From commuter to tourer.

Uncle Ben

Hi guys, I have a Raleigh Pioneer city/commuter bike and it is ideal for getting around, and strong and sturdy for carrying extra kit etc.

For those that don't know this bike, it is an alum frame, 700 wheels and 24 gears.

I would not have the money to spend almost a grand on a 'proper' tourer, however I would be interested in knowing what changes I could make to this bike in order to undertake a cycling trip to Scotland later this year.

Thanks, Ben.

thebouldwhacker

Make sure you have a saddle which will suit your needs.
Pedals, think about getting spd clip less with nice cycling shoes. Get the ones that look and feel like runners but they will have stiff soles and will make the hills and general cycling easier. Also you can walk around into shops and pubs without having to change.
Good tires.
mudguards.
maybe a kickstand.
bar ends on the handlebars to give more options for hand positions.
maybe get the wheels serviced and ask a bike mechanic to give it a once over for cables, wear on the chain set etc.

Other than that enjoy!

reallyunique

Scotland isn't the end of the earth so you shouldn't need a "proper" tourer to do make it back safely.
A good saddle is really important but don't change it just for a "better" one. The best saddle is the one that works for you and your shape. If you can put in the miles on what you've got then be careful about switching to a new one. At least give any new saddle a good breaking in period or you'll end up half way through your trip with a pain in the butt from a high quality saddle that's just not right for you.
Spd's are a good bet but again, get used to them loooong before you leave. Bad shoes are bad!
Mudguards, unless you're insane.
Check your rack (also a fun website I hear), it could be fine for commuting but not be up to a more challenging load. Bring as little as you can though. Loads of sites with recommendations on this.
Kick stands can be good (I love em) but can put a strain on the bike with heavy loads and can be a bit of a sod to use, just letting you get a few meters away before the bike falls over. I just rest it against a wall or lie it down (can't fall any further).
Good tyres are a must. Most people eventually find their perfect tyre but few people can agree on which one it best. I HATE flats so I avoid the supple fast ones and go for the gnarly armour plated. Others like fat, some like skinny, etc.
If you're not too opinionated just go for anything that Schwalbe or Continental reckon are Touring and you won't go far wrong. I'd go for 32mm or even larger, particularly if you're of a heavy build yourself. Comfy is good on long rides and if you've got luggage then aerodynamics are gone anyway.

Bar ends FTW.

Get a proper service a bit before you leave. Nothing worse than a simple problem annoying you the first time you lose sight of the city.

I noticed that some Pioneers have suspension. Might be worth investing in a solid fork as suspension can be a bit of a mixed blessing if that's what you have.

In truth, if you like the bike already then just tyres and guards. Everything else should do fine. If you find you enjoy touring you'll come back with your own list of things to buy for the next trip

Good luck with it!

rollingscone

Did someone say Commutourer?

bambergbike

Back in the mists of time (in 2003) I did a thousand-mile tour on a Raleigh Pioneer. I was overweight and I loaded the bike down with a tonne of kit and used some terrible roads and tracks. Cue lots of broken spokes and a useless replacement rear wheel after 500 km. After the axle of that first replacement had disintegrated over the next 500 km I finally got a strong back wheel in Gdansk. I could have saved myself some trouble if I had considered the general strain I was going to subject the bike to and got myself a decent rear wheel before jumping on a train to Lithuania. You may not need to take any such precautions, but it's no harm to bear in mind that touring subjects a bike to unusual stresses and strains and that problems you have never had before suddenly become quite likely.

That bike has long since been nicked, but just last summer I did the Tour of Waterford 160 on my Dad's Raleigh Pioneer. With the mudguards and bar ends removed, SPD pedals, and 25 mm slicks it was good to go for an enjoyable day out. The SKT requires either fitness or loads of gears; I wasn't super-fit, but the Raleigh ticked all the boxes for granny gears.

I'd use wider slicks for touring, maybe something like Marathon Plus. I'm running knobbly studded tyres at the moment, and the general knobbliness and spikiness and noise and inefficency is driving me crazy (even though they were handy yesterday when I found myself cycling over compacted snow in a rut left by a jeep.)

tomasrojo

+1 on rear wheel issues.

