Definition of 'Light Tourer'
- Thread starter yello
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JackE
Über Member
- Location
- Hertfordshire
Before I bought the Dawes I looked seriously at the Cannondale Light Tourer. It had 28mm tyres. I suppose the reasoning is that ye olde traditional touring tyre was 1 1/4 inch (32mm) so to go lighter/faster a 28 would be a logical choice. The Dawes was supplied with 23mm tyres but they were very hard on the hands/wrists, the 28's are much more comfortable (from a shock absorption point of view).
Chris James
Über Member
- Location
- Huddersfield
JackE said:
That's funny because I have a Dawes Audax with 23mm tyres and I find it massively comfy. Better than my old 531c tourer (with 28mm tyres on it), but a lot nippier!
JackE
Über Member
- Location
- Hertfordshire
Sadly I can't find the fairly long discussion on the CTC forum on this subject.
Crackle, sorry but I don't know the answers to your questions re handling etc. as I've only done credit card touring on it thus far.
The point about what size of tyre equals a comfortable ride is very much "each to their own". Views and opinions differ widely on this one. I'm a cabinetmaker and my hands are my livelihood so I'm perhaps a bit more sensitive to the vibrations/shock coming through the handlebars. Unexpectedly, the Airborne came fitted with gel pads underneath the cork bar tape, so there are other people out there with a similar take on this. The shock absorption is outstanding.
Crackle, sorry but I don't know the answers to your questions re handling etc. as I've only done credit card touring on it thus far.
The point about what size of tyre equals a comfortable ride is very much "each to their own". Views and opinions differ widely on this one. I'm a cabinetmaker and my hands are my livelihood so I'm perhaps a bit more sensitive to the vibrations/shock coming through the handlebars. Unexpectedly, the Airborne came fitted with gel pads underneath the cork bar tape, so there are other people out there with a similar take on this. The shock absorption is outstanding.
Paul_Smith SRCC
www.plsmith.co.uk
- Location
- Surrey UK
JackE said:
It may or may not be this post as I did go into some detail about different styles of bikes; note they are my personal opinions; none the less that post may be of some interest.
[URL="http://www.bikeplus.co.uk/graphics/Adobe_France.jpg"]Paul_Smith[/URL]
[URL="http://www.bikeplus.co.uk/"]www.bikeplus.co.uk[/URL]
asterix
Comrade Member
- Location
- Limoges or York
yello said:Um, round.
36 spoke Mavic A719, again up to touring I would have thought
Obviously a new and revolutionary design..
dragon72
Guru
- Location
- Mexico City
Definition of a light tourer? Cathryn
Definition of a heavy tourer? BTFB
Definition of a heavy tourer? BTFB
Chris James
Über Member
- Location
- Huddersfield
To be honest, I don't use mine for light touring, just day rides. I reckon the front forks look the same as on the Galaxy (they feel pretty heavy, I occasionally eye them up for replacement with carbon ones, but quite like the ride they give) so the low riders could take the same on both bikes.
The frame seems pretty stiff. I reckon it could take well more than 10kg.
I think a couple of panniers of a full Camper Longflap or similar would be fine. Probably not the best for camping lods but that is mostly down to the small clearances (I think you would struggle to get more than a 25mm on the back if you keep the guards).
The frame seems pretty stiff. I reckon it could take well more than 10kg.
I think a couple of panniers of a full Camper Longflap or similar would be fine. Probably not the best for camping lods but that is mostly down to the small clearances (I think you would struggle to get more than a 25mm on the back if you keep the guards).
bobajobrob
New Member
yello said:
The 10kg max weight recommendation was for luggage rather than the weight of the bike!
yello said:
Light tourers tend to use caliper brakes whilst heavy tourers tend to use cantis or v-brakes. The latter allows clearances for fat tyres. With the former you're usually limited to 25-28c tyres or so (with deep-drop calipers).
I have loaded up a 531c frame (probably similar to the aravis audax 631) with front and rear panniers, probably about 20kg of luggage. The frame flex was scary, and the forks went all noodley. Lightweight frames are simply not designed to carry heavy loads. Having said that people do it, and say it's fine. Smaller frames will be more rigid than larger ones with the same tubing, and carry load better.
GCHLewis said:
With reference to personal preferences which has a lot of bearing on what you will put up with/prefer - I would say 15/20Kg.
As I put in my review, when I loaded mine, the bile felt heavier but didn't feel twitchy or front light but I was only carrying about 10Kg.
I wouldn't use it for a full on round the world tour but for occasional or lighter weight touring I'd say it was just fine. My own weight is about 74Kg, perhaps if I was heavier I'd feel more flex.
