what a great reward.
I hope she still has it.
Italy's always I'm actuallyheaded to Italy this Saturday to
visit a few relatives and thendo a little vacation in
Chinquetera.
Tom Butler (37:21):
How fun.
That that sounds great, really.
I've not spent any time uhcycling in Europe at all.
I'm hoping to do that at somepoint.
There's a lot of things that Ihope to do, you know.
So that's one of them.
How has your cycling changed asyou've gotten older?
If you were talking to someoneyounger, what what would you say
(37:42):
about that?
Kathleen Emry (37:43):
Well, my cycling has changed a lot since I've
moved to Colorado Springsbecause I live 18 miles
northeast of the ColoradoSprings, so I have to drive to
cycle.
It's just busy roads.
So Colorado Springs, though,has a great infrastructure for
cycling.
They have paved pathsthroughout the city.
(38:05):
And another thing is I haveactually switched to not
exclusively, but I do have twoelectric bikes now, a
specialized Vado, and I justrecently I had a bike in Seattle
for the last two years waitingfor a Legos electric system to
be put on it, which is a on myVelo Orange, which is a system
(38:29):
that is like Legos, where youcan take the battery apart and
travel on an airplane with it.
So I'm hoping to take that toItaly next year.
Tom Butler (38:39):
Very cool.
Kathleen Emry (38:40):
Normally you can't write you can't uh fly
with a battery, but thesebatteries are the size of laptop
batteries, so you can carrythem in your carry-on.
Tom Butler (38:50):
Nice.
That that's good to know.
And so what's the name of thecompany?
Kathleen Emry (38:56):
Uh well, I had it, I think it's Lagos, but it's
Lagos, okay.
Um, it was Bike Swift inSeattle that that actually did
the conversion.
Tom Butler (39:05):
Gotcha.
Uh last episode I was talkingto someone, and we were talking
about mindfulness.
Uh, he was talking about howthat comes about when he's on
long slow low tours.
And you're kind of, I think, aunique person that asked this
question of do you see a bit ofa spiritual connection to
(39:26):
cycling?
Kathleen Emry (39:27):
Yes, it's definitely a spiritual practice.
I mean, I just get on a bikeand I I mean, it it comes from
being a kid too, you know,feeling that freedom, but also
of not being trapped in yourmind of sort of being able to
experience what is right infront of you and to be present
what to be present to what isright in front of you.
(39:49):
When I was on the ViaFrancigena in Italy in 2017, I
was with two people for thefirst two weeks, and they
planned every night where wewere staying.
And the second two weeks I wasby myself.
It was sort of a metaphor forthe bike industry because every
day I would get lost.
(40:11):
At first, I was had thisanxiety about getting lost, and
then it was just like I all of asudden one day I woke up and I
said, Oh, I'm lost again.
And then I would just head inthe direction I thought.
And every day I found, youknow, where I was going.
So yeah, it's this place offreedom of the mind and and uh
(40:32):
more an experience of the heart.
Tom Butler (40:34):
Yeah, as you're talking, what's coming to my
mind is kind of a surrender tothe journey.
I don't know if that makessense.
Kathleen Emry (40:41):
Oh, have you ever seen my my card?
Tom Butler (40:43):
I have not.
Uh unpredict your journey.
That's awesome.
I love it.
Kathleen Emry (40:50):
So that came from I was at this a conference at
Quality Bike Products, and a guyhad a bumper sticker of this,
not this logo, but um I said,How did you get that?
And he said, Well, I was on arafting trip and he said, at the
end of the day, he said,everybody who who didn't it
(41:11):
chose to go through rapidsdidn't have any story to tell.
And it's like, you know,unpredicting instead of always
trying to follow this straightand narrow path, unpredicting
your journey, listening to yourintuition, you know, listening
to the spirit that's guiding youto experience more of life, to
be more alive to life.
Tom Butler (41:32):
I love it.
That's awesome.
And speaking of being morealive to life, I do you see a
connection in your life or inother people between cycling and
healthy aging?
Is that something you you feellike you've definitely benefited
from?
Kathleen Emry (41:49):
Uh, I have definitely benefited for from
it, and I do see a benefit for alot of people.
I mean, just physically, when Igo to the doctor and get some
tests, um, I'm just like, oh,well, this is from long-term
cycling.
This, you know, these some ofthese numbers are, you know,
some of the other ones that myback hurting or having to go to
(42:11):
the chiropractor are definitelyfrom not stretching enough.
But a lot of internal benefitsthat I found out from just
commuting all those years on bybike.
Tom Butler (42:23):
Well, I am having to employ all of the habit change
things I've been talking abouton the podcast to myself when it
comes to flexibility, becauseI'm experiencing problems from
it, and I'm afraid they're gonnakeep me off the bike if I don't
get serious about it.
So that's definitely somethingI can relate to.
(42:45):
Is there a way for people tofollow you?
Do you communicate out thereover me?
Kathleen Emry (42:52):
Um, I have an instant, I have an Instagram and
a mostly um and a Facebookaccount, but my Instagram is I
post more things about bikes andI have more bike followers, and
it's just Kathleen J-E-M-R-Y.
Tom Butler (43:05):
I will make sure and put a link to that in the show
notes for people, because Ithink following that, I'm sure
you'll announce if you if yourmemoir comes out, I'm sure
you'll announce it there.
And uh again, reach out to usuh if that happens.
Kathleen Emry (43:22):
And now you're motivating me to get busy on
that.
I did take a writing class andI did uh start writing.
So it and and yeah, I I learneda lot from writing, and it was
mostly about you know, about myemployees, about the culture,
and uh about uh the ministrythat had really gone on at free
range.
Tom Butler (43:42):
I think that's a wonderful story.
I'd love to read that story.
Kathleen Emry (43:46):
I'll send it to you, Tom.
Tom Butler (43:48):
I love that.
