Decision time....

[Lydia Franklin]

Hi everyone.. I just wanted people's opinion on a bike choice.
In o\ctober I will be cycling Route 66... in 4 weeks, 100 miles roughly perday.. yes I know crazy but it's for charity LOL

the question is this.. I am looking at a new bike for this venture and have ordered in 2 at my local cycle shop to have a look at. they both fir my price range. Once is a Specialised Secteur and the other is a Dawes Galaxy AL 2013. both very different bikes.

the reason i chose these 2 to look at...
The secteur is light, apparently reasonably comfortable and seems to have decent components (from my amateurish knowledge) for it's price range. (It also looks nice!), can fit a rack
The Dawes is built for touring, has rack already fitted, ?more durable over a long distance.

I have concerns over parts breaking down in the middle of the desert and ability of the road bike to carry kit
however it is lighter than the Dawes ? making the miles flow by faster?

The Dawes, heavier ? take a bigger toll over the long distances.

I have been told by some people that much of Route 66 is flat - ?seems flat in a car. I know the bit around Tumcumcari is NOT

So what do you guys think. i will be taking the minimum of kit and staying in motels - at least that is the plan. I was also wondering whether taking a light tent might be a good idea in case of getting stuck but that would mean heavier kit.

I haven't ridden them yet - hope to next week. I have done week long tours of 100 miles a day so have a good idea of the challenge and want the bike i choose to help not hinder!!
Thanks for your input, Lydia

 

[mmmmartin]

Check you can ride it. There is a long section on which bikes are banned and you need to take a detour on older and indirect roads. I know someone who discovered this last summer.
As for the bike, buy the Dawes. There is a good reason why it has a long and distinguished reputation. Or look at Thorn, I have a Sherpa.

 

[Ticktockmy]

As you want a off the shelf ready to go bike, I would say go for a Thorn first of all, and then the Dawes. But there are so many good quality bikes out there more than able to do the sort of ride you are going to do. I never understand why peeps under estimate the amount of strength a good quality bike has. the amount of kit you require for your ride if you are using hotels or motels is nothing, you could get it into two small panniers or one large saddle bag, better to worry about things like spare chains, brake pads and inner tubes, on a couple of accounts I have read, it seems on the main routes the hazards are bits of wire thrown out from the tires of Long distance trucks

 

[Gravity Aided]

Route 66 is flat (somewhat) in Illinois, probably a bit hillier in Missouri, and a lot hillier in New Mexico and California. Illinois has the League of Illinois Bicyclists route-http://www.bikelib.org/maps-and-rides/route-guides/route-66-trail/which kind of wends across the route while staying on less traveled roads. In Illinois, much of old Route 66 is still access road for the current I-55, and so is busier than might be comfortable for you. I would also suggest a full-on Touring Bicycle, as the designed extended stay length allows greater clearance and less heel strike with panniers. (As a size 13 shoe wearer, I should know.) as well as greater stability with the longer wheelbase. Also very windy by the time you hit Central Illinois and stays that way, from what I've heard. Picture at Towanda below. (Towanda, in Plains Native American, means "we bury our dead")

 

[bigjim]

This guy, http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/page/?o=1&page_id=279741&v=Hq, in his 60s rides across the states with a lightweight carbon bike. Plus he camps!
You do not need a Galaxy and you don't need panniers. Good tyres and wheels are important. The heavier the bike the more you have to work.
I'd take the lightest quality bike I could get away with.

 

[Cycleops]

You could do it on either but the question you need to ask yourself is what bike do I need to do it on. If you are not carrying too much kit the Specialized will be faster but maybe a bit less comfortable than the Dawes, but in my opinion you don't need a full on touring bike. Both should prove reliable so that shouldn't be an issue. The people on here will all have their own ideas but you are the one who is doing it so you need to examine your needs very carefully. Even if you need to carry a tent you can get ones weighing a little over a kilo and that has to be your philosophy when chosing gear. I would also endorse the post by bigjim. Good luck, hope you don't end up like Easy Rider!

 

[BigonaBianchi]

I rode across the states last summer on my trusted dawes galaxy. I could not have wanted a better bike. It rides fast and solid, deals with most road surfaces well and carries a heavy load no problem. It is a good climber as well as a good cruiser. I recommend that.

