Getting ready for my first attempt at folding bicycle touring, I’m seeing a major need to reduce… and I mean reeeeeaaaaally reduce the amount of gear I pack along. On this episode, we take a look at the choices I’m making to go from a tent to a much lighter shelter setup and how that will make touring on a folding bicycle that much easier. All that, some gear talk and followup!

Hey it’s the direct download link for episode 027 (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 pedalshiftproject@gmail.com or call the brand new Pedalshift voicemail line at (202) 930-1109.

Follow up

Gear Talk

Securing water bottles on your front forks

Folding bicycle touring

Folding bike and a lot of connections? Can’t rock a bunch of bags!

Music

The Pedalshift Project theme is America courtesy of Jason Kent off his self-titled solo album. Check out his band Sunfields‘ new release, Habitat, wherever cool music resides. And hey, a video for Ghost!

Just me and the mic doing a little followup and giving an overview of a very fun upstate New York bicycle tour along the Erie Canalway route. It’s an all sleep-deprivation podcast after a long weekend roadtrip too!

Hey it’s the direct download link for episode 026 (mp3)

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

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

July #podcastapalooza

• Pedalshift invades the Rose City and The Sprocket Podcast 245 (part 1 || part 2). This show was in-ter-est-ing.[footnote]This is funny. Trust me.[/footnote] You should subscribe to The Sprocket Podcast, but if you want to stream this ep, knock yourself out:

Sprocket Podcast 245 – Part 1

Sprocket Podcast 245 – Part 2

• The Erie Canal preview, episode 024
• The Amtrak adventure with Andrew and Stephanie, episode 025
• Volume 3 of Pedalshift Tour Journals podcast (wrapped up)
• This show… hi!

Follow up

More on the Oregon Outback – listen to Donnie Kolb’s interview with OPB:
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/212536771″ params=”color=ff5500&show_artwork=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

Bicycle touring upstate New York

• 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.
• BIG thanks to Tour Journals listeners and social media followers for tagging along! Special thanks to Rochelle in Albany (@lilithny on the Twitter machine) for some good tips and FOTS Ethan Georgie for his Canajoharie story, because I might have done the same without it.
• Speaking of… FOTS Ethan Georgie’s story has an explanation! FOTS Tony S explains…

Next tour

• DC to BOS the hard way
• Local transit only (no Amtrak, no BoltBus, etc.) plus a folding bike
• Union Station DC to Back Bay Boston in less than 36 hours
• The least efficient, most ridiculous bike and transit tour… ever

Music

The Pedalshift Project theme is America courtesy of Jason Kent off his self-titled solo album. Check out his band Sunfields‘ new release, Habitat, wherever cool music resides. And hey, a video for Ghost!

A special 25th episode of The Pedalshift Project features an interview with Friends of the Show Andrew and Stephanie, describing their special Amtrak bicycle touring adventure that spanned from Colorado to Chicago to Pittsburgh to… well, we’ll let them tell you how it all ended.

Hey it’s the direct download link for episode 025 (mp3)

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

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

July #podcastapalooza

• Pedalshift invades the Rose City and The Sprocket Podcast 245 (part 1 || part 2). This show was in-ter-est-ing.[footnote]This is funny. Trust me.[/footnote] You should subscribe to The Sprocket Podcast, but if you want to stream this ep, knock yourself out:

Sprocket Podcast 245 – Part 1

Sprocket Podcast 245 – Part 2

• The Erie Canal preview, episode 024
• This show… hi!
• Volume 3 of Pedalshift Tour Journals podcast with multiple minisodes is happening now. Explore western and central NY with a western NY native (that would be me).
• Episode 026 comes at you July 23rd with a wrap up of the Erie Canal tour plus catching up on all that’s going in the Pedalshift community. July is full of podcasts. It’s a #podcastapalooza.

The Interview

FOTS Andrew and Stephanie are from Denver, Colorado and embarked on a big adventure in June. Beginning from home in Colorado, they packed up their bikes and gear and boarded Amtrak for a multiday trip to Pittsburgh. The plan was to bike to DC via the GAP and C+O, but as they’ll share… things don’t always go as planned, and that’s ok. Amtrak. Bicycle touring. It’s a great hour of podcasty goodness.

