Amongst the many emails I get about planning a cycle tour, the most frequent is “which touring bicycle should I buy?”
The range of touring bikes on offer can be bewildering. So I would like to begin with some broader context, because there are more fundamental questions that will make the choosing process easier.
What kind of bike tour am I going on?
Your ride should dictate your bike, rather than your bike dictating your ride. Don’t get bogged down with bicycle choice until you’ve clarified what your priorities for cycle touring are going to be, and what kind of trip you want to make.
Styles of touring tend to vary along a few axes:
- Fast or slow
- Lightweight or heavyweight
- On-road (paved) or off-road (unpaved)
- Short-term or long-term
Often there are correlations here. Fast, light, on-road and short-term are usually combined; slow, heavy, off-road and long-term are likely to be found together too. These preferences feed directly into choice of touring bike.
Most tours fall somewhere in the middle of all of this (of course, since averages create the middle ground). Therefore, off-the-peg touring bikes generally fall in the middle of this spectrum, as manufacturers want to cover as broad a range of tourers as they can.
Custom-building, as I first did, is often a better choice for those looking to sit at the extremities of these scales.
If what you want to achieve with your tour is still not clear, this is a cue to go back to first principles. You can always come back to the bike a little further down the road.
How much money do I want to spend?
If you’re strapped for cash, it is perfectly possible to use any old bike for touring — as long as it’s about the right size. Wrongly-sized bikes are a common source of pain and injury. You will (eventually) get from A to B on the rusty heap that’s been sat in the garage for the last decade.
I know, I know; this kind of rhetoric gets chucked around a lot, usually by people doing tours on absurdly expensive bikes. So I’m going to prove it to you in an upcoming series of articles. Watch this space.
If you’ve got some cash but are still on a budget, good quality second-hand touring bikes (or mountain/hybrid bikes adaptable for touring) can be had for a few hundred pounds. In the long term, expect to spend more on maintenance and repairs than someone making the same journey on a new bicycle.
If you do have a budget for a decent bike, however, common touring wisdom is to get the best quality bike you can afford. Usually, a ‘bike manufacturer’ will actually manufacture little more than the frame, and the rest of the bike will be assembled from parts made by the same handful of component makers.
You get what you pay for: price goes up as components notch up their ranges. In the mid-range of touring bicycles there are plentiful options. Expect to spend between £1000-£1500 on a new mid-range tourer, and for it to last many years and handle the majority of your touring extremely well.
At the top end of the market are the bikes you’ll be considering if you have money to burn and/or very particular requirements. You might want something that’s literally unbreakable for tens of thousands of miles, yet weighs nothing so you can break a world-record. You might want to spend several years riding dirt roads and singletrack with large amounts of gear and food in tow, yet still enjoy the experience. You might be a huge bike geek or a rich anti-conformist and want to ride a full-suspension touring bike with built-in USB charger. Expect to part with several thousands of pounds for the privilege.
Example Mid-range Touring Bikes
Most cycle tourists are not breaking records, but they do want to feel like they’ve got somewhere at the end of a day. They’ll carry the bare essentials but pack a few personal luxuries too. Roads will comprise the majority of their trip, but they might find themselves on a dirt track every now and then. They’ll usually travel for a few weeks, make a few shorter trips closer to home, and occasionally go for a Big Ride.
This broad space is the domain of the mid-range touring bike. Most cycle tourists could conduct their travels successfully on any of the following options. They’re all mature, capable machines, tried and tested and with sensible price-tags, in need of nothing more than a Brooks* and a rider. Here’s a few of the better-known ones:
Kona Sutra (£1200)
Kona inhabit the left-of-centre in cycling, producing a fascinating range of eccentric yet extremely useful bikes. Their Sutra touring bike is my current ride of choice (full disclosure: Kona have sponsored me with 3 bikes since 2007). As well as all of the usual considerations, it’s progressively-minded too with powerful disc brakes and a pile of thoughtful touches. Highlights include the bomb-proof steel frameset and heavy-duty rear rack, placing it well for off-road excursions as well as road riding.
Read my full write-up of the 2012 Kona Sutra.
STOP PRESS: Chain Reaction Cycles* currently have the 2012 Sutra on clearance at a massive 30% discount. If you buy a 24T granny ring* at the same time, you’ll save over £350 on the RRP and have a near-identical bike to the newer 2013 model. This is an absolute steal and isn’t likely to last long — click here* to grab one while you can…
Evans Cycles* sell the 2013 model online.
Ridgeback Panorama (£1300)
The Ridgeback Panorama is described by many UK tourers as an underrated bike, coming with plenty of recommendations. This is another steel-framed mid-range touring bike with a sensible, durable selection of components drawn from both road– and mountain-biking disciplines, although it doesn’t quite provide the overall strength or braking power of the Kona. Its road-influenced frameset places it well for long-term road touring.
Evans Cycles* sell the 2013 Panorama online in the UK, as well as its cheaper sibling the Voyage*.
