Thoughts on best touring bike?

Quoted message said:

Any opinions on brands and models?

I'm abt to start shopping in earnest soon.

I'm thinking Bruce Gordon BLT but open to other
suggestions

I'm even going to REI to look at the Novara tour bike

Well the Trek 520 is a favorite of many riders.

Ken
--
New cycling jersey: $49
new cycling shorts: $39
Not being a slave to the petrol pump: priceless.

contact me here: http://www.bikesandmoreonline.com/contact.html

I bought a Co-Motion Americano 5 years ago, best all-around bike I've
owned. Commuter, double century bike, it is worth the $$$.

Tom
Portland, Oregon

Quoted message said:

Any opinions on brands and models?

I'm abt to start shopping in earnest soon.

I'm thinking Bruce Gordon BLT but open to other
suggestions

I'm even going to REI to look at the Novara tour bike

Quoted post said:

I bought a Co-Motion Americano 5 years ago, best all-around bike I've
owned. Commuter, double century bike, it is worth the $$$.

Is that a cross bike?

Quoted message said:

Any opinions on brands and models?

I'm abt to start shopping in earnest soon.

I'm thinking Bruce Gordon BLT but open to other
suggestions

I'm even going to REI to look at the Novara tour bike

It won't mean squat if the bike doesn't fit right. If you're going to
spend day after day in the saddle, you need to be sure that minor
issues won't drive you bananas. You should work out what your most
comfortable position is, then work on finding a bike that fits those
dimensions.

Jeff

JeffWills said:

It won't mean squat if the bike doesn't fit right. If you're going to
spend day after day in the saddle, you need to be sure that minor
issues won't drive you bananas. You should work out what your most
comfortable position is, then work on finding a bike that fits those
dimensions.

Agree

And point taken

But I live in small town abt 2 hrs north of St
Louis...so its hard to find any local bike shops

Have to go to St Louis

http://www.memorylane-classics.com/images/Bikes/Western%20Flyer%20%201941.JPG

Quoted message said:

Have to go to St Louis ??

well, you can accumalte the parts on sale mail order from
nashbar/loosescrews in january february or now nbar has the deore rear
deray on sale
and buy cr-18 front rim or mavic touring rear at 35c
tires to fit
wheels mfg axles
used gordon racks
minkow seat
specialized tubes
the list goes on...and you do not get this stuff on a new fuji no
matter how nice a new fuji maybe it will not be equiped

nbar has a touring frame
or measure and get a custom
the measure idea is a good one as the right dimensions are a lot easier
on the knees

Quoted message said:

JeffWills said:

It won't mean squat if the bike doesn't fit right. If you're going to
spend day after day in the saddle, you need to be sure that minor
issues won't drive you bananas. You should work out what your most
comfortable position is, then work on finding a bike that fits those
dimensions.

Agree

And point taken

But I live in small town abt 2 hrs north of St
Louis...so its hard to find any local bike shops

Have to go to St Louis

Urgh- do you have a bike *now* that you like to ride all day? Or one
that's close? Its dimensions will give you a baseline for finding a
bike that's close to the right fit.

FWIW: I live close to bicycle-mad Portland, Oregon, so I have a large
number of places to shop, and it's about two hours away from the
Co-Motion factory, builders of the aforementioned Americano touring
bike: http://www.co-motion.com/Amerc.html

If you feel confident about your mechanical skills, and the dimensions
are appropriate, you could build up a bike entirely online. A Surly
Lang Haul Trucker frame might make a good starting
point:http://www.surlybikes.com/longhaul.html

Jeff

Quoted message said:

Any opinions on brands and models?

I'm abt to start shopping in earnest soon.

I'm thinking Bruce Gordon BLT but open to other
suggestions

I'm even going to REI to look at the Novara tour bike

Urbanites are nice, but I've found (like many bikes) I can't fill a
750ml water bottle in the 3rd cage. But the gearing and brakes were the
way I wanted them on day one, with no swapping of parts required.

In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden]

Quoted message said:

Any opinions on brands and models?

I'm abt to start shopping in earnest soon.

I'm thinking Bruce Gordon BLT but open to other suggestions

In terms of bang for the buck, that's pretty hard to beat. The
Rivendell Atlantis would be another good option, but would cost more.
Treek and Cannondale both offer (or at least used to) touring bikes.

no fuji? fuji sells one with discs and dealers

JeffWills said:

Urgh- do you have a bike *now* that you like to ride all day? Or one
that's close? Its dimensions will give you a baseline for finding a
bike that's close to the right fit.

Only bike I have now is a ti MT bike

I had thought abt using it for tours.... but man its so
slow on the road

JeffWills said:

FWIW: I live close to bicycle-mad Portland, Oregon, so I have a large
number of places to shop, and it's about two hours away from the
Co-Motion factory, builders of the aforementioned Americano touring
bike: http://www.co-motion.com/Amerc.html

Boy that co-motion bike does look very nice!!