Thank you so much.
Kathleen, it has been wonderfulhaving you here and getting to
know you.
Uh, I wish that I'd gotten toknow you when you were here and
and uh running the bike shop,but I'm glad I've had this
opportunity.
It's been delightful.
Thanks for joining me.
Kathleen Emry (44:05):
Thank you, and happy cycling to you.
Tom Butler (44:08):
Thank you.
Yes, yes.
All right, take care now.
Kathleen Emry (44:12):
All right, bye-bye.
Tom Butler (44:22):
But there's one thing that I hope just gets
wedged in my brain from theinterview is the concept of
unpredict your journey.
It's not the first time theconcept has been embraced by a
guest on the podcast.
And it's always a bit of aconfrontation of my nature to
want to control everything.
Not that I'll throw out allplanning, but I'll work to find
(44:42):
times that I leave all planningup to some force outside of
myself.
That sounds a little weirderout loud than it is in my head,
but I will keep working on it.
I was surprised and reallycurious to hear about the Swift
Industries campouts.
I figured I would have heardabout these trips already.
That sounds like something thatneeds to have cycling over 60
representation.
There is information on allkinds of rides on Swift
(45:05):
Industries website.
You do have to dig a bit tofind it.
You go to builtby swift.comforward slash pages forward
slash Swift Campout.
I'll put a link in the shownotes.
I'll also put a link to theLingo 10X batteries Kathleen
mentioned.
They look like a must foranybody who wants to fly with
their e-bike.
(45:25):
You can find them at ebikes.ca,which is the site for Grin
Technologies.
I hope your Thanksgiving wasgreat if you were in the US, and
I hope that if you're outsidethe US, that you are still
finding a lot to be thankfulfor.
Maybe like me, you are thankfulto be healthy enough to go for
a nice long ride.
And remember, age is just agear change.
This is the Cycling Your 60 Podcast.
This is season 4, Episode 5,More Than a Bike Shot, and I'm
your host, Tom Butler.
I want to ask you to pleaseconsider donating to the Cycling
(00:26):
Over 60 Tour de Cure team forGiving Tuesday, which is
December the 2nd.
That is, of course, if youaren't going to ride with us.
I sincerely want as many of youas possible to join us on the
ride on May 2nd.
As I've been saying, it mightseem early to be looking at a
ride in May, but I've got a lotto prepare for and I need to
know as soon as possible howmany riders will join us.
(00:48):
And remember, the first 50riders to qualify for the ride
get a free cycling over 60 tourdecure jersey.
It's now been three years sinceI decided to get serious about
cycling.
My understanding of cycling haschanged dramatically over that
time.
My understanding of my physicalcondition has been the biggest
change of all.
As you know, cycling iscurrently a huge focus of my
(01:10):
life.
I'm expecting not to learn asmany new things next year as I
have in the past three.
However, I might be surprised.
I kind of hope so.
It'd be great to keep expandingmy knowledge of cycling and my
health and everything associatedwith it at a high rate.
One thing that I feel like I'mstarting to really dial in is my
workout program.
(01:30):
I think I'm onto something nowthat could be the program for
the rest of my life.
Distilling down what I've beenlearning, it results in this.
I want to make sure and put in10 hours a week of serious
activity.
And as I've noted before, Ibelieve I need to act like an
athlete.
We are coming up on the WinterOlympics and we're going to get
(01:52):
stories about athletes and theirtime commitment.
For this phase of life, I wantto have that kind of commitment
to activity and see where ittakes me.
I didn't start out this journeythree years ago as someone who
had been athletic over like thelast 30 years.
I know that does describe someof you.
I hope my story is inspiringfrom the perspective of what
(02:17):
turnaround can happen if fitnessis taken seriously after 55
years old, in my case after 59years old.
I've come to believe that thatcan only happen with a really
serious focus on being fit.
So 10 hours a week and also sixdays a week of activity.
In the past three months I'vehad a lot of demands on my time,
(02:39):
and it's been difficult to getin six days of activity in a
week.
But I believe I just simplyneed to change that.
I just simply need to find theways to create different habits
so I'm more consistent.
I just had an importantexperience on Thanksgiving.
I find it to be tough to excusemyself after a Thanksgiving
meal and go exercise for 30minutes.
(03:01):
And this year I just didn't dothat.
And the result was that myblood glucose stayed elevated
for about an hour.
That feedback from mycontinuous glucose monitor was a
kick in the butt.
So I blew it.
Now, if I didn't have a bloodglucose problem, I should still
have done activity.
At my age, in my early 60s,it's important no matter what's
(03:24):
going on medically that I amactive.
I believe that I have to fightnow for standing health in my
80s.
And that means that I need todo things like announce to
people at the Thanksgiving tablethat, hey all, I'm going to be
gone for the next 30 minutes.
So in a month from now, I'll beable to practice this again at
(03:45):
the Family Christmas.
I plan to do better.
I've been saying that two ofthe six days of activity that I
do each week need to beweightlifting.
But I don't think I can get 10hours in a week of some serious
cardio work unless I also dosomething on those lifting days.
So I need to figure that out.
(04:06):
I need to figure out whatriding looks like on days that I
do heavy lifting.
So that's the framework of aprogram that again I think I can
do for life.
Ten hours a week, six days aweek, and two of those days do
some lifting.
Armed with that, I think I'mready to schedule an appointment
and talk everything over withthe pros at Physician Coach.
(04:29):
And I look forward to sharingthose discussions with all of
you.
I mentioned Cranksgiving lastepisode, but I want to revisit
it.
If you go to cranksgiving.org,you'll see what is happening
across North America with thisunique celebration of the power
of cycling.
There are a couple things thatare making me want to see
Cranksgiving 2026 be absolutelymassive.
First, I think it's verypossible that November 2026
(04:52):
could see an abnormally highnumber of people be food
insecure for the holidays.