Dawes Galaxy (£1200)
Dawes’ British heritage has made the Galaxy an established favourite in these parts, and traditional touring components and design features can be seen all over this bike, which represents great value for money. A Reynolds steel frame, Tubus Logo rack and Schwalbe Marathon tyres take care of longevity concerns. The low– to mid-range Shimano groupset choices and basic wheelsets keep the package affordable. This makes the Galaxy a good choice for medium– to long-term road tours in the developed world. Great for the patriots, too.
Evans Cycles* sell the Dawes Galaxy 2012 online in the UK.
Surly Long Haul Trucker ($1100)
While not as easy to find in the UK as the Kona or Ridgeback, the Surly Long Haul Trucker is perhaps the most common of the bikes in this list. A popular choice Stateside for medium– to long-term loaded touring on the North American continent and beyond, it’s a well-balanced road-touring bike at a price affordable to many. And, of course, it continues to be recommended by tourers today.
Check out Surly’s webpage on the Long Haul Trucker. It’s also available as a frameset for custom-builds, and there’s a disc brake option too.
Trek 520 ($1500)
Another favourite that’s not so easy to find in the UK, today’s Trek 520 has perhaps started to become a victim of age and neglect, with fender issues, a flimsy rear rack, the usual throwaway saddle, and tyres not the longest lasting under load. Trek have cut corners, using their own Bontrager-brand components to keep the price affordable, but if you don’t mind spending a little on upgrades to address these shortcomings for a longer tour, the Trek 520 is still by all accounts a classic frame and a joyful bike to ride.
Check out Trek’s page on the 520.
Yet More Mid-Range Touring Bikes
The following models have been recommended by readers and Reddit contributors as fitting this category. Some of them are on the budget end, some straying into the top end, but I’ve listed them for the sake of research and choice:
- Jamis Aurora Elite 2013 (
£1180£1030 at Evans)* - Jamis Aurora Elite 2012 (
£1399£999 at Evans — 28% off right now)* - World Randonneur (USA, $1900)
- Novara Randonee (USA, $1200) and Safari (USA, $900)
*
- KHS TR 101 (USA, $1100)
- Fahrradmanufaktur TX-800 (Germany, 1500 EUR)
- Motobecane Gran Turismo (USA, $1600)
- Koga Randonneur (UK/Europe, £1800)
- Rocky Mountain Sherpa (USA, $?)
Summary
What I’m hoping is fairly clear is that the five touring bikes above are pretty much the same bike. They’re all priced within a couple of hundred pounds of each other. They all have steel frames, wide gearing, drop bars but with non-aggressive riding positions, pannier racks or at least rack mounts, hybrid drivetrains cut from the middle of Shimano’s mountain-bike and road-bike ranges, and boring saddles (because they know you’ll swap the saddle for your favourite but can’t sell a bike without one).
They’re all built primarily for paved roads, but could handle a dirt track or two if need be. They cut corners to remain affordable, but do so where it’s less important. They’ll all need bits and pieces replacing over time, but that’s normal. In short, they’re compromises. Well-balanced, capable compromises.
So which to choose is largely a matter of taste. I like the Kona’s beefed-up frame design. You might like the Trek’s paint-job, or the Dawes’s British origins, or the Surly’s reputation, or the Ridgeback’s roadie-ness. Any of these bikes will take you round the valley, round the country, or round the world.
In future posts I’ll look at specialist requirements, stupidly high-end models, and how to build a tourer on the cheap. In the meantime, are there any mid-range touring bikes you feel are missing from this list?
A good bargain i.m.o. would be the vsf Fahrradmanufaktur TX-800 XT with 30 gears.
handmade in Germany, complete Shimano XT-Group, Tubus Cargo and Tara lowrider racks (made out of Steel tubing, Magura hdraulic rimbrakes, a XT hub dynamo and a pretty good, rigid wheelset including some Schwalbe Marathon 47–622 reflex tires. There are Shops in GB too, in € it would be 1499,-. Of course, a sturdy steelframe and-fork.
http://www.fahrradmanufaktur.de/produkte/expedition/tx-800-xt-30-gang/
Or, my ride of choice, the Surly Troll (mine is a custom-setup by myself, but the complete bike gets some good reputation too), more like a Offroad-Utility-Bike. (can be driven with V-Brakes, Disc-Brakes, a Rohloff Hub, a normal rear derailleur or even singlespeed).
http://surlybikes.com/bikes/troll
The parts on the complete one wasn´t what i had in mind so i bought the frame and fork for 380 €
Thanks for the comment and suggestions!
The Fahrradmanufaktur looks like good value for money, as you say. I wouldn’t take a 10-speed chainset far beyond Europe, though — very new tech and with every increment comes a narrower, weaker chain, with spares almost impossible to find outside high-end bike stores. My first expedition bike was built with a 8-speed rear mech for exactly that reason. Even a 7-speed would still be stronger and easier to find parts for in most of the world.
