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 basecamp, and not a commentary on my beloved Portland. It remains the land of sunshine and bunnies, and it's just down I-5.

There's obviously other details to all of this but they are far more weedsy than worth getting into for you all. Let's focus on the parts that impact the pod!

What Seattle Unlocks for Bike Adventures

Puget Sound & the Islands

• Bainbridge, Vashon, Whidbey, and the San Juans
• Ferry-based overnighters and S24Os

Olympic Peninsula

• ACA Pacific Coast connections
• Port Townsend → Sequim → Forks routes
• Big coastal scenery for trip diaries

Cascade Range

• Palouse to Cascades Trail (hello, cross-state gravel epic)
• Snoqualmie Pass corridor
• North Cascades Highway rides when the snow gods allow

British Columbia

• Vancouver + Victoria loops
• Easier cross-border touring content

Western US Access

Simpler jumps to NorCal, SoCal, Alaska, and Rocky Mountain tour starts

How the Show Evolves

More Micro-Tours

Seattle puts quality riding minutes—not hours—away, which means more short trips, more experiments, more rapid-fire episodes.

Some Non-Bicycle Adventures

Exploring by foot - hiking, urban adventures and more. Not a replacement for bikes, but a compliment.

New Possible Arcs

• The Islands Project
• The Puget Sound Loops
• Palouse to Cascades: Piece by Piece
• Return to the Coast (Seattle → Portland → Coast → beyond)

Year-Round Riding

Milder PNW winters = more shoulder-season content and gear discussions. Also proximity to southern CA for winter riding?

What Stays the Same

• The philosophy of intentional, practical, joyful bike travel
• Long-form tours and multi-state adventures
• Portland is the land of sunshine and bunnies, and Seattle will need a tagline

Early Seattle Recon

• Riding West Seattle, Alki, and Elliott Bay
• Ferry recon missions
• Scouting trails, routes, and spots for easy S24Os
• Checking out the local bike shop ecosystem

Production Notes

• Scheduling in winter and spring TBD with some back and forth travel
• Regular episode cadence with best-of's

Listener Input Wanted

• Got Seattle, Puget Sound, or PNW route suggestions? Hidden gems? Ferries worth timing for golden hour? Winter riding hacks?
• Hit me up—I'll feature the best ones in future episodes.

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.

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!

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 swing and miss.
• @BounceBackWesterner"I subscribed to the ACA magazine for one year. I was happy with one edition, but then, it seemed like there was a trend to rides that were extremely challenging and demanding whether that be road or offroad. These folks predominantly seemed younger and maybe that's where most of their subscriptions come from. "
• Another point: ACA was built on a need which may not exist anymore. Before they were the best and maybe only resource for routes and maps that had been vetted. Now there are way more resources.
• Listener Harry Hellerman was a great example of someone who's let his ACA membership lapse after 20 years. The reason? Kind of what ACA was saying… he says he's aging out and the roads are now occupied by larger and larger vehicles, so there's a safety concern.

Regarding Touring being down

• Multiple listeners: Travel is down across the board, but travel to the US in particular has taken a huge hit. Lots of factors there, but you can't ignore the current politics as a possible reason here.
• Listener Andrew Piper: "Data point: For a 2-year comparison, the overall demand for search terms around "bike touring" is infact down 25%-35% YoY. However, using the same comparison, the demand for terms around "bikepacking" is up about 40%. Which does lend itself to the change in nomenclature more than an actual decline in interest."
• "I think I am maybe a couple years younger than yourself at best. Of the people I have seen doing this, I always feel I am on the younger side of the sport. Logistically it makes sense. Who has time to do this....older people."
• Bicycling for older generations was a big part of freedom - it might not be that for younger generations?
• Listener Dr. G4 wrote a really thoughtful email from the perspective of a younger rider.
  • Shorter touring is much more of a thing
  • Some of the places where the routes go don't feel welcoming (political, demographics)
  • Real shift to urbanism amongst younger generation
  • Poor infrastructure/safety
  • perception: ACA represents an older version of bicycle travel (longer trips)
  • "I think what the next generation wants is not road maps, but trail maps and advocacy for more trails and trail amenities (and, I might note, probably videos, how-tos, explainers, and meetups, not print versions of easily-googleable information)."
  • "it's clear from the overabundance of urbanist youth getting around by transit, bicycles, or even scooters that travel by bicycle isn't going anywhere anytime soon. But turning them into bicycle tourers involves developing routes and programs that are closer to cities and farther from cars, marketing dedicated bicycle trails as one piece of an integrated solution for transit- and bicycle-accessible nature, specifically focussing on routes with many transit junctions to allow long routes to be chewed in smaller chunks, helping the rapidly-growing contingent of bicycle commuters to learn how to use their bicycles beyond weekdays to short or long weekends (with week-long or more tours being an eventual end goal, not the primary purpose), and politically advocating for car-displacing trains, trails, and cycle tracks that make all this possible."

