bike wanted to do 10k km

BUG5Y
BUG5Y Posts: 8
edited November 2009 in Road buying advice
Hello people, it's my first post and a bit of a dilemma for me.

I am hoping to get some advice on buying a decent bike

I am planning a long trip next year most of which will be on reasonable roads but some on pretty basic roads with lots of potholes and there will be quite a lot of BIG hills.

Last time I did anything like this I was much younger and a lot lighter. currently I am around 112Kg though I hope to get that down to under 95Kg before I set off.

Then there is the kit, I expect this to come in around 15KG excluding water. A long section of whee I will be is pretty arid so will have to plan on taking 10L of water so an extra 10Kg.


So I'm looking for a bike that is strong enough to last 10K km & carry 120Kg (including me).

My budget won't stretch to some of the beautiful custom bikes out there & thats where my problems begin, I justt don't know what to go for.

Maximum is probably around £1000/1200euro though I would much prefer to get something capable for less. I don't care what it looks like, I want reliability.

thanks for your assistance.

Comments

  • skyd0g
    skyd0g Posts: 2,540
    I'd say keep it as simple as possible. The main thing you'll need is the ability to mount panniers. Depending on the roads you plan to travel on, I'd either go for a "touring bike" such as this http://www.winstanleysbikes.co.uk/product/21920/Dawes_Horizon_Bike_2009 or if you expect a fair amount of rough trails, then possibly a hardtail MTB. :?

    A touring bike would give you an advantage on the fair to good road sections, an MTB would be better at tackling rougher tracks. :wink:

    Where are you planning to travel? Will there be an sort of support vehicle?
    Cycling weakly
  • BUG5Y
    BUG5Y Posts: 8
    skyd0g wrote:
    Where are you planning to travel? Will there be an sort of support vehicle?
    around China for 6/7 months, the route takes me up and over the Tibetan Plateau and no, there will be no support
  • DaSy
    DaSy Posts: 599
    The Thorn Raven's always get good write-ups as far as touring bikes go. The Rohloff equipped ones would be a good option for the lower maintenance and less chance of damaging it in a fall etc.
    Complicating matters since 1965
  • AidanR
    AidanR Posts: 1,142
    Unless you can pick up a Raven second hand it's likely to be over your budget, but I would strongly consider Thorn - perhaps the Sherpa? http://www.thorncycles.co.uk/sherpa.html

    Steel frame (easily repairable) and 26" wheels (stronger, easier to get spares) seem to be ideal for you. Drop bars or butterfly bars (rather than flat) will give you more hand positions too.
    Bike lover and part-time cyclist.
  • amaferanga
    amaferanga Posts: 6,789
    I think I'd probably opt for a hardtail mtb with either butterfly bars or some On One Mary bars. I've used both - butterfly bars are good for mostly good roads, but if you're expecting proper rough stuff then the Mary bars are better.

    You could get a Thorn and once you accept the hideous stack of headset spacers I'm sure they are good bikes, but they are expensive for what you get - £1000 will probably only get you a bike with Shimano Deore and other basic finishing kit. If you were instead to go for something like an On One Inbred frame and forks (which I just happen to have and have done many thousands of miles touring on dirt roads in Africa :)) then you could get some seriously good wheels and probably Shimano Deore LX or XT finishing kit for the same money. I'm a big fan of Avid BB7 cable disc brakes as well having used one on the front of my Inbred for several years now.

    And you can't really go wrong with a Tubus Logo rack and some Schwalbe Marathon XR tyres (or maybe Marathon Supremes if you're going to be on asphalt mostly).
    More problems but still living....
  • cougie
    cougie Posts: 22,512
    All of my road bikes have done many more miles than that - the distance isnt really an issue. The weight may possibly be.

    Is it best to go for steel racks that any village would be able to weld if they break ?

    Decent frame, strong wheels and keep the rest simple. What bikes do they ride in China ?
  • cougie
    cougie Posts: 22,512
    All of my road bikes have done many more miles than that - the distance isnt really an issue. The weight may possibly be.

    Is it best to go for steel racks that any village would be able to weld if they break ?

    Decent frame, strong wheels and keep the rest simple. What bikes do they ride in China ?
  • BUG5Y
    BUG5Y Posts: 8
    cougie wrote:
    All of my road bikes have done many more miles than that - the distance isnt really an issue. The weight may possibly be.
    It's the combination of weight and distance that concerns me the most.

    lol, I never had this problem 30 years ago



    Does anyone know the best chain/gear set combination, eg the strongest, least likely to break.
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,715
    I'd agree with a steel frame (titanium would be ideal but likely to push the cost up). Make sure you get some good, strong wheels as well as that's the part that's going to take the biggest pounding. Sorry I can't make any outright recommendations though. Have you posted on the expedition section?
  • AidanR
    AidanR Posts: 1,142
    Personally I'd go with a Shimano mtb groupset (which one depending on your budget) with 9 speed bar end shifters on drop bars (or on a flat or butterfly bar using thumbies). Bar end shifters are very simple, so will be much easier to fix if they go wrong. Steel frame (maybe a mtb frame as suggested above though you'll have to find one with rack mounts) with 26 inch wheels and v-brakes. Steel forks to take a front rack (if necessary). Good quality steel rack(s) such as Tubus. You'll have to budget for panniers as well - Ortlieb are widely regarded as the best though they're not cheap.
    Bike lover and part-time cyclist.
  • pascoa341
    pascoa341 Posts: 10
    Quite intrigued what you chose in the end. I'm also looking into a similar frame and may go for a Thorn Ripio, which is basically a massively strong mtb frame. I would also like to use it for a bit of mtb'ing though and for that I am a bit worried about the frame weight of 2,5 kg. Would this be of a negative influence on the riding?
  • sheffsimon
    sheffsimon Posts: 1,282
    cougie wrote:
    All of my road bikes have done many more miles than that - the distance isnt really an issue. The weight may possibly be.

    Is it best to go for steel racks that any village would be able to weld if they break ?

    Decent frame, strong wheels and keep the rest simple. What bikes do they ride in China ?

    Flying Pigeon, which as you might imagine, are sh**e.

    Never thought Chinese roads were particularly bad, but I guess you will be out in the sticks.
  • vorsprung
    vorsprung Posts: 1,953
    If you read up on successful round the world riders they tend to use old steel MTB
    They ride these to destruction and then get another one
    Also you will need to know how to fix stuff out on the road, most important seems to be rebuilding wheels
    Audaxing Blog - Long Distance Cycling
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