Carbon fiber bikes for touring... yes or no?

[GaryBPT]

I'm planning to cycle the east coast of Australia starting in Adelaide and finishing in Cairns. My racing bike is all carbon fiber, I was wondering if you thought it would be up to the challenge or if I should invest in a touring bike? I have a support van to carry the bulk of my stuff so I won't be carrying a lot, just some food, water and a first aid kit to see me through the long rides.

Any advice guys?

Gary

 

[Volnix]

Originally Posted by GaryBPT .

I'm planning to cycle the east coast of Australia starting in Adelaide and finishing in Cairns. My racing bike is all carbon fiber, I was wondering if you thought it would be up to the challenge or if I should invest in a touring bike? I have a support van to carry the bulk of my stuff so I won't be carrying a lot, just some food, water and a first aid kit to see me through the long rides.

Any advice guys?

Gary

Hi Gary. /img/vbsmilies/smilies/smile.gif

You have a cf bike with rack fittings??? Which one is it???

 

[jpr95]

Being that you plan to have a support vehicle, you don't really need a true "touring" bike. A real touring bike is generally heavier, often steel (most easily repaired), and has plenty of attachment points for racks and/or panniers, or the steel at least readily accepts clamps, something that a CF race wouldn't really tolerate well over the long haul. But, if you have a support vehicle, most of your gear, extra food and extra water could be in there, so there's no need to carry any more on you or the bike than the water and food you'll over the course of an hour or two.

If you were going to invest in anything, it may be new wheels, depending on what you have now. If you have some ultra-light, low-spoke-count race wheels with 700x21C tires, then you might want to get some beefier wheels with a decent spoke count (perhaps at least 32 each) and put some 700x25C tires on there that have some level of added puncture resistance. Then, don't just inflate them to the max, but choose a pressure that's commensurate with your weight.

I've not been to Australia, so I can't speak to the terrain on the eastern coast, but if there are any amount of hills, you may also want to look at what gearing you have. It's nice to have a bailout gear several days into a ride when you hit a steep hill--easier to enjoy the ride spinning up the hill than to kill yourself having to stand up and mash on a bigger gear.

 

[GaryBPT]

@Volnix - I don't mate no, but I plan to carry whatever I need in a small backpack so I'll be traveling light throughout the trip, hoping to average 70-80 miles a day for most days so I don't need loads.

@JPR96 - Some great stuff there mate thank you. My CF frame does concern me slightly in case of an accident, once it's broken it's broken, end of story. It's a typical racer so has low spoke wheels, I think new wheels and tyres would be a solid investment so I'll have to look into what the bike will take.

The road conditions I'll be going over will be 100% road so the risk of puncture should be relatively low, but you never know so I'll of course be prepared for it, lots of inner tubes in tow. I'm planning to head up the coast through coastal areas so hills will be infrequent but I want to head inland from time to time, my bike has three cogs so the gear ratios are pretty high, hasn't failed me yet here in England.

 

[vspa]

yeah with a support vehicle you don't need a touring bike, i guess australia is dead flat but there might be strong wind to deal with, so you will gear up as you do for long endurance training rides and bike day after day as you would do on a road race stage competition more or less,

 

[San Remo GT]

Originally Posted by vspa .

yeah with a support vehicle you don't need a touring bike, i guess australia is dead flat but there might be strong wind to deal with,
so you will gear up as you do for long endurance training rides and bike day after day as you would do on a road race stage competition more or less,

Dead flat lol! Australia has 3 of the worlds highest mountain summit outside of the Himalayas. Big ass hills aside, a touring bike should be as light as possible so you have less weight to drag across big distances. Tourers will also typically be weighed down by equipment which emphasizes the importance of a light bike. Carbon fibre all the way!

 

[alienator]

Dead flat lol! Australia has 3 of the worlds highest mountain summit outside of the Himalayas. Big ass hills aside, a touring bike should be as light as possible so you have less weight to drag across big distances. Tourers will also typically be weighed down by equipment which emphasizes the importance of a light bike. Carbon fibre all the way!

You're grasp of geography is a bit handicapped, and your understanding of tourers and how weight affects on bike performance is wrong at best. As it happens, the OP will have a support van, so the best bike and best bike performance will come from the bike that fits best, rides best, and handles the best, no matter the material.

