Lands end to John O'Groats

felixj500

Hi,

I am planning bike from lands end to john O'Groats (over 1000 km) and i dont know what type of bike to buy.

Should i buy a touring bike or a road bike? I have been looking at the Giant range (defy 4, 4.5, 3 and 3.5) and also the SCR 2 for road bikes. I dont know what i really need...
I am looking to buy a bike with between £400 and £600.

Anyother help and information on the bike ride would be much appreciated! What else may i need?

Many thanks

thel33ter

It depends if you are planning on camping/sleeping rough or staying in hotels. If you are camping a touring bike would be better because you can carry much more more easily, however, for the latter you would only need a large saddlebag type thing because you would only really need to carry spares and a bit of food. You also would need to budget for backup money, spares, food and any other equipment.

craker

there are plenty of web diaries & resources dedicted to lejog, it's interesting what the different approaches are. If you're doing it fast on a road bike it you'll still want some load carrying - one blog I saw had a seat beam type rack + a handlebar bag. That was for a nine day tour ( :shock: )

Work out how long you've got to do it and where you'll be staying on the way (self supporting / b&b etc) then pick your bike accordingly.

felixj500

Do you think my price range is possible?

thel33ter

Something like this would be good, but the ride would be quite harsh as it is 7005 - http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Dolan-Shimano-Sor ... 3a59d48311

However, you would probably be better off with something like a Dawes Galaxy like this, although this one is overpriced, as it is steel so the ride will be more comfortable.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/DAWES-GALAXY-TOUR ... 3efef5b28d

priory

http://www.ashcycles.com/web/index.php? ... anguage=en

raleigh royal is a fairly standard choice for touring and at 400 to 500 pounds would be hard to fault. I hav eridden a 500 mile tour alongside one and I am thinking of getting one myself for touring. It might be best to get it through a good shop that will set it up well and maintain it if necessary.

TerryJ

amaferanga

felixj500 wrote:

Do you think my price range is possible?

If you want good advice you'll need to provide a few more details on how you're doing the ride.

Is it supported or unsupported? Are you camping or staying in B&Bs? Are you prepared to carry minimal stuff or do you like your luxuries?

But in principle there's no reason why you can't get a suitable bike within your budget.

MichaelW

For unsuported B&B/hostel style touring the best option is probably an Audax style light-touring bike: the weight of a road bike but a few practical touches:
compact double or triple gearing.
Long drop caliper brakes for wider tyres (28mm)
muguard and rear rach eyelets.
Possibly a raised bar position compared to race bike.

You can often turn a race bike into a light-tourer with clip on bits and pieces but if light-touring is your aim, its better to start with the mopst appropriate style of frame.

MichaelW

For unsuported B&B/hostel style touring the best option is probably an Audax style light-touring bike: the weight of a road bike but a few practical touches:
compact double or triple gearing.
Long drop caliper brakes for wider tyres (28mm)
muguard and rear rach eyelets.
Possibly a raised bar position compared to race bike.

You can often turn a race bike into a light-tourer with clip on bits and pieces but if light-touring is your aim, its better to start with the mopst appropriate style of frame.