Need a proper tourer. What should I get? And can you please all agree...

[TwoInTow]

I need a tourer. I've done two tours on my very nice hybrid/road type bike, but it's not right for a variety of reasons (including carbon front forks, so no front panniers).

I don't buy much for myself usually, so am prepared to treat myself. For me that would mean £500 for a new bike or, if there were really really good reasons, maybe stretching it to £700. I don't need something that goes down rutted tracks in Vietnam - we do on-road/cycle track stuff in first world countries, really. I am lazy and unfit most of the time, so it has to have really good gearing! Apart from that I don't understand the technical component stuff - I can read specs on a website, and it means very little to me.

I have never used drops and only tried them once on my husband's road bike and felt incredibly unsafe - but I was on a bike that was too big, and it was a skitty little road bike and I only tried them once. If you all tell me that I will get used to them and prefer them, I'll get drops.

So, can I please have very precise instructions on what to get?! I really don't feel any desire to think for myself here - I'm happy to do what you tell me.

Oh, and I have a LBS but I don't think they stock much in the way of tourers. So I'm asking this in preparation so I can go in and ask them to order something in for me...

 

[aberal]

For your budget - try Revolution Country Explorer at the top end or its little brother for 500 quid the Country Traveller To be honest, if you can stretch to £700 do so - you would always regret not spending a piddling extra 200. These bikes nearly always get good reviews and are probably as good as you get for the money - so check out some reviews online, there's a few about. As far as I am aware, the rack is generally not the best, but its the kind of thing you can upgrade. As far as drop handlebars are concerned - for a tourer they are streets ahead of flat bars. They will give you 5-6 different riding positions and when you are touring, doing large distances, believe me, the ability to shift your hand position constantly is a major plus. If you have had a bad experience on a bike that was too big, can I offer friendly advice and suggest you forget that? Drops are as safe as a safe thing - you will ride with your hands on the hoods most of the time and brakes are within easy reach. Trust me.

But if I had a further bit of advice it would be to stretch your budget a bit further - to around the £1000 mark and consider something like the Kona Sutra which has a much better frame and wheels than the cheaper options. And a better frame and wheels spells extra comfort and durability, which matters on a tour. Having said that, the Edinburgh Coop bikes have Reynolds Steel frames which to be honest, are the bees knees. Amazing really that they are selling these bikes a these prices.

 

[corshamjim]

If it were me I'd go for either the Claud Butler Regent or the Dawes Vantage. I really wouldn't buy it without trying one first though, so if your lbs don't stock anything suitable I'd maybe think about going a bit further to find a shop that does.

I expect you will find drop bars on a touring bike which fits you much more comfortable than a sprightly road bike - but then again you might still dislike them.

 

[aberal]

Oh yeah, should have included the Dawes Horizon - just above your budget but a quality bike with years of pedigree, see here Really nice looking bike too. Personally I'd avoid the two mentioned above (no offence mate

) for the simple reason that they have aluminium frames. Cheap and lightweight certainly, but they will give a harsher ride than steel and if they get damaged/bent/broke - can't be fixed. Steel can be bent back into shape or welded. It's slightly heavier but generally more resilient and comfier.

 

[HelenD123]

I'm torn as to what advice to give you about the drops. I have them on my Ultra Galaxy and felt incredibly nervous and unsafe with them to start with. When trying to brake from the hoods going downhill I couldn't press them hard enough to feel able to stop. To get into the drops I'd have to stop at the top of hills and move my hands down before setting off again! I was a bag of nerves on my first tour TBH. I was seriously thinking about converting the bike to straight bars when my boyfriend told me about flared drop bars. I got some On One Midge bars and haven't looked back. How far have you toured on flat bars? If you find them comfortable I wouldn't discount them. It would leave you more to spend on the rest of the bike as STIs are more expensive.

 

[mcshroom]

Another vote for the Vantage - as an owner of one.

Good solid bike which has carried me 2700 miles including a bit of light off-roading and snow riding with nothing needing changing but brake pads, chains and one cassette. Basically it the same as the older Dawes Horizon before the Horizon moved to a steel frame. Also it's available for £420 if you don't mind having a 2010 version (which is as far as i can see the same as the £600 2011 version

)

The 2200 series shifters are efficient enough and the oryx brakes do stop you even if they aren't as strong as v-brakes.

Drops were a bit scary to start with, but it is amazing how quickly you get used to them. Also a tourer is more upright than a racer so doesn't feel quite like your about to tip yourself over the handlebars all the time

If you don't want drops, then look for a good, non-suspension hybrid and fit either bar ends or butterfly bars to it. I'd recommend drops but the best bike for you is the one you feel comfortable riding. I have also done a tour on a hybrid with a flat bar and bar ends and it was perfectly ok.

