Touring Bike

Laughingdog

Hi
I am looking for a touring bike and have a budget of circa £1000, possibly a bit more for the right bike which I would hope to last many miles and years.

My preference would be for 700 wheels on a bike which is a good mix of comfort and speed and able to carry camping kit for 100mile multi day trips on road in the UK and Continent.

The bikes I've had suggested are the Claud Butler Dalesman and the Kona Sutra.

Anyone used these bikes or have any suggestions for others I should have a look at?

Any suggestions or advice appreciated.

Thanks

Laughingdog

andymiller

Hi

Welcome to the forum. Have a look around. This question has come up a lot recently, so if you have a quick delve you'll find lots of possibilities and useful discussion.

I know it's difficult if you are new to touring, but it's worth thinking about what sort of touring you want to do. Some people do lightweight touring staying in hotels/hostels etc, while other people need to carry camping equipment and food. Some people are happy to stay on surfaced roads while others want t a bike to ride dirt roads etc. Some people go touring for two-three weeks a year, while other people want to tour for months, and other people want a bike thy can use all year round either for commuting or training or whatever. If you can be more specific about your needs then it will help people make suggestions.

Laughingdog

Hi Andy
Thanks for the reply.

I've done a bit of touring on my Giant SCR2 with rear panniers, camping and hostelling in equal measure. I'm planning on 3/4 week road trips mainly on rOAd and cycle paths where I will carry lightweight camping kit. I like the speed of the Giant which I use for my 40m commute to work.

Mileage on trips is circa 100m per day with a rest or half day every 3/4 days and comfort is important. It is difficult to know whether its worth spending 1k on a bike or buying the likes of a Raleigh Venture or the Edinburgh CO-OP bikes mentioned in the forum but I'd rather spend the money and get the right bike which will last. I'll not be heading through Africa on the bike but might cycle across Europe in the summer.

Thanks
LD

andymiller

As well as the ones you've already shortlisted, some of the other bikes that people have recommended recently that might fit the bill include:

- Condor Fratello
- Tifosi
- Specialized Tricross.

You might also want to consider Planet-X Kaffenback or Cotic Roadrat, (both are available as framesets or complete/custom builds). The Cotic is about as versatile a frame as you can get - including big tyre clearances. The fork is a bit of a marmite thing though. The Surly Long Haul Trucker also seems to be highly regarded by US touring bikers. A longer wheelbase, but also pretty big tyre clearances - if you want them.

In terms of whittling that list down I guess a couple of the criteria you might use would be steel vs aluminium and discs vs rim-brakes. But then that might not help very much if you have an open mind! Personally if all other things were equal I'd go for steel over aluminium and discs over rim brakes - but that's entirely personal preference.

PS - just spotted the bit in your original post: "My preference would be for 700 wheels on a bike which is a good mix of comfort and speed and able to carry camping kit for 100mile multi day trips on road in the UK and Continent". D'Oh! Sorry!

crafty

I toured on my SCR2 as well, before buying a '97 Dawes Galaxy. The Giant was great, particularly as I had a set of wheels built for the extra weight. It's now back in it's original spec. The Surly Long Haul Trucker comes in at £999 which, after test riding one recently, I can heartily recommend.

Ed

Wooliferkins

Will come in above £1K but I can heartily recommend the Hewitt Cheviotand the care and service you get at Hewitts in Leyland. It was worth every mile of the trips from Oxfordshire to have my Cheviot. The Tifosi CK7 is a well inside the budget and only requires a rack.

robthehungrymonkey

I've recently gone through the same process.
I wanted a "proper" tourer, rather than a cross bike or a half way house.

I looked at (and very nearly bought) a Condor Heritage, but decided in the end to go with the cheaper option of the Kona Sutra.

The Hewitt was way over £1k, and therefore out of my budget. I managed to get the Kona with mudguards and panniers and a couple of other bits under the £1k limit for the cycle to work (i could have gone over, but it was nice knowing i was getting the full benefit!)

