Endurance riding

[the black rose]

Which is better for endurance riding: road or touring bike? Or is it
all about how the bike fits you so type doesn't matter?

-km

--
the black rose
proud to be owned by a yorkie
http://community.webshots.com/user/blackrosequilts

 

[Bob in CT]

On Tue, 10 Aug 2004 15:36:24 GMT, the black rose
<[email protected]> wrote:

> Which is better for endurance riding: road or touring bike? Or is it
> all about how the bike fits you so type doesn't matter?
>
> -km
>

I think it's whichever keeps you on the bike longer (although I personally
own two racing bikes, one mountain bike, and no touring bikes). So, I
think fit is paramount, although I do admit that I'd be hard pressed to
ride long distances in any other bike that I own other than my Lemond.
But that's mainly fit, too.

--
Bob in CT
Remove ".x" to reply

 

[David Reuteler]

the black rose <[email protected]> wrote:
> Which is better for endurance riding: road or touring bike? Or is it
> all about how the bike fits you so type doesn't matter?

i'd get the touring bike -- but mainly because it opens up the possibility
of, umm, touring. i like to throw on the rack, a pannier some gear and do
a 160 to 200 mile loop over the weekend. so for me a touring bike keeps
me on the bike longer.
--
david reuteler
[email protected]

 

[Ken]

the black rose <[email protected]> wrote in news:YX5Sc.9125
[email protected]:
> Which is better for endurance riding: road or touring bike? Or is it
> all about how the bike fits you so type doesn't matter?

A "touring bike" is a kind of road bike that is designed to haul camping
gear. It has an extra long wheelbase so you can fit rear panniers without
them hitting your feet. It has a heavy metal fork so you can attach front
panniers. There may be heavy duty mountain bike-style components for lower
gears and more braking power. If you're not doing this kind of riding, then
you don't need a touring bike.

If you're not racing, you may not need a racing bike, either. There are a
lot of bikes in between touring and racing. Some are called sport-touring or
audax bikes. They have a slightly more relaxed geometry than racing bikes
for more stability and more comfort at non-racing speeds. They also have
lower gearing for riders who aren't as strong as racers. Some have mounting
points for fenders and lights, but not for heavy luggage.

 

[Dave Stallard]

David Reuteler wrote:

> the black rose <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>Which is better for endurance riding: road or touring bike? Or is it
>>all about how the bike fits you so type doesn't matter?
>
>
> i'd get the touring bike -- but mainly because it opens up the possibility
> of, umm, touring. i like to throw on the rack, a pannier some gear and do
> a 160 to 200 mile loop over the weekend. so for me a touring bike keeps
> me on the bike longer.

The problem with *some* touring bikes is that they handle like trucks.
The Trek 520 is one bike I have test-ridden that felt like that. If you
plan on doing loaded touring and camping out with a tent, that's exactly
what you want. But, if not, you probably want to look at the
intermediate "sport-touring" category, rather than a true touring bike.
This will still have triple chainrings, and should have eyelets that
allow you to put on a rack. Just my $.02.

Dave

 

[David Reuteler]

Dave Stallard <[email protected]> wrote:
> The problem with *some* touring bikes is that they handle like trucks.
> The Trek 520 is one bike I have test-ridden that felt like that. If you
> plan on doing loaded touring and camping out with a tent, that's exactly
> what you want. But, if not, you probably want to look at the
> intermediate "sport-touring" category, rather than a true touring bike.
> This will still have triple chainrings, and should have eyelets that
> allow you to put on a rack. Just my $.02.

sure .. or a converted cyclocross bike (bianchi axis or cannondale).
--
david reuteler
[email protected]

 

[Bill]

"the black rose" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Which is better for endurance riding: road or touring bike? Or is it
> all about how the bike fits you so type doesn't matter?
>
> -km
>
> --
> the black rose
> proud to be owned by a yorkie
> http://community.webshots.com/user/blackrosequilts

How much do you want to endure? I have both. If you want to haul stuff use a
truck -touring bike-. If you want to ride easily for a long time with
minimal effort use a properly fitting road -racing bike. Equip the racing
bike with the gears to match your strength, terrain and mindset. Smile while
others push their versatile heavy touring bikes uphill.
Bill

 

[Benjamin Lewis]

Dave Stallard wrote:

> David Reuteler wrote:
>
>> the black rose <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>>> Which is better for endurance riding: road or touring bike? Or is it
>>> all about how the bike fits you so type doesn't matter?
>> i'd get the touring bike -- but mainly because it opens up the
>> possibility of, umm, touring. i like to throw on the rack, a pannier
>> some gear and do
>> a 160 to 200 mile loop over the weekend. so for me a touring bike keeps
>> me on the bike longer.
>
> The problem with *some* touring bikes is that they handle like
> trucks. The Trek 520 is one bike I have test-ridden that felt like that.
> If you plan on doing loaded touring and camping out with a tent, that's
> exactly what you want. But, if not, you probably want to look at the
> intermediate "sport-touring" category, rather than a true touring
> bike. This will still have triple chainrings, and should have eyelets
> that allow you to put on a rack. Just my $.02.

