Originally Posted by BigBlueToe

Okay, this is probably going to be a pointless thread full of whining. I didn't want to hijack the "Are Tourers Dinosaurs" thread, so I'm starting a new one.

I've loved bike touring since the mid-70's. In all that time I've only once been able to convince anyone to try it and come on a tour with me. Why is that?

I remember when I was considering touring for the first time myself, I worried that carrying a bunch of gear on my bike would make it hard to keep upright and impossible to climb hills. I remember vividly how pleasantly surprised I was to discover that neither of these was true. Sure, you have to be careful when starting, to maintain stability with a load, but once you're moving it's not much of an issue.

I also remember thinking that riding with a load wasn't that big of a deal. What a wonderful revelation. Sure, it was hard climbing hills with my old 10-speed, but with a granny gear and low gearing it's usually not a big deal.

Probably the biggest reason my friends won't consider going on a bike tour with me is that most of them don't ride bikes. (Duh.... gee, that would matter, wouldn't it?) Those who do mostly think a bike ride is a couple of miles on a bike path (with no hills.) I hear people voice concerns about riding on roads with traffic, and about how horrible it is to ride up hills.

I try and tell them that with proper use of gears you can achieve an effort level that you can sustain all day without being some superstrong superathlete. I tell them that hills are no problem if you have lots of gears and know how to use them. I tell them that traffic isn't that big of an issue if you have defensive skills and choose good routes (and maybe use a mirror.)

They don't listen.

And then there are people who wouldn't consider touring with me because they wouldn't consider camping. Have you noticed how few people camp in tents these days? Nowadays a lot of people think camping means bring a motorhome with a queen-size bed, couch, dinette, oven, microwave, etc. I'm not saying I wouldn't enjoy that, but I still enjoy sleeping in a tent, in a sleeping bag, on a sleeping pad, on the ground! I especially enjoy knowing that I'm hauling everything I need under my own power.

Whine, whine, whine, right?