BUYERS GUIDE 1 a Down Payment on Adventure BUYERS GUIDE 1 a Down Payment on Adventure 2014 Touring Bike Buyer’S Guide by Nick Legan CHUCK HANEYCHUCK BUYERS GUIDE 2
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BUYERS GUIDE 1 A Down Payment on Adventure BUYERS GUIDE 1 A Down Payment on Adventure 2014 Touring Bike Buyer’s Guide by Nick Legan CHUCK HANEYCHUCK BUYERS GUIDE 2 dventure — it calls us all. Unfortunately, the short chainstays For those of us who seek it on many mountain bikes often make aboard a bicycle, one of the for pannier/heel interference. Using a most difficult decisions is suspended mountain bike for extend- what machine to take along. ed road touring is overkill in many AIn many cases, a “make-do” attitude instances. works just fine. After all, it’s getting out Likewise, a road touring bike, when in the world that matters most, not the fully loaded, is fairly limited in off-road amount of coin spent on your ride. But scenarios. Although modern tour- if you have the luxury of shopping for ing bikes are certainly strong, riding a new bicycle for your next round of singletrack on a touring bike, though touring adventures, we’re here to help. possible, isn’t as much fun as it is on a We’ve broken this “Touring Bike mountain bike. Buyer’s Guide” down into binary Be honest about where you’re head- decisions. While we hope that all the ed and then read on for specific areas considered content here is appealing, of consideration to help guide your we understand that sometimes it’s im- search. portant to get to the point. Feel free to bounce around the article as your fancy Road machines leads you. With most of the cycling industry It helps to boil decisions down to focused squarely on road racing bikes simple either/or scenarios, but it’s only slightly heavier than a loaf of important to remember that a lot of bread and mountain bikes that put overlap exists among various categories many monster trucks to shame, off-the- of bicycles. For instance, virtually all shelf touring bike models are limited. road bicycles can handle some unpaved But many of the options offered are roads. Likewise a mountain bike fitted good ones. Surly’s Long Haul Trucker with smooth tires can tackle many and Disc Trucker models, for instance, paved miles. Of course when used out- can be used for anything from grocery side its intended purpose, a bicycle can Surly runs to round-the-world expeditions. fail. But sometimes that’s all part of the Disc Trek, Kona, Raleigh, Gunnar, Soma, adventure. Trucker Fuji, and Bianchi all offer similarly While we’ll focus most of our time capable machines. These bikes will on road touring machines, we haven’t require some personalization, and only forgotten about the growing number of a couple of them come equipped with bikepackers out there. Enjoy. comfortable can start to feel cramped as racks. But all will get you where you’re your flexibility improves or your desire headed, and the value of many of these The importance of being fit for a more aggressive position increas- machines is extraordinary. The double entendre of this section’s es. Likewise, with more miles under Handmade builders all over the title is intentional. When considering your belt, the more “seasoned” your country are also keen to build bespoke a new bike, a professional bicycle fitter seated area will be. This may affect sad- framesets for touring enthusiasts. Here can help you spend your money wisely, dle choice. It’s not uncommon for your the world truly is your oyster, assuming avoiding expensive components that fit to change over time. In fact, it’s nat- you have the bankroll to cover the costs don’t work for you and shortening the ural. As we injure ourselves, age, take associated with a custom bicycle. Typ- trial-and-error period of adjustment up or quit yoga, our body’s strength and ically we recommend that a first time that accompanies a new bicycle. If flexibility can vary wildly. Bicycle fit, touring bike consumer avoid the cost you’ve never had a professional fit like many things in life, is a process, not of a custom bike. Although you can get performed, now is the perfect time to a fixed set of measurements. anything you want with a custom bike, do so. that’s often part of the problem: choice If you live in a rural area, you may Decision: Road or off-road overload. It’s usually best to have some need to travel to the nearest city to find The first decision we encourage you firsthand experience out on the road a qualified fitter, but the trip will be to make is whether your future cycling to develop some preferences. It’s also worth your time. Ask your cycling bud- endeavors will be strictly paved affairs entirely possible that self-supported dies for recommendations if necessary. or if the call of the wild howls at you. touring may not turn out to be your cup It’s also helpful to consider your Many people use mountain bikes of tea. So why invest such a large sum current fitness level and how it relates for road touring. Their robust frames, on a whim? That said, for very tall or to the fitness that you aspire to. With low gearing, and upright position tick very short riders, a custom bike may be increased fitness, a bike that was once a lot of boxes for many touring cyclists. the only practical option! 