Tag: gear talk

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.

Hey it’s the direct download link for The Pedalshift Project 077: Bike touring differently (mp3)

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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

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!

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)

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: 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

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…

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)

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

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!

Music

January 5, 2017

The Pedalshift Project 066: Bike touring locks and America’s longest rail trails

Kicking off 2017 with a bang, we cover lightweight bike touring locks, the longest rail trails in the US and an overview of what’s to come on the show in 2017!

Hey it’s the direct download link for The Pedalshift Project 066: Bike touring locks and America’s longest rail trails (mp3)

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

Happy New Year!

2017 is going to be a great year for Pedalshift… a few things:

– Last year we had more shows than ever. This year we’ll top that. My intention is to have the 2017 Holiday Spectacular be Pedalshift 100.

– That means we have to have 3 episodes per month, SO…

– The Pedalshift Project will continue as is with episodes every other week, and

– There will be a 3rd episode every month on one of the off weeks covering a single topic… sometimes gear, sometimes tips, but always something useful… whether you’re a beginner or more seasoned.

– I’m also going to try to expand into more interviews… last year I did more than the year before, and I hope to do the same this year.

– Pedalshift, like bike touring, is an escape from the rest of the world… what would you like to hear? Shoot me ideas and topics to pedalshift@pedalshift.net.

– Oh yeah, new logo too! Seems to be tradition around here to update the look every year… still orange. Because, of course.

What about 2017 touring?

– 2017 will continue 2016’s emphasis on shorter, more accessible tours.

– I hope to mix in a few new spots this year (more on that in a bit)

– A longer (more than 1 week long) ride is hopefully in the cards, but I don’t want to plan anything substantial this winter so I can spend my time more flexibly later as opportunities firm up

– I’m definitely going to integrate Pedalshift Tour Journals and maybe Pedalshift AM into the future rides… more to come when those get going later this year.

– I hope to interview more people who are tackling bigger, more adventurous rides so we can all learn from those too

Gear Talk

Did you get anything good this holiday season? If you got loaded up with gift cards or cash and want some ideas, go check out the holiday gift guide… I listed a lot of my favorites in case you’re in the market for some new gear.

Lightweight bike touring locks

I tend not to tour in spots that have high security needs, so the locks I use in DC don’t tend to come with me. Still, I like to have the peace of mind to lock up outside grocery stores and other spots when I’m leaving my bike outside.

Some people are good with just cable locks on tour… I used to be ok with them, but I think they’re SO easily defeatable with simple tools that I prefer something more secure.

No lock is foolproof… all can be defeated. The trick is to find the right risk management.

New folding lock styles are interesting. I really like my Inbike folding lock as a touring lock option. Only downside is TSA sees it as a multitool every time so you should pull it out of your carry on separately or risk the (often lengthy) wait. Better yet, check it.

I have a new lightweight cinch lock on the way I’m excited to test out (Ottolock) – I hopped on their Kickstarter so hopefully should have it soon. May be a great touring option.

The Journal

Here are the longest rail-trail conversions in the US, as calculated by Rails to Trails Conservancy:

1. Katy Trail State Park — Missouri: 286 miles

2. John Wayne Pioneer Trail — Washington: 253 miles

3. Cowboy Trail — Nebraska: 195 miles

4. Great Allegheny Passage — Maryland & Pennsylvania: 150 miles

5. Soo Line Trail – Northern Route — Minnesota: 148 miles

6. Columbia Plateau Trail State Park — Washington: 130 miles

7. Paul Bunyan State Trail — Minnesota: 121 miles

8. Flint Hills Nature Trail — Kansas: 117 miles

9. Soo Line Trail – Southern Route & Saunders State Trail — Minnesota & Wisconsin: 114 miles

10. OC&E Woods Line State Trail — Oregon: 110 miles

11. George S. Mickelson Trail — South Dakota: 109 miles

12. Blue Ox Trail (Voyageur Trail) — Minnesota: 107 miles

13. State Line Trail — Michigan: 107 miles

14. Wild Rivers State Trail — Wisconsin: 104 mile

Music

FEATURED IMAGE,ONE-SEVENTY-NINE/THREE-SIXTY-FIVE (CC) LAURA BITTNER

December 17, 2016

Holiday Bike Touring Gift Guide

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.

