Re: [RBW]and Adventure Cycling question

[Joan Oppel]

I've been on one Adventure Cycling tour and know a number of people who have been on one of their tours.  First though, I'd point out that they have several different types of tours - minimal support, where there are 10-12 people, route info provided, everyone carries his/her own stuff plus some shared gear, camp every night, buy food and share cooking duties, but a guide goes along.  There are a couple of other levels too, so check out the notes about each tour that appeals to you.  Prices vary of course.

The one I went on was "fully supported" - about 50-60 people, support truck carried gear, caterer and catering truck were with the trip the whole way and provided breakfast and dinner.  We camped in commercial camp grounds with showers.  Route sheets for every day plus a support vehicle on the route with water and some snacks.  It was a well run trip, great group of staff and riders.  Everyone I know who has done one or another type of Adventure Cycling tour has had positive things to say.

Note that I've done multi-day trips that include everything from self-supported touring with one to 4 friends, big cross-state group rides with 1,000 - 2,000 riders (Bike Virginia, Cycle North Carolina), smaller group rides with 100-150 with minimal support, etc.   It seems to me that Adventure Cycling pricing for their trips is in line with other groups that offer similar kinds of camping, services, food support.  I have never done the expensive Backroads or similar rides.

 Joan

 

On 08/13/12, PATRICK MOORE<bert...@gmail.com> wrote:

 

1. I recently swapped for a pair of Tektro RL740 interrupter levers

2. I got a packet of information from Adventure Cycling and it all
looks very plus, yuppie and expensive. I really do want to sign up for
a tour, as soon as I get some money; but I don't need a Cadillac
package. I would be interested to hear from anyone who has
participated in AC tours (Steve?) and learn hiserher opinion and
receive any comments or suggestions about alternatives. I'd stick to
the SW near ABQ, NM -- so NM, CO, AZ, TX, OK.

The AC catalogue is full of really neat gadgets (Who needs to ride?
Just spend!) including those very large seat packs I not too long ago
asked about, neat lights, various ad hoc cages and cage mounting
devices, a ver interesting "emergency derailleur hangar" and much else
worth coveting. Jan Heine has a lighting article in their current
magazine (nothing in it you haven't read before) and, lastly, there is
a website for "overnight camping" which I must look up.



--
"When in Rome, do as they done in Milledgeville."

Flannery O'Connor

-------------------------
Patrick Moore, Albuquerque, NM, USA
For professional resumes, contact Patrick Moore, ACRW
http://resumespecialties.com/index.html
-------------------------

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I've

[ascpgh]

A group of us took the minimalist end of services Adventure Cycling offers and bought the map sheets for their Trans-Am (Yorktown, VA-Astoria, OR) route and their Western Express (Pueblo, CO-San Francisco) route in 2002. We rode super light, spent nights in cheap motels, ate locally and filled our own water bottles along the days ride as needed, all gleaned from the map's advice. The maps themselves were a gem of information not just for the selected routes, mileage and services, but they are upgraded frequently to remove ghost listings and add newly opened businesses. I could see a high functioning GPS unit or an iPhone absorbing all of the data contained on those mylar map pages nowadays, but neither will perform as well as a rain hat in an unexpected downpour or function properly when such has passed.

That's not the trip for which riders look to AC, Backroads or Cinghiale, but it is representative of the extreme minimum "service" one may purchase. Mies Van der Rohe said "God is in the details" and it was those details I would have gladly paid for again. I felt like the dependence on the local economies along the way created easier acceptance in every community. We just looked like people out on a ride on things they recognized as bicycles. I'd love to go do a long ride again, but where the stress of survival was a little less in the foreground and the local luxuries were a lot less in background. 

Andy Cheatham

Pittsburgh

[PATRICK MOORE]

Thanks, Joan and Andy; you confirm the reputation of Adventure
Cycling. Now I just need to come up with some money.