The Pedalshift Project 236: Route Scouting IV – A New Route

The thrilling conclusion to our series scouting Pennsylvania Route S for a future tour! On this episode, we cover the section between Morgantown, PA and… well that would be telling.

Route Scouting IV: A New Route

Hey it’s the direct download link for The Pedalshift Project 236: Route Scouting IV – A New Route (mp3).

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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

Housekeeping

Reminder… new music!

Brock Dittus – Most Important Thing

Sunfields new album Late Bloomers available now

Scouting Pennsylvania bike route S

Part of the route mentioned in Pedalshift 228
Be sure to check out:
- Episode 1 from Pedalshift 230 (The Phantom Bike Route).
- Episode 2 from Pedalshift 234 (Attack of Bicycle Route S)
- Episode 3 from Pedalshift 235 (Revenge of South Central PA)
Coming soon: a brand new tour… the Paw Paw Tunnel bypass trail. And if you’re a fan of curve balls and mechanicals, you’ll definitely want to check out part 1 next week!

Click the map for the PDF… then click on those numbers for links to detailed sections. Source: PA DOT

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 spring’s DC to Cincinnatti 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
Daniel Gregor
Spartan Dale
Carolyn Ferguson

Music

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

The post The Pedalshift Project 236: Route Scouting IV – A New Route appeared first on Pedalshift.

March 11, 2021

The Pedalshift Project 235: Route Scouting III – Revenge of South Central PA

Continuing scouting Pennsylvania Route S for a future tour! On this episode, the third edition of four, we cover the section of south central PA between York and Morgantown.

Hey it’s the direct download link for The Pedalshift Project 235: Route Scouting III – Revenge of South Central PA (mp3).

Subscribe/Follow The Pedalshift Project:
RSS – iTunes – Overcast – Android – Google Podcasts – Stitcher – TuneIn – IHeartRadio – Spotify

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

Housekeeping

Reminder… new music!

Brock Dittus – Most Important Thing

Sunfields new album Late Bloomers drops 3/12 and the first track – Got Some (But it Ain’t Enough) is available now…

Scouting Pennsylvania bike route S

Part of the route mentioned in Pedalshift 228
Be sure to check out:
- Episode 1 from Pedalshift 230 (The Phantom Bike Route).
- Episode 2 from Pedalshift 234 (Attack of Bicycle Route S)
We’ll continue scouting this route through the next several episodes… some surprises and a lot of insights
Coming soon: a brand new tour! The first of 2021!

Click the map for the PDF… then click on those numbers for links to detailed sections. Source: PA DOT

Music

You’ve been hearing about Jason Kent and his music for many fine episodes. Sunfields has a new album in 2021, AND Jason has a new solo album in 2021, AND his first solo album is now streaming on Spotify, including America, the Pedalshift theme. Go listen!

The post The Pedalshift Project 235: Route Scouting III – Revenge of South Central PA appeared first on Pedalshift.

March 4, 2021

Best of Pedalshift 128: Must-Carry Tools for Your Next Adventure

If you’re going on a bike adventure, you’re usually confronted with a situation that requires a fix or an adjustment. On this episode of the Best of Pedalshift we explore tools you must carry, what you should bring, and maybe a few things you haven’t thought about. Originally podcast July 19, 2018.

Best of Pedalshift 128: Must-Carry Tools for Your Next Adventure

The post Best of Pedalshift 128: Must-Carry Tools for Your Next Adventure appeared first on Pedalshift.

February 25, 2021

The Pedalshift Project 234: Route Scouting II: Attack of PA Route S

Hey, it’s still winter… so with snow on the ground and actual touring on hiatus for at least a few more weeks, why don’t we continue scouting Pennsylvania Route S? On this episode, the second edition for four, we hit the road and scout the second day of the ride to New York between Chambersburg and York.

The Pedalshift Project 234: Route Scouting II - Attack of PA Route S

Hey it’s the direct download link for The Pedalshift Project 234: Route Scouting II: Attack of PA Route S (mp3).

Subscribe/Follow The Pedalshift Project:
RSS – iTunes – Overcast – Android – Google Podcasts – Stitcher – TuneIn – IHeartRadio – Spotify

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

Housekeeping

Hey, new music!

Brock Dittus – Most Important Thing

Sunfields new album Late Bloomers drops 3/12 and the first track – Got Some (But it Ain’t Enough) is available now…

Scouting Pennsylvania bike route S

Part of the route mentioned in Pedalshift 228
Be sure to check out Part 1 from Pedalshift 230 (Episode I: The Phantom Bike Route).
We’ll be scouting this route through the next several episodes… some surprises and a lot of insights

Click the map for the PDF… then click on those numbers for links to detailed sections. Source: PA DOT

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
Scott Angelo
Chad Reno
Daniel Gregor
Spartan Dale

Music

The post The Pedalshift Project 234: Route Scouting II: Attack of PA Route S appeared first on Pedalshift.

