Tag: gear talk

February 23, 2023

The Pedalshift Project 314: Florida 2023 – Takeaways

My annual winter ride in Florida is in the books, and I have a lot of thoughts… ten, in fact! But the last one is by far my biggest takeaway from a tour in a long time, so stick around for that one!

The Pedalshift Project 314: Florida 2023 - Takeaways

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Florida 2023 – Takeaways

1 – I really love this ride, but I want to ride the Cross Florida Trail next year

2 – I also really like integrating cycling with my Disney World visits, so I hope to do that in addition to that ride.

3 – Touring on Brompton means you have to clean parts regularly and avoid touching some parts altogether.

4 – I’m still not fully satisfied with my Brompton touring setup, but I’m also finding it’s pretty good as is.

5 – Florida is not a terrible bicycling state, except where it is.

6 – When faced with headwinds, lower your expectations and go with (well, against) the flow.

7 – Bring all the tools you need, yes even that $1 crescent wrench.

8 – I prefer clothing coverage over sunscreen when I can.

9 – You don’t need to carry thousands of calories of food with you when you’re within a few miles of civilization.

10 – I finally have a name for what happens to me during bike tours… it’s called edema and it’s the body holding onto water for days because of the stress the body undergoes during rides. Turns out, I’m probably not getting enough electrolytes, especially sodium.

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 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!

February 16, 2023

The Pedalshift Project 313: Florida 2023 – Day 2

It’s my annual winter ride in Florida! The first day’s headwinds abated overnight, but the threat of rain hung over my ride. Would I have to bail out on the short version, or would my energy and dry conditions allow for testing the newer, way more fun route?

Hey it’s the direct download link for The Pedalshift Project 313: Florida 2023 – Day 2 (mp3).

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Florida 2023 – Day 2

STATISTICS

Chicken encounters 2

Day old sandwiches eaten 1/2 (I finished the other half the next day -wasn’t bad!)

Gallons of water wasted by that dumb developer – seriously, hundreds of thousands. It was gross.

55+ resorts soon to gate off my route 1

New roads that will be better anyways 1

Disney World No Trespassing signs I leaned my bike against for a pic 1

Pineapple celebration drinks imbibed at the end 1

Miles biked 55

Flats 0

Music

February 10, 2023

The Pedalshift Project 312: Florida 2023 – Day 1

It’s my annual winter ride in Florida, but things turned out a little differently this year. Day 1 featured a massive headwind that whittled down my energy and made for, um, challenging audio conditions. It was only 40 miles, but would the wind prevail?

The Pedalshift Project 312: Florida 2023 - Day 1

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Florida 2023 – Day 1

Folks, I ended up having to toss about 30 minutes of witty banter and ride info because the headwinds from Tampa to Lakeland were simply brutal. I used a dedicated recorder with a “dead cat” lavalier microphone and the winds still managed to cut through.

Some of what you hear won’t sound great, but the vast majority is understandable. I solved the problem for next week’s episode so you only have to put up with it for a week.

But this was a really fun ride and I can’t wait for you to listen… so… off we go!

STATISTICS

Average wind sustained headwind speed 20 mph

Average speed 8.3 mph

Cortados in Ybor City 1

Number of times I committed Carny ride slander that was lost to the headwinds in Plant City minimum of 9 times

Coke floats that rescued my energy 0

Separately purchased Coke and ice cream that rescued my energy 1 each

Miles biked 41

Flats 0

Music

February 2, 2023

Best of Pedalshift 028: DC to Boston Transit-Aided Tour – Part 1

Part one of three in a 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 we cover the idea, the arbitrary set of rules and my mindset going into this stunt… err, tour.
Originally podcast August 20, 2015

January 26, 2023

The Pedalshift Project 311: Florida 2023 Tour Preview

It’s about as close as we get to an annual tradition around here – the winter tour in central Florida! How is this year the same and how are we mixing things up? In this episode, we preview the 2023 Florida tour!