 

[vspa]

yeah ups, but we are both wrong like alienator points out, highest you have are around 2700 meters, very far from highest after the himalayas, i gave my answer based on many pictures of the roads you have, long asphalt roads through open territory, its quite appealing anyway for a cycling tour, how about animals ? is it dangerous like lots of snakes and crocodiles ? do you have roads on some of those mountains passes ?

 

[CAMPYBOB]

"Australia has 3 of the worlds highest mountain summit outside of the Himalayas."

High enough to keep the 'roos from hopping over them?


"I won't be carrying a lot, just some food, water and a first aid kit to see me through the long rides."

Carbon? Oh hells yeah! If that's all you'll be lugging and the roads are half-assed decent, why go with anything less that a sport machine? Got to be able to out-sprint those crocs and dingos.

 

[An old Guy]

Originally Posted by GaryBPT .

@Volnix - I don't mate no, but I plan to carry whatever I need in a small backpack so I'll be traveling light throughout the trip, hoping to average 70-80 miles a day for most days so I don't need loads.

It is not the 70-80 miles a day that limits you. It is what happens when bad things happen on the trip. 35-40 miles into the day's ride and something fails. Where is the support van? Waiting at your destination? So maybe 3-4 hours of waiting for assistance.

That aside any bike made for road racing is sufficient for your purposes. A rear rack can be attached. Those little "P" clamps or similar will work. Carbon is tough enough. Easy enough to strap on a day's food and water, a sleeping bag, tent, spare clothes. No need to take all that stuff, but taking it will not damage the bike. Take what you need for the weather. Take some shade if you anticipate a long time for assistance to arrive.

Last time I traveled with a support vehicle was years ago on a vacation. Got up early. Took off. Quit riding about 5 hours later when the support vehicle caught up. That schedule worked out well for all involved. Make sure you set up some sort of schedule that evryone likes.

 

[dhk2]

I've used the "p clamps" that AOG mentioned to mount a conventional rear rack on my CF rear stays with good results. After two-three trips, I've chipped the clearcoat a bit on one side at the bottom of the stay, where it plugs into the rear dropout, but it's not a big deal. My LBS had them in several sizes, to fit different diameters of seat stays. A seatpost rack is even easier to mount, and will easily carry the weight you'll have in daily gear and food. Another option is the front handlebar bag, but I've found those seem to compromise handling a bit on windy days and descents.

If it was me, would definately go with a rear rack in lieu of any kind of backpack. Why carry weight on your back when the bike can so easily handle it? With a solidly-mounted rear rack, just fasten down a trunk pack, or bunge-cord down a small gym bag and you'll forget you're hauling anything extra. Takes about 10 minutes to mount the rack once it's set up, plus another couple minutes to remount my bright flashing taillight to the rack and I'm set to go.

 

[danfoz]

Originally Posted by dhk2 .

Another option is the front handlebar bag, but I've found those seem to compromise handling a bit on windy days and descents.

If it was me, would definately go with a rear rack in lieu of any kind of backpack.

Good points.

 

[vspa]

If it was me, would definately go with a rear rack in lieu of any kind of backpack.  Why carry weight on your back when the bike can so easily handle it?  With a solidly-mounted rear rack, just fasten down a trunk pack, or bunge-cord down a small gym bag and you'll forget you're hauling anything extra.  Takes about 10 minutes to mount the rack once it's set up, plus another couple minutes to remount my bright flashing taillight to the rack and I'm set to go. 

i did a short but intense tour with a backpack, i was having trouble at racing so i thought i could combine a tour to visit a friend as an endurance training brake from racing, the tour was wonderful, i barely noticed that i was carrying this small backpack (with everything i needed to the minimum: toilette stuff, a pair of snickers, jeans, shirt, underwear) for 4 days, then my friend was awesome, i took the train to travel back, but my condition didn't improve of course and racing was miserable that season...

 

[Volnix]

Originally Posted by GaryBPT .

@Volnix - I don't mate no, but I plan to carry whatever I need in a small backpack so I'll be traveling light throughout the trip, hoping to average 70-80 miles a day for most days so I don't need loads.

A backpack might very tiring when touring long distances... If its heavy too then it might be even worst...

