Originally Posted by
thatsut
Recently I went mountain biking with some friends and I loved it. Additionally I love touring which I have only had one big ride (Bejing to Llhasa) so there are many things I still have to learn about it as I mainly encountered decent roads and would find alternative travel if surfaces was bad.
If you have a Brompton keep it for commuting and errand rides - even light B&B/hostel tours.
Buy an older Mtn bike in good shape with front suspension you can ride offroad and can tour with. If you can find a decent steel 80's frame you'll be able to add S&S couplers down the road so you can break the bike in half for storage and transport.
I've never seen any bike at at £500 that's going to:
- fold
- be fun to mtn bike on
- be fun to tour on
If money were no object I'd recommend a
Thorn Nomad S&S with a rigid fork and a suspension fork -
mine shown above. By swapping the fork you go from offroad biking to touring/paved road biking.