Touring - touring bike for poor person

If I had $1000 I would get a Cannondale T-2000, a Trek 520, or something like that. But I only have about $300 and I have a two month bike trip coming up. Any suggestions on what kind of bike I should get?

You're not going to find anything new for that price. Even used, you will be hard pressed. You might try finding a used Trek 7200FX hybrid. It can take wider tires, fenders, front & rear racks and is geared decently for touring. Take a look around E-bay and Craigslist for some used bikes, but you'll still need money for any required repairs, gear and accessories. What kind of trip is it, self-supported, meaning you have to carry everything you need, or supported, where someone else will carry all of your gear?

Self-supported trip. Maybe I could spend $400...

at that price you will be hard pressed. Perhaps a pretty good used 90's mtb with maybe a butterfly bar or some bar ends as an addition...

$179.99, The handlebar bag is $10 extra
http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B000096R66.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

$179.99, The handlebar bag is $10 extra
http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B000096R66.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

I bet it's a steel frame, so therefore it has to be great!!!!! Slap some Barbie bar-end shifters on there and you will be set!

Check at garage sales for a 10 or 20 year old touring bike. Either that or shops/stores that have small ads. Depending on your luck, you could get something relatively decent. Still expect to spend 50 - 100 $ to repair and customize the bicycle: get a new saddle, a longer/shorter stem, fix whatever needs to be fixed, etc.

Keep an eye out on ebay. Just the other day a beautiful Trek 520 sold (buy it now) for right around $250 or so. Someone got lucky.

Self-supported trip. Maybe I could spend $400...

What kind of gear do you already have and what kind of budget do you have for the things you don't have, besides a bike?

Get the Barbie bike it only cost 35 bucks. MLP stuff is way over-priced.

These guys know custom bikes, but they got pretty far on Walmart 150 buck bikes. Slicks would help if you are going on the road. Also cruise a lot of bike shops leaning as much as you can about bikes so you can pick a "walmart" bike with solid simple features.

http://www.rayjardine.com/adventures/2003-iua/2003-iua-2.shtml

I bet it's a steel frame, so therefore it has to be great!!!!!
!

yep and if the frame breaks while riding through BFE any farmer with a stick welder can fix it :lol:

I posted this same suggestion in response to another thread.

Buy a used 10-15 yr old rigid (no susp fork) steel mtn bike. Should be able to find one in good shape for under $200 or so. Try to get one that was fairly high in the line-up as it will have better frame and components. I recently got a 1993 Trek 970 (their top of the line steel mtn bike that year) for $150. It needed nothing but the headset adjusted, new pedals, and a bit of cleanup. It has a steel lugged frame, eyelets for mounting racks, a fairly long wheelbase, XT components and great wheels. The 930 is the same frame, slightly lower component level, butstill fine, and there are a lot of them out there.

I replaced the pedals, put a higher stem on it, a nice used leather saddle from my parts bin, and Continental Town and Country 26 x 1.9 tires. It rides awesome and my total investment in the bike is under $300. If you had something like this, all you need are some decent but cheap racks and used panniers from ebay. You could probably do it for $400-500 if you take your time and shop around.

eBay is your best bet. Buy from someone with as close to 100% positive feedba ck as possible, and with a substantial volume of feedback. Look and see what the feedback is on - if it's on items that are as expensive as the bike you're buying.

You should be able to get a nice bike for touring for $300 on eBay. It may take a few weeks - be patient and you'll find what you need.

MTroads old mtbs are great bikes if he can find one.

I think the 1980's-early 90's MTB or touring bike recommendations are good options...

but if you want a ridable bike out of the box, here's a $400 "urban" bike:

http://www.konaworld.com/shopping_cart/FrontEnd/Products/product_detail.aspx?productid=344&parentid=253

Comes stock with slicks, low gearing, name-brand components, butted cromoly frame. (Even has fenders, horn, and a stealth black paint job.Take that, Barbie!)

All you need to complete the bike are rack(s) and some panniers. If you want barebones, super cheap but decent, I recommend the Nashbar Waterproof Panniers and Delta racks.

http://www.nashbar.com/results.cfm?category=66&subcategory=1004&storetype=&estoreid=&init=y&pagename=
http://www.nashbar.com/results.cfm?category=112&subcategory=1079&storetype=&init=y&pagename=

a two month bike trip?

I am just curious because I too plan to voyage on a bike, for about two months..Will your trip include non-stop riding and camping at night...or will it be more complex? Reason I ask is what do you plan to pack/ how much/ and how heavy would the pack be for your trip. I ask these questions myself.

