Enthusiastic new tourist with many questions...

[jim mccycle]

I'm new to touring and cycling in general. The most I've cycled in one day is 60 miles but I hope to do 130 miles in a few weeks. Is 130 miles too much to take on in one day?

Also I currently have a fuji silhouette 04 with bull horn handle bars that I would like to convert to drops. It'll cost around e300. Can anyone tell me if this will convert it into a decent road bike coz I don't want to get road bar ends. It's specs are below.

If this isn't a good idea I'll probably sell the fuji. Can anyone recommend a good road bike suitable for touring (able to fit a rear carrier etc.) priced around 700-800euro. My local bike shop recoomended the specialized allez '06, any advice.

Also I'm 5 foot 11, is the 19 inch frame suitable?

Finally the silhouette has 700 x 26mm Kenda Kontender tires. Could I fit racing tires to the same rims instead and if so will it make a significant difference to the ride.

All stupid questions I'm sure but any advice would be hugely appreciated.

FramesetSizes

15", 17", 19", 21", 23"

Color(s)

Matte Black

Main frame

Fuji Altair 2 custom butted 7000 series aluminum with PowerDiamond down tube, Double water bottle mounts

Rear triangle

Fuji Altair 1 custom tapered 7000 series aluminum, Fuji forged road dropout with replaceable derailleur hanger

Fork

Fuji Aero aluminum, 1 1/8"

DrivetrainCrankset

RPM Forged Road, 30/42/52 aluminum chainrings

Bottom bracket

Sealed cartridge, 116mm

Pedals

Wellgo WPD-919 clipless

Front derailleur

Shimano, FD-443, 31.8mm

Rear derailleur

Shimano Tiagra, 9-speed, GS cage for triple

Shifters

Shimano Rapid Fire, SL-R440, 9-speed

Cassette/freewheel

Shimano CS-HG50-9, 9-speed, 12/25

Chain

KMC Z-9000, 9-Speed

WheelsetFront hub

Alex A-Class, 28H

Rear hub

Alex A-Class, 32H

Spokes

14g Stainless

Rims

Alex A-Class double wall aluminum

Tires

Kenda Kontender, 700 X 26c

FeaturesBrake set

Tektro Mini-V, forged aluminum with modulator front and rear

Brake levers

Tektro Aluminum for V-brake

Headset

Integrated Road, with convex hollow alloy 25mm spacer

Handlebar

Fuji Double Butted aluminum, No rise, 560mm

Stem

Ritchey Threadless, Forged Aluminum

Tape/grip

Fuji High Density foam

Saddle

Fuji UltraLite Racing, Cro-Moly rails

Seat post

Ritchey Forged aluminum, 300mm

Seat clamp

Aluminum 31.8mm Quick Release

Frame Weight, lb./kg.

3.6/1.64

Complete Bike Weight, lb./kg.

21.6/9.82

 

[xilios]

Check out Trek bikes. Good Geometry for touring.
The Trek below is the 7.2 WSD (17 in. ladies size) my wife ordered.
We changed several parts like the front sprokets 43-32-22, Brooks saddle, Butterfly handlebar and Tubus racks.
Cheers.

 

[jim mccycle]

Check out Trek bikes. Good Geometry for touring.
The Trek below is the 7.2 WSD (17 in. ladies size) my wife ordered.
We changed several parts like the front sprokets 43-32-22, Brooks saddle, Butterfly handlebar and Tubus racks.
Cheers.

Thanks for the reply, I'll have a look at them.

 

[daveornee]

Check out the Surly Long Distance Trucker with Surly Racks.
You should find a local dealer who already knows the Long Distance Trucker. You can choose the components you want since Surly doesn' build complete bicycles.
One dealer I know of is Harris:
http://sheldonbrown.com/harris/surly-lht.html

 

[nun]

Firstly for someone new to cuycling your mileage is impressive. I'd increase it slowly, 5% to 10% per week. 130 miles in a day is a lot for most tourists.

Next do you intend to do loaded touring where you carry a tent and slepping bag etc. If so the Fiji isn't appropriate.

