Touring bike suppliers and fitting

[Fab Foodie]

Where can I go to view and test touring bikes? I went to Evans in Bristol on Sunday but they only had 3 bikes that I could see. How can I see the whole range of touring bikes avaliable?
If I bought through wiggle how do I know I'm getting the right size and who would do the fitting for me?
Feeling frustrated already.
Cheers J

I'm very impressed by this little outfit. Only specialises in touring/expedition bikes, very high level of customer service:

http://www.oxfordbikeworks.co.uk/

 

[Big foot]

I must admit I'm slightly puzzled by that because you have the handlebar and saddle so high - the top tube actually looks relatively short in comparison.

Before you go for a new bike it might be worth working out what's not working about the one you have.

Have you considered using a straight seatpost rather than one with layback? The layback post means that your seat is several centimetres further back than it would be with a straight post - that might make all the difference (also do you have any scope for moving the saddle forward?).

Butterfly bars might be worth considering - not only to give you a higher riding position without having to angle the stem so far up, but also because they will give you a hands position that's more inboard.

I agree totally, unfortunately I don't have much idea on what's right or wrong. I think it's a great idea to try some changes to the current set up, even if I did get a new bike I wouldn't part with the old girl. Thanks for the advice!

 

[vernon]

If you want a bespoke touring bike I can recommend Woodrup Cycles of Leeds. I own one of their Chimera hub geared bikes. They are totally flexible in meeting your requirements. The Chimera can be built with derailleur gears but have the braze ons and dropouts in place to be Rohloff or Alfine ready. Two folk from cyclechat have bought Chimeras after having a ride on mine and several more members might have have purchased one after reading about mine.

The frame builder at Woodrup Cycles used to build the bespoke frames for Thorn before returning to Leeds and recommencing frame building for Woodrups'.

Have a look at their work here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/woodrup_cycles/

Here's mine:

 

[Cringles]

^Lovely color to!

I've practically no options locally to get a tourer, & I don't like to risk buying online. I happened to have a go on a stock Surly LHT in Dublin, which confirmed my thought that it was the frame I wanted. I've since compiled a list of parts & am currently having a custom bike built locally for just a bit more than what a Surly LHT would cost.

The Oxford Bike Works guys are really impressive, I love that Tom Allen designed bike to. If I had the time and money, I'd fly to England, buy a Thorn & an custom build from Oxford Bike Works

 

[Blue Hills]

I was very impressed by Tom's write up on that bike and the standard spec which, fearlessly, uses 8 speed, V brakes and square taper bottom brackets.

Everything seems to have been thought through with little regard for fashion.

 

[steveindenmark]

I think there is as much, if not more choice in touring bikes as there is in road bikes.

You need to really list what you want in a touring bike and then try and find something that gets close.

I settled for a Koga World Traveller and took it to the mountains in Mallorca to try it out. Its a brillant bike. Tricks all my boxes and more.

 

[mmmmartin]

Thorn does it for me. Faultless service, Raven for me with a conversation about every single bolt (I wanted 8mm heads not allen key books for the racks), carbide reinforced rims, they measured me up and the bike arrived in a box and fitted me perfectly. Currently in southern Patagonia where it has been excellent on the worst roads I've ever seen. And if it is nicked or smashed they have a record of it and can just knock up an identical one. If I need a part I can phone then on Skype and have it airfreighted out to me. Remember its not just a bike you want: it's the after service as well. And @vernon has a bike of great beauty, no doubt about it, but for what it cost you could get halfway round the world.

 

[vernon]

And @vernon has a bike of great beauty, no doubt about it, but for what it cost you could get halfway round the world.

A similar level of service is available from Woodrup Cycles. Had Thorn built a bike to the same specification as mine there wouldn't be that big a price differential. I'll be going halfway round the world and back for way less than the cost of my bike.

 

[Cringles]

Can I ask for some advice on rechargeable rack lights? I could make up a bracket, but would prefer my current lights to stay with my 'work bike'. Here is a picture of my bike from tonight. It should be finished in a few days. Really need to lower the front rack! There the Surly Nice' racks. Only one hole at the back for screwing something in.
Most lights seem to just take batteries. I've opted out of dynamo powered lights to, for reasons of my own

 

[Eurostar]

If I needed a touring bike and was on a tight budget I think I'd consider a 2nd hand cyclocross bike. They tend to have the right geometry, sensible brake mounts and low gearing appropriate for getting up a mountain with panniers. And there are lots to choose from. Plenty of road bike manufacturers who don't bother with a touring bike do bother with a cyclocross bike. You might have to think laterally when it comes to rack mounts. You could call yourself a bikepacker and use bags which don't need racks.

 

[jags]

i never knew woodrup built bike's for Thorn as a matter of fact i never new woodrup made touring bikes .i used to own a woodrup roadbike excellent bike sold it for next to nothing ,Can the chimara be bought frame and fork only?
Thanks Vernon for that post and info i reckon a woodrup touring bike would do me nicely..

 

[vernon]

i never knew woodrup built bike's for Thorn as a matter of fact i never new woodrup made touring bikes .i used to own a woodrup roadbike excellent bike sold it for next to nothing ,Can the chimara be bought frame and fork only?
Thanks Vernon for that post and info i reckon a woodrup touring bike would do me nicely..

Woodrup Cycles have never built for Thorn. Kevin Sayles, their frame builder, left Woodrup Cycles to work at Thorn Cycles building their bespoke frames. Thyorn cycles abandoned the bespoke option and Kevin facing redundancy, returned to Woodrup's. Kevin builds most types of frame. The Chimera can be bought frame and forks only.

Have a look at Kevin's handiwork here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/woodrup_cycles/

 

[Eurostar]

One option is to get measured up for a bike fitting and get the results as a printout. Some upscale racing bike dealers provide this service and it's not cheap but I reckon it pays dividends in the long run. The printout would show your ideal distance from seat tip to handlebars, from kneecap to bottom bracket and so on and so forth. Then you can look at the dimensions of bikes on web sites and calculate whether a certain size of a specific model would fit you, without needing to sit on it. Then you can scour the internet for what you want without being restricted to local dealers.

You can also work out whether you need to tailor a frame to fit you by, for example, changing the length of the stem or the cranks or swapping the seat post for one with layback. It seems complicated at first. But if you're vaguely nerdy-techy you might enjoy it and you'll learn a lot. If you become a dedicated touring cyclist you will eventually learn this stuff anyway. Many people learn the hard way by buying a bike that doesn't fit. This is what I would do if I was buying an off the shelf bike. I got a fitting from Cyclefit of London years ago and I still find the printout useful when I am fiddling with saddle or bars or stem.

 

[jags]

yeah that man can sure build a bike genius.
thanks again for the link.