Bicycle Adventures

What Bicycle Adventures Is and Where It Operates

Bicycle Adventures runs its own guided, small-group bike tours; the site's tagline is "Guided, Small Group Bike Tours Since 1984," and the homepage speaks of "40 years of guiding extraordinary bicycle vacations." Its careers page says it is one of six adventure travel companies that make up The Adventure Hub, "all based in the Pacific Northwest," alongside Evergreen Escapes, San Juan Kayak Expeditions, Sacred Rides, Seattle Mountain Bike Tours and Cycle Portland. Prices and payments are in US dollars. The careers page adds that the group has a combined 60 years of experience, "about a dozen" year-round staff and a shared Basecamp operations team, and that together the six brands offer year-round outdoor activities for the whole family.

The destination menus list US tours in Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah and Washington, and international tours in Canada (Alberta, British Columbia and Quebec), Chile, Croatia, England, France, Ireland, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Scotland, Spain, Taiwan and Wales. The tour finder lists 52 results.

The Range of Tours and Formats

Tours are filtered by experience level (All Levels, Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced) and by format: Road Cycling, Rail Trail, Bike and Boat, Hiking, Multisport, National Parks and Mountain Bike and Gravel, the last run "with our sister company, Sacred Rides." A Winter Escapes collection covers cross-country skiing, hiking and sea kayaking. The finder's own line is "we offer nearly every kind of cycling tour imaginable."

Named trips on the site include the Bend Breakaway Multisport Tour in Oregon ("Bike. Hike. Raft. Eat. Drink."), Portugal's Alentejo Coast and Alentejo Countryside bike tours, a Netherlands Spring Tulip Bike and Barge tour, the Mt. Rushmore and Badlands Bike Tour, Québec's Blueberry Route (the Véloroute des Bleuets, which the site describes as a 160-mile paved circuit), the George S. Mickelson Trail, which the site calls one of the premier rail-trails in the West, and a Joshua Tree and Anza Borrego Multisport Tour. The homepage features the Olympic National Park and Discovery Trail 6-day, All-levels Bike Tour and the Valley of Fire and Death Valley 6-day, All-levels Bike Tour. The booking form's trip list adds Ireland's Wild Atlantic Way, Italy's Puglia and Basilicata, Japan's Nagano Highlands to the Sea, Montana's Bitterroot and a West Norwegian Fjords departure on Aug 17, 2027, along with a Methow Cross-Country Ski Tour.

The short descriptions give a sense of each trip's flavor. The Alentejo Coast tour takes in nature parks, castles, fishing villages, cork farms, olive groves and wineries; the tulip tour pairs flower farms with windmills and cheese; the Mt. Rushmore trip rides "from the Badlands to the Black Hills"; and the Joshua Tree tour mixes cycling and hiking in Joshua Tree National Park, Anza Borrego Desert State Park and Palm Springs. A homepage review of the Olympic tour mentions riding through the forests and a hike on Hurricane Ridge.

How Tours Work on the Ground

The homepage makes the case for small groups: "After 40 years of guiding extraordinary bicycle vacations, we have learned that bigger is not better." The booking form shows what the ride looks like in practice. Each guest picks a road bike, a hybrid/flat-bar road bike or an e-bike upgrade, with "$200 upgrade fee applies for e-bikes on domestic tours, $300 on international tours," and gives their height so a bike can be fitted. Solo travelers can ask to be matched with a roommate of the same gender, paying a 50% single supplement that is refunded if a match is found, or upgrade to a private room.

Before booking, the company runs virtual, guide-led informational meetings, listed in the menu as "Attend a Virtual, Guide-led Informational Meeting." The site also links a Who Travels With Us page, FAQs, a Gear Store and an Illness Policy. Guest reviews on the homepage, chosen by the company, describe "quiet roads (for 95%)" and "Beautiful bike-friendly routes."

Booking, Pricing and Support

Reservations are made online through a booking form. "A $600 per person deposit will be charged to your credit card to secure your reservation," and the balance is charged automatically to the same card on the due date unless the guest gets in touch first. The form asks travelers not to book flights until the office has confirmed the reservation by phone, and it links Booking Terms and Conditions updated 1/1/2025. Cards accepted are American Express, Discover, MasterCard and Visa. The form also asks each guest's date of birth, how they heard about the company and whether they have toured with it before, and a single reservation can cover a party of up to 15 people, with an option to specify more.

Private tours have a notable offer: "Gather your crew of eight or more" and "claim a scheduled tour date as your very own private adventure at no additional cost," with special perks for ten or more and savings for twelve or thirteen. The site also has an Adventure Rewards Loyalty Program and a Refer a Friend scheme for returning riders.

Phone support is at (800) 443-6060 from 8:00am to 5:00pm PT, Monday to Friday, non-holidays, with email and chat as well. Travel advisors have their own page, which says "Bicycle Adventures' trips are commissionable."

The Site's Gaps and Who This Suits

Tour prices are not shown in the tour finder or on the homepage; the finder can sort by price but lists only names and short descriptions, and the deposit form shows "Price: $0.00" until a trip is chosen. The cancellation and refund schedule is not given in the finder or on the booking form, which links the Booking Terms and Conditions instead, and no maximum group size is stated.

The company's stated goal is to help riders "Pedal Happy," and the mix of levels, from all-levels rail trails to advanced tours, backs that up. Bicycle Adventures suits riders who want a supported, sociable trip in the American West or a well-known European region, couples where one partner prefers an e-bike, and groups of eight or more who want a departure to themselves. It suits less well riders who want to compare prices before contacting the company or who prefer self-guided touring.