Touring bikes 2010: $1000 - 1200

[JustinSlick]

Hi everyone, I’m new around here, and after about a year and a half away from the sport I’m dying to get back into cycling. I used to ride (I’m pretty sure) a 1986 Trek 1000 road bike that was given to me, but the frame cracked pretty badly and I switched to inline skating because it was easier on the wallet. I miss cycling though and I’m hoping to buy something pretty soon so I can make the most of the fall season.

I’m looking for something that’ll let me make an eight mile commute with a 500ish foot climb, but I’m also pretty interested in doing some touring somewhere down the road, hopefully a century ride at some point. I don’t wanna buy a road/race bike because I really want to leave the possibility for loaded touring open, plus I need a rack for the commute.

I’ve read some of the other threads that compare the touring bikes that are out there, but a lot of them were at least a couple years old so I figured it couldn’t hurt to ask here to get an updated feel for what’s on the market for 2010. Finances are an issue, so I’m not gonna be buying a Bruce Gordon or a Rivendell any time soon. At the same time I want to get a good, versatile bike that gives me some speed unloaded, but lets me haul some weight/climb if I need to.

The bikes I’m seriously considering right now are the Trek 520 ($1200), the Jamis Aurora ($1025), the Surly Long Haul Trucker ($1095), and the Fuji Touring ($1089), because these are the ones with dealers in the region. If I wanted to drive a little further I could probably find a Bianche Volpe (1099) or Rocky Mountain Sherpa (1000ish?). I really want to deal with a bike shop rather than buy online because I don’t have the expertise to fit myself and obviously fit is very important.

Everything I’ve ready reflects really well on the Trek and the Surly… haven’t read as much about the Jamis, Fuji, Bianche, etc. I don’t want to pay any more than the Trek costs unless its really going to get me a significantly better bike OR prevent future costs like upgrading the saddle/rack/gearing etc.

Would love to hear what everyone has to say, and really appreciate any help you can give me! Thanks.

 

[Froze]

I looked at all the bikes you mentioned and the best one seemed to be either the Rocky Mountain Sherpa (10?, not the 30?), or the Fuji Touring.

The Bianchi does not come with all the braze ons for third water bottle, or double set of eyelets front and rear for fenders and panners...Bianchi has only one set; the Sherpa has a spoke carrier.

The Surly doesn't have the spoke carrier either, but it uses a heavier 4130 Cromo 5.5 pound frame instead of lighter 4.4 pound Reynolds 730 that the Sherpa uses.

The Trek 520 is the heaviest bike of them all, but comes with slightly better components, problem is you can always upgrade components cheaper then you can upgrade the frame.

I like the Sherpa the best only because of one thing...the third water bottle mount. Sounds crazy, but when your touring you need to carry water and a third water bottle carrier is great. If you can afford another $400 the Sherpa 30 is a better bike, with a better frame and components, but the 10 is the best of the ones you mentioned...in my opinion.

By the way, most production touring bikes have a sore spot the gearing, most tourers upgrade the the front from 52/42/30 to 44/32/22, and the rear from 11-32 to 11-34. With the Sherpa being a bit more custom, you might be able to order the bike with the better gearing.

Also a lot of tourers upgrade their tires, the most popular choice lately has been the Schwalbe Marathon Plus.

The Trek and the Fuji comes with racks but those racks are not very good quality and needed to be replaced after about 300 loaded miles. The best quality rack for the money is Blackburn.

And then there's the saddle, production bike saddles suck! All tourers end up ditching their original equipment saddles. The two consistent winners are Brooks B-17 ( I have and love it) and the Terry TI Fly. If you decide on the Brooks let me know and I can tell you how to treat it without voiding the warranty as other treatments will, and your saddle will last the way it was intended to last-a long time. Also if you need web sites for touring info let me know.

 

[JustinSlick]

I like the Sherpa the best only because of one thing...the third water bottle mount.

First, thanks so much for responding, and for taking the time to look into the bikes. I definitely agree that a third water bottle mount is pretty essential for touring, but are you positive the Sherpa is the only one with a third mount? I've seen a lot of pictures of both the 520 and the Surly with three bottle cages, and the Surly site definitely says the LHT has three mounts.

My other question is... how important is weight on a touring bike really? I wasn't taking weight in to consideration all that much because I was thinking a 4.5 lb frame vs. a 5.5 pound frame doesn't make a huge difference if you've got loaded panniers hauling 50+ pounds. I'm not winning any races either way...