I'm not sure what you think the problem with the handling is in the
unloaded touring-bike case. There's not any difference to the turning
radius, it just makes the steering feel less "twitchy". Where would this
be a problem for endurance riding?

--
Benjamin Lewis

On a paper submitted by a physicist colleague:

"This isn't right. This isn't even wrong."
-- Wolfgang Pauli

 

[Curtis L. Russell]

On Tue, 10 Aug 2004 13:14:51 -0400, Dave Stallard
<[email protected]> wrote:

>But, if not, you probably want to look at the
>intermediate "sport-touring" category, rather than a true touring bike.

Why not simply look a bit longer and get a good touring bike that is
stable and still not handling like a truck? There is a wide ground
between 'trucks' and crit bikes, and there are decent touring bikes in
the area, as well as the sport tourers.

Curtis L. Russell
Odenton, MD (USA)
Just someone on two wheels...

 

[David Reuteler]

Bill <[email protected]> wrote:
> Smile while
> others push their versatile heavy touring bikes uphill.

heh, it's more fun to pass roadies while climbing on the mountain bike than
the touring bike. a lot of sport touring bikes are pretty indistinguishable
from road bikes save for the cantis. nice try, tho.
--
david reuteler
[email protected]

 

[Bill]

"Bill" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> "the black rose" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > Which is better for endurance riding: road or touring bike? Or is it
> > all about how the bike fits you so type doesn't matter?
> >
> > -km
> >
> > --
> > the black rose
> > proud to be owned by a yorkie
> > http://community.webshots.com/user/blackrosequilts
>
> How much do you want to endure? I have both. If you want to haul stuff use
a
> truck -touring bike-. If you want to ride easily for a long time with
> minimal effort use a properly fitting road -racing bike. Equip the racing
> bike with the gears to match your strength, terrain and mindset. Smile
while
> others push their versatile heavy touring bikes uphill.
> Bill
>
One or two further thoughts. Because you are not a racer you are also
looking for comfort. Titanium is usually comfortable. Carbon can be either
brutally stiff or comfortably dead. Steel can be very forgiving and plenty
stiff all in one frame. Aluminum is usually extremely stiff -read not
comfortable for long distances. What ever you think you want, go to a good
bike shop(s) that have a variety of choices that might work for you. Ride
several different bikes and types of bikes for at least a few hours each,
not just around the parking lot. If you are in no hurry you will have the
opportunity to find "your" bike. If you really like bikes you'll eventually
end up with more than one. Different bikes do different jobs better;
however, most can do almost everything -sort-of-.

And to your original question: different bikes are different but they are
all better at their intended purposes when they fit.
Bill

 

[Bill]

"David Reuteler" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Bill <[email protected]> wrote:
> > Smile while
> > others push their versatile heavy touring bikes uphill.
>
> heh, it's more fun to pass roadies while climbing on the mountain bike
than
> the touring bike. a lot of sport touring bikes are pretty
indistinguishable
> from road bikes save for the cantis. nice try, tho.
> --
> david reuteler
> [email protected]

Yeah, and I enjoy passing some tri-guys on my cross bike with the knobbies
but I'm not sure that's the point here. My Mom can kick your
Mom's......................

Point is I can always ride my road bike further and faster on decent roads
with less effort than my winter beater bike with the 28's or my cross bike
or my touring bike or my fixed gear bike or my mountain bike.
Bill

 

[David Reuteler]

Bill <[email protected]> wrote:
> Yeah, and I enjoy passing some tri-guys on my cross bike with the knobbies
> but I'm not sure that's the point here. My Mom can kick your
> Mom's......................

no contest.

> Point is I can always ride my road bike further and faster on decent roads
> with less effort than my winter beater bike with the 28's or my cross bike
> or my touring bike or my fixed gear bike or my mountain bike.

i can't. i can ride further on my touring bike with the 28s. my touring
bike weighs in at about 22 pounds so it ain't exactly heavy. is it okay if
we disagree? i'd wager most touring bikes are more comfortable than the
average road bike and that most people can ride longer if they're
comfortable.
--
david reuteler
[email protected]

 

[Bill]

"the black rose" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Which is better for endurance riding: road or touring bike? Or is it
> all about how the bike fits you so type doesn't matter?
>
> -km
>
> --
> the black rose
> proud to be owned by a yorkie
> http://community.webshots.com/user/blackrosequilts
>

From rec.bicycles.tech today Titanium vs aluminum

read KD's post

bill

 

[Zoot Katz]

Tue, 10 Aug 2004 15:36:24 GMT,
<[email protected]>, the black rose
<[email protected]> wrote:

>Which is better for endurance riding: road or touring bike? Or is it
>all about how the bike fits you so type doesn't matter?

