choteau

Been thinking about doing an "Adventure Cycling Assoc.." supported tour. Anybody?

Doug64

Check over in the "Touring" forum.

choteau

Was hoping for input from fellow 50+ folks.

bikemig 

I haven't done one but I think they have their advantages. When I did a cross country in '97, I spent a few days in the same campgrounds as a cross country ACA. It seemed to me that this was a good way to do it. The cost for doing a cross country is certainly higher with ACA than solo but the pluses are the companions on the road and there is a safety advantage in numbers as well.

fietsbob

+ not all riders read this forum, either.. I did a Couple Group AYH Hostel using trips , 80's
the name now is part of IYHA Hostel International

https://www.hihostels.com/ | HI USA | Hostelling International USA | HI Hostels Reservations

digibud

I've not ridden with them but I've heard many reports from friends in the 50+ crowd that have and it's been generally quite favorable. As with any group tour it all comes down to the leader. If you end up with a great leader things will go well. Be sure to ask -all- the questions and not assume anything. Food and water can be huge issues with any trip where support is expected, as can support for help if you're tired. Adventure Cycling is well respected. Just be sure you know exactly what they do and don't provide, as with any tour.

shelbyfv

Several friends did an ACA supported tour down the OR and CA coast a few years ago. They got pretty annoyed with the guide/ driver/ whatever he was. Lots of rules and very arbitrary use of the support vehicle. The cooking and food purchase was rotating. Some folks showed up with weird dietary requirements and everyone else had to accommodate them.

digibud

I'm not sure if the sharing of cooking and food purchases are a standard thing but I do recall other comments about that and the problems it entailed. I, for instance, and am vegan but think it would be horrible to subject others to my dietary requirements. Food, water and support vehicle access. Huge issues with any supported tour.

Jim from Boston

One comment I read is that on an ACA route, you won't be considered unique since it's a well-traveled route, compared to one of your own choosing. When we crossed the country, in 1977 not via Bikecentennial, we were interviewed by two local newspapers.

When we started out, we wondered when would people be more surprised at how far we had come, rather than how far to go (I didn't note when).

pdlamb

I did a fully supported tour with ACA a few years back.

Pluses:
Good leader and great staff
Good food (breakfast and lunch catered, decent selection of lunch foods on the road)
Didn't have to carry gear
Good SAG support
Nice locations, good campgrounds with showers nightly

Minus:
Really, you pay all that and have to camp every night??

shelbyfv

Yes, better here. I heard Touring has been overrun by a posse of demented trolls!

cccorlew

I LOVE their tours. Tricia and I have ridden their fully-supported tours in Montana, Washington and Oregon. We've done their smaller van supported tours through Yellowstone and a two week ride from Portland to Canada. We're signed up for 19 days van-supported from Tahoe to Portland this summer. (Yikes)

As for cost, I think they are a good deal compared to any other vacation you might take. You get all food and could if you tried not spend a dime (though it's more fun to have cash for treats)

Here are links to a couple of books I created about our rides.
You can click through all the pages without buying them.

Blurb Books | Montana

Blurb Books | Washington Cascades

cccorlew

Our tour leader on the shared cooking van supported ride was vegan. It wasn't a problem for us. Maybe we were a nicer group. We just cooked vegan on the side. One night my wife made a wonderful vegan meal that faked out all the meat eaters. They didn't even notice.

Doug64

There are a lot of us over 50 there

You know, there is some truth in that. However, they are starting to fade away, and "overrun" is a little bit of an exaggeration; at least I hope so.

apesrunner58

I am doing my first ride this summer with ACA.

treebound 

You might find a thread I started a few months ago in the touring section somewhat helpfull for you since a ride leader gave some good info on what to expect and on how things might be run in different groups.
https://www.bikeforums.net/touring/10...de-leader.html

I was just doing some long range thinking of potential options down the chronological road a bit. Hope it gives some insight for you, or at least it might answer some questions.

As to the trolls, it is the off season in the northern regions so some are posting more and "touring" less as they plan and prepare for their seasonal escapades. I think of a couple of them as being more excentric (sp?) as opposed to being trollish. Even a troll might have something good to offer, but sometimes one has to use a stronger filter and sieve to get pass the irrelevant stuff.

Monoborracho

I have done some ACA tours, am more than a lowest level contributor, so I like them, in general. I'll probably do some others, but here are my thoughts.

