My new lovely ladyfriend is keen to get a good Tourer for some adventures with me...Can anyone recommend a decent one? I have a Dawes Galaxy and have been looking at the Dawes Galaxy Lady Classic...it looks pretty cool and is white which is the colour she wants...it has to be white ...its a bit expensive but nice..Are there any comparable good brands out there?
to be honest, your best bet is going to a specialist bike fitter. I am a keen tourer and I have just treated myself to a new bike. I was previously touring on a hybrid which although fine, is far from ideal.
I have very similar measurements to your girlfriend. I am 162 cm. I went to see a guy called the bike whisperer for a new bike fitting. I was worth every penny.
the really crap thing about the bike industry is that they just do not create bikes that work for women. its a complete scandal. the effective top tube lengths on every single tourer that you can buy complete (even the 43cm dawes galaxy for women) are far too long. bike manufacturers cheat when 'shrinking and pinking'. to make smaller frames, they jack up the seat post angle to squeeze in the wheels, which means that the saddle needs to be pushed back to create a decent angle for your knees when pedalling, which you've guessed it, has the effect of increasing the effective top tube. if the effective top tube is too long, it can create serious issues. I can relate to that one first hand, I really buggered my back on a bike that had too long a reach and could nt so much as walk a few steps for weeks. extreme case of bad bike fit.
Effective top tubes aside, the other major issue is toe overlap. all smaller framed off the peg tourers use standard 700cm wheels which on smaller frames creates toe overlap which is down right dangerous. i can vouch for the dawes 43cm having serious toe overlap issues.
so what i would suggest is looking at mountain bike frames or tourers that evolved from mountain bikes. they have much shorter top tubes. I know you want a white one but is the colour really more important that having a bike that fits how it should do? she will hate touring if her bike causes her pain. you can always spray paint it. the kona sutra 47cm would be ideal, i dont know if you will have more luck than me in getting one in the UK. I went for a Singular Peregrine frameset and built up the components with the help of a bike shop. the salsa vaya is also a great option and you can buy those complete.
seriously, having a bike that fits me has been revolutionary. cycling is no longer a battle of wills but actually very comfortable.
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