Converting steel road bike to tourer

twistedmetal

Not sure if this is the right place but I have an old reynolds tubing road bike that I would like to kit out for light touring. Sort of either hostelling or lightweight camping (campsite to campsite). I have all the light camping kit as I'm a lightweight wildcamper anyway it is the bike bits I don't have.

My first questions is which rack / luggage combination should I go for taking into account the bike has skinny steel seat stays and no bosses at all.

The second is about the tyres. I have standard road bike 600x23c on it (I think) the 23c I believe is the tyre width (clinchers of course). Should I change these to at least 25 or even 28s?? Can the rims that take the 23s take anything much wider? I know it will increase rolling resistance but the comfort would become better which is what I kind of want. Would the wheels need changing to take wider tyres? If not what is the best width I could use with the existing wheels? I only have a 7 sprocket cassette so the gap between the stays would probably not take a 9 cassette and I doubt I'd get a new 7 cassette based wheel made up now. Or am I wrong in this??

What other kit should I get? Has to be done relatively cheaply as I haven't got a big budget due to so many other demands on my earnings.

I'm guessing two panniers and a tent and mat on top of the rack would be sufficient but would this be too unbalanced? Should I fit a frame bag or a bar bag to try and even front/back weight balance??

I reckon some of these questions have been asked before so I apologise for asking again. I know the more established members of this forum will probably seen this sort of question asked a hundred times and might be sick of it so any help would be gratefully received.

keef66

You could go for a seatpost mounted rack; Topeak do one that takes a trunk bag plus panniers.
Alternatively get some P-clips to mount a conventional one on the seatstays.

A bar bag is always useful for the stuff you need to access on the move, but they can get in the way of Shimano gear cables, lights and computers.

Maximum tyre width depends on the rims, but you should be able to fit 25s or 28s on a rim that currently has 23s. Just be sure there's frame / brake clearance. I run 25s year round for comfort.

And fear not, contrary to popular myth, these slightly wider tyres do not increase rolling resistance at all in the real world.

If your bike has a 7 speed block you could almost certainly squeeze a modern 9 or 10 speed wheel in there (steel is bendy and you only need an extra 5mm between the dropouts)

Wooliferkins

600x 23 that's a 24" wheel are you sure?

How lightweight are you? Can you get it all in a Carradice Camper Longflap with a support frame? You can get seat post clamps with integral rack mounts and some P-clips on your stays would support light weights. There are seatpost mounted racks but the usefull working weight isn't brilliant.

7 speed are you cassette or freewheel. Cassette and it's not too far to squeeze 8 or 9 speed in, freewheel and you could get your rear end cold set to take it.

twistedmetal

Was it 700 then Wooliferkins? its deffo 23s anyway.

My walking kit is anything from about 6kg to 12kg for over a week including food. I'm guessing the food bit on cycle touring is less of an issue as you won't need to carry as much because you are more likely to pass through somewhere with a shop. I have gotten down to about 3.5kg for an overnighter so capable of getting low weight. Use a tarp and bivvy hence low weight.

Cassette or freewheel? Actually I really don't know what it is. I only used the cassette term because I heard it before. It is a 20 year old tourer with shimano 400 exage gearing if you know what that was. it has 7 cogs at the back and two chainrings (close together unfortunately but I'm used to them). I'd rather not replace the gears as you are really talking hundreds of pounds to go up to 9 or even 8 speed I think. That it money that could be spent on enjoying my holiday. At some point in the future I will replace the bike with a CXer and kit it out as a bit of a jack of all trades bike with different set-ups. But that is in the future once I know I enjoy cycle touring. Also I really don't like the idea of opening out the stays to get more cogs in if at all possible. It is an old bike and despite steel being repairable I really don't want to worry about potential damage due to opening the stays.

So am I right in thinking you can get those p clips that attach to the tubes where a normal rack needs to be attached? Where newer bikes have bosses for racks? Also is this the most secure and best in case I have to go over the 10kg limit that I have seen on seat tube racks??

So a 25 or a 28 is possible on the wheels, that is good and an easy thing to do that I might consider for normal riding comfort too.

What else is needed for touring that isn't needed for day rides or commuting? I am guessing a spare tyre, tube and other bits and bobs. Duck tape or similar is a useful thing to have for many reasons when backpacking so reckon same for cycle touring. Basic tools I have but what is really needed tool-wise? I guess I should really google some cycle touring kit lists for that. However what are the bike specific bits I have missed??

keef66

Inner tube, puncture kit and pump* are essential. I wouldn't bother with a spare tyre unless really venturing into the wilds. A tyre boot would be a much lighter option. Some tourists like to carry spare spokes hidden in the seat tube. I have a spare chain link and a KMC quick link in my puncture kit, and my multitool includes a chain tool, though I've never had to use them in anger.

* I have the Topeak Road Morph which is bigger than a mini pump but still very light. It is like a small track pump in operation and I can get to over 100psi if required. The flexible hose connector means it puts no stress on the valve stem, and the in-line guage appears to be pretty accurate when compared with my Joe Blow track pump.

Wooliferkins

Exage 400 is cassette I think. Seven speed is when the world started to change from screw on freewheels to cassette type gears.

If you are bivvying then aLongflap andBagman with your bivvy and tarp strapped on could cover it.

A good multi tool with a chain tool on it. Not necessarily a tyre but a tyre boot a couple of quick links and a Gerber/Leatherman affair are all in my touring kit. Patches, a good reliable pump and a couple of tubes.

twistedmetal

Thanks a lot ppl. Much help, I have a better idea now.

MichaelW

P clips should be fine.
You can tour on 23mm if that is what you have. A wider tyre will be more comfortable and resistant to potholes. I have ridden on trails with 25mm.
Your road bike has much shorter chainstays than a tourer so you need to beware of heel clip on your panniers. Get the style with a heel cutout rather than a simple square profile. Full sized touring panniers may be too big.
You can increase heel clearance by mounting the rack higher up or the panniers further back. Moving the weight back affects the handling and makes the bike very "tippy" on steep hills.
Put as much weight forward on the rack and inside the pannier, ie put your toolkit and heavy objects at the front rather than the rear of your panniers.
Bar bags will help redistribute the load, good for easy access, protecting valuables off the bike and as a map holder. The Rixen and Kaul /Ortleib style mountings are best.