Touring on a b'twin triban 500

trek1

I have just bought my second ever road bike which is a £430 b'twin triban 500.
http://www.decathlon.co.uk/triban-500-r ... 06944.html
I fancy trying a bit of touring and I have a 180 mile route through Wales I want to do over 3 days, camping on the way so carrying a fair bit of gear, tent, sleeping bag, stove etc etc... I have lightweight decent stuff as I come from a mountaineering background. BUT I'm wondering if the bike will cope with it, specifically the wheels and tyres? I am a 'big fella' (6ft 3" and near 16 stone) Also should I go for rear panniers plus maybe a frame bag? I have no idea.
Just hoping for some advice really as I know zilch about cycle touring and very little about road bikes!

Thanks in advance for any help :-)

mercia_man

You've got a cheap road bike which is not designed for loaded touring. However, you can fit a rack to it, you have 32 spoke wheels which should be a bit stronger than low spoke count factory wheels for load carrying (depending on the quality of the build) and you have a triple chainset which should give you reasonably low gears.

I've met plenty of people touring on bikes similar to yours. Some get on pretty well, others have problems with poor handling and instability when loaded up and suffer broken spokes.

I reckon a three day 180 mile touring trip should be within your bike's capabilities. But the combination of your large size and carrying camping gear will, as you rightly suggest, be a strain on your wheels, particularly the back wheel. Consider fitting wider tyres such as 28mm if you have the clearance. Check your wheels for any wobbles and learn how to use a spoke key to tension them properly.

A pair of rear panniers fitted to a carrier and a bar bag would be a good way to carry your camping gear. Perhaps a frame bag as well if you can't fit it all in. But whatever system you use, the bulk of the weight will be at the rear. And your road bike's relatively short wheelbase compared to a tourer will mean compromised, somewhat twitchy handling when loaded up. You'll get used to it. Just be careful on fast descents.

If you find you like camping touring, I would strongly recommend getting a proper touring bike with handbuilt wheels and braze ons for front and rear panniers for balanced load carrying. The handling will be so much better.

trek1

Thank you Mercia Man