Touring - Back to A Touring Bike - Which One?? - Search for a Used One??

There are not many choices today, it seems, for a true touring bike and I have been keeping an eye out for a used touring bike. Rare indeed.

Choices:
Novara Randonee
Cannondale ST 800 or 2000 (ST1000 if I could find one)
Trek

Some of the manufacturers have gone to S, M, L and XL thus complicating the choices since the bikes are not in stock at the shops. A 55cm Randonee fits quite well.

The only other consideration 700c vs 26". What is the consensus? I have heard that 700 tires and tubes are tough to come by.

Suggestions for selecting a bike and/or finding a used bike?

Read some of the Surly LHT posts

Based on the current price of touring bikes like the Trek "520", or Fuji "Tourer" I don't see the need to search out used bikes unless there is a specific bike you are looking for. Both the above bikes are competent riding touring bikes and, very competitively priced.

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The only other consideration 700c vs 26". What is the consensus? I have heard that 700 tires and tubes are tough to come by.

Where'd you hear that? There are several choices in the Nashbar catalog alone. They're not even more expensive.

The only other consideration 700c vs 26". What is the consensus? I have heard that 700 tires and tubes are tough to come by.
Suggestions for selecting a bike and/or finding a used bike?

Finding tires and tubes depends upon where you are. Looking for 700c in a Walmart is a joke. Looking for Mountain bike parts in downtown Chicago is also a joke. A good cyclist will carry tubes with them, if not a folding tire too.

This Fuji's standover height is a little too tall for me, but the price is great if you can do your own wrenching. I know nothing about chapter11bikes.com though.

http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-Fuji-Touring-Road-Bicycle-54-cm-bike_W0QQitemZ7219865143QQcategoryZ98084QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

The only other consideration 700c vs 26". What is the consensus? I have heard that 700 tires and tubes are tough to come by.

You might be thinking about 27 1/4" tires. They can be found, but are not nearly as pleantiful as 700c's.

fthomas - I've ridden the 520, randonnee, and fuji touring. All are terrific bikes. I knew if I bought any of these bikes I would end up swapping out certain parts for better reliability and fit. In the end, I decided to build my own bike.

+1 on the 26" by default

700c touring tyres/tubes can be found in "bike country" but not in parts of Africa, S America and Asia. 26" rubber is available worldwide even if it is low grade. In practice there is little difference in the rolling efficiency in either size when you are using touring tyres. It is a different story if you compare offroad to racing tyres.

One of the best loaded touring bikes, ready to roll is the Bruce Gordon BLT. Surly LHT is popular. The Trek 520 needs a bit of upgrade to bring it up to loaded touring std but the frame is good.