As far as the Sherpa 30 goes. I don't really want to start looking into that price bracket at this point, the biggest reason being everything you stated about production saddles/racks/fenders etc. If I'm gonna have any money left to buy a Brooks saddle, sturdy rack, and maybe some panniers I really need to stick to my original price point.

I really appreciate the tips for upgrading the saddles, racks, and tires... nice to know where to start looking. I don't need top of the line stuff, but I do want stuff that will be sturdy, comfortable, and functional beyond 300 miles! Have heard a lot of good things about the B-17.

 

[Froze]

Right, a pound of weight isn't that much weight on paper, but when you've been touring a awhile you discover things on your second tour you didn't realize on your first tour. Weight! Most people on their first tour take stuff they decide during the tour they didn't need and the weight was bothering them, so they reduce what they take and buy things that they took before but look for lighter versions. Thus if you can save a pound on frame weight then after you've been touring for a several days you'll be glad you did!! Plus you know for your second tour that your not wishing you bought the lighter bike.

The water bottle thing was simply stating that after the disadvantages of the others it came down to one of two, and of the two the Sherpa won due to the water bottle situation the other one did not have.

 

[cyclerbill]

I have an older 1985 Trek 520 and a newer Trek 520. Either one is an excellent touring bike. The newer 520's are stiffer and are really excellent for loaded touring. On the new ones Trek has also changed gearing (lower) which makes it so you do not have to modify this when you purchase bike. These are GREAT bikes but not the only capable bikes for touring. The Surly is popular but slightly heavier and I would suggest it if you will be riding loaded on unpaved third world roads because it can take very wide tires. As with everything you get what you pay for and sometimes you pay for something you don not want. I think a great touring bike that is probably the most affordable is made by Raleigh. It has nice features like leather seat, leather handlebar wrap, a place to hold an extra spoke etc. It can be purchased or under $800 if you shop around. The components are not as good as the Trek but you will not need to worry about replacing anything for 10,000 miles anyhow. Once you get over the price range of the Trek and surly bikes with equal components you are probably paying more for brand and small lot manufacturer than anything else.

 

[wild]

I am allso looking into a touring bike what model Raleigh ??

 

[cyclerbill]

I am allso looking into a touring bike what model Raleigh ??

The Raleigh Sojuorn.
Raleigh Bicycles » Steel Road

 

[wild]

I have an older 1985 Trek 520 and a newer Trek 520. Either one is an excellent touring bike. The newer 520's are stiffer and are really excellent for loaded touring. On the new ones Trek has also changed gearing (lower) which makes it so you do not have to modify this when you purchase bike. These are GREAT bikes but not the only capable bikes for touring. The Surly is popular but slightly heavier and I would suggest it if you will be riding loaded on unpaved third world roads because it can take very wide tires. As with everything you get what you pay for and sometimes you pay for something you don not want. I think a great touring bike that is probably the most affordable is made by Raleigh. It has nice features like leather seat, leather handlebar wrap, a place to hold an extra spoke etc. It can be purchased or under $800 if you shop around. The components are not as good as the Trek but you will not need to worry about replacing anything for 10,000 miles anyhow. Once you get over the price range of the Trek and surly bikes with equal components you are probably paying more for brand and small lot manufacturer than anything else.

cyclerbill thanks. if I read your post right you say I should be able to get the Rsleigh Sojourn for around $800. I have not bin able to locate one for around that price, if you would care to share where I might find one for that price I would be gratefull. If you want a PM would be nice. Thanks

 

[Froze]

Heck if you want a cheaper touring bike there's Bikes Direct, see: Touring Bikes | Commuting | Commuter Bikes | Windsor Bikes - Tourist

About the same level if not better then the Raleigh

 

[rcrampton]

I believe it was last month's Adventure Cycling magazine that talked about touring bikes. The author seems to be very knowledgeable and went through an explanation that the various touring frames are really not that dramatically different. After riding several different models and reading his explanations I'd have to basically agree. There are always people for whom subtle differences are a big deal, but you could give me any of the bikes you've listed and I'm happy. I've toured on my MTN bike, a 700C road bike, and a 26" world touring style. They're all fine.

