Best touring bike?

[elduderino]

Sorry bud, been a bit busy this week with work and forgot to reply…
The Kona Sutra, the best bike for my needs, commuting and weekend touring.
On a previous thread this link http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?593959-2010-Kona-Sutra-Review was posted and proved to be the deciding factor in my purchase.
Day to day use the bike is perfect, strong and surprisingly comfortable, good for Stoke on Trent roads.
I love it and hope you will as well.

Which are rubbish!!

I'll be keeping a look out for someone on a Sutra now. I was thinking of getting one...but opted for a Surly Long Haul Trucker instead.

 

[ComedyPilot]

My old MTB hybrid does me fine

 

[Johnny Fox]

Which are rubbish!!

I'll be keeping a look out for someone on a Sutra now. I was thinking of getting one...but opted for a Surly Long Haul Trucker instead.

You will most probably see me while you are overtaking…..
Short fat ugly brute wearing glasses and overkill in reflective clothing
Looking to get fit and loose a lot of weight on the bike but it will be a few months before I am up to any speed
But as I say, the Sutra is one hell of a bike that suits/fits my needs

 

[Crankarm]

The best toruing bike is one that fits you properly, is light and durable. Apart from this deficiencies in your performance will generally far out weigh any in the bike.

 

[p90ade]

If you shop around you can pick up a new super galaxy for under a grand, I managed to get a 09 ultra galaxy brand new in the box for £1170 just had to travel to fetch it. It's the most comfy bike iv ever ridden, going to be doing a long weekends round Wales and jogle this one it, I love it to bits, the trek 1.5 has sat in the shed since.

 

[Moodyman]

Thanks for getting back Johnny Fox.

With the 2010 model, Kona seem to have have sorted out a lot of the earlier criticisms with the rack and mudguard fitting.

I've already read the review that you mentioned (Thermador on Bikeforums) and he swayed it for me too.

Might I say - what a review. I've never seen any item reviewed so clearly and in so much detail. His thought-process ticked everything that I would want from a bike.

I quite like the brown metallic colour - got a bit of yesteryear about it.

 

[Tombo 707]

I have a panorama it an amazing bike. Well made.

 

[Muddyfox]

Another vote for the Panorama

I bought one secondhand recently and im very impressed with the build quality and the ride is fabulous

Simon

 

[BigGee]

I got my panorama last june on the CTW scheme from the hospital where I work. It was a 2009 and I upgraded the wheels so it came in at about £1200. Money well spent, particularly under the scheme, fortunately I was allowed to top up tyhe difference in the price from the max £1000.

I would recomend it to anyone, I did JOGLE on it fully loaded in 11 days, averaging about 90 miles a day. Very comfortable, I have a chronic back problem and have found it the most comfortable bike I have ever had, to the point where i don't ride any of my others now, they are just to uncomfortable. I can keep up a rolling 16mph on without any luggage, which is plenty fast enough for me.

I have done 2500 miles on it now. No punctures, no mechanicals and all still in very good shape, the brakes are just about done now and will need to be changed soon, probably a new chain in the summer and maybe some narrower tyres then as well, though the ones that are on it (continental contact 700 x 32) look as if they could do the same again.

I quite fancy a slightly lighter and faster bike for audax, but would only go for something that was very similar to this in term of comfort.

A great bike for touring and lots of other things as well.

grahame

 

[GrumpyGregry]

The best touring bike is whichever one you have and take on tour with you. I've toured on rigid mtb's, on an HT MTB, a Brompton, and a tourer. You just adapt your tour to suit the bike. The most fun to tour on was probably the Brompton largely because it went everywhere with me, meaning I went into places where I would not have left a bike locked up outside, and let me incorporate buses, trains, and in one memorable downpour, a minicab.

 

[Muddyfox]

You just adapt your tour to suit the bike.

Why would you plan a tour around the Bicycle ?

You plan a tour to do the things that you want to do and see along the way and then choose a bike to accomodate that, not to let the bike dictate what you can and cant do whilst touring

Simon

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Why would you plan a tour around the Bicycle ?

You plan a tour to do the things that you want to do and see along the way and then choose a bike to accommodate that, not to let the bike dictate what you can and cant do whilst touring

Simon

No Simon. That may be how you plan a tour. It isn't how everyone does it. I guess it all depends on perspective, and your definition of touring. To an extent the choice of bike does limit what you can and can't do, especially if you don't have the luxury of owning more than one bike. Which comes first the Chicken or the Egg?

If you ride a light audaxy style tourer I guess you automatically exclude rough stuff from your touring itinerary.

If you ride a classic tourer, like a Galaxy, you probably don't include knarly stuff like the Trans-Cambria-Way or the Pennine Bridleway on your tour. (Though I would go off road on my tourer in the hills and dales, but not in the mountains)

If you don't ride a folder you probably don't consider buses as a cheap option to get you near to the places you might want to see that would take too long to go to on bike alone.

etc., etc..

 

[tomb1960]

I absolutely love my Hewitt Cheviot SE "Betty" she's called. ? worth a look