The Super Excellent Not Too Serious Bike That Goes Nowhere Podcast

Meredith and Abe start this episode with Meredith's return from Members' Weekend in Chattanooga! We talk about all the food, a very expensive lobster roll, and Meredith's "scientific" (but not really) experiment comparing Clumpies Ice Cream and The Ice Cream Show.

[19:11] Interview with Franziska Beckmann

[1:29:13] 3 Questions with Franziska

[1:31:43] Recap, Bee TikTok, and Ballerina TikTok

[1:39:00] Echelon News

[1:52:49] Ask the Experts segment

[2:03:41] Fun LB names

[2:04:36] Shoutouts

[2:13:01] Did You Know!

Abe comes back for an actual full episode! We kick off the episode talking about coffee and why Abe is a bad Canadian (this seems to be a bit of a recurring theme). Meredith and Abe chat a bit about their respective weeks, and a bit about Meredith's green thumb!

[9:06] Interview with Peggy Hemstock

[1:19:25] Interview recap and mucking stalls...or diapers for the new grandma!

[1:21:41] In Echelon news, an update on the CEC (Curvy Echelon Crew) distance challenge, a chance to win Nickelback concert tickets, and a referral program

[1:29:00] Special shoutout to Debbie Mc Loughlin and Jeff Grover

[1:31:14] Shoutouts

[1:37:11] Fun LB names (and why Abe loves burgers from the U.S.A)

[1:44:37] New segment - Did You Know! Michael Bublé, Paul Anka, and bagged milk!

A short episode today as Abe is off sailing the merry seas of the United Kingdom. Shoutouts, and all other features, will return in the next episode!

On today's episode though, do you celebrate half-birthdays? Learn about half-birthdays and what Abe gave his sister for her "half-birthday" surprise party, and Meredith talks about the latest documentary she's been watching.

[11:49] Interview with Shelley and Katie

[56:58] 3 Questions

[58:35] Recap

[1:01:38] 1 shoutout - check our socials for the full list of shoutouts for this week

In this episode, Meredith and Abe finally meet in person! Find out more about Meredith's trip to Canada, and what exactly is a pou-tail?

[14:23] What started out as a play on words, really turned into a play on words! Meet Buck Irwin - husband, father of 5 boys, volunteer middle school coach, and Echelon community supporter and celebrator!

[1:07:00] Interview recap

[1:17:00] Meredith's members' weekend dilemma

[1:18:36] Echelon News

[1:25:31] Fun LB names

[1:27:45] Shoutouts

[1:35:12] Did You Know! Only the tables are turned!

We start this episode off with a bit of travel talk - Meredith and Abe are FINALLY going to meet when Meredith visits

[8:34] Interview with Susanna Barrett (susannabfit on IG and FB)

[1:07:19] Interview recap and Meredith is looking for volunteers to join her on a Jack the Ripper tour walk.

[1:11:03] In Echelon news, a partnership with a cruise ship, update on the new Echelon strength machine naming contest, Mark Haywood (Echelon rider from Bristol UK) celebrates a very special ride on a bike that goes somewhere, a special Pride ride coming up on June 10th, and a new podcast by an Echelon Canada rider, Cyclepath (Callum Sutherland).

[1:24:34] Fun names followed by shoutouts

[1:44:37] Did You Know! Who the heck is Al Jarvis?

A bonus episode to introduce our new co-host - Abe Kelledjian - Monkeys' Uncle on the LB.

[18:50] Echelon news - from a really cool contest where you could win a Stride, to the return of Festival Fridays!

[36:24] Shoutouts

[44:16] New feature starting soon

All kinds of hijinks! Sheldon runs a 10K for the first time in a long time and it's a fun goal for himself. Also, he got more old this weekend as well.  Meredith  - so, so proud of her - she earned her Master’s degree!  Shoutout to Ottawa University for their program that helped make it possible.

[13:30] Our guest is the one and only Lou Lentine - CEO and Founder of Echelon. We talk about the journey the company is on and all of the super exciting products, partnerships, and great new content being developed. Lou has a maniacal focus on making sure Echelon products are not only accessible, but also are a quality product.  We discuss how the strength machine went back to the drawing board when it didn’t meet his standards as a user. There’s also a chance to name the new machine! Submit ideas to [email protected] - you could win a strength machine!  Recap at [1:17:10]

[1:36:10] In industry news:  estimates after a recent capital raise estimate Tonal valuation at ~$600MM.  This seems really high to Sheldon considering all of the risk in this market and what seems to be poor growth… but who knows.  Strava and Spotify have integrated! Supplement company Form hires Orlando Bloom as “Chief Well ness Officer”. We discuss this - are these just vanity titles or is there a real job involved here? Apple set to launch Coach+ that uses your Apple Health data AI to curate 1:1 fitness, nutrition, and sleep recommendations. Also - the military using wearables more to track health of soldiers so that they can make adjustments.  Mirror maker Forme raises an additional $12MM in an IPO… strange time to go public if you ask me. The stock dropped 17% in its first day.

[1:53:14] Echelon news.  John Holt debut on the Bike! Ryn gets Married! Dual rides with Jana and Eden. An instructor leaves and a new one  - Alexis - joins the team! Michael Browne  - verve records ride. Some changes in the schedule. Some great names and TONS of shoutouts!!! 

