This bike look any good for long tour?

[spriag]

Hi,

Just some backgroud. In feb I will be doing the length of New Zealand. Now most people would probably use a hybrid but since I've planned to do a fair chunk of off road I will be using an mtb.

I currently have a merida matts miami
http://www.mbike.ru/...atts_miami.html

However its a bit old and outdated.

So I was looking to 'upgrade.' In parenthesis as I need to keep this as cheap as possible.

One bikes I've seen is the Claud Butler Stoneriver 2010 model.

http://www.jerseybik...oneriver-m.html

Can anyone give the specs a quick go over and see the quality of the bike as I really have no clue.

Thanks

 

[carpiste]

You don`t say where you are but unless you live in NZ wouldn`t it be better to hire a bike over there?
It`s going to cost a fortune to get a bike over there from UK(if thats where you are)probably cheaper to hire or even buy a second hand bike there.

 

[Norm]

I'd be wary of buying a new bike just before touring, especially if you don't know much. Stuff that might be wrong with the set up or stuff that hasn't been put on right will become apparent in the first few miles, by which time you will a long way from the place you bought it.

I made that mistake about 20 years ago, and something as small as the pedal not being put on properly, something which would stop me for about 10 seconds today, cost us three days of the trip and a lot in train fares. And that was in Hampshire.

 

[spriag]

Thanks for the replies.

Carpiste, might possibly make logistics easier but the cost of shipping the bike with BA is actually fairly small (if I can keep it under 23kg can actually make it my 'free' piece of luggage.)

Norm, I will be using the bike for around a month at home using it to bike to and from work mixed in with some longer training runs.

 

[RecordAceFromNew]

Welcome to the forum!
Assuming the info you linked to being accurate, your current bike has better spec than the CB. Unless it has suffered significant wear and tear, it is likely to be lighter and more importantly a more reliable bike. Spending a portion of the money you were going to be spending on buying the CB on servicing, upgrade etc. might be money better spent for your purpose.

If I was given the CB, I would check the wheels out. New, factory built, low cost wheels are notoriously variable. It would be worthwhile to ensure the hubs are well adjusted and greased, the spokes well tensioned, and disc brakes properly set up.

 

[spriag]

Thanks record.

I was just looking and comparing. It seems the CB does have fairly low spec parts comparably. eg. Shimano Acera gears compared to Deore XT.

On that it may be better spending the £260 on upgrading the Matts Miami.

Which parts would you suggest upgrading first?

The Cassette looks fairly worn, and new ones seem fairly cheap.

The only major disadvantage to the Matts is being an older bike it does not have disc brakes. When I went to the bike shop they quoted a fairly hefty price to upgrade that (£260). Does this seem fair? As I understand I would need to replace the wheels so they could install the brakes.

Now question is, is upgrading the wheels a good move in the first place? Do wheel needs to be replaced after a few years use?

Do derailleurs go under much wear? Currently it has Deore Xt so replacing them would probably be costly.

At any rate which bits of the bike do you think I could upgrade on a £260 budget?

Sorry all the questions, Im trying to learn what I can but more questions pop up.

 

[HelenD123]

Now question is, is upgrading the wheels a good move in the first place? Do wheel needs to be replaced after a few years use?

Yes, wheels don't last forever. The rims on my rear wheel wore out after just 3000 miles. They should last longer if you get disk brakes.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Thusands go touring, and go rough stuff touring, and ride their mtb's using V or canti rim brakes. Disc are nice and have some advantages over rim brakes (my tourer has them) but are not essential by any means.

 

[rualexander]

Thanks for the replies.

Carpiste, might possibly make logistics easier but the cost of shipping the bike with BA is actually fairly small (if I can keep it under 23kg can actually make it my 'free' piece of luggage.)

Norm, I will be using the bike for around a month at home using it to bike to and from work mixed in with some longer training runs.

I expect you've already booked your flights, but if not, you might want to consider Air New Zealand or Emirates because Air NZ give you an extra 10kg allowance for sporting equipment and Emirates have a standard allowance of 30kg.

 

[RecordAceFromNew]

Without knowing what sort of use your bike has seen, and whether it has suffered any damage, it is impossible to answer your question with any degree of confidence. However imho most people don't ride enough miles to wear out their front or rear mech, perhaps except the plastic jockey wheels on the latter, which are replaceable easily and cheaply (£10 a pair).


Qaulity, well built and well tuned wheels can last pretty well. If your wheels are truly worn, common symptoms are extensive wear on the braking surfaces (perhaps becoming noticeably concave, rim might have to be replaced), or they no longer spin sweetly (hub might need servicing or replacing).

V-brakes are generally durable and (unlike disc brakes, especially hydraulic ones) easy to adjust/fix on a tour. Well adjusted disc brakes have superior stopping power, especially in the wet, but imho a set of high quality brake pads (such as Kool Stop salmon, £10 a pair) on your v brakes should be adequate.

Brake pads, chains, cassettes, tyres etc. are essentially consumables. Chain rings and bottom brackets do wear out, but should be somewhat less quickly than the cassette. If your chain rings are worn, I think it is more cost effective to replace the whole chainset. Neither square taper bb (~£15) nor M440 equivalent chainsets (~£35) are that expensive.

If they are old, I would change out all the gear and brake cable housings and inner wires - they are cheap (~£15 for the lot) and when well adjusted help make a bike a joy to ride.

If you are going to do NZ end-to-end especially with a good chunk offroad (you lucky @£$x%!), you might want to think about investing £50 on tools and the time to do your own servicing and upgrading now, so that you know your bike inside out, and how to adjust/fix it in the wild if need be. Park Tools and Bicycle Tutor have loads of helpful guides on the web. If you have any outstanding question, you can always come and ask here.

Hope it helps.