A friend is looking for an off the peg tourer for loaded (camping gear etc) touring but probably won’t do loads of that so ideally would like something useable for general duties i.e.credit card touring, commuting, going to the pub. He’s already got a crosser and a winter training bike but both lack bosses and he just wants to go n+1.

I’m out of touch, what do y’all recommend?

Budget?

Wife got a croix de tour from genisis on c2w she uses it for commuting . I added a front rack and some panniers it shall transport her round Canada this summer 🙂

genesis tour de fer is nice this year. disc trucker is always good.

If I were to be looking to replace my bike, I’d be taking a close look at the Spa cycles own brand touring bikes. Last time I had an idle look they looked astonishing vfm and come with good reputation.

Genesis Vagabond, perfect touring bike, lots of clearance for comfy tyres.

Alpkit seem a good start for a budget tourer.

Vagabond. You mean the bike that went out of stock almost instantly. No denying it’s a good bike but a mare to get hold of.

And sorry tons right it’s a tour de fer we got.

We’ve got a Spesh AWOL and a Surly Disc Trucker.

Hard to fault either, tbh.

Pinnacle Arkose X 2017?

I have a Long Haul Trucker and a Spa Steel Tourer. Both great touring bikes. Mine were built from a frame/fork with near identical builds.Having been riding both unloaded the past few weeks I’d say the Spa is a better everyday bike. Just a touch nimbler and faster steering. The Trucker does feel stiffer unloaded and I’m 16 stone.

The Trucker is flawless for fully loaded touring though. With 4 panniers it’s stable enough to coast hands free from 30mph to walking speed. Always stable through corners.

Nice touches on the Spa are 6mm lower rear rack bolts rather than usual 5mm. 132.2 OLN so either road 130 or 135mm hubs can be fitted.

I have heard Spa are open to tweaking their off the shelf bikes if there are are particular preferences.

Ones reason for the Trucker rather than the Spa is tyre clearance. Trucker takes 700×42-45 with mudguards. Spa is 700×35 with mudguards.
So if you might want to run bigger tyres ……

Vagabond. You mean the bike that went out of stock almost instantly. No denying it’s a good bike but a mare to get hold of.

We have a medium in stock, if anyone wants one – and could probably get hold of a large and **possibly** a frameset too.

Vagabond. You mean the bike that went out of stock almost instantly. No denying it’s a good bike but a mare to get hold of.

Really? Just had a Google and seems to be readily available.

2016 model reduced to £750 here:
2016 Vagabond

2017 model available here (medium in stock, other sizes available to order):
2017 Vagabond

The Arkose might seem a leftfield suggestion, but it ticks some good boxes as a tourer…
Front and rear pannier eyelets
Mudguard eyelets
Hydraulic brakes
45mm tyre clearance
Relatively light bike

1×10 gearing might be a slight weakness, but it’s a 38T chainring and 11-36 cassette, which is a fair range.

https://www.evanscycles.com/pinnacle-arkose-x-2017-adventure-road-bike-EV275629

1×10 gearing might be a slight weakness, but it’s a 38T chainring and 11-36 cassette, which is a fair range.

Either you’re very strong or you haven’t been fully loaded touring!

Genesis Vagabond, perfect touring bike, lots of clearance for comfy tyres

I have one and love it for what I planned to use it for – general multi-surface duty and rough-touring. But would I recommend it for general (paved) touring? Not at all. I’d want something with a longer top-tube/wheelbase and with different gearing. I’d be looking at a tourer like Ridgeback Panorama Deluxe, Genesis Tour de Fer, Spa Cycles or even a good-condition 531ST retro-tourer, ie Galaxy, Dalesman etc. For bargainous touring look at used examples of Raleigh Royal.

Don’t get me wrong the Vagabond is a great ATB/backroads/offroads/tourer. But for long road tours I’d be happier on a ‘proper’ touring bike that has been expressly designed for that use. I’m also a little fed-up with the 2016 Vagabond’s paint which seems as thin and prone as tissue. Ah well, one day a custom respray will sort it out more properly for long-term rough and tumble.

