Tag: bike touring

April 20, 2017

The Pedalshift Project 077: Bike touring differently

Jeremy Mendelson joins the show to talk about his take on bike touring differently: from a bike touring focused lifestyle to vegan touring to riding little clown bikes and much more.

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The Interview: bike touring differently with Jeremy Mendelson

Jeremy Mendelson is a transit planner, geographer, traveler, bus driver, advocate and co-founder of TransitMatters in Boston. He’s currently working in Colorado for the winter season and as we’ll talk about in the interview, that’s more of a means to an end in his bike travel oriented life setup. Living a more nomadic life that serves his bike touring is just the tip of the iceberg for how Jeremy tours differently. He’s a longtime vegan, which we chat about, and a fan of touring on the little clown bike itself, the Brompton. Such a great discussion…

Questions

So much to chat about, but I think we should start by talking about your lifestyle… you describe yourself as living a semi-nomadic lifestyle. What was your journey to end up there?
How did you get into bike touring differently?
How does your perspective being a geographer inform your bike touring? Do you think you tour differently because of that?
Let’s dive into the vegan thing. I find everyone who is fully plant-based eaters or trending in that direction have a good story to tell about how they got there. What’s yours?
My experience is it’s not hard to eat totally plant-based almost anyplace, but in parts of the country (and the world) the tradeoff tends to mean having to eat a lot of processed stuff or sugary foods I would rather avoid. What’s your experience like and what do you do in “food deserts” on tour?
Having just finished a weekend tour, I found my ability to stick with my eating plan was always battered by (a) my sudden intense caloric needs, (b) my weird cravings and (c) availability. What’s your general plan when you tour to eat plant-based?
One of the big benefits I see with plant based eating on tour is cost savings… can you chat a bit about that?
Let’s shift gears and chat about your adventures touring on a Brompton. What’s your favorite part about touring on “the little clown bike”?
What gear do you tend to leave at home or pare down on when on the Brompton and how do you split it all up on the bike?
You’re a bus driver and transit enthusiast so you’re a natural to chat about fast forwards. How do you use them and what’s your favorite one you’ve ever done?
What’s next for you?
Read and listen more at criticaltransit.com.

Resources

Some further reading on moving more towards plant-based eating, because it’s a really personal choice and the information load can be a bit overwhelming:
- Is a vegetarian diet really more environmentally friendly than eating meat? (CNN) – some shades of gray on the issue.
- Diet for a Small Planet
- The Omnivore’s Dilemma

If you want to hear more about touring on a Brompton, check out Pedalshift Tour Journals Vol. 5: California Coast. Can a loaded Brompton handle the hills of Big Sur? An hour and 46 minutes of touring stories for 10 bucks… and it helps support the show! Here’s a preview:

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Connections

Another 5-star review over on iTunes!

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. Five bucks, two bucks or even 1 helps with the costs of hosting the podcast and the website, and you can do it for a bit and cancel anytime. One-shot support is welcome if you’re not into the small monthly thing. Check it out and join at pedalshift.net/society. And society members please go to pedalshift.net/stickers and let me know where to send some Pedalshift stickers to you! On to the Society!

Ethan Georgi
Kimberly Wilson
Caleb Jenkinson
Cameron Lien
Andrew MacGregor
Michael Hart
Josiah Matthews
Keith Nagel
Brock Dittus
Thomas Skadow
Michael Riscica
Seth Krieger
Marco Lo
Terrance Manson
Noah Schroer
Harry Telgadas
John Sikorski
Richard Killian
Chris Barron
Scott Taylor
Brian Hren
Mark Van Raam
Brad Hipwell
Paul Mulvey
Stuart Buchan
Todd Stutz
Mr. T
Roxy Arning
Nathan Poulton
And all anonymous and past contributors for helping make this show happen!

Music

You’ve been hearing about Jason Kent and his music for 77 fine episodes. I got news for ya. New. Sunfields. Album. This August.

