Well... touring is not like racing, it is not about going as far as you can as fast as you can, and it is not about having the latest technology. Simply put, touring is about enjoying the ride... going at a pace you feel comfortable with and just taking in the scenery. You dont have to have a touring specific bike to enjoy touring either... pretty much any style of bike can be modified to give you a great touring experience. My girlfriend rides a Fuji Monterey from the 90's that was a piece of junk when I first got it. Her bike is more heavily modified to be a touring bike but any bike can really be modified to work as well as hers came out.
On the trips I have taken I have seen comfort bikes, hybrids, road bikes, mountain bikes, tandems, recumbents, single speed beach cruisers, even unicycles and a high wheeler! It doesn't require racks and panniers either, it is possible to use different methods of load carrying as well, such as trailers, backpacks, and I even met one guy who used a modified childs trailer. In fact when my brother and I went on some our longer local trip we took my son with me and pulled a child trailer that we had modified to carry his bike so that he could ride if he wanted to. And on those trips we still maintained about 60 mile days!Pace seems to be another concern especially when riding in groups. Obviously when you are on your own it is all about riding your own ride... but in a group there will inevitably be the one or two guys who like to ride so far ahead of the group that trying to play catch up kills the ride for everyone else... that can happen. But again you have to ride your own ride and choose those you ride with carefully. My brother and I like to take it easy and we dont like to see the groups get separated, so we would actually prefer a slower pace(say between 12-14mph average), but we are equally capable of turning it up a notch depending upon the group. For anyone wanting to come along for one of our rides, dont be intimidated. Thats what this is all about, about spreading the word and getting you interested. If we took you out and tried to pull you at 20mph for the whole ride and lost you when we felt you werent trying to keep up we would be defeating the purpose of the club. We hope that our trips are about the camaraderie, making new friends, telling stories, taking in the sights, and motivating each other... its not about going out and hammering as hard as possible and getting to the next location as quickly as we can.
My point is that bicycle touring is not about having all the right stuff or getting there fast, its about enjoying an adventure on a bicycle. There are many options for bikes, carrying methods, even equipment, as long as you are enjoying yourself you are doing it right.
This is a picture of our first loaded tour a few years ago using the child's trailer to haul most of our gear including my son and his bike. It was not the best way to haul things, and ended up slow going when my 5 year old (at the time) was on his bike riding along with us, but we look back on that trip with fond memories. It is all about the ride.
im glad you brought this up... there are way to many possible definition to fit the term "bicycle touring", and i have my own definitions as well.
ReplyDeletea "DAY TOUR", is not bicycle touring. this is usually associated with the tourist industry or day rides by charitable organizations and are for the purpose of making or raising money.
next we have "SUPPORTED TOURING"... while this may be the way to go for some, this is not what i consider bicycle touring.. this can be anything from a simple day ride to a several month or longer tour of the country... the difference is the fact the the bicycle carries only the weight of the rider and all the gear rides happily in a car from point to point. pussy touring, i like to call it. sorry if this offends you. but its basically car camping with a bike
then there is "CREDIT CARD TOURING" a rider may bring a change of underwear and a tooth brush, and buy everything else along the way. this may be associated with some of the more affluent cyclists out there... and to be honest... most of these people are just riding to prove something, not for the pure enjoyment and love for the bicycle... when the tour is over, they jump back in their Hummer and brag to their friends about riding 1000miles or whatever. ask them what the saw along the way and more than likely they only remember the nice restaurant and hotels they frequented along the way
"FULLY LOADED TOURING" this is the epitome of what bicycle touring is all about. the rider and his trusty steed are entirely self supported, carrying all necessities in packs, bags or trailers. this can be anything from an over night ride to a multi year or more.
finally there is "EXPEDITION TOURING" very similar to fully loaded touring. but typically these tours are through exotic and remote locations throughout the world. these tours usually last for several months to several years to indefinitely and usually traverse the entirety of a country or several countries and complete circumnavigations of the globe.
in my opinion these last two definitions are the only two that should be used to define bicycle touring.
although there is one more type of touring i have grown interest in lately... this is a little harder define and can fit in several categories, but actually is not touring at all, but this is an event in which the cyclist gives up the stereotypical life styles for a life on the road. leaving their home the possessions and their loved ones. they travel the country and far beyond, moving by bike from city to city, country to country. living in one place long enough to work and make money for the next leg of their trip. i like to call this one "HOBO TOURING"