TOURING BIKES for YOUR CONSIDERATION All Prices and Specifications May Vary to Some Degree

TOURING BIKES for YOUR CONSIDERATION All Prices and Specifications May Vary to Some Degree

by John Schubert Q &with A the TE Conversations between our Technical Editor and Adventure Cyclist readers sheds light on buying a touring bike Let’s start with the good news: A lot of manufac- But I haven’t seen any that are just plain too del- turers make touring bikes and they are all reason- icate for touring with camping gear on reasonable ably well suited for touring. So be assured from roads. Nor have I seen a self-named “touring bike” the git-go that it’s hard to bring home an unsuit- that didn’t have rack mounts. Therefore, I haven’t able bike. seen any I’d regret taking on a long-distance tour. No, they aren’t all exactly the same, but they’re Usually, we use this space to remind our- fairly close. selves (and you) of the basic requirements: chain- The major differences among touring bikes are stays of 17.5 to 18 inches, a low gear of 20 fairly small. Some bikes are heavier-duty than oth- to 25 gear inches, a frame that fits you, and ers (wider tires, stiffer frame tubes, more weigh). that all-important admonition to distribute your Some have more or special brazed-on bosses. heavy camping load between front and rear bags. Some cost less, some cost more. (The difference We mumble inconclusively about the difference can buy you fancier components, the mystique of between steel and aluminum (the short answer: “handmade,” a custom-fitted frame if you spend it’s inconclusive) and bemoan the fact that tour- enough, and some nice cosmetics.) Some disassem- ing bikes are seldom in stock in most bike shops. ble and fit into suitcases (S&S couplers, Ritchey This last factor leads to another: a touring cyclist Breakaway system). often must buy a touring bike sight-unseen and AARON TEASDALE not test ridden. The best advice I have is, my life. I want to be able to use this bike for capacity to accept wide tires. Two of the “It’s not so bad. Get used to it.” Indeed, recreational rides and the occasional tour, three have wheels with goofball spoking every touring bike I’ve test-ridden in the but since my early days of touring, I now that requires a shop repair for a broken last 20 years rode exactly as I anticipated it have a bad back and need to get the most spoke, and Adventure Cycling has seen would. You really can buy a modern tour- comfortable ride I can find. The local retail- many riders find their dream-of-a-lifetime ing bike with confidence. Sure, it would be ers all sing the praises of carbon frames trips seriously bunged up when a spoke nice to test-ride a half-dozen candidates, as being able to dampen vibration and breaks. but that’s not going to happen. provide the most comfort. However, I am “On conventionally spoked wheels, by But what have you been asking us? Over puzzled since in your recent buyers’ guide contrast, a broken spoke is easily field the years, I’ve collected quite a few of your article you don’t mention carbon at all, repairable, and the wheel can normally be how-to-buy questions, along with my best and claim indifference to the question of ridden a few miles to the next rest stop to shot at offering answers. You ask us what steel versus aluminum. The retailers make do the repair there. to buy, how to select it, and how to set it it sound like carbon frames are almost on a “How do you tell conventional from up for your needs after you’ve bought it. par with the invention of the wheel when goofball? Conventionally spoked wheels Or you ask if a bike you already own can it comes to improving the riding experi- have 32, 36, or 40 thin steel spokes in a handle a particular trip. (The people who ence. And even though steel and aluminum regular pattern. Goofball spoked wheels ask that generally have ambitious trips in frames are much cheaper, I'm willing to may have steel spokes in odd-looking clus- mind!) spend the extra money if it is going to mean ters (leaving large gaps in the rim between And you ask us about replacing old more pain-free riding. So I am wondering spoke holes) or may have a small number of bikes. if, in your opinion, the retailers are correct, bladed spokes made from carbon fiber or Tom from North Dakota wondered if he and in addition, whether you have any aluminum. These wheel configurations are should replace his aging steel Trek 520, the insights to offer on the three full carbon all about style, not performance. “standard” touring bike if ever there was models they are recommending: the