April 7, 2017

The Pedalshift Project 076: Bicycle touring’s for the dogs plus the Katy Trail by bike

Two great tour journals in one pod! First, I tell the tale of my C&O ride with Belle Starr and then I read a great submission from a listener about her adventures on the Katy Trail. Plus, you never know when emergency fixes can come in handy…

Hey it’s the direct download link for The Pedalshift Project 076: Bicycle touring’s for the dogs plus the Katy Trail by bike (mp3)

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Followup

The Big Sur bridge is OUT. Rumors of bike crossings clearly not relevant 😉 UPDATE: set to reopen in September!

Newsletter subscribers… my dog’s name is Belle STARR with two R’s. Autocorrect is the bane of my existence and clearly I am simultaneously a poor editor and a bad dog daddy.

Alan Leopold got his day saved by one of the emergency fixes on ep 046!

Hi Tim, I started listening to your podcast a couple weeks ago. Today i was riding our local trail, 400 Trail, and listening to podcast 046 when my rear derailleur broke just as I was listening to your advice. I carry tools and within 15 minutes I was heading back to my truck with a fixed gear bike. I would say that is one of the craziest coincidences I’ve ever ran into. I love your podcast and I’m binge listening to get caught up. Keep up the good work!!

The Journal: C&O plus the Katy Trail by bike

Trail conditions
Much harder with extra weight!
Paw Paw Tunnel update
Bypass starting in June – Check out Preston Paige’s video as a how to. I ran into him minutes before he recorded this. You can catch a brief glimpse of me and Belle Starr sitting at a distant bench at about 14:10!

Hotel night
Less daily mileage – normally do 60 loaded, but super loaded I’d do the whole trail in 4-5 days rather than 3. Much more fun that way.
Don’t mess with dog’s food too much. She didn’t like the freeze dried stuff on the trail, even though she was fine with it at home.
Safety first always. I tested and retested this setup a lot. There were tradeoffs for her comfort and her desire to watch me the whole time (seriously… she wouldn’t ride in a trailer because of that!)
Definitely will ride with her again on multiway trips, but will absolutely dial back my riding expectations!

Outside Paw Paw Tunnel

About to go into Paw Paw Tunnel

Smiling pretty in her bag

Kicking off at Mile 0, Cumberland

Belle Starr loves the tent

Water break selfie with Belle Starr

One of the dams gets Belle’s attention

Breakfast in Hancock

Belle Starr says, no worries, I got this flat…

Potomac River over the flood wall, kissing the trail

Break time on the trail

Katy Trail Tour Journal

More photos from Ann’s tour!

Good Morning. I stumbled upon your podcast about 9 months ago and have been catching up on past episodes. I began listening to episode 62 during this mornings 20 minute commute to work.Thought I’d shoot you a quick note to tell you about my recent tour since it relates to two topics discussed on this episode.

I just finished a semi-self supported tour with my dog on the Katy Trail. I’m a Special Education Teacher and my dog, Harley Sue, is a certified service dog. This was our Spring Break adventure. (March 18-26). Harley is a border collie mix, so she weighs a bit more than your pugs. Therefore, my best option for taking her on bike tours is using a bike trailer. We did 60 miles on the Katy in July using a Schwinn children’s bike trailer with the children’s harnesses removed, but the floor is fabric and slanted, giving me concerns about it’s comfort on a a long distance tour. Therefore, I purchased an Aosom Elite Pet Bike trailer on Amazon. I put a nice padded bed in the the trailer and she seemed really comfortable.

The Katy Trail is crushed limestone. It’s a great trail and is typically very well maintained. I live about two hours from the trail so I’ve experienced it in all weather conditions. Spring is one of the tougher times to bike the trail because the winter thaw and spring rains tend to keep it a bit mushy. During the summer the trail dries out enough that it is almost like riding on pavement.

Harley Sue and I started our adventure in Clinton, Mo and finished our first day of biking in Sedalia. (36 miles). I had a friend drop us off in Clinton. She then took our stuff to Sedalia where a few more friends joined her to bike out to meet me in Green Ridge. I typically bike 5 or 6 miles and then let Harley Sue out to run for a mile or so. I typically use a bungee leash to attach Harley’s harness to my seat post. When we were away from roads, and by ourselves on the trail, I let her run beside me off leash. (against the rules)

The beginning section of the Katy Trial is mostly surrounded by grasslands and prairie. The first 9.1 miles are close to a highway before heading into the trees for another 7.5 miles. The recent rains made the trail soft, and crosswinds kept my average speed around 8 mph. (Without carrying all of my own stuff) The marker for the highest elevation on the trail can be found between Windsor and Green Ridge. I did encounter some loose dogs at Windsor. They chased us from the moment we got to town until we arrived at the trail-head and I got off of my bike. Thankfully, Harley was in the trailer during this chase.