I break it down like this: the most basic choice is 700c vs. 26" wheels. For road touring I prefer 700c, for off-road I *really* like 26" since the tire selection is better. If I could only have 1 bike it would be 26" since most of my tours have significant off-road portions.

The main thing I *had* to change on one touring bike was gearing. I want a 32T+ rear cog and a 26 on the front for the nasty climbs. A 9-speed gives me close enough steps on the cassette that I'm happy. An 8-speed has some big steps for the big cogs that I don't care for.

I personally don't think a lb or 2 of weight is noticeable. If you have 1 lb here, 1 lb there in extra stuff you can quickly have 10 lbs of extra junk, and I'd notice that. But it's not like backpacking where I notice a couple of pounds weight difference.

I've used several racks and any of the good brands like Old Man Mountain and Blackburn have been fine. I had a rack that came with my Novara Safari that I didn't like. It had several pieces that bolted together and didn't use stainless hardware. That went in the trash quickly. My last bike I built with Old Man Mountain racks that secure using the wheel skewer and I used rubber clamps on the stays. Actually I've been really happy with this. I can use nylon hardware for the clamps and I've never had a rack come lose. On my other touring bike I use braze-ons and I check my bolts every day or two to make sure they don't come loose. I don't want to over-torque the bolts and strip the braze-ons so I tend to under-torque them. I put helicoils in the braze-ons to give them more strength and now I torque them down more which has helped. Next time around I'd use the OMM skewer/clamp method.

 

[rcrampton]

I believe it was last month's Adventure Cycling magazine that talked about touring bikes. The author seems to be very knowledgeable and went through an explanation that the various touring frames are really not that dramatically different. After riding several different models and reading his explanations I'd have to basically agree. There are always people for whom subtle differences are a big deal, but you could give me any of the bikes you've listed and I'm happy. I've toured on my MTN bike, a 700C road bike, and a 26" world touring style. They're all fine.

I break it down like this: the most basic choice is 700c vs. 26" wheels. For road touring I prefer 700c, for off-road I *really* like 26" since the tire selection is better. If I could only have 1 bike it would be 26" since most of my tours have significant off-road portions.

The main thing I *had* to change on one touring bike was gearing. I want a 32T+ rear cog and a 26 on the front for the nasty climbs. A 9-speed gives me close enough steps on the cassette that I'm happy. An 8-speed has some big steps for the big cogs that I don't care for.

I personally don't think a lb or 2 of weight is noticeable. If you have 1 lb here, 1 lb there in extra stuff you can quickly have 10 lbs of extra junk, and I'd notice that. But it's not like backpacking where I notice a couple of pounds weight difference.

I've used several racks and any of the good brands like Old Man Mountain and Blackburn have been fine. I had a rack that came with my Novara Safari that I didn't like. It had several pieces that bolted together and didn't use stainless hardware. That went in the trash quickly. My last bike I built with Old Man Mountain racks that secure using the wheel skewer and I used rubber clamps on the stays. Actually I've been really happy with this. I can use nylon hardware for the clamps and I've never had a rack come lose. On my other touring bike I use braze-ons and I check my bolts every day or two to make sure they don't come loose. I don't want to over-torque the bolts and strip the braze-ons so I tend to under-torque them. I put helicoils in the braze-ons to give them more strength and now I torque them down more which has helped. Next time around I'd use the OMM skewer/clamp method.

 

[wild]

Let me make a sugestion use purple 222 locktight on your screws it is made for small screws in aluminum. I have used it on my Harleys for years and a cupple of trips acrost the us and I have not had any thing come lose that I used it on. thay allso make a locktight losening agent so getting things apart is not a big deal. MY .02

 

[Apis]

So, a couple of comments.

Steel is real (and repairs and welds can be made just about anywhere someone can weld). Weight wienies will always miss out on the ride quality that steel can provide. I'm a fan of Surly®. I've ridden an LHT and found it superb for loaded touring, and gravel grinding. It'll take fat tires, accepts Surly's in house racks, and is spec'd for the real world.

As for screws and bolts...bees wax works wonders, and it's cheap.

 

[irwin7638]

I had a Surly LHT, one correction, it does have spoke carriers on the rear stays. I also like the braze ons, you can hang about any accessory you like on it. I thought it was the most comfortable bike I had ever ridden until I replaced the frame with a Rivendell Hunqapillar. The LHT is a great bike, I don't think you can find a better bike in the price range.

Marc