With one more big(ish) summer bike tour in my sights, it's prep time for the Oregon coast ride next month. Also, it's an extended bit of gear talk... what do I look for in the perfect bike touring tent? It's all in this ep of the pod... now with more unreasonable contractions of words that don't need them!

 

Hey it's the direct download link: The Pedalshift Project 054: The perfect bike touring tent (mp3)

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

Have some bike touring or overnight stories to share? Send your pics, audio or a quick tweet - all welcome. Email the show at [email protected] or call the lightly-used Pedalshift voicemail line at (202) 930-1109.

The Journal Prepping Oregon Riding light but bringing a second bike? Pedalshift Guide to Biking the C&O Canal I have 25 of the 31 videos up and ready to check out and should have the others ready within a week or so. Next up will be swimming spots and inclusion of star reviews of various elements for the campsites (scenery, flood prone, proximity to amenities,  etc.). Check out the complete guide (work in progress).   Gear Talk Tire followup: Schwalbe rocks.   Review followup: still like all the gear highlighted last episode. The perfect bike touring tent

• Separate (not integrated) rain fly
• As much mesh as possible in the tent
• Aluminum (not fiberglass) poles (titanium if you're into pricey)
• A well-designed "bowl" for the floor
• A bike touring tent without  a footprint is... less than ideal. If it doesn't come with one, buy or make one.

I like my ALPS Mountaineering Zephyr 3-Person Tent (affiliate link to Amazon, fyi). It checks all the boxes and it's a great price. And orange, as all great things are.

Connections

Thanks for checking in! You can always reach out at [email protected] or hit me up in the comments section or on social media.

Rachel's tour I went on my first tour last week here in Montana. My partner and I rode about 260 miles to raise money for the buffalo field campaign. Check out the pics and a couple stories on IG @humble.homestead.mt Harry Telegadas shares his tour

In early May I rode a three-day, two night from Connellsville to Pittsburgh (and return).  Its a very easy ride with many fews and a nice afternoon in Pittsburg.  i thought your listeners might find it appealing, especially new riders.

Day 1:  Car ride from DC to Connellsville (good secure parking);  ride from Connellsville to Dravo campground and camp.

Day 2:  Leave camp-site set up at Dravo and use a day-pack to ride into downtown Pittsburgh.  Stayed on the south side and had lunch and a nap.  Return to Dravo.

Day 3:  Pack up,re return to Connellsville and drive home.

Not the most epic ride but I like the sections into Pittsburg for the raw industrial views; very different from most Rail-Trails.   Also, Harry's big on foam earplugs and carrying a spare tire with him. Super smart on all fronts!

Aloha Scott Gilbert - a Bike Friday setup

Uses a modified hardshell Samsonite as a trailer and a way to check his Bike Friday folder!

 

 

Another 5-star iTunes review from Thegreatrelyt!

Pedalshift Society

A big thank you to all of the monthly supporters of the show! If you like what you hear, you can help me keep the show listener-supported while expanding the offerings (like the new C&O online guide!). A buck, two bucks or even 5 helps with the costs of hosting the podcast and the website, plus the  Pedalshift Society allows me to do cool new things I'll be rolling out in future shows. Check it out and join at pedalshift.net/society.

If you're interested in one-shot support, consider something over at Pedalshift Plus and get something cool in return! If the C&O talk is interesting, consider Pedalshift Tour Journals Vol. 1 my epic Pacific Coast tour with multiple daily podcasts chronicling my ride in 2014. You can get that at Pedalshift Plus. On to the Society!

• Ethan Georgi
• Matt Buker
• Kimberly Wilson
• Caleb Jenkinson
• Cameron Lien
• Andrew MacGregor
• Jonathan Martin
• Michael Hart
• Johnny K

Thank you for supporting the show!

Music

The Pedalshift Project theme is America courtesy of Jason Kent off his self-titled solo album. Check out his band Sunfields' album, Habitat, wherever cool music resides.  I heard Jason's new album in January and it is AWESOME. More info when that drops!