The Pedalshift Project 311: Florida 2023 Tour Preview

Hey it’s the direct download link for The Pedalshift Project 311: Florida 2023 Tour Preview (mp3).

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Florida 2023 Tour Preview

“Sure it’s the same route, but is it?”
Tampa to Lakeland to Disney World, sure but it’s refined!
Improved route on day 1 – optimising better route from TPA to MLK Blvd (avoiding waterfront this time)
Brought my route north of downtown this year to avoid weekend activities intervening like last year’s marathon
A morning coffee and breakfast in Ybor CIty, the Cuban and Latin American-influenced part of Tampa
Different hotel in Lakeland this year to have me closer to a local dining option rather than gas station cuisine
Day 2 features another ride into WDW, with the option of the longer route to the north entrance – more to come on that, and it would be my preferred option pending time (short days) and energy

Gear
I briefly considered the Safari and stealth camping near the Van Fleet trail but decided against it… FL wildlife is just too much of a question mark
Also it’s much more logisitically to haul. May scope out to see if stealth hammock camping would be an option this trip.
Brompton it is… credit card touring it is
Sidebar – my Brompton is over at BicycleSpace (my DC LBS) and let’s just say I’ve ridden down the original drivetrain components to the point that it needed quite the overhaul. But… it’ll be ready by the time you hear this for 2024 adventures (thank you Pedalshift Society and anonymous donors for your help on that!)
May consider doing the older backpack version to eliminate the need for the duffle? More carrying capacity, but likely wouldn’t use it.
If so I might consider an expanded cockpit option with the luggage block being freed up
Or… may stick with single pannier plus drybag on rack.
SIDEBAR 2 – I got new Ortlieb backrollers, but orange is no longer an option so I went with blue, which was the most stealth-friendly-ish option. I’m probably going to make the orange ones full time Brompton ones so end of an era, but not really?

Weather
Last year was sunny and flirted with hot. Will be more prepared this year to cover up and have sunscreen in hand before day 1.
However, we saw some truly cold temps during the late year storms in 22 so it’s always possible this ends up being a cool to cold ride… will know more about 10 days out and can bank on things about 3 days out.

Things I want to do
Ybor City – every time I go through there I feel like I need to make miles. This time, I’m stopping.
Dinner at a more “Florida” option in Lakeland
Get a victory drink (to break Dryuary Part 1) at the Coronado or Polynesian Resort
Keep my caloric party within reason

Things I don’t want to do
Run into 10ks
Lose my ID
Get sunburn or otherwise too much sun
Have a Brompton mechanical… there are very few options in central FL!

First entry of the tour journal is in two weeks! Next week’s best of is the start of a multipart adventure highlighting my DC to Boston using (mostly) transit and a little bit of (very critical) folding biking!

Music

January 19, 2023

The Pedalshift Project 310: Offseason Training for Bike Touring

You know you’ve got a bike tour coming up this year, so you want to make sure you’re ready for it. What are some things to do to make that easier in the bike touring offseason? On this episode, some insight into my plans this offseason plus tips from ACA, REI and other experts!

Hey it’s the direct download link for The Pedalshift Project 310: Offseason Training for Bike Touring (mp3).

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Offseason Training for Bike Touring

Covered this a bit in Pedalshift 158

Quick review of training philosophies

Train like hell vs.
Ride your way to touring shape vs.
Somewhere in the middle

This winter I’m going to try to do a few things in prep for my winter tour (preview coming next episode!)

Goal 1 – lose 10 pounds from 1/1 to day 1 of tour (stretch goal 12)

Goal 2 – Train a minimum of 30 minutes per day 3 days/week (indoor or outdoor)

Goal 3 – Plan and begin upper body and/or circuit training

My shifting philosophy on training – easier to just jump on the bike when you’re younger and fitter!

Other/more aggressive philosophies:

biketours.com – riding average daily distance several times per week well in advance of the tour (IMO this is total overkill)

ACA – Focus on time in the saddle first, seek hills, build endurance, ride with weight (VERY smart)

REI – sample training week with fantastic exercise routines, with focus on flexibility. Much more in the train like hell philosophy but excellent things to consider adding to a “somewhere in the middle” routine.