 

[snorri]

Drop bars are a personal choice, if you don't like them it doesn't stop the bike being good tourer if you choose something different.
Some of our UK fashionistas throw up their hands in horror at butterfly bars, but these offer a variety of handholds and are probably more popular than drop bars on tour bikes in mainland Europe.

 

[andym]

Hmm, I think you've been around on this forum to know that there's very little we all agree on (in fact I'd be a hard-pressed to think of anything, beyond of course that getting out and about on a bike is A Good Thing).

And even if we all agree that doesn't mean it's right for you.

I think the best place to start would be what you like and don't like about your current bike. Are the problems with it so fundamental that they can't be fixed? You could for example fairly easily buy a pair of steel forks to replace the carbon ones, to take the first problem. You might also be able to buy a new frame and reuse many of your current bits.

Can you list the things that aren't right about your current bike? That should definitely form the basis for the wish-list for the next one - and help people give you advice.

 

[TwoInTow]

You're right, andy - I wasn't really expecting anyone to agree! Still, you sometimes get 'another vote' for something, and if I had a few of those it would give me a starting point.

My current bike is just lovely - the only expensive thing I have ever bought myself! It's a Trek hybrid - but really close to the road-bike end of the spectrum, except that it has granny gears. It's light and smooth, and I can go up hills in it that I could only dream about on a less good bike! It has straight bars and bar ends, which have been fine for me, but because of the carbon front forks, I have only ever toured with it using a BOB trailer. Since we are always carrying the kids' gear as well as ours, there's no way at this point I could cut down to just rear panniers, but the number of times I've had to detach the trailer to get through a gate, heave it over the gate etc... Its wheels have hardly any spokes too (don't ask me how many) so asking for trouble on rougher roads/tracks, I'm sure.

But I'm being spoilt here and I don't want to cannibalise this bike for a tourer. I love just taking it out for a ride in the country, on back lanes etc - I did that yesterday in the sunshine and it was heaven! So I'd rather just keep it as is, and splurge on a tourer.

The longest tour I've done on that bike was 330 miles. I felt comfortable in the upright position, although my bum got sorer than it has ever been and I had to buy a new saddle halfway! I have ordered a B17 to try out already, and will pick it up today. Hopefully that will do the trick. Apart from that there is nothing I don't like about my current bike. But it's not right for touring.

It sounds like it really is worth a try with the drops, and if I can't get over the shakiness, Helen's ideas will get me through.

So I'll go to the LBS today and start asking about Dawes, I think...

 

[Barbelier]

+1 for the Revolution Country Explorer.

Bought one for doing JOGLE last year and have done over 4,000 miles on it so far, without a single problem.
A cracking bike for the price.

 

[roundisland]

I brought a 2010 dawes galaxy like new condition off ebay for £390, I think its a superb bike. If you go the second user route making sure you get the correct size can be a bit of a problem.

If the dawes had not come along the Revolution Country Traveller as recommeneded by others was going to be my choice I have read so many good reviews about them.

 

[PpPete]

Galaxy has been the benchmark tourer for decades, but expensive new. Buying second hand, unless you know exactly what to look for, is always going to be a little risky.

Very adaptable bikes though. Love my 1988 model - I've spent as much as the original new price (£400) on updating it with modern componentry, but it's now almost the equal in terms of spec now of a modern Ultra Galaxy. I restored a couple of older ones a couple of years ago, for the my children to do their JoGLE.

 

[Bokonon]

I have a ~6 year old Dawes Horizon with an aluminium frame, so it is about equivalent to the current Dawes Vantage. It is a good bike, but after a long day in the saddle the stiffness and harsh ride of the frame does become apparent. If I was buying a cheap touring bike again, I would spend the extra for an entry level steel frame - if buying new then both the Revolution Country Explorer and the current Dawes Horizon look like good options.

 

[TwoInTow]

Hmmm... Just rang LBS and they were useless! Apart from not having the saddle that I ordered 8 days ago (and was promised within 2-3 days), the guy on the phone said he couldn't remember the last time they sold a tourer, and he couldn't get a Dawes, Kona, Revolution etc etc.

So now I need a specialist - either online or down south somewhere. I'm in Winchester, so London and Southampton are close enough (Southampton much easier). Online is fine except I'm concerned about fit...

Suggestions welcome!

 

[aberal]

Really, you need to try your bike for size before you commit to buy. The Edinburgh Bike Coop only have stores as far south as Sheffield so that probably counts them out. The Dawes website has a dealer locator here so there should be at least a couple of dealers in your vicinity.