Bike touring by yourself is awesome, but have you ever thought about bike touring with kids or maybe your dogs? On this episode, we dive into bringing others along for the ride! Also a few new things to check out in gear talk and connections with you!

Hey it’s the direct download link: The Pedalshift Project 055: Bike touring with kids and dogs (mp3)

Reach out to the show via email, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram. Don’t forget to join the newsletter too.

Have some bike touring or overnight stories to share? Send your pics, audio or a quick tweet – all welcome. Email the show at pedalshift@pedalshift.net or call the lightly-used Pedalshift voicemail line at (202) 930-1109.

The Journal

Bike Touring With Kids

Bike Touring With Dogs

• Challenge 1: Conditions and paying attention to safety for your dog
• Challenge 2: Weight
• Challenge 3: Reduced mileage
• Challenge 4: Altered setup – on bike vs. trailer vs. cargo bike

Resources

• Great Q&A
• Great FAQs
  • Long Haul Trekkers
  • Kurgo.com
  • I gave it all up … to cycle the world with my dog, The Guardian
• A good follow… Jasmine Reese going around the world with Fiji

And remember… some dogs hate biking.

Gear Talk

Yet another battery…

Connections

Thanks for checking in! You can always reach out at pedalshift@pedalshift.net or hit me up in the comments section or on social media.

Cat from Joyride

Mark Van Raam

And… Another 5-star iTunes review from Johnny K!

Pedalshift Society

A big thank you to all of the monthly supporters of the show! If you like what you hear, you can help me keep the show listener-supported while expanding the offerings (like the new C&O online guide!). A buck, two bucks or even 5 helps with the costs of hosting the podcast and the website, plus the  Pedalshift Society allows me to do cool new things I’ll be rolling out in future shows. Check it out and join at pedalshift.net/society.

If you’re interested in one-shot support, consider something over at Pedalshift Plus and get something cool in return! If the C&O talk is interesting, consider Pedalshift Tour Journals Vol. 1 my epic Pacific Coast tour with multiple daily podcasts chronicling my ride in 2014. You can get that at Pedalshift Plus. On to the Society!

• Ethan Georgi
• Matt Buker
• Kimberly Wilson
• Caleb Jenkinson
• Cameron Lien
• Andrew MacGregor
• Michael Hart
• Johnny K
• Josiah Matthews
• Keith Nagel

Thank you for supporting the show!

Music

The Pedalshift Project theme is America courtesy of Jason Kent off his self-titled solo album. Check out his band Sunfields‘ album, Habitat, wherever cool music resides.  I heard Jason’s new album in January and it is AWESOME. More info when that drops!

With one more big(ish) summer bike tour in my sights, it’s prep time for the Oregon coast ride next month. Also, it’s an extended bit of gear talk… what do I look for in the perfect bike touring tent? It’s all in this ep of the pod… now with more unreasonable contractions of words that don’t need them!

Hey it’s the direct download link: The Pedalshift Project 054: The perfect bike touring tent (mp3)

Reach out to the show via email, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram. Don’t forget to join the newsletter too.

Have some bike touring or overnight stories to share? Send your pics, audio or a quick tweet – all welcome. Email the show at pedalshift@pedalshift.net or call the lightly-used Pedalshift voicemail line at (202) 930-1109.

The Journal

Prepping Oregon

Pedalshift Guide to Biking the C&O Canal

Gear Talk

The perfect bike touring tent

• Separate (not integrated) rain fly
• As much mesh as possible in the tent
• Aluminum (not fiberglass) poles (titanium if you’re into pricey)
• A well-designed “bowl” for the floor
• A bike touring tent without  a footprint is… less than ideal. If it doesn’t come with one, buy or make one.

I like my ALPS Mountaineering Zephyr 3-Person Tent (affiliate link to Amazon, fyi). It checks all the boxes and it’s a great price. And orange, as all great things are.

Connections

Thanks for checking in! You can always reach out at pedalshift@pedalshift.net or hit me up in the comments section or on social media.

Rachel’s tour

Harry Telegadas shares his tour

Aloha Scott Gilbert – a Bike Friday setup

Uses a modified hardshell Samsonite as a trailer and a way to check his Bike Friday folder!

Another 5-star iTunes review from Thegreatrelyt!

Pedalshift Society

A big thank you to all of the monthly supporters of the show! If you like what you hear, you can help me keep the show listener-supported while expanding the offerings (like the new C&O online guide!). A buck, two bucks or even 5 helps with the costs of hosting the podcast and the website, plus the  Pedalshift Society allows me to do cool new things I’ll be rolling out in future shows. Check it out and join at pedalshift.net/society.

