Best touring bike under cycle to work scheme

cargen

Hi all,

I am shopping around for a new bike under the cycle to work scheme.

Bike will be mainly used for commuting and weekend cycles outside Dublin.

I am planning to do a bit of bikepacking/touring around Europe next spring/summer for 3/4 weeks so I would like to get a good bike that I can use for that, ideally steel frame.

Any recommendations for the best bike I could buy under the cycle to work scheme. I think I would be eligible for the 1250. I don't mind adding another few hundreds if it is worth it.

Thanks all for any suggestions.

Cetyl Palmitate

Rothar used to have Marin bikes. They have a model called a Marin Nicasio which would be ideal. Steel frame, good tyre clearence and could take a decent load.

Weepsie

You can get a trek 520 in D2 bikes. Excellent touring setup. I'd probably change the brakes, but otherwise should be a perfect low maintenance touring machine.

I've a Genesis Tour De Fer, but it's a custom build. You can. Get them around the place still I think. Quality steel frame, decent groupset, but not exactly a touring groupset.

Look for something that comes with racks and a dynamo wheel if possible

cyfac

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120799912#Comment_120799912

I will 2nd the 520 just back from a tour of Portugal and Spain on mine have been using it for a few years and find it's geometry makes it super stable for touring with loads especially when descending, it's also very comfortable for long days in the saddle

CantGetNoSleep

I was also going to suggest a Genesis - but the price vs. spec comparison is not great these days if you need to buy new from a physical store

Weepsie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120800277#Comment_120800277

The price v spec was never great. The top end has a tiagra triple, but costs 1800 or there abouts. Mine was less with Ultegra triple, and has now been changed to deore xt with bar end shifters. I'd highly recommend such a set up, which I think the trek 520 has with sora

magicbastarder

genesis prices went bananas years ago. i got a S/H equilibrium 20 disc at a time when they retailed for €1500. within two or three years, that had gone to nearly €2500 - and this was pre-covid. they hit almost €3.5k i think but are back about €3.2k for a 105 specced bike, and that's not with big brand wheels.

cargen

I looked at the genesis croix de Fer 20 flat bar. See link below.

How easy is to covert it to a drop bar in future? Is it costly?

Thanks again for all the tips

https://www.genesisbikes.co.uk/genesis-croix-de-fer-20-flat-bar-vargn21030

Large bottle small glass

A good commuter and a good tourer will have a lot in common; they may have very little in common with a typical "weekend" bike so you will have to compromise somewhere.

Buy the bike best suited to your likely most common useage. In truth lads with loads of notions buy touring bikes and never actually do any touring with it.

If you are happy with a heavish bike with mudguards, dynamo lighting, sturdy wheelset and frame etc for the weekend then don't worry about it and just buy that type of bike. It won't be much fun if you are out with lads in 8kg show ponies on some lumpy route

You'll be best placed to estimate your likely main usage for bike.

FWIW any tours I did that were worth a sh1te were on adapted road bikes, one of which I still use at weekends.

cunavalos

At that price point another option would be a Kona Rove or even one of the gravel bikes from Decathlon. Availability is patchy with Decathlon and while marketed as gravel bikes the shimano 105 version makes a versatile do it all bike including loaded touring.

( Decathlon are a bit different with regard to the cycle to work scheme as they will not deal with the larger voucher operators like cyclescheme/travelhub/biketowork etc.)

cargen

Thanks.

Any idea where I can try a Kona rove in Dublin?

magicbastarder

decathlon have *very* few drop bar bikes on display, which i would assume means stock levels are correspondingly low.