Hi everybody,
I'm looking to do some extensive loaded touring. I'm currently riding a Specialized Allez; I love it and I've done over 15,000km on it over the past two years with supported tours, commuting and short excursions, but it's just not designed for loaded touring.
I've been looking at bikes in the Surley LHT, Trek 520, Jamis Aurora, etc price range. I'm getting the impression though that, while all of these bikes are pretty awesome, none of them are perfect. I'm trying to figure out which model provides the best starting place for me, acknowledging that I'll probably be replacing/upgrading parts and components over time.
I'm fairly large (6'3"/1.9m and 200lbs/91kg) and I'm a strong cyclist. I recognize that loaded touring is a completely different game than riding an unloaded road bike, but if possible I'd like the ride to keep some of the hare's philosophy rather than going completely tortoise.
Does anybody have advice one which model to select?
Thanks!
I'm looking to do some extensive loaded touring. I'm currently riding a Specialized Allez; I love it and I've done over 15,000km on it over the past two years with supported tours, commuting and short excursions, but it's just not designed for loaded touring.
I've been looking at bikes in the Surley LHT, Trek 520, Jamis Aurora, etc price range. I'm getting the impression though that, while all of these bikes are pretty awesome, none of them are perfect. I'm trying to figure out which model provides the best starting place for me, acknowledging that I'll probably be replacing/upgrading parts and components over time.
I'm fairly large (6'3"/1.9m and 200lbs/91kg) and I'm a strong cyclist. I recognize that loaded touring is a completely different game than riding an unloaded road bike, but if possible I'd like the ride to keep some of the hare's philosophy rather than going completely tortoise.
Does anybody have advice one which model to select?
Thanks!