Trek “Regarding your question about frame one, with a new bike with S&S couplers for Pilot 5.0, the Specialized Roubaix Comp, material: most people will tell you that travel, or get couplers installed on the Trek and the Lemond Buenos Aires.” carbon-fiber bikes should be handled more carefully than we sometimes handle our touring bikes, and with rare exceptions, carbon-fiber bikes don’t have rack mounts. “I’m not ideologically opposed to carbon touring bikes. If someone designs a carbon- fiber bike to be roughly handled the way a touring bike is, I’d be happy to try it out. Heck, they make carbon-fiber airplanes that are designed to be shot at, so this shouldn’t be insurmountable. But I don’t think the industry sees many prospective buyers waiting for a carbon touring bike, so they aren’t pouring resources into this. “No doubt, carbon has a comfort advan- tage — but that’s not the whole story. Which is going to be more comfortable: a carbon-fiber bike with 25 mm cross-section tires at 110 psi or a steel/aluminum bike with 32 mm cross-section tires at 85 psi?” “You haven’t mentioned the single big- EORGE gest factor in comfort, which is how well G ASON the bike fits you. Your back problem sug- J Welcome to America. There's nothing like a good touring bike for a cross-country trip. gests that you should get some special attention so that your riding helps, not for thousands less. Here’s how I answered George: hinders, your back. Pony up for a good fit My response, purely on a gut-feeling “We (Adventure Cycling) focus on bikes session, and get measurements that you level: get the new bike. (Did I mention he made to be practical for bicycle travel. That can readily transfer to any other bike. You had 30,000 miles on his Trek?) One can means the bikes have to accept pannier may find that your rider position can be analyze this issue at length, but a bike that racks, wide tires, wide-range gearing, etc., adjusted to make cycling more comfortable, well-used may have metal fatigue and cor- and also have to be field repairable and not and you may find that various cycling hab- rosion problems. Or it may not. too delicate. its — how you sit on the bike, where you George from Seattle asked a question “The three models you mention, while bear your weight, etc. — can be modified typical of what a lot of readers face: “I am a very nice machines, flunk this litmus test. to improve your comfort. 54 year old looking to buy the best ride of I believe none have rack mounts or the “I think everyone should have a True 20 adventure cyclist april 2009 adventurecycling.org our steep hills and rough dirt roads, but I didn’t think it would be a good bike type for a multi-day or even all-day road tour.” Here’s how I replied: “To oversimplify some: if one wants to tour on a mountain bike, have at it. If one doesn’t, then one should get a road touring bike. “The big difference is the handlebar configuration and rider posture. The argu- ments about this are endless, but at the end of the day the most important argument is ‘what do you like?’ One objective argument that may or may not be important to you is that the mountain-bike posture typically has more wind resistance because of (a) the upright posture and (b) the arms being far- AARON TEASDALE ther apart. Historically, mountain bike rid- Wok and roll. Andy MacIntyre heads for Alaska with his favorite wok/pannier shield in tow. ers on Adventure Cycling tours have been slower than dropped-bar riders because of touring bike. It’s far more useful and versa- Greg from Middlesex, Vermont was one this wind-resistance question. tile than the go-fast bikes you mentioned, of many people who have asked what I “If your gut tells you you want dropped without being significantly slower. (You think of mountain bikes and upright-han- handlebars, get ‘em. If you see someone out can always put skinnier tires on it if you dlebar hybrids for touring. there riding on mountain-bike bars and he’s want.) Trek, Cannondale, Raleigh, Jamis, “You said that a mountain bike could happy with his choice, with all the various Rocky Mountain, Surly, and Bianchi are be used for touring, we just don’t think of pros and cons, well, he’s okay too.” among the major companies that make true them that way,” Greg wrote. “Could you Now here come the footnotes: touring bikes, and you’re in a price range elaborate on the pros and cons of using a Make sure your mountain bike/ that would allow you to consider small- mountain bike for road touring? I ride in hybrid will accept racks.

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