If you’re interested in one-shot support, consider something over at Pedalshift Plus and get something cool in return! If the C&O talk is interesting, consider Pedalshift Tour Journals Vol. 1 my epic Pacific Coast tour with multiple daily podcasts chronicling my ride in 2014. You can get that at Pedalshift Plus. On to the Society!

• Ethan Georgi
• Matt Buker
• Kimberly Wilson
• Caleb Jenkinson
• Cameron Lien
• Andrew MacGregor
• Jonathan Martin
• Michael Hart
• Johnny K

Thank you for supporting the show!

Music

The Pedalshift Project theme is America courtesy of Jason Kent off his self-titled solo album. Check out his band Sunfields‘ album, Habitat, wherever cool music resides.  I heard Jason’s new album in January and it is AWESOME. More info when that drops!

We are in the thick of bicycle touring season, so it’s high time I start testing new bicycle touring gear, right? Also a report on my semi-successful C&O ride (sigh… the rear tire… because of course) my Grand Canyon ride and much, much, more.

Hey it’s the direct download link: The Pedalshift Project 053: Testing new bicycle touring gear (mp3)

Reach out to the show via email, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Don’t forget to join the newsletter too.

Have some bike touring or overnight stories to share? Send your pics, audio or a quick tweet – all welcome. Email the show at pedalshift@pedalshift.net or call the lightly-used Pedalshift voicemail line at (202) 930-1109.

The Journal

C&O Ride

• Ahh bicycle touring… it giveth and it taketh away.
• The train.
• The mud.
• The people – had great conversations from the first night at the Y to the groups that I paralleled and ran into in camps. First time ever I ran into more women than men on the trail, and that’s awesome to see.
• Campsite reviews – they’re coming! I have decent footage of every site from Cumberland to Harpers Ferry and intend to get that up as soon as possible, along with the ratings system.
• Bonus: doing some work on swimming spots on the C&O based on feedback from a group I hung out with at a couple of campsites. Look for those soon.
• The tire fail. More on it in gear talk, but here’s what happened.
• The train back and the plan for completing the ride July 9/10.

Follow up on the summer tours I’m following

Michael Riscica @biketouring999   – got some sweet Waffle House arm shades and is making great miles across the plains and into Colorado. Check him out.

Patience @biker_girl_pay – biked through my hometown Fairport, NY on the Erie Canalway (check out Pedalshift Tour Journals Vol. 3 for my ride last year!)

3 Girls on a Bike –  hitting the humidity in Missouri but got to camp riverside listening to the fireworks in the background while swinging on hammocks near the Missouri river… not a bad way to celebrate the 4th! Follow the blog.

Gear Talk

Tires and tubes

• Still a fan of Schwalbe tires but I 100% intend on replacing them every couple of years if they are the Supremes or any other tire with weaker sidewalls. The Plus line and others are burlier on the sides, but aren’t as good on pavement, which is where I do most of my rolling. Because this seems to be a warranty issue, I’ve submitted the images for review — MJ and others have had good response from Schwalbe on matters like this, so we’ll see. Love the tires, despite this fail.
• Test your tubes. Carry at least one. I’m going to always do that before I leave and also check my patch kits to make sure I have multiple patches. Riding Schwalbes made me pretty complacent – a good thing and a bad thing!
• DEET dissolves patch kit glue, so if you’re getting bombed by mosquitoes while you change a flat, wash your hands or use gloves.
• Be patient and try to get a fix in the moment rather than hack and roll. Last time this happened a few years ago (different tire brand) I didn’t spend enough time on a boot and it failed. This time, I was too impatient with mosquitos buzzing and biting, and that caused the DEET issue.
• Carrying a spare tire? Probably won’t do that. A boot should handle most issues and I think I’ll be much more aggressive with new tires every 2 seasons or as needed. By the time they wear “enough” I’m finding it’s already too late.

Testing new bicycle touring gear

Etekcity Ultralight Portable Outdoor Backpacking Camping Stoves with Piezo Ignition (Orange) – Love. Lightweight and fires up like a dragon from GOT. The big one that Dany rides. I mean, I hear… I hear she rides it. I’m unfamiliar with this program. [footnote]lie[/footnote]

Headsweats hat – Lightweight and sweat wicking. All my Syracuse and Bills hats are sweat-stained and gross… no more!

Brita Sport Water Bottle – because tasting iodine in your water is for suckers. Note, this isn’t a true filter for backwoods use. Probably should have said that on the pod. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

“Faux Pro” – Hey I can take videos without using my phone now! Check out the two I did (special thanks to Pedalshift Plus and Pedalshift Society people for making this happen)…

Aaaand a quick reminder those links are affiliate links… if you’re into these things and get them from Amazon, you help support the show. I paid for and tried em all myself and thought you might like them too!