The Arkose might seem a leftfield suggestion, but it ticks some good boxes as a tourer…
Front and rear pannier eyelets
Mudguard eyelets
Hydraulic brakes
45mm tyre clearance
Relatively light bike

No front pannier mounts – that’s an eyelet for a guard. Can make a good lightweight tourer for a weekend but if you needed panniers F+R I’d go for something else. Maybe the forthcoming cr-mo touring version.
I’d agree with simon also, 1x for loaded riding isn’t ideal. If you had a 46 on the back and a lighter load then maybe.

For the OPs description I’d look for a relatively light steel frame and fork with mounts. An RB Panorama, Surly or Jamis tourer might feel a bit steady unloaded but that’s the compromise, get a bike that works loaded and it’ll always be the case to some extent. A vagabond on 45mm road tyres with guards could be good too.

I have had a few off the shelf tourers over the years but the step up tomy current condor heritage, not much in price but massive in spec, and comfort. I ve had itnow for 15 years and rarely use it but when i do love it. They had one in their sale recently. Its been on some great tours.

I’ve been impressed with OH’s Ridgeback World Voyage. Comfy steel frame, but no sign of instability with loaded panniers (unlike my P-X London Road) and it’s discrete enough to leave locked up. The Shimano low end shifters are actually quite good now, and seem similar to the old 5600 style ones, plus you can use a triple. Only change i’d make is some mini-V brakes instead of the Canti’s.

http://www.freeborn.co.uk/ridgeback-tour-bike-2016?gclid=Cj0KCQjwpdnJBRC4ARIsAHC6k2L9aKyAY5IqYMcdxOG8jKqAhFtz10vDWO-rB69xw4YdoymDtInJ514aAhPVEALw_wcB

always owned a touring bike. the last 12 years that has been a surly. 1st a lht, then a disc trucker. but 1 thing that got on my wick was the toe overlap, even on a 58 or bigger frame.
recently bought a genesis tour de fer in a xl size. it does not suffer from any toe overlap.

can anyone explain this?

For credit card touring and cycling I’d just use a normal road. Ike. Slap on bag on post and bars and your done without the weight penalty. Posting from Geno on tour. B&B or hotels provide most of what you need. Heading towards the Alps next.

For wild camping etc I use my MTB and lightweight OMM backpack.

If I were traveling the world I’d still choose light weight hsrdtail MTB over the weighty tourers. More marketing hype.

Thanks for the suggestions.

I have one and love it for what I planned to use it for – general multi-surface duty and rough-touring. But would I recommend it for general (paved) touring? Not at all. I’d want something with a longer top-tube/wheelbase and with different gearing….

…Don’t get me wrong the Vagabond is a great ATB/backroads/offroads/tourer. But for long road tours I’d be happier on a ‘proper’ touring bike that has been expressly designed for that use….

Id agree with that. Its a lovely bike but with weight on it you dont really end up with as nice a bike. Its not wobbly or flexy like some, just uninspiring. Mine replaced an LHT, LHT is much nicer loaded, it almost seems to enjoy it, lovely bike. Ive not ridden the vagabond for touring, its an offroad commuter that gets a heavy pannier only occasionally, it handles it fine though.

Final note, which tool at genesis fitted dropouts with both pannier AND mudguard mounts?!!? I say this because there are no holes on the stay bridges to fit a guard, not that it matters as you cant get a full SKS in there as the short stays mean there is little room between the guard and the seat tube. I had to dimple my SKS with a heat gun for the seat tube to get a constant fender line, then it meant the only front mech that would fit was a new side swing shimano. That faff alone is enouhg to knock it as a touring option.

Here is mine though. Its very pretty

“If I were traveling the world I’d still choose light weight hsrdtail MTB over the weighty tourers. More marketing hype.”

