How to find a group to tour with?
 

I'm interested in doing a 1-3 week tour in the United States. What is the best way to go about finding a group to do this with?

http://www.adventurecycling.org/mag/companions.cfm
http://www.adventurecycling.org/tours/index.cfm

Another source to look for organized tours: http://www.nbtda.com/default.php

Another possibility is to put together your own trip. Can I surmise from your question as I'd that you aren't from US but from place such as Australia? If so, touring in US wouldn't be that different from someone flying into Melbourne and cycling the Princes Highway along the coast or taking the ferry to Tasmania and cycling there for several weeks. Both can also be done individually as well as finding an organized group.

You might look up bicycle touring clubs and see what sorts of rides they have on their schedules.

Right here on Bike Forums. We put together a very nice group to tour the Great Allegheny Passage a couple of years agao.

I'm from Oklahoma in the US. I went to those sites, I didn't know touring is so expensive!!! The tours are listed at 1k-5k!!! Expensive for a college student lol...Anyone here want to organize a touring/camping trip through the midwest? I'd really like to ride through Arkansas, I've seen a lot of a pretty pictures. lol

Look up the local bicycle touring clubs in the Oklahoma and Arkansas area then, and see what's on their ride schedules. Bicycle touring clubs are usually relatively inexpensive.

Or just post a new thread with your specific itinerary. Who knows, if you put something interesting together, you might get some takers.

Well if you want to do it cheaply then you are going to have to put the trip together yourself. Organized trips can be expaensive.

Touring can be very cheap. Use camping and mix in a few warmshowers hosts and the tour will be very affordable.

FWIW..start alone. You will meet plenty of others on the road and be bound to no one. If they get to be irritating you can easily move on. You are always your own best company.

Also, touring alone seems to bring out the best in people you meet on the road. I have been offered all kinds of hospitality when alone I am sure would not be offered to a group.

It really depends on where you are riding. If you're on one of the more travelled (commercial) routes, then yes you will likely meet others but tour where we often do and you're not likely to see many riders at all, let alone one going in a similar direction.

A couple ideas to get you started ...

Oklahoma Bicycle Society
http://www.oklahomabicyclesociety.com/tours.htm

Evidently they aren't doing a big tour this year, but they are doing some weekend tours.


Oklahoma Freewheel
http://www.okfreewheel.com/

Their big event is over, but there's another one next year, and they've got links to a bunch of other events.


The thing is, if you join a club and/or start participating in events like the ones mentioned in the links above, you will meet people in your area who like cycling and like doing a bit of cycletouring. From what I've observed when I've been a member of several similar clubs is that club members do the organised rides and get to know who rides their pace and their style, etc., ... and then these smaller groups of cyclists get together and go off and do their own tours.