Originally Posted by jignall
I will be doing two weeks in Italy with a bunch of relatively experienced touring cyclists, averaging roughly 50 miles of riding a day at a 15-16mph pace.... The question I have is whether a Bike Friday New World Traveler is a realistic option for me. I want a folding bike to use when I am traveling and was hoping to kill two birds with one stone. I've read some stories of people doing some serious touring with Bike Fridays but wasn't sure if they could keep pace with other regular touring bikes.
Yeah, it should work, especially if you're not carrying tons of stuff. I have no problems hitting those speeds with a lightly loaded Swift.
But touring bikes are not really about speed. The main qualities you're looking for in any touring bike are:
- appropriate gearing (usually low)
- handles well with moderate or heavy loads (20 - 70 lbs)
- comfortable for all-day riding
- robust and reliable
- most people will also want a more upright position, so they can soak up the surroundings
The New World Tourist geometry is designed with this in mind (e.g. long wheelbase, more relaxed seatpost angle etc), and fortunately touring-style bikes can be used for other recreational or general use, including century rides, as long as you're not in a big hurry.
The only thing about a Bike Friday is that they can get a little expensive, depending on how you spec it. So I recommend you set your budget ($1000 - $1500 minimum, I'd think), call them, say "this is what I want out of the bike, here's my budget, what can you do for me?"
I also highly recommend the following:
- get whatever touring bike you're going to use fairly soon. The more you train on it, the better off you'll be.
- make sure to train with the loaded bike, especially climbing hills.
- taper a bit the week before you go.