So I'm looking for a fastish bike I can ride all day, with drop bars and will take a carrier and mudguards. From a bit of research, this sounds like the recipe for an Audax/Sportive bike, but might a stripped tourer be a better (or equal) option?
Fantastically versatile bike, and beautiful too (the curve of the top tube...). Unlike a tourer it's quite light (tho heavier than a road bike of course).
I bought the Sport '06 last year with similar compromises in mind (but including towpaths and tours in the list). I'm pretty happy with it so far, and I've just done a short tour on it.
I did upgrade the gears to 10-speed, which will also enable me to change to a triple ring fairly easily. But I haven't done that yet, and I think the Sport '07 comes in 9x3 anyway (so I guess I wasn't the only person who asked ..).
If it was me, (which it isn't) I'd definitely go for the audax bike and not worry about the supposed superior 'comfort' that a tourer would give, because I have found that decent hand built wheels (of any sort) and a good set of tyres (even in 23mm) are incredibly comfortable. I recently swapped from cheaper Panaracer Pasalas with Tour Guard, in 28mm (about £30 a pair) to expensive Continental GP4000s in 23mm (about £70 a pair) and the diffrence is amazing, and yet they are thinner lighter tyres. The reason they are more comfortable is because they use a greater amount of threads per quare cm, so even though they don't hold as much air, the rubber is more supple and flexible, even though it is still quite puncture resistant. I am not suggesting these particular tyres would be any good for off road use, but it is possible to fit very hard wearing and yet very comfortable tyres in nay size that will make any bike pretty comfortable. Overall I would say that if you get a decent quality frame and good hand built wheels, the bike will be just as comfortable whether it is of touring weight and geometry, or a lighter and sportier audax bike, so it's really down to what you are going to be using the bike for. If you're not going on fully laden tours, IMO you just dont need a tourer - you will just be carrying a whole lot of weight you don't need and the geometry will be less responsive than the audax style bike.
In article <[email hidden]>, Blonde <[email hidden]> writes
Quoted message said:
Overall I would say that if you get a decent quality frame and good hand built wheels, the bike will be just as comfortable whether it is of touring weight and geometry, or a lighter and sportier audax bike, so it's really down to what you are going to be using the bike for. If you're not going on fully laden tours, IMO you just dont need a tourer - you will just be carrying a whole lot of weight you don't need and the geometry will be less responsive than the audax style bike.
Thanks to everybody. I was (very) impressed by the Tricross concept, but having considered the carbon bits, I think I'd prefer something in more traditional steel.
I guess I've decided I'm after an audax bike with lugs for mudguards and carriers. Are these likely to have adequate clearance for touring type wheels/tyres?
Thanks to everybody. I was (very) impressed by the Tricross concept, but having considered the carbon bits, I think I'd prefer something in more traditional steel.
I guess I've decided I'm after an audax bike with lugs for mudguards and carriers. Are these likely to have adequate clearance for touring type wheels/tyres?
Touring wheels* with 28mm touring tyres should no problem in any "audax" bike. I'm sure some will take wider tyres, but my (alloy) Tifosi** doesn't look as if it could - safely. I like to leave some wobble room as it would be a shame to be stranded by a slightly buckled wheel. In fact I use 25mm tyres with it for extra speed - quite comfortable enough.
* Not essential as narrower rims such as Mavic Open Pro are quite strong and actually work fine with 28mm tyres.
Replying to myself - cos I know what someone is going to say!:
Quoted message said:
I like to leave some wobble room as it would be a shame to be stranded by a slightly buckled wheel.
OK, you can true a buckled wheel.... normally - but not necessarily well enough if the rim got bent or a spoke has broken (and you can't or don't replace the spoke).
I guess I've decided I'm after an audax bike with lugs for mudguards and carriers. Are these likely to have adequate clearance for touring type wheels/tyres?
Assuming rimbrakes, you can either have:
- a 'racing frame' with 39-47 mm brakes (28mm tyres max, no mudguards,
- a frame specialy built for taller 49-57mm calipers which old hands might call 'normal' reach (28 mm with mudguard, 35 without mudguards but the thick tyre might not drop out of the brake with QR open) or
- a frameset with cantileverposts for V-s or canti's. Tyresize for the latter is a question of forkcrown design and of what happened with the chain and seatstays.
All three categories of frame can be built with or without lugs and in any material
I guess I've decided I'm after an audax bike with lugs for mudguards and carriers. Are these likely to have adequate clearance for touring type wheels/tyres?
-- John
Some do some don't, I am thinking of 28mm tyres. IMO your requirement is one of the characteristics of a machine marketed as a Audax Machine. The Hewitt Chiltern does as I think the Bob Jackson Audax End to End does.
On 11 May 2007 02:02:31 -0700, MSeries <[email hidden]>
Quoted message said:
John Halliwell said:
I guess I've decided I'm after an audax bike with lugs for mudguards and carriers. Are these likely to have adequate clearance for touring type wheels/tyres?
-- John
Some do some don't, I am thinking of 28mm tyres. IMO your requirement is one of the characteristics of a machine marketed as a Audax Machine. The Hewitt Chiltern does as I think the Bob Jackson Audax End to End does.
Mercian Audax does too. (Mine has 28mm tyres on, innit)
In article <[email hidden]>, Pete Biggs <p@pomegrana teremovehighlyimpracticalfruitbiggs.tc> writes
Quoted message said:
Touring wheels* with 28mm touring tyres should no problem in any "audax" bike. I'm sure some will take wider tyres, but my (alloy) Tifosi** doesn't look as if it could - safely. I like to leave some wobble room as it would be a shame to be stranded by a slightly buckled wheel. In fact I use 25mm tyres with it for extra speed - quite comfortable enough.
* Not essential as narrower rims such as Mavic Open Pro are quite strong and actually work fine with 28mm tyres.
** Doesn't /have/ to be used with carbon bits ;-)
I hadn't really considered differences between 28 & 32mm tyres, but would want mudguards. Gut reaction suggests 32mm sounds close to the width of the 27*1.25" I've used before and might be preferable.
I had a look at a Horizon and Dawes Audax today, the Horizon seemed to have very wide tyres, whilst the Audax didn't look like it would take anything wider than the 'thin' tyres.
In article <[email hidden]>, MSeries <[email hidden]> writes
Quoted message said:
Some do some don't, I am thinking of 28mm tyres. IMO your requirement is one of the characteristics of a machine marketed as a Audax Machine. The Hewitt Chiltern does as I think the Bob Jackson Audax End to End does.
Thanks, I'll have a look at the Hewitt, I stumbled across the Chevoit today, looks interesting as well.
I have had a Dawes Audax for a few years now, it's been really good. Perfect commuter bike! also, Dawes were fabulous when I took out the BB to find it had been put in skewed (a common fault apparently) and it stripped the thread; they gave me a new frame/fork/crankset/seatpin under warranty. They were also happy to deal with me directly rather than me go through the dealer (which was a long way from my home) and made it all a very painless process. Well done Dawes!
In article <[email hidden]>, Tony B <[email hidden]> writes
Quoted message said:
I have had a Dawes Audax for a few years now, it's been really good. Perfect commuter bike! also, Dawes were fabulous when I took out the BB to find it had been put in skewed (a common fault apparently) and it stripped the thread; they gave me a new frame/fork/crankset/seatpin under warranty. They were also happy to deal with me directly rather than me go through the dealer (which was a long way from my home) and made it all a very painless process. Well done Dawes!
What tyres are you running, how do they cope with today's poor roads?
Yes, having resurrected a neglected 20 year old Dawes Windsor, if I do get a new bike, Dawes will be very high on the list.
