Another touring "what bike" thread - Sub 1K

[HobbesOnTour]

Seems to me a wide range MTB cassette makes 'one by' a viable option.

The thing with this option is the cost.

I understand that it's not an issue for everybody but I had a quick look at SJS and an 11 speed cassette with the range you're talking about is in the range of £100+ (5 times more expensive than mine!)
Then there's the cost of regular chain replacements - again more expensive the greater the speed.

To put it in perspective, that's 10% of the op's total budget for buying a bike.

To me, this emphasises the need to take a "big picture" look at someone's requirements for a bike, especially a touring bike (because to use the darn thing - go on tour - takes even more dosh!)

If someone forks out £1k or more, on the "best" touring bike available, they should also consider the cost of keeping the bike on the road. If the £1k is the absolute maximum they can afford they may well find that after a while they have a choice of touring on the thing or replacing the cassette!

For someone starting off, they may well be blissfully unaware of the need to replace regular components and the costs associated with that.

 

[Blue Hills]

The thing with this option is the cost.

I understand that it's not an issue for everybody but I had a quick look at SJS and an 11 speed cassette with the range you're talking about is in the range of £100+ (5 times more expensive than mine!)


....


For someone starting off, they may well be blissfully unaware of the need to replace regular components and the costs associated with that.

Agree - I have lots of bikes and I usually reckon on paying £15 max for a cassette.

I often pay far less.

And I stress that I'm not slumming it/compromising on quality - they are absolutely fine.

In fact I wouldn't be at all surprised if they lasted longer than those dinner plates.

I wouldn't dream of paying £50 to £100 for a cassette.

Apart from anything else I would feel like such a nit.

Bikes are simple.

Touring bike componentry is especially simple.

And to me that is part of the appeal/simple joy.

I have seen £2,000 bikes with supposedly bottom of the range shimano cranksets and they are non the worse for it. In fact very possibly better.

And of course bringing up the bottom these days is often square taper, even though many would say it is the most appropriate.

I'd spend most of the money on a good frame and wheels cannuck.

You'll then be set up for life.

And avoid getting sucked into too advanced stuff that will label you as a "cash cow" for the marketeers.

9 speed stuff I am sure will be available for years.

The above mentioned Ridgeback know a thing or two about bikes and my pretty recent Ridgeback expedition tourer is 9 speed, even though when I bought it many folk would tell you that 9 speed is history.

For replacement sensible components Rose of Germany is a good source.

The masters of europe know a thing or two about bikes and engineering.

https://www.rosebikes.co.uk/

 

[Aravis]

Spa's standard drop bar tourer is back on their site, happily. It seemed odd that it had gone, a mistake perhaps?

The Rosebikes site is interesting. I found another quite similar site the other day called Bikester when I was hunting for a particular component. My order is in transit. While I was there I had a look around and they have a 2019 Kona Sutra at a good price:

...but only in the smallest size, which may not be a bad thing.

Something to bear in mind with tourers: often, like the one above, they look absolutely beautiful. Are you prepared for it to get the battering it's likely to receive on a heavy tour?

Damn this thread, it's made me so unsettled.

 

[Randomnerd]

Get more for your budget S/H. A quick scan of another forum’s classifieds shows a good Kona Sutra, a Thorn, a Spa Ti and a Dawes Galaxy. All relatively new frames with low miles. Bank your savings for maintenance and decent red wine.

 

[steveindenmark]

I have the Koga World Traveller, CDF 20 and Specialized Roubaix. But the Giant Fathom 29 is a bike that jumps immediatley to mind.

I bought a Giant Fathom 29 in December and have ridden about 600km on it. It will make a great touring bike. The wider tyres and SRAM 1 x 12 gearing are excellent. Its not heavy and it is not slow.

Admittedly, my longest day so far is only 70km, but it is comfortable. I did chop 2cm of either end of the handle bar and add ergo grips. It certainly is a 100+ km a day bike.

It will be great with a rear rack or just bike packing bags. It is well within your budget.

 

[CanucksTraveller]

Update: I ended up choosing the Genesis Tour de Fer 10, I ordered from my LBS who are a dealer... I think that was for many small reasons that all added up. Not least the fact that I have an existing relationship with them, they often do those little jobs on my whole family's bikes (perhaps where I lack the tool), often for free. There's not much margin on new bikes but I feel that approach to customer service deserves the support. The price is the same as online. They'll do the build and also do one free service whenever it's needed, not that I can't do those things myself but I do always find indexing a new bike fiddly if it's not already done, so if they're offering a proper build, I'll accept. In my experience not all online retailers will do an equal job of getting the bike ready, this way I pick it up and I ride it straight away.

