Tourer

[All uphill]

Three years ago I built a touring bike starting with a 1994 steel Marin. Just about everything has been changed and it is now very comfortable and strong with wheels I have built myself, drop bars and v brakes.

Having too much time I have started to think about buying a new Spa Elan.

My question is what difference will I feel? Will I be faster, more comfortable, or is this plan just coming out of boredom?

 

[Oldhippy]

If it does what you want, is comfy why change?

 

[All uphill]

If it does what you want, is comfy why change?

That's the question.

I suspect I wouldnt notice much difference after the first ten minutes. Just wondered if I was missing anything.

Thanks @Oldhippy you have helped me come to my senses. Better to spend the money on tea and cakes!

 

[Oldhippy]

I have my trusty Rayleigh Royal and it does all I want and more. Every now and then I look at the Genesis mega buck tourer and think I would love that. But at the end of the day it doesn't do anything my Rayleigh does.

 

[Cathryn]

Personally, I'd save your money and go on an actual tour That's what I keep telling myself - I don't need more stuff*, I just need more time to ride my bikes.

* except maybe new shorts, a new helmet and some cute top layers.

ps...your bike is lovely

 

[Spiderweb]

Spa Elan’s are very good but you have built a fine bike there, I think I’d be happy to stick with what you already have.

 

[HMS_Dave]

Bike comfort is everything to me. I'd fold now and stick to what you got, unless you have an itch which you gotta scratch then you'll find a reason to buy the new bike

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

Three years ago I built a touring bike starting with a 1994 steel Marin. Just about everything has been changed and it is now very comfortable and strong with wheels I have built myself, drop bars and v brakes.

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Having too much time I have started to think about buying a new Spa Elan.

My question is what difference will I feel? Will I be faster, more comfortable, or is this plan just coming out of boredom?

If you can get to Harrogate, they're very good about giving you a test ride. And that's how I ended up with a ti Spa Elan....

 

[Cycleops]

I think as cycle enthusiasts we are all acquisitive and sometimes we buy for the sake of having a new toy, which is very satisfying for a while but the novelty soon wears off. That bike looks like it will take you to the ends of the earth and Im sure get pleasure from it because like Sinatra you did it ‘your way’.
Buy a Spa but I don’t think you’ll get the same satisfaction from it.

 

[Eric Olthwaite]

Your bike looks fkn terrible. I'll take it off your hands for £200. Buy the new bike you really deserve.

 

[neil_merseyside]

If you can get to Harrogate, they're very good about giving you a test ride. And that's how I ended up with a ti Spa Elan....

Me too 11,000 miles on it now and still loving it.

 

[TheDoctor]

That's properly nice
*approves*

 

[raleighnut]

That looks lovely

 

[HobbesOnTour]

If you're happy with your bike take the actual cash you would spend on another, open a savings account and lodge it, or set up a standing order every month. "All Uphill's Downhill Tour Fund".

Then sit back and let the ideas flow.
It could be a luxury local trip, somewhere further afield, somewhere foreign. If time is an issue could that cash buy you some unpaid extra time off work?

Nothing against Spa as I believe they make good bikes, but I can imagine little worse than splashing out a load of dosh and then asking myself why?
Or that may just be me.

(On a side note, the only way I could imagine test riding a touring bike is fully loaded - do they allow that?)

Also, don't underestimate the comfort of knowing a bike you have built up yourself. A squeak on a bike you don't know is a more worrying prospect far from home.

Finally, having the "perfect" touring bike is no guarantee that people will actually go on tour. I've seen it with my own eyes. It's not what's under your ass that counts.
If Covid has taught me anything it's about the importance of seizing our chances when they come.

And yes, that's a lovely looking bike - you should be proud.

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

Unless the frame is lacking in some way,I don't see there's much to be gained. Being a DIY build, all the parts on it have already been selected on the basis of personal choice. Frame aside, it's already a custom build. It doesn't look to have any modern crap engineering on it, being steel and having a quill headset, so it should be as reliable as a bike can be. If you have cash burning a hole in your pocket, you could consider a Rohloff hub gear instead of running derailleurs, other than that I don't see much room for improvement.