The Great Allegheny Passage is arguably one of the premier bicycle touring routes in the eastern half of the United States. It stretches from Pittsburgh, PA to Cumberland, MD over a gloriously mountainy 150 miles of crushed limestone paralleling some of the great rivers of western Pennsylvania. My plan was to grab a cheap bus to Pittsburgh and grab the train home at the end of my ride. On this edition of the Journal we follow along on Days 0 and 1 of the adventure as I ride the bus from DC to Pittsburgh, and get rolling through the industrial parts of western Pennsylvania.
Previewing the GAP bicycle tour with the little clown bike itself, my orange Brompton! What’s in store for this tour… here is how it all started. More next week with how it went!
An interview with Jesse Herbert on his experiences biike touring Canada (and around the world), plus a ton of great ideas, hacks and tips on all things bicycle touring, from lightening your load to braving a chilly night in a hammock.
Recorded live from Hedgesville, WV, this episode of the Pedalshift Project includes my fall tour reveal and gear tips for your fall bicycle touring. Plus banter with you… because this was live!
He’s no longer a beginner, but Pedalshift Beginners Series alum James Rosenberg checks in after his (spoiler alert) epic and successful ride across the United States on the TransAm. We cover his favorite experiences, best and worst gear choices, and much more. Read more
Ella Embree is a born and bred Alaskan with a big sense of adventure. Recently Ella was inspired by Lael Wilcox to tackle a new adventure – bicycle touring 1000 miles around her home state, some on a tandem. On this episode we chat on the eve of the first leg!
The final installment of this edition of the Pedalshift Beginners Series with James Rosenberg as he sits with me in Washington, DC a few days before he begins his ride across the United States on the TransAm. We cover final prep plans, things you might not think about as a first-timer and more!
Eating while bike touring is one of the most fun parts of the adventure. On this episode of the pod, we feature tips and ideas on bicycle tour food whether you cook or not! Read more
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.
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 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?
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:
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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Mr. T
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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.
Just say no to the bikey pizza cutter. I mean, delicious, but no. This is a bike touring gift guide for the bike tourist in your life (hint: this might be you). These are (almost all) things I personally use and love.
I think this is one of the most clever items on the list… waterproof but lets air out for easy compression. I use the large size for sleeping kits, but all sizes are great.
I ride the C&O a lot, and while there isn’t an entrance fee, this pass makes me feel like I support the system. Oh, it also lets me in all the others… which is nice.
Filters built in make this a great way to help less than tasty water sources (it filters out iodine taste too for you backcountry types with iodine pills).
For you big spender types… a touring bike: Brompton, Pedalshift Style from CelverCycles in PDX (Oregon has no sales tax!) or your LBS… (just no orange) Runner up: Surly Long Haul Trucker from your LBS
Hey it’s the direct download link for 
