Is a road bike suitable for touring?

Reggy

Hey,

I am about to book a trip to Cherbourg this week to do a short bike tour to Caen and back up along the coast, getting in all the WW2 beaches of Normandy. All in all, the loop we are going to take is about 250miles long and we would be doing this at a leisurely pace for ten days.

My bike is a giant defy 3 and I am wondering will it be suitable for a short tour? Obviously I will have to fit a rack and panniers and as it is a large frame they should fit ok, right? I will also be carrying a 2 man tent as we are intending to camp, so the bike will be bulging from its original dimensions. Is this overload?

I am also intending to fit larger wheels and tyres to save me getting in trouble on tougher terrain.

Is there any other modifications i need to make or is the bike in fact useless for this sort of thing? I really dont want to have to spend on a new bike just for the privilege of a ten day cycle.....

dave.obrien

Yes. I went touring with JoxerS here last summer through France with 23mm road tyres and very little adjustment. Just look after your bike; bring decent maintenance stuff and a good pump, and check your bike daily. Also bring as little stuff as you possibly can. Also, enjoy it!

Reggy

thanks dave,

I have a mini pump attached to the bike, but not sure if it will be any use other than for the odd puncture. i'll keep your advice in mind. thanks

blorg

A road bike is not ideal for touring, but you can certainly use it if that is what you have. The road surfaces are good in France which will help. I would suggest putting on wider tyres- 700x28 if they will fit although 700x25 would be OK. And keep it as light as possible. You shouldn't need to change the wheels.

A frame pump is a hell of a lot better than a mini pump but for 10 days it is not a big deal. Bring a Schrader adapter and you may be able to pump up at petrol stations (although I found finding an inflator that worked to be a major pain in the arse.)

petethedrummer

Ihave done short tours with my Giant:
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=67091200&postcount=2

I have 36 spoke wheels now.

p

As others have said, should be fine. I toured on an FCR, which is very similar, albeit without the dropped handle bars. Just pack lightly: only 1 pair of trousers, 1 light runners etc... and hand wash a lot to keep the weight down. It might be worth turning the handle bars back up, so you can cycle in a more upright position, as for longer trips over consecutive days some people find that easier on the back.

Captain Havoc

I cycled from Cherbourg to Caen along the coast stopping at all the landing beaches, Carentan, Pointe du Hoc and other places with a racing bike and a fairly light bag (I did 1,200kms). I intend to use the same bike again this year to do 1,500kms on in a similar fashion.

thebouldwhacker

The only worry I would have would be about the wheels being strong enough for the load (but if Blorg reckons their ok then they'll be ok). However I'm curious about what weight are you and what weight will be on the rack, anything totaling over 115/120 kg and I'd stay away from sudden bumps.

dave.obrien

Blorg and petethedrummer are right, bigger tyres mean more comfort and strong wheels are important! My total weight (me plus bag) was around 120kg on Fulcrum Racing 7's, and they're still running true.

Reggy

thebouldwhacker wrote: »

The only worry I would have would be about the wheels being strong enough for the load (but if Blorg reckons their ok then they'll be ok). However I'm curious about what weight are you and what weight will be on the rack, anything totaling over 115/120 kg and I'd stay away from sudden bumps.

thanks for all the advice guys. I am exactly 14 stone, so thats 89Kg. I will be heeding your advice with packing light, one pair of pants, runners etc, but we will be carrying a tent too..... I may have a backpack as well as panniers and I'll be taking either 1 bottle cage and camelbak or 2 bottle cages. so Im not sure if that will bring my load up another 40kg's. how many spare tubes should I bring? I guess one at a time? I'll bring a multitool of course, anything else I might wanna consider?

thebouldwhacker

Sounds like the weight wont be an issue but I'd steer clear of using a back pack or camel back, uncomfortable, heavy, will give you a big sweaty back and just down right looks wrong!

Get yourself some bungee ties and get everything on the rack or frame, this will make your ride far more enjoyable. Two or three bottles will be plenty, your in France so plenty of opportunity to refill, its a personal choice. As is how many tubes to bring, it depends on the condition of your tires, surface, opportunity to purchase more tubes if needed etc an most importantly it depends on how brave do you feel?

Check out crazyguyonabike if you haven't already.