•Rails to Trails Conservancy may have the better model?

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.

What the ACA Letter Tells Us

• Recent email to ACA membership on a vote regarding selling their building in Missoula
  • Membership down from almost 40,000 in 2023 to about 18,000 today.
  • Donations down.
  • Demand for guided tours has softened.
  • Sales of maps/routes have dropped with free digital tools and GPS routes everywhere.
• Their diagnosis
  • Members aging out of cycling.
  • Some people don't feel enough value in a paid membership.
  • Travel patterns are changing; inflation and costs are up; maybe fewer people committing to long guided tours.
• The building sale piece:
  • ACA can sell their big, underutilized Missoula headquarters for ~$2.55M, then lease back just the space they need.
  • The goal is to buy a "runway" of a few years to rebuild membership and modernize programs (digital experience, routes, tours, events).
• This is serious—membership halving in a couple of years is not a blip.
• But this is one institution. It's a single data point, not the whole story.

Is ACA's Crisis Proof That Touring Is Dying?

• Possible "touring is in trouble" interpretation:
  • If the biggest U.S. touring org is shrinking, maybe demand really is falling.
  • Fewer people willing to pay for routes, maps, and guided tours could indicate less interest in traditional loaded touring.
• Alternative explanations:
  • Value perception problem:
  • If you can download GPX routes for free, people might not feel like they need a membership.
  • Younger riders may not connect with a membership model or a print magazine in the same way.
• Business model problem vs. touring problem:
  • Guided tours and paper maps are specific products. Those can decline even if DIY touring thrives.
  • If a streaming-era kid doesn't buy DVDs, it doesn't mean movies are dead—just that the business model changed. Same question here: is ACA Blockbuster, or are movies in trouble?

The Aging Out Effect

• The ACA explicitly mentions aging out of cycling.
• Talk through generational dynamics:
  • A lot of classic touring energy came from the boomers and older Gen X.
  • Long, multi-week tours require time, health, and often retirement or very flexible work.
• People aging out doesn't necessarily mean the activity is dying, but:
  • If younger generations aren't replacing those numbers, you get a visible decline.
• Touring can look intimidating: expensive gear, big time commitments, safety fears.
• Possible barriers for younger riders:
  • Student debt, unstable housing, fewer long chunks of vacation, higher baseline anxiety around traffic and climate disasters (heat, smoke, extreme weather).

The Rise of Bikepacking and Off-Road Travel

• Ttouring may just be changing costume:
  • More folks are drawn to bikepacking and gravel: lighter gear, off-road routes, "adventure" branding.
  • Social media and brands push a certain aesthetic: frame bags, dirt roads, epic photography.
• Contrast vibes:
  • Classic touring: fenders, racks, panniers, highways, small towns, campgrounds.
  • Bikepacking: singletrack/doubletrack, BLM land, forest roads, more "expedition-y", often shorter but punchier trips.
• If someone is out for five days with bags on their bike, sleeping outside and moving every day… and we're calling that bikepacking instead of touring… did touring really decline, or did it just get relabeled?
• Is bikepacking now the umbrella term for bike adventuring?

Is It Just a (pardon the pun) Cycle?

• Historical perspective:
  • There was a big touring boom in the 1970s and again mini-waves around the early 2000s .
  • We thought the 2020 COVID bike boom would impact things, but did it?
  • Outdoor sports often rise and fall with the economy, culture, and media stories.
• Economic cycle:
  • High inflation, higher travel costs, and general uncertainty can make long trips harder.
  • At the same time, travel has become more fragmented: people take 3-day trips instead of 3-week odysseys.
• Cultural cycle:
  • Right now, gravel and ultra-events (Unbound, etc.) get the headlines. Touring is slow and unsexy by comparison.
  • Slow unsexy things tend to look "dead" for a while… until the next backlash against all the hype and burnout.
• We might be in the hangover phase after the COVID bike boom and a big cultural swing toward short, 'epic' experiences.

