I have a week off work coming up and have decided to do my first tour. It will be on the roads of northern France.
I'll probably go for "credit card' touring for the first one but would like to build a bike that would carry lightweight camping gear for further trips.
So, anyone have any frame recommendations? Pics to accompany would be even better.
And ant touring tips that you may have picked up along the way.
Thank you,
BB
use a trailer instead of a rack and panniers. If its on-road then 2-wheel trailers are best - then you don't need to have a special bike for touring, you can use whatever bike you usually ride.
Everyone has their own favourite solutions. Me I like an MTB riding position nowadays.
Racks - tubus are the best - but at a price. Get your racks really secure as they vibrate loose. Old man mountain are often recommended but I have no personal experience.
Good bags are a great help - easy but secure mountings, waterproof. Ortleib are usually considered very good but I ham a huge fan of carradice stuff. We have the carradry panniers - really well made, rears are bigger than ortleib, mounts a bit fiddly but very secure
For really light touring just a carradice saddlebag might beenough - the longflap super camper is a classic design and I used one for decades carries a lot of kit
Pic of a fully laden mountain tandem ain't much use to you I guess 
42 Windmills bicycle and us by TandemJeremy, on Flickr
http://www.carradice.co.uk/ for old man mountain racks and various bags
Laden Bike by alanach_d, on Flickr
My mountain bike does the job just fine with some heavy duty slicks.
I used to use this ugly beast with a pair of Carradice 'super c' limpet panniers on the front and some Karrimor 'Kalahari' on the back. the first tour had the full rigid mtb parts but I changed the bars , shifters , brakes and big chainring for touring use.
my recently built tourer.
now with rack and guards.
i like a sat up mtb type position too like teej.
have always liked touring bikes even,though i only ride mountain bikes at present. have always loved ones like this 
not my picture 
Thanks guys, must say i am drawn more to a road bike style tourer just because of the lower position and more hand positions.
Though I do have an old Canondale mtb not doing much at all, I'm put of using that though as it has hydraulic disc brakes.
BB
Ready for anything...
I just read that as trousers rather than tourers 
My lightweight tourer.
Pompino with carradice super C saddle bag and a bar bag.
Lightweight camping for two through spain and france for 3 months.
Oh go on then. My old friend:
why do disc brakes put you off?
Hydros for day rides and short tours I would imagine are OK but for longer rides in remote/less well developed areas, a royal PIA.
If it's long multi week/month trip or off the beaten track, I'd keep it simple. Having written that, even on the beaten track I'd keep it simple as I wouldn't want to lose cycling days when trying to find spares or fettle more esoteric kit.
A possible pitfall with using a MTB frame and panniers is the short chainstays. Chaps with big feet have the benefit of being incredibly well endowed, but this is offset slightly by catching their heels on the panniers.
^ this.
Definitely cable actuated brakes for long tours. That doesnt necessarily preclude disc brakes though.
boblo - I have never had an issue - never damaged a brake - done muliday offroad tours and 2 weeks mainly road tours with hydro discs and no issues. I did carry a seal kit and a spare hose but you would carry a spare cable would you not?
How often do hydros fail?
Chaps with big feet have the benefit of being incredibly well endowed, but this is offset slightly by catching their heels on the panniers.
Earlier this year, good times.
Teej, My bikes are set up for multi week/multi month tours usually away from the mainstream so I try and ensure I use kit that is pretty generic. Yes I carry cables, especially on the tandems as they are so long/difficult to find.
My hydro experience is limited to MTB's which might not be representative. Thrashing about in the Peak midwinter grinding paste may not be the same.
If I were speccing a new frame, I'd go for BB7's as I did manage to finish off a rim one tour (on vees). At least I could avoid that but I'd need to carry more spare pads.
Last point is more tandem specific. My tandems have Arai drag brakes which I use. I'd be concerned about boiling hydros as I'm not aware of a disc/drum hub and I wouldn't want to use a disc for drag duties.