If you want to do long distance audax or randonee type of riding the Fuji might work if you can get some mudgards on it and a rack. If either of these things carn't be done then the sell the Fuji, or just keep it for training rides or commuting.

Next the 19" Fuji seems a little small for someone 5'11" tall. This is the way bikes are sized and sold today as the bars are generally well below saddle height to give an "aero" position. For long distance riding I think you should be more upright and habe the bars close to saddle height. Your 19" Fuji has a 76.5cm standover. I'm 5'10" and I ride a 55 ro 56cm frome (c to t) with a standover of 79 to 80 cm, my pubic bone height is 81.5cm.

Here are a few website to check out touring and randonee bikes. I'm in the US so some sites are American, but they have good info. Also the Surly LHT is a great frame for loaded touring

http://www.merciancycles.co.uk
http://www.sjscycles.com/thornwebsite/
http://www.dawescycles.com/
http://www.johnpiazza.net/frenchbikes.htm
http://www.rivbike.com
http://www.peterwhitecycles.com
http://www.heronbicycles.com
http://www.sheldonbrown.com

 

[nun]

PS
If your LBS recommended a Specialized Allez for touring they know nothing about that sort of cycling. I'd find a new shop that will listen to you and recommend a suitable bike.

 

[dgregory57]

PS
If your LBS recommended a Specialized Allez for touring they know nothing about that sort of cycling. I'd find a new shop that will listen to you and recommend a suitable bike.

I was going to mention this as well, but the OP also asked about going to a racing tire, which would also not be apropriate for touring... so I think we may be working from a different definition of touring from the OP.

 

[jim mccycle]

Firstly for someone new to cuycling your mileage is impressive. I'd increase it slowly, 5% to 10% per week. 130 miles in a day is a lot for most tourists.

Next do you intend to do loaded touring where you carry a tent and slepping bag etc. If so the Fiji isn't appropriate.

If you want to do long distance audax or randonee type of riding the Fuji might work if you can get some mudgards on it and a rack. If either of these things carn't be done then the sell the Fuji, or just keep it for training rides or commuting.

Next the 19" Fuji seems a little small for someone 5'11" tall. This is the way bikes are sized and sold today as the bars are generally well below saddle height to give an "aero" position. For long distance riding I think you should be more upright and habe the bars close to saddle height. Your 19" Fuji has a 76.5cm standover. I'm 5'10" and I ride a 55 ro 56cm frome (c to t) with a standover of 79 to 80 cm, my pubic bone height is 81.5cm.

Here are a few website to check out touring and randonee bikes. I'm in the US so some sites are American, but they have good info. Also the Surly LHT is a great frame for loaded touring

Thanks everyone for your advice.

I had a feeling the fuji might be a bit small so I think the best option is to sell it.
Sorry for the confusion regarding touring. What I really want is a bike that I can do 100 mile+ day trips to other parts of the country staying in a B&B/hostel for a couple of days and back again. I'd be carrying one or maybe two panniers (for clothing, spares etc.)
After looking at some other posts I'm not sure if this constitutes touring, though I would like to do some proper tours but not for a while yet.
I'm leaning towards buying a racer with 3 cogs but I'm not sure if this is suitable for the not so smooth country roads that I will inevitably find myself on. It's not the discomfort I'm worried about I just don't want a fork or wheel to break. Is this liable to happen with a racer? Bikes I've been looking at are the the Specialized allez, the Giant OCR2 and the Lapierre Equipe.

PS: Cheers for the websites, very interesting. I think that Sheldon Brown one is brilliant and I'm sure I'll be using it loads.

 

[jim mccycle]

Check out the Surly Long Distance Trucker with Surly Racks.
You should find a local dealer who already knows the Long Distance Trucker. You can choose the components you want since Surly doesn' build complete bicycles.
One dealer I know of is Harris:
http://sheldonbrown.com/harris/surly-lht.html

Thanks Dave, that frame does look great, hopefully I'll manage to get one at some stage.