The Troll reminds me of the Explosif I built from the frame up for off-road touring. Looks absolutely great if you want to build your own and ride a lot of dirt! Shame only a few stores import them over here in the UK.
I bought a Dawes Super Galaxy 2001 second hand in a fairly sorry state. I guess it was 30 years old then. I have ridden through Brittany on it 3 times and use it every day. I’m on my third set of wheels and it has had 2 complete drive train changes. I have been thinking about getting a new bike for 5 years but them I spend $100 on new bits and keep it going. Anyway, it was built to last. Don’t know if the new build quality is as good?
That’s the mark of a good frame!
I put a huge vote in for the Surly. I can say I’ve treated mine like a mountain bike on previous tours and it’s never been a problem. Its just built to take any punishment I fell like dishing out.
I have had negative experiences with an older Kona Sutra; however, it was with the former placement of the bb7 brake caliper and subsequent rear rack configuration with a huge bolt and spacers. It’d just sort of snap whenever we were running late, battling poor weather, or having trouble finding camp. Now that they’ve moved the brake to the lower chain stay, that problem is gone and the rack is likely as bombproof as the frame.
Yeah, that’s probably what prevented it from being taken seriously for so long — I’ve read some similar comments about older models. I probably wouldn’t have included it here a few years ago, but I can attest to its vast improvement in the last couple of years. Had an interesting chat with Kona’s designers in Vancouver earlier this year — they decided to redesign it from the ground up, rather than try to beef up a road-bike design as they’d previously done.
I had a 2007 or 2008 Sutra and one of the rear rack eyelets broke off during the first week of my very first tour. I finished the ride with the rack held up with bunch of zip ties. I was very disappointed with that frame.
Novara safari is a great and inexpensive tourer sold at Rei Cheaper then any of these by a large margin with butterfly handle bars
Novara randonee is more in line with what is here
Khs tr 101 very complete even includes clipless pedals.
Thanks for this, Andrew. I had a look at the specs of these bikes. As you say, the Novara Randonnée is a closer fit for this list of mid-range tourers, though I would still be concerned about the rear rack’s strength and the 10-speed drivetrain. It’s also missing fenders. Otherwise it looks like a good bike at a good price.
I’d probably put the Safari in the ‘budget’ category rather than the mid-range, due to it having a lot of entry-level components. While that’s fine for short tours and commuting, I’d be concerned about its long-term durability on a big tour, where the aim is to reduce the likelihood of repairs and replacements.
The KHS TR 101 looks like a very capable road tourer — I’d like to see some real life reviews.
Thanks again!
Also love your site and check my rss reader for your posts daily such a inspiration keep on riding man
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I’ve done short tours on my Randonee for years, and love it. Hildy (my Randonee) climbs hills like a madwoman and can haul as much cargo as need be quite handily. The bike will even handle mild off-road. I’ve long since worn through the stock tires, and replaced them with Schwalbe Marathon tires.
I’ve replaced the rear rack, but I’m told by many that the tock rear rack is quite sturdy. (I already owned a pair of Tubus racks from my previous bike when I bought the Randonee.) This fellow rode from Florida to Washington State on a Randonee, and used the stock rear rack.
I have an older Randonee that has a 24-speed drivetrain, and I have to say that I share your concern about the newer, 30-speed drivetrain. It seems odd that they would put a 10-speed cassette on a touring bike. However, I am pleased to note that they have gotten rid of the old STI shifters and moved to the more dependable bar-end shifters. If I had the spare cash, I’d have those installed on Hildy.
The Safari looks like a fun bike for short tours that contain off-road components, but I’d worry about those disc brakes on tour.
+1 for the Ridgeback. Like you say, everything is a compromise and in the Panorama’s case the manufacturer has skimped on the brake pads the most. Happily this is easily fixed. Another slight annoyance was caused by the shifters, which needed the addition of brake noodles to route the gear cables away from the handlebar bag I added — couldn’t quite justify 105 levers with integral cable routing for a tourer. Top bike, highly recommend it!
I’ve just completed a tour on my new Vivente World Randonneur http://www.viventebikes.com/main/page_products_bikes_2012_drop_bars_sti__levers.html
It’s probably at the upper end of the middle for touring bikes, if that makes any sense. But for me doing heavy highway touring it is ideal. Strong, stable. The dynamo on the front wheel is excellent at charging up all my electronics.
As you said, a bit pricey, but a lovely looking bike — thanks!
Is it possible to put a dynamo for charging up a GPS and iPhone on the front wheel of a Surly LHT? Does it reduce speed much?
Great article Tom, I suspect most of us spend too much money on our bikes. Its refreshing to see someone write about the mid-rangers. Rather than the “you need this bike with Rohloff, Son, Magura, tubus” that you read on most sites..
Too true. I’ve got an interesting article in the pipeline which will go even further in the ‘budget’ direction. Watch this space…
Thanks for the article. A bit disappointing recumbents are not mentioned, as these are hands down the best bicycles for long distances. The first question should always be: Do I have a reason for not choosing a recumbent?
