After a touring bike thats not just a tourer

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mish4444

New Member
my friend an i are going to do our first tour at the begging of september we were planning on going from london -> Portsmouth -> Cherbourg down the west cost and along the top of spain and fly back from santander. we are after bikes up to the job but not only that we would like something that isnt just hybrid to cycle through out the rest of the season. We both own a hybrid that are defiantly not up to the job. what we were looking at is a bike you can fit paniers to that is very much a road bike with out them. is this something people would recommend. we have looked at what a shop called a winter trainer like a scott s55 or s50 or the daws audex range like the clubman.

any advice on bikes or general first time tours would be great

cheers
 

Brommyboy

Über Member
Location
Rugby
An Audax bike is ideal for light touring, ie carrying little luggage; to carry more than light luggage you would need a proper touring cycle which is definitely NOT a hybrid! A touring cycle is also ideal for commuting and shopping, so is an all-round bike. There are not so many made these days as cycle dealers specialise in 'road' or 'off-road' bikes. Take a look at the Dawes Galaxy ( or Super G or Ultra G for more expensive models) or the Thorn Club or Expedition bikes.
 
my friend an i are going to do our first tour at the begging of september we were planning on going from london -> Portsmouth -> Cherbourg down the west cost and along the top of spain and fly back from santander. we are after bikes up to the job but not only that we would like something that isnt just hybrid to cycle through out the rest of the season. We both own a hybrid that are defiantly not up to the job. what we were looking at is a bike you can fit paniers to that is very much a road bike with out them. is this something people would recommend. we have looked at what a shop called a winter trainer like a scott s55 or s50 or the daws audex range like the clubman.

any advice on bikes or general first time tours would be great

cheers

The Clubman would do it and definetly fulfil the decent road bike criteria. There's a review of it's bigger brother on roadcc, written by one of our members. Spa cycles often have good offers on the Dawes range.

I have an earlier Dawes Audax and I will tour on that. I'd keep my kit light'ish and ride with a bit more feel but for occasional touring an Audax is ideal, especially if your primary need is for a roadbike first and tourer 2nd. In fact an Audax is a good allround bike. If I had to have just one road bike it would be an Audax bike.
 

aberal

Veteran
Location
Midlothian
It really depends on whether you are taking a tent/camping gear with you. If you are, then the only bike which will really handle that load in panniers is a full blown tourer. If you are staying in B&B's youth hostels and the like then it is less critical and Audax or even some cyclo cross bikes e.g. - Crox de Fer will do the business and be great for training rides/commuting etc.
 

Davidc

Guru
Location
Somerset UK
What Crackle says is good, but I have one reservation. The gearing on Audax bikes is generally higher than on touring bikes. That's fine if you're fit and strong, and many years ago I did what Crackle says - used what is now called an Audax bike for touring, and I didn't keep it particularly light.

One thing I never did when using the lighter bike for touring was to put front panniers on it - the forks just weren't specified for that, and it would still be an issue to be careful of.

Once I got into my mid forties I found that for any touring I had to put lower gears on the bike, the strength to push a load uphill at low cadence just wasn't there any more. I also had a heavier built bike and did put front panniers on it. (Now, in late fifties I need a proper granny gear but that's another issue).

Enjoy the tour. The west coast of France, from the Loire to Bearritz, was great for touring when I did it (40 years ago!) and probably still is. It's one tour I wish I'd repeated but didn't.
 
OP
OP
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mish4444

New Member
thanks for all the responses. I have just turn 20 and am not wonderfully fit bu i have been training a lot over the lst few weeks and getting there we are planning on cycling around 80 to 90 miles a day. and we were going to camp my friend is a big outdoors guy and have a really good two man tent that all pack ways just under 1.5kg and we are going to take that and camp. and we arent planning on taking anything more than a change of cycling clothes 2 small pots change of non cycling clothes ande a small stove with sleeping bags. as we are both students we have near enough perfected the one pot meal. Also being new to cycling and down at the bike shops does a bike with 24 gear differ in ratios to another bike with 24 gears?

thanks again for all the help.
 

jags

Guru
take a look a thorn's club tour these guys know how to build a bike, and it will do exactly what you want it to do.
 

vernon

Harder than Ronnie Pickering
Location
Meanwood, Leeds
thanks for all the responses. I have just turn 20 and am not wonderfully fit bu i have been training a lot over the lst few weeks and getting there we are planning on cycling around 80 to 90 miles a day. and we were going to camp my friend is a big outdoors guy and have a really good two man tent that all pack ways just under 1.5kg and we are going to take that and camp. and we arent planning on taking anything more than a change of cycling clothes 2 small pots change of non cycling clothes ande a small stove with sleeping bags. as we are both students we have near enough perfected the one pot meal. Also being new to cycling and down at the bike shops does a bike with 24 gear differ in ratios to another bike with 24 gears?

thanks again for all the help.

The answer to your last question is yes.

