which touring bike?

mtbhenry888

I'm in need of a new touring/road bike.

i have a budget of £800 (or i will do at some point)

this is what i want

700c wheels
steel frame
rack mounts rear and front if possible
guard mounts
good tyre clearance

this is what i want to use it for
general road riding i'm not into racing but like to ride on the roads counrty lane exploring etc
commuting
touring, not round the world stuff but maybe short continental tours and definately tours in the uk and scotland

i thought about a planet x kaffenback as they are steel, well priced good for road riding and light touring can get 32c schwalbe marathons in there and i can always fit a fork with front lowrider mounts

however i don't want a dedicated touring bike that i will ride twice a year that cost £800 sitting in my garage, i wnt to get alot of use out of it

but after reading around alot i am comletely stuck for ideas for a good all round bike for what i want, is it too much to ask, can i not get what i want in one bike? any advice for something that might be suitable would be great, talk me out of things, talk me into things, feel free to say what you want!

Thanks alot

iain_j

My Claud Butler Dalesman pretty much matches what you're after, cost me £750 in 2007. I use it for touring and commuting, haven't done any multi-day tours yet but i intend to. It's a steel frame, got a rear rack and lugs for a front one, mudguards, and loads of tyre clearance - mine's currently got 700x35's.

Got it originally just for touring, i use my Giant for commuting and some shorter day rides, but it was damaged in an accident last year. It's still waiting for me to fix it, in the meantime the CB is no trouble for the commute and pottering round.

When i bought it, it was going to be that or a Dawes Galaxy but the CB won by having STI levers vs. the Galaxy's bar-end levers.

mtbhenry888

thanks for the reply ill have a look at the dalesman it sounds just like what i'm after

meagain

Jamis Aurora Elite on "sale" here

http://www.buyabikedirect.co.uk/product ... o&pid=3225

has got to be a bargain IMO. I'm sorely tempted - if a sloping top tube I'd definitely get one!

vernonlevy

Don't underestimate the versatility of a dedicated tourer.

Attend any audax event and you'll see many Dawes Galaxies and their Mercian and Thorn equivalents being ridden by their owners. Just because the bike is designed as a tourer doesn't mean that it can only be used as a tourer. I've also seen MTBs used on audax rides albeit not ver offten.

I have a Dawes Galaxy and on top of 4 - 5000 miles of fully laden touring, I have used it for around 6,000 miles worth of audax events as well as innumerable utility rides.

Hvae a look at the ofering at www.spacycles.co.uk - they have very keen pricing.

pneumatic

I have a Dawes Super Galaxy (a bit above your price range unless you get an old model or second hand). For several years it was my only bike, and therefore all-purpose.

It has been very versatile because it can be stripped down to make a decent road bike (if you don't actually race). I've used it on long charity rides, Alpine climbs, as a commuter bike and for day rides. Stripped right down (no mudguards and racks and 25c tyres), it was actually quite a fast ride by my standards.

I also now have a Spesh Roubaix, which goes like the wind, but it is, of course, much less versatile.

alfablue

The Dawes Super Galaxy would be my weapon of choice, Spa Cycles were doing them for £800 till a few weeks ago, keep watching and they may hit that price again.

I have a Dawes Audax (531c frame) and it is great but it can't cope with fully laden touring, the rear triangle is too flexy, newer models may be better, but I suspect the Galaxy is more ideal if you want to cover all bases.

mtbhenry888

Hi guys thanks for all the ideas, i like the dawes galaxy the simplicity of it and the ruggedness, has anyone got any photos of thiers or anyone elses for that matter without racks and with thinner tyres sort of audax/road spec? i'd like to see what one looks like without all of the touring gubbins as i'm only likely to tour about twice a year so for the rest of the time i would just like a simple hardworking steel workhorse.

Cheers
Henry

bornagainbiker

Hi,
This might be of interest to you

http://www.bikesheduk.com/main/Products1.asp?PR=4

tardington

I do like my Tricross Sport! Though its aluminium, not steel. I commute on it too. The Dawes's look v nice though...

landrew

Have a look at the thorn Audax Mark 3. It can only be used for light touring but is good if you are looking for an all rounder.

http://www.thorncycles.co.uk/audaxmk3.html

I agree with the other posts on the forum about the versatility of a touring bike - if you are not going to race then a touring bike like a Galaxy would make a good all rounder.

pneumatic

this is me on my Super Galaxy in a very special place. The rack is still on as I was touring at the time.

meagain

Genuine question: WHY would anyone pay more for a Dawes than for the sale Jamis?

karlmoreton

+1 for the JAMIS looks a bargain as long as the rear triangle is rigid enough for load carrying.
Wouldn't mind one myself.

mtbhenry888

the jamis and the thorn are nice but i'm worried about how flexy they would be when carrying loads, the rear triangle on both bikes look quite thin