Tourer

[Landsurfer]

I've just been down this road myself recently.
Got a great Jamis Aurora steel framed do everything go every where bike and thought my N+1 could be 2.
Very keen on a SPA Steel Touring, possibly a Wayfarer .... Both over £1000
I had a lovely Raleigh Record Ace framed bike i had put up for sale on here and realised how little money it would cost to achieve what I wanted by spending the right side of £60 on that bike, so withdrew it and did just that.
SRAM derailleur from Halfords, 12 - 40 cassette from Amazon and cables and bits from my LBS. The saddle retails at just under £100 but has been gathering dust for 5 years after it came with the ride to work package that included the Jamis.

So often, especially with access to a “Ride to Work” , the decision to buy new misses out what bits you have amassed in the shed !!

And this it .....

Raleigh Record Ace 24.5” frame.
Wheels .. Decathlon 32 spoke with 28mm puncture resist road tyres ..new .. the tyres that is, the wheels have done <500 miles.
Seat .. alloy / carbon composite with Decathlon saddle. New.
Chainset ... Alloy / Silver Sugino double with a single 38 tooth, new Stronglight alloy ring without ramps or pins.
Bottom bracket .. New ...
Brakes ..Wiennman.
Bars and stem .. SR, new black tape fitted.
Chain .. 9 speed, new.
Cassette .. 11 - 40, new.
Derailleur .. SRAM, new.
Gear lever .. Shimano single, new.
Brake levers .. generic Tektro, new.
Cables .. new.

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

I'm sure someone drew my attentions to the Jamis Tourers a couple of years ago, and I was impressed by the style and VFM. Not sure they are still available like that though.
Sensible steel bikes with horizontal, or almost horizontal, top tubes are very few and far between now. Hence I refuse to buy any current stuff and just stick with vintage steel.

 

[Blue Hills]

well a new bike is always nice and Spa have an excellent reputation, but mm ..

Isn't the Elan disk braked?

I personally like to avoid disks and keep my bikes on similar tech - simplifies spares stock holding and fixing stuff.

I'd be tempted to spend the dosh on a new or secondhand frame to do some more building on in time, a stack of spares* (when supply improves) , wheel rims, dynamo wheel if you want and don't already have etc, touring stuff, touring expenses/beer.
The stack of spares and wheel stuff could also of course be very easily built into a new bike in time.
Biding your time you could collect some fine bits on ebay.

ps - at the risk of being nerdy I'd be interested in a listing of the bits on your fine build.

* you could of course chuck some money Spa's way for some useful sensible bits.

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

I wouldn't touch disc brakes either, but I'm sure Spa were selling some decent steel touring framesets that were rim braked - and the price wasn't silly either. Under £400 for a welded cro-moly job, IIRC. Probably far-eastern, but the geometry chart looked sensible.

 

[All uphill]

Thank you all, you have talked sense and I have heard. The Marin stays and the money stays in the bank (for now).

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

@All uphill, is the Marin a 700c frame or was it originally built to take 26" wheels?

 

[All uphill]

@All uphill, is the Marin a 700c frame or was it originally built to take 26" wheels?

It was built for 700c, John.
Marin Stinsons were sold as city bikes - very similar to Raleigh Pioneers. It has Tange double butted tubes and would have been a £400 bike back in the late 90s.

Just about everything comes from ebay or St John St Cycles, who are local to me.. Rims (ryde) spokes, hubs (Deore), tyres (Schwalbe Marathon), from Sjs, bar end shifters, Brooks b17, and my favourite the Nitto Periscopi stem!

 

[Blue Hills]

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.

Very true - after all the building fettling, sorting minor issues, maybe swapping the odd part that wasn't really compatible, little then holds any fears.

Finally, having the "perfect" touring bike is no guarantee that people will actually go on tour. I've seen it with my own eyes.

also very true - can be a good source of bargain priced tourers - folk spent a year or two speccing the perfect perfect tourer, mothballed it for the lifechanging tour, then things happen in life or the vision fades and you can pick up a bike that has just been round the block.

 

[Blue Hills]

It was built for 700c, John.
Marin Stinsons were sold as city bikes - very similar to Raleigh Pioneers. It has Tange double butted tubes and would have been a £400 bike back in the late 90s.

Just about everything comes from ebay or St John St Cycles, who are local to me.. Rims (ryde) spokes, hubs (Deore), tyres (Schwalbe Marathon), from Sjs, bar end shifters, Brooks b17, and my favourite the Nitto Periscopi stem!

Sounds great - one thought, if you are looking to spend/invest, taking another look at the pic, could you do with a better rack like a tubus if doing some serious touring?
In my view, dosh spent on tubus racks rarely wasted - if you have more than one bike they can always be swapped onto whatever bike is setting off on the loaded tour.

am assuming you are already sorted for quality panniers/luggage etc.

 

[avecReynolds531]

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.

+ 1
That's a lovely bike & the Marin frame is an excellent starting point.

 

[T4tomo]

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.

View attachment 590628




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?

Looks very smart, one question what are the brake levers, as generally drop bar levers don't play well with v-brakes, as the pull ratio is designed for calipers or canti's. have you found some way around that or are they "mini-V's" just run with a very tight clearance?

 

[Pale Rider]

Another vote for a Tubus rack if you feel like spending a hundred rather than a thousand.

They are bombproof.

As a small example, the two legs on your rack are simply welded together where they meet.

On a Tubus, there is a fillet piece which makes the joint much stronger and more durable.

You could also get one with a rear light mounting plate, meaning you could neatly bolt on a quality rear light, either dyno or battery.

 

[Blue Hills]

Another vote for a Tubus rack if you feel like spending a hundred rather than a thousand.

They are bombproof.

As a small example, the two legs on your rack are simply welded together where they meet.

On a Tubus, there is a fillet piece which makes the joint much stronger and more durable.

You could also get one with a rear light mounting plate, meaning you could neatly bolt on a quality rear light, either dyno or battery.

yep that rack wouldn't take much at all because of the bottom bit - and looking more closely it only has two down struts so I wouldn't use it with panniers.
Luggage @All uphill ?

agree with you pale rider that a rack should really have a light mounting plate - easiest to use a cateye light with the screw-on mount - always a good idea to have two rear lights.

 

[Pale Rider]

Not so many rear carrier battery lights, but there's a few here:

A Tubus rack with one of these bolted it to it would sit well on the OP's bike, given the decent job he's made of the rest of it.

I'm tempted to say his existing rack is the one thing that lets the build down a little.

https://www.cyclinguk.org/rack-fitting-lights

 

[Profpointy]

Another vote for a Tubus rack if you feel like spending a hundred rather than a thousand.

They are bombproof.

As a small example, the two legs on your rack are simply welded together where they meet.

On a Tubus, there is a fillet piece which makes the joint much stronger and more durable.

You could also get one with a rear light mounting plate, meaning you could neatly bolt on a quality rear light, either dyno or battery.

Another vote for Tubus. I bought their lighter model (airy?) and it's still rigid with two very full pannier (PCs and books from work, rather than touring, but way over claimed capacity). I went for their blingy titanium one, as you do