Went on one of Chris Scott's tours...stayed for a few days, then parted ways.

[Wapping]

There is nothing wrong with organised tours or even just ‘group ride’ days out. For every, “I just don’t like them”, you’ll find lots of people who do; the opening post and its video say as much and for sure the others on the trip seem to have enjoyed it. You’ll find the same positive comments in the posts and trip reports on UKGSer from bods on organised tours in India / SE Asia. Likewise, companies like MCi wouldn’t exist if there wasn’t a demand and / or if their organised tours were not enjoyed by a whole bunch of punters for years.

i am pretty sure that it’s not Geecee68’s intention to put people off going on organised events, it’s just that the one he went on didn’t (for whatever reasons) match-up with what he expected. Had it of been just a bit different, we might well have been reading about how good it all was and how he can’t wait to go again.

 

[Mr Bean]

I've been on a couple of tours organised by Muppet & Wiz.

The good thing about their tours is that the group is split in two. This is to avoid the need to keep up with the guys who like to ride fast. Works well.

There was a guy on the last tour (group tour first time) who, after a couple of days, realised he didn't like the pressure of keeping up with the quicker riders and joined the group I like to ride in. He was much happier.

 

[stever1]

When I went off to Europe on my little scooter by myself it was actually quite cathartic . No one to worry about but misen, set my own pace and no particular place to aim for.
i was travelling a bit slower than on the Goldwing so had more time to enjoy the scenery.

 

[Geecee68]

I’ve had the pleasure of meeting people on group rides when I’ve been solo. Sometimes they tell me they feel they’re just racing to get from point to point and missing the views, culture and cuisine. I heard one couple say they were chastised by the guide for being too slow and that this was a “biking holiday, the operative word being bike and if they wanted to go on a sight seeing holiday, they should have gone elsewhere”.

You did the right thing. Do what you enjoy

This rings very true. We were flashing through little villages where I'd have loved to stop a moment, and similarly with places where I'd have stopped, had a drink and just soaked it in. These comments are really reassuring. Thank you!

 

[Geecee68]

There is nothing wrong with organised tours or even just ‘group ride’ days out. For every, “I just don’t like them”, you’ll find lots of people who do; the opening post and its video say as much and for sure the others on the trip seem to have enjoyed it. You’ll find the same positive comments in the posts and trip reports on UKGSer from bods on organised tours in India / SE Asia. Likewise, companies like MCi wouldn’t exist if there wasn’t a demand and / or if their organised tours were not enjoyed by a whole bunch of punters for years.

i am pretty sure that it’s not Geecee68’s intention to put people off going on organised events, it’s just that the one he went on didn’t (for whatever reasons) match-up with what he expected. Had it of been just a bit different, we might well have been reading about how good it all was and how he can’t wait to go again.

I think Chris's tours are great, and would recommend them to anyone. Maybe if I had gone on the last one he did, the average speed would have been 10kph slower and I'd have been fine. This is purely my experience from the only offical guided tour I've been on....likely not representative for the many thousaonds of other happy customers there must be out there.

 

[Northern jock]

I think there are 2 themes, riding in a group and riding off road.

I prefer riding alone generally, I like the flexibility but fully understand why others like the group dynamic.

But off road I'm not that experienced or fast so, aware of my need to develop, I went on Trail Bike Tours trip in Spain. Dave that ran it is very capable, experienced and a really nice guy. I explained what I wanted, an easy few days with no great pressure and the odd hint would be good. He had a trip coming up with a space on it that suited so I went. I knew I could have done a course somewhere but this suited me better.

It turned out there were 4 or 5 lads who rode motocross every weekend at home and were rather tidy off road, me, and an English lad similar to myself. The main group were great to watch, jumping over anything they could find, going very very fast on the tracks (and probably the sort of group that creates bad feeling in the Pyrenees). The English lad and I didn't try and keep up, it wouldn't ever have been possible but on day 2, under a little bit of pressure to keep up he came off and broke his collar bone. Later the next day I bailed, rode back to Andorra myself and handed my bike back.

Like your trip the guys were great, Dave was great and they all said no need to leave but I knew I was slowing down a very capable group. I told Dave I'd enjoyed it and would go again, but only if he was upfront about the experience levels. He shouldn't have taken my booking that week.

I've never bothered going back, I'm happier on or off road at my own speed. I'm just aware of the risks especially off road of being by yourself but can can work to reduce those to something I'm happy with.

 

[MRDDD]

I’ve done seven tours in two years with three companies and they all have raced through the mileage . when generally asking why they speed through the miles the common answer is you can’t please everyone. We have to do the mileage to reach our destination. 220-300 miles a day through Austria and Switzerland no joke but the road straight ahead I saw. This is only my opinion
I get all my tours planned by SIMON WEIR he is excellent. He asks how many miles you would like to do a day and your route including coffee stops lunch stops and fuel stops is on on gpx files . There is a charge for what he does but unless you like doing this all yourself I would highly recommend SIMON WEIR his knowledge is amazing. Look at his website

 

[EKIMYRF]

You handled that situation extremly well and absolutely the right decision for you

 

[Sgt Bilco]

You made the right decision to pull out if you weren't comfortable.