The trailheads on The Katy Trail are really nice. They have great descriptions of the history of the area and give a preview of trail highlights that riders should look for as they bike. They have a bench and a roof that provides a bit of protection during mild rain. From November to mid April all of the water is shut off along the trail and many of the bathrooms are closed. They do put portable toilets at most of the trailheads. Also, most restaurants are closed on Monday’s and during the winter season many are only open on Thurs, Friday, Saturday.

The remainder of our tour went well. We battled a headwind ranging from 16 to 27 mph for the first 6 days. Temperatures on our trip ranged from 41 degrees to 87 degrees. We managed to outrun a thunderstorm arriving to the Tebbets Shelter (only one on the trail) moments before the down pour and hail started. I was extremely excited to find that the hostel was stocked with coffee and a coffee pot! I cannot recommend the Tebbets Shelter enough. It has 40 bunk beds, showers, bathrooms, a bicycle repair shop, a kitchen stocked with peanut butter, jelly, bread,coffee, coffee pot, cups, microwave, hot plate, toaster oven, grills, cooking, and eating utensils. All of this for a $6 donation.

I learned that it takes a lot of energy to haul 115lbs on a bike. Way more than I anticipated. Carrying and eating enough food was a challenge. We stayed mostly in hotels or bed and breakfasts so I didn’t carry a tent. But I did carry 4-6 litters of water each day, food for both of us, and clothes for every weather. I even ran out of water on my 42 mile day in 87 degree heat. Thankfully, Cooper’s Landing (campground, small store in Easley) was open so I could purchase water and snacks for my remaining 9 miles.

Harley Sue was a trooper through the whole adventure. However, on day 6 she just seemed off. She didn’t really want to get out of the trailer and run. Thankfully, a friend was meeting me at the trail-head 16 miles away. We battled a 27 mph headwind for 3.5 hours. I’d eaten most of the food I was carrying (1/2 banana left) and arrived at the trail-head with blurry vision, and dizzy. Harley was so excited to see my truck that she ran straight to it and refused to get out for the rest of the day. My friend got me something to eat and took me to a trail-head farther East so that I could finish that days remaining 18 miles with the wind. Harley was feeling better by the next morning and biked with me for all but 6 miles. I spent two days exploring in St. Charles, so Harley could rest and I avoided biking during a day of thunderstorms. We finished the last 12 miles to Machens (end of the trail) on Sunday morning and then made the 4.5 hour trip back to Kansas by car. We biked 241 miles and spent 42 hours on the trail.

It was a memorable experience, but I don’t think I’ll bring Harley on another LONG bike ride. She’s getting up in age (9) and I think the long days on the bike are just a bit too much for her. While she loves going places and being with me; I think she just couldn’t relax enough to get good sleep while I was biking. I took a pop-up kennel with me so she could sleep better at night, but she continues to be tired. She also didn’t want to eat her dog food, but was willing to eat some of my food. I was able to get her eggs at some of the hotels.

Live life to the fullest and enjoy the ride!

Ann Wilhelm and Harley Sue
Lawrence, KS
cyclingthroughlife.com (work in progress)

Pedalshift Society

Ethan Georgi

Kimberly Wilson

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Thomas Skadow

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Marco Lo

Terrance Manson

Noah Schroer

Harry Telgadas

John Sikorski

Richard Killian

Chris Barron

Scott Taylor

Brian Hren

Mark Van Raam

Brad Hipwell

Paul Mulvey

Stuart Buchan

Todd Stutz

Mr. T

Roxy Arning

Nathan Poulton

And all anonymous and past contributors for helping make this show happen!

March 30, 2017

The Pedalshift Project 075: Previewing a spring tour of the C&O plus how to handle bridge outages for your 2017 Pacific Coast bike tour

Springtime tours are kicking into gear (bike humor). On this episode I preview my C&O bicycle tour with Belle Starr, the bike touring pug, plus how to handle 2017 Pacific Coast bike tour disappointment and work around that bridge outage in Big Sur. Plus connections!

