SBRDude

It never ceases to amaze me when people feel the need to take potshots at roadies in a desperate attempt to explain why touring isn't more popular, as if there is something inherently wrong with being a roadie, young or old.

AdamDZ

Most roadies are cagers on bikes the way I see it, not real cyclists.

tacomee

Ah, I was 19 then. It does look kind of silly looking back, of course. The biggest trouble with the Bike Industry is that it can't seem to really grow up. The core supporters of most bike shops in the USA is a group of guys over 40 who spend $$$$ on faux Tour de France racing bikes and other over-priced Euro Gear. In full disclosure, I own some a lot of this stuff, ride with friends who have the whole Lance Armstrong Bike and Kit. I'm OK with it, it's just fun.

But most of the US public looks at the Lance Wannabees and say no to any kind of real cycling. That's why riding bikes in any non-roadie way, in street clothes, commuting, on tour (bike camping is a better word) is so important to getting more people on bikes (and on tour!) Because bikes really belong to everybody.

DW99

A touring club, the concept sounds interesting, as long as membership remained low. Maybe a touring group. Part of what I like about riding down the road or trail is the solitude, but occasionally ya just feel like sharing the experience with someone. It's a new year, a new endeavor, such as a touring group, may be fun.

If I'm back here in a few months asking the same question as Big Blue Toe, we'll know how that went.

"I wouldn’t want to belong to a club that would accept me as a member." -Groucho Marx, paraphrasing Mark Twain, I think.

Chris L

There's a "touring club" in Brisbane -- most of their rides are 40-50km day rides to coffee shops. From my observations, it's pretty much the same elsewhere, too.

I'm with the people who say that touring is too much perceived effort and risk for most people. A lot of people (even other cyclists) probably think you'll break down in the middle of nowhere, or get attacked by vagrants at your campsite, or any one of a number of other things. I remember having a conversation with a roadie in Melbourne some years ago at a red light when I was riding to the airport at the completion of a tour down that way. I gave him a brief rundown of what I'd done and what my route had been, he seemed impressed enough, but adamant that he could never do something like that. The truth is, he was probably more than capable of it, but I guess the thought of spending two weeks in a tent didn't appeal.

Today I did a 110km ride with a friend who was talking about touring Tasmania with me some years ago. In the end he decided it was all too hard as far as that tour was concerned, and didn't make the trip. I did it by myself and had a great time, and have since gone on to other things in cycle touring. I still ride with this guy on a regular basis, but touring just isn't his thing. So be it. As others have said, be careful what you wish for. The freedom of touring solo is an easy thing to take for granted, but it's something you'll miss if you hook up with an incompatable or inflexible touring partner.

Machka 

Well there's your problem ... you're trying to get people who don't ride bicycles and don't like camping to join you on a cycling tour that involves riding bicycles and camping! It's no surprise that they won't tour with you.

If you want to tour with someone, find people who do like touring and camping.

Join a cycletouring club ... or several clubs.

If you were living in Alberta, you'd sign up with one or both of these clubs:
https://www.elbowvalleycc.org/
https://www.bikeclub.ca/

If you were living in Manitoba, you'd sign up with this club:
https://winnipegcyclingclub.ca/drupal/

If you lived in the Melbourne area, you'd be spoiled for choice, but you might consider this one:
https://home.vicnet.net.au/~mbtc/


I would think there would be something similar in your area.


Sure, a lot of their rides might be 50-100 km day rides, but there's nothing wrong with day rides in various area ... it's a great way to get to know your local area, and to get to know like-minded people. Most of these clubs also have weekend tours, and sometimes even longer tours, and from my experience those tours are quite well run. From what I've heard ... what happens quite often is that when 2 or more cycletourists in these clubs get to know each other and each other's cycling styles, etc from doing the day rides and short organised tours ... they go off in small groups and tour all over the world.

If you want to tour with other cyclists ... get to know other cyclists.


I've been a member of 1 or more cycling clubs since 1998 when I joined a racing club and raced for 3 years. In 2001, I joined the local Randonneuring club, and in 2003, I also joined the local cycletouring club because I was tired of riding alone on weekends. I'd often cycle 50 km to join up with a ride the cycletouring club was putting on, ride the 75 km ride with them, and then ride 50 km home again for a decent day's riding. When I moved to Alberta I joined the local Randonneuring club, and both cycletouring clubs. At one point I was also a member of the BC Randonneurs.

Newspaperguy

A couple of years ago, when I stopped for a quick snack at a small store, the woman behind the counter said she couldn't do what I was doing. I had finished a climb of 1,300 metres in 49 metres.

"Yes, you could," I told her. "It's mostly mental. If you believe you can, you can."

"That's wise advice," she said slowly.

After my snack, I continued my ride. I don't know if the woman at the store ever tried bike touring, but I hope she started to think about trying something she had not earlier thought of as possible.

Cyclesafe

Maybe she thought you were training for the rapture....

Newspaperguy

Oops. Should have said 49 kilometres. Climbing 1,300 metres in 49 metres would have put me into the realm of the supernatural.

