The Pedalshift Project 023: A bicycle tour rant and treating questionable water
The Pedalshift Project: Bicycle Travel Adventures
Release Date: 06/25/2015
The Pedalshift Project: Bicycle Travel Adventures
The morning starts strong at Cape Lookout with perfect James and Tim weather, but what begins as a confident push toward Beverly Beach slowly unravels into mechanical mayhem and decision-making paralysis. But with the original plan officially in shambles and multiple escape routes beckoning, will we unleash a suffer fest or pivot to something unexpected? Key Highlights Perfect weather conditions - cloudy and cool, exactly what Tim and James prefer for cycling Hydration revelation continues - Tim credits proper hydration for yesterday's success and focuses on "cameling up" each morning Pacific...
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Mysterious James and I emerge from our three-night Cannon Beach odyssey to accidentally unlock our cycling superpowers, turning a modest Tillamook target into a shocking 52-mile triumph. It’s the usual stuff: ice cream as performance enhancer, and the stunning revelation that hydration might actually matter. But with tomorrow's weather turning and our schedule still behind, will this newfound confidence carry us forward or set us up for an epic crash? Key Highlights Morning departure from Cannon Beach with sunny weather (rain expected tomorrow) Arch Cape Tunnel challenge - one of the less...
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Day two and three of the Oregon Coast tour evolve into an epic quest for an elusive bicycle part. Is this a mere repair mission or a saga worthy of Greek mythology with adaptive problem-solving, multiple contingency plans, long-distance bus adventures, heat stroke avoidance, and kind bike shop professionals who go above and beyond? Day Two Morning - Plan Multiplication Late wake-up due to flexible schedule Pig and Pancake breakfast at classic Oregon Coast institution 10:30 AM: First Seaside shop call - negative result 12:00 PM: Multiple plan permutations discussed off-mic...
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Day one of an Oregon coast adventure - what could possibly go wrong? As Mysterious James and I began our journey from Astoria after navigating July 4th rental car details, we encounter (because of course) the first of many issues we’ll encounter on the most mysterious of Oregon Coast adventures ever. Mysterious Oregon Coast 2025 Part 1 Morning, Turned Afternoon Departure 1:00 PM start time after bike assembly and hotel checkout Bikes transported in rental car not designed for two bikes TSA inspection didn’t damage gear (deraileur hanger protection removed) Successful bike reassembly...
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We are so back.... on the Oregon Coast with the Mysterious James for another round of two-wheeled mayhem. Ten days, 360 miles, zero expectations, and maximum potential for randomness. The Safari's ready, MJ is in, and we're about to find out if bike touring is really dying or just hiding. Spoiler alert: it's gonna be a wild ride. Mysterious Oregon Coast 2025 Preview Route Preview •Start: Astoria, OR (mile marker 0 or 360, depending on your perspective) •End: Crescent City, CA (for Tim); James continues on to the Bay Area •Duration: 10 days with a flexible buffer day •Notable overnight...
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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! Originally podcast April 28, 2023.
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Six days, two countries, multiple ferries, and one very stubborn e-bike brake magnet later, the Lake Ontario circumnavigation attempt has wrapped up in ways both expected and completely unforeseen. What started as an ambitious 540-mile loop around one of the Great Lakes became a masterclass in adventure adaptation, international border logistics, and the reality of shoulder season touring. On this episode, takeaways from a trip that delivered lessons extending far beyond the original route plan. Lake Ontario 2025 Takeaways 1. Plan for Ferry Contingencies Ferry schedules can be unreliable,...
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What was supposed to be a triumphant border crossing and final push from Niagara Falls back to the starting point became something entirely different when family health concerns required an immediate pivot. But sometimes the best laid plans need to be set aside for what actually matters, and day six became about completing the ride in the way it was always meant to end - with a proper beginning and a proper finish, both by bike, both connected to the places and people that made this whole adventure meaningful in the first place. Lake Ontario 2025: Part 7 Statistics Miles biked:...
