Nov/Dec Ac 2003
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What Kind of Bike Should You Buy? By John Schubert he American consumer in 2007 gets to be mighty picky General Road Touring T when he buys something. We have a baffling array of choic - Smack dead center in the touring bike’s universe is the “typical” es. This is true even with touring bikes, even though the touring bike sold by, well, by several companies. You could be well- neighborhood bike shop is likely to have somewhere between zero served by bikes from Trek, Cannondale, Fuji, Jamis, Rocky and one touring bike in stock (and probably not in your size). Search Mountain, or Bianchi. a little wider and you will find a broad spectrum of nuances in tour - A good example of a well-designed touring bike is the Novara ing-bike design. Randonee, sold at REI stores. Its $950 price tag and its specifications But before I continue, let me remind everyone not to feel that are typical of general road touring bikes. It comes with dropped han - you have to be too picky. Consider that forty-seven years ago my dlebars (which many of us still prefer for their more aerodynamic rid - brother-in-law rode a camping transcontinental tour on a Schwinn ing position) and an REI aluminum rear rack. The rack saves you the three-speed, carrying much of his gear in a steel front basket, and he trouble of buying your own, and it broadcasts a signal: this bike is thoroughly enjoyed himself. Take inspiration from him. I’m not sug - made to carry stuff. gesting that you seek out a Schwinn three-speed for this trip, but The frame is Reynolds 520 steel tubing. Steel is still popular rather that you should get decent equipment and then stop worrying among touring cyclists, partly because of its retro-grouch cussed - about minor attributes your bike does or doesn’t have. ness, partly because of its field repairability, and partly because it sim - We racked our brains and came up with the primary subcate - ply offers a great ride. gories of touring bikes — general road touring, light road touring, The Randonee comes with Vittoria Randonneur 700x32 tires. heavy-duty road touring, mountain bike, recumbent, tandem, and These are wide enough to be flat-resistant on pretty bad road sur - folding — and spotlighted a good example from each category. As faces, even as you bog down the bike with camping gear. It’s my tire always, you could argue with our choice of examples, as did we. But width of choice for unpaved rail trails. I’m currently testing a pair of we think we nailed a good example in each category. Randonneurs, and they are very durable, long-lived tires. E L P I S G E R G Then there’s the gearing. The front chainwheels are 26/36/48 and the cog cas - sette is a nine-speed 11-34, giving you a good low gear of 21 inches and an overkill high gear of 118 inches. In this $950 price range, you’re paying enough to get an actual brand name on your components, and in the Randonee’s case, that name is usually Shimano. Brakes, hubs, chain, crankset, crank spindle, and of course, the derailleurs. You’ll also get a pair of unprepossessing platform pedals with toe clips. This is pretty standard: bikes either come with usable-but-inexpensive pedals, or no pedals at all, on the theory that most rid - ers will want to use the clipless pedal system of their personal choice. The Randonee, and other bikes like it, REI Novara Randonee. will go almost anywhere and endure for between a racing bike and a full-on touring your choice. decades. There’s a reason why bikes in this bike. For 2007, the Sequoia comes in a $770 The more expensive model has nine- class have remained the staple for transcon - model and an $1,100 model. It has skinny speed gearing, with a low gear of 31 inches tinental and similar rides. rims to fit skinny tires (It comes with and a high gear of 113 inches. The less Light Road Touring Specialized 700x23C), but frame and fork expensive model has eight-speed gearing, 32 But what if you’re a confirmed credit clearance to fit tires up to 700 x 32C. Both inches and 113 inches. If you’re in good card tourist? You need carry very little stuff models have carbon fiber forks (advantage: shape, these low gears may be tolerable for for a multi-day ride (I’ve done it with an less vibration, less weight. Disadvantage: very lightly loaded touring. Some riders may eight-pound rack trunk that held all my don’t clamp pannier racks on those carbon choose to have their gearing modified at the clothing and other