I can think of several — price, availability and familiarity are the first three.
I do appreciate all the arguments for the benefit of recumbents, but this article was intended to highlight mainstream mid-range options, and unfortunately recumbents are still a long way from being part of that. I’d love to run an article about them, but not until I have some first-hand experience…
Hi Tom,
I followed your adventure to the Arctic. Good to see you passing on your knowledge. Both my DH and I have Koga Randonneurs and I love mine. He preferred his Dawes Super Galaxy that he had upgraded with the Koga multiposition bars unfortunately , it was stolen and never recovered. They come complete with dynamo for lighting and I have a gizmo to charge the I phone.
Good to find your site again.
Brenda
My wife and I have had our Ridgeback Panorama’s for a couple of years now and are really pleased with them. We would, however, agree with Mark’s comment about the brake pads/blocks. Fortunately, easily rectified with a better brake block compound. We find that, when fully loaded, the bike comes into its own with regards to comfort, response and stability due, I think, to the Reynolds 725 tubing.
Have to say I was a bit surprised at your mention of ‘stupidly expensive’ bikes then trying to claim that £1500 is a mid-range price.
Anyway I have a Dawes Ultra Galaxy Ti and love it!!!
£1500 is a mid-range price
Was all set to go for the Kona Sutra 2012 after much research and your review for a 1000km trip in SE Asia followed by a coast to coast of Oz, but just seen the Dawes Super Galaxy for £1125 at Spa Cycles. Almost the same price as the Kona. Would be interested on your thoughts on the Super Galaxy. I don’t plan on carrying much weight if that helps.
Hi Stu
I’ve never ridden the Super Galaxy, so all I can say is going on the specs on the website. They look very similar, although the Super Galaxy has marginally better drivetrain components and better tyres. On the other hand, the Sutra has powerful disc brakes, bar-end shifters and a stronger/more widespread 9-speed drivetrain, rather than the Dawes’ 10-speed which I consider a downgrade rather than an upgrade.
I’d toss a coin, or take them both for a ride and go with your gut!
Quick update — several stores are doing the 2012 Sutra at a discount now, including the two links in the article above…
Hey Tom, I went with the Kona Surtra based on my gut feeling and it felt right when I test rode it. Thanks for the link to cyclestore and your advice. I did a 3000 miles plus tour of SE Asia quickly followed by JOGLE on a mountain bike which was blast, but very much looking forward to journeying on a proper touring bike. Should make things less laborious hopefully.
Top website!
i have no money what small improvements could i make to my cannondale quick cx 4 2012 to make it a little better for touring
I would start by going on a tour with it and seeing if you run into any issues — depending on what you’re doing, it might be fine as-is!
Hey, Tom! Since I have come back from my first bike tour to Europe I decided to buy Kona Sutra but question about what sixe should I choose is too complicated for me. I am 6 ft 2 inch. Thank you.
Hi Alex. The best thing to do by far is to test ride the different sizes. But if that isn’t an option, my brother is 6’2″ and he has the 59cm model, which fits him very well, if that’s of any help.
After perhaps 25,000 km of touring we lashed out and bought Thorn Nomad each, with Rohloff.
These are a little heavy, but the most comfortable and durable bikes imaginable…the Rolls Royce of touring. We can’t speak too highly of the Rohloff hubs.…just fantastic.
But then, we travel slowly and thoughtfully.….you might say “savoring the experience”.…too old to do it anyother way!
Check out Thorn’s website.
re your comment “They’re all built primarily for paved roads, but could handle a dirt track or two if need be.” I bought a Surly Long Haul Trucker for a tour that included hundreds of kilometres of gravel road, and it was fabulous. A key factor was to use fairly beefy tires (1.75″). The setup on the Surly allowed getting down on the drop bars for long stretches against the wind, but enough cushioning in the tires (and frame) to make rough sections comfortable. I suspect this would be true of most of the bikes you mentioned, as long as they have room for wide tires. There have been a few loose dirt trails where a mountain bike would offer better control, but the Surly has been an ideal compromise for most of my rides.
Walmart sells nice bikes (really). I ride combined packed dirt (nation forest) roads and paved. I use a dual suspension 21sp MTB upgraded with wide seat and swept back handlebars, better tires. Racks and other acc. as needed. for $250USD you can replace it every 2 years, transfer the custom parts to the new bike and still sell the old one for $35. Thieves know its a cheap bike and don’t bother it, joyriders main threat. My current bike was a $89 model, but I installed wide range gearing in addition to the other modifications. Going on 4 years 8500 miles, frame still good.
Hey Tom. Just found your site. Thought we would say hi. We are in the midst of organising a lap around the world in 2014. For 3 years. Great site look forward to investigating it further. We r using 1 Surly lhdt, 1 world Randonneur $ 2 giant boulder bikes. Check it out under bike specs on out 8pedals site. Early days for us.
Cheers les
Thanks! (Everyone else, check out 8pedals.com!)