Bike Touring Gift Guide

Tent: Alps Mountaineering Zephyr 2 person ($125)

This tent saved me from a flood. Like, for real.

Sleeping bag: Hyke and Byke 32º down sleeping bag ($99)

A newer addition to my gear… works great and super affordable.

Ultrlight Stove: Etekcity Ultralight foldable stove ($9.99)
Runner up: Trangia Spirit Burner alcohol stove ($14.53)

Love the Etekcity, and the Trangia is a great value.

Lights: Portland Design Works Radbot 1000 ($29)
Runner up: Ascher USB rechargeable LED set ($13.99)

I swear by PDW as my rear light, and I just bought the Ascher set for Kimberly.

Panniers: Ortlieb back roller classic (prices/colors vary)
Ortlieb front roller classic (prices/colors vary)

Look, there are a lot on the market. But Ortlieb stands the test of time for me. Plus: orange.

Dry Bag: Sea to Summit eVent Compression dry bag, large ($42.95)

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.

Support the Parks: National Park and Federal Land Annual Pass ($80)

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.

Water Bottles: Brita Sport Water Filter bottle (2 pack for $16)

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).

External Battery: Anker Astro E7 ($60)
Runner up: Anker Power Core 20100 ($40)

Anker is my brand for these.. get the biggest battery that makes sense for you.

Rain jacket: Showers Pass Double Century ($159)

Best rain jacket I’ve ever had. Looks nice too!

Tires: Schwalbe Marathon Plus (Price varies by size)
or
Schwalbbe Marathon Supreme (Price varies by size)

Nearly puncture proof, but more importantly, Schwalbe stands by their product with great warranties.

Tune up: contact your LBS (price varies by service)

Your bike will thank you.

Maps: ACA maps for a future tour (price varies)

For you paper types!

Stocking stuffers:

Freeze dried instant meals
Caffeine pills
Electrolyte pills
VIA Instant coffee packets
First aid kit
Tubes
Patch kit
Wool socks

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

FYI, some of these are affiliate links.

November 23, 2016

The Pedalshift Project 063: A Thanksgiving ride on the C&O

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone in the States (sorry, a bit late for you Canada!). On this episode of the Pedalshift Project, let’s go for a ride! I recorded this week’s pod in the saddle while I rode a portion of the C&O Canal Towpath, including some stories, some gear talk and more. Take a break from the holiday weekend and join me for a Thanksgiving ride on the trail!

Hey it’s the direct download link: The Pedalshift Project 063: A Thanksgiving ride on the C&O (mp3)

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The Journal: a Thanksgiving ride on the C&O

Chilly 35F wake up temps

Banks of the Potomac

Fall on the C&O

Sled dogs pulling a fatbike

Ride to see the cows

Ride to see the pigs

Gear Talk

Let’s talk tools Tim. In episode 22 of The Pedalshift Project you speak with author Peter Rice; and by extension, Jerry the Dirtbag Bike Mechanic. Peter makes a valid point when he says that we willingly climb into our cars and take them across the desert without fear or concern of them breaking down. And by extension, without any knowledge of how to fix them if they did breakdown.

So why oh why does every touring gear list include the tool set-up of a basic bike shop? In 40+ years of riding bikes I’ve never popped a spoke. Never had reason to remove a sprocket. Never re-packed a bottom bracket. Never had a chain break. Never had to replace my own brake/shifter cable on the road.

No day rider, even long distance day riders, go out with these concerns. And even if I did break a spoke, I’m not certain I would know how to fix it properly anyway. And most certainly not in a timely manner.

Tubes, tire levers, patch kit, pump, hex wrenches to tighten bolts and adjust parts. I get all that. But when you think back on your years of bike riding and touring, what is the actual and practical tool kit that you think the average ACA route bike tourist realistically needs?