Hey it’s the direct download link for The Pedalshift Project 075: Previewing a spring tour of the C&O plus how to deal with bridge detours for 2017 Pacific Coast bike touring (mp3)

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The Journal: C&O and 2017 Pacific Coast bike tour

Preview: A spring through tour of the C&O with Belle Starr the touring pug

Bike to Union Station
Train
Ride direct to YMCA (rain likely)
Camp at YMCA under the shelter to minimize wet gear
Rain should end overnight and be dry for the remainder of the ride
It’s going to be chilly each night, but manageable
Probably not going to do a tour journal for this one but will do some recording for one of the upcoming episodes
Going to be doing more writing up of the new Pedalshift Guide to Bicycling the C&O, which now has a featured spot over at pedalshift.net! Breaking the towpath up into 10 mile segments so you can read up on things ahead of any tour.

2017 Pacific Coast tour route closure: “dude.”

From the ACA:
(Feb 2017) TRAVEL ADVISORY AND DETOUR: There are multiple closures on SR 1 due to mudslides and the failure of Pfeiffer Canyon Bridge just north of Big Sur (on map 47) and south to Ragged Point (on map 49). It is unknown when then bridge will be replaced. Due to a lack of nearby roads, an extensive detour is required. The Salinas Valley Detour is 147.9 mi. and can be found at this RideWithGPS link: ridewithgps.com/routes/19189649 It is about 30 miles longer than the Pacific Coast route. It begins on map 46 in Marina and ends on map 50 south of Cambria. Services are limited for the 60 miles between King City and Paso Robles. Note that the roads around Lake Nacimiento can carry heavy traffic including pickup trucks pulling boat trailers. Also, because this detour travels inland, the weather will be significantly different than that on the coast. It will typically be drier and up to 20 degrees hotter.

To follow the status of the SR 1 closure, check Caltrans Current Highway Conditions at www.dot.ca.gov/cgi-bin/roads.cgi For more information, see also The Big Sur Blog at www.thebigsurblog.com and their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/BigSurInformation/?fref=ts and our Forum discussion at forums.adventurecycling.org/index.php?topic=14377.0

Inland route looks like craaaaaap. Sorry, it does.
Curious how this impacts bike touring numbers on the coast this year? Less overall?
More from Canada to SF? Less south of Big Sur?
My recs for handling this if you’ve planned a Pacific Coast tour this year
It’s going to be there again. Do not despair. The bridge will return and so will you.
I strongly recommend Vancouver or Victoria to SF at minimum.
A full coast ride may still be possible with a fast forward:
One-way car rental from Monterey to someplace south of Big Sur (SLO?) uising inland roads (101, etc.)
- Amtrak isn’t super helpful here unless you bail on a lot of the ride south of SF.
- Transit doesn’t appear to be an option (Line 22 for Monterey-Salinas Transit goes to Big Sur, but the bridge being out kills that).
- Wouldn;t be surprised if some enterprising types do some shuttles for hire, but havent heard anything.
TL;DR – this sucks. There are ways to continue on, but they are far from ideal. Vancouver to SF is plenty awesome.
ADDENDUM TO THE SHOW: The bridge is super not there, so nevermind with stealth crossings!! Not that you should have done it anyways you reckless malcontents! 😉

Pedalshift Society

Ethan Georgi
Matt Buker
Kimberly Wilson
Caleb Jenkinson
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Brock Dittus
Thomas Skadow
Michael Riscica
Seth Krieger
Marco Lo
Terrance Manson
Noah Schroer
Harry Telgadas
John Sikorski
Richard Killian
Chris Barron
Scott Taylor
Brian Hren
Mark Van Raam
Brad Hipwell
Paul Mulvey
Stuart Buchan
Todd Stutz
Mr. T
Roxanna Arning
Nathan Poulton
And all anonymous and past contributors for helping make this show happen!

