I have just come back from a week long bike camping tour of Normandy. I borrowed a Specialized Tricross forthe trip. I lloved the Tricross but it had a harsh ride and some uninspiring canti brakes.

I really enjoyed my trip and really want to go again for a longer period.

So what bike should i buy? I will want rear pannier rack mounts and the lugs for mudguards.
It will double as a commuter but i have a carbon road bike and mtbs so its role can be just dictated by touring wisdom.

thanks

Discs?
Drops or flats?

I’m going for a Disc Trucker after a very long think and a few test rides.

I looked at:
Kona Sutra.
Dawes Galaxy/Grand Tour.
Ridgeback Panorama.
Oxford Bike Works.
Trek 520/720/920.
The new Cannondales.
Spa Audax/Tourer/Roughstuff.

I want a triple, discs, drops and no tyre overlap on a small frame.

So that’s the Disc Trucker then.
Currently waiting for stock, looks like December before I get mine.

I think the main thing is fit

Followed by tyre pressure

Followed by seat post diameter

I’m not convinced that our arses can really differentiate between steel and aluminium

If your road bike has the correct position then replicate that

I think Ridgeback do some nice touring bikes

I wasnt really too impressed with the cantis on the Tricross but that may have been setup or pad issues. The bike was lent to me.

I like drops so would prob go with them again.

Despite big tyres on the Tricross it felt harsh compared to my carbon road bike….tho again i wasnt using the same saddle or seatpost…..

Go and talk to Spa Cycles about their own brand steel or bargain Ti bikes.

My Indy Fab Club Racer. All you asked for…….except the discs bit!

Surly straggler.

Salsa Vaya.
Love mine.

Genesis Tour de Fer 20.
Tubus racks, Dynamo lighting, 3×10 Deore trekking group set. Proper 36h wheels
I doubt there’s anything to touch it for £1299.

That said, if you like drops, my Croix de Fer 10 loads up rather nicely. I was impressed to be honest.

The only Spa bike with discs at the mo is the Adventurer – about £1500.
They are prototyping a disc tourer and a gravel type bike at the mo, but they won’t be out ’till next year.

The Genesis PP mentioned is wonderful value, but it’s flat bar only.
Which is bloody annoying tbh.

I’m waiting for the marketing numbskulls at Genesis to update their website with the new models, just to get the geo on the TDF 20 and see if a drop bar conversion is a possibility.
The Vagabond looks good too, but needs a triple.

Tripster. Mine was brilliant touring this year. Tubus rack and a triple up front.

Rusty Spanner the geometry is on here

http://www.tweekscycles.com/Product.do?method=view&n=3286&g=907637&p=913578&d=124&c=4&l=2&utm_source=Google&utm_medium=Base&utm_campaign=Road%20Bikes&gclid=CJPo_L2OjsgCFdVAGwodvkIDgw

Perhaps a bit long for drop bars

Thanks!

Sadly, you’re right.
Even the extra small is a little longer than the 50 cm Trucker, which fits well with the standard short stem.

The useful extras on the Genesis over the Surly add up to over £400 UK retail.
But I just don’t fancy another flat bar tourer.

Uhhh, are Thorn/SJS doing anything you fancy?

If your wallet will stretch there are some beautiful custom builders out there, traditional lugs, custom geo, build it up your way.

Wow, lots of choice here and some lovely looking bikes. I have had my eye taken by a Sabbath Silk Route, but the thought of a custom steel seems really tempting. Having only done off the peg bikes before then the custom idea is scary as i may be asking for ‘chips and custard’ when i really need egg and bacon. Im hoping a frame builder would guide me…..

Disc Trucker is arguably the obvious choice for a modern steel drop-bar tourer. I love mine. Sure, it’s not light (though not too bad, a sniff over 30lb without the rear rack, and you could go plenty lighter) but it can do anything and everything and the geometry is good.

