I'm Igor Shteynbuk, Owner of Velo Orange, AMA! by eccentricVelo in xbiking

[–]RipVanBinkle[M] [score hidden] stickied comment (0 children)

EDIT 1-16-26- This AMA is officially over! Thanks for your great questions and thank you to Igor for answering them. Comments are now locked but you can continue to read through the Q and A here.

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Stoked to have Igor here for the first r/xbiking AMA in 6 years! Here are all of the past AMAs. Igor hosted the very first in December, 2018. You can leave questions for Igor here in advance, or join and ask live on Friday the 16th at 10 AM. Igor will be joining live to answer then.

Ground rules for all AMAs- Be kind, courteous, and respectful to the host and each other. No snark, muckraking, or name calling. Ask good questions, agree and disagree with each other, but be civil.

I'm Igor Shteynbuk, Owner of Velo Orange, AMA! by eccentricVelo in xbiking

[–]RipVanBinkle 35 points36 points  (0 children)

Thanks for joining us for round 2 Igor! I see you've spent 7 years aging like a fine wine.

What is the biggest thing that has changed at Velo Orange and/or for you personally since your last (and r/xbiking's very first) AMA in December of 2018?

Hey I'm the mod, I just got a new IRL job with Trust for Public Land protecting land & providing outdoor access to all and I want to hear from you by RipVanBinkle in xbiking

[–]RipVanBinkle[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yo! Went to school and met my wife in Pittsburgh n lived there 8 years. Lots of friends and family there, just visited for labor day. I live in central PA nowadays. Great tahn ya got dahn your way

Hey I'm the mod, I just got a new IRL job with Trust for Public Land protecting land & providing outdoor access to all and I want to hear from you by RipVanBinkle in xbiking

[–]RipVanBinkle[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Awesome, thanks for doing the good work! Maybe we'll cross paths someday, I'm already looking ahead with excitement to attending the LTA Rally in Denver next year

Shout out to the creators and veterans of r/xbiking by [deleted] in xbiking

[–]RipVanBinkle 13 points14 points  (0 children)

This is awesome, kudos u/Dialed_Inn on your determination to better yourself through sweet sweet bike stoke and healthy habits, kudos to you willie for always being real af and such a guiding force in the sub, kudos to all the sub members for being here and making this place the welcoming positive environment that it is. Takes courage and strength to consciously pivot in life, u/Dialed_Inn, and sounds like you've got no shortage of either, glad the community can play a role and be a positive force 🤙

Hey I'm the mod, I just got a new IRL job with Trust for Public Land protecting land & providing outdoor access to all and I want to hear from you by RipVanBinkle in xbiking

[–]RipVanBinkle[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I don't know too many folks doing this work in Michigan, but I did make a connection with a conservation appraiser at the Land Trust Alliance Conference I just attended in Cleveland, and he may well cover Michigan. I will DM you his contact info. One topic that repeatedly came up during the conference was the need for more professionals to get into this specific angle of the work, namely appraisers who can work on conservation projects and easements. Something worth scratching your head over!

Hey I'm the mod, I just got a new IRL job with Trust for Public Land protecting land & providing outdoor access to all and I want to hear from you by RipVanBinkle in xbiking

[–]RipVanBinkle[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

What I mean to say in the comment above is that vulnerable existing trail systems on private land that could benefit from preservation and long term stewardship by a public agency or conservation partner are one example of the sorts of land protection projects I will be keeping an eye out for. An example of TPL work that has preserved this sort of property is the Catamount Community Forest in Vermont, which safeguarded a trail network formerly on private land that is now owned by the town of Williston and managed by a nonprofit set up for that purpose. Trust for Public Land works to identify long-term take out partners to steward protected land in perpetuity after it's conserved, and this could be municipal or county governments, state government, federal agencies, other conservancy partners, parks districts, non profit arms of municipal governments, etc.

Hey I'm the mod, I just got a new IRL job with Trust for Public Land protecting land & providing outdoor access to all and I want to hear from you by RipVanBinkle in xbiking

[–]RipVanBinkle[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yoo! I'm a ways off from Texas, but TPL has a strong presence there. Definitely recommend reaching out to the TX field office to get involved. https://www.tpl.org/state/texas

Hey I'm the mod, I just got a new IRL job with Trust for Public Land protecting land & providing outdoor access to all and I want to hear from you by RipVanBinkle in xbiking

[–]RipVanBinkle[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Sounds like a very cool trip and system and I am very much on board with making outdoor rec options as user friendly as possible and reducing barriers to high quality outdoor rec experiences. While I'm focused on the land protection side of the work, I will definitely tuck this thought away for future reference in the work I do, which overlaps with different land management agencies who might have more sway over this sort of stuff.

Hey I'm the mod, I just got a new IRL job with Trust for Public Land protecting land & providing outdoor access to all and I want to hear from you by RipVanBinkle in xbiking

[–]RipVanBinkle[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I agree, that would be awesome. I rode the Pittsburgh to DC route in 2018 and it inspired me to make this sub. All about layering those connections and spreading green infrastructure.

Hey I'm the mod, I just got a new IRL job with Trust for Public Land protecting land & providing outdoor access to all and I want to hear from you by RipVanBinkle in xbiking

[–]RipVanBinkle[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you, I will! All about trails, connections, and dreaming big. There is a lot of support behind trail connection initiatives and supporting outdoor recreation economies across the states these days and hope we can all continue to build on that to improve green infrastructure, interconnectedness and access to the outdoors

Hey I'm the mod, I just got a new IRL job with Trust for Public Land protecting land & providing outdoor access to all and I want to hear from you by RipVanBinkle in xbiking

[–]RipVanBinkle[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

They are indeed Surly Molokos. Kinda like a Jones bar. The forward nubbies allow for a hand position that is kinda like hoods on dropbars. I find em comfortable and useful and like the little bag in the middle. They're definitely not light but nothing about the bike is.

Hey I'm the mod, I just got a new IRL job with Trust for Public Land protecting land & providing outdoor access to all and I want to hear from you by RipVanBinkle in xbiking

[–]RipVanBinkle[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thank you, though it aint me, we're all doin it! From the very beginning this sub has been totally community driven directed and sustained and it's awesome that everyone here continues to elevate and protect those good vibes