I take your point but equally one might say I'm not going to NOT buy a decent bike just because Evans sell it'! One, because it's the bike you're buying and not necessarily back up and know how and, two, you can get the Ridgeback from stores other than Evans.
Ridgeback Panorama vs Pearson Compass
- Thread starter Barbelier
- Start date
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I take your point but equally one might say I'm not going to NOT buy a decent bike just because Evans sell it'! One, because it's the bike you're buying and not necessarily back up and know how and, two, you can get the Ridgeback from stores other than Evans.
I wasn't arguing against the Ridgeback, just arguing against buying it from Evans. If I am buying a £1,200 bike I would want to make sure that it was correctly sized and set up for me and I think there is more chance of that happening if you buy from a good LBS.
I'm not trying to compare Evans with Halfords, but based on my experience of the York shop their staff just are not very knowledgeable about touring bikes.
I realised that. My point was that if you know what you want, can sort out size and set-up yourself then I wouldn't be afraid of buying from them.
For instance, I note that Evans are now stocking the Jamis Aurora Elite, a bike that I like the look of (though I suspect the gearing might have some touring experts saying 'no no no no no'). It's also at a very attractive price if one is comparing with the Ridgeback.
The Jamis is a US bike, and I'm not aware of there being another UK stockist of their road bikes, so IF Evans were the only stockist then I wouldn't be put off buying it.
The Jamis is a US bike, and I'm not aware of there being another UK stockist of their road bikes, so IF Evans were the only stockist then I wouldn't be put off buying it.
thistler
Veteran
- Location
- Happy Valley
Oh I like the look of that!!! Wonder why it isn't a triple......very nice though!
To keep the weight down supposedly! Not that I think it'd make a significant amount of difference!
In fairness, it does have a 11-32t cassette giving a little gear of 34x32, so it's not too bad I guess... but maybe not what you'd want to do long hilly loaded days on!
OP
OP
Barbelier
Senior Member
+1 Nice looking bike, none of those funny bar end shifters and Avid BB7s as well!
Shame about the gearing though. Could always change the chainset? Hmmm.......
PS Fenders sounds a lot sexier than mudguards ay!?
In many areas of the country the choice does come down to buying from one of the large chains, buying mail order, or travelling a long way to a bike shop that knows about touring bikes (a lot won't). And if you're buying through a cycle to work scheme you may have no choice (at least as far as the supplier is concerned).
Funnily enough I can remember when evans was two bike shops in Waterloo - oh happy days
Funnily enough I can remember when evans was two bike shops in Waterloo - oh happy days
OP
OP
Barbelier
Senior Member
Okay, with the very helpful feedback I have received and giving it more thought, I am now getting clearer on what I want and better understanding my priorities:
- a quality tourer that going to last many years and be very reliable
- low gearing (changed the gearing on my Country Explorer to 44/32/22 and I like it)
- normal STI shifters rather than bar end
- disc brakes preferably Avid BB7 (I really prefer them in the wet or when fully loaded on a steep descent)
- Brooks saddle, which I will transfer from the Explorer
If I am going to spend circa £1200 on a bike I don't see why I should compromise.
So of the 3 shortlisted candidates:
Panorama - high quality bike, gearing okay but could be lower, STIs, no disc brakes
Pearson Compass - quality bike, gearing not great, have to pay £100 extra for STIs, no disc brakes
Aurora Elite - quallity bike, gearing too high, STIs, BB7s
So forgive me if these are dumb questions, but:
1. Could I fit BB7s to the Panorama - there are no fixing points that I can see? I can put the original BB5s back on the Country Explorer and transfer the BB7s to the new bike.
2. Could I change the chainset on the Aurora, or would I then have to also start changing front & rear mechs and the cassette as well?
Thanks in advance for any help with this.
- a quality tourer that going to last many years and be very reliable
- low gearing (changed the gearing on my Country Explorer to 44/32/22 and I like it)
- normal STI shifters rather than bar end
- disc brakes preferably Avid BB7 (I really prefer them in the wet or when fully loaded on a steep descent)
- Brooks saddle, which I will transfer from the Explorer
If I am going to spend circa £1200 on a bike I don't see why I should compromise.
So of the 3 shortlisted candidates:
Panorama - high quality bike, gearing okay but could be lower, STIs, no disc brakes
Pearson Compass - quality bike, gearing not great, have to pay £100 extra for STIs, no disc brakes
Aurora Elite - quallity bike, gearing too high, STIs, BB7s
So forgive me if these are dumb questions, but:
1. Could I fit BB7s to the Panorama - there are no fixing points that I can see? I can put the original BB5s back on the Country Explorer and transfer the BB7s to the new bike.
