Travel By Bike Thursday - ADVENTURE CYCLING ASSOCIATION

Looking to do a bicycle tour in the coming year?  Today we are highlighting a great organization that provides routes & maps and is a great resource to get information on touring all over the United States.  Here is some information on Adventure Cycling Association and what they have to offer:

Mission and Programs

Adventure Cycling Association inspires and empowers people to travel by bicycle.  Established in 1973 as Bikecentennial, Adventure Cycling is the premier bicycle-travel organization in North America with 45,000 members. We are headquartered in Missoula, Montana.  As a nonprofit organization, all proceeds from tours, sales, and membership go directly back into supporting our mission and programs. (New to Adventure Cycling? Get a free info packet -- we'll throw in a cool tube sticker too!) Adventure Cycling's programs include: Routes & Maps: We research and produce cycling maps for the Adventure Cycling Route Network, one of the largest route networks in the world at 41,420 miles (and growing). Guided Tours: Each year we lead more than 50 guided bike tours, including self-contained, supported, and educational trips.     Adventure Cyclist: We publish 9 issues of our award-winning Adventure Cyclist magazine each year for our membership.     U.S. Bicycle Route System (USBRS): The U.S. Bicycle Route System will be the largest official cycling route network on the planet when complete.     Membership: Our 45,000 members receive 9 issues of Adventure Cyclist magazine, discounts on our cycling maps, and other great benefits.     Online Store: The Cyclosource store and catalog feature the best in bike-travel gear.     How-To Resources: We provide a variety of trip-planning resources for bicycle travelers such as our annual Cyclists' Travel Guide, How-To Department, and Touring Gear and Tips blog posts. Our new website, BikeOvernights.org, offers inspiration and how-to tips for 1-2 night bicycle trips.     Online Communities: Our Forums provide space to ask questions and get replies from experienced bicycle tourists. You can also join the conversation on Facebook, or on Twitter. Bike touring and blogging? Add your blog (and follow others) at BicycleTravelBloggers.org! Learn more about our social media communities. I have done two different tours - The Underground Railroad and The Pacific Coast Route.  I used maps from Adventure Cycling for both and they are outstanding for finding your way in unknown territory.  They hold up to the rigors of bike touring and weather changes and provide valuable information about services that are upcoming. On my first tour, I had an issue with a bar-con shifter and we had to make some decisions on how to handle it.  I called Tom and arranged for him to ship a set of shifters to a bike shop that was the next city up from where we were originally stopping and made arrangements for them to install them for me.  Without these maps there would have been a lot of computer searching taking place.  I found the reliability of the maps to be very good as well and they update them periodically and continually post printable updates on the website as well. Contact us with any touring questions you might have about gear, routes, or any other question that comes up.  We strive to be a well rounded bike shop and want to be able to provide answers to all of your questions! Tom's Pro Bike Service 3687 Walden Avenue Lancaster, New York 14086 T: (716) 651-9995 F: (716)651-0858 mailto:tom@tomsprobike.com Web Site: http://www.tomsprobike.com/