Touring - KHS Montana Tour - TA-50T is it just a name or is it a tourer?

hey folks,

does anyone know anything about this bike (http://www.flickr.com/photos/grbiking/sets/72157594234745875/)

It's a KHS Montana Tour/ TA-50T, and it's cheap as chips including all the bells and whistles, reynolds frame, dynamo front hub, deore transmission, racks, panniers etc. all for just $500.

sounds almost too good to be true!

but can anyone give me any info on this bike?

here's another link (http://www.khsbicycles.com.tw/html/product/ta-50t.htm)

and another (http://zenewey.myweb.hinet.net/my-khs-ta50t.htm)

i had upped my budget for a touring bike and was seriously considering (and still am) buying a thorn sherpa frame set and building the bike up myself, but please convince me!

alot of folks have been stressing the importance of frame size in relation to the comfort factor/pains etc when touring on a bike for some hours each day over a period of time.
on the khs bike above the seat post seems very very long/high relative to the size of the frame, so does this height compensate for the frame size or would it cause other trouble with regards to long term comfort.

i am willing the spend the extra pennys to buy a suitable bike that will be my trusty steed around Asia (to start with) but i also would like to spend as little as possible for the bike, and save the cash for the journey itself.

i know that bike choice is extremely important, so i will listen to what you have to say.

keep in mind i am 184/185cm tall.

the sherpa frame will $200 more than the KHS bike when you include delivery!
tubus racks and ortlieb panniers together amount to more the the khs bike!

funny!

Collie

Looks like a good touring bike to me. Reynolds frame, lowrider mounts on the fork, braze-ons for fenders and racks, long chainstays--it has everything you need.

If the panniers, racks, etc. are suitable quality, $500 sounds like a screaming deal. $500 for the bike alone wouldn't be bad, so I think you're doing OK.

You also ask about the seatpost height and fit. This is harder to comment on. Since the bike is for sale, I'm assuming the current seatpost height is the current owner. The bike does have a sloping top tube, so it's not unusual that you'd see more seatpost than on a straight toptube bike. The only way you're going to know if it's comfortable is to take it for a ride. Ask if you can go for a 1/2 hour ride. The owner should be amenable to this if you leave some kind of security. After all, you're buying a touring bike and want to make sure you're going to be comfortable at the end of a long day.

Looks like a good touring bike to me. Reynolds frame, lowrider mounts on the fork, braze-ons for fenders and racks, long chainstays--it has everything you need.

If the panniers, racks, etc. are suitable quality, $500 sounds like a screaming deal. $500 for the bike alone wouldn't be bad, so I think you're doing OK.

You also ask about the seatpost height and fit. This is harder to comment on. Since the bike is for sale, I'm assuming the current seatpost height is the current owner. The bike does have a sloping top tube, so it's not unusual that you'd see more seatpost than on a straight toptube bike. The only way you're going to know if it's comfortable is to take it for a ride. Ask if you can go for a 1/2 hour ride. The owner should be amenable to this if you leave some kind of security. After all, you're buying a touring bike and want to make sure you're going to be comfortable at the end of a long day.


that price is for the bike new from the shop! it's not 2nd hand! Taiwan

Wow! That's a great deal. That settles it--I'm flying to Taiwan to do all my shopping from now on.

Since it's from a shop you should be able to choose from several sizes, too which makes the fit question easier. You may need to get a new stem or saddle to make the bike more comfortable, but I think you should be able to get the fit dialed in pretty good. Let us know what you think of it after riding.

I noticed that it doesn't have a third bottle mount, which would be nice.

Here's another look:

KHS Montana Tour at FLT (http://www.pbase.com/canyonlands/image/63240188)

It happens that this image is one of the ten or so in the Fully Loaded Touring Bike Gallery that I took myself.

We crossed paths with Chaowen in Switzerland where he'd already done quite a bit of miles and seemed to like his bike.

Cheers,

Geez man. That's the bike I recommended to you originally. It's the one I own. Only comes in two sizes though, from my understanding - 15" and 17" - but you may be able to find something better.

Now that you've come full circle, yes, it is a fantastic bike at a great price and completely intended for touring. The racks aren't bad, but I sold them to get some better stuff. I wanted to go with Ortlieb bags too, so I sold the bags with the racks. The components are good (Deore) but the fenders are plastic.

The fork is a bit low (for my taste) and I added a heads-up set to prop it up a bit. I also switched out for a trekking bar, added toe clip pedals and got a Brooks B17 saddle.

The tires aren't bad, but I would go for some Continentals if you can. Also, I highly recommend you disassemble and reassemble the bike using some grease and frame saver, as it seems like they don't do that when it is assembled in the factory.

It's a stinking fantastic find - CrMo all the way and Reynolds 520 steel to boot.

The size may be an issue, I'm 5' 6" and the 17" frame fits me comfortably. Rides like a dream, great gearing for mountainous terrain. My main complaint would be rust. The weather here is terrible for it, and I found almost all of the fasteners and some of the braze-ons are showing rust already. And its a real pain when the paint scratches, as the paint job is beautiful.

Geez man. That's the bike I recommended to you originally. It's the one I own. Only comes in two sizes though, from my understanding - 15" and 17" - but you may be able to find something better.

Now that you've come full circle, yes, it is a fantastic bike at a great price and completely intended for touring. The racks aren't bad, but I sold them to get some better stuff. I wanted to go with Ortlieb bags too, so I sold the bags with the racks. The components are good (Deore) but the fenders are plastic.

