The Pedalshift Project 290: Beginner Mistakes

I used to do a beginners series on the show (and hope to do another again) but never did a whole show on “don’t make the same mistake I did.” So, on this episode… mistakes to avoid as a beginner!

Hey it’s the direct download link for The Pedalshift Project 290: Beginner Mistakes (mp3).

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Beginner Mistakes

Another Reddit-influenced episode!

Having the wrong gear range for your ride

My story about my first tour

Underestimating elevation

I live where it is flat. First overnight was on the Blue Ridge Parkway for 53 miles and 6,200 feet of elevation gain. Map showed restrooms at two locations along the route so I took a little over a half gallon of fluids. I didn’t realize how much climbing sucks water out of you. Turns out the two restrooms were dry composting and didn’t have water. When ever I saw someone with water on an overlook, I begged some water from them.

Making miles over making memories

i probably could’ve pulled over and seen more of the country, done more exploration. i crossed the country in 58 days, clocking 70-90 miles every day, and that was pretty aggressive. my next one will be slower.

No waterproof gear

It will probably rain on you and your gear unless you’re in the desert, but then probably too because of course

Ignoring pain

Numb hands? Sharp pain in the knees? Consistent saddle sores? These are all solvable, usually with bike adjustments and not extra padding!

Packing too much

This is so hard to assess on your first tour, but to be honest it’s more typical than not. Bikepackers think about minimalism first and might not run into this as much as the panniered.

Slotting easily back into normal life after a long tour

If your tour is longer than a couple of weeks, it takes time to get back into the real world. Give yourself transition time and space.

As always we like to close out the show with a special shoutout to the Pedalshift Society! Because of support from listeners like you, Pedalshift is a weekly bicycle touring podcast with a global community, expanding into live shows and covering new tours like this summer’s upcoming bike tour! If you like what you hear, you can support the show for 5 bucks, 2 bucks or even a buck a month. And there’s one-shot and annual options if you’re not into the small monthly thing. Check it all out at pedalshift.net/society.

Kimberly Wilson
Caleb Jenkinson
Cameron Lien
Andrew MacGregor
Michael Hart
Keith Nagel
Brock Dittus
Thomas Skadow
Marco Lo
Terrance Manson
Harry Telgadas
Chris Barron
Mark Van Raam
Brad Hipwell
Mr. T
Nathan Poulton
Stephen Dickerson
Vince LoGreco
Cody Floerchinger
Tom Benenati
Greg Braithwaite
Sandy Pizzio
Jeff Muster
Seth Pollack
Joseph Quinn
Drue Porter
Byron Paterson
Joachim Raber
Ray Jackson
Jeff Frey
Kenny Mikey
Lisa Hart
John Denkler
Steve Hankel
Miguel Quinones
Alejandro Avilés-Reyes
Keith Spangler
Greg Towner
Dan Gebhart, RIP
Jody Dzuranin
Lucas Barwick
Michael Baker
Brian Bechtol
Reinhart Bigl
Greg Middlemis
Connie Moore
William Gothmann
Brian Benton
Joan Churchill
Mike Bender
Rick Weinberg
Billy Crafton
Gary Matushak
Greg L’Etoile-Lopes
James Sloan
Jonathan Dillard
John Funk
Tom Bilcze
Ronald Piroli
Dave Roll
Brian Hafner
Misha LeBlanc
Ari Messinger
David Gratke
Todd Groesbeck
Wally Estrella
Sue Reinert
John Leko
Stephen Granata
Phillip Mueller
Robert Lackey
Dominic Carol
Jacqi McCulloch
John Hickman
Carl Presseault
David Neves
Patty Louise
Terry Fitzgerald
Peter Steinmetz
Timothy Fitzpatrick
Michael Liszewski
Hank O’Donnell
David Zanoni
David Weil
Matthew Sponseller
Chad Reno
Spartan Dale
Carolyn Ferguson
Peggy Littlefield
Lauren Allansmith
Eric Burns
Thomas Pearl
Darrin McKibben
Richard Stewart
Dave Fletcher
Jack Smith
Luke Parkinson
Ryan Patterson
Cyrus Farivar

Music

You’ve been hearing about Jason Kent and his music for many fine episodes. Jason has a new track available NOW, and a new album dropping very soon AND Jason’s first solo album is now streaming on Spotify, including America, the Pedalshift theme. Go listen!