matticus
Guru
I guess you don't understand abstract examples. Oh well, I tried.
The ultimate touring bike?
- Thread starter Pale Rider
- Start date
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- Location
- London
cars? I think you are in the wrong place.
I'm afraid your comment is only relevant if its pointing out how some bike folks would just love to make bikes as complicated and un-user servicable as the modern car.
As for France - home of Decathlon - as long as you aren't riding a piece of exotica, no probs fixing/sorting/replacing anything.
Never seen belt drive componentry in there though.
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matticus
Guru
It does seem that way sometimes ...
HobbesOnTour
Guru
- Location
- España
@Blue Hills is pretty bang on the money, but having said that some people "need" the latest and best to be able to go anywhere.
The thing with touring is that it is different - you and your bike are in different places, operating in different environments and Murphy's Law reigns supreme!
You can have the strongest wheels and they're great ....until you fall into a drain.
You can have the best dynohub until that same drain kills it stone dead and discover that in a huge country there is one agent! (But he turns out to be a superstar!)
I've read more than once of problems with a Rohloff adding delay or stress. It's possible that folks abused it, didn't prep properly, but given the essence of touring is adventure (in my opinion) I'd prefer to be able to roll with the adventure than have to sit it out, waiting.
My "disasters" on the bike have all turned out to be good experiences and memories. Sometimes even funny!
Then there's the $$! That adds up to a lot more worry (at least it would for me) and takes a whack of budget from actual touring (at least it would for me).
The thing with touring is that it is different - you and your bike are in different places, operating in different environments and Murphy's Law reigns supreme!
You can have the strongest wheels and they're great ....until you fall into a drain.
You can have the best dynohub until that same drain kills it stone dead and discover that in a huge country there is one agent!
(But he turns out to be a superstar!)I've read more than once of problems with a Rohloff adding delay or stress. It's possible that folks abused it, didn't prep properly, but given the essence of touring is adventure (in my opinion) I'd prefer to be able to roll with the adventure than have to sit it out, waiting.
My "disasters" on the bike have all turned out to be good experiences and memories. Sometimes even funny!
Then there's the $$! That adds up to a lot more worry (at least it would for me) and takes a whack of budget from actual touring (at least it would for me).
Blue hills mentioned Decathlon
For 1250e they are about to offer a touring bike with a tip top transmission, dynamo/charger, proven good quality, common components and integrated racks - the cheap ultimate touring bike?
If you buy from Spa, you can get similar, well equipped bike for the same amount and have some 3000e spare for your trips
For 1250e they are about to offer a touring bike with a tip top transmission, dynamo/charger, proven good quality, common components and integrated racks - the cheap ultimate touring bike?
If you buy from Spa, you can get similar, well equipped bike for the same amount and have some 3000e spare for your trips
- Location
- London
Interesting. Surprised they are doing a full on tourer, still a bit niche. I would hope it's a 9 speed triple but in today's market a fair chance it won't be?
Edit to my above references to my tourers - also have a ridgeback expedition. Also plan to build up another thing that will be able to tour, based on something that cost me £21.
For anyone who would like to experiment with dynamo charging, decathlon also do wheels with a shimano dynamo for £30 - 700 and 26inch sizes.
Its 3x10 with xt I think so no mix and match unfortunately but still beats some offerings with road groupsets
I would be perfectly happy with 9sp but the highest level nowadays is alivio I think (which is really the same as altus/acera) - luckily Spa and SJS have plenty of alternatives
My ideal offroad touring bike would be a rohloff version of trek 1120 but it is already eyewateringly expensive - add rohloff and you could buy 10hybrids which in the end would do the same job
I would be perfectly happy with 9sp but the highest level nowadays is alivio I think (which is really the same as altus/acera) - luckily Spa and SJS have plenty of alternatives
My ideal offroad touring bike would be a rohloff version of trek 1120 but it is already eyewateringly expensive - add rohloff and you could buy 10hybrids which in the end would do the same job
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- Location
- London
I thought much of the new alivio was similar to what used to be deore?
- Location
- London
Xd?
mickle
innit
- Location
- 53.933606, -1.076131
That's not a touring bike. Touring bikes have drop bars.
I see little difference between these groups
There was a thread on the other forum how technically they are almost the same thing (in the end altus may be 5% heavier but but difference in performance will be just as great as that between Dura ace and Ultegra)
Now the question is whether the ultimate touring bike needs anything more?
- Location
- London
Probably not - I saw a £2,000 touring bike a few years ago that had some altus bits. Am just about to build a light tourer and that will have an XT front mech (either NOS or very lightly used second hand) as I rate the build quality of those things - strong springs. It may also get an XT rear mech. The front mech is very definitely discontinued (9 speed) - in truth these days I think it's better to build up your own tourers as you can use these quality tough parts that are no longer current - if you buy new the manufacturers don't have access to these and will pretty almost always these days force you to have a 10 speed set-up for no benefit whatsoever.
Congratulations to Ridgeback for sticking to 9 speed with their 26 inch wheel expedition tourer - that cost me £700 new in a sale and I reckon is effectively the equal of many of the expensive things - or it will be with the minimal cost of some new wheels. That has a drivetrain which is a mixture of old Deore and new Alivio.
Many of my bikes these days have Shimano V brakes and I understand that these are all pretty much the same whatever series they brand them as. Spare V brake bits can of course be had anywhere. And I'm sure will be as long as I'm pedalling.
mjr
Comfy armchair to one person & a plank to the next
- Location
- mostly Norfolk, sometimes Somerset
Only if your mother was a hamster.
Germans would say a touring bike should have those ugly O shaped bars. Most of the world don't care and ride with some sort of swept risers.
I also don't get the hub gear fear which is rearing its ugly head again in this thread. They work. And if they stop working and Rohloff doesn't deliver their famous service, there's probably a Sturmey Archer "Always Works" kicking around which can get you to the next multiday stop in a place where you can get it sorted properly!