Music

The Pedalshift Project theme is America courtesy of Jason Kent off his self-titled solo album. Check out his band Sunfields‘ latest release, Habitat, wherever cool music resides. And a little birdy tells me Jason’s recording some new music. More when I know…

March 23, 2017

The Pedalshift Project 074: Fast forward your bike tour

On this topic show, we tackle one of my favorites… how to fast forward your bike tour. It’s your ride… make it the best you can by bypassing parts you don’t want, catching up on a schedule or accommodating an extra day in a cool spot!

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Fast forward your bike tour!

Fast forwards – it’s not cheating, it’s your tour

WHY? Why the hell not?

Avoiding weather
Avoiding climbs
Avoiding dodgy roads
Making up for zero mile days or staying on track during one
Skipping boring stretches to get to better ones

What works for fast forwarding?

Mass transit agencies
Regional rail
Amtrak
Intercity busses
Hitching

How?

Plan ahead – download all the schedules and store on your phone or (gasp!) print them out. Many transit agencies still print their maps and schedules and either post them at stops or you can pick them up in town.
Pro tip: know when some transit modes restrict bikes (hint: usually rush hour)
Ask around! You’ll learn a lot from transit pros in any given town.

Pedalshift Society

Ethan Georgi
Matt Buker
Kimberly Wilson
Caleb Jenkinson
Cameron Lien
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Josiah Matthews
Keith Nagel
Brock Dittus
Thomas Skadow
Michael Riscica
Seth Krieger
Marco Lo
Terrance Manson
Noah Schroer
Harry Telgadas
John Sikorski
Richard Killian
Chris Barron
Scott Taylor
Brian Hren
Mark Van Raam
Brad Hipwell
Paul Mulvey
Stuart Buchan
Todd Stutz
Mr. T
Roxanna Arning
And all anonymous and past contributors for helping make this show happen!

Music

March 16, 2017

The Pedalshift Project 073: Yoga for bike touring

How do I class up this podcast? Easy… ask my better half to come on the show and chat up how great yoga is for bike touring! On this episode of the pod, we discuss yoga for bike tourists with Kimberly Wilson, founder and owner of Tranquil Space yoga studios in Washington, DC. Plus connections and more!

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The Interview: Kimberly Wilson on yoga for bike touring

Kimberly Wilson is the founder of Tranquil Space yoga studios—named among the top 25 in the world by Travel + Leisure, designer of TranquiliT lifestyle line, director of Tranquil Space Foundation, and author of five books {Hip Tranquil Chick, Tranquilista, Tranquilologie,Tranquility du Jour Anthology, 52 Weeks of Tranquility Journal}.

Learn more at kimberlywilson.com and listen to her podcast, Tranquility du Jour wherever cool podcasts are podded.

Yoga resources

Pedal Stretch Breathe by Kelli Refer is broader than yoga for bike touring, but it’s the best yoga and bikes zine out there!

A short sun salutation practice by Kimberly herself:

sun salutations direct download (mp3)

Something we didn’t talk about but is super awesome for bike tourists is understanding the six movements of one’s spine. Check out this video Kimberly did on that:

And, finally… a nice yoga practice lead by Kimberly from my WV cabin! (I don’t think I’ve ever shown it on the site before?)

Connections

Turns out we tied!

Bike oasis

Brock recommends this awesome GoFundMe to support the revamp of Newton Bike Shop’s bike touring hostel The Oasis in the Grass Desert:

https://www.gofundme.com/buildtheoasis

Cool pods and pics

Jeremy of Critical Transit shared a bunch of images and podcasts from his tour of New England… check them out! He’s also a big Brompton tourer, with plans to repeat that ride with his “little clown bike” as I like to call them!

Pedalshift Society

Ethan Georgi
Matt Buker
Kimberly Wilson
Caleb Jenkinson
Cameron Lien
Andrew MacGregor
Michael Hart
Josiah Matthews
Keith Nagel
Brock Dittus
Thomas Skadow
Michael Riscica
Seth Krieger
Marco Lo
Terrance Manson
Noah Schroer
Harry Telgadas
John Sikorski
Richard Killian
Chris Barron
Scott Taylor
Brian Hren
Mark Van Raam
Brad Hipwell
Paul Mulvey
Stuart Buchan
Todd Stutz
Mr. T
Roxanna Arning
And all anonymous and past contributors for helping make this show happen!

