Good road bike to use for touring
- Thread starter jacobv80
- Start date
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newfhouse
Resolutely on topic
People with far more experience will be along shortly I'm sure, but it would be helpful to know how much you're looking to spend and importantly how much stuff you expect to take with you. Will you be fitting racks and panniers or just a saddlebag, are you camping or b&b? What about terrain? I've ridden and camped quite happily through non-mountainous parts of Europe with a rack on my old triple equipped road bike, but I'd want different gearing on hilly routes.
slowmotion
Quite dreadful
- Location
- lost somewhere
A Specialized Secteur Elite has a triple, a reasonably relaxed riding position, and fixings for rear panniers. I've used mine with about 12kg in the panniers in Holland and it's been fine. As a road bike, it's pretty passable too.
newfhouse
Resolutely on topic
Profpointy
Legendary Member
An "Audax" bike sounds like what you're after. Ready fitted for pannier rack and mudguards, yet lighter and more speed oriented than a tourer proper as the expectation is you'll only be carrying modest amounts of luggage and not going off road. Fitting a rack to a pure "road" bike is likely to be a pain and wobbly.
Example bike might be Condor Fratello (I have same bike in fixie build - their Tempo - and it's great). Other makes available eg Spa
Example bike might be Condor Fratello (I have same bike in fixie build - their Tempo - and it's great). Other makes available eg Spa
Stephen Piper
Veteran
- Location
- Romney Marsh, Kent
I ride a Dawes Super Galaxy as a road bike, I bought a used one for £400. The extra weight and rolling resistance of a steel touring bike with 32 mm tyres has only been a handicap when riding with a group who are all riding lighter 'road' bikes.
betty swollocks
large member
Look at audax bikes, cyclocross bikes, gravel bikes.
uphillstruggler
Legendary Member
- Location
- Half way there
As above
this quandary came up in conversation with a mate recently, I think I would go for a cycloX/gravel bike as long as it had rack/mudguard mounts. pretty much best of both worlds with a swap of tyres.
some touring may not be on roads that are silky smooth so the additional tyre size may save the day.
ok. its not going to be as fast as a dedicated roadie but if you only want one bike to do it all, that would be my suggestion.
this quandary came up in conversation with a mate recently, I think I would go for a cycloX/gravel bike as long as it had rack/mudguard mounts. pretty much best of both worlds with a swap of tyres.
some touring may not be on roads that are silky smooth so the additional tyre size may save the day.
ok. its not going to be as fast as a dedicated roadie but if you only want one bike to do it all, that would be my suggestion.
- Location
- London
OP, what are these "other purposes" you would be using the bike for?
- Location
- The TerrorVortex
Ajax Bay
Guru
- Location
- East Devon
@TheDoctor - the OP never came back after posting the OP. Pity: lots of good advice above, but could be refined if @Blue Hills ' question was answered.
bigjim
Legendary Member
- Location
- Manchester. UK
Grant Fondo
Legendary Member
- Location
- Cheshire
I posted some Felt deals last week, disc brakes etc...good if budget is tight!
https://www.merlincycles.com/felt-z75-disc-road-bike-2016-86925.html
https://www.merlincycles.com/felt-z75-disc-road-bike-2016-86925.html
- Location
- London
ah, thanks for the page.
Yes, I think folks should hold off until the OP comes back with more info on the original post.