Wow that looks great!

in the spirit of recommend what you have…

Specialized AWOL

ticks all the boxes, massive clearance for big tyres with full guards, bosses for front and rear racks, sturdy but comfy steel frame, dependable kit.

The bottom end model (about £1k) has a triple and is only a granny ring change away from almost perfect with gearing.

but equally plenty of as good or better for you suggestions above, mine was a toss up between the AWOL and a Salsa Vaya, which a friend has, they’re very similar and it was the colour that decided for me!

Had a Surly lht one of the most uninspiring bikes I ever had sold it bought a Thorn frame had that feel like no other bike i have ridden before or since (maybe the magic steel thing) and Thorn do an amazing amount of size variations and are not that expensive when you take into the equation the service, advice, and guarantee you get?

I don’t know if its still the case but the used to offer to take the bike bake if after a month you were unhappy ,now that is confidence for you.

Thorn still do that exchange deal. Im finding it a bit of a minefield as i have seen Genesis Croix de Fer 20 for 799 new! But im off to have a look at the AWOL too 🙂

What size do you need? I have a small Kona Sutra for sale which I’m not using.
Email in profile.

The bottom end model (about £1k) has a triple and is only a granny ring change away from almost perfect with gearing.

Would that was true. I hope I’m wrong but

As i understand it those road tripples are 30 tooth smallest ring

You can’t use a MTB triple as the front mech won’t reach far enough

So you need a smaller road triple. Maybe from Spa cycles. Or a square taper MTB chainset with a longer bottom bracket

So a 12 36 cassette might be easier

But yes the AWOL looks lovely

Another of the get what ive got its ace. I give you the stoater 😉 fantastic bike

I’d offer up Cannondales Synapse Adventure from Evans (only they stock them)

I’d have thought the 30×32 low end of the Awol is low enough for most if not all stuff other than loaded off-roading. I managed to drag two weeks’ worth of kit through the Jura/Alps/Auvergne/etc on tarmac with a 26×28, which isn’t far off, and although I certainly made use of that gear I don’t think I’d have benefited from lower (especially considering that I’d mainly loaded the rear of the bike). YMMV in spades, obvs.

I’d have thought the 30×32 low end of the Awol is low enough for most if not all stuff other than loaded off-roading

Agree, but a 28t for when you’re tired isn’t a bad thing 😉

As i understand it those road tripples are 30 tooth smallest ring

It takes a normal 74BCD granny (on the 2015 model with FSA chainset anyway), 30t is default but go down to 26, or even 24 (Middleburn list one, as do TA and others), that coupled with the 32t cassette should be plenty low enough.

If you absolutely must have smaller then yes a change of chainset and front mech may be required, but there is some leeway with clearance so you might not even need to change the mech, and don’t forget you could always use a 34 or 36t cassette ( with MTB mech if the OEM Sora one won’t stretch, it would probabyl do 34… )

Either way, and LBS worth their name should do mods like that at POS for minimal cost for you.

Very glad to be wrong. I’ll look into that. It goes back on my cycle to work scheme possible bike list

It’s worth remember too that minor spec niggles like that with ANY bike, can often sway your decision when comparing internet specs, but it’s often only a “could you swap this for that?” discussion with your LBS to sort out it’s worth asking the question as you can often get exactly what you want without having to be swayed to make comprises elsewhere.

Some decent ones will do it at no cost if the parts are comparable, but most will at least do it on a price difference basis or do you a deal on the parts and fit for free and give you the OEM bits to flog.

Any LBS not willing to make minor changes at POS isn’t worth bothering with in my opinion.

Obviously asking for the entire groupset to be swapped or something might be taking the pee a bit, but a granny ring here, a stem there, tyres etc. is where the ‘service’ element of your LBS should come through.

OK not a deal breaker but the smallest middle ring is 36. Ithink 26, 38, 48 woul works well.

But if I don’t go touring it may well be fine as it is

Thank again

Oh no! Now i love the Shand Stoater!