It's not the number of gears that makes the difference but the number of teeth on the granny ring and the largest sprocket on the rear cassette that makes all the difference.

Quite a few road bikes will have a 30 tooth granny ring and a 26 tooth large rear sprocket.

This does not compete for ease of pedalling against a 24 tooth granny ring and a 34 tooth large rear sprocket.

You need to do some research on the bikes that you are considering. If you are young, light and fit then you'll probably get away with the first combination. If one of the afore mentioned properties is missing then consider the latter combination of gears.

To be honest, if your hybrid is half decent I'd explore the cost of kitting it out for touring.
 

aberal

Veteran
Location
Midlothian
To be honest, if your hybrid is half decent I'd explore the cost of kitting it out for touring.

Me too. Apart from anything is else, half the fun happens when the bike breaks down in the rain, in the dark, 20 miles from camp.
biggrin.gif
 

vernon

Harder than Ronnie Pickering
Location
Meanwood, Leeds
There is a common misconception that a road bike or road bike style cycle is the bike to have for touring. Nothing could be further from the truth. On the continent a dropped barred touring bike normally indicates that the owner is British. Most other tourers are flat or butterfly barred hybrids, MTBs and sit up and beg styles bikes with the occasional recumbent thrown into the mix.

I was originally of the opinion that nothing other than a Dawes Galaxy or something similar would serve as a tourer for me. My opinion was formed by the Galaxy community and, to be fair, the Galaxy did it's job well until the frame snapped, twice. Once on a LEJOG and once in Orleans. In Orleans I purchased a Decathlon hybrid styled tourer and have used it for the past two and half years for touring and 60 mile day rides and found it to be as fast and as comfortable as the Galaxy ever was.

Too many people rubbish their own bikes with the misbegotten notion that significant expenditure on 'something better' will make life easier on the road. Your hybrid just might work out a lot cheaper if upgraded than buying a new bike.

On the other hand. Owning a new bike is a very nice feeling. :thumbsup:
 

tbtb

Guest
You're probably lighter with all your gear (even camping gear if carefully chosen) than many of us are without anything, if you're young and thin. If this is the case, your major concerns with a road-bike-as-tourer might be gearing and comfort, rather than notions of the bike not being able to cope.

As well as bikes with a winter trainer tag, look out for ones saying Audax or Sportive as these are aimed at long day rides and so often have characteristics that might suit you.

I have a Genesis Aether for light camping touring. It can take 28mm tyres w/ mudguards - good for comfort on country roads (the mudguards help if I'm pedalling behind cattle too!). The angles of the frame are quite relaxed so it's not too jumpy to ride. The wheels have 32 spokes (more being better than fewer in touring spokeland). I flipped the stem so it's comfy for me. The bike weighs 20 or 21 lbs. Its only failing is the gearing. It uses a compact double chainset and so to get gears for mountain passes I had to buy a new derailleur, cassette, chain. I recommend you get a bike with a triple chainset to avoid this cost. Many models are available in both triple and double.

You can get a rack onto most bikes by using p-clips. The thing is to make your load as light as possible to avoid mechanical issues and to get the advantage of the light bike. If you envisage touring with laptops and pots and pans, and a big tent, consider using the hybrids and getting some really racy bikes on your return.
 

samid

Veteran
Location
Toronto, Canada
I don't want to pimp my own bike but just to give you an idea, my Riv (I was lucky to get it second hand for a reasonable sum a few years back) works quite well as a touring bike - while taking racks off turns it into a good enough road bike:
DSC_7962.jpg

(I do like drop bar bikes)...
 
I would recommend a specialized tricross as an all rounder. My husband and also one of my female friends both have them. I've seen a tricross do light touring, fully loaded touring, proper CX off road and also act as a winter training bike without too much trouble. They are not the lightest, but they are extremely versatile and comfortable too.
 

david1701

Well-Known Member
Location
Bude, Cornwall
I would recommend a specialized tricross as an all rounder. My husband and also one of my female friends both have them. I've seen a tricross do light touring, fully loaded touring, proper CX off road and also act as a winter training bike without too much trouble. They are not the lightest, but they are extremely versatile and comfortable too.

I'd be more helpful here, but I haven't been touring on mine yet, thats next year :biggrin::biggrin::biggrin: It is light and fast and comfortable compared to a non road frame
 
OP
OP
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mish4444

New Member
they all look like great bikes thanks for all the help. The specialised looks like what i have been looking at and seems nice. unfortunately the only way to make my hybrid capable of touring is to replace everything on it as it is extremely budget belonged to my brother who bought it new for £200 and so has dodge gear breaks. I envisage us taking around 10KG of stuff at the very most as we really dont need a lot of kit most of that i think will be my camera to document everything. does anyone have any places they would stop at or add to the trip?

also which airline is best for taking a bike on and what is the protocol take the panniers off and check them in and then bubble rap the frame?
 
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