I'm currently hunting for a touring bike, ideally around a £1000 budget.
Hoping to get some recommendations or suggestions on what to look at.
I've had a look around online and searched the forums but there isn't much in stock that seems suitable at the moment due to Covid- not sure when things will be back in stock.
Spa cycles have a steel tourer which looks good, with about a 6 week wait which isn't a problem. Anyone have any thoughts on these? Would a gravel bike be suitable?
Ideally I'd like a touring triple for the easier gearing as I'll be fully loaded with panniers etc, would also like drop bars.
Riding will be road - I have a 5 day ride planned for August time, so need to get something sorted before then!
Any suggestions or recommendations welcome!
Any old school hardtail mtb with rigid forks will do the job or if you want a new bike, most gravel bikes will also do the job.
Spa cycles do have a good reputation, or have a look at the Genesis or Ridgeback touring bikes.
I'd be wary of the gear range that a 1x gravel bike offers for loaded touring.
Met and chatted with a guy yesterday on a Genesis Tour de Fer 10.
It really was a lovely frame and (steel) forks and the build was great for the money.
Well worth a look.
Whereabouts are you?
Few places know their touring onions better than Spa Cycles, so I'd be speaking to them.
And I'd go triple, not 1x, not only because of overall range, but because of the smaller gaps between gears; if you're winding uphill, loaded, having 'just' the right gear is great, having 'not quite' the right gear is horrible.
The classic road choice is a Dawes Galaxy / Horizon of some description. Good sold if unexciting bikes. They pop up 2nd hand fairly regularly, the older ones seem to command a premium though and by there nature tend to be fairly high mileage!
I’d be wary of the gear range that a 1x gravel bike offers for loaded touring.
That's true, mine has a double which is manageable but I do travel light I'd use my rigid mtb if it was heavier or mountinous.
Thorn / St John St. Spa Cycles. Condor. See what Cycle Heaven in York have also.
Tour De Fer from a couple of years back was a good bike, the original for-drops version.
2x can be fine if you choose wiseiy.i don't think I'll ever go back to 3x.
As a general point, money invested in lightweight kit is a better option than money invested in a bike. 😉
Thanks for the responses!
Wildhunter I'm based in Shropshire
The Tour de Fer does look a lovely bike, although slightly over budget in the drop bar version! The Ridgebacks look good also, but I'm not able to find in stock anywhere in the correct size!
Hoping to get the bike new as it will be through cycle to work, but not opposed to 2nd hand if I can find a suitable one so I'll have a look at the Galaxy
And yes, the gearing was was my concern regarding touring on gravel bikes, I'm sure it would be manageable but I don't want to be destroyed after the first day, so easier gearing so I can spin up the hills and stay fresh would definitely be my preference!
As a general point, money invested in lightweight kit is a better option than money invested in a bike.
Is that still true for touring bikes whilst loaded up? Seems like any grams saved on kit would be fairly Inconsequential compared to the luggage?
Edit - ahh you mean luggage not bike components?
I wouldn't fixate on 2 by or 3, as long as you have low enough gears.
As suggested an older bike Willbe a bargain and allow spare cash for other kit where there are greater benefits to a higher spend.
A triple will inevitably give you the option of lower gears than a double, though, and if you’re heavily loaded then this is no bad thing. Bear in mid also that panniers are aerodynamically horrible, so retaining close-ish ratios is also no bad thing because you want the right gear for making good progress on the flat whatever the wind’s up to.
If you use square taper BB you can bring the chainline in so that a triple behaves largely like a double with a bail-out option, so that you can use all gears i the top two rings and just IME the inner ring on the three or four biggest sprockets. Personally, for a road tourer, I don’t see many decent arguments against fitting a triple.
That said, with the dinner plate cassettes you can get these days a double should be entirely viable, and a gravel bike makes a decent platform for a tourer provided it has all the necessary braze-ons etc (many don’t).
The key question may be one of what you want to use the bike for when you’re not touring: it might be fast road rides, audax-style rides, mixed terrain day rides, muddy off-road, all sorts. All of these can dovetail nicely with a touring role, but they’ll imply slightly different decisions and compromises.
2x can be fine if you choose wiseiy.i don’t think I’ll ever go back to 3x.
If your going to the trouble of having a double......why wouldn't you go for a triple. Can understand why you might be reluctant to go from 1*-2* but 2-3 is a no brainer.
Must admit quite enjoyed my granny ring when going over the Rockies. My double was a Scunner when climbing to the homer tunnel tbh didn't go low enough.
But if you are into tuning your gears for a specific tour or always tour the same places I guess it could work
If you're looking at Spa there is also the Aubisque at about the same price if you fancy disc brakes. Or if you can push the budget just a little there is the SABBATH Silk Route (lovely titanium frame).
