Touring on a road bike - anyone done it?



Chrisjleu

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May 16, 2005
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I'm quitting my job next spring (woo hoo!) and taking my road bike into europe for a 4-5 month trek. I want to try and follow the Giro and the TDF (and maybe the Veulta) and in between try and catch some racing in the likes of Belgium (and probably get my butt kicked).

I'm planning on taking my road bike as opposed to a dedicated touring bike since I want to give myself every chance of tackling the mountains on the days I'm not lugging clothing and equipment about, plus it's the only kind of bike to race with.

So I guess the question is has anyone been touring on a road bike and if so can you offer any advice (do's and don'ts and in particular the best way to carry baggage - panniers, trailers etc.)? Anyone who's toured and has any useful advice - feel free to dispense! :)
 
first off, go to the "other stuff" section of the forums page and then look around the "touring" section. lots of info there.

essentially, you can probably make do. you can expect your bike's handling to be a bit problematic at higher speeds. your short chainstays may(almost certainly) make heel clearance with your panniers a problem also. you'll need somewhat wider and heavier duty tires than what you probably have.

if you're going to be traveling on rainy days as well, you may have to shop around for fenders(mudguards) that fit or chop away sections to get them to fit.

most likely need to expand your gearing range by changing a few of your rear cogs to go up to around at least 28 or 30. 32 would be better. if you've got 2 rings up front, put a bit smaller ring as long as you don't run into shifting problems.

are your wheels (especially rear) solid enough to take the extra abuse. if you've got 28 spokes or so, i'd expect big trouble. most touring bikes have 36, (and some 40 or so on the rear).

what you don't mention is how self-supported you will be going. if you'll be staying at youth hostels or something, 2 largish rear panniers may be all you need, plus a rack trunk and handle bar bag. if camping, possibly low-rider front panniers also. if not camping, but heel clearance is a problem, consider smaller rear panniers plus the front panniers as well.

there's lots more to consider, but if you poke around in the touring section, you'll find answers to most problems.

good luck, and after you go, post a pic or two and let us know how you fared.
 
Chrisjleu said:
I'm quitting my job next spring (woo hoo!) and taking my road bike into europe for a 4-5 month trek. I want to try and follow the Giro and the TDF (and maybe the Veulta) and in between try and catch some racing in the likes of Belgium (and probably get my butt kicked).

I'm planning on taking my road bike as opposed to a dedicated touring bike since I want to give myself every chance of tackling the mountains on the days I'm not lugging clothing and equipment about, plus it's the only kind of bike to race with.

So I guess the question is has anyone been touring on a road bike and if so can you offer any advice (do's and don'ts and in particular the best way to carry baggage - panniers, trailers etc.)? Anyone who's toured and has any useful advice - feel free to dispense! :)

Check out www.crosscountrybiketrip.com. He used a Litespeed Classic road bike. It is also a very good account of their trip.
 
Chrisjleu said:
I'm quitting my job next spring (woo hoo!) and taking my road bike into europe for a 4-5 month trek. I want to try and follow the Giro and the

You want the least complicated simplest thing. That may not be STI, low spoke count wheels, carbon fork, carbon xy, etc. Something that can be packed up well without worrying that a ding will result in a failure. Something that can be outfitted with racks easily and carry weight, good gearing, not theft prone looking, etc. Function is much more important than form for these types of circumstances.
 
Chrisjleu said:
I'm quitting my job next spring (woo hoo!) and taking my road bike into europe for a 4-5 month trek. I want to try and follow the Giro and the

You want the least complicated simplest thing. That may not be STI, low spoke count wheels, carbon fork, carbon xy, etc. Something that can be packed up well without worrying that a ding will result in a failure. Something that can be outfitted with racks easily and carry weight, good gearing, not theft prone looking, etc. Function is much more important than form for these types of circumstances.
 

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