Getting into touring..

[ivanmathew]

Hi, I'm just getting into touring and have been reading the top touring tips. Does anyone have any reccomendations on what type of bicycle they like to use? Is a standard road bicycle just fine? Or should I invest in a touring bicycle?

I'm about to go on a 300km trek through the mountains here in British Columbia, Canada and am just looking for any advice you guys might have!

 

[andym]

Does anyone have any reccomendations on what type of bicycle they like to use? Is a standard road bicycle just fine? Or should I invest in a touring bicycle?

It depends quite a lot on what sort of bike you have and what sort of touring you want to do. You definitely don't have to rush out and buy a touring bike to go touring. On the other hand if you had a very race-oriented road bike and you wanted to go touring on dirt roads in the Himalayas then you'd want to consider getting something better adapted to the job.

If you're comfortable riding the bike you have, and it will carry the stuff you need, then I'd stick with it - at least until you have a better idea of what you want from a bike. Besides, if you decide to go in for camping then you'll find there are plenty of other calls on your money.

On the other hand if this is really a 'give me an excuse to buy a new bike' thread then you might want to check out the Surly Long Haul Trucker which seems to have a cult status among US touring cyclists.

 

[Cathryn]

Totally agree with Andy - any bike can be a tourer if you tour on it. For mountains, you might want to fit or get a bike with a triple chainset because any extra gears are pretty welcome. Your trip sounds fab!!

 

[RedBike]

There's no specific need to have a touring bike. However, you're often rather limited as to how much stuff you can carry on a standard road bike.

 

[Dayvo]

Plenty of good reading in these books:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Essential-T...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1249397541&sr=1-1

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Complete-Bo...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1249397579&sr=1-1

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Long-Distan...=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1249397579&sr=1-3

 

[samid]

IMHO: Unless you're touring unpaved roads, a road-style bike with drop bars (but set at comfortable height - about same as saddle, not 10cm lower) and slick but reasonably wide slick tires is much more fun to ride all day than a mountain bike. (E.g., I very much like my bike.) Depending on how much stuff you'll be carrying, your standard road bike might do just fine, provided you can physically attach all that luggage to it. One other thing to consider - if rain is likely during your tour, fenders are a big plus.

 

[andym]

IMHO: Unless you're touring unpaved roads, a road-style bike with drop bars (but set at comfortable height - about same as saddle, not 10cm lower) and slick but reasonably wide slick tires is much more fun to ride all day than a mountain bike.

...but this is very much a matter of personal taste (and, along with wearing or not wearing peaked helmets/baggy shorts, hydration packs, etc I suspect there's an element of tribal loyalty).

 

[samid]

...but this is very much a matter of personal taste (and, along with wearing or not wearing peaked helmets/baggy shorts, hydration packs, etc I suspect there's an element of tribal loyalty).

...which is why I started the phrase you quoted with "IMHO"... But tribal loyalty or not (does one belong to a cycling "tribe" if one mostly rides alone?), drop bars provide 3-4 different hands positions as opposed to one on flat bars, and this is a definite plus when you're touring and hence have to spend long hours in the saddle. IMHO, of course

 

[ivanmathew]

Thanks everyone for your response! You've all been helpful, I've got a couple more questions too.

On the other hand if this is really a 'give me an excuse to buy a new bike' thread then you might want to check out the Surly Long Haul Trucker which seems to have a cult status among US touring cyclists.

Andy, it is on the other hand, lol, I'm looking to buy one that can survive long distance cycling without wearing down. I live in a great cycling city, so my daily commuter bike is soon headed for the cycling graveyard of craigslist and is in no condition to be cycling through mountains.

Thanks for the tip about the Surly, what are some of the better touring bike brands in the EU?

For mountains, you might want to fit or get a bike with a triple chainset because any extra gears are pretty welcome.

I was thinking that, I'm assuming granny gears will save me a lot of standing during my climbs? That being said, does anyone else find themselves standing with climbs when they've got a couple panniers at the back?