The Spa bikes obviously had a lot of fans and both models I considered were so lovely - that was a very close run thing and Spa was the other obvious front runner, it was just with the dealer being the other end of England to me I wondered about a few things that might throw up. Any after sales issues, that kind of thing.
The bike will most likely have a front hub dynamo fitted at some point, and again the LBS will do that at a discount if I'm patronising them. I feel this bike will be looked after well by the LBS if there was to be an issue or a job I can't do.

For those discussing gear ratios it comes with a triple 22/32/42 at the front and the Shimano Alivio 9 speed 11-32 cassette at the rear, I just felt that was perfectly right for me and for what I want to do.

Thank you so much for everyone's views, it's been an extremely interesting chat and I appreciated every bit of your informed input.

Oh and thank you all for convincing me to switch over to discs for touring, that has been an especially well received lesson.

Roll on delivery!

 

[newfhouse]

Roll on delivery!

Never mind delivery, roll on the tour...

 

[Spiderweb]

Update: I ended up choosing the Genesis Tour de Fer 10, I ordered from my LBS who are a dealer... I think that was for many small reasons that all added up. Not least the fact that I have an existing relationship with them, they often do those little jobs on my whole family's bikes (perhaps where I lack the tool), often for free. There's not much margin on new bikes but I feel that approach to customer service deserves the support. The price is the same as online. They'll do the build and also do one free service whenever it's needed, not that I can't do those things myself but I do always find indexing a new bike fiddly if it's not already done, so if they're offering a proper build, I'll accept. In my experience not all online retailers will do an equal job of getting the bike ready, this way I pick it up and I ride it straight away.

The Spa bikes obviously had a lot of fans and both models I considered were so lovely - that was a very close run thing and Spa was the other obvious front runner, it was just with the dealer being the other end of England to me I wondered about a few things that might throw up. The bike will most likely have a front hub dynamo fitted at some point, and again the LBS will do that at a discount if I'm patronising them. I feel this bike will be looked after well by the LBS if there was to be an issue or a job I can't do.

For those talking gear ratios it comes with a triple 22/32/42 at the front and the Shimano 11-32 cassette at the rear, I just felt that was perfectly right for me and for what I want to do.

Thank you so much for everyone's views, it's been an extremely interesting chat and I appreciated every bit of your informed input.

Oh and thank you all for convincing me to switch over to discs for touring, that has been an especially well received lesson.

Roll on delivery!


View attachment 503240

Great choice, looks fabulous.

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

Although I'm not generally a fan of modern bikes, I do think the Genesis steel models are better than most, not least because they don't have ugly frames made from massively oversized tubing.

 

[Bonefish Blues]

Did you spec the chainset - I doesn't come with those ratios 'out of the box' aiui (nor in the image)?

 

[CanucksTraveller]

Did you spec the chainset - I doesn't come with those ratios 'out of the box' aiui (nor in the image)?

Oh well who knows, you've got better eyesight than me if you can tell that from the image! I didn't spec it, no... I'm going by what Genesis say for the cassette on the full spec sheet. The front triple nobody seemed to know the large ring, so for that it was an assumption. I'm under estimating by the looks of it, though it's no matter really.

What do you reckon it is?

 

[Gunk]

Good choice, that’s a really nice bike.

 

[Bonefish Blues]

Oh well who knows, you've got better eyesight than me if you can tell that from the image! I didn't spec it, no... I'm going by what Genesis say for the cassette on the full spec sheet. The front triple nobody seemed to know the large ring, so for that it was an assumption. I'm under estimating by the looks of it, though it's no matter really.

What do you reckon it is?

ooh at a wild guess 50-39-30 for the bike you ordered

https://www.genesisbikes.co.uk/bike/tour-de-fer-10

The one pictured looks similar, too.

Good choice btw (I'd have gone Kona, well I did go Kona, actually), but it's all about individual preference once one gets to a level, I think.

 

[CanucksTraveller]

ooh at a wild guess 50-39-30

Doh! I mean, It's not like I've been researching it for weeks or anything. I genuinely couldn't find that anywhere.

I agree with what you say and I loved the Kona too.

 

[raleighnut]

ooh at a wild guess 50-39-30 for the bike you ordered

https://www.genesisbikes.co.uk/bike/tour-de-fer-10

The one pictured looks similar, too.

Good choice btw (I'd have gone Kona, well I did go Kona, actually), but it's all about individual preference once one gets to a level, I think.

Yep looking at it that looks like a 30 as the little un on the crank but then gearing of 30-32 as a lowest is plenty, ultra low gearing is fine on an MTB/Trials bike for getting up ultra steep bits but really trying to balance a loaded touring bike at walking pace while your legs are doing a Hamster impersonation is no fun.