Music

March 2, 2017

The Pedalshift Project 072: Chasing 70 degrees by bicycle

You have a year and you want to ensure you have nice weather the whole time. How about a year-long North American bike tour chasing 70°F average highs? On this episode, we find a way!

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Chasing 70 degrees by bicycle

http://us-climate.blogspot.com/2015/10/70f-road-trip.html?m=1

Jan is a very leisurely existence in south Texas

June gets a fast forward

Lows are a problem during areas of elevation

This is a hypothetical thought experiment more than a real route… but it’d be something fun to try!

Average miles (note there are some months that definitely require fast forwards!)

Daily mileage is pretty key here… note the verrry leisurely pace until summer when you need to do daily mileage that just isn’t sustainable for the average bike tourist.

Images and idea: H/T to Brian B’s Climate Blog!

Connections

FOTS and PSS Member Mark Van Raam doing the southern tier ride this spring…

I’m getting ready to do my bucket list Coast to Coast tour. The ride starts March 3 in San Diego, CA and ends April 24 in St. Augustine, FL. This tour is fully supported and is mostly camping.

Two of the riders are publishing blogs. I have contacted both and are OK with you mentioning and/or putting in the show notes.

1- DanHansenJr.com He is riding a recumbent. He has pages with checklists, electronics, etc.

2- tandempalooza.com Guess what kind of bike they are riding?

I’m planning on posting on Instagram as cyclist_306 and on FB. I saw how long it took for my wife to write up a blog on our cruise, and it not my thing. I’m also going to keep journal and buy postcards along the way.

More info on the ride here.

Here are the demographics for the upcoming ride.

There are 23 riders. Average age is 60. Oldest is 71 (two riders). Youngest is 36.

There are 9 females and 14 males representing three countries and 12 different states. States with most riders; New York and Georgia each with 3.

Thanks,

Mark Van Raam

Follow along on Mark’s ride starting right about now!

Pedalshift Society

Ethan Georgi
Matt Buker
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Cameron Lien
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Brock Dittus
Thomas Skadow
Michael Riscica
Seth Krieger
Marco Lo
Terrance Manson
Noah Schroer
Harry Telgadas
John Sikorski
Richard Killian
Chris Barron
Scott Taylor
Brian Hren
Mark Van Raam
Brad Hipwell
Paul Mulvey
Stuart Buchan
Todd Stutz
Mr. T
Roxanna Arning
And all anonymous and past contributors for helping make this show happen!

Music

February 23, 2017

The Pedalshift Project 071: Bicycle touring India and Eastern Oregon

An interview with Pedal Dream’s Guthrie Straw on his adventures bicycle touring India, plus his thoughts on adventures in his native Eastern Oregon and keeping your touring bike secure in the land of sunshine and bunnies™, Portland, Oregon.

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The Interview: Bicycle touring India with Guthrie Straw

Guthrie Straw is a native of Eastern Oregon and lives in Portland. He created Pedal Dream as a place to fuel your sense of adventure, gain insight into what it’s like to tour by bicycle, and garner solid advice in the form of equipment reviews. It inspires you to get back out on the road, or if you’re already out there, keep pedaling the world with a perspective made possible by one of his favorite forms of transportation; the bicycle.

You talked about your India trip a little bit on The Sprocket Podcast (which I encourage everyone to go listen to if you haven’t). What was your route and would you recommend it to someone looking at India as a bike touring destination?

What was your experience transporting your gear to India and back? Any issues?

What is your typical gear setup and did it deviate much for India?

You’re from eastern Oregon, which is one of the most beautiful places in the US… and probably the least understood since most people from outside the northwest think Portland takes up the whole state and is a coastal city (like, for real). How would you describe eastern Oregon to an outsider?

What’s your favorite bike tour in eastern Oregon?

You’re working on a bike theft documentary in Portland… bike theft is a thing almost everywhere but it’s seemingly extra pernicious in Portland. What have you discovered in the course of working on the film and do you have any advice for bike tourists rolling into Portland on their trips?

