What bike will suit my needs best?
harpo
Posts: 173
Bike advice:
I’m planning a summer trip of about 1,300+ miles from Rome back to the UK. I’ll be doing it on my own and camping most of the way with the odd night at friends as I pass them in various locations and a B&B or two when I feel I need the rest from camping. I’ll travel light with no cooking equipment and minimal clothes. In the past I have managed to cover 80+ miles a day on my Hybrid with two peoples luggage on the pannier and other camping trips with a tent and luggage on the rear. The bike broke (maybe due to the loads??) and I’ve just got a new frame which I’ve replaced some of the running gear on to smarten up and replace worn out chainsets and wheels.
The thing is I am not sure if this Specialized Sirrus Expert frame is what I really want to cover these miles on. My main worries are
• The over loading of weight on the rear (might get a bar bag to distribute weight better to front but even so with a tent on the back it might not make much difference)
• The carbon rear stays not being suitable for such heavy loads
• The bike not being what I want to cover such distances (prefer more of a road bike style)
• Dawes style bikes being too heavy and cumbersome (don’t know if I really want front panniers)
• Would like a bike with a 130 mm drop out to use existing wheels I have on it
• Don’t really want cantilever brakes but most tourers seem to have these
• Don’t really want bar end shifters would prefer sti shifters/brakes
So what recommendations might one make about other bike possibilities? I’ve looked into Van Nicholas bikes and quite fancy the Amazon and the thought of a light tourer (about 8 to 9 Kg rather than a 14Kg Dawes) but has carbon fork so no front panniers. I like the thought of being able to strip the Amazon down to use the rest of the year on jaunts and training at home. Price is an issue in so much as I’d love to have a bike for every need but can’t afford that, but if I can shift the Hybrid then less concerned about parting with cash.
Am I being too fussy about weight? Are there any good strong but quick bikes out there for me?
I’m planning a summer trip of about 1,300+ miles from Rome back to the UK. I’ll be doing it on my own and camping most of the way with the odd night at friends as I pass them in various locations and a B&B or two when I feel I need the rest from camping. I’ll travel light with no cooking equipment and minimal clothes. In the past I have managed to cover 80+ miles a day on my Hybrid with two peoples luggage on the pannier and other camping trips with a tent and luggage on the rear. The bike broke (maybe due to the loads??) and I’ve just got a new frame which I’ve replaced some of the running gear on to smarten up and replace worn out chainsets and wheels.
The thing is I am not sure if this Specialized Sirrus Expert frame is what I really want to cover these miles on. My main worries are
• The over loading of weight on the rear (might get a bar bag to distribute weight better to front but even so with a tent on the back it might not make much difference)
• The carbon rear stays not being suitable for such heavy loads
• The bike not being what I want to cover such distances (prefer more of a road bike style)
• Dawes style bikes being too heavy and cumbersome (don’t know if I really want front panniers)
• Would like a bike with a 130 mm drop out to use existing wheels I have on it
• Don’t really want cantilever brakes but most tourers seem to have these
• Don’t really want bar end shifters would prefer sti shifters/brakes
So what recommendations might one make about other bike possibilities? I’ve looked into Van Nicholas bikes and quite fancy the Amazon and the thought of a light tourer (about 8 to 9 Kg rather than a 14Kg Dawes) but has carbon fork so no front panniers. I like the thought of being able to strip the Amazon down to use the rest of the year on jaunts and training at home. Price is an issue in so much as I’d love to have a bike for every need but can’t afford that, but if I can shift the Hybrid then less concerned about parting with cash.
Am I being too fussy about weight? Are there any good strong but quick bikes out there for me?
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Comments
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Tifosi CK7 More than up to the job with the addition of a rack and a barbag. I did Paris Roubaix on mine and it survived fine. I've toured with it happily. With the rack removed it's more than nippy enough to train on. If you rae travelling light you'll have no real need for front panniers (you'll only fill them
) Neil
Help I'm Being Oppressed0 -
As someone also doing the trip this summer but the other way around, I've done lots of research into what bike my cycling partner should buy and the one mentioned above (CK7) looks like a great choice.0