 

[TrekCyclerChic]

For being a new cyclist, your mileage seems good. 130 miles isn't that bad if you aren't trying to keep up that pace on a regular basis. You will probably just wear yourself out. I was training for a tour this summer, which I unfortunately had to leave due to illness, but my partner was averaging about 110 miles a day for the first few weeks. During training he regularly rode 100 to 150 miles, but that was on very flat terrain. In NY where I did my training, I was averaging about 80 miles a ride, but I have a lot more rolling hills. And he hit a wall after a few weeks of such high mileage days, and had to take a few days off and then followed that with a lot lower mileage days. Plus if you are touring, don't you want to enjoy it? In the days before I left my trip, I didn't see anything! We were always riding, and at a high pace, and my partner never wanted to stop and enjoy the scenery. And don't try to increase your mileage too fast. You'll wear out and it will ultimately set you back.

hope this helps some...

 

[nun]

Thanks everyone for your advice.

I had a feeling the fuji might be a bit small so I think the best option is to sell it.
Sorry for the confusion regarding touring. What I really want is a bike that I can do 100 mile+ day trips to other parts of the country staying in a B&B/hostel for a couple of days and back again. I'd be carrying one or maybe two panniers (for clothing, spares etc.)
After looking at some other posts I'm not sure if this constitutes touring, though I would like to do some proper tours but not for a while yet.
I'm leaning towards buying a racer with 3 cogs but I'm not sure if this is suitable for the not so smooth country roads that I will inevitably find myself on. It's not the discomfort I'm worried about I just don't want a fork or wheel to break. Is this liable to happen with a racer? Bikes I've been looking at are the the Specialized allez, the Giant OCR2 and the Lapierre Equipe.

PS: Cheers for the websites, very interesting. I think that Sheldon Brown one is brilliant and I'm sure I'll be using it loads.

What you're describing is credit card touring, and I'd say that none of the road racing bikes that you're considering are appropriate. They aren't ment to have rear racks, don't have room for mudguards and don't have rims that will fit 28mm or wider tyres.

For the type of cycling you're describing here's a few bikes to consider

Trek 520, http://www.trekbikes.com/bikes/2003/road/520.jsp
Cannondale T2000, http://www.cannondale.com/bikes/06/CUSA/model-6TR2.html
Bianchi Volpe, http://www.bianchiusa.com/06_volpe.html
Dawes Audax http://www.dawescycles.com/dawes/audax.htm
Dawes Galaxy http://www.dawescycles.com/dawes/galaxy.htm
Thorn Brevet http://www.sjscycles.com/thornwebsite/brevetconical.html
Thorn Club Tour http://www.sjscycles.com/thornwebsite/clubtour.html
Fuji Touring http://www.fujibikes.com/2006/bikes.asp?id=143

If you have the money a King of Mercia or a Mercian Audax would be nice

http://www.merciancycles.co.uk/bikes.asp

If money is no object an Alex Singer randonneur bike would be really nice

If you can get American bikes the following would also be nice, but expensive
Rivendell Rambouilett http://www.rivbike.com/html/bikes_rambouilletframes.html
Heron Randonneur http://www.heronbicycles.com/rand.html

 

[lugger]

I agree with Nun's points.

A main difference between touring and racing bikes is their lengths and the angles of the tubes. Touring bikes are longer. For example, the Trek 520 and Surly Long Haul Trucker have about 105 cm or 41 inch wheel base. The Specialized Allez has only about 98 cm wheelbase. Longer wheelbase gives a smoother ride and clearance for panniers while a shorter wheelbase is more nimble. I think greater slopes of the seat tubes and head tubes on touring bikes make it smoother too. Also, I believe some touring bikes have lower bottom brackets for a lower center of gravity. Also, touring bikes should come with wheels made for heavy loads and gearing for easier hill climbing. Touring bikes tend to be a bit heavier and stronger than racing bikes and a steel touring frame is the most flexible material. Other people know a lot more about all this, but this is my understanding.

The Bianchi Volpe is considered a good combination of touring and casual riding features. Some of the Jamis models look okay sport/tour bikes and they are less expensive. The Fuji Touring model is a decent choice too. Any of them or the Trek 520 would be better than a racing bike for the kind of riding you want to do. Racing bikes are far to the opposite extreme in terms of geometry, materials and components. They are not made to carry extra weight over long distances, nor are they intended to keep you comfortable doing so. Some people use mountain or hybrid bikes for touring or sport riding, but I know nothing about them.