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. A buck, two bucks or even 5 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 too… annual or “choose your own adventure” 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
Matt Buker
Kimberly Wilson
Caleb Jenkinson
Cameron Lien
Andrew MacGregor
Michael Hart
Johnny K
Josiah Matthews
Keith Nagel
Brock Dittus
David Kolb
Michael Riscica
Seth Krieger
Marco Lo
Terrance Manson
Noah Schroer
Harry Telgadas
John Sikorski
Richard Killian
Chris Barron
Scott Taylor
Brian Hren

Thank you for supporting the show!

Music

The Pedalshift Project theme is America courtesy of Jason Kent off his self-titled solo album which celebrated its TEN YEAR ANNIVERSARY this week. Congrats Jason! 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!

November 10, 2016

The Pedalshift Project 062: Colder weather bike touring

As the temperatures dip, I test out a new sleeping bag… how does it handle colder weather bike touring? Plus, my dog Belle Starr joins me for an overnight, plus connections and more!

Hey it’s the direct download link: The Pedalshift Project 062: Colder weather bike touring (mp3)

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

The Journal: colder weather bike touring + more

Riding with Belle Starr

Last night of DST
5 miles down trail to Leopards Mill H/B campsite (one I hadn’t stayed at before)
Outward Hound backpack did great and so did BelleFound she likes to stick a paw out – still was stable and fine
Check out the video!
Had a battery issue with my phone so did an extra RT to get my charge cable
Cold but not freezing night went well with Belle… have a review in gear talk about the new sleeping bag
She did great with “distractions” like trains and deer
We’ll try it again! Want to test the trailer option and see how long I can ride with her before fatigue sets in… assume I’ll need more frequent breaks.
I have a video up on YouTube plus newsletter subscribers got a Tour Journal as the bonus pod this month!

Katy Trail

FOTS Todd Tillinger from Helena, MT

Just wrapped up my first self-supported bike tour, an 8-day 7-night trip across Missouri with my old friend Mark who lives in Kansas City. Our goal was to ride through urban KC to the rural town of Pleasant Hill, where the new (and not quite completed) Rock Island Trail begins and runs to Windsor, MO. That’s where the RIT intersects the well-known and well-traveled KATY Trail, and where we would turn and use the KATY to cross the rest of the state. It took two full days and over 103 miles to reach the KATY, and given the urban and rural detours it was an adventure. Luckily the weather was fabulous and we were soon on the KATY. The next 5 days were on the KATY, all the way to the very eastern end at the old rail stop of Machens, MO, just a stone’s throw from the Mississippi River and Illinois. We caught the Amtrak out of suburban St. Louis in Kirkwood, rolled off the train at Union Station in KC, and rode the last 16 miles to Mark’s house to finish the tour. All told, it was 8 days, 7 nights, 383 miles. We camped 5 nights, friends put us up 1 night, and we camping cabin’ed it at a County Park on the night after our one rainy cold damp day’s ride. I am attaching a few pictures for your information, and to let you know that the 237-mile long KATY is a great way to introduce someone to touring and a great way to spend a week if that is all you have. Towns are reasonably spaced, supplies and way are easy to come by, there are restaurants and inns if that’s your thing, and camping is easy to find off-trail at city parks, nature areas, or RV parks near the trail. The KATY itself is a long, linear state park so they don’t allow camping on the trail but that was not a problem at all.

One more thing: the 47 mile section of the Rock Island Trail is scheduled to be complete after this winter. But there are still some impassable sections, such as bridges over streams that are missing or surfacing that is nonexistent. That 47 miles from Pleasant Hill MO to Windsor MO actually took 60 miles, and two hours longer than expected. The lesson: be flexible, be self sufficient, and always carry lights. We ended that day (and three others) needing to use our headlights to ride and to set up camp. Good old fashioned type 2 fun!

We left downtown Kansas City last Friday Oct. 21, and returned Friday night Oct. 28 via the Amtrak River Runner (with roll aboard service). Thanks to your tips, I knew to buy the train tickets in advance and make the bicycle reservations. That was essential, and I am glad we did!

Followup

Shelli Snyder is doing much, much better. Her fund is over $100k and we played a small part in that…

Go read more about her progress on the GoFundMe page.