Connections

Thanks for checking in! You can always reach out at pedalshift@pedalshift.net or hit me up in the comments section or on social media.
Another 5-star review from Christopher!

Pedalshift Society

A big thank you to all of the monthly supporters of the show! If you like what you hear, you can help me keep the show listener-supported while expanding the offerings (like the new C&O online guide!). A buck, two bucks or even 5 helps with the costs of hosting the podcast and the website, plus the  Pedalshift Society allows me to do cool new things I’ll be rolling out in future shows. Check it out and join at pedalshift.net/society.

If you’re interested in one-shot support, consider something over at Pedalshift Plus and get something cool in return! If the C&O talk is interesting, consider Pedalshift Tour Journals Vol. 2: DC – PGH with multiple daily podcasts chronicling my ride in 2015. You can get that at Pedalshift Plus. On to the Society!

• Ethan Georgi
• Matt Buker
• Kimberly Wilson
• Caleb Jenkinson
• Cameron Lien
• Andrew MacGregor
• Jonathan Martin
• Michael Hart
• Johnny K

Thank you for supporting the show!

Music

The Pedalshift Project theme is America courtesy of Jason Kent off his self-titled solo album. Check out his band Sunfields‘ album, Habitat, wherever cool music resides.  I heard Jason’s new album in January and it is AWESOME. More info when that drops!

It’s officially summer in the northern hemisphere (sorry Australia… it was a good run, but it’ll be back) and it’s time to live vicariously and follow some of those summer bicycle tours. In this episode I let you in on three I’m following, plus give you an update on my C&O through ride this coming weekend and some additional bikey plans I’ve got.

Hey it’s the direct download link: The Pedalshift Project 052: Summer bicycle tours to follow (mp3)

Reach out to the show via email, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Don’t forget to join the newsletter too.

Have some bike touring or overnight stories to share? Send your pics, audio or a quick tweet – all welcome. Email the show at pedalshift@pedalshift.net or call the lightly-used Pedalshift voicemail line at (202) 930-1109.

The Journal: Summer bicycle tours to follow

Tours I’m following this summer

Michael Riscica @biketouring999  

Met Michael at Pioneer Nation super briefly last fall when someone I met was like, “I HAVE to get the two bike touring guys to meet!” He’s working his way westbound on the TransAm and has mixed in some pretty dope videos of his ride mixed with punk soundtracks. Worth the follow and the reads!

http://coast2coastbikeride.com/

Patience @biker_girl_pay

She’s about half done rolling from Seattle to Boston in tribute to a friend she lost late last year. It’s also one of those “I’m riding two months before I have to enter the real world” kind of rides, which I always wish I had done back when it would have matters for me. Really cool pics in the IG feed. Also, she wears a lot of orange, so she must be super cool 😉

@biker_girl_pay on IG

3 Girls on a Bike:

Vicky, Wendy and Linda… riding cross country (notice a theme?) to raise money for local bike pathway projects in Illinois. Aaron from Sprocket Podcast helped them out with directions when they got semi-misdirected in Portland a few weeks back. I’ve reached out and hope to get them on the show as they roll into DC in August.

Fundraising: https://www.gofundme.com/3girlsonabike
Blog: http://eliacci.com/3girlsonabike/

C&O ride

Hey another tour for me! I’ll be through-riding the C&O again starting today as this podcast is released! If you’re a newsletter subscriber, not only did you get the bonus podcast this month (my five favorite bike touring books) but you also got the special feed to listen in on Tour Journals Volume 6 while I ride. Missed out? No worries, it’ll be in Pedalshift Plus in a few weeks. If you’re needing a fix for some C&O audio journals, check out Volume 2, the GAP/C&O ride from last year.

I’ll have a full run-down on the next Pedalshift Project too. Trying out a new stove that I’m really digging… super inexpensive and compact. I hope to have a review up on Youtube too. What about your summer bicyle tours? Let me know in the comments or via social media!

More summer bicycle tours coming

Going to Flagstaff, AZ over the 4th of July weekend and doing some riding, likely on the Grand Canyon rim and maybe a few other choice spots. Hoping to get some good pics to share on these day rides!

August… Oregon coast! MJ is doing a little unintentional scouting for me in the next couple of weeks. More to come!

Connections

Thanks for checking in! You can always reach out at pedalshift@pedalshift.net or hit me up in the comments section or on social media.

Ethan Georgi on gear inches

After your ep mentioning gear inches for climbing, especially how what you didn’t know WAS hurting you, I looked up mine. 34.6. Not cool. Gonna look into a triple crank with a smaller chainring. Thanks for the nudge.