Other Factors That Make Touring Feel Smaller

• Safety and traffic fears: distracted driving, speed, road rage, social media amplifying every horror story.
• Climate and weather extremes: heat domes, wildfire smoke, storms—touring has always danced with weather, but now the dice feel loaded.
• Information overload: paradoxically, infinite online info can make people freeze and not choose any tour.
• Shift to micro-touring: overnighters, weekend campouts, credit-card touring instead of epic cross-country runs. That looks less visible on the ACA radar but might be the real growth area.

What ACA's Plan Signals About the Future

• Positive outlook: Selling an underused building to buy time to modernize could be a good sign. It's a choice to adapt instead of slowly bleed out.
• They're explicitly planning to invest in:
  • More routes and route updates
  • Digital and website improvements
  • Stronger advocacy tools
  • Expanded tours and member events
• The big question:
  • Can an organization built around old touring models reinvent itself for a world of bikepacking, GPS, and dispersed, remote communities?
  • Will they pivot toward being the hub for all forms of bike travel, not just pannier touring?

Final Take: Is Touring Actually in Decline?

Yes, in the classic sense.

• Fewer people paying for memberships, maps, and guided pannier tours.
• The touring demographic that built ACA is shrinking and aging.

No, if you widen the definition.

• Bikepacking, mixed-surface, overnighters, and "ride-to-your-Airbnb" trips are essentially touring by another name.
• People are still traveling by bicycle; they're just doing it with different gear and routes.

Mostly, it's in a messy transition.

• Legacy institutions and business models are under intense pressure.
• New formats (digital communities, route-sharing platforms, YouTube, social media) are where a lot of the energy lives now.
• The story isn't "touring is dying"—it's "touring is migrating."

• Go on any kind of bike trip—overnight, credit-card, dirt, paved, doesn't matter.
• Support whichever orgs, creators, or communities actually help them get out the door (ACA, local groups, creators, etc.).
• If you're an ACA member, vote on the building sale by November 24. Whatever side you land on it seems like this will likely define things for ACA for the next several years.

•Bike touring has always been a niche. The question isn't whether the niche survives—it's what form it takes for the next generation. And we all get to shape that.

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!

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… extra distance per day? Twice as fast? Looking at a push west and maybe north too.

Points for trying with the Lake Ontario trip.

Something international – you non-US folks have been very patient with this America-centric pod. We'll see if we can get wheels down someplace I need a passport.

Check! Helllloooo Canada!

I also got to do off-pod adventures in Ireland, Northern Ireland and Belgium… no biking but a lot of walking and exploring.

West coast – what, you thought I wouldn't hit the Pacific coast? Pffft… find another podcast! Probably summer.

Check! Mysterious Oregon trip!

More bike adjacent adventures – exploring someplace where I ride, a bike gets used, but it's not necessarily the full focus.

Europe trip was an adventure but not bike-adjacent. But I have a small one coming up in a few weeks that is absolutely out of left field in terms of location, but wholeheartedly checks the box, so CHECK. Shall we do a preview? (You'll have to listen to get that one!)

A chat with Sylva Florence, an experienced bicycle tourist and author of many things (including her blog The Sylva Lining) on touring as a solo woman, how people who want to be allies to solo women touring can do that without being creepy, and some of her favorite adventures. Originally podcast July 15, 2021.

What if you could tour with just what fits in a single dry bag? No panniers. Just the essentials. On this episode, we take this as a challenge - borrowing from the ultralight backpacking folks, we cut off our toothbrush handles and weigh every gram for the ultralight bikepacking challenge!

"What if you could tour with just what fits in your handlebar bag? No panniers. No rack. Just the essentials."

Why: curiosity, simplicity, nimble handling, testing limits for overnighters or credit card touring.

Rules: one mid-size drybag (say 10–12L). No extra frame or seat bags.

Trip assumptions: 1–2 nights, shoulder season, mild weather but possible cool nights.

Riding style: paved/mixed surfaces, moderate daily mileage.

Shelter

Options to debate:

Tarp + bivy sack (light, cheap, minimal bug protection).

Minimal trekking pole tarp (if you carry a pole or can use the bike).

Emergency bivy + bug net (super small but spartan).

UL single-wall tent (if you can compress to fit — ~1lb tents exist).

