which touring bike for commuting

Matthew52

Can anyone help? I ride about 12 miles a day commuting through London and am looking for a bike that will also be suitable for weekend/week long tours. My touring isn't heavy duty (at the moment) more B&B than camping. I think I want a steel framed bike (so probably a touring bike) for comfort but it needs to be reasonably nippy. I like flat handlebars and also like to ride in a more upright position. I want to invest in a good bike - my last bike was used heavily for 8 years until it was pinched last week. (and have been salivating over touring bikes like Condor Heritage and Fratelli although they might be inappropriate with straight bars - and also the more mass brands too) Any help would be gratefully appreciated.

Wallace1492

I commute on a Tricross, and use it for touring too. Great all round bike. Might not suit you as it has drops, but is rugged, can handle canal paths, and is equally at home on a long day out for a road run. Carries enough gear for camping, and is a superb all round beast. Oh, and you get a cape!!

itsbruce

What's your budget? And how much do you are about the brand?

Trek have an interesting range of well-made bikes that cover quite a range of types and uses. Worth checking out.

Hell below zero !

Speak to Roberts Cycles in Croydon, they can build you a custom steel framed bike to suit your requirements. http://www.robertscycles.com/about_roberts.html

Here's their flicker pages http://www.flickr.com/photos/robertscycles/ showing the variety of frames they build and the uses there put to.

Aguila

I think you would like the bikes Thorn cycles make. The raven tourer seems to suit your spec well:

http://www.thorncycles.co.uk/ravensporttour.html

they also make some very nice audax bikes which would happily do light touring, these again are with drop bars though:

http://www.thorncycles.co.uk/audaxmk3.html

itsbruce

Aguila wrote:

I think you would like the bikes Thorn cycles make. The raven tourer seems to suit your spec well:

http://www.thorncycles.co.uk/ravensporttour.html

Ah, Rohloff, nice. I'm guessing that's going to make it a more expensive bike than the Condor Heritage

Matthew52

Many thanks for these ideas. Really helpful. I will definitely test ride you suggestions next week. I may find it more sensible buying a cheap commuting bike that I can fix to London streetposts without worrying that it will get pinched and spend my money on something better for touring.

itsbruce

In that case, take a look at Ridgeback for the cheap urban bike. Or go second hand (reputable bike seller, please )

sharm1969ca

ya might want to check out the raleigh royal. My mate bought one from the net and paid about £390.00 very nice bike, but has drops but you can change them.

Matthew52

In that case, take a look at Ridgeback for the cheap urban bike. Or go second hand (reputable bike seller, please )

Are there any reputable second hand dealers in London that sell good quality bikes?

the_hundredth_idiot

If you did want to go for the Condor option, they can spec it how you like - including flat bars. On my way to work, I regularly pass a woman who has a Heritage with flat bars. Looks smart to me.

wgwarburton

Matthew52 wrote:

Can anyone help? I ride about 12 miles a day commuting through London and am looking for a bike that will also be suitable for weekend/week long tours. My touring isn't heavy duty (at the moment) more B&B than camping. I think I want a steel framed bike (so probably a touring bike) for comfort but it needs to be reasonably nippy. I like flat handlebars and also like to ride in a more upright position. I want to invest in a good bike - my last bike was used heavily for 8 years until it was pinched last week. (and have been salivating over touring bikes like Condor Heritage and Fratelli although they might be inappropriate with straight bars - and also the more mass brands too) Any help would be gratefully appreciated.

A friend of mine has a Dawes Horizon and likes it a lot. Steel tourer, upright position (but has drops). Most quality tourers will have drops (or maybe butterfly bars), I would think, as they generally seem to be preferred for longer rides.
Dawes have a longstanding reputation for good tourers- have a look at their range for inspiration, if nothing else.
How about the Kara Kum- it's a bit heavier than the Horizon (and has an Al frame, though the forks are steel) but might be the sort of thing you would like?

Cheers,
W.

itsbruce

Matthew52 wrote:

Are there any reputable second hand dealers in London that sell good quality bikes?

Good advice here

Matthew52

Many thanks for your help.I ended up buying a Giant CRS2 - for basic town commuting. Looking at buying a Ridgeback panorama with flat bar and Brooks saddle for touring. Anybody had any experience of these?

Matthew52

Many thanks for your help.I ended up buying a Giant CRS2 - for basic town commuting. Looking at buying a Ridgeback panorama with flat bar and Brooks saddle for touring. Anybody had any experience of these?