I love my Surly Troll.
A real work horse and rides suprising well both loaded and unloaded. I personally think it’s better than the LHT because it’s a great alrounder.
It does look good. Rear triangle & caliper positioning like the Sutra. Very flexible-looking setup!
Tom
I think the comment that the 5 models you showcased are basically the same bike is spot on. Yes there are bikes with better components but the few that you chose will do the job. Its easy to build a $5000 tour bike and I have seen several. However at the end of the day I would prefer to have a tough as nails work horse that doesn’t mind another scratch or two.
I laugh as I think that my wife’s tour bike frame, a steel Rocky Mountain Soul, was perfectly fine and yet was about to be thrown into a dumpster when I saved it. Put a fork on it for 75 cents from the reuse it center and then built the rest from bits and hand me downs of solid mid range mtb components. For a few hundred dollars I built a bike that has easily survived several hard tours. It took a little time and patience but in the process I learned how to fix just about everything on the bike. Not to mention the satisfaction of giving it a new life. Now I would never consider buying a new bike from a shop. There are just so many great used bikes that would make a perfect tour bike project. With the internet as a resource you can research just about every part there is. It however takes time.
One more little story. On our trip to India, one of our group bought a $100 bike off craigslist in Vancouver. We checked it over and and made sure everything was sound and then shipped it over. She rode it for a month on tour and then donated it to an orphanage. Think they were happy? It was a pretty special moment. Would I have ridden it around the world…maybe not but it served the purpose and then some. Sometimes its just not about the bike.
ride safe
Hey Henric — thanks a lot for this perspective.
I agree that renovating an old bike is just as valid as buying a new one. (In fact, that’s a project I’ve got on the go at the moment.) I do also think, though, that there’s room for everyone to have their own way of approaching the situation — a new bike might be what takes someone from a dreamer to a die-hard cycle tourer — and for another person, the love that goes into a rebuild of a completely unique vintage bike may achieve the same thing.
Thanks for your input!
I pulled an old green Chicago Schwinn Varsity off the trash when I was in High School, fixed it up and rode it for a long time. Last year I put new wheels and tires on it, and then had to replace the rear derailleur. This year I’ve put saddlebaskets on it and use it to go to work everyday, and am planning to take it on a short 200 mile tour this summer. The only gripe I have with it is that the original gearset doesn’t have quite a low enough first gear for the hills in Albuquerque, but when I get back to Chicago next week it should be just fine again. Absolutely reliable bike (though it’s really heavy at 45lbs without the baskets, close to 55 or 60lbs with the baskets)
Fantastic. That’s the spirit.
The Paul Hewitt Cheviot is a very good bike too.
Hi Tom, I’ve read about Thorn bikes before (specifically the Raven) — any views?
Also, I would be interested to know why drop bars are so popular. I find a more upright cycling position more comfortable so would probably choose bullhorn or butterfly bars, but hardly any bikes seem to have these.
What’s your view on disc brakes? I notice that the Kona Sutra has them — does it not cause an issue when you run into maintenance problems, especially outside Europe? (I would apply the same logic to hub gears).
I ride a Raleigh Royal, which is fine as a sturdy budget option (£500).
Thanks for article, really really useful!
Hi Laura
The reason I haven’t included Thorn is that most of their models are above the price range I was aiming for here. I’ve never ridden one, but I have been told by several people that they’re great bikes, and that the people who make them are quite obnoxious.
I’ve found drops to be comnfortable, but I never use the dropped part except for shifting. I would imagine that’s fairly normal. Instead I make use of the various hand positions available on the upper part of the bars, which is at a height comparable to other types of handlebar once you’ve raised it with spacers and an angled stem, such as on the Kona Sutra. You get a very comfortable and fairly upright position out of that arrangement.
Before, I used an adjustable stem and riser mountain-bike bars. Now when I sit on that bike I feel like I’m on a Harley Davidson with pedals!
Disc brakes — well, models like the Avid BB7 have been around now for long enough to prove their reliability in the long term. They use the same cables and levers as V-brakes, the mechanism is simple, and they’re maintenance free, except for changing the pads, which you can carry with you. They last longer and are lighter than V-brake blocks. They’re also becoming easier to find spares for outside Europe. If your fork has V-brake bosses, you’ve got that option in case of a really unlucky breakdown or accident. So I think the risk is now a very manageable one.
Thanks for the budget bike suggestion — I’ll work that into a future article.
All the best!
Re drop bars: I wouldn’t want to tour without them, and I use them a lot, but especially when I have to ride into the wind. On any tour, there will be long hours, and sometimes days, when the wind is blowing head-on, and I’d go nuts if I had to be sitting straight up, catching the full force of the wind, the whole time. However, it’s important to note that not all drop bars are the same. Some bars are marketed as “randonneur” bars, and they allow for a wide range of positions, which is really important as you can change positions frequently and relieve tension on your hands, wrists, neck and shoulders. On my current bike, a Surly Long Haul Trucker, the stock (drop) bars are very good. I probably spend the most time with my hands on the top section of the bars, but it’s a blessing to be able to get right down into a crouch when I have to ride into the wind.
