Long tour on a CX bike

[Maudso]

I am planning a long tour, initially around Europe but then hopefully further afield, and wanted opinions/advice on the bike I will be using.

I have a Boardman CX bike. Currently used for commuting/shopping, but I did do LEJOG in 9 days on it (supported, so only small rack bag) last year. Shopping trips I load up the rear panniers quite heavy & there are no problems. The main issue I have is the possibility of a front rack. It has carbon forks with no eyelets (correct term?) to fit the rack to. After some research online, I have seen recommendations for using strong cable ties but this seems to be a bit of a bodge job rather than a long-term solution. Does anyone have any suggestions or experience with this? Will I need to splash out on new forks?

I know ideally I should get a tourer (lots of recommendations for the Dawes range) - especially as I may be on tour for a couple of years - but the Boardman is less than a year old & I don't think I can justify spending another £1000 or so. Will the Boardman even survive such a tour? For LEJOG it was wonderful, but as mentioned, no panniers so very light.

A bit of extra info - around Europe for 6-12 months, then heading East. It will be a solo camping tour, so I need to carry everything to live on the bike - don't think I can get away with just rear panniers. Not leaving until around April/May, so lots of time to iron out any issues. Also, this will be my first tour...

Any help/opinions/advice/criticisms welcomed!

Maudso.

 

[Big T]

I'd sell the Boardman and buy a s/h touring bike or see if you could do a swap.

You could fit some steel touring forks to the Boardman, which would solve your luggage problem, but it may affect the way the bike handles.

 

[Ticktockmy]

The Boardman should be ok, will need to have small adaption’s pannier lugs etc. for the front forks, after all it was designed to be used with woodland and muddy tracks in mind, however it was never designed as a touring or commuting bike, so maybe it will not be so good for long journeys on Tarmac and or cobbles, only you can find that out. Also I believe some of the components will not be able to stand up to the rigours of a long tour.

Looking at your brief resume of your proposed trip, I would say to you that the LEJOG and a tour of a couple of years are two different events, LEJOG is a short sharp challenge, whereas a long tour can be soul destroying at times, because as you travel through each culture you need to adjust to what are very different mind sets and religion’s and faiths.

Adjusting to the mind blowing Bureaucracy , can be frustrating, over friendly and curious locals can delay you, so you miss connections if you need to use transport to get through a unfriendly area. You have to adapt to different seasons if you have to cross high mountain passes you need to plan for having the right clothes for the weather.

On some of my tours I have done, I have been stoned, real stones not stoned from the local drink or Puff, mind some of the local puff can be quite mellowing, been shot at, been dragged off the bike by over exuberant kids all the hazards of the long tour distant tourer.

The further you get into the tour, the better most people cope because of gained experience

But believe me there is nothing like finishing a 5000 mile tour, and reflecting on the highs and lows of your experiences. I would say read a lot of the accounts on http://www.crazyguyonabike.com

You can gain a lot of knowledge from other people experiences

 

[andym]

I'd sell the Boardman and buy a s/h touring bike or see if you could do a swap.

Or buy a new frameset and swap over the bits? Should cost a lot less than £1000 (although I'd also invest in a pair of good-quality wheels).

You could tour with just rear panniers (although if you want to carry food you may find you need the extra carrying capacity).

 

[HelenD123]

You could tour with just rear panniers (although if you want to carry food you may find you need the extra carrying capacity).

I'd want the flexibility of being able to have four panniers on a tour like this. Maudso will probably need to carry extra food and water at some point.

My front rack was held on by zip ties for a while and it worked fine but I agree that it's not a long-term solution. Tubus sell adapters for forks without eyelets. I'd be dubious about putting a rack on a carbon fork though.

 

[Maudso]

Appreciate the responses all

@Ticktockmy - I have been reading CGOAB for a few months now - think that's where some of the inspiration to finally do this came from. The 'unknowingness' of it all is a big part of the challenge for me. There is a bit of apprehension; hence staying in Europe for a few months initially to get used to 'this touring lark'. Of course I may decide I hate it (really not sure how!) & cut the whole thing short. But if you don't try, you never know. I am currently in the very fortunate position where I have no commitments, so can take a few years to have an adventure (am selling my house & quitting my job too, so no time-constraints either).

As HelenD123 mentioned, I believe I will need the extra space for food etc. Any items in the front panniers shouldn't be too heavy &, again according to internet research, I think carbon forks should hold up as long the attachment from them rack to them holds up.

Looks like I have three options - Buy a 'proper' touring bike, buy new forks, or stick with what I have & see what happens! None are really appealing, but I spose due to spending the first few months in Europe, I could put off the decision & just see how things turn out (as in, start with the cheap cable tie option for now). I hate making decisions!

Thanks again!

 

[aberal]

The Boardman CX will be absolutely fine. It's not the carbon forks you should be worried about, so long as you properly source, adequate racks. As you say, you would only be keeping lightweight stuff at the front, tee shirts, undies, socks etc. You should have a think about your wheels, maybe getting decent 36 spoke touring wheels to take the weight of the panniers and you might want also to think about the gearing. All that extra weight will mean that you should convert to a triple at the front, otherwise the occasional hilly terrain will be impossible and may have to spend a little on the rear deraileur to accommodate.

 

[doog]

The Boardman CX will be absolutely fine. It's not the carbon forks you should be worried about, so long as you properly source, adequate racks. As you say, you would only be keeping lightweight stuff at the front, tee shirts, undies, socks etc. You should have a think about your wheels, maybe getting decent 36 spoke touring wheels to take the weight of the panniers and you might want also to think about the gearing. All that extra weight will mean that you should convert to a triple at the front, otherwise the occasional hilly terrain will be impossible and may have to spend a little on the rear deraileur to accommodate.

I would agree about the wheels and the gearing. My Tricross rear wheel broke a spoke and was written off on a tour. Ive replaced it with an Openpro 36 spoke to keep the integrity of the bike and no problems so far. A triple is a must.

 

[aberal]

I would agree about the wheels and the gearing. My Tricross rear wheel broke a spoke and was written off on a tour. Ive replaced it with an Openpro 36 spoke to keep the integrity of the bike and no problems so far. A triple is a must.

I had 36 spoke wheels on my Cannondale T2000 - a bespoke tourer, with bespoke wheels if ever there was one, and had 4 broken spokes over 4000 miles.

 

[Maudso]

I'm getting more & more concerned about this! In my naivety I hadn't even considered a triple over the compact, or new wheels. Summarising it looks like I should get new forks, gearing & wheels. Ouch!

Sooo.... Galaxy, Kona Sutra or the Long Haul Trucker?!

 

[aberal]

Sooo.... Galaxy, Kona Sutra or the Long Haul Trucker?!

Yes, perhaps, maybe or no.

Really all depends on your budget. There are others out there - Thorn for example or Revolution Country Traveller (or Explorer) or Ridgeback Voyage (or Panorama) etc etc.

Upshot is - do you want to spend the money or do you not. Do you want a bike that will do the business for a major travelling adventure or do you not. The CX will get you there more or less and don't let anyone tell you otherwise - but it is designed as a cyclo cross bike. That's what it is, it is not a tourer. If you want to set out on a major travel expedition with a reasonable degree of confidence in your bike, and can afford it, then you need to make some hard decisions. Make do and mend, which works at times, or splash out and get the kit designed for the job.