Adventures Since 1987

Pedalers began with a simple idea: plan the kinds of bicycle trips we wanted to take, then share them with other people who loved riding, travel, and the discovery that happens when you move through a place at human speed. What started as trips planned for local cycling clubs became something larger in 1987, when Pedalers turned from a hobby into a business and ran its first commercial bicycle tour in Thailand.

A lot has changed in travel since then. Bikes have improved. Hotels have changed. Guests now expect more comfort, more flexibility, better local support, and a lot less guesswork. But the heart of Pedalers has stayed remarkably consistent: small groups, thoughtful routes, local knowledge, good food, welcoming places to stay, and active days that help you feel connected to the destination.

How It Started

Cycling Thailand in the 1980s The earliest Pedalers trips grew from a love of planning and exploring. Before there was a company, there were bicycle tours designed for local cycling clubs to places like Japan, Tahiti, and France. The fun was not just in riding the routes, but in figuring out how the pieces fit together: the roads, the meals, the hotels, the local contacts, and the rhythm of each day.

In 1987, that hobby became Pedalers. That same year, we ran what we believe was the first commercial bicycle tour in Thailand. Polynesia followed soon after, at a time when the tourism board was still discovering that bicycle touring could be a thing. Japan also joined the early lineup, and many of those first destinations were places we already knew, loved, or had spent time exploring long before they became part of a catalog.

Early to the Road

Pedalers has often found itself a little ahead of the curve. In the early 1990s, we were among the first companies to embrace multisport travel, combining cycling, whitewater rafting, and llama trekking in Idaho, Wyoming, and Colorado. Around the same era, we were also among the early companies offering bicycle tours in Bhutan.

These were not trips built from a template. In many cases, there was no template. Routes had to be scouted, local partners had to be found, logistics had to be worked out, and the idea of traveling by bicycle in some destinations still needed explaining. That kind of groundwork shaped how we still think about travel today. A good trip does not begin with a marketing trend. It begins with a place worth exploring and the patience to understand how best to travel through it.

Different From the Beginning

Cycling the islands of Polynesia Early bicycle tours attracted serious cycling enthusiasts. The rides were often longer, the climbs were part of the fun, and guests usually brought their own bikes on the plane. But Pedalers was never built around self-contained touring, heavy panniers, or roughing it for the sake of roughing it.

From the beginning, we liked the idea of active days paired with real support. We used support vehicles. We chose comfortable hotels and inns. We wanted guests to ride beautiful roads, eat well, sleep well, and wake up ready for another day of discovery. The trips were still adventurous, but they were not about carrying 60 pounds of gear or proving how much discomfort a traveler could tolerate.

Growing With Adventure Travel

As adventure travel changed, Pedalers changed with it. The early market was largely made up of cycling enthusiasts. Over time, soft adventure became a larger part of the travel world: shorter rides, nicer hotels, locally provided bikes, and trips designed for active people who wanted to experience a destination, not just test their legs.

Yes we did European trips early on as well That shift helped shape the Pedalers style guests know today. Some trips are still ambitious and rewarding for strong riders. Others are more relaxed, with shorter days, eBikes, cultural stops, coastal meals, boutique hotels, and time to enjoy where you are. Across all levels, the goal is the same: active travel that feels well supported, locally grounded, and worth the effort.

Online Before Online Was Normal

In 1996, Pedalers launched its first website and put the full trip lineup online, including online sign-up. That may sound ordinary now, but at the time many travel companies were still using websites only as digital brochure request forms.

For us, the website became another way to share the details that matter: where the trips went, how the days worked, what guests could expect, and why these routes were worth riding. The tools have changed a lot since then, but the purpose has not. Good information helps travelers choose the trip that fits them best.

Recognized Along the Way

Much of Pedalers’ early recognition came during the print-magazine era, when travel awards and “best trips” lists appeared in the pages of National Geographic Traveler, National Geographic Adventure, Outside, and Bicycling. Over the years, Pedalers trips and company experiences have been included in:

• National Geographic Traveler, 50 Tours of a Lifetime, Northern Thailand, 2010
• National Geographic Adventure, Best Adventure Travel Companies on Earth, 2009
• Outside, Hottest New Adventures, Hawaii Big Island, 2000
• Outside, Year’s Best New Trips, Alaska Highway Ride, 1999
• Bicycling, Top 50 Rides on the Planet, Tahiti and New Zealand, 1999

Awards are never the reason to travel with us, but they are a nice reminder that the small roads, local partnerships, and unusual destinations we cared about were noticed by people who cared about good travel too.

Back to Our Roots

Like many companies, Pedalers grew over the years. More destinations, more tours, more continents, more possibilities. Growth can be exciting, but it also has a cost. More trips can mean more office time, more logistics, and less time spent in the places that made the work meaningful in the first place.

Tom da boss researching early rides Pedalers did not begin because we wanted to build the biggest catalog. It began because we loved showing people parts of the world we had discovered, explored, and wanted to return to. In recent years, we made a deliberate choice to return to that idea: a smaller collection of destinations we know well, care about deeply, and still feel excited to share.

That focus matters. It means better route judgment, stronger local relationships, more honest trip design, and tours shaped by experience rather than expansion for its own sake. It also means the food is usually excellent, which has never hurt a Pedalers trip.

What Experience Means Today

Since 1987, Pedalers has learned that the best trips are rarely built from one big idea. They come from hundreds of smaller choices: the quieter road, the better lunch stop, the guide who knows when to linger, the hotel in the right village, the ride that is challenging for the right reasons, the support vehicle that appears when you need it but does not crowd the day.

Experience does not mean doing things the old way forever. It means knowing what to keep, what to improve, and when to let a good journey breathe. For Pedalers, that means small groups, thoughtful routes, local guides, comfortable stays, memorable meals, practical support, and enough flexibility to let the journey feel alive.

After all these years, that is still the kind of travel we believe in.