Mountain bike to tourer?

katkins0511

I have recently bought an entry level mountainbike ( Carrera Vulcan) and having ridden for 6 months have now got the cycling bug.
I would like to try a bit of touring and have decided to convert my bike.
I have been told that my lockable Suntour Forks are not going to be any good on a long ride ( ie JOGLE) and so I am thinking of swapping them out for a rigid set. I am also thinking of : hybrid style tyres, touring style seat, bar ends racks and panniers. I am a novice and would appreciate any tips on what I should be looking to do to the bike and the best gear to get. I am concerned about the bike being too heavy. At some point i would like to get a hybrid biut for now its upgrade time.
Any help appreciated.

Katkins0511

RonL

Most bikes can be converted to suit a particular one off need, but are never quite as good as those designed for the purpose. By the time you spend money on all these replacement parts you could have an entry level tourer from Edinburgh bicycle Co-op. Their own County starts at around £500 includes rack but excluding panniers and is designed for long day comfort touring. www.edinburghbicycle.com le jog is ridden on a range of bike types Suggest you hunt around to see what you can get new or second hand for your budget before converting.

vernonlevy

I don't know who told you that lockable forks were unsuitable. Stick with them and use them and save yourself some money and trouble.

Start investigating which rack will fit your bike if it has rear disc brakes.

Your bike is suitable for the ride if you can ride it for the envisaged daily mileage without suffering undue discomfort. It's not the best for the job but it will do.

Hybrid or slick tyres will certainly reduce the rolling resistance. You might also consider fitting mudguards.

Good luck with your touring. I hope it goes well and that you become a convert.

vernonlevy

I don't know who told you that lockable forks were unsuitable. Stick with them and use them and save yourself some money and trouble.

Start investigating which rack will fit your bike if it has rear disc brakes.

Your bike is suitable for the ride if you can ride it for the envisaged daily mileage without suffering undue discomfort. It's not the best for the job but it will do.

Hybrid or slick tyres will certainly reduce the rolling resistance. You might also consider fitting mudguards.

Good luck with your touring. I hope it goes well and that you become a convert.

GyatsoLa

Basic mountain bikes make very good tourers. What you do depends on your budget, but replacing the fork isn't your first priority.

First thing is fitting a rack. From what I can see from the picture on the website, the Vulcan does have rack eyelets - however, most racks won't fit on a bike with disk brakes. But its possible that Carrera has designed it so they can fit, so maybe ask in a Halfords. If a regular rack won't fit, unfortunately the only racks available are quite expensive. Tubus racks do adaptor kits for most of their rack range (you can buy them on wiggle.co.uk). Also, an American brand called Oldmanmountain do excellent racks for mountain bikes.

Second area to spend money on is your tyres. You need decent road tyres if you are staying on the road - if you intend to tour on some rough roads there are tyres for that too. The Schwalbe Marathon range are very good for touring.

Third thing is mudguards - you can get away with just a simple mtb style guard on the rear wheel, but better to have decent guards that protect you front and back. There are only a limited range of ones that can be fitted on suspension forks - SKS do one.

Only change your saddle if your present one isn't comfortable. There is no such thing as a touring saddle - only comfortable ones or not comfortable ones. Don't make the mistake of getting a big comfy looking gel saddle for touring - they can be nice for an hour, but a saddle thats too big and soft gets very uncomfortable after a few hours riding - slimmer and firmer are always better.

Bar ends are a very useful addition to an mtb for touring. Get ergo type ones - not bullhorn ones, which result in too much of a 'pitched forward' position for touring. Another good addition to bars for touring are ergon type grips - they are far more comfortable on the hands.

As for panniers - most people start with cheap panniers, then throw them away after their first tour and buy decent ones when they realise their mistake. Buy good Ortlieb or Carradice panniers - they will last for years.

cycladelic

Topeak do a rear rack for disc brakes for 30-odd quid....


http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/video/ ... port_Tower

andymiller

Cycladelic - that link doesn't look right!

One reason you might have been advised to swap out the front forks is because it's more difficult to find front racks for suspension forks. Personally I wouldn't bother with them, at least for now, but could get something like the Axiom racks from Chain Reaction.

My Tubus Cargo works OK with disc brakes - although I have had to use spacers to get a bit of extra clearance - fortunately steel racks will put up with that kind of mistreatment.

John Stevenson

I like a trailer as a simple (though admittedly not cheap) way of converting any bike to luggage-carrying mode.

Edinburgh Bike Coop has one for 150 quid:

http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/ebwPNLq ... =-1&f_bct=

Throw on set of slick tyres and you're good to go.

GyatsoLa

The extrawheel is another touring option for an mtb:

http://www.extrawheel.com/

katkins0511

It was one of the sales guys in Halfords. He seemed knowledgeable.
Rack alteratiion is no problem as I am a mild steel fabricator.
Appreciate the advice given. Will stick with my forks.
Do you think a set of rear panniers ie 2 side bags and 1 top bag will be sufficient. I was thinking of taking a backpack as well but not sure if this will be comfortable on a long ride?
Katkins0511

vernonlevy wrote:

I don't know who told you that lockable forks were unsuitable. Stick with them and use them and save yourself some money and trouble.