However, I will say that leading a tour is extremely difficult especially if you aren't sure of the ability of everyone. Generally most riders are good and understand the reasons for riding at certain speeds or having to cover large distances but you will always get one who says it's too fast and one who says it's too slow. It's not a race but equally you can't stop everywhere to see every single interesting thing but a good tour leader will try and get the balance right. What is an easy day for someone can be an Iron Butt challenge for someone else.

Before a trip it's always good to speak to the guide to try and understand what speed he rides at, daily distance travelled and road conditions as you'd be surprised at the number of people who don't know this before setting off!!

For instance, on my Alaskan trips we will cover over 250 miles on some days because everywhere is a long way from everywhere else. Some people find this a problem until I speak with them because it's not 250 UK miles with heavy traffic and windy B roads or Alpine mountains. I explain that if we ride at 65mph, we actually do 65 miles per hours so over a day, 250 miles equates to about 4 hours easy riding which gives plenty of time for picture and coffee stops etc. It makes a huge difference when people know this.............!!

Over the years I've taken some very inexperienced riders to places they never thought they would get to and they've survived and enjoyed every mile. The satisfaction to me is huge

On my trips, I will always ride the stated route at around the posted speed limits but people have the option to either ride ahead or ride a little slower if they like. They have the route and the destination motel so generally this works well. I do like to keep the more inexperienced riders close to me though until they start to get confidence as riding in the middle of nowhere in Alaska can be very intimidating.

The other big issue is group size and I find 8-10 ideal and manageable as you can keep an eye on everyone.

Saying all that, I've done 15 guided trips all over the US and Canada mostly with around 140 tossers from this august institution and can count on one hand the number who didn't like how I did things with regard to group riding.

Guided trips aren't for everyone but they work for a lot of people. My advice would be to investigate the tour company a little deeper, talk to them and maybe previous customers so you get a full picture before you go.

 

[Wapping]

I am with Sgt Bilko on this.

I know from running Wapping’s Wanders for a number of years, on a strictly social basis (ie unpaid) how tiring it can become, not least as you end up riding on behalf of everyone else, rather than yourself. Sometimes something as ‘simple’ as a cafe for a coffee stop can become a challenge. Is it open, can say six bikes park safely….. the list goes on, all of this taken on the move, with sometimes some bod with lights like a thousand blazing suns, blasting into your mirrors, rendering you blind as to what is going on.

The idea of splitting groups into two can work, but the organiser then needs to find a second person to lead a group and maybe a second person to tail-end. That is not always straightforward.

I don’t necessarily buy into the “But I’m slow and he’s fast” problem; the marker and drop-off system (when used properly and simply) WILL deal with this.

What though did I find rewarding?

A. Watching the realisation that bods can, over a few days, get the hang of it all. By the last days, fellows get into a much better rhythm, meaning that things flow much better.

B. Running the ‘Complete beginners’ jaunts. You’d be surprised how many bikermates are nervous about going away across the Channel. Organising a two day jaunt that went perhaps no further than 80 or 100 miles from Calais but over a big mixture of roads (it’s not all crap, mate) where bods could see for themselves that it needn’t be some sort of monster or fraught with dangers.

C. Linked to B above, is something as simple as some punters learning how big their fuel tank is and - more importantly - really how far their bike WILL go, freeing them from the terror of the fuel light. Also the new realisation in some bods’ minds, that the fellow on the HP4 with its 17 litre tank WILL do just as well as the girl on the little Suzuki and the fellow on the 32 litres tanked GSA. In short, it’s not all about size, power and how fast (or not) you can or might be able to go.

 

[richie]

What are the chances coming over the Atlas today I crossed paths with a few GS 310 and a bod on what looked like an xr650 possibly a KTM. My guess is I just passed Chris Scott....

 

[timeandtide]

You made the right decision to pull out if you weren't comfortable.

However, I will say that leading a tour is extremely difficult especially if you aren't sure of the ability of everyone. Generally most riders are good and understand the reasons for riding at certain speeds or having to cover large distances but you will always get one who says it's too fast and one who says it's too slow. It's not a race but equally you can't stop everywhere to see every single interesting thing but a good tour leader will try and get the balance right. What is an easy day for someone can be an Iron Butt challenge for someone else.

Before a trip it's always good to speak to the guide to try and understand what speed he rides at, daily distance travelled and road conditions as you'd be surprised at the number of people who don't know this before setting off!!

For instance, on my Alaskan trips we will cover over 250 miles on some days because everywhere is a long way from everywhere else. Some people find this a problem until I speak with them because it's not 250 UK miles with heavy traffic and windy B roads or Alpine mountains. I explain that if we ride at 65mph, we actually do 65 miles per hours so over a day, 250 miles equates to about 4 hours easy riding which gives plenty of time for picture and coffee stops etc. It makes a huge difference when people know this.............!!