Where can we find you on the series of tubes?

pedaldream.com

Pedalshift Society

Ethan Georgi
Matt Buker
Kimberly Wilson
Caleb Jenkinson
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Andrew MacGregor
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Josiah Matthews
Keith Nagel
Brock Dittus
Thomas Skadow
Michael Riscica
Seth Krieger
Marco Lo
Terrance Manson
Noah Schroer
Harry Telgadas
John Sikorski
Richard Killian
Chris Barron
Scott Taylor
Brian Hren
Mark Van Raam
Brad Hipwell
Paul Mulvey
Stuart Buchan
Todd Stutz
Mr. T
And all anonymous and past contributors for helping make this show happen!

Music

February 16, 2017

The Pedalshift Project 070: The magical mystery winter bicycle tour

A winter bicycle tour on the C&O is a rare treat for me… but warm February weather in the DC area made it impossible to resist. Come along for the ride with Belle Starr and me!

Hey it’s the direct download link for The Pedalshift Project 070: The magical mystery winter bicycle tour (mp3)

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The Journal: The magical mystery winter bicycle tour

Washington, DC to Swains Lock
Check out the campsite review:

Gear Talk

The Omnicharge… first impressions:

A relatively large battery (20.400mAh 100W output).
That said, it’s way heavier than comparable 20.4mAh batteries and bigger too.
2 USB ports with smart charging tech that maximizes power and minimizes charge times.
Flow through charging – power devices while charging the battery (great for one outlet situations)
The difference (and reason for the bulk) is the ability to charge AC power with a “regular” plug (3 prong for US and similar countries; European and other outlets available too)
I love the screen that gives detailed battery data so I know precisely how much juice is left
The weight makes it more of a “camp” battery – wouldn’t keep it in a handlebar bag.
I think this is great if you are doing a longer ride with (a) spotty access to AC, and (b) AC powering needs.
If you’re only in need of USB power, this is not the battery for you. There are cheaper and lighter/smaller batteries.

Connections

More 5 stars
Hey, how’d you find the show?

The gentlemen over at Sprocket Podcast started the question… did you find Pedalshift first or Sprocket first? Or did you find both someplace else? Go over to pedalshift.net/whofirst for a quick 1 question survey. We’ll tally it up and we’ll know! Between you and me, I think more of you can from them… but let’s use this nonscientific poll to illuminate the subject!

Next week!

Guthrie Straw joins the Pedalshift Project to chat about touring in India and Eastern Oregon. Awesome chat… and the following week we’ll be talking about a hypothetical bike tour where you’re constantly chasing ideal weather. Got a great three weeks of shows coming!

Pedalshift Society

Ethan Georgi
Matt Buker
Kimberly Wilson
Caleb Jenkinson
Cameron Lien
Andrew MacGregor
Michael Hart
Josiah Matthews
Keith Nagel
Brock Dittus
Thomas Skadow
Michael Riscica
Seth Krieger
Marco Lo
Terrance Manson
Noah Schroer
Harry Telgadas
John Sikorski
Richard Killian
Chris Barron
Scott Taylor
Brian Hren
Mark Van Raam
Brad Hipwell
Paul Mulvey
Stuart Buchan
Todd Stutz
Mr. T
And all anonymous and past contributors for helping make this show happen!

Music

February 2, 2017

The Pedalshift Project 069: Jasmine and Fiji bicycle the world, living the vagabond life

A chat with global bike tourist –and all around awesome person — Jasmine Reese, on her journey, her four-legged companion, Fiji, and the adventures living the vagabond life. Read more

January 19, 2017

The Pedalshift Project 067: More bike touring stove tests, intermittent fasting and counterintuitive foot-warming advice

Follow-up on bike touring stove tests, an overview on intermittent fasting for those of us who, ahhh… maybe put on a few pounds since the end of bike touring season? Plus counterintuitive advice on keeping your feet warm on tour and more!

