[Closed] suitable off road touring/adventure bike

Marin Four Corners?

Cotic Escapade?

XC-ish 29er with rack mounts...doesn't have to have curly bars right?

Van Nicholas Amazon 🙂

Croix de fer, excellent do it all bike. Or maybe a genesis longitude?

Another vote for the Croix de Fer, just finished a build of the titanium flavour, its stunning. Room for guards, racks and 35mm rubber.

Mango Bikes Point AR?

Slightly more off-road biased but

Genesis Vagabond
Salsa Fargo
Singular Gryphon

Would all take 2.1" tyres + mudguards on road.

Of your list, the CAADX and CX500 are both entry level race bikes which I suspect aren't what you're after. Good fun, but might beat you up over a long day and won't have the same concessions to practicality.

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+ 1 Croix De Fer

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yea Croix looks positive. budget about £1k - £1.5k so limited there really. can it take a front rack/bottle etc, it appears to have a single bolt on the forks...
I like the cotic, but the spec seems poor compared to rivals, such CdF

^^^^ mine has the carbon forks, but yes, current ones are single bolt.

If I was bike packing off road, rather than panniers as in above photo, I'd use a narrow bar bag if needing the capacity.

Sonder Camino?

My Pinnacle Arkose would fit the bill.

that kona is lovely! is the gearing too low? a roadie in work reckons that is far too low for mixed riding?

The Light Blue do several e.g. [url= http://thelightblue.co.uk/Sport/5LB5DX92Z/Darwin-Twin-Peak- ]Darwin Twin[/url]
The [url= https://www.evanscycles.com/trek-920-disc-2017-touring-bike-EV286610 ]Trek 920[/url] looks like a good off-road tourer
Specialized [url= http://www.freeborn.co.uk/specialized-awol-2016 ]AWOL[/url] is another option

Niner RLT9, personally in 853 steel flavour, frame and fork half price at topfun.com (sounds dodgy but they're not).

http://www.topfun.com/en/rlt-9/68-niner-rlt-9-frameset-industry-grey.html?search_query=rlt&results=12

Sonder Camino?

This. Love my Camino. LOVE it.

that kona is lovely! is the gearing too low? a roadie in work reckons that is far too low for mixed riding?

I am loving mine.

Too low? I'm about to put on a [i]smaller[/i] chainring … what do roadies know? 😉

… or do roadies call low what I would call high?

…I'm riding mine off road a lot, like an XC MTB, and want a shorter gear for long up-hill sections. I'm happy enough to freehweel a bit if I spin out on downhill tarmac sections (which has been rare, so far, but then again, I'm not very fast).

If the gearing's too low, then the tyres are probably too fat and the frame too heavy.

(Attachments are also there for a front mech if you wanted to go 2X.)

I'm loving my Cotic Escapade. Sounds like it would fit the bill. It's a really comfortable bike and doesn't ride heavy at all..

[url= https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8333/29131819332_bcb2fde9f9_c.jp g" target="_blank">https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8333/29131819332_bcb2fde9f9_c.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/LohbX7 ]Escapade and Mont Blanc[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/beanum/ ]Beanum[/url], on Flickr

Arkose

For me I see no need for to put a rack at the front. If you disagree then buy another bike

I'd add that Al bike carbon fork is light. I think lightness is desirable in a commuter but irrelevant in a tourer

that orange kona keeps grabbing my attention. looks ace.

He said I'd be spinning like crazy with gearing so easy. I did say it'd go off road too! So all about compromise. Never ridden drop bars so all very new...

+1 Vagabond. Think of it as a drop-bar 29er ATB with touring potential. As I have said before - whatever you like the look of ot's so worth making the effort to try before you buy, especially a bike that needs to be adaptable and comfortable. I'd have bought a Longitude if I hadn't also tried the Vagabond, but so glad that I did as it really ticked all the boxes on my list (adventure touring, bikepacking, dicking about, multi-surface, fitness rides, utility)

He said I'd be spinning like crazy with gearing so easy.

I can quite happily (well, maybe not too 'happily') cruise along at 20+ mph in 34t front, 11t rear on the road bike, you really don't need a 52t front chainring unless you're racing.

