Buying a touring bike in 2008 Whatever your price range, there’s a touring bike for you By John Schubert tired and have depleted blood glucose (“the than 10 pounds of baggage (i.e. credit card bonk,” that annoying lack of all energy and touring), you can get by with tires measur- motivation) at the end of a day. Even a strap- ing 700x28C (about 28 mm or 1 1/8 inch ping young athlete can decide that they want wide). Add camping gear and 700x35C (35 to climb a long hill slowly to preserve that mm or 1 3/8 inch) becomes highly desir- blood glucose to last the entire day, the bet- able, although many of us have skimped ter to feel fresh and lively at the beach that by with 700x32C (32 mm or 1 1/4 inch). afternoon and evening. As the roads get rougher or you add more What constitutes wide-range gearing? To camping gear, you want 700x38C, or even a condense many previous magazine articles two-inch mountain bike tire. Many tourists in a few words, you should have a low gear select mountain bikes so they can carry large of no more than 30 gear inches if you’re quantities of gear. riding a bike with little or no baggage on the There are two aspects to tire width: the bike. If you’ll carry camping gear, your low tire that the bike comes with and the maxi- gear should be at most 25 gear inches, and mum tire the bike can fit. And if you want preferably closer to 20 inches. fenders (which I heartily recommend), fend- Almost all bikes with three chainwheels ers restrict your maximum tire size. Most (front sprockets) will meet the 30-inch production touring bikes come with a tire requirement. Most meet the 25-inch require- close to the maximum the bike can fit. Some ment. If your bike shop doesn’t want to of the more expensive handbuilt bikes have Co-Motion’s Americano explain the gearing specs of the bike you’re clearance for much wider tires. considering, that doesn’t speak well for the When you’re in the bike shop, you’ll be ouring cyclists come from all figure sum their bike will cost. And I hear They’re the attributes that make the bike’s ences among various touring bikes. Shops shop. surrounded by people who think a 700x23C stations in life, from well-heeled from all of them when they roam around the handling forgiving when you have stuff on that stock touring bikes and accessories are Sufficient tire width tire is wide. Don’t let them sway you. retirees to financially-strapped Internet searching for answers. the bike and you’re tired. These are the the minority, and if you have one, treasure The racer-wannabees in cycling have an Bicycle touring is not about sprinting; it’s Tteenagers. We are all equals on I’m going to tell you in this article what to attributes that make your bike durable, in an it. If a shop doesn’t stock touring bikes, but irrational affection for skinny tires. Don’t about steady riding and enjoying yourself. the road. We all get to photograph the same expect in each price range. But first, here’s a era when many expensive quasi-racing bikes will order one and make sure it’s working let them influence you. Your bike can have Once you’re out on your trip, you’ll never scenery, climb the same hills, and meet the quick recap of what every bike used for tour- have a fairly silly level of delicacy in their for you, that’s okay too. A shop that looks fine riding qualities and still have tires wide regret that your tires were too wide, but on same local people on that great conversation- ing should have, regardless of price. These design. Here they are: down its nose at touring cyclists doesn’t enough to have the durability, better trac- really rough roads you may well regret that starter — the self-contained bike. are the attributes that keep you comfortable A shop that matters deserve your business. tion, better weight carrying capacity, and they’re too narrow. But we aren’t quite equal when we go to not just at the end of a long day, but com- The best thing you can do to ensure Wide-range gearing comfort that you’ll want for touring. A rider position that’s right for you buy a touring bike. Some people struggle to fortable at the end of day three when you’re happiness with your bike is buy it from a Don’t leave home without it. Even a So how wide is sufficient? Other people What’s right for you? That’s a personal meet the $300 to $450 nut for an entry level even more tired. They’re the attributes that shop that wants you to be happy riding it. flat trip has small steep hills and head- will have their own preferences; here are choice. The traditional dropped-handlebar bike; others simply don’t care what four- allow you to carry stuff on the bike securely. That’s far more important than the differ- winds. Even the strongest among us can be mine. On smooth roads with no more touring bike, the one that looks like a racing bike to the untrained eye, is the main focus Why do we insist on a front rack? Well, they’re completely unsuitable for anything in stock has a lot of touring bikes in stock, of this article. But not all dropped-handlebar if you’ll only be carrying a 10-pound rack heavier than the windbreaker-and-sunglass- but what are the odds that the model, size, bikes have the same rider position, and trunk for credit-card touring, we don’t insist. es kind of load. Ride behind one sometime and color you wanted are one of those five? some riders prefer upright bars, like you’ll For such light loads, you only need one rack — it bobs up and down. You really don’t So what about buying a bike sight-un- see on a mountain bike or hybrid. (Even and it doesn’t matter whether it’s front or want your touring load doing that. seen? The shop can make sure it will fit then, mountain-bike bars may be higher or rear. But camping tourists, or anyone carry- You can get all these attributes in an inex- properly, typically by eyeballing you on a pensive bike that will do the job well. like-size non-touring bike (like one of their Notice what I didn’t talk about. I didn’t many racer-wannabees in stock) set up on repeat the myth that touring bikes have a trainer. I can assure you that these things “slower” steering than other bikes — all handle very similarly and that the major because I’ve been reviewing the steering differences you can get in handling and per- geometry of touring bikes for 29 years and it ceived comfort come from your selection of just isn’t very different. tires, saddle, tire pressure, and rider position. Frame materials Therefore, I say do a bit of research and then Most touring bikes are steel or aluminum, buy with confidence. with a few top-end bikes being titanium. Here are some prices and examples. Steel is field reparable — the village black- As inexpensive as possible smith in Africa can at least attempt to weld a This means $300 to $500, depending crack in a steel frame. (He probably doesn’t on what your local shop has in stock. At have much experience welding metal less this price, you can’t get a traditional touring than one millimeter thick, so don’t bet on bike with dropped handlebars, but what you his success.) Aluminum isn’t field reparable, can get is a mountain bike or hybrid with by most people’s standards, but in return Trek’s 7.2 FX upright handlebars. If the upright bars aren’t Jamis’ Aurora for that you get a frame that’s probably, oh, a deal-killer for you (and they’ll actually be a a half pound lighter and somewhat stiffer. Also worth noting: It’s ironic but true bike without a chance to test-ride it. This plus for some riders) you have a lot of bikes lower, depending on how racing-oriented ing more stuff, will find the bike’s handling If these sound like fairly minor differences, that you may go to a store with hundreds is because touring bikes sell in such small to choose from. Most of them have suspen- the bike is.) vastly improved with four panniers instead that’s because they are. I alternate between of bikes in stock and yet have to order a numbers. A shop that has five touring bikes sion forks — an unnecessary complication Touring cyclists don’t ride in a racer’s of two. I’ve done it both ways, and I’ll tell steel and aluminum bikes for my daily tuck all day long. You typically see them you it’s hard to exaggerate the difference. A rides and quickly forget which bike I’m on. with their hands on the tops of the handle- heavily loaded touring bike can be benign Titanium is a terrific material that dampens bars. Even so, dropped handlebars make for and easy to handle, or it can be a reluctant vibration and bests aluminum in its stiffness- Vacation for these guys is a little different from the norm.