Hey it’s the direct download link for The Pedalshift Project 067: More bike touring stove tests, intermittent fasting and counterintuitive foot-warming advice (mp3)

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The Journal

Another C&O fast forward option: MARC

Maryland’s regional commuter rail system is *finally* adding bike cars to all lines through 2017, which means you have another fast forward option to/from Brunswick, MD and Washington, DC… and it’ll be much cheaper than Amtrak’s Harpers Ferry option just 5 miles away. ($9 vs. $34)

Retrofitting of the first bike rack-equipped cars is expected to start early next spring and will be advertised once work on a critical mass of cars has been completed. Projected completion of this round of bike modifications should be sometime in fall 2017, with the rest of the fleet completed as funding allows. (MTA)

Weight gain and loss – the ongoing saga

My typical post-touring season weight gain rears its ugly head. Need to drop 20 pounds before touring season plus I would like to try to make it more permanent this time.
Trying something new this year: intermittent fasting

Important: I do *not* recommend this while on tour. In fact it could be dangerous if timed wrong. Also, check with your doctor before trying anything like this because fasting is not recommended for a lot of people (the young, pregnant women, etc.)

Combines calorie restriction with regular periods of fasting
Studies show it’s good for a variety of things beyond weight loss
Check out Eat, Fast and Live Longer by the BBC for more

5/2 (5 days at “normal” caloric needs and 2 days at 25%)
18/6 (18 hours fasting, 6 hours feeding)
Results? I just moved to the 18/6 method a few days ago and have continued to see fantastic results from a weight loss perspective. No issues with hunger although you’d be surprised how hard it is to jam all of your calories into a 6 hour window, even if they are reduced!

Reiterating: I do *not* recommend this while on tour. In fact it could be dangerous if timed wrong. Also, check with your doctor before trying anything like this because fasting is not recommended for a lot of people (the young, pregnant women, etc.)

Gear Talk

More bike touring stove tests

…and just to further the stove info. I have an Optimus Svea and a cheap ebay burner for the ubiquitous canisters…both boil 16 ounces of water in under 4 minutes. I tested them both tonight because I can’t ride outdoors….18″ of snow so far and more on the way! Both weigh around 20 ounces when full of fuel. It really is a trade off when it comes to weight. I really like the alcohol option compared to the Svea just for the fact that if I ever spill anything I don’t worry about contaminating the environment.. Same thing for the Ebay burner…if it leaks, it doesn’t pollute the ground….although it probably pollutes the air to a degree….hmmmm….

Continuing thanks to Pedalshift Society member Brian Hren for tackling this!

Counterintuitive advice

A randonneur friend of mine had already convinced me of the counter-intuitive wisdom of sandals for riding in rain. That’s right, sandals. In wet conditions, there is no chance of ending up with shoes full of water. Less obvious is that sandals work well in cold as well because you can easily add layers without fear of running out of room in your shoe. After my experience on Togwotee Pass, more recently I have worn two layers of socks under the SealSkins with my Shimano biking sandals in cold, rainy conditions in Washington, Idaho, and Scotland, and my feet stayed nice and toasty.

Hands are more of a challenge, but for cold I have found that thin smartwool gloves under Thinsulate half-finger convertible glove/mittens work very well. See this link on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000V5D3W6/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

In all but a drenching downpour these do the trick, as they shed lighter rain pretty effectively and you can easily pull the mitten part back when you need use of your fingers. My only issue with them is that the finger openings on this particular brand are fairly tight, so I should have bought a size larger than I did. I have tried neoprene gloves, but found them to be ineffective and my hands ended up drowning in sweat.

PSS Member Seth Krieger!

The GoTenna

Staying connected when you’re on different cell networks or there’s no signal, or there’s signal for one but not another? Mesh networks using long range radios seems to be an interesting idea.

Since I don’t tend to bike with groups, this might not be for me… but for those who ride in groups that tend to get separated, this is a nice bit of insurance in areas with low or no cell coverage. 4 mile range (less in mountainous terrain I’m sure).

Pedalshift Society

Ethan Georgi

Matt Buker

Kimberly Wilson

Caleb Jenkinson

Cameron Lien

Andrew MacGregor

Michael Hart

Josiah Matthews

Keith Nagel

Brock Dittus

Thomas Skadow

Michael Riscica

Seth Krieger

Marco Lo

Terrance Manson

Noah Schroer

Harry Telgadas

John Sikorski

Richard Killian

Chris Barron

Scott Taylor

Brian Hren

Mark Van Raam

Brad Hipwell

Paul Mulvey

And all past and anonymous contributors for helping make this show happen!