Top 5 Excuses for Not Going on a Bike Tour

04 Apr Top 5 Excuses for Not Going on a Bike Tour

When I talk to people about bike touring for the first time, their first reaction is amazement after I tell them all the places I’ve bike toured to. Their eyes widen as I describe the exotic locations and the exquisite food. I would break their trance when I state, “You know, you can do it, too.” Most people laugh at this and then sheepishly blurt out their best excuses. I’ve heard them all. So much so that I can categorize them in this post’s top 5 excuses for NOT bike touring.

Patrick’s bike

1. I don’t have the right equipment.

The most common excuse I hear from people is that they don’t have the right bike, or bags, or camping gear. Having the right gear does make things easier and more comfortable, but I think it’s a sad excuse for not bike touring.

When it comes to the right bike, bike touring can be done on virtually any bike. You can dust off that mountain bike in the back of your garage. You can borrow a bike from a friend or rent one from a bike shop.  You can even be this guy and ride a bike from New York City’s Citibike bike share fleet across the country (I do not recommend this). The only caveat is that the bike you choose to ride should be serviced appropriately. This means that the bike must be rideable and dependable, that it won’t fall apart after the first few hundred miles. That is why I would recommend never buying a bike from big box stores like Walmart or Target. I doubt the people who put those bike together have any knowledge of doing it prior to reading the instructions. I wouldn’t trust riding any bike that is not from a bike shop and assembled by a trained bike mechanic. When it comes to those bikes, just say no!

Some people may say they need all the panniers and bags. I never said bike touring requires you to always be camping out or hauling a week’s worth of supply. You can simply get out there and ride your bike without a single pannier if you wanted to. Some people can enjoy their trip with touring companies that haul your gear for you, so that you don’t have to add that weight to your ride. Some people would just bring a change of clothing in a small bag and credit cards to pay for hotel stays. We call that credit card camping. It may not be the most traditional sense of bike touring, but it is bike touring nonetheless.

If you do want to carry your own things, I recommend borrowing from friends first before jumping in and buying your own set. Load it up and see how you like the ride with all that weight. It is certainly something to get used to. You can also shop on Craigslist for a used set of panniers. It is really common to hear people who picked up a new set of Ortlieb bags from college students who only used it during their commute to school. Worse case scenario, put all your stuff in a backpack and get out and ride. That is one way of doing it where you don’t need to have all the gear to go.

In 2014, when I was traveling down the Pacific Coast, I met an 18-year-old vagabond named Roberto who was riding a mountain bike with knobby tires and all his gear loosely strapped to the back of the bike rack. We would all get a kick out of seeing him arrive at camp with his rickety bike and floppy camping gear swaying left to right as he pedaled up. He had borrowed this bike for his adventure from someone who lived in Eugene, Oregon and the camping gear from his uncle in Portland, Oregon. When his trip was finished, he went back and returned everything. You see, not having the right equipment or money to buy gear should not be an excuse for not going out on a bike tour.

Photo Credit: graymalkn via Compfight cc

2. I don’t have time to go on a bike tour.

Probably the most common excuse I get from folks is that they don’t have time to go on a bike tour. This may be true if you look at the multi-day trips that people go on, but who says you have to start so ambitiously? Overnight bike tours are a great way to get out there and spend just one night and be back to doing whatever you need to do. You’d only be gone for one night and chances are, you’re not too far from a quick phone call to be picked up if you don’t feel up to the task.

The only exception to this excuse that I can think of is if you have a new-born baby. It would be irresponsible for you to scoot out of your house while your spouse is taking care of your baby. If your kids are no longer babies and can walk and talk on their own, why not take them along for the ride?  Haul them with you or have them ride besides you if they’re old enough. I guarantee you’ll have such a great time and they will remember the experience.

This also goes for spouses or significant others! Get them out there with you. I even wrote a guide detailing what you can do to get your partner to go bike touring with you.

In reality, people do have the time and giving this excuse to say that they don’t is just a cop-out. Let us rephrase this to, “I choose not to spend my time bike touring.” This is understandable as not everyone will want to go on bike tours, but if you are reading this on my blog, chances are you are certainly interested in bike touring. So what is really getting in the way of doing one of the most rewarding things you can give yourself?

Little did I know that this was just the beginning of my climbs.

3. I am not in shape.

One of the most funniest excuses I get from people who say they can’t go on a bike tour is simply a pat on their gut to indicate the burden of their body. They confirm by telling me, “I am not in shape.” Being out of shape can be an issue if you have serious ailments, so I would recommend checking in with the doctors before taking off for a bike tour. If you are truly motivated, bike touring is the easiest way to get in shape without realizing that is what you are doing.

There is no activity out there where you are able to exercise, enjoy the scenery, and indulge on food day after day and still lose weight. I challenge you to find something else out there that’s so fulfilling for the mind, body, and soul.