Quoted message said:

If you feel confident about your mechanical skills, and the dimensions
are appropriate, you could build up a bike entirely online. A Surly
Lang Haul Trucker frame might make a good starting
point:http://www.surlybikes.com/longhaul.html

will taker a lookise

what's everyone think abt frame material?

stick with steel?

aluminum?

titanium?

What's everyone abt disk brakes on both wheels

Nice to have?

Or fluff?

Quoted message said:

what's everyone think abt frame material?

stick with steel?

aluminum?

titanium?

You haven't told us the two key pieces of information needed to give
you any sensible advice, namely:

(1) What do you mean by "touring"? (2) How much are you willing to pay?

For some of us, "touring" means a large Carradice saddlebag
<www.wallbike.com>, with perhaps a handlebar bag. Ideal for that is a
so-called "sport-touring" or "Audax" geometry bicycle, with 25mm-32mm
tires, possibly fenders, long chainstays, low bottom bracket. Something
not too different from what might have won the Tour de France from
1950-1976. For others, it means 90lbs of baggage hanging from front and
rear panniers. For that, you need something different, like the
Co-Motion Americano. Compare that with something like
<http://www.sjscycles.com/thornwebsite/audaxclassic.html>
or the various touring or Audax bicycles at
<http://www.merciancycles.com/bikes.asp>

For most general light touring (not camping out overnight), you won't
beat a custom bicycle made out of Reynolds 725, 531 or similar, in
sport touring geometry, with a Carradice Camper or Super C, and your
choice of handlebar bag up front. The general idea is like a Rivendell
Rambouillet, or the Thorn or Mercian bicycles above, but made by your
choice of builder, with your choice of fittings and paint job. Do you
want built-in lights? Kickstand? What type of brakes? Fenders? What
size tires? Do you want S&S couplers? Etc. Forget carbon
fiber-reinforced resin for touring. Aluminum won't get you many custom
builders who can get you whatever you want, and titanium is expensive
or else not available in an ideal configuration for touring, and you
still have to get the fork made out of something else, without any real
concrete benefit for touring. Both aluminum and titanium require fat
tubes which aren't the best for touring geometry and tires and fenders.

Your choice of builders in steel is nearly limitless, although I don't
know of any local to your area. Check the list at the S&S torque
couplers site:
<http://www.sandsmachine.com/fbplist.htm>
or at the Henry James site:
<http://www.henryjames.com/blocator.html>
You can do extremely well for about $750-$1800+ for the frame,
depending on your choice of builder and how fancy you want it. Or you
can go for something more generic, from Soma or Surly. Or you can go
the eBay route for something really inexpensive.

Tell us more, and you will get more. Don't forget to visit the Trento
bicycle pages, and to view Jobst's packing list:
<http://www.trentobike.org/General/Packing_List.html>
v

Quoted message said:

What's everyone abt disk brakes on both wheels

Nice to have?

Or fluff?

Nice to have, but make sure that the wheels are not radially laced.
Radially laced wheels have no way to resist wrapping around the axle.
Remember, the wheel hangs from the top two spokes in anormal wheel, so
from only one spoke in a radially-laced wheel, and when that spoke
snaps, the load will be transferred to the rest of the spokes in short
order, and they will fall like dominoes. If you must use disk brakes
on a radially spoked wheel make SURE to get straight-guage spokes, NOT
double-butted which are weaker in the middle and will snap sooner.

-spokehead

Quoted message said:

What's everyone abt disk brakes on both wheels

Nice to have?

Or fluff?

Wouldn't they interfer with panniers?

spokehead said:

Quoted message said:

What's everyone abt disk brakes on both wheels

Nice to have?

Or fluff?

Nice to have, but make sure that the wheels are not radially laced.
Radially laced wheels have no way to resist wrapping around the axle.
Remember, the wheel hangs from the top two spokes in anormal wheel, so
from only one spoke in a radially-laced wheel, and when that spoke
snaps, the load will be transferred to the rest of the spokes in short
order, and they will fall like dominoes. If you must use disk brakes
on a radially spoked wheel make SURE to get straight-guage spokes, NOT
double-butted which are weaker in the middle and will snap sooner.

-spokehead

I do hope that is some sort of attempt at humor, because it's very
wrong. Bad advice. No wonder spokehead writes anonymously.

--
Ted Bennett

In article <[email hidden]>,

spokehead said:

Quoted message said:

What's everyone abt disk brakes on both wheels

Nice to have?

Or fluff?

Nice to have, but make sure that the wheels are not radially laced.
Radially laced wheels have no way to resist wrapping around the axle.
Remember, the wheel hangs from the top two spokes in anormal wheel,
so from only one spoke in a radially-laced wheel, and when that spoke
snaps, the load will be transferred to the rest of the spokes in
short order, and they will fall like dominoes. If you must use disk
brakes on a radially spoked wheel make SURE to get straight-guage
spokes, NOT double-butted which are weaker in the middle and will
snap sooner.

Please don't feed the troll.