In my mind, there are somereally disturbing economic
forces that could mean realhardship for a bunch of people.
The other factor is that 2026is likely going to be a year of
attack on the bike as a form oftransportation.
Bike lane grants are beinglabeled as hostile to cars.
(05:14):
The fight to bring someperspective to road
infrastructure should be prettyactive next November.
I think it would be perfect forthere to be about a million
social media images of people onbikes helping to feed their
neighbors.
So this is my call to have someconversations this holiday
season and recruit some familyand friends to participate in
Cranksgiving next year.
(05:34):
In my state, there is adeadline coming to nominate a
route as a Washington StateScenic Bikeway.
The designation means that theroute will get special attention
from Washington State Parks.
Our scenic bikeways program isset in law and funds are
designated for state parks topromote the route and for the
placement of signs designatingthe route as a scenic bikeway.
(05:56):
My company is helping to puttogether the application.
If you're curious about it, youcan find information on our
route at tellumedia.com forwardslash crossstate
trailsouth.html.
I'll put that in the shownotes.
The route has been identifiedover the years by Bob Meyrick,
president of the TacomaWashington Bicycle Club.
(06:16):
Bob has been a champion forbike infrastructure and earlier
this year received a lifetimerecognition award acknowledging
decades of advocacy.
If you go check out the route,I'd be interested in any
comments you might have on it.
There's a wonderful bike shopin Seattle called Free Range
(06:41):
Cycles.
I would describe them aspractical.
Here is how they describe thebikes that they carry.
Quote, when it comes to bikes,we favor a utilitarian approach.
We sell bikes that we like toride, bikes that can carry you
through all sorts of terrain andshenanigans.
Our bikes will last fordecades, look lovely, perform
(07:01):
well in the Pacific Northwest'svery terrain, and carry things
with ease.
End quote.
The ethos of free range cycleswas set by founder and longtime
owner Kathleen Emery.
I see Kathleen as a legendaryfigure, someone who made free
range cycles a place thattranscends bikes and truly was a
light to the community.
In today's world, we need a lotmore Kathleen's.
(07:24):
Here's my conversation withher.
I'm being joined today bysomeone I see as a legend.
Thank you, Kathleen Emery, forjoining me.
Kathleen Emry (07:32):
Thank you for having me, Tom.
Tom Butler (07:34):
So you opened free range cycles in the Fremont area
in Seattle in 1997.
And you operated it for like 20years.
Am I right about that?
Almost 22 years, yes.
Okay.
And we're going to get intosome of the reasons why I see
you as a legend.
But first, what do you rememberas your earliest meaningful
(07:54):
experience on a bike?
Kathleen Emry (07:56):
I would say that I grew up in eastern Washington
in a small town called Othello.
And I my most meaningful wasjust getting a bike, having a
bike, I can remember aroundseven, eight, riding up to go to
swimming lessons through afield field on a western flyer.
Tom Butler (08:15):
Nice.
Yeah, and some big fields inOthello.
Kathleen Emry (08:20):
Yeah.
Tom Butler (08:21):
So were you active as you grew up, pretty much?
Kathleen Emry (08:25):
Yes, I was very active as a child.
I played a lot of team sports: basketball, volleyball, (08:27):
undefined
baseball.
Yeah.
I was always wanting one of mysisters to join me throwing the
ball outside.
And Othello was a very flattown, so you could ride your
bike around town easily.
Tom Butler (08:44):
Before you opened free-range cycles, how would you
describe your relationship withbikes?
Were they transportation?
Were they recreation?
Were they something else?
Kathleen Emry (08:55):
I had moved to California after graduating from
high school.
And primarily bikes were a formof recreation.
But when I moved back toSeattle in 1984, I just saw the
opportunity to use a bike aroundtown as transportation.
And I went to Greg's Green Lakeand bought a specialized hard
(09:17):
rock to commute on.
Tom Butler (09:19):
And streets were a lot different then.
Also, the whole bicycle wasdifferent then, I think is right
to say.
And at some point you gotinterested in working in a bike
shop.
Can you talk about that?
Kathleen Emry (09:35):
Yeah, I think it was 1987.
I had uh finished a master's inministry to Seattle U.
Being queer, I decided that Icould not work within the
Catholic Church.
So I sort of one day I took mygirlfriend's bike to Wright
Brothers and noticed they had arepair class.
So I took the repair class andthen I was like astounded by how
(09:58):
much satisfaction there was inworking with my hands.
There was always an endpoint toit.
You got to make somethingbetter.
And so I got a job at WrightBrothers and started collecting
tools.
Started early on having a dreamabout owning a bike shop.
It took 10 years, and I metanother mechanic at Wright
Brothers who had the same dream.
(10:20):
And so we put it together.
Tom Butler (10:22):
It sounds like you hadn't ever really considered a
mechanical career or somethinglike that before that discovery.
Is that right?
Kathleen Emry (10:31):
That's very true.
Tom Butler (10:32):
I think Wright Brothers still exists.
Kathleen Emry (10:35):
Yes, it does.
Tom Butler (10:36):
And I it's today you kind of can see decades and
decades of stuff at White WrightBrothers.
It must have been a little bitdifferent back then.
Kathleen Emry (10:46):
It it was different, and he was
alternative even back then.
He was sort of the champion ofuh Campanola and Italian parts.
I mean, if that's where youwent to find any part, and it
was a workshop.
People could come in and theystill can.
They'd buy a membership for$25, lifetime membership.
And you could come in and workon your bikes anytime you the
(11:09):
shop was open.
And it also had a repair aspectto it.
We did repair bikes, but theythey didn't sell bikes there.
Tom Butler (11:16):
That's an interesting model of having
people being able to come in.
I'm guessing that that's kindof the first place where you
really started becoming a memberof the bike community.
Is that fair to say?