Music

January 12, 2023

The Pedalshift Project 309: Bike Touring Goals for 2023

A new year means new bike touring goals! On this episode I share my goals for 2023 including health and fitness, the kinds and number of tours and more.

The Pedalshift Project 309: Bike Touring Goals for 2023

Hey it’s the direct download link for The Pedalshift Project 309: Bike Touring Goals for 2023 (mp3).

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Bike Touring Goals for 2023

Health/Fitness

Drop the weight
Weigh in at least every other day all year (unless traveling) and set a back on the wagon number
Fitness center plan
Dry January Feb

Touring

5 multi day tours in 2023
At least one 7+ day tour
At least one fully new-to-me trail or route
Cross a new state by bike

Whacky things

A heavily transit aided tour
A microcamper aided tour

Music

January 5, 2023

Best of Pedalshift 067: Stoves, intermittent fasting and keeping feet warm

A classic hodgepodge best of! Bike touring stove tests, an overview on intermittent fasting, counterintuitive advice on keeping your feet warm on tour and more!
Originally podcast January 19, 2017

December 29, 2022

The Pedalshift Project 308: 2022 Holiday Spectacular

This has been a fantastic year for bicycle travel, and so the holiday spectacular is here once again to wrap up the top episodes, take a look back on all of the tours and adventures and assess each and every goal I set for myself for 2022. Happy New Year!

The Pedalshift Project 308: 2022 Holiday Spectacular

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2022 Holiday Spectacular

Top Episodes

292: Touring Bike Essentials

290: Beginner Mistakes

295: Making Your Tent Stealthier

294: Minimalist Packing for a Credit Card Tour

280: The Missing Link – Part 1

286: Bicycling New York City

288: A Late Start on the C&O

Best of Pedalshift 099: Bicycle Tour Food

297: Empire State Trail Preview

A look back on the tours

Florida

California

C&O

New York

A look back on my 2022 goals

At least one new-to-me route

Check – not fully new, but hit new sections of SoCal and NYS

Fitness: lose the 2021 weight and keep it off

Nope. Full fail.

Revisit a route (or portion of one) I’ve only done once

Check!

Think about a remote work-tour option (work-ride-work-ride… something else?)

Partial credit. I did think about this, but touring options were limited this year.

Continue to improve my stealth camping skills

Partial credit. I put a lot of thought and improved my gear, but didn’t pull off the stealth camping I wanted to this year.

Repair or replace worn gear

Check! Replaced a number of worn and not repairable things like sleeping pad, duffel bag and more.

Organize bike touring equipment and improve storage

Check! Reorg of my cabin storage this week at the cabin and that will flow into the stuff I keep in DC.

Episode 300/Millionth download celebration

Check! We did the live show and properly celebrated together for the millionth DL.

Music

December 22, 2022

The Pedalshift Project 307: Empire State Trail – Day 7 + Takeaways

Looming storms, transportation question marks, and some subtle messages from a ligament in my knee all pointed to one thing… this phase of the tour was coming to a conclusion. But one more bit of adventure awaited to share with you. Plus, takeaways!

The Pedalshift Project 307: Empire State Trail - Day 7 + Takeaways

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Empire State Trail – Day 7

Statistics

Miles biked 8

Airports traversed 2 (including returning the car)

Minutes of ride recorded 0

Flats 0

Takeaways

1 – The Empire State Trail is truly one of the great routes in the US.

2 – Thank you local bike shops for swooping in to save the day

3 – Thank you trail towns that provide such great amenities

4 – Airports… I continue to love riding to or from them directly!