Start small and get yourself into shape. Follow a program like the one I highlight here to get you started on improving your quality of life. If you stay on track, I am very confident that you’ll be ready for a bike tour in a few weeks. Get your friends involved. Like with many exercise programs, having a friend or buddy to train with you will go a long way. Enlist someone to ride and maybe even go with you.

Set those goals and put a date on it. You will be surprised how quickly your body will get in shape and ready for a quick overnight bike tour. Next thing you know, you’ll be planning the multi-day trips and daydreaming of getting out on the road to see the world and fill your cup of happiness to the brim like I did.

T-Rex vs Sang Hyun

4. It’s too dangerous out there.

Ok, I will admit that the fact that you’re riding your bike on the road with motorized vehicles outweighing you 100 times and going faster than you by 1000 times can be categorized as dangerous. But in reality, most of the things you do is considered dangerous. Even driving that same car that you are sharing the lane with cyclists is dangerous. Life is too short to have fear take over your life. For me, being out on the road is where I feel at home. I can probably count on one hand the times that I felt my life was in danger.

The key here is to minimize your risk when you’re out on the road. I actually have 6 tips that I have shared in a previous blog post to help reduce that risk and ensure safer interactions with motorists out there.

Another common danger that people would wonder about is other people. With the world presented by news outlets and media on the Internet, the world seems to be a cold and unwelcoming place and perhaps staying home is the best option to be safe. This kind of thinking is a detriment. The world is not as bad as you see from your Facebook feed or YouTube videos. The news stories are just small examples that things can go wrong, but it is not the norm. Through my travels across Europe and in the United States, I have been accepted and welcomed by all sorts of people. Some people offer us food and drink. Some offer their homes for us to stay for the night, while others simply offer us directions, but I have never faced anybody with the slightest ill intent toward my riding partners and me.

I believe traveling, especially traveling on bike, allows you to be vulnerable to people. It allows you to be approachable for someone to come up to you and ask you where you’re going or who you are. It is the great equalizer as they don’t see you as some strange person arriving in town with nefarious intent. Don’t take my word for it. If you peruse through the hundreds and thousands of stories from Crazy Guy On A Bike, you’ll get other people’s recounts of heart-warming hospitality.

How about the fear of the unknown? Well, I would rebut with, “Isn’t that the reason we go on bike tours?” I mean the unknown and the curiosity factors are such great motivators for people who travel. They get the idea from somewhere or someone, and they want to experience this first hand. Yes, it is scary when you are first planning and preparing for the unknown, but don’t get petrified by this fear.  Being afraid of the unknown is natural. It is exciting. It is something you should embrace and understand that getting through it all, you will grow as a person in all aspects of life.

When I was planning my trip across Europe last year, I had many sleepless nights where my brain would go on overdrive and play out the most ridiculous scenarios of my trip. What if I get lost? What if I get caught for wild camping? What if my equipment breaks? I calmed all my nerves by just preparing as much as I could to address these unknown risks. When the day came for me to travel 14 hours to a foreign country for the first time (since immigrating from Vietnam), my anxieties subsided. I was living in it. I was dealing with it. The language barrier. The variety of food. The differences in culture. I was in the middle of everything and you know what? It was not bad at all. 3 months later, I had ridden across Europe and Eastern Europe and arrived safely back home.

Photo Credit: virtualwayfarer via Compfight cc

5. I want to enjoy my vacation.

This excuse, or rather declaration, that someone wants to enjoy their vacation tells me that they’re not even considering bike touring as a proper well-rounded vacation. They would rather just go somewhere and be sedative. Spend exorbitant amounts of money for living accommodations and meals everyday and just do nothing. Blech! That’s not for me either. I’ve done enough of those vacations in my previous life that I would rather not do more.

Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with just vegging out from time to time, but I would rather be on my bike testing the limits of my body and introducing all sorts of sensory overloads,  things to enrich all aspects of my life. I want to be able to travel and become one with my surroundings, to listen, smell, and interact with people and things.  What fun is it to see things fly by when you’re in a car? To me, enjoying my vacation is being on my touring bike discovering new locations, taking pictures, reflecting on the little things, and slowing down while getting some exercise in the process. That is truly the good life!

Final Thoughts

Bike touring isn’t really something that you need special skills or abilities, or even equipment to do. We put barriers in our minds to keep us from moving forward and that is no different when it comes to bike touring. Fear keeps us away from possibly doing the most rewarding thing one can do. That is why I make it my mission to provide all the help you need and answer any questions you may have about bike touring so that you don’t have any excuses not to get on your bike and discover your ride! I hope you take advantage of the content I am providing here on the blog and perhaps even join me in Los Angeles for my monthly MeetUp trips to overnight camping spots. It is the best way to get your feet wet and introduce yourself to something that may change your whole perception of the world.