I would put my vote for the BB7s. A mechanical system may require more pull on the lever than a hydraulic system it doesn’t have all the potential service issues. The BB7 are durable and been around for a while. The nice thing about the BB7 vs the BB5 is that both pistons are adjustable on the bb7 making the setup and adjustment easier. Also the 7 brake pads are bigger than on the 5 which would make you think it stops better.
I can’t comment on the ease of finding pads since they are not on my tour bike but since the bb7 uses a Juicy style pad it may be more common. For me I always carry spare pads regardless of where I am. The sintered metallic pads will give you longer pad life…just make sure that your rotor is rated for a metal pad.
The other nice pluses for disc setup is no wear on the rim from brake pads, better stopping power in bad weather/muddy conditions and if you break a spoke or come out of true your brakes are still fully functional. The downside however is more strain on the hub shell and if you bend a rotor it can be next to impossible to get it perfectly straight…and there is the advantage of having both pistons adjustable on the bb7.
Hi Tom.
Sorry mate, we are going to drop the http://www.8pedsls.com site. To expensive to keep up for the entire 4 years.
http://Www.facebook.com/8pedals
http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=1&doc_id=11458&v=3Z
So we are now on fb. And crazy guy on a bike.
Cheers les
I have almost completed a round the world bike ride on a Koga Signature with a Rolhoff gear system. During my four years on the road i have changed tyres, chain, brake pads and the bike was serviced in Australia and Los Angeles. I am still running with the original rims, no broken spokes and the Rolhoff is bomb proof. The Koga in my humble opinion is by far the best bike on the market. Ive been on wonderful smooth highways, Australia, USA and dirt roads that you wouldnt take a Land Rover on in Patagonia and Bolivia but the bike has just kept going, ive done over 30.000 miles on with not one problem, it still has the original bottom bracket. If you want to ride around the world buy any bike if you want to return home problem free then buy a Koga Signature.
In 2009 my Roberts Roughstuff (with Rohloff hub) was stolen in Bulgaria with only 2000 miles on the clock. So that I could continue my RTW trip, I bought a Drag ZX5 mountainbike in Sofia, with replacement Schwalbe Marathon tyres, butterfly bars and comfy saddle, plus front and rear racks, stand, fenders and the two components of my wireless computer that had disappeared with the Roberts. The first bike cost just short of £3000, the second (Sofi) cost £500 and has now completed around 18000 miles. I’ve asked myself many times, ‘why did I bother spending all that money in the first place?’ The BMC paid out £250 in insurance btw.
Hi Anne i followed your adventures on crazy guy, was epic. Were the gears on Sofi deore or lesser Regards Pete.
Just about to buy the Ridgeback Journey for some UK touring — perhaps France too next year. I’ve been seduced by the Alfine gearing. Am I being wise?
People will choose their bikes according to all the factors mentioned by you, Tom, and by other contributors. For some, keeping costs low is paramount and for others, strength and reliability are the main considerations. I think there are also intangible factors such as each individual’s self image as a cyclist and the emotional resonance of one bike or another.
I’m far from wealthy but I appreciate the inherent value of high quality engineering and get enormous satisfaction from assembling my own bikes. After much research and deliberation I bought a high quality European frame and a mix of German, Japanese, American and British components. The complete set wasn’t cheap but I did make a considerable saving compared with buying a similar bike off the shelf. I also bought a wheel truing stand and gauges, and built my own wheels. I wouldn’t claim to be an expert bicycle mechanic but the experience of assembling my own bikes has provided not only personal satisfaction but also great confidence for dealing with routine maintenance and potential problems while far from home.
I don’t believe there is any one ‘best touring bike’ and I’m skeptical about such claims. The message I take from this section of your blog, not to mention many other bicycle related blogs and websites, is that bicycle touring is a growing phenomenon and that it is rich with variety, in both equipment and people. That is surely a good thing.
You are absolutely right; there is no one-size-fits-all solution. I can completely appreciate the process of building a bike up from carefully-chosen top-end parts (as I did myself in 2007), just as I can appreciate the idea of rescuing an old bike from a scrapheap and bringing it back to life (as I’m doing right now)!
Thanks for the very thoughtful comment!
I have just purchased an audax cycle from my local cycle store (Surosa cycles in Oldham, Greater Manchester, UK) as they build their own frames.. and had it custom built with my chosen spec for a total of £1266 and it’s a very good bike with mudguards, and a heavy duty rear rack with rack bag and 56L panniers.. soon to have an addition of handlebar bag, and front rack and panniers and I’d feel happy to do some touring on that over any distance
That sounds like a good price for a custom frame and build. I’d be interested to know the spec?
Hi Tom,
I was looking at Jamis Aurora Elite 2013 (cannot find the 2012 anymore). However some reviews describe it as a “light tourer”. I understand the problem of the 10-speed cassette. But what would make it a *light* tourer.