I’ve just bought a Genesis CDA10 (same geometry as the Crox de Fur but aluminium) for £750 with the intention of some bike packing and for the price very impressed, obvs bottom of the range drivetrain but I feel it will suit my needs, it has many attachment points for panniers or anything cages, the only thought I’ve had is swapping out the chainrings if over geared. Also in stock at the moment with the on going bike shortage
For touring, assuming 4 panniers with tent etc then a triple with an absurdly low gear (I have 24x36) for grinding, fully loaded uphill.
Full mudguards,
Either drop handlebars or butterfly bars - being able to change hand positions gives good relief after a succession of long days,
A comfortable saddle,
An extra bottle cage to put a bottle of wine in for enjoying of an evening at campsite,
A dynamo & small battery pack for recharging gps etc
^+1 scruff9252
Also, recommend what I use:
https://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/steel-gravel-touring-bike/
Wouldn’t swap it for anything. Handbuilt, custom-butted, light, strong, swift, comfortable, shrugs at cargo, inexpensive to purchase and maintain, and I enjoy it immensely That ticks all my boxes. Nice lugs are a pretty bonus but I don’t mind.
ymmv
^+1 scruff9252
Note that the back wheel is the archilles heel on any touring bike - so go for a well built one with lots of spokes
As Bez alludes to, think about the road surfaces you intend to be touring on. On the continent, this could mean tarmac cycle paths or well pressed gravel tracks but our own NCN routes are not road bike friendly as are some other touring routes elsewhere.
Ultimately this comes down to tyre choice and clearance rather than bike choice but you'll need to see what tyre size the frame will take.
That point above is a good one. My new Fairlight is basically a replacement for my Super Galaxy as I kept on taking on stupid offroad surfaces. Cracking bike on roads and cycle paths but a little sketchy on rougher / looser surfaces.
I had a surly long haul trucker with v brakes and a steel brake booster to stop flex.
Amazing bike, 3x with flat bars and bar ends. Took a 2 inch tyre too.
They replaced this with a disc trucker so you might pick up an older model as a good price.
Remember, road brake/gear shifters are more expensive so I'd avoid them if on a budget to get a better bike.
Deore 10 speed for bombproof long lasting groupset that won't break the bank and jury works.
On your 5th day on a big climb you will be glad of the 3x but if you are strong 2x might be OK. Gear ranges have come a long way recently so maybe 3x are getting a bit old fashioned.
A triple will inevitably give you the option of lower gears than a double, though, and if you’re heavily loaded then this is no bad thing
I think you can spin that logic these days....A triple gives you the option of a higher gear if you want it. And to be honest you really don't. With sub compact chainsets now a thing (and an extra sprocket or two on your cassette than back in the day increasing its range without increasing the gaps) you can easily get a double setup with a lower bottom gear than an old skool triple traditionally had. You might just be missing a gear or two at the top end....that no one ever used on a touring bike. Triples made sense when the gaps between chainrings was limited - now you can run a 30/46 subcompact I just don't think you need them any more.
that no one ever used on a touring bike
Again. Depends where you tour. With a tail wind having a nice big gear is as much godsend as having a nice low gear for the hills especially when you are doing a 2 up TT to the only shop in the town before it closes for the night.
I've done it with a double I've done it with a rohloff Nd I've done the Western isles on a singlespeed. I'd take a triple over either all day long.
26:36:48 and a 12/32 is my poison.
I have an audax mono. It has mounts for guards and racks. It's really nice to ride, set-up as fixed. There is a geared equivalent. Spa were easy to deal with and communication was quick.
I would say though, that their "standard" drop brake dimension is not standard. I ended up getting some of the long drop trp calipers, which are ace but 120€ for the set. Be careful with the measurements.
Spa Cycles tourer gets good rep. and is closest to your budget if you don't go disc brakes and a couple of hundred more for discs. A fair bit cheaper than Genesis or Surly although I don't know how detail specs compare.
now you can run a 30/46 subcompact I just don’t think you need them any more
Like I said, a double can work fine, especially now that we have big cassettes. But there’s no disputing that a triple will let you go lower, as it’ll mean you can fit a ring as small as a 22. You’re right that the top gears might be redundant (depends what you’re doing: if you’re on tarmac through the Alps then you may well want the top end) but a triple goes lower.
What’s “low enough” is pretty subjective. For some people/scenarios a 30t might be low enough, for others it might not be (especially if you don’t want a massive cassette).
Make sure you get gravel socks to go with your gravel bike: https://www.condorcycles.com/products/condor-merino-gravel-sock 😂
In all seriousness I popped into Condor and they were super friendly and gave great advice.
Looking for same thing now touring / gravel and still can’t decide on what to go for.
To me gearing wise the 12x GX mullet with ratio kit looks perfect but is not specced on any full bike.
Thanks for all the replies so far, plenty to think about - also thanks for the input on Spa cycles & any other suggestions.
Good to know I might get away with a double with the right range, opens up more options than I initially thought!
Also, I found the full bike deals to be quite good value and sensible specs. I realised this after spending a small fortune building up a frame, d'oh!