im keen to jump in on the touring bikes game.
but honestly a noob here.
where do i start. i’ve researched online and am going round in circles. any help would be appreciated.
what bikes have guys got and pro’s and cons of them?
out of the research i have done, the Surley long haul trucker looks the goods and also the AWOL.
my budget is under 1700ish.
Thanks in advance.
What sort of riding are you wanting to do? That will determine the bike best suited. Heavily loaded long distance touring, off road touring, short camping trips and gravel rides etc.
If you’re keen to try bike touring, then get a touring bike. If you’re keen to just get a touring bike but not sure if you want to tour, you might be better off with something like a cyclocross bike.
Most touring bikes are built for long rides with heavy loads, and are underwhelming to ride unloaded. A CX bike still has the versatility of decent tyre clearance plus fender and rack mounts, and may end up being a better ride for commuting with occasional short trips. Also for $1700 you’ll get a lot more value for money in a CX bike.
How much are Soma Wolverines?
Framesets for under $1K when I put my deposit down, but the dollar tanked, so that may have changed.
Cool. You’re right though Rambler; best to work out what the OP has in mind for this bike.
As noted above, let us know what type of riding you’re looking at doing.
Also worth browsing Omafiets. They have Vivente World Randonneurs new and second hand, and a bunch of other light touring type bikes. http://omafiets.com.au/collections/bicycles-alpha-asc/touring
VWR - can’t go wrong value wise.
TC: This thread excites me.
They have a couple of older ones at very decent prices. Also a great looking little 53cm Riteway Sonoma. Any shorties looking for a light tourer or solid commuter could do a lot worse: http://omafiets.com.au/collections/bicycles-alpha-asc/products/ritewaysonoma53cm
Voodoo Wazoo if you’re tall enough for the ones they have left on Velogear Ebay.
For the lazy, http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Wazoo-CrMo-Frame-/231162095870?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_15&var=&hash=item35d255a8fe
For what all my touring experience (one tour) is worth:
Lowest gear possible. 24/39 paired with a 11-34 was fantastic.
Thumbies, down tube or bar end shifters.
Steel frame, disc braked. I had a v braked cross check. Did the job but once loaded and raining - well I longed for something stiffer and braked better. Have a S24ON/commuter already so have dumped the crosscheck and have a disc trucker on order.
Biggest tyres you can fit with apt clearance.
You planning on some more big rides?
Endorsed. 24t for sure; I’ve rarely found myself thinking “this gear is too easy” chugging up a mountain carrying a load. Anything from 39-44 I reckon is fine up front, with the idea being that you use that cog pretty much exclusively across the cassette, unless it gets steep steep.
Endorsed. So simple and reliable. Brifters don’t rule out touring though. Just make sure they’re working well.
Endorsed. Like you say though, rim brakes won’t stop you from touring. There’s a comfort in discs though.
Endorsed. I like fenders too. 32mm tyre minimum.
Exactly. The 0.5% of the time you might want a higher gear is far outweighed by being able to spin up that 20% climb with 15kg on the bike
The new trek 520/540 or whatever the disc model tourer is great value at around $1200.
The new konas also look better than before.
Surly/soma/salsas are good if buying a frameset and building up yourself but are relatively expensive for what you get complete.
Yeah. 2 bigger ones over the coming years and a small one or two for shits a giggles inbetween.
Yeah I reckon those treks look nice, ridden/built up earlier versions of them before. The 920 is pretty cool as well
Just over $2k for a Trek 920, #ntbd
I do like the new Trek range, that 920 looks great IMO. I’d still love an old 520.
Look at the salsa fargo as well.
Mmm that trek is a banger! If I had the dollary-doo’s I’d be all over that.