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Transitioning from from the peaceful Toronto Island back into the urban sprawl of southern Ontario is a bit of a record scratch I’ll more thoroughly experience when I eventually ride this ride, but a fast forward to a stunning Niagara Falls hotel leads to an extensive e-bike exploration of the Niagara River and Falls area. But plans always have a way of changing and this day was no different. Lake Ontario 2025 - Part 6 Toronto Island Farewell Final morning walk through the quiet island community Observations on the unique housing stock and lifestyle Discussion of waiting lists and the...
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Toronto! The biggest city in Canada beckoned with its record shops, high energy and criminally underrated cycling on the islands off shore. With a basketball arena parking spot and my kind of weather, TO was ready to welcome me with open arms… Lake Ontario 2025 - Part 5 🚗 Parking + Arrival in Toronto •Parking garage setup with EV charging — 24 hours for 24 CAD, prime downtown location. •Thoughts on Cybertrucks (spoiler: not a fan). •Quick record shop detour before rolling out. 🚲 Urban E-bike Sprint to the Ferry •Navigating Toronto traffic to make the ferry in time....
info_outlineI'm in between tours, and I read something that really ticks me off... it's the first official Pedalshift rant on leaving no trace when you camp. But it's not all flaming swords of justice this episode... we'll also cover how to make sure water doesn't make you sick on tour.
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Who else has some early bike touring overnight stories to share? Send your pics, audio or a quick tweet - all welcome. Email the show [email protected] or call the brand new Pedalshift voicemail line at (202) 930-1109.
Follow-up
- The Pedalshift Project… shall remain a Project! Thanks for all your feedback. Got some great responses and the coveted new FOTS goes to… Ethan Georgi with his simple, “keep the project…. it’s ongoing, right?"
- Andrew of Shoot Film Ride Steel and his wife had some mechanicals on his C+O ride… we’re going to hook up to do an interview and shooting (see what I did there?) for next episode.
- Nathan Clevenger is well on his way to the left coast! He’s past Madison and nearly to Minneapolis and is set for an early August arrival in PDX. If you’re in Portland in early August there’s a celebration of his arrival at the CCC August 8th. CCC is sort of the Portland analogue to the beneficiary of his ride, Phoenix Bikes in northern VA.
- Brock Dittus of Sprocket Podcast kicked off his summer tour in northern CA. Follow along on Twitter @brockman and check into his show for occasional updates. He shares this protip: shift your chain into the biggest chainring before attempting to loosen your pedals. #LessonsForLater
- Reminder that the next Pedalshift tour is the Erie Canal, starting July 11th! We’ll be firing up the Pedalshift Tour Journals podcast with multiple minisodes every day of the week long tour. Explore western NY with a WNY native (that would be me). Looks like a little Canada too… more to come. Reminder Pedalshift Tour Journals has the full DC-Pittsburgh C+O/GAP ride through June. Look for Volume III: Erie Canal in July!
Rant
Read The Death of the Oregon Outback.
- Leave no trace. If you won’t, can’t, or it’s too hard... I invite you to quit camping.
- Get offended. Let's do better.
- Thank you Kevin MacLeod for the Pedalshift rant theme[footnote]For the curious and, perhaps more importantly, to fully comply with my Creative Commons obligations... the title is Adventure Meme and it's licensed under CC Attribution 3.0.[/footnote]
Gear Talk
- The Hammerhead
- Water purification on tour
- Safety and taste
- Easy and light - iodine tabs (plus Vitamin C to remove flavor)
- Higher tech - Sawyer products
- Even higher tech - UV pens
- Low tech - carry your water from trusted sources
- Emergency bottle - don't use unless it is one.
- DO NOT refill or use containers that held untrusted water without filtering.
- Want to contribute to the next trilogy of "my favorite touring bikes"? Let me know the three you'd like here in the comments.
Music
The Pedalshift Project theme is America courtesy of Jason Kent off his self-titled solo album. Check out his band Sunfields' new release, Habitat, wherever cool music resides.