I saw people riding on all kinds of bikes on the trans American...

yep, you can do it on a full carbon bling machine, an MTB, Recumbant, a hybrid ..even saw one guy on a unicycle but I don't know how far he got!

As for kit, tools, spares, tent etc etc...I know what worked and didn't for me...what is worth taking and what I ditched etc
pm me if you want to chat it over .

 

[P.H]

You could ride it on either, the limiting factor on such a high mileage ride will be comfort rather than weight or bike style. Make sure it's a perfect fit, if that favours one over the other that's the one for you. If they're still equal, consider what you'll be using it for afterwards, fun unloaded day rides or carrying the weekly shopping or something in between, a good bike is for life not just a months holiday

 

[biggs682]

i am using a Galaxy as my daily commuter at moment , yes its heavier than some other bikes i have used before but it smooths out most of the bumps .

i am not doing the miles you will be but i think you would be hard pushed to get any better of the peg

 

[doog]

This guy, http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/page/?o=1&page_id=279741&v=Hq, in his 60s rides across the states with a lightweight carbon bike. Plus he camps!
You do not need a Galaxy and you don't need panniers. Good tyres and wheels are important. The heavier the bike the more you have to work.
I'd take the lightest quality bike I could get away with.

Interesting that on the page you link to he states he is riding a 50-34 12-27 yet on his last page he has changed his cassette to a 11-36 and he suggests going lower ( triple)

A Galaxy would probably be a sensible idea, triple so the hills are sorted, you can stick a rack on it for your tent and the rest is down to your legs.

 

[Gravity Aided]

The great leveler will be the load. How much things like stoves , cooking gear, clothes, and tent all weigh can make a light bike heavier, and maybe less reliable. But all things being equal, I'd still rather have the Dawes for the longer chainstays and ability to fit panniers and smoothness. In October, Illinois and much of Missouri will be cool, if not cold, and snow in Northern Illinois down to Springfield has not been unheard of. Range of temps is pretty wide, weather is in transition that time of year. That adds to the weight of clothing you would be carrying.

 

[bigjim]

Interesting that on the page you link to he states he is riding a 50-34 12-27 yet on his last page he has changed his cassette to a 11-36 and he suggests going lower ( triple)

A Galaxy would probably be a sensible idea, triple so the hills are sorted, you can stick a rack on it for your tent and the rest is down to your legs.

Its a tradeoff. The Galaxy is probably 4kilos heavier than his carbon steed. Don't agree about the bling thing. So in theory he would need an even lower gear on a galaxy. Plus the rack. So you are putting the weight up all the time.
Nothing against the Galaxy. I've got a couple of steel tourers myself. I don't have a carbon bike as I don't trust carbon. If I had confidence in it I'd go for a carbon bike. Its also not just riding weight. Heaving the machine on or off trains, planes and up and down steps is not much fun.
All that said, I think once you are touring you tend to get used to whatever you are riding. Its just that lighter is easier and there is nothing as much fun as a lightweight road bike.
All IMO of course.

 

[doog]

Its a tradeoff. The Galaxy is probably 4kilos heavier than his carbon steed. Don't agree about the bling thing. So in theory he would need an even lower gear on a galaxy. Plus the rack. So you are putting the weight up all the time.
Nothing against the Galaxy. I've got a couple of steel tourers myself. I don't have a carbon bike as I don't trust carbon. If I had confidence in it I'd go for a carbon bike. Its also not just riding weight. Heaving the machine on or off trains, planes and up and down steps is not much fun.
All that said, I think once you are touring you tend to get used to whatever you are riding. Its just that lighter is easier and there is nothing as much fun as a lightweight road bike.
All IMO of course.

I suppose the half way house is something like I use, a Specialized Tricross. Alu frame, Carbon forks and fixings for racks. Basically light and fast and probably a bit more durable than a Carbon road bike . There are similar bikes out their, Genesis Croix de Fer for example that will give the OP a lighter bike with the option to carry a rack for the tent etc.

 

[BigonaBianchi]

if you are going anywhere near the Ozarks you need a triple if loaded

 

[doog]

They posted this thread 7 days ago and havent replied, I think we have scared them off.