... you're often rather limited as to how much stuff you can carry on a standard road bike.

In what sense? Is it a balance issue when you start stacking too much weight on there?

Plenty of good reading in these books:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Essential-To...9397541&sr=1-1

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Complete-Boo...9397579&sr=1-1

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Long-Distanc...9397579&sr=1-3

I'll stop in the bookshop tomorrow downtown and look for them.

IMHO: Unless you're touring unpaved roads, a road-style bike with drop bars (but set at comfortable height - about same as saddle, not 10cm lower) and slick but reasonably wide slick tires is much more fun to ride all day than a mountain bike. (E.g., I very much like my bike.) Depending on how much stuff you'll be carrying, your standard road bike might do just fine, provided you can physically attach all that luggage to it. One other thing to consider - if rain is likely during your tour, fenders are a big plus.

Nice bike! Looks like you give her a lotta love. But, I hope you don't whizz around cottage country Ontario in a yellow jersey on her.

You'd think cycling from the rainiest metropolis in North America (Vancouver) to the rainiest area of North America (Tofino) I'd need fenders, but thanks to global warming we've had a drought all summer and I'm trying to take advantage of it with a long haul.


I agree in full about your comment about a mountain bike, I had full reconstructive knee surgery a few years ago so I've sworn off of them and love tearing around on a road bike now instead. Do you know of any compatibility issues of attaching racks to road bikes? (stupid question I know

How wide are the tires you're using for trips? Any one else have any tips on tires as I'm going paved the entire way but it's a lot of climbs/descents.

 

[RedBike]

In what sense? Is it a balance issue when you start stacking too much weight on there?

When the bikes not designed for this purpose there can be a number of problems.

First of all a lot of road bikes wont have the proper mounting points for panniers and mudguards. In a lot of cases you can start using p-clips and cutting the guards to fit but this isn't really ideal.

Wider tyres are worth while when the bikes heavily loaded to add a bit of comfort and control; but not all road bikes will take wider tyres, especially with mud-guards.

Then there's the fact the panniers might be less than ideally placed so that your heel hits the rear panniers and your toe hits the front.

Even if you manage to get all the pannier, mud-guards and wide tyres on the bike might still 'wobble' and flex dangerously under heavy load.

Older styled steel mtb make good touring bikes, a few hybrids are probably very adaptable but you're unlikely to have much joy trying to adapt a carbon racing bike.

It all depends on what you want to carry. The more you need to carry, the more problems you will have. For light loads a "fast audax / winter bike" might be ideal. Designed for panniers but they're not as sturdy as full on tourer.

 

[ivanmathew]

Very helpful, thanks.

First of all a lot of road bikes wont have the proper mounting points for panniers and mudguards. In a lot of cases you can start using p-clips and cutting the guards to fit but this isn't really ideal ... Then there's the fact the panniers might be less than ideally placed so that your heel hits the rear panniers and your toe hits the front.

I know what you mean about p-clips and adapters for racks and hitting panniers with my heels actually from my current commuter. It can get frustrating at higher speeds.

Even if you manage to get all the pannier, mud-guards and wide tyres on the bike might still 'wobble' and flex dangerously under heavy load.

I also didn't think about the frame and weight support issue, but to be honest I don't plan on travelling with more than 2 panniers (even when I travel by aeroplane or road trip it's what can fit in a suitcase or over the shoulder bag comes with me only). But then again I'd hate to wear out a brand new bike with over duty cycling. I'm curious to hear some of samid's experiences in terms of maintenance.

For light loads a "fast audax / winter bike" might be ideal. Designed for panniers but they're not as sturdy as full on tourer.

Do you have any brands you might reccommend? Or if I went into a good bike shop and said that they'd understand me I imagine. I like the sound of "fast audax."

 

[simon_brooke]

I was thinking that, I'm assuming granny gears will save me a lot of standing during my climbs? That being said, does anyone else find themselves standing with climbs when they've got a couple panniers at the back?