February 18, 2021

The Pedalshift Project 233: Rando Pannier Full of Followups and More

You know how a few days into a tour you have a pannier full of rando things in no particular order? Welcome to the 233rd edition of the pod, then! Odds and ends, followups and a Black History Month recommendation with a bike touring twist!

The Pedalshift Project 233: Rando Pannier Full of Followups and More

Hey it’s the direct download link for The Pedalshift Project 233: Rando Pannier Full of Followups and More (mp3).

Subscribe/Follow The Pedalshift Project:
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The All Rando Pannier Episode

Odds and ends on my mind, inbcluding follow ups and a suggestion for some Black History month learning with a bike touring twist.

Followup on closures and detours

Hey, Whites Ferry has a chance after all! New owner of the ferry is negotiating with the VA landowners.

Other C&O closure… Paw Paw tunnel is closed (sort of) until next year. I have thoughts.

Highway 1 – road is still closed but CalTrans is on it but there’s no timeline.

Followup on bikepacking setup

FOTS Reinhart Bigl… how about replace that fork with a new one with proper brazons and get those fork cages?

Followup on the route scouting trip

FOTS Todd Grossbeck brings some knowledge!

short rail trail through Chambersburg that you can pick up before you get into downtown Chambersburg (confirmed!)

There are a fair amount of Amish folks on bikes north of Chambersburg, so people expect to see a bicycle on Rt 11.

30 east out of Chambersburg is as rough as I thought it was. The shoulder appears again one town over in Fayetteville and there is a campground in Caledonia state park (right off of 30), and the park is beautiful.

RockWilliam2 does the same…

I just listened to your podcast about your DC to NY trip. I live in Mont Alto, Pennsylvania and frequently bike on both route 11 and route 30. I’m sure you have seen this, but if not Maryland 63 might be a “less traveled” route that would still support bikes. By using this you could go from Williamsport MD and connect with route 11 outside of Greencastle PA. This route is mostly rural and avoids riding through the center of Hagerstown.

Good luck! Let me know if you need anything when you are up this way!

Little Clown Bike love

Aloha Tim,

Have enjoyed your show and tales of adventure for a few years- especially the fables and foibles of your Brompton upgrades and travels. I ride a Bike Friday as far as I can…2020 limited me to an island in the pacific.

Thought you may like to read of a couple that rode from Greenwich and back on their folders! Great pictures too! Don’t let anyone say a Brompton can’t compete with the big wheelers!

Aloha,

Scott Gilbert

Some Black History Month watching and reading

The 25th Infantry’s bicycle trip from Missoula, Montana, to St. Louis, Missouri in 1897. 2000 miles on steel tires, averaging about 60 miles per day! The Black infantry was “volunteered” to test a theory that the bicycle would replace the horse in transporting men for the army. Fascinating look at the amazing feat these Black soldiers accomplished, despite the obstacles.

Bicycle Corps: America’s Black Army on Wheels (PBS)

Great Bicycle Experiment, The: The Army’s Historic Black Bicycle Corps, 1896-97

Music

The post The Pedalshift Project 233: Rando Pannier Full of Followups and More appeared first on Pedalshift.

February 11, 2021

The Pedalshift Project 232: Handling Bike Route Detours & Closures

Detours and closures are a part of bike touring, but how do you handle it? On this edition, five things to think about on how to handle bike route detours and closures without losing your cool.

Pedalshift Project 232: Handling Bike Route Detours & Closures

Hey it’s the direct download link for The Pedalshift Project 232: Handling Bike Route Detours & Closures(mp3).

Subscribe/Follow The Pedalshift Project:
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Handling Bike Route Detours & Closures

Whites Ferry – closed and both sides of the river are digging in
Hwy 1 near Big Sur… washed out again… repairs likely not until spring at best…

Me in the trees in 2016 just south of the outage, then the 2021 outage:

trees off CA Hwy 1
CA Hwy 1 outage

The C&O will sometimes have issues (MM52 washout, Big Slackwater)
My experience on the OTET near Akron (unannounced detour)
This is common. What’s the best bet?

1 – Attitude
Routes are not sacrosanct. They are also subject to evolution, so don’t go into any tour with the feeling that it’s ruined if you can’t roll every single inch the way it’s been done in the past.

2- Your ride is the experience, not the map
Folks who through hike major trails deal with stuff like this all the time. Even if the route deviates from past years, one still is hiking the AT. Fires, floods, etc. make the trail a dynamic thing… think of it that way for bicycle touring too

3 – To prep or not
This gets into philosophies… I prep, others ride what the road gives them. Neither is superior… a preparer may know what the options are ahead of any issue, but a ride what the road gives you type may be more mentally prepared for outages. Embrace who you are!

4 – Ask locals
There may be far better options than what you can tell from a map. Ask folks in the area… you may be surprised at the outcome (better route than you planned… an offer for a fast forward around the outage, etc.)

5 – Keep safe
There may be a temptation to YOLO your way through an outage. That might be ok. Or it might be reckless and a real risk to your safety, and then the first responders’ safety to haul your ass out. Be reasonable and remember outages generally mean you are trespassing if you barrel through them.

