Tag: gear talk

June 8, 2023

The Pedalshift Project 325: Return to the C&O – Day 3

After a restful night at Huckleberry Hill, it was time to ride back to DC. But a beautiful Sunday on the C&O usually means a crowded trail… would that slow down my ability to get home?

The Pedalshift Project 325: Return to the C&O - Day 3

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Return to the C&O – Day 3

Statistics

Miles biked 64

Gnats consumed 8000

Pennyfarthing encounters 2

Low water crossings crossed 1

Flats 0

As always we like to close out the show with a special shoutout to the Pedalshift Society! Because of support from listeners like you, Pedalshift is a weekly bicycle touring podcast with a global community, expanding into live shows and covering new tours like this summer’s upcoming bike tour! If you like what you hear, you can support the show for 5 bucks, 2 bucks or even a buck a month. And there’s one-shot and annual options if you’re not into the small monthly thing. Check it all out at pedalshift.net/society.

Kimberly Wilson
Caleb Jenkinson
Cameron Lien
Andrew MacGregor
Michael Hart
Keith Nagel
Brock Dittus
Thomas Skadow
Marco Lo
Terrance Manson
Harry Telgadas
Chris Barron
Mark Van Raam
Brad Hipwell
Mr. T
Nathan Poulton
Stephen Dickerson
Vince LoGreco
Cody Floerchinger
Tom Benenati
Greg Braithwaite
Sandy Pizzio
Jeff Muster
Seth Pollack
Joseph Quinn
Drue Porter
Byron Paterson
Joachim Raber
Ray Jackson
Jeff Frey
Kenny Mikey
Lisa Hart
John Denkler
Steve Hankel
Miguel Quinones
Alejandro Avilés-Reyes
Keith Spangler
Greg Towner
Dan Gebhart, RIP
Jody Dzuranin
Lucas Barwick
Michael Baker
Brian Bechtol
Reinhart Bigl
Greg Middlemis
Connie Moore
William Gothmann
Brian Benton
Joan Churchill
Mike Bender
Rick Weinberg
Billy Crafton
Gary Matushak
Greg L’Etoile-Lopes
James Sloan
Jonathan Dillard
John Funk
Tom Bilcze
Ronald Piroli
Dave Roll
Brian Hafner
Misha LeBlanc
Ari Messinger
David Gratke
Todd Groesbeck
Wally Estrella
Sue Reinert
John Leko
Stephen Granata
Phillip Mueller
Robert Lackey
Dominic Carol
Jacqi McCulloch
John Hickman
Carl Presseault
David Neves
Patty Louise
Terry Fitzgerald
Peter Steinmetz
Timothy Fitzpatrick
Michael Liszewski
Hank O’Donnell
David Zanoni
David Weil
Matthew Sponseller
Chad Reno
Spartan Dale
Carolyn Ferguson
Peggy Littlefield
Lauren Allansmith
Eric Burns
Thomas Pearl
Darrin McKibben
Richard Stewart
Dave Fletcher
Jack Smith
Luke Parkinson
Ryan Patterson
Cyrus Farivar
John Gardiner
Sam Scruggs

Music

You’ve been hearing about Jason Kent and his music for many fine episodes. Jason has a new solo album available NOW. Go listen to COMMON TONGUES wherever cool music is available!

June 1, 2023

Best of Pedalshift 031: Bicycle Touring Eff Ups

In part one of a two episode Best of Pedalshift extravaganza, Brock and Adele Dittus, formerly of The Sprocket Podcast join The Pedalshift Project! we discuss our epic mistakes — our bicycle touring eff ups, if you will. (Except we use the actual eff-word, so listener beware!) Revisit and dip into the nostalgia with our Friends of the Show from the land of sunshine and bunnies. Originally podcast October 15, 2015.

May 25, 2023

The Pedalshift Project 324: Return to the C&O – Day 2

After a nice night at the cabin, the second day looked to be a wet one… with forecasts of dangerous winds whipping the trail. Calling an audible seems to be the plan, but would there be another more mechanical issue that might be an impediment to making the final camp of the trip?

The Pedalshift Project 324: Return to the C&O - Day 2

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Return to the C&O – Day 2

Statistics

Miles biked 10

Downed trees avoided – way fewer than I thought

Missing bolts in my racks 2

Tensile strength of my front brake cable – enough, thankfully

Huckleberry Hills reached 1

Flats 0

Music

You’ve been hearing about Jason Kent and his music for many fine episodes. Jason has a new track available NOW, and a new album dropping very soon AND Jason’s first solo album is now streaming on Spotify, including America, the Pedalshift theme. Go listen!

May 18, 2023

The Pedalshift Project 323: Return to the C&O – Day 1

Kicking off the spring 2023 ride of the C&O towpath, we have stelar conditions for riding. But the Paw Paw tunnel is closed, and the trail poses a hefty challenge for someone with a fully loaded bike to push. But the Park Service says there’s a shuttle, right?

The Pedalshift Project 323: Return to the C&O - Day 1

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Return to the C&O – Day 1

The Pedalshift Project 323: Return to the C&O - Day 1

Statistics

Miles biked 54ish

Miles hiked 1.5

Elevation gain and loss 900

Sandwiches consumed 1

Pop tarts consumed 2

Goslings 4

Flats 0

Music

May 11, 2023

The Pedalshift Project 322: Return to the C&O – Preview + Day 0

We’re baaaaack! Our old friend the C&O Towpath has been waiting on another through ride, so let’s take advantage of some nice weather and do an early spring ride! On this edition, we preview the ride then just go ahead and share Day 0’s train to the trailhead in Cumberland and the post-sunset ride to our first camp!