Kathleen Emry (11:30):
It's fair to say that I was a part of the bike
community, but I moved to VashonIsland in 1990.
So that sort of limited myability to be a part of the
Seattle bike community, exceptfor during work hours.
Tom Butler (11:46):
You talked about the owner of Wright Brothers, and
I'm forgetting his name.
Charles.
Charles.
You got uh mentoring fromCharles at Wright Brothers.
Was there other training thatyou did?
Were you seeking other placesto build your craft?
Kathleen Emry (12:02):
No, it was there I learned to build wheels.
I mean, we saw everything thatcame in the door at Wright
Brothers.
It was at such a variety ofbikes, especially older bikes,
square tapered bottom bracketbikes.
But those were very common atthat time in history.
Tom Butler (12:19):
And then you make this leap to owning your own
shop.
And I'm really curious aboutthat.
It's some it's one of thosethings that I'm always
interested in, is kind of theentrepreneurship behind things.
And so you decided to launchout in open free range.
Uh, what was thatdecision-making process like?
Kathleen Emry (12:38):
Kind of gathered a committee of the um Mitchell
Mead, who opened it with me, andum Jim Hoff, and there was
another guy, Tom, and we startedjust meeting and gathering
ideas about what it would belike and where we should open a
shop, what our budget might be.
I happened to have a degree inbusiness.
(12:58):
At first, we're looking onCapitol Hill.
We didn't want to pay more than$1,000 a month.
We couldn't find any place thatwe liked.
Then one day we were justriding our bikes by the current
location of free range cycles,and there was a for rent sign on
the door.
And so we inquired, and it was$750 a month.
(13:19):
It was in our budget.
And it was a quirky littlespace, but we thought we could
make it work.
And we started off very slowlyby uh paying ourselves $10 an
hour.
I think we put in each put in$3,000 in credit card debt, and
we started buying used bikes anddoing repair.
And that very first year wewere successful.
Tom Butler (13:41):
Now, free range is a to me a special name.
The first time I heard it, it'slike that sounds like a good
place to be.
Can you talk a bit about thatname?
Kathleen Emry (13:53):
Sure.
My recollection of it is that Iwanted a coyote on a bike, and
Mitch said, not too easternWashington.
One day our friend Jim Hoffcame back from PCC with a free
range sandwich, and Mitch said,I've got it.
And he was an artist, and so hewent home and built the free
range chicken with dreadlocksout of a piece of steel, and
(14:16):
that became our name.
And people always brought uschickens.
That's awesome.
Tom Butler (14:23):
Did you have a chicken for bike swap program at
all?
Kathleen Emry (14:27):
No, we did not have any live chickens, no live
chickens.
Tom Butler (14:31):
That's awesome.
Kathleen Emry (14:33):
We have an array of t-shirts through the years of
the free range chicken on 20,you know, like five years on the
road on a touring bike and on aracing bike.
And it was a very fun logo togo with.
Tom Butler (14:47):
I love it.
You were successful that firstyear.
It seems like there's alwayssome nervousness about it.
Was it a tough year, or how didyou find it to be?
Kathleen Emry (14:59):
I don't remember it being tough.
Mitch left after two and a halfyears.
I bought him out after two anda half years that he was gonna
ride his bike around the world.
That was a a bit tough for mebecause I was wondering how, you
know, how am I gonna do thisalone?
In the bike industry, you youreally have to learn to trust
because one day you can make twodollars and then the next day
(15:19):
you can make five thousanddollars.
So it's like it's justpracticing it, practicing
trusting, I think.
So each year it got easier tobelieve that it was gonna work
the next year.
Tom Butler (15:31):
Gotcha.
A woman operating a bike shopthat seems to me to be like
working in a male-dominatedindustry at that time.
Is that a correct assumption?
Kathleen Emry (15:41):
That is a correct assumption.
There were so many people thatwould tell me that everyone had
a dream to have a bike shop, youknow, insinuating that it would
fail.
I don't know.
It was for me, it was it wasnot about a head decision, it
was more about a heart decision,about trusting that my vision
would manifest.
Tom Butler (16:02):
This is one of those things that I see as legendary
about you.
You know, you you see thisthing.
Again, I think if I put some ofthe pieces of the story
together, you've got in yourmind something you're gonna do
with your life, and then thatbecomes something that you see
as unsustainable, the ministry.
And so you then start workingwith your hands and discover I
(16:27):
think passion for it or uhconnection to it as being really
strong.
And then you take that and youmove into an area where you can
apply that and you can benefitfrom that and you can structure
that the way that you want to.
It's a it's a brave move, Ithink, and it's also an
inspirational move.
Kathleen Emry (16:46):
Well, thank you.
I found also that there was alot of ministry in the bike
shop.
Tom Butler (16:52):
I can see that, and I I'd like to talk a little bit
more about that in a bit.
I'm wondering, you know, if youcan kind of encapsulate how you
would navigate difficultconversations with people that
maybe questioned whether or notyou belonged in that space.
Kathleen Emry (17:07):
I think I've been pretty open and upfront most of
my life about just listening topeople.
Now I'm a spiritual director,so that's that is something that
I probably was all my life, butI'm officially I'm a spiritual
director now.
You know, people would tell mewhat to carry, what I needed to
carry in the bike shop.
There was a lot of mansplainingto me.
(17:30):
You know, I took it with agrain of salt.
I mean, I had to do what Ineeded to do for myself.
It was I wasn't doing somethingfor someone else.
Tom Butler (17:38):
Or because you were trying to do something for your
ego.
It doesn't sound like that waspart of it either.
Kathleen Emry (17:45):
No, I don't think so.
Tom Butler (17:46):
Yeah.
Kathleen Emry (17:47):
It was feeding a passion for me.
Tom Butler (17:49):
And again, I think that's a it's a wonderful place
to be in.