 

[danfoz]

The major downside of a backpack, even one of the lighter snug fitting ones, is heat dissapation on hot days. And while it may not bother you, performance can diminish considerably as core temp rises.

 

[maydog]

Spring, summer and fall, I do at least 5 hours a week commuting with a heavy pack. I am used to having a backpack when I ride, but I don't particularly like it.

I have worn a camelback for century+ rides. Like any pack, you will eventually feel the extra weight in your back and on the saddle. The trick with the camelback is to empty it first before touching any of your other bottles.

Even a ***** pack can be a burden. You will ride in the most comfort by keeping the burden off of your body, let the bike bear the extra weight.

 

[GaryBPT]

Great points about the backpack guys, I'll definitely take that in to consideration and look for other options. I was always under the impression that you couldn't attached attach a rear rack to a CF bike, but I'm new to the sport so I was most likely mistaken. Something I'll be looking in to over the next month or so. Drawing from your experience, what kit list would you suggest? So far I have down to take:

• Food
• Water
• Long sleeve t-shirt
• Long sleeve jumper
• Trackies
• First aid kit
• Repair kit and pump

I haven't got far enough in my planning to think too much about the placement of my support van just yet, but 5-6 hours is roughly the sort of time scale that I'll be looking at cycling for. I really like the idea of leaving the support can behind and having them catch us up a few hours later, my plan is to set off at around 7:00ish. I guess the support van will need to leave at around 10:00ish so that we meet in a similar place. Whether we've covered the distance or not when the support van passes, it'll give us chance to have a breather anyway.

 

[GaryBPT]

Originally Posted by maydog .

Spring, summer and fall, I do at least 5 hours a week commuting with a heavy pack. I am used to having a backpack when I ride, but I don't particularly like it.

I have worn a camelback for century+ rides. Like any pack, you will eventually feel the extra weight in your back and on the saddle. The trick with the camelback is to empty it first before touching any of your other bottles.

Even a ***** pack can be a burden. You will ride in the most comfort by keeping the burden off of your body, let the bike bear the extra weight.

I've run two marathons with a CamalBack mate so know exactly what you're saying, it was more of a wind up than anything else, and it ended up leaking down my back anyway! I think I'll carry one anyway, but as you say I'll try and get rid of that first before I move on to any water on my frame.

I ran my triathlon with a ***** pack and all it did was bounce around and pull on my back, don't even get me started about the curse words I was churping...!

 

[maydog]

I missed the point that you are going to have a support van. If its dependable you don't need to carry much more than a regular daily ride. If it were me I would carry the following:

1. Cash, at least $20
2. A credit card
3. Charged Cell phone
4. At least 1 spare tube
5. Patch kit
6. Tire boot or a new folding spare tire
7. Multitool
8. Sunscreen
9. Sunglasses
10. Leg warmers
11. Arm Warmers (no need to carry an additional shirt)
12. Rain poncho (depending on climate)
13. Oversized water bottles (1 liter size is good), 1 filled with a sugary drink, the other with water.
14. Reliable Inflator / pump of some sort
15. Camera
16. Meds, ( ibuprofen, "stay awake" caffiene pills, electrolyte/cramp remedy, cleansing cloths)
17. Duct tape / electrical tape
18. Fig Newtons, granola bars, etc.

I may have missed something, but you could get all of that stuff in your pockets or on your bike without a rack. A large'ish sear bag and top tube or handlebar bag should be enough. Sometimes I tape food or parts (like spokes) directly to the bike.

Have fun.

 

[An old Guy]

Originally Posted by GaryBPT .

• Food
• Water
• Long sleeve t-shirt
• Long sleeve jumper
• Trackies
• First aid kit
• Repair kit and pump

The food and water will need to be appropriate for your day's ride. I always drink a bottle of water when I have a flat in warm weather. In any case a bit more water is better than not enough.

I don't know what the weather is like for your trip. But you should plan on having the proper clothes for all the weather you might run across during the trip.

If you ride on a regular basis, you know what tools and parts you need for a week of your normal rides. That much stuff should be enough for any day.

If you are riding where there are towns, it is always nice to stop to buy food and pick up fresh water at a store.

But you seem to have covered all that I would need.