Steve K -pulling a Hammerhiker (as I will now call this) and getting dropped off in Meyersdale and bombing down the long hill from the Eastern Continental Divide to Cumberland!

Noah tackling the C&O – asks about bears and camping sites being full?

1- wouldn’t worry about bears. The majority of both trails aren’t wildernessy enough to get your exposure to the level that you need to up your fpod storage game. If you prefer, consider getting some smell proof bags. I’ve never encountered a bear on either trail and I don’t think I recall hearing any real reports of one.
—
2- You’ll never have a problem getting a spot at any site on a C&O summer bicycle tour. If someone is there ahead of you it’s just a chance to say hi and pitch your tent in another section of the site. I’ve chosen to ride on another 5-10 miles to get a chance at my own site but I’ve never been shut out if any site because of congestion.

Sidebar… after this ride, this and more info will be coming to a much more pimped out Pedalshift Guide to the C&O. I’ve also got some killer ideas for more in the coming months, and thanks to your support through Pedalshift Plus and Pedalshift Society, I might be pulling the trigger on one of those ideas soon. Stay tuned!
Another 5-star review from Pedaling4Purpose!

Pedalshift Society

A big thank you to all of the monthly supporters of the show! If you like what you hear, you can help me keep the show listener-supported while expanding the offerings (like the new C&O online guide!). A buck, two bucks or even 5 helps with the costs of hosting the podcast and the website, plus the  Pedalshift Society allows me to do cool new things I’ll be rolling out in future shows. Check it out and join at pedalshift.net/society.

If you’re interested in one-shot support, consider something over at Pedalshift Plus and get something cool in return! If the GAP talk is interesting, consider Pedalshift Tour Journals Vol. 2: DC – PGH with multiple daily podcasts chronicling my ride in 2015. You can get that at Pedalshift Plus. On to the Society!

• Ethan Georgi
• Matt Buker
• Kimberly Wilson
• Caleb Jenkinson
• Cameron Lien
• Andrew MacGregor
• Jonathan Martin
• Michael Hart

Thank you for supporting the show!

Music

The Pedalshift Project theme is America courtesy of Jason Kent off his self-titled solo album. Check out his band Sunfields‘ album, Habitat, wherever cool music resides.  I heard Jason’s new album in January and it is AWESOME. More info when that drops!

Recorded live from Paris, France[footnote]check out PSP022 for more on pedaling Paris![/footnote]… it’s a podcast about bicycle touring the Great Allegheny Passage in western Pennsylvania! It all makes sense, trust me. In this episode we chat about all the amazing things in store while bicycle touring the Great Allegheny Passage (or “the GAP” as you’ll usually hear) including an interview with Doug Riegner from the Allegheny Trail Alliance.

Hey it’s the direct download link: The Pedalshift Project 051: Bicycle touring the Great Allegheny Passage (mp3)

Reach out to the show via email, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Don’t forget to join the newsletter too.

Have some bike touring or overnight stories to share? Send your pics, audio or a quick tweet – all welcome. Email the show at pedalshift@pedalshift.net or call the lightly-used Pedalshift voicemail line at (202) 930-1109.

The Journal: Bicycle touring the Great Allegheny Passage

• Section riding! Biking the GAP
• First real hot weekend this season
• Weekend gave me opportunities to ride but not camp, so I chose a couple of sections I liked the most near PGH
• Boston – West Newton (RT – 30 miles)
• Connellsville-Ohiopyle (RT-34 miles)
• When it’s hot and super sunny both of these sections are great ways to escape the heat. The ride to Ohiopyle in particular is largely covered in green tunnel foliage and the cooling impact of the Youghiogheny River is apparent as you roll.
• Interested in hearing more about the GAP? Check out Pedalshift Project 021 from last year’s ride.

The Interview

• Interview with Doug Riegner, Director of Community Relations & Sales at Allegheny Trail Alliance (@gaptraildoug on Instagram and Twitter)
• Total serendipity… ran into Doug on the trail collecting data on trail users and got an opportunity to chat with him about the GAP… tons of great info here! Also, some birds and train noise, so you’ll get a real flavor of the GAP sounds between Boston and West Newton.
• GAP news:
  • Pinkerton Tunnel done
  • New campsites on the way… first up is Ohiopyle
  • New granite mile markers coming this year
• Bonus C&O news:
  • Working on trail surface on the C&O? GAP engineer is at the table as a consultant with the Park Service.
  • All water will be untreated on the C&O as of 2017. Get your Sawyer pumps for next year’s rides!
• Bike touring route passports?
• Links + resources
  • TrailGuide (print guide with good info – $10 from ATA)
  • gaptrail.org
  • 911trail.org (great DC map he mentions)

Pedalshift Society

A big thank you to all of the monthly supporters of the show! If you like what you hear, you can help me keep the show listener-supported while expanding the offerings (like the new C&O online guide!). A buck, two bucks or even 5 helps with the costs of hosting the podcast and the website, plus an angel gets her wings every time a new member of the Pedalshift Society joins. Check it out and join at pedalshift.net/society.