And I think that's aninspiration for other people
that want to pursue that to bein a place every day that you
can be passionate about.
I think that's wonderful.
So I'm wondering about runninga business in Fremont.
Can you talk a little bit aboutFremont?
Do you do you see it as havingthis community identity?
(18:13):
If so, how did that communityidentity shape the culture and
your customer base?
Kathleen Emry (18:20):
Well, Fremont changed a lot.
When we first, when I workedthere in the 80s and early 90s,
it was there were a lot of drugsand um it was a hub for drug
use and unhoused folks.
I cultivated my love for theunhoused population early on in
that process.
We often had marginal peoplecoming in looking for money, and
(18:41):
I would find work for them.
And people knew they that theywere welcome there.
And to this day, some of mymost treasured memories are of
the marginalized people thattaught me about my own white
privilege and actually hoping towrite a memoir about that.
Tom Butler (18:56):
I love it.
Please, please do, and pleaselet me know about that.
I would love to do whatever Ican to promote that.
What a wonderful thing when youthink about having a bike shop.
I look at biking as you know, atool for anyone to use, to have
that kind of be a bit of acommunity hub for different
(19:20):
things, you know, the bike, andthen also if you're if you're
like you say, kind ofministering to people, I think I
see that as wonderful.
Kathleen Emry (19:28):
There were other bike shops in the Fremont area.
Right Brothers was, of course,just around the corner.
And second use, I think it wascalled, or was it second bounce,
was down the street.
And I I always thought of thatit was not so much competition
to have other bike shops in theneighborhood neighborhood, but
that they could feed off of oneanother.
(19:48):
Because biking is so specificto each individual.
Some people want it fortransportation, other people
want it for recreation.
Each shop can serve a differentperson.
Tom Butler (19:59):
You talked about Fremont being different back
then.
Can you kind of lay out some ofthat transition that happened
in Fremont?
Kathleen Emry (20:08):
Uh yeah.
I remember that Halloweens inFremont were very unusual and
freaky, lighting lawnmowers onfire and pushing them around.
Then it became gentrified, as alot of places in Seattle.
Adobe moved in, Tableau,Google, a lot of tech industry
(20:28):
moved moved into theneighborhood, which was actually
quite good for business.
In fact, Adobe bought, I think,six bikes from me to have their
employees use for commuting, asdid Children's Hospital.
So yeah, the flavor of Fremontchanged a lot.
There was just new restaurantsand it just became a more hip
(20:51):
place to come.
Tom Butler (20:52):
It has a bit of a re reputation of being kind of a
quirky artistic place.
Kathleen Emry (20:57):
Yeah.
Tom Butler (20:58):
Did you experience that?
Do you see it as being that waystill?
Kathleen Emry (21:02):
Oh, I still see it as being that way.
In fact, I met somebody hererecently who said, Oh, I'm going
to Seattle and we're going tostop and see Linen in Fremont.
I said, Well, stop by FreeRange Cycles, because he was a
cyclist.
Tom Butler (21:16):
You'll have to explain a little bit about Linen
for people who are listeningthat are not from the Seattle
area.
Kathleen Emry (21:23):
You know, I don't know how the Linen got there,
but I know that it's a statue indowntown Fremont of Linen.
Tom Butler (21:31):
It gets some attention.
It's uh a point of expression,I guess would be a way to say it
for different people.
Kathleen Emry (21:40):
Right.
And so, I mean, as does therocket and the troll.
And the bike trail is, youknow, a block away from free
range.
What that was that was quite anasset also.
Tom Butler (21:49):
Maybe talk a bit about that.
When you, you know, in the late80s, 90s, what was the mindset
around bike infrastructure inSeattle?
Was it the same as it would betoday, or do you think not so
much?
Kathleen Emry (23:14):
Oh, I think it's uh the bike infrastructure in
Seattle has um changeddramatically since then.
There wasn't really one backthen.
There weren't greenways.
The Burt Gilman was there, butthere weren't a lot of streets
that had bike paths along them.
Biking was thought of as youwere it was kind of a
marginalized if you rode a bike.
(23:36):
It was it wasn't mainstream asit is today.
Tom Butler (23:40):
I think it's interesting for people that come
to Seattle now and see thewaterfront without the overpass
in the way the feel is sodifferent.
It is, and a great place tobike, I think, too.
And yeah, and getting more so.
I read something that youspecifically wanted to have
balance in your life, even withdemands of running a business.
(24:02):
Were you able to accomplishthat?
Kathleen Emry (24:04):
Yes, I think I was early on the the first year.
I remember Mitch saying, Well,we have to be closed on Mondays
because I have yoga in themorning.
And I was like, Oh, really?
Okay.
And from there, yeah, I was Iit was always a 24-7 business
because you know the alarm couldgo off at any time.
(24:26):
But I took time off.
I trusted my employees to dowhat they could do while I was
gone.
I mean, this shop would stillbe there when I got back, and so
it was really important to meto have a balance.
And eventually in 2007, I movedinto town because the commute
was actually I was committedalways to commuting by bike, and
(24:47):
and the commute from Vashanmeant that I was usually gone 12
hours a day.
So in 2007, I decided it wastime to move back into town.
Tom Butler (24:57):
Again, I applaud you for that focus.
And I think that had to go along way in creating a culture
at free range.
Kathleen Emry (25:07):
Yeah, it was sort of mentoring in a way that this
isn't important to me, and howdo you want to make cycling
important to you?
What you know, what aspects ofit.
And free range cycles wasprimarily and still is primarily
a commuter shop.
Tom Butler (25:22):
I'm sure you witnessed significant changes in
the cycling industry over yourtime.
Can you talk about whattransitions stand out most to
you?
Kathleen Emry (25:31):
Well, uh, technology certainly has changed
during the time.
And as a commuter shop, I thinkwe were sort of known for
fixing the older bikes.