Hammock

Where I land:

Shelter Zpacks Hexamid Pocket Tarp 5.2 oz Dyneema, no floor; packs to fist size

Groundsheet Polycryo sheet (cut to size) 1.5 oz Cheap and super compact

Bug Net Sea to Summit Nano Pyramid (solo) 2.9 oz Optional if mosquitoes likely

Stakes 6 titanium shepherd hooks 2 oz Can share with tarp

Guyline 2 mm reflective cord 1 oz Multipurpose (also for repairs)

Total Shelter Weight: ~12 oz (340 g)

Sleep Kit

Pad: short closed-cell foam (Z-lite cut down) vs ultralight inflatable (NeoAir Uberlite).

Quilt: 40°F down quilt packs to a grapefruit.

Sleep Clothing layering: puffy jacket + base layers to extend quilt rating.

pillow (there are some ultralight inflatables too)

Where I land:

Sleep Pad Therm-a-Rest NeoAir UberLite (small) 6 oz Packs smaller than a soda can

Quilt Enlightened Equipment Enigma 40°F 13 oz Compresses to a grapefruit

Pillow Exped Air UL pillow (small) 1.6 oz Optional luxury

Sleep Clothes Lightweight merino top + boxer briefs 6 oz Doubles as camp wear

Total Sleep Weight: ~27 oz (765 g)

Cooking vs. No-Cook

No-cook: bars, wraps, cold soak jar.

Minimal cook: Esbit/solid fuel stove + titanium mug.

Coffee strategy: instant packets vs small UL brewer.

Space/weight trade-off: ditch cook kit for luxury (camera, extra clothes).

Where I land:

Cold Soak System Plastic PB jar 2oz

Utensil Long Ti spoon 0.5 oz

Mug (if separate) MSR Titan 2.4 oz

Food for 2 days Wraps, instant oatmeal, nuts, bars, jerky, instant coffee ~24 oz

Water 1 L Smartwater bottle (frame-mounted)

Total Cooking/Food Weight (excluding water): ~29 oz (820 g)

Clothing & Tools

No change of clothes on this one… one base layer, puffy jacket layer.

Rain shell = big payoff for little space.

Simple wool hat

Micro tool kit: multi-tool, chain link, tiny pump, patch kit instead of spare tube.

hygiene: Dr Bronner's in smallest travel bottle, small camp towel, travel toothbrush.

Where I land:

Rain Shell Patagonia Houdini or OR Helium 6 oz Ultralight but reliable

Insulation Layer Montbell Plasma 1000 puffy 5 oz Packs to palm size

Extra Base Layer / socks Wool top + socks 5 oz For camp

Toiletries Toothbrush, mini paste, Bronner's, wet wipes 3 oz Minimalist hygiene

Headlamp Nitecore NU25 1 oz USB rechargeable

Total Clothing/Personal Weight: ~20 oz (570 g)

Multitool Lezyne RAP II-12 3 oz Compact essentials

Mini Pump Lezyne Pocket Drive 3 oz Mount to frame if possible

Chain link / tape / zip ties / patch kit Small zip bag 1 oz Field repairs

Phone + powerbank 10 000 mAh Anker 6 oz Also powers headlamp

Map / ID / Credit Card — negligible "Ultralight credit card touring" insurance

Total Tools/Misc Weight: ~13 oz (370 g)

Packing Tetris

Bottom: sleep system (quilt/compressed pad).

Middle: shelter/tarp.

Top: food/clothing.

Outside: light rain shell/camp shoes?

Safety & Bail Out Options

Emergency bail plan: credit card, rideshare, motel.

Weather veto: if forecast turns ugly, change trip.

My Packed Total

Category Weight

Shelter 12 oz

Sleep 27 oz

Cooking/Food 29 oz

Clothing/Personal 20 oz

Tools/Misc 13 oz

Total ~6.31 lb (2.86 kg) inside dry bag

Conclusion

Who this works for: weekenders, credit card tourists, fair-weather minimalists.

Who it doesn't: long winter trips, remote routes with no services, the comfort-oriented

The psychological side of going this minimal: what you gain (freedom, simplicity) vs. what you lose (comfort, margin).

We're bringing back one of the wackiest ideas in Pedalshift history — the Game of Chance! Using random number generators and the excellent Adventure Cycling Association routes, it's an unpredictable coast-to-coast bike tour from the Pacific to the Atlantic. When every turn is determined by chance the results are... surprisingly awesome?