5 – I hate calling tours early, but I’m so glad I get to ride what I can

6 – When you deviate from routes, make sure to pay attention to what side of rivers you ride and where you’re going to (relying on bridges)

7 – Keep your electronics dry even if they can get a little wet

8 – Find your edge

Florida 2023 – Takeaways

Music

Bike tour consulting – 1 hour

Bike tour consulting – 4 pack

Pedalshift Society – $29 one-shot

Pedalshift Society – $59 one-shot

Pedalshift Society – Choose Your Own Adventure

Pedalshift Tour Journals Bundle (2014-2016)

Pedalshift Tour Journals Vol. 1: Pacific Coast

Pedalshift Tour Journals Vol. 2: DC to Pittsburgh / C&O & GAP

Pedalshift Tour Journals Vol. 3: New York State/Erie Canal

Florida 2023 – Day 2

STATISTICS

Music

Bike tour consulting – 1 hour

Bike tour consulting – 4 pack

Pedalshift Society – $29 one-shot

Pedalshift Society – $59 one-shot

Pedalshift Society – Choose Your Own Adventure

Pedalshift Tour Journals Bundle (2014-2016)

Pedalshift Tour Journals Vol. 1: Pacific Coast

Pedalshift Tour Journals Vol. 2: DC to Pittsburgh / C&O & GAP

Pedalshift Tour Journals Vol. 3: New York State/Erie Canal

Florida 2023 – Day 1

STATISTICS

Music

Bike tour consulting – 1 hour

Bike tour consulting – 4 pack

Pedalshift Society – $29 one-shot

Pedalshift Society – $59 one-shot

Pedalshift Society – Choose Your Own Adventure

Pedalshift Tour Journals Bundle (2014-2016)

Pedalshift Tour Journals Vol. 1: Pacific Coast

Pedalshift Tour Journals Vol. 2: DC to Pittsburgh / C&O & GAP

Pedalshift Tour Journals Vol. 3: New York State/Erie Canal

Florida 2023 Tour Preview

Music

Bike tour consulting – 1 hour

Bike tour consulting – 4 pack

Pedalshift Society – $29 one-shot

Pedalshift Society – $59 one-shot

Pedalshift Society – Choose Your Own Adventure

Pedalshift Tour Journals Bundle (2014-2016)

Pedalshift Tour Journals Vol. 1: Pacific Coast

Pedalshift Tour Journals Vol. 2: DC to Pittsburgh / C&O & GAP

Pedalshift Tour Journals Vol. 3: New York State/Erie Canal

Offseason Training for Bike Touring

Music

Bike tour consulting – 1 hour

Bike tour consulting – 4 pack

Pedalshift Society – $29 one-shot

Pedalshift Society – $59 one-shot

Pedalshift Society – Choose Your Own Adventure

Pedalshift Tour Journals Bundle (2014-2016)

Pedalshift Tour Journals Vol. 1: Pacific Coast

Pedalshift Tour Journals Vol. 2: DC to Pittsburgh / C&O & GAP

Pedalshift Tour Journals Vol. 3: New York State/Erie Canal

Bike Touring Goals for 2023

Music

Bike tour consulting – 1 hour

Bike tour consulting – 4 pack

Pedalshift Society – $29 one-shot

Pedalshift Society – $59 one-shot

Pedalshift Society – Choose Your Own Adventure

Pedalshift Tour Journals Bundle (2014-2016)

Pedalshift Tour Journals Vol. 1: Pacific Coast

Pedalshift Tour Journals Vol. 2: DC to Pittsburgh / C&O & GAP

Pedalshift Tour Journals Vol. 3: New York State/Erie Canal

2022 Holiday Spectacular

Music

Bike tour consulting – 1 hour

Bike tour consulting – 4 pack

Pedalshift Society – $29 one-shot

Pedalshift Society – $59 one-shot

Pedalshift Society – Choose Your Own Adventure

Pedalshift Tour Journals Bundle (2014-2016)

Pedalshift Tour Journals Vol. 1: Pacific Coast

Pedalshift Tour Journals Vol. 2: DC to Pittsburgh / C&O & GAP

Pedalshift Tour Journals Vol. 3: New York State/Erie Canal

Empire State Trail – Day 7