Gear Talk

Hyke and Byke Sleeping Bag

32 degree down bag for under $100? Gave it a shot!
GREAT footbox
Stayed warm at about 40 degrees using it as a quilt so I think 32 is legit.
Seems well built and compacts nicely. Will do my best to keep it lofted and use it in some colder weather this winter.
If you’re in the market for a winter bag, this seems like a good value.

Electronics on tour

Rob Pupke from the great Empire State of New York…

One subject I’d like to hear covered on a podcast would be electronic equipment. Phones, computers, GPS, cameras…? What is absolutely necessary? What is nice to have? What about charging? Apps? Maps? How do these things work when your cell signal is gone? I hear you mention various things about electronics while covering other subjects, but I feel it is assumed that everyone is fully up to speed on these subjects when I listen. I’m not a Luddite, but I don’t know the ins and outs of traveling with electronics, and how they can be helpful in remote areas.

Connections

Follow up on alcohol stove fuels

Hey there, I started listening a few months ago and enjoy your podcast. I am a fellow cyclist, however have yet to ride a bike packing tour but I will in the future and find your podcast helpful. I am an avid backpacker though and have done several backpacking trips. Just a quick note for your alcohol stove that you were fueling with the “Heat” made for cars, this product is Isopropyl alcohol and has additives for automotive use, you are correct it does not burn very good at all in an alcohol cook stove. The ideal fuel for an alcohol backpacking stove is “denatured alcohol” which can be found at hardware stores in the paint and finishes department (used for cleaning brushes etc.) This very pure form of alcohol will burn super clean and a small stove will boil 2 cups of water an under 10 minutes easy. I carry this kind of setup for backpacking and t is very light, yes I do the minimalist thing.

Chip Lang
Troy, NH

Followup… I was in WalMart the other day getting epoxy for an unrelated project and lo and behold there was an enormous can of denatured alcohol for 4 bucks! Now I know where to get it I might do some more experiments… thanks for the heads up!

Pedalshift Society member Chris on riding in Ohio

Just thought I’d send you a note and say thanks again for the podcast, it has been a huge motivator for me to start getting things together to start touring and bike camping. Here is a photo of my old mountain bike after being re-purposed into my first touring bike. Ditched the flat bars for drop bars, switched the knobby tires for some Schwalbe Marathon Pluses, and got the rear rack and panniers on there. Took it for a 20 mile test ride today on the Ohio to Erie Trail (which is conveniently only two miles from my house), just to get a feel for riding a loaded bike with the extra weight. Other than a 15 mph headwind on the first half of the ride, everything went great! … The weather and lack of daylight is working against me getting any trips in this fall, but I’m already looking forward to planning for next spring. Thanks again for the show and the website!

Chris in OH

Pedalshift Society

Ethan Georgi
Matt Buker
Kimberly Wilson
Caleb Jenkinson
Cameron Lien
Andrew MacGregor
Michael Hart
Johnny K
Josiah Matthews
Keith Nagel
Brock Dittus
David Kolb
Michael Riscica
Seth Krieger
Marco Lo
Terrance Manson
Noah Schroer
Harry Telgadas
John Sikorski
Richard Killian
Chris Barron
Scott Taylor

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!

October 27, 2016

The Pedalshift Project 061: Bike touring Australia and eating on the road

Ever since I was a kid, I’ve been fascinated with The Land Down Under, so it’s no wonder I’m drawn to bike touring Australia. On this episode of the pod, we take a look at a vintage tour and one that’s happening right now! Plus, cooking and eating on tour and connections!

Hey it’s the direct download link: The Pedalshift Project 061: Bike touring Australia and eating on the road (mp3)

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

The Journal: Bike touring Australia

Featured Historical Tour

Wendy Law Suart and Shirley Duncan circle Australia (1946-1949)
11000 miles/18000 km
Planned to bike around Europe, but post WWII was not an ideal time for that
So… they decided to bicycle around Australia and do it in 6 months. 3 years later they concluded their epic adventure.
This wasn’t a time when women typically traveled alone, much less doing it by bike. Luckily we have a book written by each of them and this *amazing* Movietone News newsreel you can check out on YouTube and in the shownotes. Check out their single speed gear and ingenious drying methods:

I’m a fan of history, and the people that paved the path before us. Tip your next one back for these two Aussie trailblazers (and stay tuned… we have a modern version coming up in Connections)!
More:

Gear Talk

This segment brought to you by a couple of questions from listener Scott Taylor!