The fork is a bit low (for my taste) and I added a heads-up set to prop it up a bit. I also switched out for a touring bar, added toe clip pedals and got a Brooks B17 saddle.

The tires aren't bad, but I would go for some Continentals if you can. Also, I highly recommend you disassemble and reassemble the bike using some grease and frame saver, as it seems like they don't do that when it is assembled in the factory.

It's a stinking fantastic find - CrMo all the way and Reynolds 520 steel to boot.

The size may be an issue, I'm 5' 6" and the 17" frame fits me comfortably. Rides like a dream, great gearing for mountainous terrain. My main complaint would be rust. The weather here is terrible for it, and I found almost all of the fasteners and some of the braze-ons are showing rust already. And its a real pain when the paint scratches, as the paint job is beautiful.

yeah i know that you told me about it before but i only got some feed back recently on the bike from a store.
thanks again by the way for the info.
so if i am limited to frame sizes, will a longer seat post do the trick or no? if the bike suits, i'll give it an upgrade alright to prep it for the tour.

another question regarding the thorn sherpa frame set though: regarding the steerer, i assume it needs to be cut to size right? if and when it is cut to size, are you then stuck with regards to adjusting the stem height? i'm confused?

Stem height isn't necessarily set. You can buy something called an extender that will raise it a good deal.

Heads Up Extender (http://www.ison-distribution.com/ison/english/product.php?part=SMZMHU1)

About the other bike. I think the frame just won't fit. If you've ever heard Chris Farley sing the "Fat Guy in a Little Coat" song, it's kind of similar. You'll be the big guy on a tiny bike.

For one, a great deal of your weight will end up on your arms as the fork on the KHS bike is very short, and if you get too long of an extender, you risk breaking it and the fork due to the stress. For another, even with a longer seat post, I don't think you will have the correct positioning with regards to your knees over the pedals. In general, using it would be uncomfortable and / or painful.

I would see Sheldon Brown's article about frame fit, as he's just a walking encyclopedia of bicycle knowledge.

Unless you can petition KHS to make a frame in your size (anything is possible right), I don't know if it would be the best idea. But, you might be able to purchase it and sell it back in Korea for a good price. Then again, that's moving into VAT and other things, and just gets messy.

I still highly recommend the LHT, if you can find one.

If the frame doesn't fit you on the KHS bike....buy it anyhow for $500. You could take the racks, bags, wheels and parts off of it.....and put them on a bigger frame. A good bike shop will do this for you.

The parts, wheels, racks on that KHS are worth more than $500 if you try a frame up build.

I'd buy it for just the parts tomorrow if I could.......

If the frame doesn't fit you on the KHS bike....buy it anyhow for $500. You could take the racks, bags, wheels and parts off of it.....and put them on a bigger frame. A good bike shop will do this for you.

The parts, wheels, racks on that KHS are worth more than $500 if you try a frame up build.

I'd buy it for just the parts tomorrow if I could.......


Definitely not a bad idea. I sold the racks and bags for 1/4 of the original price of the bike, so it's totally worth it in that regard.

If the frame doesn't fit you on the KHS bike....buy it anyhow for $500. You could take the racks, bags, wheels and parts off of it.....and put them on a bigger frame. A good bike shop will do this for you.

The parts, wheels, racks on that KHS are worth more than $500 if you try a frame up build.

I'd buy it for just the parts tomorrow if I could.......


folks,

can you explain the steerer situation again please on the thorn sherpa. my understanding is this:
the steerer is part of the fork that slots through the frames headtube, and you then attach the handlebars to the steerer.
in order to attach the handlebars you must attach a stem.
so you can have threaded and threadless headsets. the thorn sherpa comes with a threadless headset.
BUT CAN I CHANGE THE HEADSET TYPE TO THREADED? OR WILL THE FRAME ALLOW THIS?


so which is a better system? I am more familiar with the threaded headset from the older bikes up until now, the height adjustment on a threaded system seems way handier.

so can anyone give me a reason why i would want a threadless system, that in my opinion (correct me if i'm wrong) restricts the handlebar height. apart from buying extenders?

folks,

can you explain the steerer situation again please on the thorn sherpa. my understanding is this:
the steerer is part of the fork that slots through the frames headtube, and you then attach the handlebars to the steerer.
in order to attach the handlebars you must attach a stem.
so you can have threaded and threadless headsets. the thorn sherpa comes with a threadless headset.
BUT CAN I CHANGE THE HEADSET TYPE TO THREADED? OR WILL THE FRAME ALLOW THIS?


so which is a better system? I am more familiar with the threaded headset from the older bikes up until now, the height adjustment on a threaded system seems way handier.

so can anyone give me a reason why i would want a threadless system, that in my opinion (correct me if i'm wrong) restricts the handlebar height. apart from buying extenders?


so after a bit of reading i am still wondering why the threadless system is the new system, doesn't make much sense to restrict the handlebar height. and if you want to adjust the height you either have to buy a new fork or else try one of those extenders?
doesn't sound very clever!

Ah, you can use spacers on the steer tube to raise the bars, and you can get a different stem. Fitting a threadless headset is a little tougher than the threaded kind, but it's not that hard.

It's nothing to worry about.

The cool thing on tour with a threadless headset is that it can adjusted or even overhauled with just allen wrenches. Beats trying to find another 36mm cone wrench is some small town.

Now the KHS proivdes the 19" frame size of ta-50t bike in 2008 model. And I got it last year.
I believe it's a cheap and robust bicycle, which touring everwhere :D

If you have any further question about this bike, welcome to discuss with me.
please using the following email address
fusong.mac@msa.hinet.net

fusong