Thoughts on the specific outages

C&O

not a lot I can recommend for lodging on the MD side
look into shuttles to hotels semi-nearby the trail (there might be a lone B&B or Airbnb option nearby?)
Consider revamping your miles so your lodging straddles the Leesburg night
Hope public pressure gets the VA farm folks to take the money for the easement

Hwy 1

CalTrans is on it… more of the road opened recently
It will be fixed, just a question of when
Pacific Coast route season seems to be narrower than ever… road closures from mud slides in rainy season and then smoke closures from fire season.
Be flexible, optimize your options (know your fast forwards, towns with transit options, ability to ship your bike, etc.)

Bottom Line

Our next tours are going to have a lot of energy behind them since we had so many plans scuttled due to COVID.
Remember outages happen and they are not ruining your trip, just throwing a curveball and maybe making it more memorable

Music

The post The Pedalshift Project 232: Handling Bike Route Detours & Closures appeared first on Pedalshift.

February 4, 2021

Best of Pedalshift 081: Bikepacking Adventures

It only took 81 episodes to finally talk about bikepacking on Pedalshift… better late than never, right? On this best of episode, Rob Knapp joins us and chats about what it was like to pick up bikepacking as a racer and how that informs him in how he bikepacks when not trying to come in first. Originally podcast May 25, 2017.

Best of Pedalshift 081: Bikepacking Adventures

The post Best of Pedalshift 081: Bikepacking Adventures appeared first on Pedalshift.

January 28, 2021

The Pedalshift Project 231: Exploring Bikepacking in 2021

I’ll admit, I’ve been bikepacking curious for awhile. As my touring continues to expand and evolve I’m thinking more about bikepacking options for 2021 and I thought I’d share the process on the pod. Join me, won’t you?

The Pedalshift Project 231: Exploring Bikepacking in 2021

Hey it’s the direct download link for The Pedalshift Project 230: (mp3).

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Photo: ECR by Surly.

Exploring bikepacking options

Evolving gear – what is touring and what is bikepacking? Does it matter?
Expanding gear to suit tours best
Slimmer profile
Less gear for low or no camping touring
More trails and gravel (hi WV!)

Option 1 – modify what I have

fork cages + dry bags (10L x2) = 1 ortlieb
- EXCEPT… new fork doesn’t have brazons
handlebar roll
- EXCEPT current brake cables block ability to tighten

dry bag on rear rack or saddle bag
- This is currently doable

Saddle bag?
- With a rear rack this doesn’t do much.

Option 2 – Reduce gear in and get into 2-3 dry bags?

Ding ding. An option I’ve done before.
Particularly easy for no-camping trips.
For camping: Hammock? Bivvy or smaller tent?

Option 3 – New bike?

Probably where I’m heading. Surly ECR looks amazing.
COVID continues to limit availability, and also Surly has slimmed down its bikepacking line (pour one out for the Ogre, not to mention the non-disc LHT!)
Then add bikepacking bags.
Build: go all out or frugally? I think my next bike might be more the former, but it really depends. This option gets very expensive, very quickly.

Where do I land?

I’ve been threatening a new bike for a while, but it’s a big outlay.
I would need to justify its purchase by actually using it, or I’ll feel dumb/wasteful.
Biggest thing working against this is the substantial overlap between my Safari and the ECR. When I ride one and could use the other, I’ll be thinking of waste.
My spring tour is almost certainly on the Safari, it’s just a question of where… probably close to home again because it seems prudent to wait on the vaccination and summer for a longer ride
Much more to think about!

Music

The post The Pedalshift Project 231: Exploring Bikepacking in 2021 appeared first on Pedalshift.

January 21, 2021

The Pedalshift Project 230: Scouting a New Bike Touring Route

A new year, a new bike route! On this episode, we hit the road and scout out a new bike touring route to see if it looks as good in person and it does on the screen.

The Pedalshift Project 230: Scouting a New Bike Touring Route

Hey it’s the direct download link for The Pedalshift Project 230: (mp3).

Subscribe/Follow The Pedalshift Project:
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Reach out to the show via email, Twitter and Instagram. Don’t forget to join the newsletter too.

Scouting a new bike touring route

Part of the route mentioned in Pedalshift 228
US Highway 11 and US Highway 30
Apologies for the rough audio in parts of this!

Music

The post The Pedalshift Project 230: Scouting a New Bike Touring Route appeared first on Pedalshift.

January 14, 2021

Best of Pedalshift 126: The Katy Trail

After sitting with it a few weeks since my return from bicycling the Katy Trail, I shared my thoughts on everything about the ride… the heat, the rain, the trail surface, and much more. Where does the Katy Trail stand up to other tour routes in the US? I have some thoughts on that! Originally podcast June 28, 2018.

Best of Pedalshift 126: The Katy Trail

The post Best of Pedalshift 126: The Katy Trail appeared first on Pedalshift.