Touring Bike

t1mm

I've been thinking of putting together a touring-style bike for next summer. I still have no idea whether it will be used only in Ireland or far afield, but it's always nice to keep your options open. I'm trying to gauge how much it'll cost to do some adventure cycling, and one of the factors affecting destination will of course be cost of getting the gear together.

I understand that steel frames are generally better if you're going to be cycling in less developed countries (as they can be welded by anyone). I've also read that 26" wheels/tyres are optimal too as they are common around the world and not just in Europe & USA.

Mountain bikes seem to be all aluminium and lacking of eyelets for back/front pannier racks - is there a way around this? Would you recommend just buying a built-for-touring type bike? Would you go for any particular width / brand of tyre? Lastly, do any of you have any further tips regarding what I should look for in general?

Any wise words would be appreciated

feck sake lads

t1mm wrote: »

I've been thinking of putting together a touring-style bike for next summer. I still have no idea whether it will be used only in Ireland or far afield, but it's always nice to keep your options open. I'm trying to gauge how much it'll cost to do some adventure cycling, and one of the factors affecting destination will of course be cost of getting the gear together.

I understand that steel frames are generally better if you're going to be cycling in less developed countries (as they can be welded by anyone). I've also read that 26" wheels/tyres are optimal too as they are common around the world and not just in Europe & USA.

Mountain bikes seem to be all aluminium and lacking of eyelets for back/front pannier racks - is there a way around this? Would you recommend just buying a built-for-touring type bike? Would you go for any particular width / brand of tyre? Lastly, do any of you have any further tips regarding what I should look for in general?

Any wise words would be appreciated

If you have 1300 sterling to spend thorn have a few show bikes there selling off, state of the art touring bikes basically you get what you pay for.yeah it can be expensive i know i think i spent a bloody fortune on gear over the last 5 or6 years but its all great stuff ,i reckon your best bet for buying gear is the second hand market but you need a keen eye
http://vimeo.com/42671681 enjoy.

t1mm

I would hope to only spend about half of that to be honest but maybe I'm being unrealistic, what do you think? Your video is amazing btw, it must have been seriously tough cycling so hard at such high altitudes!

feck sake lads

not my video those boys are the extream of cycle touring i stick to tarmac .

http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/products/revolution-country-traveller-12?utm_source=email-04-01-13&utm_medium=email&utm_content=bikes&utm_campaign=country
this is a good tourer.

Tonyandthewhale

Find an early 90's mountain bike - steel frame, generous tyre clearance and long wheelbase, rigid fork, loads of eyelets and canti-mounts. Should be able to build a pretty good touring bike up from there for a lot less than 1300.

t1mm

Tonyandthewhale wrote: »

Find an early 90's mountain bike - steel frame, generous tyre clearance and long wheelbase, rigid fork, loads of eyelets and canti-mounts. Should be able to build a pretty good touring bike up from there for a lot less than 1300.

I think this (cheaper!) route is the one I'd like to take. Would bikes of this era correspond to the globally accessible 26" wheel / tyre size?

Thanks for the replies

Tonyandthewhale

Yeah, pretty much all mountain bikes up until a few years ago (when 29ers and the like came out) use 26inch wheels.

el Bastardo

t1mm wrote: »

I think this (cheaper!) route is the one I'd like to take. Would bikes of this era correspond to the globally accessible 26" wheel / tyre size?

Thanks for the replies

The trick is to find one that isn't totally fcked. Worth noting that some alu MTBs do actually come with eyelets - particularly American brands (apparently owing to cultural reasons; We enjoy carting stuff around in a backpack: They don't).

t1mm

el Bastardo wrote: »

The trick is to find one that isn't totally fcked. Worth noting that some alu MTBs do actually come with eyelets - particularly American brands (apparently owing to cultural reasons; We enjoy carting stuff around in a backpack: They don't).

Yup, I've just read that steel frames are easier to weld / fix. Not sure how rare a breakage would actually be though. Any tips on recognizing a fcuked MTB?

t1mm

For anyone else reading this, I've scoured the internet and come across one particularly good article:

http://tomsbiketrip.com/2010/04/how-to-build-the-perfect-expedition-bike-part-1/

Schnell

Ah the 26'' wheels and steel frame, the two most repeated myths of the touring world.

1. people say you can buy 26'' tyres and tubes anywhere. From experience regarding tubes this is somewhat true but in Asia 27'' wheels are relatively common and you can use them in 700c wheels, plus it is not difficult to carry enough spare tubes. When it comes to tyres yes you might find a 26'' spare but it will be total rubbish, and you would be far better off patching your schwalbe marathon back together with duct tape than using it.

2. steel frames, frame breakages from general use, as opposed to in accidents are rare. Don't buy/use a frame that you think might break. If you have an accident and your frame breaks then all the rest of your gear (and possibly yourself) will probably also be shagged.

outlander

I'm in the same plaice looking for a good bike for adventure riding as well as town bike it depends on what you pack if you like light i've seen lovely drz's fitted with big tanks. and honda translap and varadero are suppose to be dependable cheep and great for customization. I've herd of a fixer uper translap for €500 easy fix

thebionicdude

there are many ways to bikepack.

It's possible to use your current bikes by adding a topeak rack that extends from the seatpost without the need for eyelets. Obviously you'd be travelling light but it means you can bikepack for a few days and stay in B&Bs/hotels. It's perfect for weekend touring as it greatly extends your range since you are not cycling an out and back loop and you are completely self-sufficient. It's a much cheaper way to get a feel for bikepacking before spending a whole lot of money on bikes and gear without knowing whether it's really for you or not. An expert bikepacker would be able to manage with this setup for a few weeks in a developed country. The benefit of being this light is that you don't need a new bike and you can cycle for miles and miles or fewer hours in a single day.

Adventure Touring in an undeveloped country or off-road can be as simple or as complicated as you want to make it. It is highly unlikely you will break a good alu or steel frame while touring. A smart bikepacker doesn't overload his/her bike as it doesn't make sense to make life more difficult for oneself when pushing a bike 5-10 hours a day. Thus, the point of the journey that has the highest risk of frame breakage is not the bikepacking, but the flying (baggage handlers). However, it's a useful exercise having to meet airline criteria as they will impose restrictions on you that you mightn't impose on yourself in terms of weight and capacity (even if you don't intend to fly).

It is more usual that components break (in transit or out on the road). A lot of tourers go to great lengths/expense reducing this risk but the more problems you solve before travelling the less of an adventure you will have.

Having gone the bombproof 26er steel tourer route (without any regrets considering the trip I did) my next touring bike will be a regular hardtail 29er as the part of bikepacking I most enjoy is the middle of nowhere mountainous stuff where I can camp without a sinner in sight. It's possible to pack super light to achieve this, in which case I can buy a regular hardtail 29er (more or less) that is as happy on the local trails unloaded as it is on foreign trails loaded.

I'd think a little more about what kind of trip inspires you before deciding on the bike and gear setup as it may be possible to achieve quite a lot with a bike and gear you already own, particularly if it is Ireland or Europe you'd like to Tour.

CamperMan

I have been looking for a touring bike for a year now, but could not afford to part with over £1300 for a new one, I was lucky to find a nice old steel framed MTB, a GT Timberline for €200 (in great condition), 26" wheels, lots of braze ons for the panniers, etc. it also has front suspension with lockout, I do prefer steel ridged forks, but the suspension was on it.. with the Brooks B17 fitted, it's a nice bike to, ride.