They are a bit more expensive than what you could do on your own. But you're in a group. You pay for the group and the cause. Accept it or not.
I would only do a fully supported or inn-to-inn tour. I don't need someone to tell me what I have to cook or eat or for whom I have to cook. I can do that on my own with a bit of planning and some panniers.
Be aware that you are not in charge. The ACA expectations and their pre-tour liturature is pretty plain.
Keep your politics to yourself.
Find someone early on in the group with whom you can relate, and with whom your riding style/distance/speed is compatible.
Carry extra parts for others if you are confident. Be careful about offering to help. The only "bad" experience I had on any tours was when one of the ride leaders was greasing (really,not oiling) chains at night on the C&O and got pissed off because I didn't "know how to properly use a headlight" at night. Two days later he was begging for spare parts to fix a broken cable on the most attractive woman's bike. Guess who had spares? Including end crimps? Karma !
Don't depend on SAG for anything. Period. Even on a fully supported or inn-to-inn tour. Yet when we crossed the Eastern Continental Divdie in a 40 degree driving rain they were there for several of the riders who needed the support.

If I had to choose ACA, versus a high dollar Santana Tandems tour (and I've done both) ACA wins hands down. I'll never do another Santana tour.

msbiker

I did the ACA Great Divide self contained mt. bike tour from Banff to Whitefish a couple of years ago. A fantastic ride, but a bit difficult at times. I was a little concerned about the group cooking thing before we started, but it was fine. I think 90% of our group would have qualified in the over 50 age group. Great people from around the country. I thought ACA was less expensive than other tour groups, but there is not alot of pampering, at least on the GD tour. I'm going to try and convince my wife to do a ACA inn to inn tour next year, which would be more her speed. I think you should carefully consider the type of tour you want to do. There is a big difference between self contained, with almost all camping, supported but still camping, and inn to inn tours with beds and meals provided. I don't think you can go wrong with a ACA tour so long as you pick one that will be the type you want. I have done a VBT tour and am doing another one with my wife this spring. VBT does alot of pampering, but not as much riding as I would like and costs more. But my wife has more fun so its all good.

Looigi

Did one from Santa Fe NM to Boulder CO via the Rockies called "Pueblos to Peaks" a few years ago. It was great, but they only ran that one for a couple of years AFAIK.

indyfabz

My money is on one (maybe two) with a large collection of socks.

indyfabz

Don't see how being over 50 makes a difference. I did their Cycle Vermont tour (when it was still a supported tour) at age 44. Don't see how my opinion would be any different at age 50 or over.

If you are still considering one of their tours, take a look at Cycle Montana for this year. I have done a decent portion of the route they will be using. It's quite nice. The first day of riding is an easy 65 miles. Forty or so of that is on a bike trail with some mountain views. The Pioneer Mountains Scenic Byway (Day 4) is not that arduous of a climb, and the nearly 30 miles of descending includes a beautiful alpine meadow section. The Pintler Scenic Byway climb up to Georgetown Lake (Day 6) is also not that difficult, and the town of Philipsburg is cute. I am actually going to be riding some of the route self-contained at the same time and plan to ride Pintler and camp in Philipsburg the same night as the tour.

BTW...I did my first self-contained tour with ACA back in '99. I have been a member ever since and have met numerous staff members and tour leaders over the years while on their tours, on my own while riding and while visiting their office in Missoula. They all seem like well qualified and nice people.

indyfabz

Which one?

apesrunner58

Grand Teton and Yellowstone 1

indyfabz

Nice. I thought the NPS didn't allow commercial bike tours in the park, but they clearly do as ACA is one of the companies authorized to run them. Maybe the NPS changed its policy.

Camped at Jenny Lake when I rode through that area. Very pretty.

tarwheel 

I have been an Adventure Cycling Assn member for several years but haven't ridden any of their tours yet. They have an excellent magazine and website with articles, maps and other information about bike touring, so the membership is worth it for me. I would like to ride one of their tours some day, but I haven't been able to talk my wife into riding one. I also have several friends and a brother who like to plan bike trips, and we can do our own tours for a lot less money. However, I don't think their prices are unreasonable if you are riding in an unfamiliar location and would like the support and companionship of a group tour.

BTW, one of the forum members recently posted a message in the Touring subforum that tells how you can get a free trial membership in ACA. That is how I first became a member and I have renewed every year since I first joined. Here's a link:

https://www.bikeforums.net/touring/10...-giveaway.html