This could get expensive! Im having lots of fun looking at these suggestions

gf has a Ridgeback, and i’m quite jealous of it. It’s coped very well with some pretty heavily loaded touring, and its great unloaded too. Got a proper touring gear-range too (26t granny ring, 34t cassette) and it’s done pretty much everything from road rides to off-road canal path style pootles with the standard spec.

Some on offer here:
http://www.ukbikesdepot.com/m115b187s860p0/RIDGEBACK/TOURING_BIKES/TOURING_BIKES

All i’d change on the lower spec ones is the canti’s for some cheap mini-V’s (easier to set up and more powerful IME).

They look nice in the flesh in a sort of understated classic steel kind of way too.

I really liked the Ridgeback I tried.
Fast and huge fun for a tourer.
The frame is a cracker, but I preferred the steadier ride & 26 wheels of the Surly.

The disc Ridgeback is lovely but comes in the colour of something squeezed out of a cat.

I use a 22/32/44 chainset with an 11.28 cassette .Gets me up anything and is fast enough on the flat

I’ve run a Ridgeback tourer for the last couple of years, its a good bike out of the box.

Barra Beach by Richard Picton, on Flickr

Had a great day hacking around the lanes, and bridle ways around here today on my Vaya.
Love it.

I am liking the previously recommended Ridgeback tourers. The major difference seems to be the tubeset used in manufacturing the frame. On a laden touring frame how much difference will i experience or ‘feel’ in an 853 vs a lower grade frameset?

Can anyone shed any light on this as i have no real experience with laden bikes.

On a laden touring frame how much difference will i experience or ‘feel’ in an 853 vs a lower grade frameset?

I’m going to go out on a limb here and say ‘bugger all’

The stiffness and actual design of the frame will have a much bigger impact than the specific tubeset used, and your load and where you carry it will have as much part to play in how the bike feels as anything else, but I doubt even a seasoned tourer could detect the difference between say 853 and 520 or any plain 4130 cromo on a loaded bike.

The 1-2lb or so you *might* save on the frame weight will be lost in the weight of the load, so unless you’re looking at soem properly low end hi tensile frames I wouldn’t worry too much, but hey, the 853 sticker has some value 😉

It’s worth doing a bit of reading about the bikes you’re looking at and thinking about how you’re going to carry your load too, some bikes are very biased towards carrying at the rear, others the front, and some a very neutral and will be happy with either/both. That can dictate and influence how the bikes are built, for example if you get a light weight skinny tubed, low-trail steel bike designed for carrying at the front, and the strap all your gear onto a rear rack it’s going to waggle and sway around all over the place. Likewise, go an put all your load at the front on a high-trail bike with a burly back end and comfy fork and it’s going to be equally as awful.

Fortunately most off the shelf options are relatively neutral and very adaptable but will probably expect a rearward bias, so will be sufficiently sturdy at the back to cope with it, test riding them unloaded you’d never feel any difference as they all feel stiff and clumpy, but add some weight on and you’ll get a feel for how much they flex and waggle, a lot of bikes get more comfy the more weight you add (to a point).

This is as i thought. The cachet of 853 is v attractive as if feels like im doing the ‘right thing’ but the cost differential is significant. However i know that an 853 bike will see me wandering into the garage to look at it with a cup of tea before bed!

Its all so difficult…and fun too 🙂

Amedias has it. I think by the time you make a tourer stiff enough to carry an average load 853’s strength has less advantage on a road-going bike – you should already be passing the fatigue standards by the fact you’re not using skinny or too-thin tubes. With 853 you’ll save 200g tops and have possibly more easily dinged tubes. For me a tourer should be pretty, comfy, effective and also replacable, since travel takes it’s toll on bikes. That means good old cromoly or heat-treated cromoly (eg Prestige, 725) is ideal, really nice stuff when used well.
853 is what I’d spend extra on if I was making a gram-counting, TDR type of rough-road tourer that would see 10s of 1000s of miles of hard use in places 100+ miles from anything. Just for the insurance value of it.