2. Could I change the chainset on the Aurora, or would I then have to also start changing front & rear mechs and the cassette as well?
Thanks in advance for any help with this.
What cassette have you on your Country Explorer Barbelier? That might help in people comparing gearing options.
It doesn't look, at first pass, that any of those bikes tick all your boxes. I have no idea how difficult/easy it is to fit disc brakes to an cable geared bike, near impossible/impracticable I would have thought because of the fittings required - don't you have purpose built hubs for discs??? Changing a chainset would, I suspect, be easier but would require a new front mech too in all likelihood. There is a possibility that it's not even possible, depending on the chainstays, but I suspect that's unlikely. I can't see that you'd necessarily need to change the cassette & rear mech, but nothing would surprise me!
Either way, it means more spend. As I see it, it's either more spend on top of the purchase price OR weight your priorities and then compromise OR get your own spec built my someone like Hewitts.
A personal opinion though; £1200 is not a high spend for a tourer. Even at that figure, you ought be prepared to compromise.
It doesn't look, at first pass, that any of those bikes tick all your boxes. I have no idea how difficult/easy it is to fit disc brakes to an cable geared bike, near impossible/impracticable I would have thought because of the fittings required - don't you have purpose built hubs for discs??? Changing a chainset would, I suspect, be easier but would require a new front mech too in all likelihood. There is a possibility that it's not even possible, depending on the chainstays, but I suspect that's unlikely. I can't see that you'd necessarily need to change the cassette & rear mech, but nothing would surprise me!
Either way, it means more spend. As I see it, it's either more spend on top of the purchase price OR weight your priorities and then compromise OR get your own spec built my someone like Hewitts.
A personal opinion though; £1200 is not a high spend for a tourer. Even at that figure, you ought be prepared to compromise.
OP
OP
Barbelier
Senior Member
Yello
You're right of course. Bit like buying a house or car or finding a wife; you'll never get one that's 100%!
However, I'd like to get as close as possible and the gearing, STI shifters and disc brakes (in that order) are important to me.
I suspected that fitting BB7s to the Panorama or Compass was going to be a non starter. Just hope someone has a clever idea.
Looking like the only option from these three is the Aurora and change the gearing, so long as it isn't too expensive.
However a custom build also makes a lot of sense, although Hewitts are a long way from where I live in Berks and their standard SE spec starts at £1,500. Is there anyone in the south of England who does custom builds? I think Pearson's will customise to a degree but the disc brakes will still be an issue.
Current rear cassette on my Explorer is 11-32.
You're right of course. Bit like buying a house or car or finding a wife; you'll never get one that's 100%!
However, I'd like to get as close as possible and the gearing, STI shifters and disc brakes (in that order) are important to me.
I suspected that fitting BB7s to the Panorama or Compass was going to be a non starter. Just hope someone has a clever idea.
Looking like the only option from these three is the Aurora and change the gearing, so long as it isn't too expensive.
However a custom build also makes a lot of sense, although Hewitts are a long way from where I live in Berks and their standard SE spec starts at £1,500. Is there anyone in the south of England who does custom builds? I think Pearson's will customise to a degree but the disc brakes will still be an issue.
Current rear cassette on my Explorer is 11-32.
Looks that way to me too. (Unless you consider other bikes!)
I like the Aurora; STI rather down-tube or bar-end shifters, the disc brakes, the auxillary brake levers... it really is a shame about the gearing because I do think that a limitation for touring on it. I'm really not sure that 34x32 is a little enough gear for fully loaded climbing (particularly if you currently use 22x32!!) but I'd like to hear what other experienced tourers have to say on that one. Personally, I have major reservations.
The Aurora is apparently fitted with SRAM Apex derailleurs and shifters but FSA chainrings. It is worth reading up on Apex because it is designed as a 'triple-killing' compact, it may ease concerns... maybe. Doubtless, you can get a triple chainset to fit but you'll need a new front mech too. As there is no Apex triple (and so no Apex front mech designed for a triple) you'll have to look elsewhere for something compatible. And as Apex has fancy new features (DoubleTap® shifting, Exact Actuation™ and Zero Loss™), you may well loose the benefit of some or all of that. More questions than answers sadly.
If I were you, I'd fire off an email to Jamis and ask them if a triple chainset can be fitted to the Aurora, and any implications etc. They're pretty prompt in answering (allowing for time differences) and I found them very helpful when I was considering purchasing one (prior to Evans stocking them).