Music

The Pedalshift Project theme is America courtesy of Jason Kent off his self-titled solo album. Check out his band Sunfields‘ new release, Habitat, wherever cool music resides. And hey, a video for Ghost!

On the eve (ok close to the eve) of some Erie Canal bike touring, we delve into the route, the region and more. Plus, a special Erie Canal-centric bike touring story from a friend of the show and a list of the insane number of Pedalshift podcasts coming at you in July! #podcastapalooza

Hey it’s the direct download link for episode 024 (mp3)

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

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

July #podcastapalooza

• Pedalshift invades the Rose City and The Sprocket Podcast 245 (part 1 || part 2). This show was in-ter-est-ing.[footnote]This is funny. Trust me.[/footnote] You should subscribe to The Sprocket Podcast, but if you want to stream this ep, knock yourself out:

Sprocket Podcast 245 – Part 1

Sprocket Podcast 245 – Part 2

• This show… hi!
• The next Pedalshift tour is along the Erie Canal, starting July 11th! We’ll be firing up Volume 3 of Pedalshift Tour Journals podcast with multiple minisodes every day of the week long tour. Explore western NY with a western NY native (that would be me). Looks like a little Canada too… more to come. Reminder Pedalshift Tour Journals has the full DC-Pittsburgh C+O/GAP ride through Thursday the 9th.
• Next episode… a special bonus show celebrating 25 episodes of Pedalshift featuring a full-length interview with FOTS Andrew and Stephanie coming at you July 16th (whaa! A week early?)
• But wait! There’s more! Episode 026 comes at you July 23rd with a wrap up of the Erie Canal tour plus catching up on all that’s going in the Pedalshift community. July is full of podcasts. It’s a #podcastapalooza.

The Erie Canal

• Region
• History
• Riding conditions
• Learn more things that might be true over at Wikipedia.

Bike touring story

• Type 2 Fun, an Erie Canal bike touring story
• Special thanks to FOTS[footnote]We all know FOTS=”friend of the show,” right?[/footnote] Ethan Georgi. Check out his pics over on Instagram: @ethangeorgi.

Music

The Pedalshift Project theme is America courtesy of Jason Kent off his self-titled solo album. Check out his band Sunfields‘ new release, Habitat, wherever cool music resides. And hey, new video for Ghost!

I’m in between tours, and I read something that really ticks me off… it’s the first official Pedalshift rant on leaving no trace when you camp. But it’s not all flaming swords of justice this episode… we’ll also cover how to make sure water doesn’t make you sick on tour.

Hey it’s the direct download link for episode 023 (mp3)

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

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

Follow-up

• The Pedalshift Project… shall remain a Project! Thanks for all your feedback. Got some great responses and the coveted new FOTS goes to… Ethan Georgi with his simple, “keep the project…. it’s ongoing, right?”
• Andrew of Shoot Film Ride Steel and his wife had some mechanicals on his C+O ride… we’re going to hook up to do an interview and shooting (see what I did there?) for next episode.
• Nathan Clevenger is well on his way to the left coast! He’s past Madison and nearly to Minneapolis and is set for an early August arrival in PDX. If you’re in Portland in early August there’s a celebration of his arrival at the CCC August 8th. CCC is sort of the Portland analogue to the beneficiary of his ride, Phoenix Bikes in northern VA.
• Brock Dittus of Sprocket Podcast kicked off his summer tour in northern CA. Follow along on Twitter @brockmon and check into his show for occasional updates. He shares this protip: shift your chain into the biggest chainring before attempting to loosen your pedals. #LessonsForLater
• Reminder that the next Pedalshift tour is the Erie Canal, starting July 11th! We’ll be firing up the Pedalshift Tour Journals podcast with multiple minisodes every day of the week long tour. Explore western NY with a WNY native (that would be me). Looks like a little Canada too… more to come. Reminder Pedalshift Tour Journals has the full DC-Pittsburgh C+O/GAP ride through June. Look for Volume III: Erie Canal in July!