Altair 4

I'm in the early prep stages of putting together a ride for two on the GAP - my first touring attempt. I won't consider camping, even though it could be fun, simply because I'm too arthritic to do it. Geez, most beds don't let me get a good night's sleep. A bum shoulder, questionable knees and hips and an ever-ready-to-go-out lower back makes me extremely leery of the camping aspect. At 40 to 50 miles per day, the ride itself isn't intimidating me.

Other things that concern me about the ride:

1) Personality Compatibility - even when you think you know someone, you really don't until you're with them for prolonged 24/7 periods. As a friend of a friend once mentioned, referring to dating versus marriage, "anyone can hide their psychosis for 8 hours, it's in the long term that's hard."
2) Ride Style Compatibility - You want to ride 60 mile days, but the other person is more in the 40 mile range. Somebody isn't going to be happy.
3) Time Constraints - For me, this is the biggest problem. I've kid-related time obligations that can't be easily overcome because of my work schedule as well as my wife's. We barely cover the bases now, with sports, dance, and educational commitments.

I've got a narrow window of opportunity for the GAP. The plan is go self-contained, but credit card touring, staying at B&B's and eating at restaurants along the way. The GAP meets that need pretty well. I'm hoping it goes well and perhaps we can consider other rides.

truman

I found co-riders by organizing a tour to benefit others. In my case it was for wounded veterans, but any cause could potentially compel someone who was on the fence about touring to get serious and come along with you.

marmot

I wonder about myself. At 62, I have the urge for the first time. I guess it's because I did some rural riding around my cottage -- including using my bike as a shuttle vehicle for a downriver paddling trip -- and was amazed at how much ground I could cover on a bike, and how downright pleasant it was. So I've acquired enough gear to get started, and next spring I'm hitting the road -- some road, to somewhere.
I'm thinking I'll go solo, so as not to tie myself to someone else's pace or interests. I doubt anyone will want to go slow enough to stay with me!

lucille

I see you're in Ottawa, how about you ride from Ottawa to Montreal? We're hoping to ride Toronto to Ottawa, and Ottawa to Montreal next year, maybe. This site has a very good route: https://www.hedney.com/o-m.htm. We haven't used this particular one, but other routes from this website have been very useful to us.

Sorry for hijacking.
My husband and I don't really look for touring partners. Other than day trips with friends, which are fun, we find that touring works best for the two of us without company. We're pretty in-tune about where we want to go, what to see, and where to stop for food or pictures. We're also at similar fitness level, although he's much better on hills. I like the idea of touring with a group of friends, but I think in reality it wouldn't work for us.

brawny

+1

My wife and I tour every summer together. Great way to reconnect from the stresses of everyday life. BBT - I'm assuming that your wife isn't interested in touring, or you would have toured together by now.

That being said, I'll probably be in the same boat as you looking for a tour companion this summer as I have a few extra weeks of vacation that my wife doesn't share. It would be great if there were some sort of 'tour registry' where you could find others interested in touring in your area. Posting threads here seems a bit hit or miss...

Brawny
(Looking for an interesting 2 week-ish tour in Ontario or the North Eastern US this summer and some interesting folks to ride with).

garethzbarker

I wish I had the time you guys have. My wife is giving me 6 or 7 days this summer for my first tour and I'm blown away. A lot of people just don't have the time to pack their crap and ride a bike around for weeks or months. It's truly a luxury and I hope those that participate in it realize that. I have a friend planning a trip across China and another planning a trip from Alaska to south America; I'm so jealous I could cry.

Caretaker

Why Won't nobody tour with me?

Why do you want to tour with 'nobody' rather than somebody or anybody?

Shouldn't the question be "why will nobody tour with me?" or "why won't anybody tour with me?".

truman

You might be better suited to posting to another forum.

Perhaps: https://www.englishforums.com/English...ns/Forum12.htm

acantor

I have toured myself, and toured with others, and enjoyed both. As much as I like having somebody to share the experience with, I am happy to tour solo.

A nice workaround, when nobody is available to accompany you, is to plan tours in areas where you know people. A few years ago, on a trip from Toronto to Ottawa, I hung out with friends in Coborg, Bloomfield, Kingston, Sydenham, and finally, Ottawa. On a trip in Europe, I travelled with my bicycle to a small town where I met a friend for breakfast, cycled solo for two or three days, spent a weekend cycling with a friend who drove six hours to meet me, took a train to Geneva where I hung out with friends for a couple of days, and finally, took a train to Dijon and cycled for two or three more days by myself before heading home.

Altair 4

LOL! You lucky dog! I've been allocated three days for my trip.

acantor

At this point in my life, six or seven days is the perfect length of time to be away!

I did two and three week trips until my 40s, but now, with family obligations, it's harder to find that kind of time. I look forward to my three to four day trips, as well as the occasional long afternoon rides in the country.

Caretaker

That's the kind of reaction I get when I ask people if they want to tour with me.

scroca

Because of your grammar.

Caretaker

We could probably tour together but unfortunately we live thousands of miles apart.

rogerstg

What do relatives have to do with this?

Kidding aside to the OP: Like all interests/hobbies, you need to find a way to hang out with like minded folks. Maybe take part in a few organized tours or get involved as a volunteer in a cycling group/club, etc.

Northwestrider

Most people are intimidated with the unknown, and being uncomfortable. In my case I prefer touring with only my wife, if she is not able to come along, I prefer to ride alone.