12 ADVENTURE CYCLIST APRIL 2014 BUYERS GUIDE 2 Whether you buy off the rack or not, Salsa Fargo when test riding a touring bike, think Mack Truck, not Ferrari. Performance can mean many things to many people. In the realm of touring bicycles, a bike that performs well doesn’t break, car- ries its load with aplomb, and makes for an enjoyable, time while out exploring. Although weight is a concern for many riders, it should come second to reliability and function. After all, we rely heavily on our bikes when we go touring. Saving a few grams here and there can mean that you’re taking unnecessary risks. Better to keep your load light than skimp on the bike that will support you and your things. Off road Many mountain bikes make perfect- ly acceptable touring bicycles. For the sake of simplicity, we recommend a hardtail or rigid mountain bike if you’re considering road and off-road use. Rear be quite involved. off-road touring in mind. Salsa’s Fargo suspension is fantastic for highly tech- Co-Motion’s Pangea and Divide is a very capable drop-bar mountain nical singletrack, but carrying a load models, as well as Tout Terrain’s bike intended for bikepacking. Many that doesn’t interfere with an articulat- Silkroad and Panamerica, are extremely successful Great Divide Mountain Bike ed frame and bouncing rear wheel can robust bicycles designed with loaded Route cyclists have ridden Fargos. Surly, specialist for bike tours in Central Europe Visit Central Europe – a paradise for cycling Surprising density of ancient castles Vienna to Prague Greenways & fairy–tale chateaux Salzburg to Prague Beautiful and varied countryside Vienna to Krakow Amber Trail Excellent network of paved backroads Budapest to Krakow Amber Trail Quality accommodation Easy and convenient self-guided tours Passau to Vienna Danube Trail Guided tours with local guides Vienna to Budapest Danube Trail 8-day to 10-day tours Prague to Dresden Visit www.topbicycle.com for trip descriptions, dates and prices. For a free brochure, email us [email protected] Czech Republic Slovakia Austria Hungary Germany Poland ADVENTURECYCLING.ORGinzerat_Top_bicycle.indd 1 15.2.2008 16:51:31 13 BUYERS GUIDE 3 bike, the Camargue. Diamondback With the explosion in popularity of bikepacking and its associated rackless Haanjo bags (frame, top tube, seat and handle- bar-mounted), many touring cyclists are finding that with careful packing and a mind for minimalism, a loaded bikepacker-style mountain bike can take them to areas beyond their pre- vious limits. While still a small niche, the off-road touring bicycle segment is growing. Decision: Racks and panniers or bikepacking bags Whether you decide to go with a road bike or a mountain bike, the next question to ask yourself is how you would like to carry your necessities. Traditionally, touring cyclists have used racks bolted onto their frames and forks with panniers hanging from them to Salsa’s sister company, offers the Ogre Rivendell has long produced very carry assorted items. and ECR models as affordable off-road capable bicycles for on–and off–road There are loads of brands that have touring bicycles. All great machines, touring. With fantastic styling and a loyal followings when it comes to pur- these fit distinctly into the form-fol- no-nonsense approach, Rivendells get chasing racks and panniers. A deeper lows-function category. you down the trail in style. Velo dive into them is for another article, but For those with more style in mind, Orange, a nouveau retro brand, re- it’s hard to go wrong with Tubus, Arkel, look to Rivendell and Velo Orange. cently released its new “bike-camping” and Old Man Mountain racks and Arkel, Ortlieb, and Blackburn panniers. More recently, many off-road cyclists have turned to “bikepacking” bags. These forego racks and strap directly to handlebars, saddles/seatposts, and the main triangle of your bicycle. This helps reduce weight and the possibility of bending a rack when riding off-road. (Plus, check out Josh Tack’s roundup of bike trailer options in the March 2014 issue.) If you’re interested in more informa- tion, check out these manufacturers: • Revelate Designs (disclosure: Adven- ture Cycling sells Revelate Designs bags and accessories in its CycloSource cata- log and online.) (relevatedesigns.com) • J.Paks (jpaks.com) • Porcelain Rocket (porcelainrocket.com) • Cleaveland Mountaineering (cleave landmountaineering.blogspot.com) • Oveja Negra Threadworks ( ) Plug into the evolution ovejanegrathreadworks.com of bicycle safety Frame material with the new Superflash USB When considering a road touring & Superflash Micro USB.