Rant

• Read The Death of the Oregon Outback.
• Leave no trace. If you won’t, can’t, or it’s too hard… I invite you to quit camping.
• Get offended. Let’s do better.
• Thank you Kevin MacLeod for the Pedalshift rant theme[footnote]For the curious and, perhaps more importantly, to fully comply with my Creative Commons obligations… the title is Adventure Meme and it’s licensed under CC Attribution 3.0.[/footnote]

Gear Talk

• The Hammerhead
• Water purification on tour
  • Safety and taste
  • Easy and light – iodine tabs (plus Vitamin C to remove flavor)
  • Higher tech – Sawyer products
  • Even higher tech – UV pens
  • Low tech – carry your water from trusted sources
  • Emergency bottle – don’t use unless it is one.
  • DO NOT refill or use containers that held untrusted water without filtering.
• Want to contribute to the next trilogy of “my favorite touring bikes”? Let me know the three you’d like here in the comments.

Music

The Pedalshift Project theme is America courtesy of Jason Kent off his self-titled solo album. Check out his band Sunfields‘ new release, Habitat, wherever cool music resides. And hey, new video for Ghost!

The Pedalshift Project celebrates its one year podcastaversary with a packed show featuring my thoughts on Paris as bike touring destination and an interview with Peter Rice, author of Spandex Optional Bicycle Touring. Because Pedalshift has a book club now. Sort of.

Hey it’s the direct download link for episode 022 (mp3)

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

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

Follow-up

• It’s been one year of Pedalshift as a podcast, so I think we can safely say it’s no longer a project. Tell me what you think… should we change the name of the show to Pedalshift or are you attached to the Project? Best answer gets a shoutout on the show and coveted FOTS status (which has precisely zero value beyond the name).
• Amtrak still not on board with unboxed bikes on all lines.
• Kickstand alternatives followup: the shooters stick hack sucked.
• Chris Gonzales on how not to lose shit:
• Losing your shorts is never a fun thing to do! After losing a rain jacket from a bungee while touring, and promptly backtracking 10 miles that day for my shower’s pass jacket, I started running the bungee through an arm or a leg hole. I’ve never lost a thing after that now. And that’s after 1500 miles! Loving your podcast Tim, keep it up!
• Shoutout to listener Jill in PGH – next time we’re doing a meetup of cool bikey Pittsburgh people!
• iPhone mystery rescuer… when he called my studio to let me know the phone was safe, he mentioned he once had a phone returned in a similar manner so he was paying that back. Love this. Let’s ALL do the same when we find misplaced items!
• Another five star iTunes review by Moondogz!
• Reminder Pedalshift Tour Journals has the full DC-Pittsburgh C+O/GAP ride through June. Look for Volume III: Erie Canal in July!

Paris

• Amazing city for biking
• Narrow bike lanes, but hundreds of miles of them
• Bike and pannier security has to be a focus
• Excellent bike ahops of all varieties and I’ve found most have a very good English speaker on staff
• I prefer to try the local language before asking about English (as a courtesy)
• Velib bike share an excellent alternative to get around if you can secure your bike off street.
• Go see the tourist hotspots, but also go find a neighborhood you like and explore in detail. Sit at a cafe… Walk or bike the streets… It’s a city with great personalities.
• I happen to like the 6th Arrondissement which include Luxembourg Garden, St. Michel, St. Germain and borders on Montparnasse (the theater district).
• France is considered a excellent for touring – I hope to be able to mix that in someday!

The Interview

Peter Rice is a writer, author, marketer and consultant living in Albuquerque. Born and raised in Washington State, he earned a B.A. from Colorado College and spent several years doing time in print journalism, including a stint for the now defunct Albuquerque Tribune.

Rice has written a number of books, booklets, and guides on an array of topics, bicycle touring being the most prominent. Because he never skimps on research, he rode many many thousands of miles on tours of the West and South, just to make sure it was as fun and enlightening as it looked. (For information on how to arrange a private phone consultation for your tour, or to book him as a speaker, visit Peter’s website.)

