Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Madison, WI
Posts: 11,312
Bikes: 1961 Ideor, 1966 Perfekt 3 Speed AB Hub, 1994 Bridgestone MB-6, 2006 Airnimal Joey, 2009 Thorn Sherpa, 2013 Thorn Nomad MkII, 2015 VO Pass Hunter, 2017 Lynskey Backroad, 2017 Raleigh Gran Prix, 1980s Bianchi Mixte on a trainer. Others are now gone.
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About a decade ago I met a an older gal that was clearly touring, four panniers, etc. She asked me some directions on how to get somewhere, the answer was complicated enough that I rode with her through my community for about 5 miles to get her to a bike shop. I was not busy and was out for an exercise ride, so I was happy to be a guide for a short while.
As we rode, I asked about her tour, and asked why she had a bike with a brand I had never heard of. She was doing an around the world tour, started in the UK with a high end touring bike, and was heading east. Then she was robbed at gunpoint of everything in her possession in one of the Balkan countries. So, she had to start over and this time everything including her bike were much lower budget. But she had made it all through asia, flew across the pacific, I met her in Madison Wisc, she was heading east.
That is the only time I have heard of a bike tourist being robbed of their gear.