Looking for a touring bike
- Thread starter seaside7
- Start date
What is your total budget?seaside7 said:
How much weight were you planning on carrying/hauling?
Have you looked at the B.O.B. trailer for hauling instead of carrying?
Also, read this article when you have the chance:
It deals with shifters -- your shifters should be part of your consideration (a lot of people like to use bar-ends ... there are pluses-and-minuses.
Thanks for the suggestions.
Hopefully, I hope to have a budget of between $1100-$1400. Back in 1978 I had a Schwinn LeTour which I toured with many times. I wish I still had that bike. It also had suicide(down tube) shifters.
I would like rear panniers and a good Handlebar bag. Front Braze-ons just in case. I am not familiar with the bar end shifters. I have a bike with the newer shifters on the brake levers. I don't know how they would work with a handle bar bag.
Biking has changed so much in the 25 years I have been absent from riding.
My frame size would be a 48-49 CM.
Hopefully, I hope to have a budget of between $1100-$1400. Back in 1978 I had a Schwinn LeTour which I toured with many times. I wish I still had that bike. It also had suicide(down tube) shifters.
I would like rear panniers and a good Handlebar bag. Front Braze-ons just in case. I am not familiar with the bar end shifters. I have a bike with the newer shifters on the brake levers. I don't know how they would work with a handle bar bag.
Biking has changed so much in the 25 years I have been absent from riding.
My frame size would be a 48-49 CM.
Gary Fisher makes some cyclocross bikes which could be easily converted to road use with slicks:
Erwin | Gary Fisher Bicycles
Lane | Gary Fisher Bicycles
These are steel frames exactly in your price range: $1100 to $1400.
You could email them and see if the frames have the specs (for panniers) you are looking for specifically.
Erwin | Gary Fisher Bicycles
Lane | Gary Fisher Bicycles
These are steel frames exactly in your price range: $1100 to $1400.
You could email them and see if the frames have the specs (for panniers) you are looking for specifically.
FWIW. SURLY frames are considered to be very good, but I guess I would be inclined toward the JAMIS ...seaside7 said:
But, I would pull the 10-speed Shimano shifters & cassette (sell them on eBay) and replace them with a pair of 10-speed Campagnolo shifters + a 9-speed Shimano cassette. The 10-speed Shimano rear derailleur is equal-to a 9-speed Shimano rear derailleur which uses the hubbub.com attachment ... and, vice-versa.
You'll get as-much-or-more for a pair of new 105 shift levers than the substitute Campagnolo shifters will cost ... ditto for the cassettes.
You'll eventually want to substitute the 10-speed front derailleur & chain for a 9-speed front derailleur & chain, too. You can wait until you need to buy a new chain ... you'll probably find that 9-speed Shimano chain + a 9-speed Shimano front derailleur MINUS whatever get from selling the used 10-speed front derailleur will be about the same (maybe, less!?!) than the cost of a 10-speed chain.
BTW. The chainstays on CX bikes are generally too short to allow the use of most panniers without the rider's heel constantly making contact with the front of the pannier.
Bar end shifters have been around for decades -- envision shortened downtube shifters attached to the ends of the handlebars ... some people love them ... I'm neutral.
I haven't tried the Erwin or the Lane, but I can say the Presidio is smooth and handles as if by telepathy. It's sweet. The Erwin is equipped for cross racing, but the Lane already has eyelets and triple chainrings. Just add racks and fenders for balls-out touring.new_rider said:
try this
FEATURED PRODUCT: THE GURU BY MAGIS
Rating the Magis Guru:
Speed: 7 out of 10 (aero-fitted with
minimal weight)
Response: 8 out of 10 (tight on turns; not for
beginners)
Price: 9 out of 10 (retails fully loaded at
$3,595 - a true bargain)
Overall: 8 out of 10
___________________
reynantevargas
www.toptribike.com
FEATURED PRODUCT: THE GURU BY MAGIS
Rating the Magis Guru:
Speed: 7 out of 10 (aero-fitted with
minimal weight)
Response: 8 out of 10 (tight on turns; not for
beginners)
Price: 9 out of 10 (retails fully loaded at
$3,595 - a true bargain)
Overall: 8 out of 10
___________________
reynantevargas
www.toptribike.com
reynantevargas said:
There's something smelly about your website and the way you're pushing said bike. There's only one review, and with that review there is no review, just what you have copied and pasted above, which apparently came to you or someone else magically in the night. Coincidentally, on the site, there's a link to buy said bike. Why ain't that special! This smells like either a scam or hinky business practice.
Do you know the length of the top tube you want the frame to have?seaside7 said:
If you don't need a "brand new" frame, you may want to consider a 90s vintage, CroMo Hardtail frame ... OR, you could buy a JAMIS Hardtail (which I believe are still available with CroMo frames) -- a Hardtail's 17" stays should be long enough to handle panniers without having your heels making contact.
You can fit 700c (or, even 27") wheels in a Hardtail frame ... and, obviously, 26" wheels.
Something YOU can do which I am in the process of doing with a 90s vintage, Trek 850 frame that I have is to retrofit it with 700c wheels -- the particular frame's virtual top tube is 54cm on a 15" (c-t) frame ... you would probably want to use a shorter stem than I will probably be using if you were to use a similarly sized frame.
On the particular Trek, the distance between the bridge on the seat stays & the brake surface on a 700c rim is short enough to use a standard (39mm-to-49mm) ROAD caliper. The nut side of the bridge needs to be enlarged to accept a recessed nut.
With another Hardtail on which I already completed the conversion to using 700c wheels, I needed to use long reach (49mm-to-59mm calipers) for the rear caliper. On the particular frame, I used a standard ROAD fork. This particular Hardtail with a ROAD fork handles well.
I reckon the standover of the 15" frame with 700c wheels at a point in front of the BB is about 28" ... the actual tire size will affect the standover height.
The BB drop on a MTB frame will be less than on a Road bike frame, but I don't think the slightly higher BB (with 700c wheels) matters as much as some other people may.
I'm currently planning to mate the particular Trek frame with a "touring" fork which has cantilever bosses designed for a 700c wheel. Another option would be a rigid fork which is designed to be used with disk brakes.
In the worst case scenario (i.e., if I don't like the way the particular frame handles with 700c wheels), I figure I can re-fit a rigid fork which has bosses for a 26" front wheel & use the Trek frame with 26" wheels, front-and-rear.
