One other option to consider for winter riding: shorter rides but higher intensity using SS or fixed gear.
I converted a couple of vintage frames to SS or fixed gear, and I ride to my workshop and back almost everyday. It's only a 30" minute ride, flat except for the last 2 blocks of climbing. It's not much but it's something and it's outdoors. One other advantage is that because it's only 30" I can really bundle up to stay warm without fear of starting to sweat on the inner layers. My wife asks why I insist on riding even in cold windy weather. My response: Because I can. Best, Alan On Thursday, January 22, 2026 at 5:41:06 PM UTC-5 [email protected] wrote: > When I first began bike touring, Leah, before we had any idea what we were > doing, we signed up with several bicycle touring companies and went on > guided trips with groups…one trip through Vermont and another through > Wisconsin…and they were so much fun! > > Benefits of riding with touring companies (in small groups of about 10 > people): > * someone with riding experience in each locale plans the routes honed > over many seasons so that we had quiet rides on back roads (I recall your > trip last summer along the shoulders of busy roads, which seemed > harrowing); > * no need to carry camping equipment because lodging and meals were > prearranged; > * the rides were “supported” with leaders who could also do most basic > bike repairs and change tires (as I recall, you don’t like to change your > own tires) > * there’s a van that can give you a lift if necessary…if your bike breaks > down, if it rains cats and dogs, etc. The van can also carry your luggage > so you wouldn’t need to carry it on your bike > * the leaders of the group don’t bring their partners or spouses along on > the trips, so you know you’ve got a free friend > * it’s almost certain you wouldn’t be the only partnerless rider…and > you’ll make fast friends > * on each of our bike trips, we rode with the most wonderful people, some > of whom we still keep in touch with…and if you get bored with anyone, just > hang back or ride ahead > * people ride at their own paces, so you automatically ride with people > who ride like you > > Downsides (for me): > * I don’t like to be told when to get up and meet at breakfast to review > the day’s rides/iteneraries > * sometimes I just want to ride down unplanned roads or stop for a day if > I like the town > * after several supported trips in the US, we got the hang of trip > planning and bike camping, and we got VERY quick at changing tires, so we > decided we could handle all the minor repairs with just two or three of us. > > Once we got the hang of all of that, we took off for Europe with no plans > whatsoever and rode wherever the winds blew us, and that became so > thrilling that we never took another tour—-we just followed our noses…but I > have to say that the tours got us to places I might never have gone and > there’s a huge benefit to having an experienced tour leader who has tested > out the routes to avoid heavy traffic and to include beautify local > scenery, coffee shops, quirky places, etc. > > It’s a good way to ride with people but also have freedom to separate > yourself when you need space…you’ll feel confident that you won’t run into > trouble, and you don’t have to plan the trip yourself so it’s a pretty > carefree comittment. And, as you said, if you don’t like it, you can just > go on home. > > Liz > > > > > > On Thursday, January 22, 2026 at 12:43:11 PM UTC-5 [email protected] wrote: > >> On Thu, Jan 22, 2026 at 9:32 AM Roberta <[email protected]> wrote: >> >>> Sally, >>> Do you have any recommendations for companies in the Mid-Atlantic region >>> that you especially liked? I’ve never done any bike touring, but I did see >>> tours of three or five days on Assateague Island. I’m also not a strong >>> rider so can’t do multiple 40 mile day rides, although I’m hoping to change >>> that this summer with some training >>> >> >> The most cost effective bike touring "companies" are actually the bike >> tours run by bicycle clubs. Those don't usually take a huge amount of >> profit (as opposed to backroads). One example is the Supertour (2025 flyer: >> https://drive.google.com/file/d/1bA65T6gABDLdzEaSjNmZGLKo1By-Ox0x/view) >> which prices in at around $150/person/day (unfortunately, it's camping >> based). >> >> Surprisingly enough, when I organize my own trip I come in at around that >> price but get to stay in hotels. If you're on the East Coast with easy >> access to Europe, one great option is biketours.com, which gets you >> tours run by European companies which charge around 1/5th the price of >> American companies like Trek Tours or Backroads or Santana Tours (those can >> run up to $800/night/person). One great option for those new to touring is >> the "bike and boat tours": https://www.biketours.com/bike-boat/. What >> you do is to get onto the riverboat boat and unpack. In the morning each >> day, the boat drops you off, and you bike downriver to where the boat meets >> you. On days you don't feel like riding you stay on the boat. You never >> have to pack/unpack each day, and usually breakfast and dinner is taken >> care of. American companies will charge $4000 for a week, but the locals >> run it for 1000 euros for a week: >> https://www.biketours.com/austria/danube-passau-budapest-passau/ (I have >> never taken one of these tours --- I just get a lot of brochures from >> backroads and various other touring companies --- I show them to my wife so >> she understands how much money we save by doing everything ourselves :-) >> > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/af597c91-bce2-44e7-9250-60b77cb0d5c5n%40googlegroups.com.