Speedy Reed's was down the onthe Burt Gilman Trail, and I
remember them, you know, ridingtheir bikes up to get us to our
(25:52):
shop to get a square taperbottom bracket.
In the early days, we didn'tstock the uh other bottom
brackets, so we'd have to ridedown there and and get those.
But um that was one way itchanged.
I think in Seattle, the culturejust began to grow, you know,
with coffee on Fridays or thethe bike culture, the the uh
(26:14):
campouts, everything juststarted to grow with the the uh
younger community.
And having swift industries inin town was really important in
making those uh bike campingtrips valuable to the community.
Tom Butler (26:30):
I'd like to see some of that come back.
I'm quite new to the bicyclecommunity.
I see that as time to get awaytogether, camp together, as as a
need.
I don't know that there's adesire for it with younger
people.
I think that's a wonderfulthing.
(26:51):
That would it'd be wonderful tosee it coming back.
Kathleen Emry (26:55):
Well, I think they they have it.
Swift Industries has a campout, which is not only in
Seattle, but would as all overthe United States.
They they used to do beforeCOVID, they would do folks that
had gone on tours present onCapitol Hill.
And it was a great opportunityto people for people to learn
about how to map out a journey.
Tom Butler (27:18):
That's awesome.
Kathleen Emry (27:19):
And I did three years in a row, I did what was
called the Great Escape fromAnacortis to Newport, Idaho, and
it was an organized ride withassociated grocers to raise
money.
Yeah, it was fabulous.
To we camped out and theycarried all our gear.
It was about a 500-mile route.
Tom Butler (27:38):
I tried to do that route last fall, and
unfortunately, I had Bursitis inmy knee flare up.
I just couldn't go very far.
I made it over Washington Pass,but uh that's so two days I I
made it, but that that was aboutit.
So it's a great route.
It is a great route, and Ithink what I would need to do,
(28:01):
it'd be wonderful to go with agroup.
I was going on my own, and thento leave more time.
I I'll have to check out whatSwift Industries is doing.
They call themselves a bicyclebags and adventure culture.
I gotta get connected more tothem, it sounds like.
Would you say that the bicycleindustry's relationship with
women cyclists has evolved overthe years?
Kathleen Emry (28:22):
Yes, I would say that.
So every year, quality bikeproducts, which is the big
distributor of parts and bikes,distributed surly and salsa and
also bike parts, would have aevent in the winter called
Frostbike.
And I remember going there oneyear and they were having an
event for women, and I thought,oh, I'm gonna go to this.
(28:43):
I'd say 80% of the people werethere were flannel shirted,
bearded men.
And so I thought, wow, great.
And so I went to the seminarfor women, and it was on how you
can sell clothing to women.
And I was like, oh no, this isnot something I want gonna do.
(29:04):
And I anyway, I think for them,I I made them understand that
bikes were generally made to fitmen.
And one of the things I gotquality to do was to stop
cutting their steer tubes so Icould put more spacers to
effectively shorten the top tubebecause generally women have
(29:25):
longer legs and shorter torsos.
It took some time to have getthat to happen, but it did
finally happen.
And it was I I heard someonesay that I had grandmothered
some things in.
Tom Butler (29:37):
Nice.
Do you think that uh that was asymptom of being so male
dominated in as far as executivepositions?
Do you think they just weren'tgetting feedback from women?
Uh why would you say that itwould take them a long time?
Kathleen Emry (29:53):
Well, the bike industry is very male-oriented.
It's more men ride bikes thanwomen, especially back in in
those days.
And you know, men are morewilling to spend money on bikes.
So I think it's changing theculture with women too, to
understand how important it isto have a nice bike.
Because if you do, if you havea nice bike, you're more likely
(30:14):
to ride it.
And if you have a bike thatfits, you're more likely to ride
it.
Tom Butler (30:19):
At some point you made a decision to step away
from free range cycles.
Talk about that.
What what was that like?
Kathleen Emry (30:26):
That was interesting.
I was in in 19 or in 2017, Iwas turning 64, I think.
And I thought to myself, I waswearing down a bit, my body was
wearing down a bit.
And I thought, uh, I think I'llgo on a pilgrimage on my bike
in Italy, ride my bike from St.
(30:47):
Bernard Pass to Rome on the ViaFrancigena.
And that's going to excite me.
I'll come back and I'll beready to go another 10 years.
Well, I came back and I waslike, I'm done.
It was another intuitive, like,you know, I'm done.
And so then it was it wastrying to figure out, you know,
the next step on how to.
(31:08):
What I should do.
I really didn't know what todo.
So I put an advertisement onsocial media and I got about
five individuals or groups ofpeople.
And Shauna had been a pastemployee of mine, and she was
now working at Bikeworks.
And she came to congratulate meand take me out for a beer.
And when we were having a beer,all of a sudden I looked at her
(31:28):
and I said, Are you interestedin buying free range?
And she looked up at me and shesaid, I think I am.
And I really wanted to hand itto another woman.
And she was the only singlewoman and the most knowledgeable
woman that was interested inthe shop.
And it really felt right.
So I I'm, you know, I made ithappen.
Tom Butler (31:52):
And so you're talking about Shauna Williams,
who is current owner, and she'sin there a lot and a wonderful
person.
I've met her.
You talk about her working atBikeworks, and I I did an
episode on Bikeworks, but forpeople that don't know about
Bikeworks, it is a nonprofitorganization in Seattle, and
(32:13):
they really focus a lot on bikeequity or access to bikes.
And a great organization.
And you know, for me, that'slike a great person, uh, a great
place to find a person from.
Kathleen Emry (32:28):
And she first she had worked at free range.
That was her first job was infree range, and then she moved
to bike works.
And she was leading, she hadmore of a community focus at
bike work.
She was taking kids on biketrips, and she's and she's
continued that at free range.
Tom Butler (32:44):
That's awesome.
