Hey it’s the direct download link for  The Pedalshift Project 187: Bicycle Touring NY and the First Tour of 2020 (Live) (mp3).

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Bicycle touring WNY

• Want to see NYS? Do this.
• Don’t expect canal the whole way. Lots of road sections.
• Lots of small towns with charm.
• Fascinating infrastructure.
• Great history.
• Biking quality – pretty top notch. Trails are in excellent condition. The worst parts are still pretty great.
• Access to water/food – easy, but there are long stretches where there are no water sources directly on the trail. Didn’t carry food – picked up a spare meal as needed.
• Camping – more expensive generally than other options (C+O and west coast) and wild camping availability was a bit overstated in my opinion. Free camping on the lock properties was excellent.
• Good encounters – not a ton of bike tourists (although there were 600 two days behind me!). The ones I met were great.
• Prime time – Summer was a good time, but upstate NY can be muggy. The ideal time may be in September for warm days and cooler nights or October for foliage.
• check out this amazing Erie Canal cycling resource from FOTS and Pedalshift Society member Paul Mulvey.

My First 2020 Tour

• Tour Journals Volume 17 is…. The Kessel Run.
• What?
• Last year’s FL tour (Pedalshift 153, 154, 155, & 156) with a decidedly Star Wars twist
• Fly down and enjoy a day nerding out at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge flying the Falcon and enjoying a day
• THEN a tour on the Brompton from the Orlando area to the Tampa airport over two days
• Why? I wanted to center a bike tour around something cool so that the fun was front loaded and then the tour is the cherry on top
• Wanted to check a different route out of the Orlando area
• Doing all hotel and Airbnb stays (less gear)
• Shorter than I’d like but I’m hoping to get a longer tour in this spring
• What the heck’s a Kessel Run? What you’ve never heard of the Millennium Falcon? It’s the ship that made the Kessel run in less than 12 parsecs. Go see Solo to see what the Kessel run is.
• Challenges: new route, west to east (against the wind), little clown bike with limited shoulders
• No, I won’t be biking on Disney property, ARE YOU INSANE? It’s literally the least safe biking in the country. Never seen a bike on the roads there and don’t want to be the vanguard.

AMA

Have you come across a good/recommended water filter system for making river/lake water potable? Something suitable for hiking would be great. – Quyen

If you were to get a new bike, what would you get? Would it be in addition to or replacing either one you have?

What do you think about e-bikes?

Cross country trip in the cards?

Episode 200 plans?