Start investigating which rack will fit your bike if it has rear disc brakes.

Your bike is suitable for the ride if you can ride it for the envisaged daily mileage without suffering undue discomfort. It's not the best for the job but it will do.

Hybrid or slick tyres will certainly reduce the rolling resistance. You might also consider fitting mudguards.

Good luck with your touring. I hope it goes well and that you become a convert.

katkins0511

Cheers for advice.
I want to spend my money wisely and once i've adapted my bike will do a couple of 2-3 day breaks to see how it fares.

GyatsoLa wrote:

Basic mountain bikes make very good tourers. What you do depends on your budget, but replacing the fork isn't your first priority.

First thing is fitting a rack. From what I can see from the picture on the website, the Vulcan does have rack eyelets - however, most racks won't fit on a bike with disk brakes. But its possible that Carrera has designed it so they can fit, so maybe ask in a Halfords. If a regular rack won't fit, unfortunately the only racks available are quite expensive. Tubus racks do adaptor kits for most of their rack range (you can buy them on wiggle.co.uk). Also, an American brand called Oldmanmountain do excellent racks for mountain bikes.

Second area to spend money on is your tyres. You need decent road tyres if you are staying on the road - if you intend to tour on some rough roads there are tyres for that too. The Schwalbe Marathon range are very good for touring.

Third thing is mudguards - you can get away with just a simple mtb style guard on the rear wheel, but better to have decent guards that protect you front and back. There are only a limited range of ones that can be fitted on suspension forks - SKS do one.

Only change your saddle if your present one isn't comfortable. There is no such thing as a touring saddle - only comfortable ones or not comfortable ones. Don't make the mistake of getting a big comfy looking gel saddle for touring - they can be nice for an hour, but a saddle thats too big and soft gets very uncomfortable after a few hours riding - slimmer and firmer are always better.

Bar ends are a very useful addition to an mtb for touring. Get ergo type ones - not bullhorn ones, which result in too much of a 'pitched forward' position for touring. Another good addition to bars for touring are ergon type grips - they are far more comfortable on the hands.

As for panniers - most people start with cheap panniers, then throw them away after their first tour and buy decent ones when they realise their mistake. Buy good Ortlieb or Carradice panniers - they will last for years.

katkins0511

Right.
Unfortunately budget used up for now. Planninmg to utilise birthdays and xmas to slowly
upgrade.

RonL wrote:

Most bikes can be converted to suit a particular one off need, but are never quite as good as those designed for the purpose. By the time you spend money on all these replacement parts you could have an entry level tourer from Edinburgh bicycle Co-op. Their own County starts at around £500 includes rack but excluding panniers and is designed for long day comfort touring. www.edinburghbicycle.com le jog is ridden on a range of bike types Suggest you hunt around to see what you can get new or second hand for your budget before converting.

katkins0511

Thanks for advice.
I'll put my available funds into a decent rack and pannier set up and some new tyres.

GyatsoLa wrote:

Basic mountain bikes make very good tourers. What you do depends on your budget, but replacing the fork isn't your first priority.

First thing is fitting a rack. From what I can see from the picture on the website, the Vulcan does have rack eyelets - however, most racks won't fit on a bike with disk brakes. But its possible that Carrera has designed it so they can fit, so maybe ask in a Halfords. If a regular rack won't fit, unfortunately the only racks available are quite expensive. Tubus racks do adaptor kits for most of their rack range (you can buy them on wiggle.co.uk). Also, an American brand called Oldmanmountain do excellent racks for mountain bikes.

Second area to spend money on is your tyres. You need decent road tyres if you are staying on the road - if you intend to tour on some rough roads there are tyres for that too. The Schwalbe Marathon range are very good for touring.

Third thing is mudguards - you can get away with just a simple mtb style guard on the rear wheel, but better to have decent guards that protect you front and back. There are only a limited range of ones that can be fitted on suspension forks - SKS do one.

Only change your saddle if your present one isn't comfortable. There is no such thing as a touring saddle - only comfortable ones or not comfortable ones. Don't make the mistake of getting a big comfy looking gel saddle for touring - they can be nice for an hour, but a saddle thats too big and soft gets very uncomfortable after a few hours riding - slimmer and firmer are always better.

Bar ends are a very useful addition to an mtb for touring. Get ergo type ones - not bullhorn ones, which result in too much of a 'pitched forward' position for touring. Another good addition to bars for touring are ergon type grips - they are far more comfortable on the hands.

As for panniers - most people start with cheap panniers, then throw them away after their first tour and buy decent ones when they realise their mistake. Buy good Ortlieb or Carradice panniers - they will last for years.

John Stevenson

Backpacks are a bad idea for anything but short rides. Travel light! Unless you're camping, two large side panniers should be plenty for a 2-3 day trip.

andymiller

Backpacks work fine - whatever the received wisdom might be (if you're planning to tour on a mountain bike you're already about to break Rule Number 1 in the book of Bad Things That Will Happen to You If You.... - so you might as well break some more rules).

I have a Deuter pack which uses their 'aircomfort' system. I use it for water, food, tools, valuables. The advantages from my perspective are that I can use it for non-riding days for walking or doing tourist stuff. Or if the worst happened, I could abandon the bike temporarily and hike out.