Comfort machine, Sasla Mukluk
Boblo - check the forst pic - we just have discs on the tandem. Just don't drag them - use them in bursts. With good discs you don't need to drag the brakes. Hope 6 pots help tho - very heat resistant. Personally I would never have anything but hydro discs on the tandem
its simply not a major issue and IME discs are more reliable and faff free than any cable brake
Pads last many thousands of miles
if i could ever afford it,would love to get one of these http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/thorn-rohloff-mercury-530s-blue-green-starburst-soft-touch-lacquer-ex-display-mrsp-4250-prod12809/ (also to have the fitness/funds to do it justice also edit if they did a disc version that would just be jim dandy
sorry rf90, but that's gopping!
I can never get excited about 26" tourers no matter how sensible they might be.
The reason I was put off using hydraulic discs is just that if I was unfortunate enough to get a mechanical problem with them the chances of finding parts for old Hayes discs are probably next-to-none. Whereas cables, blocks, etc you can buy almost anywhere.
There really are some great bikes there, can't wait to get started.
Anyone care to give an idea of what would they would pack for 1 weeks credit card touring?
Oh and keep the bike pics coming. And if anyone has something with a 54 cm top tube for sale ...........
BB
Kit for two for 3 months camping.
We wanted for nothing (except probably 2x kindles if they had been invented!) and the only thing we didnt use was the first aid kit and needle and thread I think.
Camping2 man Go Lite Den 2 Tent
2x Thermarest 3/4 sleeping matts
Custom double duvet
JagBag double silk sleeping bag linerCooking & Food
Titan titanium pas (1.2l, 0.9l, lid)
2x titanium sporks
MSR pocket Rocket stove
200g gas canister
Full set of folding plates/bowls/mugs
4x 750ml water bottles on bike
lighter & matchesBike gear & tools
2x On-One Pompinos
Topeak mountain morph pump
Kryptonite cable lock (10mm x 6')
Cateye 7 computer
2x Carradice Super C saddlebags
1x Altura Bar bag, 1x Karrimor Bar bag
2x rear LED lights
Spanner, bike tool, tyre levers, repair kit, spare cleats & bolts, Chain tool, spare links
Spare brake cables, spare spokes, zip ties, pva tape, rag, silicon lubeClothes (each)
Riding shoes, convertible for walking and bar flying
Flip flops
2x pairs socks
2x pairs riding underwear
Underwear for off bike
2 ride tops
1 off bike top
1 pair convertible trousers
1 pair of overshorts
Montane Litespeed splashtop
Swedish Down Smock
Bike gloves
Sunglasses
HelmetsToiletries
Shampoo
Sunscrean
Aftersun
Bio soap
Bar of soap
Toothpaste
ToothbrushesStuff
2x Penknives
Sony SW radio
Digital Camera
Phone
Phone 9v power converter
note pad
Pencils
Silva 7 Compass
Travel towels
Spanish phrase book
Candle
Medipac
Bag straps
Map
Needle & thread
2x LED Headtorch
Stoner to be honest i agree,but for that sort of money i would expect it to be custom painted to my spec (can imagine a lovely deep metallic red paint job)
bianchi boy - which is why I carry a set of seals and a spare hose on long tours
For creditcard touring in a bike friendly country? toothbrush.
Seriously multitool, tube, patches, cable ties, mech hanger, spares for any unusual parts you have.
waterbottles and pump on the frame
Anything generic - cables, brake pads etc can be bought easily so don't bother carrying them
Couple of changes of clothes
waterproofs
camera
My Peregrine.
mr pips, long time no post!
been getting the miles in? still motorhome?
Anyone care to give an idea of what would they would pack for 1 weeks credit card touring?
What you wear on the bike, plus one change of everything thats in direct contact with your bod. And the means to wash it. And a toothbrush.
And a wheel barrow to carry your baboon wanger about in
Trouble is, you want a bike that if it does fail, is easy to fix with commonly available parts. The alternative is to spend a couple of days of your holiday finding and fettling. I'd be pretty peed off having to divert to find spares. Mind you, my tours are more route march than smell the roses
This will become my lightweight tourer with the addition of a lightweight rack and a couple of panniers...
Sabbath September by simondbarnes, on Flickr
Bloody ell that looks smart. Don't leave it anywhere....
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