When not riding, Rice enjoys pondering the state of the world, killing time with good friends, visiting his Toastmasters club, and continuing a three-decade-long mission of learning to cook.

Music

The Pedalshift Project theme is America courtesy of Jason Kent off his self-titled solo album. Check out his band Sunfields‘ new release, Habitat, wherever cool music resides. And hey, new video for Ghost!

An entire episode about bike touring DC to Pittsburgh on the Chesapeake and Ohio National Historic Park’s towpath and the series of regional trails that is the Great Allegheny Passage.

Hey it’s the direct download link for episode 021 (mp3)

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

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

Be sure to tune in for the next episode… it’s the first Pedalshift Book Club interview! Wha? Book club? Yes, I’m interviewing an author so it’s a thing! We’ll be chatting with Peter Rice, author of Spandex Optional: Long-distance bicycle touring for normal people. It’s a quick read, so if you want to pick it up before the interview and have a question for Peter, shoot it my way at pedalshiftproject@gmail.com.

Bike touring DC to Pittsburgh via the C+O and GAP

If you didn’t get a chance to experience the Pedalshift Tour Journals podcast as it happened, it will be released again in the future. I did FORTY (40!) episodes all between 1 and 5 minutes long. You can avoid missing out on the next ride by subscribing to the Pedalshift Tour Journals feed with iTunes or your favorite podcast app. It’s quite the ride….

By the numbers

390 miles (with detours)
7 days
2 adirondack shelter nights
1 night in a hammock
1 spill led to a few bruises, a cracked iPad screen, a lot of sunblock in my hammock and a pretty scraped up leg.
1 lost and 1 recovered iPhone led to 46 additional miles. some dramatic podcast episodes and a renewed sense of humanity. For now.
1 lost pair of sunglasses, swim suit and bike undershorts
1/2 flask of whiskey and 2 beers… that’s it!
0 flats
0 mechanicals
0 regrets

Highlights + favorites

Completing the ride itself
Podcasting the whole ride and getting real time feedback
#coffeeoutside
Helping out bike tourists in need (Sam and Anthony)
The inspiration of Segway guy
Green tunnels
Human-made tunnels
Turtles
Interviews with turtles… and snakes
Eating whatever I wanted
Biking through the history of the region
Not being beholden to my original schedule
Repurposing of old technology (towpaths and rail ROWs) into bike-friendly routes
Adirondack shelters and trail towns that “get it”

Lowlights + meh’s

Did I mention I lost my iPhone?[footnote]FOTS Scott Morgan (who I might have called Scoot MacAlister on the show… ugh, I feel another corrections segment!) had a cool tip – make the image on your lock screen include a contact. Great idea![/footnote]
The spill.
The realization that my route could be driven in 4 hours.

Images

A collection of all of the pictures I took on the ride… if you’d prefer to see these with explanations/captions/etc. look for images on the Pedalshift Instagram feed from May 23-29.

DC to Cumberland on the C+O

Cumberland to Pittsburgh on the GAP

Music

The Pedalshift Project theme is America courtesy of Jason Kent off his self-titled solo album. Check out his band Sunfields‘ new release, Habitat, wherever cool music resides. And hey, new video for Ghost!

The first Pedalshift tour of spring 2015 is right around the corner, so be sure to stay tuned for extra podcasts coming your way to document the trip. We’ve got followup on some past topics, more tire talk, a featured tour of epic proportions and a brand new bike touring story. Onward!

Hey it’s the direct download link for episode 020 (mp3)

Reach out to the show via email, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Don’t forget to join the newsletter too and make sure you do that before Wednesday the 20th, because on Thursday newsletter subscribers get access to the Tour Journals feed that cranks up on the 23rd with daily reports from my bike tour from DC to Pittsburgh!

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

Follow-up

Corrections, aka “Tim is so frequently wrong.”

The Journal

Keys to Freeze

An amazing tour from Key West to Deadhorse – check out the route

Gear Talk

More tire talk! 