If you’re interested in one-shot support, consider something over at Pedalshift Plus and get something cool in return! If the GAP talk is interesting, consider Pedalshift Tour Journals Vol. 2: DC – PGH with multiple daily podcasts chronicling my ride in 2015. You can get that at Pedalshift Plus. On to the Society!

• Ethan Georgi
• Matt Buker
• Kimberly Wilson
• Caleb Jenkinson
• Cameron Lien
• Andrew MacGregor

Thank you for supporting the show!

Music

The Pedalshift Project theme is America courtesy of Jason Kent off his self-titled solo album. Check out his band Sunfields‘ album, Habitat, wherever cool music resides.  I heard Jason’s new album in January and it is AWESOME. More info when that drops!

We talk a lot on this show about how to plan and enjoy a bicycle tour… but what about post bike tour care? On this golden anniversary episode of the Pedalshift Project, I chat about some of the things I (usually) do after a bike tour to keep my ride in tip top shape (plus the consequences I had not doing that this time). Also,  it’s episode number fifty! Howboutthat!?

Hey it’s the direct download link: The Pedalshift Project 050: Post bike tour care (mp3)

Reach out to the show via email, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Don’t forget to join the newsletter too.

Have some bike touring or overnight stories to share? Send your pics, audio or a quick tweet – all welcome. Email the show at pedalshift@pedalshift.net or call the lightly-used Pedalshift voicemail line at (202) 930-1109.

The Journal

The Pedalshift Project at 50

• I learn more every time I ride and I learn a lot from others
• Pedalshift continues to evolve and be about inspiration as much as information
• So many resources out there, I feel very honored to have you choose my little corner of the Internets!

A look ahead to riding the PGH end of the GAP

• I have a fun opportunity this week to do some exploration of the Pittsburgh side of the GAP this week while in town.
• Hope to do some preliminary work on a potential Pedalshift Guide to the GAP which I’d love to get out by the fall.
• PS The Pedalshift Guide to the C&O will be updated soon with a ton of additional information,
  Goals this week:
• finding some helpful tips for handling the tricky nav of Pittsburgh
• Get out to Homestead or beyond to get pics and a review of the first campground
• Interested in hearing more about the GAP? Check out Pedalshift Project 021 from last year’s ride. If you’re interested there’s also Pedalshift Tour Journals Vol. 2: DC – PGH with multiple daily podcasts chronicling my ride in 2015. You can get that at Pedalshift Plus!

Gear Talk: Post bike tour care

• Wash the bike (take a look at my bike cleaning tips)
• Lube the chain
• Check for damage
• Tighten and locktite the rack bolts
• Take the bike to your favorite LBS if things are a little too wonky…

Pedalshift Society

A big thank you to all of the monthly supporters of the show! If you like what you hear, you can help me keep the show listener-supported while expanding the offerings (like the new C&O online guide!). A buck, two bucks or even 5 helps with the costs of hosting the podcast and the website, plus an angel gets her wings every time a new member of the Pedalshift Society joins. Check it out and join at pedalshift.net/society. And on to the Society!

• Ethan Georgi
• Matt Buker
• Kimberly Wilson
• Caleb Jenkinson

Thank you for supporting the show!

Music

The Pedalshift Project theme is America courtesy of Jason Kent off his self-titled solo album. Check out his band Sunfields‘ album, Habitat, wherever cool music resides.  I heard Jason’s new album in January and it is AWESOME. More info when that drops this spring!

Back from biking the C&O over the weekend, I share thoughts on the western end of the trail, my new favorite wet weather gear purchases and revisiting touring bike gearing so you never have to suffer through hills because of your bike!

Hey it’s the direct download link: The Pedalshift Project 049: Biking the C&O, wet weather wear and revisiting touring bike gearing (mp3)

Reach out to the show via email, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Don’t forget to join the newsletter too.

Have some bike touring or overnight stories to share? Send your pics, audio or a quick tweet – all welcome. Email the show at pedalshift@pedalshift.net or call the lightly-used Pedalshift voicemail line at (202) 930-1109.