I had a Raleigh Pioneer, and its Achilles Heel was the rear wheel. It was an eight-speed freewheel design, rather than freehub, which means the axle was prone to snapping under prolonged load.

I did some quite respectable distances on it, until the chainstay snapped, a fate that befell my friend's Pioneer too. So not a bad bike, and probably well up to a trip to Scotland, provided you don't load it up too heavily.

dissed doc

Uncle Ben wrote: »

Hi guys, I have a Raleigh Pioneer city/commuter bike and it is ideal for getting around, and strong and sturdy for carrying extra kit etc.

For those that don't know this bike, it is an alum frame, 700 wheels and 24 gears.

I would not have the money to spend almost a grand on a 'proper' tourer, however I would be interested in knowing what changes I could make to this bike in order to undertake a cycling trip to Scotland later this year.

Thanks, Ben.

Racks: rear racks (e.g., from a brand that is frequently on touring bikes like Tubus), from rack, handlebar bag (great for putting a map on, camera in, etc., )

Pedals: TBH, I don't think SPDs are essential so wouldn't focus too much on them.

Saddle: much more important than the pedals IMO. Get a saddle fitted (width between your sacral bone sitting points + 2cm). It will make a lot of difference when doing 100km/day. Brands are e.g., SQ Lab.

Gloves: after the saddle, I would go for gloves. Bring a fingerless pair and then a pair if the weather gets bad.

Bags: at a minimum 2x rear panniers.

Stand: a properly fitted stand will be a massive help (e.g., Pletscher Esge). You don't necessarily need even a stand on a low-rider if you have one properly fitted at the back.

Uncle Ben

dissed doc wrote: »

Racks: rear racks (e.g., from a brand that is frequently on touring bikes like Tubus), from rack, handlebar bag (great for putting a map on, camera in, etc., )

Pedals: TBH, I don't think SPDs are essential so wouldn't focus too much on them.

Saddle: much more important than the pedals IMO. Get a saddle fitted (width between your sacral bones + 2cm). It will make a lot of difference when doing 100km/day. Brands are e.g., SQ Lab.

Gloves: after the saddle, I would go for gloves. Bring a fingerless pair and then a pair if the weather gets bad.

Bags: at a minimum 2x rear panniers.

Stand: a properly fitted stand will be a massive help (e.g., Pletscher Esge). You don't necessarily need even a stand on a low-rider if you have one properly fitted at the back.

Thanks for all the helpful advice, all your replies have given me some food for thought.

outfox

dissed doc wrote: »

Pedals: TBH, I don't think SPDs are essential so wouldn't focus too much on them.

+1 on this. Toe cages and runners make life very easy when touring. The loaded touring bike is such an inefficient machine that the extra few percent efficiency you get from cleats is probably not worth the hassle (I'll probably get banned for this).
A few years ago i discovered Sharks - they are plastic runners, like crocs and runners combined. Wear them cycling with comfy socks and the insole. If it rains, they dry in no time, so you just have to replace your socks. Wear them in the shower that evening with the insole removed (cos some showers are filthy). And wear them out that night with insole removed and no socks, to give your feet an airing. So you end up carrying just one pair of footwear.

thebouldwhacker

outfox wrote: »

+1 on this. Toe cages and runners make life very easy when touring. The loaded touring bike is such an inefficient machine that the extra few percent efficiency you get from cleats is probably not worth the hassle (I'll probably get banned for this).
A few years ago i discovered Sharks - they are plastic runners, like crocs and runners combined. Wear them cycling with comfy socks and the insole. If it rains, they dry in no time, so you just have to replace your socks. Wear them in the shower that evening with the insole removed (cos some showers are filthy). And wear them out that night with insole removed and no socks, to give your feet an airing. So you end up carrying just one pair of footwear.

Each to their own but I personally found the use of clipless as advantageous as having them on a road bike. If I intend to do something thousands of times a day, ie pedalling, I would go with clipless every time. Can you cycle without them, of course, my first big tour in Wales as Jon flats but I would not do it again.
I would rate them as important as tyre choice. The stiff sole alone will make a big difference in efficiency not to mind the other benifits.

07Lapierre

Padded Bib- Shorts!