Loacal area Craigs List, you can see and ride it before buying buyin anything on EBAY is like "buyin a pig in a poke", not for me

Loacal area Craigs List, you can see and ride it before buying buyin anything on EBAY is like "buyin a pig in a poke", not for me

I scored a mid 80's Miyata touring 1000 for $200.00 on Craigslist. It was practically new. Just needed tires. There's another list on yahoo that list lost's of steel framed tourers from all over the country on ebay, craigs, recyclerer etc... It's called bobishbikes
http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/BOBishBikesFS/?yguid=100727184

Honestly, thats a tall order for true unsupported touring, The gear alone can add up to 400.00 easy. tents/ sleeping bags Panniers,racks etc etc.
you might pick up a Jamis Aurora fairly reasonable, but get the 2001 model. It just happens to have great tour geometry, frame material, and fender clearance.

But consider... A bike trailer, like bob yak, used for a couple hundred. cheap camping gear from thrift stores, and most any old mountain bike. Buy it one size larger than traditional mountain riders use. you get much of the geometry you need for touring, you can select tour tires easy, and if the bike goes sour in the middle of nowhere, just hook up the trailer to a diffrent bike and go on.

It's all in your perspective. My first tour I had my older brothers hand-me-down, no-name bicycle, a cheap tarp for a tent, smelly old discount sleeping bag, tied everything on the bike with bailing twine, etc. The bike probably weighed 30 pounds, dry. Picked up some new tires for the bike and did 500 miles in about 10 days. The whole trip probably cost me 75$. Of course, I was much younger and up for anything.

I see old, heavy, steel, durable bicycles at garage sales all the time for almost nothing. Just got to keep your eyes open. Check the local classified ads, call the local bike shops, keep an eye on Ebay, etc. If you're not worried about having the latest equipment, something will pop up that will work. Of course, if you will be riding with people that do have good gear, that's another thing.

Here's the score - if you live in a fair sized city you should be able to find a used bike that fits your needs for a couple of hundred bucks and then make the touring modifications you'll want.

Although it is very rare a guy that goes into the local bike shop stopped at the Salvation Army and bought a LIKE NEW Schwinn World with some upgrades on it for $16.50!!! And I mean LIKE NEW. It also had a high grade rear derailleur, a new expensive saddle and was really really clean.

If you maintain a vigilance at the Salvations Army stores and their like you'll be shocked at what you can find though most of the time the bikes are pretty junky.

And of course this assumes that since you don't have a lot of money you're willing and ABLE to make modifications to your own bike. Bicycles are perhaps the last mechanical contraption that just about anyone can work on. But I would suggest leaving headsets and bottom brackets to a shop. Otherwise with relatively few tools you can do anything you like on a bike with care and self criticism.

Well, I'm not tall or a guy, but your offer was nice! I saw a myiata on craigs, maybe I'll check it out. Thanks for everyone's advice, especially the barbie bike, although I'm not really a fan of hot pink, beggars can't be choosers or so they say.

My wife went on a May to September bike trip on a three speed she picked up for 50 bucks. She traded here backpack in for paniers. Got it at a bike store.

Get a used Specialized Sirrus. I toured on one, and it did me well. Just get bar extenders for your wrists, that's all.

I got my Specialized new for about 500 bucks back in '02. I'm sure you could find a used one for 250 bucks or maybe even less.

Koffee

- depending on where you live, you can sometimes find excellent deals at Goodwill or Salvation Army, or in my case, a pawn shop, for a decent bike in good shape...

- you'll need a discerning eye, and the ability to invest some elbow grease and at least $20-$50 additional to get the bike up to snuff (racks, etc.)...

- i wish you good luck and am confident you'll acquire a great ride at a great price!

Did my tour last year on a $130 Walmart Schwinn Sidewinder. No mechanical problems at all except for flats.
1,950 miles over a month on the bike. You don't need an expensive bike to tour with.

http://biketour.ne1.net

for more details

I think I've decided what to do. I'm going to make my own panniers (I've seen a few examples online), and use the money I would have spent on them to get a better bike. I've got all the other gear I need already (mostly), so this seems like a good idea. I'm just not sure how good I am at sewing things like bike bags! Ah! But it'll be an adventure anyway. Thanks all for your suggestions!

Go to the warehouse of a LBS and ask them for help. Or go in their dumpster, thats where I got the bike I'm going to tour on.

oh, I plan on sewing my own too, I'm going with Cordura and using flat felled seams with about 3 coats of polyurethane on the inside to water proof it. got any links you wanna throw at me?

Lamanda,

I never used panniers on my bike. Just a few $3 stuff stacks, bungee cords, and cheap rack.

Here is a picture of my current rack I got a few months ago. As you can see, there is no need for panniers at all on this rack. The rack cost $24 at Western Auto. I just strap the tent and sleeping on the top and fill the sides with two waterproof stuff sacks that cost $3 each. Believe it or not, the weight of this rack is about the same as a regular rack and two panniers. And it's very strong.

http://img498.imageshack.us/img498/2218/0110050015qp.jpg
http://img498.imageshack.us/img498/9954/0110050028fp.jpg

oh, I plan on sewing my own too, I'm going with Cordura and using flat felled seams with about 3 coats of polyurethane on the inside to water proof it. got any links you wanna throw at me?