I love it.
It must not be as unique of athing for her running a bike
shop as it was for you, but Imight be wrong about that.
Is it still the unique thing tohave a woman running a bike
shop?
Kathleen Emry (32:59):
I think it still is a unique thing.
I mean, I don't I I just don'tthink there's that many
women-owned bike shops,especially, you know, without
partnering up with anotherperson.
I can't think of another one inSeattle.
There are some women-ownedbicycle shops in Seattle that
like Mont Lake that's co-ownedby a woman, Carolyn.
Tom Butler (33:20):
Well, I'm so glad Shauna took that on.
Good for her, and I'm glad thatthat continues on in Fremont.
Kathleen Emry (33:26):
Yeah, I was recently there, uh, just about
three weeks ago, and of course Istopped and had coffee with her
and hung out at the bike shop.
And this time I didn't get putput to work.
Last time I was there, I I Igot a chance to see if I could
still build a wheel.
That's awesome.
I love that.
Tom Butler (33:45):
Well, that would be awesome to walk in and find you
working in the bike shop.
Kathleen Emry (33:49):
I'd love to well, it was funny because uh one of
my old customers rode by and helooked over and he was like, Oh
my gosh, and he stopped and andthen another guy came in while I
was there that I had outoutfitted on Surly Long Haul
Druckers.
He and his wife, they were fromthe Kit Sap County, and it was
fun to see him also.
Tom Butler (34:08):
Nice.
Do you have a feel forindependent bike shop management
these days?
Is it uh really different fromwhen you started?
Uh it is it really difficult?
How would you characterizethat?
Kathleen Emry (34:22):
Well, of course, during COVID, it was extremely
difficult.
The supply and demand, therewas just nothing available at
the time.
I was lucky I actually got outin the summer of 2018.
But now she has been worriedabout the tariffs on bikes, that
they could be as much as 40 to50 percent.
(34:43):
And so, really considering, youknow, if that happens, bikes
will become too expensive forpeople to buy.
And what might be heropportunity in going into the
used bike business again?
And that is how free rangestarted was in the used bike
business.
Tom Butler (35:00):
I we I'll be interested.
I'll have to connect withShauna here.
Kathleen Emry (35:05):
I'm sure she could give you some insight into
that.
Tom Butler (35:08):
So as you look back at your years, and again, I'm
advocating for your memoir, butas you look back over the years
of the shop, what are you mostproud of accomplishing?
Kathleen Emry (35:18):
I think I'm most proud of accomplishing uh the
welcoming aspect of free range.
We welcomed everyone, and thatwas really important to me.
And recently I met a PT whoknew I live in Colorado Springs
now, and I met a PT in Seattlethat knew of free range.
And the one thing he said, oh,of course I remember free range.
(35:40):
It was a very welcoming place,and it was known around town
that it was welcoming, and thatwould listen.
I think a lot of times in bikeshops, there's a lot of
mansplaining and free range.
I think we tried to hear whatpeople wanted and also do a good
job with fitting.
Um, so yeah, I'm I'm very proudto have had the shop for 22
(36:05):
years.
Tom Butler (36:05):
You mentioned to me in an email that you're hoping
to bike across Italy soon, Ithink maybe next year, and
you'll be 74.
I'm wondering uh if you couldtalk a bit about that adventure.
And then, you know, you youmentioned Italy back uh when you
took a break to kind of uhrecharge.
(36:27):
Is there something specialabout biking in Italy to you?
Kathleen Emry (36:31):
Yes.
My grandparents immigrated fromItaly to eastern Washington in
the early 1900s, and along withmy siblings, we grew up in
Othello, a small town in easternWashington with 23 cousins.
Tom Butler (36:46):
Wow.
Kathleen Emry (36:46):
And so my identity has always rooted me in
that side of my family.
I actually have my Italianpassport.
My dream is to ride from wheremy grandparents were born in a
small village in in the Piedmontregion of Italy, uh called
Gambasca and Saint Front, and toride to my cousin's pastry
(37:06):
shop, which is an hour an hournorth of Venice.
I thought, what a great reward.
I hope she still has it.
Italy's always I'm actuallyheaded to Italy this Saturday to
visit a few relatives and thendo a little vacation in
Chinquetera.
Tom Butler (37:21):
How fun.
That that sounds great, really.
I've not spent any time uhcycling in Europe at all.
I'm hoping to do that at somepoint.
There's a lot of things that Ihope to do, you know.
So that's one of them.
How has your cycling changed asyou've gotten older?
If you were talking to someoneyounger, what what would you say
(37:42):
about that?
Kathleen Emry (37:43):
Well, my cycling has changed a lot since I've
moved to Colorado Springsbecause I live 18 miles
northeast of the ColoradoSprings, so I have to drive to
cycle.
It's just busy roads.
So Colorado Springs, though,has a great infrastructure for
cycling.
They have paved pathsthroughout the city.
(38:05):
And another thing is I haveactually switched to not
exclusively, but I do have twoelectric bikes now, a
specialized Vado, and I justrecently I had a bike in Seattle
for the last two years waitingfor a Legos electric system to
be put on it, which is a on myVelo Orange, which is a system
(38:29):
that is like Legos, where youcan take the battery apart and
travel on an airplane with it.
So I'm hoping to take that toItaly next year.
Tom Butler (38:39):
Very cool.
Kathleen Emry (38:40):
Normally you can't write you can't uh fly
with a battery, but thesebatteries are the size of laptop
batteries, so you can carrythem in your carry-on.
Tom Butler (38:50):
Nice.
That that's good to know.
And so what's the name of thecompany?
Kathleen Emry (38:56):
Uh well, I had it, I think it's Lagos, but it's
Lagos, okay.
Um, it was Bike Swift inSeattle that that actually did
the conversion.
Tom Butler (39:05):
Gotcha.
