Erm... I really do not see how spending $10 a day on food would "prevent" you from chatting up the locals.

Nor do I personally enjoy the challenges of scrounging in dumpsters for food or determining if the pizza in the trash is 1 day old or 2 days old. The idea of doing a cycle tour without changing your underwear for several days in a row is not just downright gross, it's unhygenic and for almost anyone, bound to cause, well, let's just say "issues."

So where is the challenge and the fun, you might ask? (As though acting like you are below the poverty line is the most valid form of "challenge" and optimal "fun"....) The challenge is physical and mental (e.g. "ride 60+ miles, over hill and dale, day after day"), environmental ("35 miles in the rain, anyone?") and logistical ("how the heck do I get from here to there?"). The fun is traveling with a minimal environmental impact, fast enough to really get somewhere, yet at a slow enough pace and without a glass-and-metal container so that you can really enjoy your surroundings, go off the beaten path at any time, talk to the locals, and really get a feel for a place.

Given the choice between spending 1 month as a thrifty cycle-tourist or 2 months living like a homeless person on a bike, without a moment's hesitation I'll take the former kthx.