36t at the front is really fine for most people, especially if that's likely to be the top end of your riding speeds especially as it's 10t at rear as well.

Croix de Fer or - if you want more serious off-road-ability - Vagabond would be our suggestions but then we do sell Genesis so are biased.

Then again the reason we sell Genesis is that they have bikes like these... so it's a bit circular.

Surly Straggler would be another great option.

Incidentally what size are you OP? We have a few deals on at the moment...

I'd be looking seriously at a Sonder camino.

Or one of the Konas if you like skinny tubes.

Or a specialized sequoia or Awol.

I have the latest Charge plug 5 ti frames, that fits nice big tyres.

I use a Sala Vaya.

Why not a touring bike? Long Haul Trucker - choice of V brake or disc versions. My 700c Trucker takes 7000x42s with good mudguard clearance. Absolutely fine for hundreds of miles of railtrails and a fair amount of gravel road touring in the USA carrying full camping gear in 4 panniers. Took it over the Corrieyairick Pass here. Carry as much as you want.

Also there are 26" versions if you want something with wider tyres though I've found 700x35-38s fine for the kind of riding you mention.

My Niner RLT in the classifieds would suit you 😉

Took it over the Corrieyairick Pass here. Carry as much as you want.

The Corriayairick pass is for my the defining low point of riding a rigid bike. On a modern bike that descent would be brilliant. Even on a rigid MTB it hurt. So whilst it might possible with 38mm tyres that doesn't make it desriable or ideal.

@Beanum - how is your Garmin mounted? Seems quite high

Did 43 miles on my Arkose last night. Extended my commute to get some Veloviewer tiles. Mainly on the road but did canal path, off road section across Wanstead Flats, some off road tracks, and a few paved cycleways

If I was buying an off road adventure bike I'd probably get something steel as I love the way they look. But the Arkose did a grand job (considering it had Marathon+ tyres on it)

Carried a rack pack of stuff on it too, and didn't get wet or muddy thanks to the mudguards

Even on a rigid MTB it hurt. So whilst it might possible with 38mm tyres that doesn't make it desriable or ideal.

No argument. It was part of a longer tour with more road than not. But a bike that can cross it (on 700x42s) will cope fine with the OPs rail paths smooth bridleways etc while still being Ok to ride distances on road.

will cope fine with the OPs rail paths smooth bridleways etc while still being Ok to ride distances on road

Of course...

OK so I am about 5'8". I think. Sat on a few of these types and a 54cm frame feels right.
I feel I have narrowed it to either sonder camino or I have been offered in a local shop a genesis CdF 20 in the size i need for £800. Which seems like an exceptional deal...
So persuade me. Sonder of CdF?!

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Bought one recently and use it much as you intend to I've found previous bikes with 1x9/10 setups to spin out when on the road or not be geared low enough when fully laden. Really happy with my Marin and managed to get it for £650 from the Edinburgh Bike Coop for the 2016. Nice ride position, really comfy in the drops (but I've only ridden racy drop-barred bikes in the past). Racks, mudguards and a pair of pedals and still change from £800. I'm 6' and got a L and it's spot on (normally ride a M mountain bike though).

+1 for the Niner RLT. Really enjoying mine, it's designed for exactly what you describe. I suspect there will be a new version out soon to incorporate the changes they've made with the RDO version, so there may be some bargains to be had.

neilc1881 - Member

I'm 6' and got a L and it's spot on (normally ride a M mountain bike though).

What's it like on rough ground?

@benp1
The Garmin is on a 3rd party ball and socket mount. It's handy to avoid screen reflections but has a tendency to move on bumpy terrain. It needs replacing...
I have the proper Garmin mount on my road bike stem but the stem on the Escapade is too short for it.

I bought my Raleigh Maverick Comp for that very purpose on the back of Vecchio Jo's review. Plenty of tyre clearance, mudguard and rear rack mounts. Bargain at this price http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/mobile/raleigh-maverick-comp-cyclo-x-bike-2016/rp-prod146253
I found the compact too highly geared for the bike so fitted an X9 Crankset instead with 24/38 rings and it's perfect. It also meant I didn't have to fit a stupid large cassette and derailleur. Ive done club runs, chaingangs and on and off road riding on it, as well as towing a tag along trailer. You know the weight is there on sharp climbs, and on sudden acceleration but it's not the end of the world.