Uh last episode I was talkingto someone, and we were talking
about mindfulness.
Uh, he was talking about howthat comes about when he's on
long slow low tours.
And you're kind of, I think, aunique person that asked this
question of do you see a bit ofa spiritual connection to
(39:26):
cycling?
Kathleen Emry (39:27):
Yes, it's definitely a spiritual practice.
I mean, I just get on a bikeand I I mean, it it comes from
being a kid too, you know,feeling that freedom, but also
of not being trapped in yourmind of sort of being able to
experience what is right infront of you and to be present
what to be present to what isright in front of you.
(39:49):
When I was on the ViaFrancigena in Italy in 2017, I
was with two people for thefirst two weeks, and they
planned every night where wewere staying.
And the second two weeks I wasby myself.
It was sort of a metaphor forthe bike industry because every
day I would get lost.
(40:11):
At first, I was had thisanxiety about getting lost, and
then it was just like I all of asudden one day I woke up and I
said, Oh, I'm lost again.
And then I would just head inthe direction I thought.
And every day I found, youknow, where I was going.
So yeah, it's this place offreedom of the mind and and uh
(40:32):
more an experience of the heart.
Tom Butler (40:34):
Yeah, as you're talking, what's coming to my
mind is kind of a surrender tothe journey.
I don't know if that makessense.
Kathleen Emry (40:41):
Oh, have you ever seen my my card?
Tom Butler (40:43):
I have not.
Uh unpredict your journey.
That's awesome.
I love it.
Kathleen Emry (40:50):
So that came from I was at this a conference at
Quality Bike Products, and a guyhad a bumper sticker of this,
not this logo, but um I said,How did you get that?
And he said, Well, I was on arafting trip and he said, at the
end of the day, he said,everybody who who didn't it
(41:11):
chose to go through rapidsdidn't have any story to tell.
And it's like, you know,unpredicting instead of always
trying to follow this straightand narrow path, unpredicting
your journey, listening to yourintuition, you know, listening
to the spirit that's guiding youto experience more of life, to
be more alive to life.
Tom Butler (41:32):
I love it.
That's awesome.
And speaking of being morealive to life, I do you see a
connection in your life or inother people between cycling and
healthy aging?
Is that something you you feellike you've definitely benefited
from?
Kathleen Emry (41:49):
Uh, I have definitely benefited for from
it, and I do see a benefit for alot of people.
I mean, just physically, when Igo to the doctor and get some
tests, um, I'm just like, oh,well, this is from long-term
cycling.
This, you know, these some ofthese numbers are, you know,
some of the other ones that myback hurting or having to go to
(42:11):
the chiropractor are definitelyfrom not stretching enough.
But a lot of internal benefitsthat I found out from just
commuting all those years on bybike.
Tom Butler (42:23):
Well, I am having to employ all of the habit change
things I've been talking abouton the podcast to myself when it
comes to flexibility, becauseI'm experiencing problems from
it, and I'm afraid they're gonnakeep me off the bike if I don't
get serious about it.
So that's definitely somethingI can relate to.
(42:45):
Is there a way for people tofollow you?
Do you communicate out thereover me?
Kathleen Emry (42:52):
Um, I have an instant, I have an Instagram and
a mostly um and a Facebookaccount, but my Instagram is I
post more things about bikes andI have more bike followers, and
it's just Kathleen J-E-M-R-Y.
Tom Butler (43:05):
I will make sure and put a link to that in the show
notes for people, because Ithink following that, I'm sure
you'll announce if you if yourmemoir comes out, I'm sure
you'll announce it there.
And uh again, reach out to usuh if that happens.
Kathleen Emry (43:22):
And now you're motivating me to get busy on
that.
I did take a writing class andI did uh start writing.
So it and and yeah, I I learneda lot from writing, and it was
mostly about you know, about myemployees, about the culture,
and uh about uh the ministrythat had really gone on at free
range.
Tom Butler (43:42):
I think that's a wonderful story.
I'd love to read that story.
Kathleen Emry (43:46):
I'll send it to you, Tom.
Tom Butler (43:48):
I love that.
Thank you so much.
Kathleen, it has been wonderfulhaving you here and getting to
know you.
Uh, I wish that I'd gotten toknow you when you were here and
and uh running the bike shop,but I'm glad I've had this
opportunity.
It's been delightful.
Thanks for joining me.
Kathleen Emry (44:05):
Thank you, and happy cycling to you.
Tom Butler (44:08):
Thank you.
Yes, yes.
All right, take care now.
Kathleen Emry (44:12):
All right, bye-bye.
Tom Butler (44:22):
But there's one thing that I hope just gets
wedged in my brain from theinterview is the concept of
unpredict your journey.
It's not the first time theconcept has been embraced by a
guest on the podcast.
And it's always a bit of aconfrontation of my nature to
want to control everything.
Not that I'll throw out allplanning, but I'll work to find
(44:42):
times that I leave all planningup to some force outside of
myself.
That sounds a little weirderout loud than it is in my head,
but I will keep working on it.
I was surprised and reallycurious to hear about the Swift
Industries campouts.
I figured I would have heardabout these trips already.
That sounds like something thatneeds to have cycling over 60
representation.
There is information on allkinds of rides on Swift
(45:05):
Industries website.
You do have to dig a bit tofind it.
You go to builtby swift.comforward slash pages forward
slash Swift Campout.
I'll put a link in the shownotes.
I'll also put a link to theLingo 10X batteries Kathleen
mentioned.
They look like a must foranybody who wants to fly with
their e-bike.
(45:25):
You can find them at ebikes.ca,which is the site for Grin
Technologies.
I hope your Thanksgiving wasgreat if you were in the US, and
I hope that if you're outsidethe US, that you are still
finding a lot to be thankfulfor.
Maybe like me, you are thankfulto be healthy enough to go for
a nice long ride.
And remember, age is just agear change.
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