My first touring bike - help needed

[earthuman]

Hi All,

Have been reading through the site with much interest. Lots of valuable information here. Well, I'm finally ready to buy myself my first touring bike and hit the road - my budget is around £700 - £800. At the moment my ambitions are to start doing some trips around Europe (France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, etc) with each trip lasting about 2 -3 weeks in duration.

There several threads already about different bikes for different budgets, but I can see great merit in finding someone local that can help me choose the right bike. I have very little experience besides the normal cruising around town type of cycling.

I'm based in the Brighton and Hove area. Is there anyone here that can point me in the direction of a good bike shop that will help find me the right bike as opposed to sell me what they have in stock?

Many thanks everyone!

 

[Gerry Attrick]

To get a top notch tourer, to be honest your budget might need stretching a bit, but not to despair, I have heard nothing but good reviews of this: http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/com...revolution-country-traveller.htm&f_cardinal=3

At least that will leave you a bit of spare cash for luggage etc.

 

[Gerry Attrick]

Oh, and a warm welcome to the forum. There will follow a number of good folk who will give additional pointers.

 

[snorri]

Welcome earthuman
For touring, you will need to be thinking of buying a luggage rack and panniers, also bottle racks, basic tool kit, perhaps lighting...the list goes on
It might be an idea to look out for a second hand Dawes Galaxy, you could probably find one within your budget.

 

[xilios]

Welcome
You can tour on just about any bike, check out this site> http://www.pbase.com/canyonlands/fullyloaded
I ride a hybrid and my wife a fitness bike (they both had eyelets for front racks) pictures and tips on our page below.
Fit is everything here is a site that can help you with that> http://sheldonbrown.com/frame-sizing.html you can find more with some research.
You can also get this book The essential touring cyclist> http://www.amazon.co.uk/Essential-T...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1250409416&sr=1-1 it has a lot of information, got one while doing research for my first tour to Athens.
You should definitely be able to find something within your bodget.
cheers

 

[Tony]

Fit is indeed everything, but also important is saddle/arse interface. You need to find a saddle and shorts combination that suts you, as you will be in said saddle for a lot of hours. Plastic bases and lots of padding are worse than useless. The saddle compresses and leaves you sitting on the edge of the base. Not nice.
Many of us swear by Brooks saddles, although some deluded folk swear at them. I use North Wave padded bib shorts, on a well broken-in B17 Champion Pro saddle, and can remember my last saddle sore as being....1999.

 

[Gerry Attrick]

Brooks B17 to me is the most comfy sumptuous armchair type perch available. I've tried several different saddles for touring, including the Spesh Toupe which I use on my road bike and which many people find comfy. The B17 is a saddle I can forget, in the best possible sense.

 

[Crankarm]

I would try and find a Dawes dealer in your area. Dawes have carved out a little niche in the touring bike market amongst others. They are competitively priced. Whislt I don't have one I have looked at them from time to time and they seem pretty good. They would be most likely to match your budget. There are other makes but they can be a lot more expensive - Roberts, Kioga, Thorn and Condor. If you have not done much touring before you won't go wrong with a Dawes and won't spend a fortune getting a decent bike. Just budget an extra 30% for panniers, SPDs pedals and shoes, clothing, decent lighting, good quality D-lock and 3rd party insurance.

 

[Brains]

My reccomendation would be to buy a second hand Dawes Galaxy.

Go on at least one tour with it, or even several, after a week in the saddle with a full load and looking at other tourers in camp sites you will have a pretty good idea of what it is you want (then start looking at Thorn, Hewiett, Condor, etc)

At that point you can justify spending real money

 

[HelenD123]

I would try and find a Dawes dealer in your area. Dawes have carved out a little niche in the touring bike market amongst others. They are competitively priced. Whislt I don't have one I have looked at them from time to time and they seem pretty good. They would be most likely to match your budget. There are other makes but they can be a lot more expensive - Roberts, Kioga, Thorn and Condor. If you have not done much touring before you won't go wrong with a Dawes and won't spend a fortune getting a decent bike. Just budget an extra 30% for panniers, SPDs pedals and shoes, clothing, decent lighting, good quality D-lock and 3rd party insurance.

Have you seen this season's prices. They've shot up.

 

[Crankarm]

Have you seen this season's prices. They've shot up.

As has everything AH.

 

[earthuman]

Thanks everybody for so many responses! You've all given me A LOT to think about. It's really exciting and I can't wait get on the road! I'm finding myself pouring through tons of web pages on different bikes and it is all so frustrating - i just want to get on one and get moving! (just got made redundant - so spending my redundancy funds to treat myself to a little trip! - hopefully the first of many)

I've got a TREK 1200 roadbike - bout 6 or 7 years old, that I would consider selling to up my budget a little bit. Having looked at the galaxy (£1149) and surly lht among other things - it seems that you enter a price range where there are a lot more choices. I had a wonder around to all the Brighton bike shops today - but there is very limited choice and very few bikes to test ride...any suggestions on a good bike shop that would be worth commuting to?

 

[willem]

Bikes have a large component of imported parts, so the recent decline of the pound has increased all prices, not just Dawes. My personal favourites among not too expensive bikes would still be bikes like the Galaxy, the Thorn Club Tour, the Long Haul Trucker or the Thorn Sherpa. However, I think the advise to get a second hand Galaxy, and tour on it for one or more years is very sensible. They were always very good touring bikes, and allow you to develop a taste for what you really like. That is not just a matter of the kind of bike, but also of the kind of destinations, road types, and load.
A good second hand bike will allow you to spend a bit more on other gear. Personally I would prefer to ride a decent older bike and have top notch light camping gear. Try to go for really light, and use only rear panniers (the new Ortlieb City line is both cheaper and lighter). That saves money on a front rack and front panniers, and even empty these weigh some 2-2.5 kg. Be inspired by the ultralight hikers, even if you choose not to go that far.
Enjoy the ride,
Willem

 

[GrahamG]

Second-hand. It's amazing the quality of bike you can pick up for less than £300 if you're patient and a common size.

 

[earthuman]

Roberts?

Hi everyone,

I've come across a Roberts bike. Don't have too much information about it other that its got a Reynolds 753 frame and Tiagra/105/Deore LX parts. The price is £525. Is this good value and would this be suitable for touring around Europe? If it is suitable what kind of changes would I need to make to it (besides maybe putting drop bars on it). I've copied in a pic of it.

Again - thanks everyone for all of your input.

Cheers