Thanks,
R
A ‘light’ tourer would usually mean a bike that’ll carry some luggage on a relatively short paved-road tour, but probably suffer off-road and with lots of luggage in the long-term.
Another bike similar to ones already mentioned is the Rocky Mtn Sherpa. I’ve been riding a 2012 model for 8 months and am pretty happy with it. Pros– 36 spoked wheels, 27 gears in a wide range, stiff frame. Cons– the braze on placement on the seat tube (the front derailler is attached between them), I’d like bigger chainrings up front, It doesn’t do well off-pavement.
Cheers, David. I wonder why Rocky Mountain haven’t fitted a rack to this bike — I know people can be picky about racks, but I do think touring bikes at this level should be ready to tour off-the-peg as well. Nevertheless, it certainly looks like a good option. Thanks for the addition!
Salsa , Rivendale , Co Motion , Koga Miata — if you looking for really nice touring bike. Expensive but for long run cheap — it is simple , you get quality what you pay for .….. Years back I on $ 400 sligtly modified Raleigh Tarantula MTB , ( now overhauled and equipt with top of the line comnponents still in use for trails in Rockies ) I did made trip from La Paz to Chile . Want to safe some money . It teach me ! Never ever I will make this kind of mistake again .…
Hello, Tom. Why you advice only steel frame bicycles? There’s a lot bikes with alluminuim frame and fork. It’s lighter and easy to buy everywhere.
The main reasons are durability and for ease of repair. Steel has a much longer fatigue limit, and in case of breakage can be welded anywhere by anyone with basic welding equipment. Aluminium, on the other hand, needs specialist attention — in less developed countries this could mean going to an airport. Frame breakages are not uncommon on long-haul tours and that’s why most quality long-distance touring bikes are still made of steel.
Personally, I also prefer the ride quality of a steel frame; there’s a little more give over the very stiff ride afforded by aluminium. For long term comfort that does become noticeable.
For short and occasional touring, I have no doubt that most aluminium frames would be fine, though.
I’m surprised that the Fuji Touring did not make your list. I’ve been looking around and it seems like a solid touring bike at a good price.
BTW — I just stumbled across your site and I’m impressed! I’ll be back soon.
Hi Tom! Any comments on the Brodie Elan:
http://brodiebikes.com/2013/bikes/elan.php
I tested the Sutra but after trying both 56 & 59 could not make up my mind on what was the right size for me. I am 6 feet tall so I guess I might be somewhere in between.
On the other hand I also tried the Brodie Elan 54 & 57 and the 57 felt to big for me…
Thanks in advance for any feedback
This has been a very interesting discussion — many thanks.
In response to your original question about other brands that might be considered be considered; no one seems to have mentioned the Santos Travelmaster bikes, in 26 and 28 in sizes and in aluminium or cromo.
Now, if I may lead to a dilemma. In one of your responses you referred to a concern that a new derailleur gear system with 30 gears may not yet have been “proven” to be reliable for long tours (paraphrasing your response). That is a good point, borne out by my experience — my older 26 in MTB/hybrid has 21 gears (perhaps indicates how old the bike is) and has never needed adjusting, while my newer 28 in with 27 gears needs frequent attention. Even though I do all the servicing myself and can generally adjust the gears satisfactorily, it can be a pain spending time adjusting the gears while touring (I’d much rather be riding or photographing or sipping cappuccinos in a wayside café). This has led me to consider a Rohloff hub.
That leads to the dilemma. The Rohloff hub bikes (Tout Terrain Silk Road, Thorn Nomad, vsf TX1000 and Santos Travelmaster and possibly Gudereit are all under consideration) all use 32 spokes. I am nervous about dropping from 36 spokes. The theory is that, because the Rohloff hub does not require a “dished” spoke set-up, it is stronger (than the equivalent deraileur set-up). The issue is that I cannot find any info that states how much stronger. One blog mentioned that 26 in wheels are about 10% stronger than 28 in wheels (with the same number of spokes) — but what the 10% is “of” was not explained, and what the measurement of “strength” is was also not explained. Questions remain hanging — is a 32 spoke undished 26 in wheel stronger than a 36 spoke 28 in wheel, for example? What is the “hierarchy of strength” when considering 26 and 28 in, dished and undished wheels?
This leads, of course, to really basic questions such as, for example, “would a vsf TX1000 ( 28 in wheels with wider tyres) be as strong as my current 28 in with 36 spokes”? How much stronger are the Santos wheels with 32 spokes, given that they are hand-made? And so on…
So, if there is anyone who could shed light, with facts, on this dilemma, it would be very much appreciated.
As a final point, I wonder if the steel/aluminium frame issues is now a non-issue — an idea espoused by a metallurgist-cyclist when considering modern frames?
Many thanks
Hi Phil. Thanks for the detailed comment.