Geometry, length of chain stays and tire clearance matters.
The slack angles and longer wheelbase of a touring frame makes for
more relaxed riding. The larger tire sizes are more comfortable too.
--
zk

 

[Zoot Katz]

10 Aug 2004 20:26:29 GMT,
<[email protected]>, David Reuteler
<[email protected]> wrote:

>i'd wager most touring bikes are more comfortable than the
>average road bike and that most people can ride longer if they're
>comfortable.

The old school road bikes can generally fit 28s and have longer stays
and slacker angles than today's road bikes. They're comfortable and
handle quite well.
--
zk

 

[foldedpath]

"Bill" <[email protected]> wrote in
news:[email protected]:

> How much do you want to endure? I have both. If you want to haul stuff
> use a truck -touring bike-. If you want to ride easily for a long time
> with minimal effort use a properly fitting road -racing bike. Equip
> the racing bike with the gears to match your strength, terrain and
> mindset. Smile while others push their versatile heavy touring bikes
> uphill. Bill

C'mon, not all touring bikes are trucks.

The relaxed angles can make for a more comfortable ride for some of us,
instead of the twitchy handling of race-oriented road bikes. The lower gear
range of a typical touring bike is a lot closer to what I need, with all
the short/steep hills around here and few level straightaways.....
compared to the taller gears of a road racing bike design.

Nobody forces you to put racks, panniers, fenders, and other weighty
additions on a touring frame. You can build up a nice lightweight bike, and
still enjoy the geometry and the wider gears.

I'm thinking my next road bike might be a touring model... unless I decide
to invest in rebuilding my old '92 Trek Multitrack 7600 (lugged/glued
aluminum frame), which is partway towards being a touring bike anyway.

--
Mike Barrs

 

[Dave Stallard]

Benjamin Lewis wrote:

> I'm not sure what you think the problem with the handling is in the
> unloaded touring-bike case. There's not any difference to the turning
> radius, it just makes the steering feel less "twitchy". Where would this
> be a problem for endurance riding?

Shrug. I'm just relating my experience with one particular touring
bike. It felt heavy and sluggish to *me*. I wouldn't want to ride it
on a regular basis, nor long distances, without a reason to. If I had a
large quantity of gear to haul, I'd doubtless consider it, but that's
not my situation, and I'm not sure if it's the OP's situation either.

Dave

 

[Steve Palincsar]

On Tue, 10 Aug 2004 11:36:24 -0400, the black rose wrote:

> Which is better for endurance riding: road or touring bike? Or is it
> all about how the bike fits you so type doesn't matter?

The classic endurance ride is the brevet, and the classic bikes (Rene
Herse and Alex Singer) for randonneuring can be classed as "light
touring" bikes. Here's a link to a web site that describes one in very
great detail, with some wonderful pictures:
<http://home.t-online.de/home/dirk.feeken/singer/singer.html>

If you're planning on riding about 780 miles in 90 hours, you can expect
to be riding in the dark, dog tired. So you need lights, you need a
comfortable bike, and you need one with forgiving handling that doesn't
require constant full-alert attention just to make it go straight.

 

[Bill Baka]

On Wed, 11 Aug 2004 18:03:54 -0400, Steve Palincsar <[email protected]>
wrote:

> On Tue, 10 Aug 2004 11:36:24 -0400, the black rose wrote:
>
>> Which is better for endurance riding: road or touring bike? Or is it
>> all about how the bike fits you so type doesn't matter?
>
> The classic endurance ride is the brevet, and the classic bikes (Rene
> Herse and Alex Singer) for randonneuring can be classed as "light
> touring" bikes. Here's a link to a web site that describes one in very
> great detail, with some wonderful pictures:
> <http://home.t-online.de/home/dirk.feeken/singer/singer.html>
>
> If you're planning on riding about 780 miles in 90 hours, you can expect
> to be riding in the dark, dog tired. So you need lights, you need a
> comfortable bike, and you need one with forgiving handling that doesn't
> require constant full-alert attention just to make it go straight.

I may be nuts, but I am not crazy. 780 miles in 90 hours? Is that 24 hour
pedaling with no sleep breaks or just 4 days of double centuries?
Sounds like 90 hours straight if it is in the dark as well as the light.
Insane. Where do I sign up?
Bill Baka



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