The Specialized Allez looks like a straight racing bike. They even modify the seat tube to shorten the wheelbase. The wheels and fork are not designed for weight and flexibility. Also, you would need larger rear cogs, a longer cage derailleur and probably, as you mentioned, a third front chain ring and a triple front derailleur as well.

Have you looked into Bianchi, Jamis, Trek and Fuji for sport/touring bikes? Any of those, except the cheapest Jamis, would be better than a racing bike for your touring. And they are around the price of the Allez. Why is it that you favor a racing bike over a touring bike for touring?

 

[jim mccycle]

It's not that I want to get a racer, after checking out all those sites the Dawes Audax is exactly what I'm looking for however there is no bike shop where I am that sells any of these audax or touring bikes. Until I joined this forum I didn't even know they made this type of bike anymore (you're post was the first time I'd seen the word Audax!).

When I was originally buying my fuji (for a tour of France which I unfortunately had to pull out of) any bike shop I asked had either mountain bikes, racers or hybrids and they all recommended the hybrid as the most suitable for touring.
They just don't sell those touring bikes over here. That's why I have the hybrid. If I'd known of the likes of the dawes, the trek, or the bianchi, I would have definitely gone for one of them but unfortunately I didn't know they existed and I would have had to import one.
After all your advice I've decided to keep my fuji for the time being, convert the handlebars to drops as inexpensively as possible and see how far it will take me. It already has mudguards and a carrier so it's not too bad.
I will eventually go to the trouble of importing a proper tourer/audax but I simply don't have the money at the moment and I don't think I'd get enough for the fuji to justify selling it or to finance purchasing a proper touring bike.

I've learned more about cycling from this post than I've learned since I started getting into cycling so thanks a million to everyone for helping.
Thanks to Daveornee, Dgregory67, Xilios, Trekcyclerchic (I like your website even if it is a little self indulgent!), Lugger and of course Nun.

I'll let you know how I get on on that 130 miler but it won't be for a while due to an injury (those tires really don't grip well at all turning corners at any sort of speed in the wet!)

Cheers everyone.

 

[nun]

It's not that I want to get a racer, after checking out all those sites the Dawes Audax is exactly what I'm looking for however there is no bike shop where I am that sells any of these audax or touring bikes. Until I joined this forum I didn't even know they made this type of bike anymore (you're post was the first time I'd seen the word Audax!).

When I was originally buying my fuji (for a tour of France which I unfortunately had to pull out of) any bike shop I asked had either mountain bikes, racers or hybrids and they all recommended the hybrid as the most suitable for touring.
They just don't sell those touring bikes over here. That's why I have the hybrid. If I'd known of the likes of the dawes, the trek, or the bianchi, I would have definitely gone for one of them but unfortunately I didn't know they existed and I would have had to import one.
After all your advice I've decided to keep my fuji for the time being, convert the handlebars to drops as inexpensively as possible and see how far it will take me. It already has mudguards and a carrier so it's not too bad.
I will eventually go to the trouble of importing a proper tourer/audax but I simply don't have the money at the moment and I don't think I'd get enough for the fuji to justify selling it or to finance purchasing a proper touring bike.

I've learned more about cycling from this post than I've learned since I started getting into cycling so thanks a million to everyone for helping.
Thanks to Daveornee, Dgregory67, Xilios, Trekcyclerchic (I like your website even if it is a little self indulgent!), Lugger and of course Nun.

I'll let you know how I get on on that 130 miler but it won't be for a while due to an injury (those tires really don't grip well at all turning corners at any sort of speed in the wet!)

Cheers everyone.

Where are you located? I assume somewhere in the EU. Most countries will have a national touring or randonnering (excuse the franglais) association that would be good for you to contact and see if there are any good local groups or shops. I know its difficult to buy a bike without seeing it first, but
any bike shop will be able to order you a Trek, Bianchi or Fuji touring bike when you come to buy one. My first touring bike was a Bianchi Volpe ($800) and I used it as a test bed to find out what I liked, before spending a bit more money and a more "boutique" bike.