Revisiting Stoves

Scott asks on FB:

I was thinking about going “cat can.” But the stoves appear to be less fuel efficient. If I add the extra fuel weight, the cat can ends up cheaper, but heavier. What was your experience?

I love tinkering and making alcohol stoves are GREAT for that. Awesome winter work.
That said I don’t love the results. For about 15 bucks you can buy an amazing version by Trangia that are bulletproof and easy to use.
I also don’t love alcohol for fuel… unless you get the good stuff, you end up with Heet or less than pure alcohol and it burns messily and not so hot.
I’m currently loving that Etekcity mini stove I got from Amazon for less than ten bucks. It burns hot and is super frieking small. If you’re flying, you need to get a canister on the far side of your flight… so make time for that. Otherwise? Easy.
Second choice… I like the Esbit tab stoves for lightness. The tabs smell awful but they’re light and burn pretty hot. Might take more than one to boil a large pot of water though.

Revisiting food on tour

Scott asks on email:

I’m prepping for my first longer tour and I’d like to get an idea about what food folks carry.

Is it like backpacking? Carry a week’s worth. Or more like carry a couple days worth? Or maybe, just carry a couple meals worth with an emergency back up ration or two.

Food’s a pretty big topic… I’ve talked about it before in the context of dehydration, freezer bag cooking, budgets, critter protection and (yeeg) weight gain.

1 – carry what you like to eat, but know you’re going to change your mind though.
2 – don’t carry more than you need, but always have at least one “backup” meal or bar
3 – if you’re not cycling in back country don’t carry multiple meals “just in case” because it’s a waste of weight and bulk
4 – remember fruits and veggies. Roadside stands are fantastic places. So are berry bushes.
5 – high calorie, low weight: oils, nuts and nut butters
6 – sugar and caffeine are performance enhancers, but use them wisely
7 – are you a cooker or just an eater?
8 – eating out adds up, but it might be worth it (less weight, time to charge gear, time in climate control)
9 – indulge on tour, but remember things change off the bike

By the way, Scott also stuck a fine looking Pedalshift sticker on his ride contributing to a higher orange to bike ratio on this fine planet:

Connections

New Listener: Hels and her ongoing tour of Australia

Hi there,
I’ve been listening to your podcast for a few weeks now as I cycle around/across Australia. This is my first bike tour (save for one overnight from the Brisbane area) so I’m really learning as I go and your podcast has been most useful, so thank you very much for the work you do.

I’m listening to back episodes and you often mention you’d like to hear about people’s trips, and when you mentioned in an old episode that you’d like to hear from more female tourers I decided to write and let you know of my trip. You can see the blog at https://www.facebook.com/Helsonwheelswithmlt/

Keep up the great work,
Kind regards
Hels

FB page: “An attempt to cycle around Australia by rooky cyclists Hels and MetroLumberTaudevin” — they recently passed day 200 (!!) of their ride around Oz. Lots of goathead flats but what an adventure… go check it out!

Listener Fred in Texas: Commuting Champ

I’ve gotten into a Commute/Regular Ride practice. My commute can take from 90min- 3ish hours…but there is a catch. I drive my car to a light rail station, ride the train, then get off and ride into work. This is the 90 minute trip. It’s crisp and clean and included a 7.3ish mile ride into work. Fortunately, there are showers, yay! (I have four potential routes at 7, 12, 20, and 25 miles)

My ride home can be the exact same route in reverse but I prefer the longer 20 mile route that is mostly trails. It’s very nice. This can be easily extended to 25 miles. So, when you add in the driving, the train, and the bike ride: it’s 3ish hours.

I don’t consider this “commuting” even though I am. I consider it going for a bike ride and integrating into into my commute. When I don’t have evening rehearsals mucking up my time, I’ll do this three times a week. It’s much more enjoyable then having to deal with traffic, AND it basically frees up my weekends from miscellaneous rides.

