Starter Touring Bike

[Tim Preston]

I'm just getting into cycling, and I'm starting to get fed up of my standard mountain bike that every kid owns. Having tried my neighbours touring bike and found it very comfortable, I have decided I want a touring bike. I'm doing 20 - 30 mile rides at the minute, but looking at doing more, and I'm planning on doing a short 2 night trip of about 100 miles. I have a very limited budget in terms of bikes (about £600), and need this to last me about 5 years, and have found a few possibilities:

• Ridgeback Tour - £600
• EBC Revolution Country Traveller - £400
• Raleigh Royal - £500 and only one I can find with steel frame
• Dawes Vantage - £500

Does anybody know which is best, or if there's a bike I've missed for the same price range. Alternatively, should I look second hand for a higher-end bike, which would probably last longer for the same money?

 

[Banjo]

I recently bought a Jamis Aurora from Evans. Its on the website for £660 . Reynolds 520 Steel Frame Triple crank , 9 speed cassette comes with rear luggage rack and strap. Very comfortable and nicely handling bike.

I havent toured with it yet done about 200 miles ,longest ride so far was 50 miles.Looking forward to doing some touring when I get the chance.

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/jamis/aurora-2013-touring-bike-ec041517

 

[jazzkat]

To be honest, comfort is the key. As long as the bike fits you well you'll be good for some big milages. I can do 100 miles on my race bike (ok not loaded up with camping gear ) and be just as comfortable as when I'm on my Dawes Galaxy .
Some people do LeJog on a Mtb with panniers. Get something that fits and you like the feel of and you'll be good to go.

 

[TheDoctor]

If you're happy with flat bars, pick up a hybrid and fit a rack and slimmer road tyres to it.
Something like this one off A Well-Known Auction site, spend £40 on a set of 28mm Conti GatorSkins or other skinny road tyres, decent lights and panniers and you're set. I've been all over Europe on something not unlike that.
If you want drop bars, it's hard to get better than the EBC one for the price.

 

[vernon]

Does anybody know which is best, or if there's a bike I've missed for the same price range. Alternatively, should I look second hand for a higher-end bike, which would probably last longer for the same money?

Have a look at the Decathlon Riverside 7 @ £599

It's got an aluminium frame. Don't let that put you off. Not many frames break, steel or aluminium though I have had the misfortune of having two frames break and both of them were steel.

The Riverside has front suspension - once again don't let that put you off as it can be locked out. It has Magura hydraulic rim brakes and hub dynamo lighting.

I bought a Decathlon hybrid/tourer with a lower spec on the brakes and gears for £400 and it served me well for two tours and quite a few audax rides of 100km or more. It wasn't the lightest of bikes but it was reliable and comfortable. I sold it on to a friend who did his first tour on it with me along the Danube.

 

[Cycleops]

How about going for an older steel framed Dawes Galaxy? If you are careful and pick a well looked after example it will serve you well.

 

[Tim Preston]

Thanks for all the comments so far. Just so you know, I'm looking for drop bars and comfort over speed.

 

[bigjim]

Raleigh Royal is down to £400.
I've got a 20year old Raleigh Royal. I bought the quality 531 frame and forks for £50 and put the whole thing together with modern parts for another £100. Sooo nice and comfy. fast enough as well. will probably outlast me. Did my French tour on it. More pics here http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=63550.0

 

[vernon]

Thanks for all the comments so far. Just so you know, I'm looking for drop bars and comfort over speed.

Don't let yourself be blinded to the potential offered by flat barred bikes. I've toured with each and there's no discernable difference between flat barred bikes and drop barred bikes when it comes to comfort. I was not sure that I'd find the ride comfortable when I bought a flat barred Decathlon hybrid to replace my Dawes Galaxy in Orleans when its rear drop out fractured. I was pleasantly surprised by the speed and ride quality of the bike. When it came to commissioning a bespoke tourer I had no hesitation in selecting flat bars.

 

[Amanda P]

Those Raleigh Royale frames are jewels - light, comfortable, tough. They're sprightly when unloaded, but with luggage on they just seem to settle down and you feel like you're sitting in them, not on them.

I had one, but someone stole it in Cardiff in 1988.

 

[Brains]

I think the thing to do is buy a 2nd hand Dawes Galaxy, which is the benchmark touring bike.

Do your tour on it and get a 1,000 touring miles under your belt.
This will then tell you what your really want.

I bought a cheap touring bike some years ago, it was stolen within a week. which meant I had to convert my existing MTB into a touring bike in a hurry as we were off to France the following week .
With hindsight the theft was a blessing in disguise, as after my tour I knew exactly what I wanted, which was nothing like the bike that had been stolen, and I had time to get the spec exactly right and save the money to get a bike that I have now done over 20,000 miles on

 

[2Loose]

I second Vernon in suggesting the Riverside 7 from Decathlon, which fits your budget.

Very adjustable and solid with good quality components, M+ tyres and bolted on hub dynamo lighting means that mechanically, mine has only needed a drop of oil on the chain and a new set of brake blocks in a year and about 4K miles.
The front suspension can be locked out from a switch on the bars which makes it very usable and not at all annoying - suspension on for downhills or tracks, off for the rest of the time.

 

[CopperBrompton]

Agree 100% with Brains. For that budget, a secondhand Dawes Galaxy ought to be in reach, and is a huge amount of touring bike for the money.

 

[MarkF]

Don't let yourself be blinded to the potential offered by flat barred bikes. I've toured with each and there's no discernable difference between flat barred bikes and drop barred bikes when it comes to comfort. I was not sure that I'd find the ride comfortable when I bought a flat barred Decathlon hybrid to replace my Dawes Galaxy in Orleans when its rear drop out fractured. I was pleasantly surprised by the speed and ride quality of the bike. When it came to commissioning a bespoke tourer I had no hesitation in selecting flat bars.

I prefer flat bars (with bar ends) over drops, definitely, however, on my last tour I spent day after day struggling directly into into a harsh headwind, I'd have done anything for drops then!

 

[jjb]

How tall are you, Tim? The EBC bike you list comes in 3 sizes but middle size is sold out. The bikes listed are all great workhorses, and the others' suggestions are good too, if a bit dearer. If considering the suggestions above 600, look at the EBC tourer at 675 too (includes sti shifters and mechanical disc brakes).

Interesting review of previous year's EBC tourer vs Raleigh Royal in CTC mag available here. You can view the other issues of the mag from same page, a good read.

Secondhand options allow for a great frame, very impressive, but the other parts can be worn or more hassle to work on. At this price point, in your shoes, I'd take the new option, and let colour / aesthetic preferences play a role too.