And this episode we chat with Instagrammer extraordinaire and cross-country bike touring vet Patience aka @biker_girl_pay on overcoming obstacles and turning loss into something better... by bike.   This episode is dedicated to Shelli Snyder. Many of you have heard she was on a tour from Cleveland to Seattle and was struck from behind by a person driving a vehicle in Montana. She's in very bad shape, but we're hearing good news about her recovery. Pedalshift Society members... your monthly contributions are all going to her recovery fund at GoFundMe. If you're listening to this and would like to help more, check out the link in the show notes.   The story hits close to home in particular because Patience, as you'll hear, met Shelly on her ride. I'm really happy to be able to share her experience with you so we know a little more about Shelli outside of what happened in Montana.   Patience's ride was punctuated with highs and lows, and we'll touch on all of them in the interview. I really appreciate how open she was sharing all aspects of her ride... there's a ton to learn from her experience this summer! Of course, my dogs and my cat managed to make an appearance audibly, so apologies for the sub-professional recording environment. Neither Mookie, Belle Starr nor Jackson give a crap but at least I'm sorry, right?   The Interview   Patience, or "Pay" AKA @biker_girl_pay on Instagram and her adventures crossing America -- from Seattle to Boston -- by bicycle.   Your adventure had two main driving forces... a tribute to a friend you lost last year and doing something big between graduation and "the real world." What about biking from Seattle to Boston checked those boxes?   How did the people in your life react to your trip?   Your photos in Instagram were  stunning and helped tell your story so well... what were you using to take the pictures and was there anything you'd recommend to bike tourers on how to up their Instagram game?   One of the things that pulled me into your ride was it had some classic bike touring drama... some pretty low parts revealing humanity's awfulness and high points showing off real generosity. What's stuck with you more?   You had someone you were riding with take your wallet... how does that color trust of fellow riders in the future?   Let's talk about your gear. First of all I saw lots of orange so Pedalshift stamp of approval. What were you riding and what guided your bike and gear choices?   What one thing did you think you'd use a lot, but ended up sending back or otherwise regretting to bring?   What was the thing you think most people don't take on tour, but you wouldn't leave home without?   People often have trouble adjusting to the end of tours... you also are transitioning from school to work.... and you have a connection to the tragedy of Shelli Snyder from Cleveland who was struck from behind by a person in a vehicle in Montana which has really impacted a lot of us.   Any one of these things is tough... how has this triple whammy return to "the real world" gone?    Any future tours on the horizon?    How can listeners check out your adventures?     Connections   Merit Badge?   PS member and FOTS Ethan Georgi Just listened to ep 58 with Riscica talking about being homeless while bike touring & it reminded me. Recently on tour someone asked me if I was homeless. Is there a merit badge for that?   Congrats, you win the first Pedalshift Merit Badge! This is the highly coveted, "Dude, really?" badge for those SMH questions you get on tour.   Collect all 44 badges by making one up and emailing [email protected].   Rabbit hole.   FOTS Todd Tillinger  More on the rolling resistance of tires. This is for touring and e-bikes, but they test other categories as well. http://www.bicyclerollingresistance.com/tour-reviews   It's a nerd's delight... graphs and data on rolling resistance plotted   against inflation PSI, puncture resistance and more. My head hurts... in a good way!   The Marathon Supremes I roll on get 5/5... I also got some good data-based advice on what pressure is best to roll on. It also confirmed that the puncture resistance is great on the tread but below average on the sides... which we know