• Schwalbe
• Continental
• Gatorskins
• Tire liners
• I vote meh on goo in tubes
• Tubeless? Not sure if that’s my bag
• Wider tires and playing with inflation (see episode 019)
• The devils – radial wires and goatheads
• My preference: Schwalbe Marathon Supreme (road) and pro (trails or gravel) – “no flats on the entire Pacific coast”

Bike Touring Story

Thank you Samuel P. Taylor… whoever you are

Sometimes the most interesting part of the ride is the last night before the end. Often that happens at the state park a half day’s ride from San Francisco in Lagunitas, California…

Music

The Pedalshift Project theme is America courtesy of Jason Kent off his self-titled solo album. Check out his band Sunfields‘ new release, Habitat, wherever cool music resides. And hey, new video for Ghost!

Featured image (cc) david_c_stone on Flickr

We’re gearing up for spring bike touring here at Pedalshift HQ and there are some extra podcasts coming your way to document upcoming trips. Plus followup on some past topics, a nerd-approved tool for perfect tire inflation, plus kicking back in an ultralight hammock on your next bike tour.

Hey it’s the direct download link for episode 019 (mp3)

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

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

The Journal

Water woes in CA – Last season many of the state parks on the coastal route shut down their water facilities by July. Given that things are worse now, if you’re planning a ride anyplace in CA it’s safe to assume dry parks up and down the coast and throughout the state.

Changeup on my touring schedule: DC-PGH May, Mini-Paris day tours in June, semi-circumnav of Lake Ontario in July, day rides in Tuscany in October. More on the tours.

Shows every day the last week in May! Newsletter subscribers will get info on a special daily Tour Journals pod for my C&O and GAP ride. Subscribe to the newsletter before the ride and you’ll get an email with the scoop on how to listen.

More on the shows.

Article on the GAP and C+O in a recent edition of the NYT  – especially good review for those that are more B+B/hotel users rather than campers.

Another article showcasing the extension one can do up through Western NY then cutting over along Lake Erie westward to Erie, PA.

Gear Talk

Finding the ideal tire inflation based on tire size and load
A huge find by Todd Tillinger from gorgeous Helena, MT – the bike tire pressure calculator.

Another option: iTire Pressure (iOS and Android) – goes a little wider and includes wider tires (like those for offroad rides) but doesn’t have the bonus of figuring inflation based on distributed load.

The end of spoked tires? 

Ultralight hammocks

• Tried the Hennessey Hammock a couple of seasons ago and it didn’t fit my camping needs on the tours I have been on.
• I miss the easy portability of a light hammock, so I’m trying out carrying a Himal ultralight hammock on the May tour as an alternative for sleeping or lounging at camps

Connections

Nathan’s ride updates and shoutouts – read his posts.

Fried of the Show (FOTS) Ethan Georgi is a distinct minus one on my regram of a friend’s repurposing of a water bottle bracket to carry Strawberry Mist frosting. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but the more I think Strawberry Mist, the more I think I’m with Ethan…

Facebook follower Harry Jones is more of a flask guy, and come to think of it so am I… 

FOTS The Sprocket Podcast gave a shoutout for last episode’s interview amongst a chorus of frogs.

Andrew of Shoot film, ride steel is doing the Pittsburgh to DC ride in June and sadly I’ll be missing out on a chance to interview him and his fiancee Stephanie due to schedule issues but we hope to schedule a recap later in the month – stay tuned! (PS I referred to Andrew as a filmmaker, but he focuses more on photography FYI!)

Simon Shaw joins the cult of the Novara Safari and writes in asking about kickstands – I use the Greenfield Oversize kickstand. I’m enamored with the click stand. Welcome to the curvy handlebar cult Simon!

FOBPE (friend of bikey podcasts everywhere) Johnny K dug the campfire interview and thinks my orange dry sack could double as an ocean buoy to guide ships! True… now that it’s retired it might be able to serve the maritime community 😉

Bike touring stories return in episode 020 featuring the oddity of life at the last campsite before San Francisco…

Music

The Pedalshift Project theme is America courtesy of Jason Kent off his self-titled solo album. Check out his band Sunfields‘ new release, Habitat, wherever cool music resides. And hey, new video for Ghost!

Featured image (cc) vikapproved on Flickr