Over the years I've taken some very inexperienced riders to places they never thought they would get to and they've survived and enjoyed every mile. The satisfaction to me is huge

On my trips, I will always ride the stated route at around the posted speed limits but people have the option to either ride ahead or ride a little slower if they like. They have the route and the destination motel so generally this works well. I do like to keep the more inexperienced riders close to me though until they start to get confidence as riding in the middle of nowhere in Alaska can be very intimidating.

The other big issue is group size and I find 8-10 ideal and manageable as you can keep an eye on everyone.

Saying all that, I've done 15 guided trips all over the US and Canada mostly with around 140 tossers from this august institution and can count on one hand the number who didn't like how I did things with regard to group riding.

Guided trips aren't for everyone but they work for a lot of people. My advice would be to investigate the tour company a little deeper, talk to them and maybe previous customers so you get a full picture before you go.

As a participant in Chris’ TAT 2011 (Trans American Trail) I think I can speak for us all when I say we had a great time and really appreciated the effort he put into it.
A great crowd, with some very talented and experienced riders (Timolgra and BAKERMAN), and the rest of us!

 

[dean0n0]

If you have to try to keep up you're courting disaster, I've seen a few of them. Experience, sense and maturity are often hard earned.

 

[Geecee68]

I think there are 2 themes, riding in a group and riding off road.

I prefer riding alone generally, I like the flexibility but fully understand why others like the group dynamic.

But off road I'm not that experienced or fast so, aware of my need to develop, I went on Trail Bike Tours trip in Spain. Dave that ran it is very capable, experienced and a really nice guy. I explained what I wanted, an easy few days with no great pressure and the odd hint would be good. He had a trip coming up with a space on it that suited so I went. I knew I could have done a course somewhere but this suited me better.

It turned out there were 4 or 5 lads who rode motocross every weekend at home and were rather tidy off road, me, and an English lad similar to myself. The main group were great to watch, jumping over anything they could find, going very very fast on the tracks (and probably the sort of group that creates bad feeling in the Pyrenees). The English lad and I didn't try and keep up, it wouldn't ever have been possible but on day 2, under a little bit of pressure to keep up he came off and broke his collar bone. Later the next day I bailed, rode back to Andorra myself and handed my bike back.

Like your trip the guys were great, Dave was great and they all said no need to leave but I knew I was slowing down a very capable group. I told Dave I'd enjoyed it and would go again, but only if he was upfront about the experience levels. He shouldn't have taken my booking that week.

I've never bothered going back, I'm happier on or off road at my own speed. I'm just aware of the risks especially off road of being by yourself but can can work to reduce those to something I'm happy with.

Sounds very similar to my experience. Its a difficult one isn't it?

 

[Geecee68]

What are the chances coming over the Atlas today I crossed paths with a few GS 310 and a bod on what looked like an xr650 possibly a KTM. My guess is I just passed Chris Scott....

He would have been riding a Honda CRF300 Rally with a pair of black lomo crashbags on the front. They would have been heading back into Marrakesh this lunchtime.

 

[Northern jock]

Sounds very similar to my experience. Its a difficult one isn't it?

It is but I think the guy shouldn't have sold me that trip. He told me everyone was a learner off road but in truth 4 or 5 were very far from it, he just wanted to fill the last slot and told me what it took to make me book. If he'd been upfront I might have gone back a few times. As it is, I've stayed well away.
Short term income got in the way of a happy and longer term customer.

 

[DevonAl]

I have never done a group trip and probably never will, our 6 trips to Thailand, Vietnam & Sri Lanka have never had a set route, a few rough lines on a map of suitable routes and things we want to see and off we go, some days are 5/6 hrs some are 35 -40 miles with booking.com etc there is no hassle finding anywhere if you see somewhere you like, won’t suit everyone but works for us.
I much prefer to do day trips on my own or with people I’ve ridden with before and I’ve done several group weekends with the Boxertrix gang and we always use the drop off/ marker system which gives the more talented riders the chance to carve through the pack and allows everybody to ride at their own pace, there is a tail end Charlie and we all know where the next stop is and it works pretty well.

Al.

 

[chasbmw]

I have a done a couple of tours with Chris Scott, greatly enjoyed them and I got the impression that Chris is incredibly risk adverse and discouraged any stupid behaviour from the group. He also takes some fantastic photos of everyone. We met some interesting people from many different parts of the world.

i went on one the early Austin Vince mini Mondos and left after a day because the riding was beyond my technical ability.

 

[Troppo]

I much prefer riding alone or with a couple of long time mates.

 

[SteveHop]

Much prefer riding alone or with people i know.
I did a tour with a group and got a bit fedup with the boy racers all trying to "make progress" so i just ride my own ride now.
Although i did get a bit of a "buz" passing some blokes in the Picos mountains riding nice big new Goldwings , i was on my 1981 R80 G/S which at 180kg and 50 hp is pretty nippy.