The Pedalshift Project 322: Return to the C&O - Preview + Day 0

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Return to the C&O – Preview + Day 0

The ride preview

3 days, 184.5 miles – Cumberland to DC

Amtrak to Cumberland and ride back

Fully loaded on the Safari

2 nights camping, 1 night roofed at the cabin

Day 0 plans are up in the air for camping

Cabin night 1 with a pickup in Hancock

Harpers Ferry/Huckleberry Hill night 2

Weather looks hot to start, more unstable and cooler later

Biggest barrier is the tunnel outage in Paw Paw, but the construction crew is supposed to have a shuttle (which is new). I’m skeptical… we’ll see!

New panniers! End of an era with the orange ones moving to Brompton only, but a new one begins with the blue ones!

Statistics

Miles trained 140ish

Miles biked 7?

Touring group encounters 1

Weird dudes on trail 1

C&O rides ready to roll 1

Flats 0

Music

May 4, 2023

Best of Pedalshift 037: Sturdy touring bikes + opening cans without tools

Sturdy touring bikes need to be able to handle weight… on this best of episode we delve into some of the ways to make your touring bike even sturdier, and provide tips on how to lighten the load a bit too. Plus, a self-described crazy Russian shows how to open a can without a can opener! Originally podcast December 10, 2015

April 28, 2023

The Pedalshift Project 321: Bicycle Adventuring on the East Coast Greenway

Despite living on the east coast, we spend a whole heck of a lot of attention on bicycle adventures on the west coast, right? Well, it’s time we changed that! On this episode, we chat with Regina Yan about the East Coast Greenway, her epic trip and how she and the East Coast Greenway Alliance is making this route a contender for all of our future cycling adventures!

The Pedalshift Project 321: Bicycle Adventuring on the East Coast Greenway

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Bicycle Adventuring on the East Coast Greenway

Hey, want to watch an actual video of us talking? Check it out!

Regina Yan is a UX designer and artist based in Washington DC. She grew up in Kansas and was a very “indoorsy” child, but fell in love with the outdoors after going to school in New Hampshire. When the pandemic hit, she got into cycling and immediately fell loved the way biking expanded her world. So much so, in the fall of 2021, kind of on a whim decided to try biking the East Coast Greenway from ME to Key West, FL completing the 3,000 miles trip in an intensely compact 29 days, experiencing all the ups and downs of a bike touring lifestyle.

Regina Yan

What made you to choose the ECG for your trip over another route?

You described it as response to a “quarter life crisis” – did the ride help that or prompt more introspection on where you’re at in life?

Your film did a great job of sharing the lows as much as the highs… sometimes when I look back on lows of my tours, I look back on them more as the “type 2 fun” we all talk about in the bike travel community. How do you assess your lows now – any one stand out?

With such an aggressive schedule, the mechanicals you had were extra disruptive but you still persevered! Did you have any takeaways from them for future tours?

One small part of your film that stuck with me was learning how to eat on tour, watching you pull what looked like frosted shredded wheat from a baggy… was that one of the solutions for you? What did you learn as you rode about all of this?

What bike did you ride and outside of the mechanicals did you like how it performed? Considering any changes to gearing or anything like that?

Do you have another long distance trip in mind?

You’re now a board trustee for the ECG Alliance, which lets me put on my nonprofit lawyer hat for once on this pod… what’s your experience been like serving in that role and what’s the organization aiming at in the short and long term to support the Greenway?

Music

April 20, 2023

The Pedalshift Project 320: California 2023 Takeaways

The Southern California Adventures are in the rear view mirror… what did I learn from this tour that I’ll take with me on future trips?

The Pedalshift Project 320: California 2023 Takeaways

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California 2023 Takeaways

Chapter 1’s Takeaway – Be prepared for the unexpected

Weather prep

Transit expectations

Chapter 2’s Takeaway – SoCal trails and transit fast forwards

Chapter 3’s Takeaway – Pushing through challenges versus taking dumb risks

Chapter 4’s Takeaway – Gate checking the Brompton… is it better than the overhead?

Music

April 13, 2023

The Pedalshift Project 319: California 2023 Chapter 4 – The Mileage Run

Chapter 4 of the 2023 California Adventure wraps up the trip in a unique way… an overnight in San Jose as a way of getting from San Diego back to Los Angeles and test how well gate checking works for the Brompton. Did the bike get banged around by baggage handlers?

The Pedalshift Project 319: California 2023 Chapter 4 - The Mileage Run

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California 2023: Chapter 4 – The Mileage Run

Statistics

Modalities used 2 (bike, plane)

CO2 offset 1.2 metric tons

Airports biked to and from 2 (SAN, SJC)

Miles biked in this chapter 5 or 6?

Brompton survival rate 100%

Flats 0

Music

April 6, 2023

Best of Pedalshift 029: DC to Boston Transit-Aided Tour – Takeaways

The final part of the best of covering Pedalshift Tour Journals Vol. 4 – the mostly transit and smattering of very important folding bike tour from DC to Boston. In this episode the takeaways from this fundamentally very weird but also influential tour! Originally podcast September 3, 2015