BNcycle said:Hi guys, I'm thinking about doing a x-country tour next year. Right now I've got a road bike and a single speed. Obviously the single speed won't work for touring, and I've got a strong suspicion that taking the road bike for a long tour would be a mistake that I would regret.
As such, I'm looking to buy a really basic touring bike. It doesn't need to be a speed machine -- just something sturdy and reliable. I've been looking into buying used bikes. What do you guys think about a bike like this? Bianchi Volpe
Obviously, in an ideal world, I'd be able to put $1,500-2,000 into a bike, but alas, I need to make this work for quite a bit less. Let me know what you think, I'd appreciate your input!
The Bianchi Volpe would probably be okay ...
Perhaps, the main thing you need to realize is that a "touring" bike generally has a slightly longer wheelbase than a non-touring, road bike -- a bazillion years ago, the non-touring geometry was the norm -- and, you can use larger tires on a touring bike WITH fenders (a good thing, because even if you don't ride when it is raining, after the rain stops, the roads will be wet) ...
The slightly longer wheelbase will make the ride MORE comfortable -- compare the ride of a Toyota Tercel vs. a Cadillac Seville as an extreme example.
FWIW. I would change the shifters to either Campagnolo ERGO or to bar end shifters. 10-speed Campagnolo ERGO shifters (pre-2007) can be directly swapped with the Shimano 8-speed shifters which are on the particular bike.
