Small bike for touring-and-road

bikebean

Hi all,

In September I'm doing the big John 'O Groats to Land's End ride, and I just don't think my folding Dahon is up to the job....

Looking for suggestions for a smallish (I'm 5'2") ladies tourer that I can maybe also use for some less-than-hardcore road races and tri stuff after the Big Trip. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

weeve

youre asking for quite a lot of this bike - touring plus race plus tri. If you need to carry a llittle bit of stuff with you on the back then Id go for a cyclocross bike with eyelets so you can add racks etc but with addition of slick and thinner tyres. If not Id still get one

something like this or similar from specialized or other brand (this was just one with pictures and small sizes online I noticed when looking for a cyclocross bike for myself.

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/Focus ... 7602/#more


http://www.wiggle.co.uk/c/cycle/7/Cyclocross_Bikes/

If you have more money you get lighter bike/better kit etc etc etc but this is pretty good value. You need to check out if can put panniers on but if youre not carrying a full load there are lots of others ways to add special racks for race bike etc - see topeak website

Given your height the XS size might well be best (I see they have one which is quite rare- depends on your other dimensions).

NOT perfect for racing/tri stuff as are bit heavier than out and out road bikes but will do...and you can always go for nice jaunts down gravel country lanes too.....

Otherwise - old skool dawes tourers/urban flat bar bikes would do ...but worse for what you want to do afterwards in my view

or just get a second hand tourer and flog it when youre home and replace with shiny carbon race stuff!

PS I dont work for wiggle ...just have time to waste this evening as back from week bike racing and too lazy to do anything except surf the internet

weeve

ps if you need a more comfy positon for a long tour then just change the stem to a upward pointing angled one and then replace when home for "races". Likewise even with saddle...my Mrs races and immediately sells the saddle that comes with her bikes on ebay and replaces with Sella Italia womens ones

floosy

I`m 5`2" and those focus bikes seen way too big.... I mean I have a 29" inside led and ride a 41cm sloping frame.. just to get standover height on the top tube.....

(I ride a Viner bikes womens size medium..... (41cm)


Dave.

weeve

their guide says small - 26-28" /5'5-5'7" so Id have thought an xs would be fine....however - thats something that needs checking....Im sure other brands do sloping top tube cyclox bikes. Its the concept that should work....a cyclox all rounder

GyatsoLa

When you say a 'tourer', are you doing the Lands End to John O'Groats supported or self supported? And if self supported, are you credit card touring or camping? That makes a huge difference with the type of bike you can use.

If you are doing self supported camping, that means you need quite a heavy duty touring bike. The only way you could do that with a bike suitable for tri and road races would be to invest in very lightweight kit and/or use a trailer or similar set up.

If it is supported, or you are willing to do it very lightweight, any road bike will do - you can carry a limited amount of load with a saddlebag or a light rack set-up. A friend of mine who is your height has the base model Specialized Dolce (womens road bike). I put on my Old Man Mountain racks (a rack designed for bikes without rack eyelets) and she successfully toured SE Asia - but she did go very lightweight and minimialist.

Also, it would be helpful to know your budget!

bikebean

Thanks for all the help! You're brilliant. I'm doing self-supported, and camping, I'm afraid, though I've got a pretty uber-light kit. Still. I'm thinking you're all correct that I should just suck it up and plan for two separate bikes for this trip and for subsequent road races. (Going to have a stack of bikes in the flat...guessing I'm not the only one....)

Budget is preferably under 600pounds, though I'm not adverse to buying second-hand if need be.

GyatsoLa

If you have lightweight kit then with careful packing you should be able to use a road bike for your touring. You'd need a suitable rear rack (www.oldmanmountain.com and Tubus do racks that can fit onto roadbikes that lack eyelets) and a handlebar bag and maybe also a small front rack (Nitto do neat little ones that fit onto the front of some road bikes).

My friend, who is about your size or even a bit smaller, did a tour on her 48cm Specialized Dolce, a bit like this one:

http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/ ... l-09-33807

This Giant Bike looks similar and could probably do the same job:

http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/ebwPNLq ... 155c002908

Giant actually have some very good bikes for smaller women as they have a big domestic market in Taiwan and other Asian countries.

There are issues with fixing racks onto smaller frames (I had a lot of difficulties getting my OMM rack onto the Dolce, but eventually it worked). But it would certainly be better value than getting two bikes.