[2:06:00) An announcement from the team. Sheldon moving on from being a regular host. They have recruited Abe Kelledjian (Monkey’s Uncle) to step in and co-host with Meredith. It was a tough choice for Sheldon, but he feels this will be a new and fun era for the show!

Buh-Biiiiiike!

Kicking off the episode with Sheldon talking about his bike trip and upcoming 10k and how "letting go of outcomes" has become an important part of continuing to experience joy in these activities. Meredith visits Kelli (Pig Mom on the LB) and she talks about Todd the Pig and his piano playing for grapes, working out on Kelli's "Pro" bike, and all kinds of other antics!

(10:15) Interview with Trisha. We discuss her fitness journey from Cross fit addict, to realizing that culture wasn't for her, to diving into Echelon! We talk about her lovely singing and how she became inspired to do it and the very interesting experiences she has had doing it. We learn the origin of her social media and LB name as well as a bit about her very interesting line of work. Follow her on IG: trisha_sharklover

(1:08:00) Interview recap. we dive into an idea shaelon has for "Echelon Talent show" - this might be a winner!

(1:22:00) Industry news. Tonal ... gets $130 MM in funding. Sheldon can't believe it. Apple fitness has classes aligned to their shows. Peloton has started in person classes for 1st timers only. Lululemon talks to Hydrow about buying their Mirror product. Also Hydrow CEO says on a podcast interview that Peloton tried to buy them! we also hit on someone that tried out Soulcycle founders new project - Peoplehood - and it's definitely an interesting experience. we give our opinions.

(1:37:40) echelon news. New strength classes has Mere excited. Ryn's Bride ride. App maintenance notifications. IOS has new app update. 3300 healthy glow with "Find Keep Love" still going on! Echelon at Disney! Congrats Disney and Marathon runners - Bluboy and Dani with some great achievements we talk about. Echelon at FIBO. AND - Echelon looking for a new name for their strength machine and the winner gets one of the devices! You can enter your name ideas at [email protected]. Shoutouts galore.

Snackdown! results and we tackle "Best snack to bring to a friend's house".

Interview: 10 min mark. recap: 57:30 Industry News: 1:05:56. Echelon and Shoutouts: 1:19:05

Sheldon went to Vegas... it was meh and he talks about it including the overrated In-N-Out burger... yes ... I said it. Meredith went to her first Passover Seder and had all the things!

Manny Lopez is the guest and he has a special kind of energy. He brings "The Manny experience" and we cover his path into fitness with what started with following a dream that wasn't his own - medical school. Manny then finds his passions and today he not only instructs Echelon but runs his own hat business (they are AWESOME by the way) where the hats are made by people in his home country of Ecuador. He hand inspects EACH had and is supporting families that make each hat for his business. It's admirable.

Follow Manny: IG: PaulMannPlus2

Lots of connected fitness news. Peloton now integrates with Galaxy watches, and they have filed patents that indicate that the tread+ may be returning. Also they've added a search feature that allows searching by artist, genre or class type. Beach Sweat is officially no more... but you can find ALL of the content for free on YouTube. Tonal valuation cut by ~ 90%. Lululemon putting Mirror on the back burner.

In Echelon news Reed gets engaged! Ryn getting ready for her wedding. Riders appreciation weekends announced. Echelon with the April Fools joke. New studio construction pics teased. Meredith has all kinds of leaderboard names and shoutouts to share.

Snackdown! results and this week we take on the 'Nut" challenge.

We kick things off with the pressures of socialization our preferences and how it can drain us! Some talk about shows we've been watching. Sheldon's 10K "training" and talk about Nicole's walk through the decades series. Meredith is hitting them all!

(9:50) Interview with 4 guests - the Curvy Echelon Crew. We learn about each member of this team that supports a community of over 4000! Each has their own story of getting to Echelon and how they found this community. Then somewhere along the way the CEC was born. Meant to be a place that was accepting to all and allowed a safe place to engage, support, and build off each other. We learn about how each found their place and all support a different aspect of the community and how it takes a village to make it all happen. From studio takeovers (another one coming in 2024!) to collaborations with other groups, the CE has built a unique place in Echelon that helps make us all stronger.

(1:11) Interview recap and our reflections from the discussion.

(1:27) Industry news. Peloton cancels their plans for a strength device. Also a device called "Shift" automatically adjusts the Peloton Bike to engage with Zwift. Oura ring has a new lower cost competitor. Boutique fitness is booming with Orange Theory expanding at a record rate and a lot more planned also Exponential Fitness hitting $1B in sales. The studies are out - fitness IS medicine, acting as a true natural anti-depressant.

(1:37) Echelon News. Echelon at the IHRSA and launching some major stuff: Echelon worlds gaming announced and being released soon - a great new way to use your Echelon equipment. Also launched, a commercial version of strength equipment. Also Echelon Studio allows commercial operators to cast on-demand fitness services to a smart tv. Dani and Reed had great vacations, Jama back from eye surgery, and Nicole hits a music festival. The community chimes in a bit on West coast ride times... oh and they want a West coast studio! Shoutouts!

(1:52) Snackdown! results and a new one launched.

Don't forget to follow and engage with the Curvy Echelon Crew.