The Journal: Revisiting the C&O

• This weekend’s trip to the western end of the C&O (Hancock to Cumberland)
• Wet start. A very wet start. Rain gear reviews in Gear Talk.Good experience on the WV backroads from my place to Hancock.
• Hancock is getting sketchier, which is sad.
• Chose WMd Rail Trail over C&O… again.
• Two inch wide tires are so great on a wet C&O.
• Please have fenders people.
• A signal-less night meant watching a great doc I rented on iTunes, Inspired to Ride about the Trans Am Race co-starring friend of Sprocket Podcast Nathan Jones. Check it out. Three words: Triple Overnight Centuries.
• Spent all Saturday rolling and recording field notes for a new project: Pedalshift Guide to Bicycling the C&O. I’m building a free resource page at pedalshift.net/cando that I’ll be supplementing over time. At some point I might put out a beefier trail guide and I’ll be asking for your help on what to include. More to come.
• The trail was muuuuuuuuudy – super muddy!
• Quite a few people touring the trail even this early in the year
• Saw a guy on a Dahon!
• Got into Cumberland starving and ready for some Crabby Pig… had some great beer and enjoyed it a lot.
• Tried the YMCA camping option and found it quite excellent… 12 bucks gets you full access to the facility if you feel the need to work out after a ride (heh) but more importantly, wifi, showers, very good water fountain to refill up and a decent camping spot. Downside is they didn’t have a portapotty so overnight meant you were out of luck when the facility is closed (I was told it’s normally there though). Also, there’s an auxiliary train track about 20 feet away and the one train that went through that night was a tooth rattler. You cannot escape the trains in Cumberland if you’re camping… Evits Creek is the same story, bur worse because it’s on the main CSX line. Also no wifi, no shower, and it’s 4.5 miles away rather than 1. But… it’s free. I’d do the Y again if only for the proximity and shower.
• Used Amtrak roll-aboard service again and it was great… train was delayed 1 hour from Chicago but got me to Martinsburg in 90 minutes. A nasty 20 mph head and cross wind impeded my 21 mile ride to the cabin, but it all worked out fine.
• I just love the C&O… with the Amtrak fast-forwards (DC-Harpers Ferry-Martinsburg-Cumberland) you can mix up the ride and take advantage of the trail for the time you have!

Images

Pedalshift Plus

If you dig the show and want more, I’ve got it for ya! Pedalshift Plus is a way to get cool extras and help support the show to bring more Pedalshift offerings in the future. Right now I’ve got all five Pedalshift Tour Journals and I’m working on new offerings that go beyond the usual Pedalshift Project goodness. Pedalshift Plus helps to defray the ever increasing costs of producing The Pedalshift Project and keeping it open and free for everyone. So if you like what we’re doing here and these extras sound good and worth a few bucks… they’re there for you… check out pedalshift.net/plus for all the offerings. No matter what, I’m thrilled to have all of you listening to The Pedalshift Project as we head into the third year of great bike touring goodness for your earballs.

Preview of Pedalshift Tour Journals Vol. 5: California Coast, now available at Pedalshift Plus!

Gear Talk

Wet Weather Gear

As I mentioned earlier, I bought some great wet weather gear that literally saved the first day of my tour from a washout. I thought I’d share my newfound love for these three critical new parts of my touring gear, with Amazon affiliate links (if you’re into getting gear there).

Showers Pass Men’s Double Century RTX Jacket
Best rain jacket I’ve ever worn. My old one is a 20-year old Nike one that has thoroughly lost its waterproofness and I needed a new one. This is light, packs SUPER small and sheds water like nothing I’ve ever worn. As a guy who runs hot, I appreciate the high ventilation options and easily accessed pit zips. It’s built for cycling with a long tail to keep the belt line covered. It’s just awesome and what you’d expect from a Portland-based company that knows rain. A ding: I got white because they have no orange. #needsmoreorange
Showers Pass Waterproof Wool Socks
Ok, these feel weird. Kind of like scuba socks? They’re on the heavy side too. BUT THEY ROCK. These are three layers that allow moisture out but not in. My feet would have been cold and raw in the rain I rode in, but they remained warm and dry. It was weird because I could feel the squish of the shoes but the feet were aces. Best wet weather socks ever.
Columbia Trail Summit Running Gloves
These seem to be on the way out or at least are becoming less seasonably available… but the good news is they are on discounts at lots of places, so now may be a time to grab them. These fit snugly but are totally soft and comfortable with the added bonus of having those index and thumb thingies that let you work touch screens. Like any “waterproof breathable” item they fail after enough exposure to the rain. What made these different was the layer of reflective material inside the gloves… while the gloves got soaked by hour 3 of the ride, my hands remained totally warm and comfortable the whole time. And really, that’s the big bucket of win. Water rolls down your arms and gets into most gloves. It happens. For long days in wet weather, these are my new go-tos.