I choose to tour with a trailer rather than panniers, largely because I like to be able to unclip the trailer when I've reached my destination for the day and have my nice, light uncluttered bike back just to go riding around. But whether trailer or panniers, extra load makes the bike react noticably differently when you're out of the saddle. I find with practice that one can pedal out of the saddle without swinging the bike much and the trailer definitely prefers that!

I agree in full about your comment about a mountain bike, I had full reconstructive knee surgery a few years ago so I've sworn off of them and love tearing around on a road bike now instead. Do you know of any compatibility issues of attaching racks to road bikes? (stupid question I know )

Most bikes designed as race bikes (or wannabe race bikes) don't have hardware (bolt holes) for mounting racks to. You can get around this with P-clips. Some really light race bikes may not have the strength in the seat stays to manage hanging a lot of luggage off there.

How wide are the tires you're using for trips? Any one else have any tips on tires as I'm going paved the entire way but it's a lot of climbs/descents.

If you're on tarmac all the way 23 or 25mm tyres will be fine.

 

[RedBike]

Do you have any brands you might reccommend? Or if I went into a good bike shop and said that they'd understand me I imagine. I like the sound of "fast audax."

Yes, any good bike shop will know what you mean. It's just a label / catagory of bike. Basically something designed for carrying light loads and eating up the miles quickly in relative comfort rather than a full on race bike or a sturdy touring bike.

Ribbles own brand (http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/) is a sterotypical winter road bike. There's loads of other makes/brands that will fit into this catagory.

They're more than capable of taking a set of rear panniers. The frames are very stiff so you wont get any handling problems. However, not being a touring bike the seat stays are short (heel strike) and they wont accept larger volume tyres and mud-guards.

 

[snorri]

Or if I went into a good bike shop and said that they'd understand me I imagine. I like the sound of "fast audax."[/COLOR][/FONT]

If my experience is typical, there are few bike shops around where you will get good advice on cycle touring as it really is a minority interest in the cycling world. Even within the 'touring' section of cycling there are many variations in interest, and the advice you can gain from others is limited, practical experience is a better guide.
Some cycle tourists like to go away for months carrying considerable loads, with speed and time being unimportant, others take shorter trips but like to travel faster and lighter. Even these two branches of touring will use many variations of equipment depending on the terrain and weather likely to be encountered.
What I think I am trying to say is, just get out and do it with the equipment you have to hand. You will discover which branch of touring appeals to you and gradually learn which bike and kit best fits your needs.
My first tour taught me that a "fast" bike flexes worryingly when carrying sufficient luggage for a two week tour!

 

[andym]

I agree 100 percent with snorri.

I thought Audax was mainly a British thing, so I'm not sure a Canadian bike shop would understand what you were on about if you went in asking for a 'fast audax' bike.

...which is why I started the phrase you quoted with "IMHO"... But tribal loyalty or not (does one belong to a cycling "tribe" if one mostly rides alone?), drop bars provide 3-4 different hands positions as opposed to one on flat bars, and this is a definite plus when you're touring and hence have to spend long hours in the saddle. IMHO, of course

Hmm. Most people touring with flat bars use barends, and as I suspect most touring cyclists spend most of the time on the top of the bars or on the hoods I don't think there is really that much of a difference. You could argue that a more upright position means that you have less weight on the wrists and less need to change position (and yes I know you should support your weight from the core muscles but I suspect most people don't). And before anyone says it a more upright position has its downsides as well.

People can and do tour the world on flat-barred bikes - so for at least some people they offer enough comfort. Bottom line: I'd have no hesitation recommending a drop-bar bike as a tourer but I wouldn't recommend someone buying a new bike simply for the sake of drop bars.

And as a general point. I think it's much more helpful to newbies to say 'I think X because...' rather than simply make assertions - even if prefaced with 'IMHO'. For example saying 'bikes with drop bars are more comfortable than flat bars because they give you a greater range of hand positions' rather than 'touring bikes are more comfortable than MTBs'. The former at least gives someone some basis on which to evaluate the opinions being offered and make up their own mind.