buying a touring bike

[Mari]

I'm looking for a touing bike with a budget of about 1k, I do long day rides most weekends but also tours of several weeks camping, but I've never bought a good bike before and am a bit bewildered by all the makes and models... I'm also not sure how to chose the right frame size, I'm prone to back pain so it's quite important that I can find a position that's comfortable for long periods. My bike at the moment is quite upright, so when I sit on a tourer with drops I'm not too sure what to look out for as it feels so weird.

Any ideas?

 

[corshamjim]

If you prefer an upright position then it might be worth looking at some of the German brands for example http://www.rosebikes.co.uk/products/bikes/trekking-reiserad/ . That's what I'll do when I'm ready for n+1 anyway.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

european 'touristes' hardly ever ride on drop barred bikes, they are largely an affectation of the anglo-saxon world, and a dead handy indicator that the rider speaks english when travelling abroad, I've found.

Dawes Galaxy is pretty much the 'benchmark' UK drop barred tourer, though slightly beyond your budget. They have a prolific dealer network. This page and some phone calls/visits will find you a local one who is into the touring niche and who will be pleased to help you with frame size and model choice. As you can see here even conservative old Dawes have a broader approach to what is a tourer these days , with the karakorum being more typically european.

Armed with that info you can then look at the secondhand market, always good tourers for sale, and at what other manufacturers have to offer within your budget.

I've no connection with Dawes, my own tourer is an Edinburgh Bicycle Co-Op bike but the process above is pretty much how I determined what was the right bike for me four years ago.

 

[Reluctant cyclist]

Speaking from experience, Cannondale Classic Tourer. A decent, solid and if looked after, long lasting touring bike. Like so many things in life, you get what you pay for. Remember the old maxim, Buy cheap, buy twice!

 

[Muddyfox]

The Ridgeback Panorama is another great touring bike

Simon

 

[samid]

One thing to keep in mind about the frame size - usually the larger the frame, the easier it is to get the drops high enough for a comfortable position.

 

[stephenjubb]

if you live up north try a visit to spa cycles in harrogate. they'll get you sorted easily for under a grand.

 

[stephenjubb]

dawes galaxy 57cm 850 pounds last one

http://www.spacycles.co.uk/products.php?plid=m1b0s21p1987

or good prices on dawes super galaxy 1074 at http://www.bikes2udirect.com/B2799.html