Touring? not yet, but that’s OK. Still, I’ve determined that maybe, someday, I’ll do a cross Texas ride because that where live.

All the best,

Fred

Pedalshift Society

Ethan Georgi
Matt Buker
Kimberly Wilson
Caleb Jenkinson
Cameron Lien
Andrew MacGregor
Michael Hart
Johnny K
Josiah Matthews
Keith Nagel
Brock Dittus
David Kolb
Michael Riscica
Seth Krieger
Marco Lo
Terrance Manson
Noah Schroer
Harry Telgadas
John Sikorski

Thank you for supporting the show!

Music

September 2, 2016

Touring Brompton specs: “The Pedalshift Touring Brompton”

<disclaimer> Ok, ok it’s not technically a Pedalshift Touring Brompton in the sense it’s, well… it’s not official from Brompton’s perspective. Like, at all. Ok… </disclaimer>

However… I’ve had a lot of people ask me the specs on the Brompton I recommend for touring, so I thought I’d finally share them here.

Pedalshift Touring Brompton specs

Build: M6R

Oh, you don’t speak Bromptonese? Yeah, me neither… in fact, I had to look this up again! M is for the style of handlebars… they lend to a mostly upright riding position, which I know goes against most bike touring dynamics, but on a Brompton, it’s better in my opinion. I did a bunch of research on this and it seems most people who tour on them prefer the M bars.

6 stands for the 6-speed variety. It doesn’t say it here, but get the -12% gearing (hi hills!). We’ll be doing one more thing later too, stay tuned.

R stands for rear rack. You’ll want this for carrying stuff and things.

touring brompton

Color: Orange

Horror of horrors, I learned from Anna at Clever Cycles that Brompton is suspending orange as a color for bikes in 2016! A true Pedalshift Touring Brompton would be all orange. Yours may have to not be, barring a custom after market paint job or Brompton changing it’s mind in 2017.

Phew! Orange has been restored in 2019… as Flame Lacquer. It’s straight up gorgeous. Drool-worthy, even.

Telescopic seat post

You may be the size of a small giraffe like our friend MJ, or you may be regular sized like yours truly. Either way, get the telescopic seat post for easier removal of the saddle while traveling.

telescoping post

Cushioning: Firm

The softer cush is too soft for handling with weight. Go firm.

Tires: Schwalbe Marathon

But, Tim! Rolling resistance! GRAMS!

Stop. Shake yourself. Say “Schwalbe Marathons.” You’re welcome.

Extras you probably want

Front carrier block

This gives you the option for any number of front bags, including ones you build or hack yourself using the Brompton luggage frame.

Brompton in SLO

Saddle bag & cover

I use these rarely, but when I do it’s in airports. Stealth mode is critical to get past some of the people that would stand in your way to overhead carry-on bliss.

stealth mode brompton

The key extra: ATS Speed Drive

This is a Clever Cycles recommended add on, and I have to say it’s pretty brilliant. ATS makes a gizmawahoo[footnote]technical term[/footnote] that effectively doubles your gears by effectively making a hub not unlike a double chainring. It’s an internal hub that is activated with a tap of the heel on the pedal crank. Remember when I said go for the -12% gearing? Well his helps to get you even lower at the bottom gear, getting you gear inches comparable to a standard touring bike. I’m here to say it’s awesome. I know Clever Cycles can do it… maybe your Brompton shop can too?

Maybes

Brompfication EZ wheels

I almost would leave this one off if you’re torn. I find the rubber “tires” come off a little too easily when the bike is rolled on things like, say, Parisian cobblestone. Perhaps my standards are a little high, non?

Saddle: Brooks

I’m on record as a person who can handle stock saddles. If you spend this much on a bike, many would argue putting anything less than the king (or queen) of saddles on it would be a disgrace. I’ll let you be the judge… I happened to get a Brooks for this one.

detach your saddle while flying with your Brompton

So… there you have it! The completely officially non-official Pedalshift Touring Brompton.

Interested in how I carry gear? Here’s the latest version from my 2018 GAP overnight and 2019 Florida tour…