Touring - Road Bikes and Touring

Hi, I am new to the touring world and I have a pretty nice road bike, but to special "touring" bike. I do want to start some touring but don't have the money for a new bike, so I thought a good idea might be to get a really comfy saddle and a bike trailer like a burley nomad and hit the roads, that way if I decide to stay in a place for a while, I can unhook my trailer and be left with an awesomely fast sub 20 pound fun machine to hit the hills with. I am hoping to go trans-north america for strarters with this rig. Any experienced people have advice/warnings to give? Thanks!

What kind of bike do you have? Some road bikes are better suited than others. Even towing a trailer, there are a lot of things that need to be considered about the bike itself, like gearing, rack mounts, fender mounts & clearance, strong wheels, max tire size, etc.

What kind of bike do you have? Some road bikes are better suited than others. Even towing a trailer, there are a lot of things that need to be considered about the bike itself, like gearing, rack mounts, fender mounts & clearance, strong wheels, max tire size, etc.

Trailers tend to push a bike around. If your bike has quick steering a trailer may make it twitchy especially on downhill curves.

What kind of bike do you have? Some road bikes are better suited than others. Even towing a trailer, there are a lot of things that need to be considered about the bike itself, like gearing, rack mounts, fender mounts & clearance, strong wheels, max tire size, etc.

I've got a 2004 Norco CRR team which is a pretty full out racing rig. definitely no mounts on the bike, hence the idea about the trailer. I am not sure what the max tire size is on the bike, nor have I ever really needed to know... how do I find that out? As far as gearing, I am thinking of switching to a triple which would really help for touring. I guess what I am trying to say is that I am willing to do some modifications, like switching stems to make a more long distance type position and switching gearing, but in the end I could easily put on the old stem and still use a good triple for good ole road riding. Thoughts?

In general you're going in the right direction. But you certainly won't be able to ride trans-North America on that bike with any comfort.

The idea that you can use a road bike and a trailer like the BOB is a good one. But a road bike like that puts you in such a position that you'd soon be a physical wreck if you tried to ride it day after day on a long ride.

As for a "new bike" - I dropped by the bike shop the other day and the owner showed me a bike that a customer just brought in. It was a Schwinn World with some upgraded components. It looked absolutely brand new and the customer had just bought it from the Salvation Army for $16. It had new tires, a new (good) saddle, a triple cranks and decent pedals.

So I suggest that while you're unlikely to get a deal like that, a used older bike can be a real steal and just the thing for a long trip. Personally I prefer 7-speed friction shifting on a Touring bike since you can make the gear absolutely silent. Something that you can't do with index shifting and 9 speeds very often.