I've got the Kona Rove AL, I'm running schwalbe smart sams 42c with mudguards. The FSA Vero compact has got me everywhere I've tried to go so far. Looking at the specs it appears I could get a pair of 650b wheels in the frame too, for more of a MTB feel.

Tyre clearance. 100+ mile offroad is better with fatter rubber. In my humble opinion, of course.

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Everytime someone posts one of these threads I end up with a different bike to consider, sigh.

That orange Sutra is nice but the blue one is nicerer. I'm sure that someone on here has one.
Kona Sutra LTD 2016 [url= http://www.tritoncycles.co.uk/road-bikes-c5/touring-c41/sutra-ltd-adventure-bike-2016-p17104 ]clicky[/url]

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please stop showing the Kona sutra ltd............ 😆

I realise I'm going against the trend here, but i now use a 29er for this sort of stuff. It's a Pinnacle Ramin with 100mm forks with lockout (and it takes a rack).

It's far better than my drop bar bike was off-road, especially for 100 mile rides, and barely any slower on-road with some slicks.

I used my old Mk1 Salsa Fargo for commute all through autumn and winter for last couple of years, with 2" Specialized Fast Trak. Very capable bike and could easily hold 15mph on it.

Secret is not to run 1x gearing, stay a front mech so you can have a decent size ring at the front

That Kona really is very nice!

that kona is a lovely looking thing, much nicer colour than the 2016 CdF 20, which is beige!

The 2017 CdF 10 is mustard, it's actually quite nice in the flesh!

El Shalimo -
32" inside leg. I did find a size chart online somewhere and was lucky enough to fall into the middle if the band for a Large (if I remember correctly).

yea the 2017 colour in the cdf range is good, but I can get a 2016 cdf 20 for £800 (originally £1200), no spec changes just colour, so its a lot to pay for a prettier colour perhaps...

I had a Cotic Escapade, followed by a Surly Ogre and now a Surly Straggler. Each meet a similar brief to the OP, with perhaps a greater emphasis on tarmac riding.

I'd recommend the Escapade or Straggler, depending on what your needs are. The Escapade is slightly lighter, more upright, takes slightly narrower tyres and has fewer bolts for fittings. The Straggler is obviously the inverse of that and gives, as a result of a lower stack height and front end, a slightly wider range of options for experimenting with ride position.

I consolidated a lighter road bike and commuter/tourer (Ogre) into the Straggler, with two wheelsets:

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In case you were considering the Ogre, I can't recommend it. It was nice to have a dedicated commuter / tourer, but - unless it was loaded with luggage - it rode uncomfortably.

This is my escapade

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[url= http://s105.photobucket.com/user/Burko_73/media/Bike/IMG_8343_zpsxvkutecg.jpg.html ][IMG] http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m202/Burko_73/Bike/IMG_8343_zpsxvkutecg.jp g" target="_blank">http://s105.photobucket.com/user/Burko_73/media/Bike/IMG_8343_zpsxvkutecg.jpg.html ][IMG] http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m202/Burko_73/Bike/IMG_8343_zpsxvkutecg.jp g"/> [/IMG][/URL]]Hanging around....[/url]

9 sp xt cassette 11-36 with sora, helpfully mtb and road 9 sp all works togetherGot some alpkit wheels with 42c tubeless wtb nanos for winter. Kept the original wheels with conti file tread slicks. These are good on rough roads and great on gravel fire roads in the summer.

I'm loving it, most ridden bike of 2016

AWOL?

Steady as a rock on road, good fun off.

Wife's small came in a bit lighter than my Disc Trucker.

Base model is pretty much spot on.
Nothing needs changing, apart from the resin only rotors.
No overlap, even on a small.

Better than the Disc Trucker off road, but a bit barge like on tarmac.

The Surly feels more connected on tarmac, more like a road bike and takes heavy loads better too.
Feels odd on singletrack though like your always going to lose the front.
Fine off road otherwise and will climb seated up stuff I'd have trouble walking.