Touring bike gearing

Basics are in Pedalshift Project 015 – learn about gear inches and gear calculators.

When you’re buying or building a bike for touring, the most important touring bike gearing is one you don’t use very often but you need it more than any other one. That’s your granny gear, AKA the one that helps you climb and haul stuff up hills.

When I started touring I had the misconception that bike gears were universal… “3rd gear” was “3rd gear” regardless of bike. Um, yeah… newbie!

I found I was struggling to keep up on hills and thought I was somehow in worse shape… the reality was I was pressing into high gears and the people ahead of me were using mechanical advantages I didn’t have.

SO… you’re new to this… or you want to improve things on hills… what to do? You want to be really small in the crank set and huge in the cassette. Here’s what I roll on:

44/32/22 crank set
11-34 cassette

So, I have 22 teeth in the small chain ring up front and 34 in the rear cassette… that translates to a very climby 18.5 gear inches with the tires I have (700×2″).

Compare that to the stock Safari (at the time) that had a climbing gear of 23.5 gear inches. TOTALLY noticeable.

And my FIRST bike… the one that I struggled with on the CA coast? Good lord… 35.6 gear inches. That’s basically a mid-gear for my current Safari.

SO… do you have trouble with hills? You shouldn’t and you don’t need to. They should be challenging but not things you dread and want to avoid. The next time you are looking to improve your touring bike gearing situation, start with replacing the cassette. Replace the crank. Do both if you can… work with your LBS to get as low of a gear as you can – your top gears will suffer but this is a touring bike and you rarely end up in them anyways.

Connections

Mark Van Raam:

Thanks for your recent podcast 048.  One question on the Pacific Coast ride.  Is it possible to not take any cooking equipment and still eat OK?  I’m not a coffee drinker and could live off 7-11 food (pop tarts, hot dogs) or better grocery stores, diners, etc.  I want to pedal the whole thing (Canada to Mexico border), don’t want to do the whole cooking thing.

Pedalshift Society

A big thank you to all of the monthly supporters of the show! If you like what you hear, you can help me keep the show listener-supported while expanding the offerings (like the new C&O online guide!). A buck, two bucks or even 5 helps with the costs of hosting the podcast and the website, plus an angel gets her wings every time a new member of the Pedalshift Society joins. Check it out and join at pedalshift.net/society. And on to the Society!

• Ethan Georgi
• Matt Buker
• Kimberly Wilson

Thank you for supporting the show!

Music

The Pedalshift Project theme is America courtesy of Jason Kent off his self-titled solo album. Check out his band Sunfields‘ album, Habitat, wherever cool music resides.  I heard Jason’s new album in January and it is AWESOME. More info when that drops this spring!

Back from my Brompton California bike tour, I share my thoughts on the adventure!

The Pedalshift Project 048: A Brompton California Bike Tour (mp3)

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Have some bike touring or overnight stories to share? Send your pics, audio or a quick tweet – all welcome. Email the show at pedalshift@pedalshift.net or call the lightly-used Pedalshift voicemail line at (202) 930-1109.

The Journal

A Brompton California bike tour…

The Ride

• MJ is a great riding companion
• Pearl rode like a champ although it took a couple of days to get the hang of touring on it.
• Weather was largely outstanding with one exception
• If you like coastline, do yourself a giant favor and ride this section (and add on the section from Leggett Hill south to SF too while you’re at it)
• If you don’t like minimal shoulders and proximity to cars, skip this one.

Highlights

• Succeeding on a tour with a Brompton – I’m far from ththe first, but I realized I picked a challenging ride for a first one!
• Hanging with MJ again
• Meeting Tim of north 2 north
• Plaskett Creek to Morro Bay — best day of riding ever? Plus TAILWINDS!
• Zero mile day in Big Sur
• The views

Lowlights

• Losing a day of riding due to rain (but also a highlight)
• The Bonk
• Breaking in the Brooks on a tour
• Blowing a gig of data on GoT ep 1. C’mon! 😉
• Having to gatecheck Pearl on the return flight

Lessons

• Glad I brought the minimal stove… Will always bring something for coffee because I like having the option every morning.
• Rain gear… Forget forecasts beyond a few days as they’re for entertainment purposes only. Be prepared – we had light wiNdbreakers only and were fortunate not to have been caught in the heavy cold rain like others were. Bring it every time there’s a chance for rain on your tour, and that’s most of the time for most tours!
• Offline maps – particularly like MapOut on iOS – added in the route and had the sliver of maps in my phone for those sections I had no signal. Worked great.