In This Episode:

• Revisiting the "Game of Chance" touring experiment from 2021

• Using randomness to pick routes across ACA's national network

• Riding (and re-riding) the Pacific Coast, Northern Tier, Lewis & Clark, TransAm, and more

• Ferry crossings, backcountry climbs, and surprise state detours

• How randomness can spark new route ideas and winter planning inspiration

Mentioned:

• Adventure Cycling Association

• Pacific Coast Route

• Lewis & Clark Trail

• Northern Tier

• TransAmerica Trail

• Great Divide, Great Parks, Lake Erie Connector

The Route (as determined by chance):

Segment

Route(s)

Start → End

1

Pacific Coast

Anacortes, WA → Westport, OR

2

Lewis & Clark

Westport, OR → Cascade Locks, OR

3

Sierra Cascades (North)

Cascade Locks, OR → Twisp, WA

4

Northern Tier

Twisp, WA → Eureka, MT

5

Great Parks North

Eureka, MT → Missoula, MT

6

TransAm

Missoula, MT → Walden, CO

7

TransAm (continued)

Walden, CO → Springfield, MO

8

Bicycle Route 66

Springfield, MO → St. Louis, MO

9

Eastern Express Connector

St. Louis, MO → Indianapolis, IN

10

Chicago–NYC + North Lakes

Indianapolis, IN → Northern MI

11

Lake Erie Connector

Sandusky, OH → Buffalo, NY (via Ontario)

12

Northern Tier

Buffalo, NY → Bar Harbor, ME

Stealth camping is a great skill to develop and a fantastic option to have for emergencies or maybe even your main overnight plan on a bike tour. But what if your tent is so bright it can be seen from miles away? On this episode, we talk about what worked for my last tent and what I'm trying on my newer one. Originally podcast September 8, 2022.

Spray panting the tarp Tarp was orange so it needed full coverage Used a matte forest green Took 3 full cans to cover (more than I expected) Then covered with a waterproofing spray (think KIWI brand) Tarp worked like a charm – water beaded off just like before Was stiffer and heavier than before Tarp has finally failed at the zippers so it needs to be replaced Color has also worn off over time, although it still is predominantly well covered

New tent is blue and very light gray, tarp is mostly the light gray Better than orange, but still needs stealthification Redditor recommended Rit dying I was a bit skeptical but decided to go for it Got 2 dark forest greens and 1 chocolate brown that was designed for nylon A lot of boiling water (9 gallons!) and a big bin Let it get in there overnight and… It sort of worked. It's super brown on one side, but perhaps predictably the back of the tarp, not the water repellant side So, dye job is not recommended

Before, during and after shots:

I have one tarp that is forest green but not terribly suitable for heavy rain I have another tarp that is very light gray and perfect for rain The reverse side is dark brown and not suitable for anything but dry weather I'm bringing *both* tarps for my next tour I can see where a brown tarp and a green tarp could help depending on where I'm tucked in I need to know I have a good rain option I don't always need to be stealth The lineup No need for stealth? Use the new tarp in the normal position regardless of weather Stealth and dry? Use green tarp for tent and brown side out tarp for the bike (or maybe vice versa) Stealth and rain? Use the green tarp over the proper-side-out gray tarp. This is the least likely scenario in a way… if it's really storming would people be out?

Folks, best bet is to get a tent with a slealthy tarp. They are weirdly hard to come by Dye? Not recommended Spray paint? Effective, but with its flaws.

The Mysterious Oregon Coast adventure is in the rearview mirror, but we always like to peek back before moving on. On this edition we marvel at the fun we had on a fairly cursed tour of some of our favorite parts of the Pacific coast!

• Bike prep is key — but stuff still breaks. Even a tiny crank arm pin can end a day. Know shops and backup transport.
• Have Plans A–F ready. Flexibility and quick pivots kept the ride alive when mechanicals hit.
• Buses & rideshares save tours. Coastal transit and surprise Ubers kept us moving.
• Greatest hits still feel fresh. Cape Lookout, South Beach, Newport — new vibes, upgrades, and slower pacing.
• Weather's shifting. Got one classic foggy Yachats day, but most were sunnier/warmer — pack for both.
• Shorter mileage = more joy. 30–40 mi days let us linger in towns and stay energized.
• Hydrate & fuel early/often. Morning "camel up," steady snacks, and Red Bulls beat last year's bonk.
• Hotel nights reset morale. Lincoln City, Yachats, Florence stays turned stress into mini-vacations.
• Logistics flexibility saves cash. Mid-trip flight/car/hotel changes avoided big losses.
• Ditch the perfect plan. Embracing detours and improvisation brought back the adventure and fun