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Mysterious Oregon Coast 2025 Part 5

The Pedalshift Project: Bicycle Travel Adventures

Release Date: 09/25/2025

All Who Wander Are Not Lost show art All Who Wander Are Not Lost

The Pedalshift Project: Bicycle Travel Adventures

We've often talked about how slow travel by bicycle helps you see your adventure with far more detail than by car. But can we slow it down even more and reinforce that lesson? On this episode, exploring the parallels of exploring a city by foot and how that proves the point! All Who Wander... Exploring Seattle without a car Using walking as a way to scope neighborhoods Slow travel lessons from bike touring, applied to everyday life What you notice on foot that you miss by bike or car Sound, sight lines, and the feel of a place Low-friction wandering and following curiosity Inefficiency as a...

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Best of Pedalshift 310: Offseason Training for Bike Touring show art Best of Pedalshift 310: Offseason Training for Bike Touring

The Pedalshift Project: Bicycle Travel Adventures

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! ALSO... Pedalshift SEATTLE Live will be Friday January 16 at 5pm PT/8pm ET. Check out the details in your email, YouTube and pedalshift.net/live.

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The Pedalshift Project: Bicycle Travel Adventures

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The Pedalshift Project: Bicycle Travel Adventures

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Pedalshift's New Basecamp show art Pedalshift's New Basecamp

The Pedalshift Project: Bicycle Travel Adventures

Big news for the show: The Pedalshift Project is setting up camp in a new city! This episode breaks down what that means for future tours, how this opens up brand-new riding possibilities, and why the destination may be a bit of a surprise and also not a surprise at all.   My new home: Seattle! Why? This move is all about geography, access, and expanding the Pedalshift touring sandbox. Seattle places world-class touring terrain right outside the door and increases the show’s ability to cover more routes, more often. And yes—this is a return to the broader PNW. Think of it as a new...

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Best of Pedalshift 291: Working Remotely on Bike Adventures show art Best of Pedalshift 291: Working Remotely on Bike Adventures

The Pedalshift Project: Bicycle Travel Adventures

It used to be that a bike adventure meant taking paid time off or quitting your job. Now that remote work is a reality for many of us, there’s a new option. But is bike travel while working remotely right for you? Originally podcast July 28, 2022.

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Thanksgiving Eve Live show art Thanksgiving Eve Live

The Pedalshift Project: Bicycle Travel Adventures

A repodcast of our Thanksgiving Eve live show: following up on your comments on the state of bicycle touring, plus a bunch of great questions in an Ask Me Anything segment! Followup: Is Bicycle Touring in Decline? More emails on this than any topic in a while. Some selected thoughts from listeners: Regarding ACA Multiple listeners: Could ACA  be losing older members in its attempts to expand into younger audiences, but worse… might not be succeeding on either front? It’s hard to do both, and that’s the challenge… you need to find what drives your constituencies and sometimes you...

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The Pedalshift Project: Bicycle Travel Adventures

Bicycle touring numbers feel like they’re down—fewer loaded panniers on the road, Adventure Cycling Association facing major financial headwinds, and a lot of long-time tourers quietly aging out. But is touring actually in decline, or is it just shifting into something that looks different—like bikepacking, gravel, and shorter, more flexible trips? In this episode I dig into Adventure Cycling’s recent membership and financial update, talk through generational and economic trends, and explore whether we’re seeing the end of an era… or just the end of one version of it. Is Bicycle...

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Bike Adventure Goals Scorecard show art Bike Adventure Goals Scorecard

The Pedalshift Project: Bicycle Travel Adventures

Way back in January - and what feels like ten years ago to me - I set out a bunch of bicycle adventure goals for me in 2025. In a challenging year, I wasn't sure how I'd measure up but as I always like to do, I gave the goals a once over to see how I did. So on this episode we give it a scorecard treatment, but also a sneak preview of the final piece of 2025 adventuring that manages to check one of the boxes! 2025 Bike Adventure Goals Scorecard Celebrating plans already made, and taking care of yourself Sort of? A big ebike trip – maybe two. Taking the bike on a ride only the ebike can do…...

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A well-rested morning in Lincoln City spawns what seems like a reasonable plan to salvage the cursed tour, but James's borrowed bike has other ideas entirely.  But with tubleless tire disasters forcing yet another major pivot, will this newly condensed coastal adventure finally find its groove or continue spiraling into beautiful chaos?

 

The New Plan (Before It All Changed Again)

  • Today: Lincoln City to South Beach State Park via Newport
  • Tomorrow: South Beach to Yachats for hotel exploration
  • Final day: Yachats to Honeyman State Park near Florence
  • Split: James continues south, Tim buses north to Eugene for flight home

 

The Reality Check

James's tubeless rear tire completely fails outside Bike Newport, requiring conversion to tube setup. Tire damage deemed too severe for continued long-distance touring, prompting complete itinerary overhaul.

 

Key Highlights

  • 5 AM Red Bull run - James's thoughtful breakfast procurement while Tim sleeps in
  • Equipment curse continues - Second bike, same problems for James's borrowed setup
  • Bike Newport saves the day - Last major bike shop on coast provides crucial tire conversion
  • Strategic retreat activated - Both riders pivot to Eugene ending for maximum certainty
  • Financial silver lining - Trip changes actually save money on cancelled Medford logistics

 

Route Details

  • Lincoln City to Newport: ~25 miles through official bike route (hilly and exhausting)
  • Extended stop at Bike Newport for mechanical crisis management
  • Final 4 miles to South Beach State Park
  • Tomorrow: Abbreviated plan toward Florence before Eugene bus

 

Mechanical Drama Timeline

  1. Morning discovery: Slow leak confirmed in James's tubeless rear tire
  2. Newport arrival: Tire immediately starts "spitting sealant"
  3. Shop diagnosis: Tire damage too severe for tubeless repair
  4. Solution: Convert to tube in rear, maintain tubeless front ("mullet setup")
  5. Reality check: Tube setup is temporary fix, not permanent solution

 

Cultural Observations

  • Newport bike route: Scenic but punishing for loaded touring
  • South Beach State Park: Tim's favorite coast campground (tied with Cape Lookout)
  • Yachats mystique: Tim's long-desired exploration of this coast town finally abandoned
  • Eugene adventure: First-time visit for longtime Portland resident Tim

 

Food & Beverage Strategy

  • Breakfast: Red Bulls and bananas (James's 5 AM procurement mission)
  • Newport: Extended hydration break during mechanical crisis
  • Dinner: Beer One brewery (skipped lunch strategy)
  • Evening: Junior Rangers fire ecology program spotted but not attended

 

The Ship of Theseus Situation

James notes he'll return a completely different bike to his friend after replacing virtually every component during the tour - a philosophical equipment conundrum.

 

Statistics

  • Miles Biked: 25 
  • Original plan survival rate: 0%
  • Hours spent at Bike Newport: 1.5
  • Ounces of tubeless sealant sacrificed: 6
  • Tubeless fails: yes
  • Nontubeless flats: Zero