Here's some creative homemade panniers. But it sure looks like a lot of work. Scroll to the bottom left, under Accessories:

http://www.backpacking.net/makegear.html

If I were going to make cheap "panniers"...I'd go with the buckets, for being weatherproof and for ease of assembly:

http://www.bicycletouring101.com/JakubsAmazingBucketBike.htm
http://www.best-recumbent-touring-bicycles.com/bicycle-panniers.html
http://www.humboldt1.com/~mhp/rubbermaid.htm
http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/journal/?o=as&doc_id=161&v=0

When I see how inexpensively some panniers go for on Ebay I can't imagine going to all that work. I've seen Jandd Mtn panniers and various other touring bagss go for well under $100, sometimes with a rack thrown in as part of the deal. For even less $$ there is a set of new Jandd saddlebag panniers for $45 buy-it-now. Plus $13 shipping = $59. Sure they're not the type that mount to the rack (they just go over it like motorcycle soft luggage does) but so what? - they would work fine and at least you save several hours work trying to sew a reasonable facsimile together.

http://tinyurl.com/85uhn

Check at garage sales for a 10 or 20 year old touring bike.
How do you recognize a touring bike? From the pictures I've seen on this site, I'm guessing you look for something that looks like a road bike with fat tires and fender/rack mounting holes.

Are there any touring frames designed for use with 26 inch wheels?

At garage sales and such you probably wont spot one. Giveaways are two eyelets on the front fork at axel level, and a pair of drilled hole half way up to hold the low rider rack on the fork. Or the bike could already have front and rear racks mounted. Touring bikes haven't always had those fittings, nor have they always had particularly fat tires (not a bad thing though). So also look for non-racy looking colours and details, non side-pull brakes (sometimes) longer wheelbase, longer seat stays. tripple set-up like a MTB, or a really large rear freewheel if it pre-tripple. Multiple water bottle mounts.

There are a lot of MTBs with 26" wheels, and otherwise quite tour like. There are also some modern touring bikes that morph to 26" wheels when they move to smaller frame sizes.

Go to cheaperthandirt.com and see item #ZWA-754. These make excellent panniers. I am running them front and rear.

Go to cheaperthandirt.com and see item #ZWA-754. These make excellent panniers. I am running them front and rear.

Discontinued!

Sorry about that. They are in the January catalog. I would give them a call at 800.421.8047 and be sure.

I think I've decided what to do. I'm going to make my own panniers (I've seen a few examples online), and use the money I would have spent on them to get a better bike. I've got all the other gear I need already (mostly), so this seems like a good idea. I'm just not sure how good I am at sewing things like bike bags! Ah! But it'll be an adventure anyway. Thanks all for your suggestions!

I'd build bucket panniers; I have a set I built for $20 or so, and they're very, very sturdy and very, very waterproof.

There is an old (1983) trek 520 on ebay right now for $99, with no bids. 56 cm

Did my tour last year on a $130 Walmart Schwinn Sidewinder. No mechanical problems at all except for flats.
1,950 miles over a month on the bike. You don't need an expensive bike to tour with.

http://biketour.ne1.net

for more details

I'll second that ... you don't need an expensive bike to go touring ... i picked up a cheap old school mtb, which i fixed up a bit and then took on on an overseas tour ... worked fine ...
my low cost giant mtb_tourer (http://www.hoogie.co.nz/bikes/giant_yukon.htm)

Although I don't have any first hand experience with these bikes from the specs it appears that the Trek 7.2 or 7.3 hybrids might be decent low budget tours (if you don't mind the flat bars).
The appear to have braze-ons for racks (front and rear), 44.5cm chainstays for heal clearance, low gears (28x32 low), come with 700x35 tires, etc.
Just a thought.

Nah, I bought my 7500FX thinking it might work for touring close to home, but it turned out to have some flaws that precluded touring use, at least for me: stiff ride, overly quick steering (at least on the FX), and the wheelset would never hold up to it. Great bike around town and on bike paths, though... I sold mine and replaced it with a lugged steel Trek mtn bike (1993 970) that is just the opposite - hell for strong, comfortable ride and great wheels/components. And it was cheaper, too.

If I had $1000 I would get a Cannondale T-2000, a Trek 520, or something like that. But I only have about $300 and I have a two month bike trip coming up. Any suggestions on what kind of bike I should get?

Go for a 1960-1980 touring bike at a garage sale. Anywhere from $5 to $150. Spend the rest of your $$ on lube, spare parts, and the trip itself. Go ride!