I've been really impressed with the kona. It handles really well and you don't notice the extra weight too much when riding loaded up. It's very robust also, it feels it will take a real battering and still be able to ride home. I was initially scepticle of the disc brakes, but after a 70 mile ride at the weekend (that involved the fastest downhill i've ever done on any bike!) i'm pretty happy with my choice. They offer so much more confidence than rim brakes.

I assume you've read the review on bikeradar? Their comments are valid, but can easily be solved. And the discs do get in the way when adding mudguards etc, but although fiddly and a little frustrating they're fine once on. The one thing that annoys me is the brake bosses that they've left on for rim brakes, I don't think they're very attractive.

The only real downside is that it is quite a heavy bike, and therefore i tend to get placces slower (my other bike is a full on road bike), but you kind of develop a natural cruising speed.

Great bike IMO.

Hope that helps

Percy Veere

I bought a 2008 Dawes Super Galaxy last year and have been around France, Germany and the UK. The build quality is good, and I got it reduced from about 1K to 850GBP.

Handles well, and it still feels like a road bike when you want to get out of the saddle to climb hills. The gear changing is so smooth on the front mech I often have to look down to check it has changed.

Very pleased with it, and always look forward to going out on long rides. The ONLY downside is the brakes are cantilever and squeal horrendously when wet. I'm looking for a device I read about that will brace the chain stays to reduce this.

Laughingdog

Thanks for all the replies and helpful information.

Based on price and feedback I've narrowed the list to the Kona Sutra, Dawes Galaxy and Claud Butler Dalesman. I'll now try to get a demo.

Thanks again
Laughingdog

Wallace1492

Dawes Galaxy has great write ups. I have just got a Tricross and think it fits the bill for my needs. Going touring on it next month and can advise how it performs, but feels good on the commute.

alfablue

Laughingdog!

Sorry, late to chip in, just back from a tour!

My recommendation is the Condor Heritage (I know the fratello has been mentioned, but you really need the tougher rear triangle of the heritage, the Fratello is a light tourer/audax bike, I have just toured on my audax bike and the rear end sways alarmingly with a touring load!). At current prices it is by far the best value tourer, you can have various specs either side of £1k. The Dawes Galaxy Super would be a good choice but they are now very expensive, and the Hewitt's would also be good, but also expensive, as would be the Thorn Club Tour. The Condor Heritage got a 9/10 review in Cycling Plus last year, and it looks like it deserves it. I will be ordering mine next month, but expect a 6 week build time.

xilios

Or you could go with an aluminum hybrid. I've been riding a Gazelle Playa bought used in '05 for 300 euros and my wife has been touring with a Trek 7.2 fx bought new in '06 also for 300 euros.
Many changes have been made, but the bikes fit and handle great fully loaded with front and rear panniers.
Check out our page below for our tours, with pictures of the bikes and more details.

andymiller

alfablue wrote:

My recommendation is the Condor Heritage (I know the fratello has been mentioned, but you really need the tougher rear triangle of the heritage, the Fratello is a light tourer/audax bike,

Good point. forgot to mention the Heritage.

sirmy

You could scrape a surly long haul trucker at the price but would need mudguards and racks. It has an excellent reputation but the smaller sizes use 26" wheels, although it will take tyres up to about 2.2 inches

BE1

Hi laughingdog.

I too have a Kona Sutra and would agree with Rob, it is certainly a fair bit of bike for the money. I have not yet toured on it but unloaded it feels very stable in part I would guess due to its considerable weight. As Rob says you develop a natural cruising speed which is not the quickest.

As others have said there are plenty of more traditional tourer options. You do not say where in th UK you are but in London Pearsons cycles do the Compass which has reviewed well and a bit further north there is Bayer cycles (I think), these may come in over 1000 but I believe you can vary the spec.