stuff). You plan to avoid fork blades); the more expensive model also time they buy the bike. unpaved roads, or use some combination of has carbon seatstays. Both models have To underscore the core point: you get skill and caution to ride on them. And you “Zertz” elastomer inserts to reduce vibra - an almost racing bike, lightweight and spry, want your bike to be as spry as possible for tion. You get three chainwheels, mounting with good tire clearances and rack mounts. this kind of riding. bosses for a rear rack, a more upright (and Don’t overload it and you can have some ter - Four years ago, Specialized reignited the more comfortable) rider position than you’d rific adventures. choices for this kind of rider with the find on a true racing bike and cheapie resin Other companies have started to follow Sequoia, which is pretty much a hybrid pedals awaiting the pedal replacement of Specialized’s Sequoia formula. If one of them intrigues you, double check the tire clear - ances and rack mounting capability, because the marketplace is full of otherwise-wonder - ful bikes that lack these two key attributes. Heavy Duty Road Touring What if you are just plain hard on equipment? You carry a lot of weight, you bash through potholes, you ride on rough unpaved surfaces, your weight just has more metal bending karma than other people’s weight. Maybe you plan on riding vast dis - tances over rugged terrain in remote coun - try. You want a bike that is overbuilt and reliability is your top concern. While there are several good examples of heavy-duty touring bikes, the ones that many people will think of are made by frame builder Bruce Gordon, whose $2,550 Rock Specialized Sequoia. ‘n Road and more affordable $1,849 BLT 18 ADVENTURE CYCLIST FEBRUARY 20 07 ADVENTURECYCLING .ORG (Basic Loaded Touring) set the standard for bikes very disinclined to bend or break. Every one of his bikes is hand made in his FAST RIDING ON A “SLOW” BIKE Petaluma, California, factory, and he lives When it comes to riding fast, tour - But is this a disadvantage? I don’t and breathes the needs of the touring cus - ing bikes get a bad rap. I’m sure you have think so. A 20C tire may look cool, but a tomer. often heard someone say, “That thing 26C tire handles better. One compelling reason to select a weighs so much,” or “The frame angles The Surly Long Haul Trucker I Bruce Gordon bike is to get Bruce Gordon aren’t right for hard cornering,” or simi - recently road tested weighed 24.16 racks. Gordon pioneered in the United lar epistemological rubbish. pounds with its fat tires. I used to ride States marketplace truly rugged racks that The true differences between a go- USCF races on 23-pound bikes. So I are extremely unlikely to fail in the field. (I fast bike and a touring bike are much think the Long Haul Trucker is pretty was once privy to instrumented rack testing exaggerated. Do you want to have a one- good. Sure, today’s carbon wonders rou - in which Gordon’s racks clearly outshined unit bike collection and still go fast? Buy tinely trounce the 20-pound barrier, but every other rack of that era.) Other rack a touring bike. Put skinny tires on it for so what? You can go plenty fast on a 24- makers have caught up over the decades (or, your go-fast days. Your misinformed rid - pound bike. The “additional” weight in the case of Blackburn, simply de-empha - ing companions will marvel at your hampers your acceleration, but you sized their rack business), but Gordon still moose-like muscles, but you and I will won’t notice that unless you’re doing sets the standard. And Gordon’s racks have know that you really aren’t overcoming a exhaustive sprint workouts. The weight special mounting points for your fenders, so huge mechanical disadvantage. doesn’t hamper your top speed. It ham - you can have more rattle-free, rigid fenders Here’s the weight difference: a go- pers your hill climbing, but only as much than you thought possible. fast bike’s frame weighs two to four as the weight of a few more water bottles. On Gordon’s web site, you’ll find pounds. A touring bike’s frame weighs Finally, an anecdote: decades ago, I something few other vendors mention any - four to five pounds. There’s another half- held a USCF racing license and I trained more: top tube diameters and wall thick - pound weight difference in the fork, and daily on exotic racing bikes. Each morn - nesses. Gordon correctly points out that a sprinkling of ounces here and there in ing, I would time my commute to work.