What bike should I buy

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royalboa

Member
Location
aberdeen
Ok so I'm planning a long 950 mile cycle and since I just took up cycling 2weeks ago iv got no idea what to look for.

The bike I have now was £40 off gumtree and just won't cut it.

I'm needing a road bike that can carry front and back bags and get me from lands end to John o'groats?

What bike do you use for long distances with loads of hills?


Thanks
 

doog

....
Whats your budget and are you camping ? Road bikes tend not to make ideal tourers. You need something with a strong rear wheel (36 spoke), proper gearing for the hills (triple))and ideally has bosses for pannier racks if you want to take 4 panniers.

A cheap work horse would be a steel framed MTB with no front suspension, a sportier version would be something like a Specialised Tricross (my pic) this can take racks front and rear and can be had second hand on ebay for £200 /£300
 

TobyM

Senior Member
I've done some touring on my spesh allez, and it's been fine. This has been in Wales, where the hills are pretty much as big as they come! Having said that, I travelled extremely light with everything I needed on a small pannier which clips onto my seat post (my bike has no pannier screw hole things), staying in youth hostels. I ate from shops on the way, so carried very little food and it was very successful.

In my opinion, depending on how much you want to carry, the first thing you should worry about is how comfortable you are on the bike - you're going to be on it for a long time!
 

Mr Haematocrit

msg me on kik for android
I would be looking at a Specialzed Roubaix. It's a fantastic bike very sporty but equally comfortable. Made specifically for the demanding cobble stone classic paris-roubaix race.
It's a great bike for eating up the miles in comfort but sporty enough for a ride with pace. An exceptional sportive bike imho.
This is the bike I would choose to take on LeJog
 

albal

Guru
Location
Dorset
I did e2e last year on my old1989 ATB, just done c2c usa with very few problems. It cost me £10, but spent around £600, to kit it out for the job.
 
OP
OP
royalboa

royalboa

Member
Location
aberdeen
im now looking into just the bike iv got now fixed up because it is a really comfy ride, not had a sore arse yet and iv been eating up miles like breakfast lol
 

Nigeyy

Legendary Member
You could cycle pretty much on any bike that fits you.... course, some are more comfortable and suitable than others!

In these days of index shifting, carbon fibre frames, 30 speeds, STI/Ergo shifters, etc, it's easy to forget that people back in the early 20th century covered huge distances on bikes we wouldn't even consider now. That's not to say I'd want to do the same (happy with my more modern touring bike with disc brakes and index shifting, thanks) but isn't touring more about the fun and the journey rather than the equipment?

If you don't mind going slower than a road bike, or a purpose built tourer, converting an old mtb with good quality components can be very easy and cheap. Slap on a couple of thinner higher pressure tyres and tubes, a bar bag, rack (certainly older mtbs usually have rack mounts) and panniers and you can be good to go. Add in some stem/quill changes and bar ends or a different handlebar setup (if you stick to straights or butterflys you can use the same gear shifters) and it's even better. If you feel the need, add some mud guards too (though it doesn't rain in Britain, right?) Even the gearing doesn't need to be changed (trust me, on a tour usually you're looking for lower gears rather than higher ones!).

Sounds like you've come to this conclusion.

I should add I'm not against someone buying a purpose tourer, just that if you're only going to tour once or just want to try it out, usually an mtb is a cheaper option -as well as you can work out what you do like.
 

pkeenan

Über Member
Location
Glasgow
It's defo true that you can do this sort of journey on pretty much any bike, with the right level of determination.
But getting the 'right bike' for you is invaluable, and I would definitely view mine as an investment. (I use the word 'invaluable' in many senses - of course, financially, but mainly from the cycling point of view)

The 'right bike' can be bought brand new, or built bit by bit from scratch - who knows! Do what you want, but make sure it's what *you want*.
 

Zenroad

Well-Known Member
Ok so I'm planning a long 950 mile cycle and since I just took up cycling 2weeks ago iv got no idea what to look for.

The bike I have now was £40 off gumtree and just won't cut it.

I'm needing a road bike that can carry front and back bags and get me from lands end to John o'groats?

What bike do you use for long distances with loads of hills?


Thanks


Surly Troll.
 
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