FAQs are Frequently Asked Questions

Why even are you doing a Patreon campaign?

Patreon makes it easy for people who like something to directly support it financially. And we need support to keep BICYCLIST sustainable and continuing in both the short and long-term.

Truthfully, there are many good reasons that Patreon has become the go-to platform for independent artists to fund their ongoing projects. It’s simple, it’s clear, and it’s relatively easy for everyone involved.

Hang on. So, I have to give you support to listen to TBE now?

Negatory- The BICYCLIST Experience you know and possibly love won’t change a bit. The regular old version of our program will, as ever, continue to be available for free to listen on our site or via your pod platform of choice. You’ll always be able to listen and subscribe for free right from our site or via Apple , Overcast , YouTube or RSS .

So, what do you guys give me if I become a member?

The main benefit for podcast listeners is access to a members-only feed where you’ll get a bonus after show each time we release a new public episode.

For magazine readers, we’ll send you a PDF copy of the digital edition of BICYCLIST Magazine as well as a PDF copy of the BICYCLIST Yearbook, a collection of all the stories produced for the previous year, but in a format that allows us to add photos and stories that we didn’t have room to tell. And it’s something that all patrons will be a part of – you’ll be listed in the book!

Honestly, a lot of people have requested a way to support the show as-is, but we wanted to offer some sensible extra benefits for listeners who would choose to send a little cash our way each month. We may have gotten a bit too creative, but we think our fans will appreciate the opportunity to support an organization of independent and passionate creators who see the world through the lens of the bicyclist.

But who knows? Those benefits might change/increase/expand over time.

What happens if I never give you any money?

Absolutely nothing. Like we say, you can always listen to the show for free. No harm, no foul. Thank you for your service.

Should I feel bad for not giving you money?

Not at all. We appreciate any support that you can reasonably provide us – like, follow, share – s’all good.

How do I cancel my BAT Patreon party membership?

Support and answers for everything pledge-related is over here .

What happens if I cancel my membership? Will you get all mad?

Not at all. Gotta do what you gotta do. If you cancel your membership, you simply won’t be charged the next time a payment comes due.

But, in fairness, please know that, once you cancel, Kelley personally forbids you from listening to the episodes in the private feed any more. Don’t be a free-rider.

I’m mad about something Chris/Victor/Kelley said on the show and I want to cancel my BAT Patreon membership.

Sorry to lose you as a customer. Also, that wasn’t a question.

If I cancel my membership, should I passive-aggressively tweet about the reason I did it and why, by extension, you are all terrible people?

We’re good, thank you for your offer of time and attention, though.

What if I have a question or problem related to Patreon?

Please start by visiting Patreon’s Help Center . It is, as advertised, very helpful.

Hey, so, where do I get my bespoke members-only podcast feed?

Great question. It’s pretty straightforward.

First, make sure you’re logged-in to Patreon, and go to our page . Look in the side-rail for the “AUDIO RSS LINK” section. This location will vary based on your browser and device. You should see a little text box in there with an URL that starts with “ https://www.patreon.com/rss/bicyclist ”. That’s your personal, bespoke feed address. Please don’t share it with others.

On a desktop browser, you should see a handy “Copy Link” button that will do precisely that. Once it’s in your clipboard, add it to your pod player of choice.

On mobile, it’s a little trickier—and this is where a few people have run into trouble. You need to manually click in that field, and then select the whole URL before hitting “Copy.” Note that “Select All” may not be available, so make sure you manually draaaaaaag all the way from left to right and get all that linky goodness. Then, as on Desktop, paste it into whatever field in your podcast app will accept a URL.

MORE: Here’s a useful Patreon Help article: “ How Do I Get and Use My Audio RSS Link? “

If all else fails, Victor can help you when you email bat at bicyclist dot team.

Can’t I just buy that nice (Yearbook/Sticker/Badge/Shirt/Bidon/Bike) without pledging to your Patreon?

For now, sorry, no.

If there’s enough demand once we run through the supply for our members, we may make a version of that item available to buy `a la carte for the public. A less cool version, though. Just sayin.

When will my membership goods arrive?

It depends on the tier. Please check the corresponding tier for detail.

Yeah, but–uh…uh–why don’t you just make money by [insert some other way of making money]?

Since we took over the humble BICYCLIST empire in 2014, we have been unable to ‘break-even’ in the words of our accountant. At our detriment, we’ve never taken money for bike or gear reviews, or shilled for products that we thought would be detrimental or predatory to our audience. Both are common practices in the cycling media landscape we have been dismayed to discover.

Selling merchandise can definitely be a great thing but t-shirts and stickers don’t provide a show and free magazine of our particular size the steady trickle of income that makes a project sustainable in the longer term. Also, we’ve tried it.

And, donating plasma is stressful, and selling black market Tramadol is currently “”illegal.””

Do you recommend using Patreon for a thing that I do?

Uh. I mean. Not really? Without knowing about your project and dozens of different decision vectors that would need to be considered, consulted upon and carefully weighed, we are unable to provide such a recommendation.

Anything else I can do to make Kelley like me?

When you find out, let us know. We know she’d be thrilled if you pledged. #otoolerules