Which lightweight hardtail would you choose then for 4 up pannier touring across remote areas – and i dont mean light and fast chasing a record touring i mean taking in all the sights , wild camping where you stop carrying a number of days food at a time……

people who tour know about the merits of a proper touring bike.
a bodged up road bike does not work when loaded.

More marketing hype

Tourers predate marketing hype by about 100 years!

Tourers predate marketing hype by about 100 years!

Indeed! There is no way I’d want this lot on a lightweight hardtail…

[url=https://flic.kr/p/UPmXFH]Adventure begins here.[/url] by Simon Barnes, on Flickr

I heart my Tdf. 🙂

Love to see a good touring bike thread, nice to see some mentions for the RB Panorama as well.
Here’s mine on Barra…
[url=https://flic.kr/p/hw4oAa]Barra Beach[/url] by Richard Picton, on Flickr
I like mine alot, although it needs some use at the moment.

Edinburgh bike always had a great value tourer.

My Surly Disc Trucker had been faultless on several multi day tours. Also serves me well on my occasional commutes, including some gravel sections.

1st a lht, then disc trucker. but 1 thing that got on my wick was the toe overlap, even on a 58 or bigger frame.

Was your LHT a 26″? My 700c 60cm has no toe overlap with 700×42 tyres, mudguards, 175mm cranks, and size 49 feet. A 2008 model though I’m not aware of any major geometry changes.

no, a 700c.
i had it on both the lht and the dic trucker.
still rode fantastic tho. needed a new groupo, and i couldnt be arsed doing it, so chopped it in for a genesis tdf.
away to france on friday for a nice 600 mile tour to christen it.

End of a recent tour, propped up outside the Tesco at Aviemore after doing 130miles of the Lochs and Glens route (amazing!).

Set up perfectly for me. I converted to flat bars, after a few different ones I found my dream combo, a Hope 25.4mm stem and matching 17 degree Salsa Moto bars (no longer made so a real chore finding some)

Also Paul Components shifter converters to run 9sp Dura Ace bar end shifters as thumbshifters. Got some touring spec Deore hydraulics (longer levers) and Portland Design works stitched ergo Italian leather grips (no need for gloves!).

Hand recovered Bel Air saddle in proper leather, DMR magnesium flat pedals, Exposure Dynamo hub with a full B&M lighting system with rear brake light too and USB charging for my phone. My brother (Peterpoddy) built the hub up with Mavic xm319 rins with an ultra reliable XT rear hub.

Tyres are Victoria Hyper Voyager Kevlar tyres in 35c size, no tread on them but they grip very well pretty much everywhere, don’t puncture and are light too.

All the gearing is as bought, Alivio cranks and mechs, work superbly.

Lovely lovely lovely!!!! I really love it!!

I was just going to add to this thread. I rode my tdf into work this morning, with rear panniers loaded with a case of beer in one side and a few changes of clothes and some bike spares in the other.
fitted with a tubus rear rack, I have to say it feels a bit noodly and flexy compared to the ogre.
it feels more suitable to lighter loads, or it may just feel a lot lighter to me than the ogre, and that I am not used to it.

How do loaded tourers feel when stood up pedalling?

My Arkose, which isn’t a tourer as mentioned above, is like a pile of jelly when stood up pedalling with any serious load, I avoid it like the plague. Fine with light loads, but horrific with a child on the rack and extra weight, or a couple of full panniers and a box of stuff on top

How do loaded tourers feel when stood up pedalling?

I fitted a 22×32 bottom gear so that I don’t need to do stand up pedalling.

Likewise fitted a deore triple.

One doesn’t simply stand up and pedal when loaded up.

away to france on friday for a nice 600 mile tour to christen it

Whereabouts in France are you off to Tony?

I’ve got a Kona Sutra which I love, had it about 6 years now. Not ridden anywhere nearly enough over the past year or two – need to rectify that!
RM.