Touring - Entry Level Touring Bike Question

Hey All,

First post here. I am looking for an entry level Touring bike and wondering what you folks would recommend. The budget is around $350.00 to $400.00. I want to use the bike to first of all get in shape again. And I want to do some touring on the county roads here in Wisconsin. Thanks for your help.

John

PS...I meant to add that Racine Cyclery is where I would be shopping: http://www.racinecyclery.com/

With that budget I would look for a used bike, check your LBS, Craigslist etc. I paid $30.00 for my 79 Trek complete and $20.00 for my 83 as a frame/fork. You can afford some upgrades and repairs that way. There are some great bikes out there if you take the time to look. Just make sure it fits you, a good price is soon forgotten if the bike doesn't fit.

I agree with a77impala. Or, amend your budget quite a bit upwards - like double+ to start. I bought a mint 1998 Trek 520 off my local C-list for $550 that was fully loaded and ready to go except for bags. Or, you can get a late 80's or early '90's MTB and modify it for road use. Many of them had most of the tour features you need, like robust construction, long chainstays, strong wheels, low gearing, and lots of hardpoints for attachments. All the usual good brands will do. $100 or less should get you a decent one.

I have a Trek 830 Antelope that has two flats and needs some work. What do you think it would cost to get it road ready?

Thanks,
John

I have a Trek 830 Antelope that has two flats and needs some work. What do you think it would cost to get it road ready?

Thanks,
John
About $40.00 for the tires for the road, and whatever the rest of the unknown work costs;)

I have a Trek 830 Antelope that has two flats and needs some work. What do you think it would cost to get it road ready?

Thanks,
John
Taking it to a bike shop for 2 regular tubes installed will set you back about $20.00, more in the big cities. For less than this you can buy Slime tubes and put them in yourself. Slime is a inner tube sealant, the only one I have seen that works. Run, do not walk, away from other brands (except Stan's notubes). It will "fix" holes from small objects just like your blood dries when you get a little cut. Or you can get a inner tube patch kit for as little as one U.S. dollar, about 3 bucks in a bike shop. Bike shops are your friend, find a good one, they need to sell a lot of patch kits to pay the rent.

Keep an eye on craigslist. In the last few months I've picked up 2 really nice lugged steel touring bikes from Craigslist. One was triple butted steel (Univega) and the other was double butted Columbus steel (Schwinn). Each were $100, and in my size. You just can't beat that. You will be hard pressed to find a nicer touring bike than the lugged steel ones made by the Japanese in the 1980s & very early 1990s like the Fujis, Miyatas, Schwinns, Bridgestones, Specialized, and Raleighs. With the right component upgrades/updates, they can be made much lighter and still work great as touring bikes.

The univega I bought locally from Craigslist--it cost me commuter train fare to go get it.

The Schwinn was a long-distance sale, and I had to pay a shop to box it, and pay UPS to ship it, which added about $80 to the cost. But that's still well below your budget.

If you go the Craigslist route, make sure you know what size you need, and what features or models you like. Be sure to ask the seller questions or for info they may not have provided intially (keeping in mind that some sellers don't know bikes too well, which means you really have to know your stuff). Ads with pictures are really helpful.

How to find a touring bike on Craigslist without doing a search of each Craigslist city page? Use google. Google "craigslist touring bike" or "craigslist Schwinn Voyager" or whatever is your preferred touring bike model. That's how I found an awesome Schwinn Voyageur in my size and favorite color!

Good luck.
Rich

I have a Trek 830 Antelope that has two flats and needs some work. What do you think it would cost to get it road ready?

Thanks,
John

I'm not sure what differences are on the Antelope, but here's a pic of my 1988 Trek 830, before I broke a dropput and retired it a few months ago. I bought this new back then and it was a real truck. I've switched everything over to a '92 Trek 930 with a much better frame, but not as many hardpoints and it does not ride as nice. A good bike none-the-less.

Double eyelets front and back, rack bosses on the fork tines, two bottle cage mounts with room for two more, forged dropouts (even tho one broke - I might blame my trainer). Good solid Deore stuff with Sakae 48/38/28 OvalTech chainrings and forged cranks. A decent mid-grade bike that lived far longer than it was meant to.
http://i5.tinypic.com/2vcz5ua.jpg
http://i5.tinypic.com/33z6zpd.jpg

Trek Antelope is beefier tubing than the '88 Trek 830, and the fork is also beefier, and doesn't have the double eyelets of rack mount. Might be stiffer on the road, doesn't really have a touring fork, but otherwise not a bad choice.

+1 on the Trek Antelope. A fine touring bike!

You're going to have to get your bike in working order. That's a different post, but ask questions about it, hang out over in the Mechanics Forum, heck, PM me if you really want help.

I'd try a local bike repair class. Do you have friends who ride/work on bikes?

As soon as the bike is rolling... touring is next.

After building my Yukon (picture in my sig line0, I am very happy with it. I've yet to take it on an over nighter, but I've been doing my 40 mile weekend rides, loaded down w/ one gallon of water in each pannier and camping gear in rack pack and I am pleased. A wider wheel base would be nice, but it's not stopping me from taking this bike on my trip.

+1 on the Trek Antelope. A fine touring bike!

You're going to have to get your bike in working order. That's a different post, but ask questions about it, hang out over in the Mechanics Forum, heck, PM me if you really want help.

I'd try a local bike repair class. Do you have friends who ride/work on bikes?

As soon as the bike is rolling... touring is next.Thanks to all for your input. I am going to convert the Trek into a touring bike. A little here and a little there. I bought this to get me in shape for touring in the process.

http://bikesport.com/images/library/large/trek_7.3_black_07_f.jpg

Trek 7.3 FX

Thanks again for the help!
John

Trek 520. Made for years and has everything you need

you could tour on your new Trek 7.3 as well.