Both have no new standards, take huge tyres and are good fun.

i reckon the disc trucker is a good shout. strong enough to carry a 20 stone bloke and 4 panniers on mixed terrain tours, and quick enough to also carry him on a 100 mile road ride.
mine is shod with 48c tyres and guards at present. reckon a 2'' would fit in without guards.
rode it with nitto rando bars, also flat mtb bars and bar ends, just done a month with jones bars on (felt to short and twitchy) now gonna try some flared drops to see what they feel like.

perfect bike for most stuff i think, without too many compromises.

If you needed lighter off road capability then I'm sure I saw the Genesis Equilibrium disc 20 2016 with 105 was in stock for most sizes a few days ago somewhere on the web for £899 down from £1500+. Maybe there's a similar deal on last year's Cdf out there somewhere. Might be worth asking a dealer to ask their rep.

In case you were considering the Ogre, I can't recommend it. It was nice to have a dedicated commuter / tourer, but - unless it was loaded with luggage - it rode uncomfortably.

Interesting! In what way was it uncomfortable?

ampthill - Member
The Corriayairick pass is for my the defining low point of riding a rigid bike. On a modern bike that descent would be brilliant. Even on a rigid MTB it hurt. So whilst it might possible with 38mm tyres that doesn't make it desriable or ideal.

Which is why I use 2.35" tyres (Schwalbe Big Apples). I didn't recall any particular discomfort on the Corrieyairack.

Volume makes all the difference. Now that high volume tyres are available for road use, I'm surprised more manufacturers don't use them on their non race bikes.

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looking at an off road tourer/adventure/ do it all bike.

Why look at bikes with drop bars, out of interest?

A swept bar that takes MTB brake levers makes more sense for off-road touring use ime. If it's mixed terrain then neither MTB or road bars (flared or not) have the real advantage but unless a bike works well as a road bike and you're doing plenty of road miles on it as well I'd forget about drops, personally. I like drop bars for most uses inc off-roading but also think they're a bit silly off-road : )
And I agree with epicyclo, the bigger the tyre the better if mostly off-road. 45C is good. 2.3" can be great.

(cue pic of Tomac out-riding any of us on his drop-bar Yeti)

Next time I am in the market I'd like to build one of these. Soma Wolverine - think Singular Peregrine without the toe overlap.

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I'd forgotten how great mudguards were until i fitted some to my AWOL. Whatever you get, make sure it can take 40c tyres and still have room for mudguards particularly if you're going to commute

Here's my specialized sequoia......

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I'm not going to lie, it's pretty weighty at 29lbs as it sits there.......but I'll also say that the weight is not an issue.

Before all the weight weenies say otherwise, I'll quantify that statement! For the first hour or so, you notice it on the hills and on acceleration, but when you've been riding for a bit, and find yourself doing stupid cornering moves and taking rubbish lines just for fun, you'll realise what I mean.....the weight becomes momentum, and once you're up to ramming speed, it stays there with minimal effort! It's also massively comfy!
It can also run 650b wheels with ease, but comes fitted with 42c sawtooth tyres, which are excellent. I would only change the tyres for the gumwall version for aesthetics!

My bike is built around a Kinesis Pro 6 frame for the sort of riding the OP described.

I got both a Genesis Croix de Fer 2016 and Cotic Roadrat mk1.
The Roadrat is very soft but also very comfy on bridle road and over potholes, 37c tyres+fender and 2x10 Tiagra flatbar(rimbrakes) but I don't use it for longer journeys - I just don't feel comfy enough on it, loaded or not.
The Croix de Fer is stiffer, faster and fully trust it for longer journeys. But not as forgiving(I'm okay with that though), BB is lower, 2x11 105 dropbar (hydraulic discs). You'll get [u]toe overlap[/u] with fenders on the Croix de Fer!
I work in a bikeshop where we have Straggler, RLT9 steel, CaadX, SuperX (no Genesis or Cotic though). [b]My recommendation:[/b] Croix de Fer, RLT9, Straggler in that order

That orange Sutra is nice but the blue one is nicerer. I'm sure that someone on here has one.

Oh, me! Yes, a blue one - yes, I love it. The colour does help. I love riding it down long fast bridleways; I pretty much ride it like I ride my XC mountainbike. About to upgrade to tubeless, went with Nanos but thinking I should've gone fatter. It's good to have that choice.