The main reason I haven’t included the Travelmaster here is because it’s a top-end touring bike, whereas in this article I’ve been focussing on mid-range bikes. I’ll definitely include it in a future article about top-end bikes, though, along with the other bikes you mentioned — thanks for bringing them to my attention.
Regarding hubs and spokes, I think that the important question here is:
“Would Rohlhoff hubs be fitted to top-end touring bikes if spoke-count was a real issue?”
I doubt it. I hear more tales of Rohlhoff internals failing than spokes breaking. Which begs another question:
“Is it easier to repair a derailleur system or a Rohlhoff wheel on the roadside?”
My money’s on the derailleur. That’s why I’ll keep using them over internally-geared hubs.
And instead of asking what percentage of extra strength 36 spokes gives over 32, I’d be asking:
“Am I able to replace a broken spoke?”
Because that’s what you’ll be thinking when a spoke does inevitably break
Hope that helps!
Many thanks for your response Tom; the questions you wrote are certainly eminently practical and sensible.
Perhaps it could be assumed that 32 spoke set-ups are strong enough, given that Rohloff and the expedition bike manufacturers, who stake their reputation on reliability and longevity, use that set-up. Though, having said that, it seems Rohloff are now making a 36 hole hub (according to their website).
According to the Thorn website, spoke breakage was an issue; an issue they solved by drilling the spoke holes on the rim differently. Presumably Santos use the same technique as they also hand build their wheels.
You are absolutely correct in saying that the long distance cyclist should be able to repair such things as broken spokes and derailleur malfunctions (and etc). In terms of enjoying trips though, It’s much nicer if nothing goes wrong (ie Murphy’s law takes a holiday). As much as I enjoy servicing and working on my bikes (the mechanics are such “elegantly simple” bits of technology), I prefer the comfort of my own garage. For those reasons a reliable, strong and well prepared bike would be desirable — and that is an answer to your original question about “which bike?”.
Regarding derailleur and Rohloff gears — derailleurs have certainly stood the test of time, though newer sets with more gears may be more finicky than older versions. For that reason, and when the range of use-able gears is considered, the Rohloff hub is attractive (except for the cost — a 60000 km break-even point may not be achievable for many tourers). Interesting that you have heard of misfortunes with Rohloff hubs — I hadn’t, which indicates that I need to do more research. Perhaps a question to be considered here is, “why are top-end touring bike (and some MTB) manufacturers using Rohloff hubs?” Presumably the perceived reliability is a part of the answer to that?
Mind you, all the theorising in the world is still bound by practical experience. 4000 km into last year’s trip the drive train needed replacing (this inconvenience was my fault really, as I should have renewed the components before setting out — the bike was relatively new and I left the original equipment just to see how long good quality components would last). The chain and cluster were easily replaced, but I had to ride another 1000 km without the use of the middle chainring, until I was able to buy a suitable replacement. It was then that I started considering alternatives — a Rohloff hub is one possibility, perhaps also the gears at the bottom bracket, such as fitted to one of the Tout Terrain models.
Anyway, interesting discussion and I look forward to your assessment of the “upper” end of the touring bike market.
Thanks again
Phill
Hi, I am not new to cycling but am to touring. I just purchased a Tout Terrain SilkRoad Frame with derailleur hanger (not getting the Rohloff hub version) and want to build it up with durable components. Plan on using drop bars, 26″ wheels, and cable disc brakes. I also like grip shift but don’t know if this is compatible with drop bars, or even if they are still made. Would prefer mountain bike components. Any recommendations for which components group (model year 2013) to get that would be true and durable. I hear Shimano XT is good and light but durability is not what it used to be. Any suggestions would be helpful. Thanks in advance. J
PS Cash is a factor but don’t want to sacrifice quality either.
Ideally you’d build an 8-speed drivetrain from a mixture of components (8sp chains being thicker than 9sp and therefore longer lasting). Deore to XT ranges are durable and rugged. Beyond XT it’s about saving weight for racing, with durability sacrificed, so don’t go there.
The rear derailleur will take more abuse than the front one. 9sp Shimano rear mechs work with 8sp shifters (at least, mine does).
Grip shifts are certainly still made but I have no idea about using them with drops…
Hi Tom, it’s that time of the year when all you want to do is load up your bike, jump on the ferry to France and just go wherever the mood takes you. It’s also the time when you just devour all the reviews and conversations about bikes and gear and destinations. I love it. I’ve had my Dawes Super Galaxy for over 25 years now. It’s the single best item I have ever spent money on and, if I had to get rid of all my bikes bar one, it’s the one I’d keep. I’m in awe of its Rolls-Royce levels of reliabilty, comfort and smoothness. I’ve ridden 10s of thousands of miles on it and it still rides like a dream every time. All the way across the Pyrenees last year; fully loaded, 900kms, 50,000 ft of climbing, horrific weather, faultless. If the new models are as good as the old ones (and they should be) then you couldn’t go wrong with a Galaxy.
Tom have a look at Thorn Sherpa I have one it’s great