Images

Next tour

Doing the far end of the C&O next weekend… No Tour Journals for this one since it’s on the shorter side but I’ll be taking pics and working on some cool upcoming things for Pedalshift Plus. Speaking of…

Pedalshift Plus + Pedalshift Society

Pedalshift Plus

• All back episodes of Pedalshift Tour Journals from 5-$10 each
• THIS tour (Volume 5) will be available Sunday, May 1st
• Future plans include Pedalshift audio tour guides of routes near and dear to me…
• Learn more at pedalshift.net/plus

Pedalshift Society

• Help the show with monthly recurring support… just a buck or two is amazing… and you and every other merry member of the Pedalshift Society gets a shout out right before Jason Kent brings the closing credits. So you can always say, “hey… I opened for Jason Kent on a podcast once… sort of.”
• Learn more and join at pedalshift.net/society
• THANK YOU to the inaugural Pedalshift Society members for helping to support the show!
  • Ethan Georgi
  • Matt Buker
  • Kimberly Wilson

Music

The Pedalshift Project theme is America courtesy of Jason Kent off his self-titled solo album. Check out his band Sunfields‘ album, Habitat, wherever cool music resides.  I heard Jason’s new album in January and it is AWESOME. More info when that drops this spring!

Featured image: Bixby Bridge (cc) via Flickr.

Just days away from some quality  California coast bike touring, I’m getting all the details in order just in time for an episode of the Pedalshift Project! California here I come!

Hey it’s the direct download link for episode 047: California coast bike touring (mp3)

Reach out to the show via email, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Don’t forget to join the newsletter too.

Have some bike touring or overnight stories to share? Send your pics, audio or a quick tweet – all welcome. Email the show at pedalshiftproject@gmail.com or call the lightly-used Pedalshift voicemail line at (202) 930-1109.

The Journal

California coast bike touring: final prep

• Brompton setup continued
• My gearing, fixed!My route and logistics
• ACA Pacific Coast route
• Land in SFO Monday, Uber with my Brompton and bags to the coast then start rolling south. Fly out of LAX the following Tuesday afternoon.
• Camping largely in CA state parks, maybe a wild camping option tossed in
• One fast forward train needed – a few options beginning in SLO
• Reminder you can listen in on my ride with Pedalshift Tour Journals Vol. 5, Pacific Coast! In fact, if you’re a newsletter subscriber you already got the details. If you’re brand new to the show and missed out, join the newsletter now and shoot me an email by noon ET Sunday April 17th and I’ll get you the details before I roll Monday.

Introducing Pedalshift Plus + Pedalshift Society

Pedalshift Plus

• All back episodes of Pedalshift Tour Journals from 5-$10 each
• Future plans include Pedalshift audio tour guides of routes near and dear to me…
• Learn more at pedalshift.net/plus

Pedalshift Society

• Help the show with monthly recurring support… just a buck or two is amazing… and you and every other merry member of the Pedalshift Society gets a shout out right before Jason Kent brings the closing credits. So you can always say, “hey… I opened for Jason Kent on a podcast once… sort of.”
• Learn more and join at pedalshift.net/society

Connections

• Jared Hardy educates me on the origins of Type 2 fun! Apparently it’s from Dirtbag Diaries, which is a podcast I keep meaning to pick up on. I hear it rocks and if they’re the source of Type 2 fun, then I’m in.
• SPEAKING of great podcasts… I just started listening to The Joyride Podcast, which is hosted by Cat Caparello from PDX. It’s a total celebration of women who ride bikes and she’s had some killer interviews so far including some great ones on bike touring, and one of my favorite voices in bicycle advocacy, Elly Blue.  She also closes her shows with a great Anais Nin quote: “Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage.” which his dope. Great show… Check it out: girleatsbike.com
• Mark Van Raam wrote in asking what I thought of TSA Prechck and Global Entry… I’ve never used them so I throw it out there to the community… have you used it and do you think it would be helpful when flying to or from a tour?
• Speaking of: I decided to buy the United early boarding option… $29 is stupid but I’ve spent way dumber money for way less mind-settling things than getting a Brompton in an overhead early.
• Jonathan Martin writes in asking about my Brompton… and I have to say I’m a huge huge fan. I got the speed hub working over the past week and Clever Cycles has built a really killer ride. I’m confident it’s going to do me well for some California coast bike touring next week!

Music

The Pedalshift Project theme is America courtesy of Jason Kent off his self-titled solo album. Check out his band Sunfields‘ album, Habitat, wherever cool music resides.  I heard Jason’s new album in January and it is AWESOME. More info when that drops this spring!

Featured image: Bixby Bridge (cc) via Flickr.