I highly recommend it. Perhaps not completely sold on 1x11 but that's tweakable.

(I started out wanting a Straggler after seeing one in the LBS, but after looking around, the Kona just seemed a lot better value for money.)

Soma Wolverine - think Singular Peregrine without the toe overlap.

Ahhh this is my exact situation, my Peregrine is perfect apart from the toe overlap and the short chainstays which mean fitting a front mech is a pain with mudguards.

I think I will end up going for a disc trucker, but the Wolverine does look good.

Malvern Rider, what tyres are they?

I've had a Croix de Fer, now got a Sequoia Elite
Sequoia is better in every way.
Bigger range of gears, more comfortable, waaaay better off road, better tyres, more braze ons, lighter etc etc.

As a non roadie, my roadie is a disk trucker.
Bit of a tank for a road bike but I'm totally happy with it, can see me having it a very long time.

me too Olly. perfect road bike for a 20 stone gorilla like me.... 😀

Many of these available frameset only?

looking at an off road tourer/adventure/ do it all bike.
needs to cover short commute (13miles) but also taking family out, going camping (so racks/packs) and knocking off 100mile 'off road' rides. im thinking old railway lines, smoother bridelways etc.

I know the roads are in a right state but when did any of those things become adventures?

The above comment is directed not at the OP but at the bike industry who came up with the dumbass idea of calling a bike made for commuting and towpaths an adventure bike.

Malvern Rider, what tyres are they?

WTB Nano Race (60TPI, folding) 2.1

I know the roads are in a right state but when did any of those things become adventures?

100+ offroad is definitely an 'adventure' for my creaking frame. But I do agree, marketing BS. I tend to call my bike an 'ATB'. First production bike I ever bought (1990) was an All Terrain Bike - Dawes, thumbshifters, butted chromo , rigid, 'Mountain Mix', Deore, Exage etc) and this, probably the last - Genesis, bar-end shifters, butted chromo, rigid, Deore.

Same old. This is better for touring than my first ATB as it has bigger wheels, more tyre clearance, better standover, disc brakes and fixing points mid-fork.

Though as someone else said, the rear stays are short, fitting guards is a pain, and there is toe overlap. I'm sure there are good reasons for these things...

Our old drama teacher used to ride a Holdsworth touring bike into work everyday. Since when was commuting considered 'touring'?

He carried stuff in panniers though. I guess that's why he bought a touring bike. I never considered that he may well spend 6 weeks every summer exploring Europe or Asia.

But back then bikes upowhich one toured were called 'touring bikes'. There was no special prefix. No-one need an 'adventure' tacked on. Touring was an adventure, whether leaving the West Midlands mid-morning to arrive in Herefordshire for a pint late-lunch and back over the Malverns, or whether circumnavigating Spain and Italy. It was touring. It was adventure. Now nothing at all is an 'adventure' unless you have a Go-Pro, oxygen tank and are in pursuit of a World Record.

'Adventure' in this new context is a silly Millennial prefix that ironically sucks the real 'adventure' out of anything, simply by the now-confirmed association with marketing buzz-phrases. We are addicted to minutely labelling (and therefore negating) everything as an 'experience' or some kind of multi-favet hyper-nobbery. 'Darling, I'm just nipping out on my bimblepoon for a pootle, maybe call in supermarket, no, the express supermarket, to buy some premium World Cuisine food from the chiller. This afternoon I'll be semi-adventuring on my Gravel/Adventure N+1bike. Look forward to tonight, we can maybe chill after supper with some HD streaming media, you choose the genre? Shall we go Thriller or Action Thriller?

Bike industry - go with 'Touring'.* And then decide 'Road-Touring' or 'All-Terrain Touring.'

Gravel touring? WT...

* Yes I know, everyone thinks of a 1980s teacher on a Holdsworth with a cotton duck roll bag.

Touring brings to mind red socks and cycling capes, miserably pedalling slowly all day in the rain and then pitching your heavy canvas tent.

Adventure cycling is dynamic and exciting - can mean an hours blast or a multi day epic on and off road wherever your spirit takes you.

Basically what mountain biking was before it became all about trail centres and bikes became useless for anything other than trail centres.