What's the best tourer for under a grand?

[jamesxyz]

Have a couple of road bikes but fancy doing a bit of touring over the next year so thought I might take advantage of the Cycle to work scheme while its still going. SO what would you buy?

the obvious ones that spring to mind are the Dawes Galaxy or the Claude Butler Dalesman - any comments on these two (pros / cons) or links to reviews on the web or suggestions for any others?

Cheers

 

[Bandini]

I am a newb, so don't take too much notice. I really like the Galaxy - but they are just over a grand £1150. Superficial, but I think that the racing green colour of the 2009 is lovely!

I opted for a Karakum, because the positions of the butterfly bars suited me personally (occasionally bad neck). I love my bike, but I still get a slight twinge of 'should I have...' when I look at the Galaxy.

I read somewhere that the Dalesman is a little more 'audaxy'...oh, here it is:

http://forum.ctc.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=23855

Comparing with the Super Galaxy, but...

 

[Pottsy]

Ridgeback Panorama has a good rep though might be slightly over a grand.

I built up a Surly Long Haul Trucker from frame and forks. Mine cost a bit more in the end, but you could manage that for under a grand. Excellent bike.

 

[willem]

Surly Long Haul Trucker?
Willem

 

[Yellow7]

good gear! http://www.surlybikes.com/

 

[chris667]

Hewitt?

 

[dubman]

go for the surly you wont regret it

 

[PpPete]

Enigma Eos ?
Steel F&F is £699, so you might struggle to finish it for a grand, but worth a look?

Or - a really good second hand 531 DB Galaxy / Super Galaxy ...usually around £300-400 on Ebay, and then you can spend the rest on nice wheels & bringing all the components up to exactly the modern standard you want?

 

[Steve Austin]

there you go
http://www.tritoncycles.co.uk/products.php?plid=m14b103s21p4901&rs=gb

Do i get the pound?

 

[BalkanExpress]

The best one is the one you want to get out and ride on

For around a grand there are loads of good touring bikes and few of them are objectively bad. The best therefore is the one that fits you so it is comfortable all day and the one that you are happy riding all day without thinking "I wish I was on my road bike".

Best bet is to try and test ride as many as you can to get a feel for what you want.

This advice frrom the man who brought the bike with the pretty blue paintwork but which is so pretty I take it out everyday

 

[Auntie Helen]

My husband just bought an Aravis Super Tourist:

http://www.cyclechat.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=49800

It's a Hewitt Cheviot with a different paint job. So far he loves it!

 

[yashicamat]

Surly Long Haul Trucker - £999 out of the box with good quality components, although I think 2009 model is discontinued and the 2010 model isn't out yet. I have one and it is fantastic - really comfortable, stable and solid. I did some direct comparisons (including test rides) between a LHT and a Galaxy and I'm afraid the LHT won hands down in my opinion . . .

 

[upsidedown]

My LHT has done about 2000 miles of commuting through urban potholes, country lanes and canal towpaths. Looks barely ridden. The more you load it the more stable it gets, love it.

 

[John the Monkey]

I love the LHT too, although I built mine up rather than buying a complete.

 

[dragon72]

I've got a real urge to go out and get a Surly LHT, particularly with the positive press it's getting in this thread, but I just can't justify it at the mo.

I bought a Dawes Horizon back in 2005 for about £400 and after about 25,000km of everyday use for commuting, shopping, weekend rides and a few fully-loaded transcontinental cycle-camping tours since then, the damn thing is still going strong and comfy. And I treat it like crap, leaving it parked outside work in all weathers all year round. I'm too lazy to clean it like I should too...

Unfortunately there's still nothing at all wrong with it, so I can't justify the expense of an "upgrade".

It's ridiculous that I'm almost hoping things go wrong with it, because I feel oh-so-slightly embarrassed by the fact that I have an "entry-level" tourer despite considering myself a tad beyond entry-level in terms of my experience!