Touring - No one stocks touring bikes

A check of the bike shops in town (Colorado Springs and vicinity) and none of them stock touring bikes. I have been calling shops in Denver, an hour away and no luck so far. I think I'd like to get a Jamis Aurora or Bianchi Volpe, but it would be swell to see one first. All the shops will order for MSRP, plus a shipping/special order charge and tax. So not only do I not get to try it out, I have to pay extra for it.

Are there online sources for these bikes? I can certainly do the assembly and tuning myself.

Excuse the vent. Guess this is MTB country.

Nashbar?

try Boulder shops

Touring bikes are not uber popular in most parts of Canada & the US.

valleygirl is in Colorado and tours and posts here. If she doesn't respond to this post, PM her and see if she has any suggestions. I forget which part of CO she's in, but, she might be able to help you. There are others from CO who post here but I haven't seen posts from them recently; hopefully they're out touring.

I'm having the same problem in Toronto. it seems like the only store that stocks a touring bike in more than one size is the Trek store. They had three 520s when I went in there a month ago. I haven't even seen a Rocky Mountain Sherpa yet. And it looks like I have as much chance of test riding a Rivendell Atlantis as I do at getting a date with Scarlett Johansson.

A check of the bike shops in town (Colorado Springs and vicinity) and none of them stock touring bikes. I have been calling shops in Denver, an hour away and no luck so far. I think I'd like to get a Jamis Aurora or Bianchi Volpe, but it would be swell to see one first. All the shops will order for MSRP, plus a shipping/special order charge and tax. So not only do I not get to try it out, I have to pay extra for it.

Are there online sources for these bikes? I can certainly do the assembly and tuning myself.

Excuse the vent. Guess this is MTB country.

You might try Cycle Analyst in Denver. They carry Fuji and Surly. I've seen Fuji touring bikes on their floor before but I don't know if they have any now. The REI flagship store in Denver used to carry Cannondale and they have the Randonee which is similar to the Jamis. but I haven't seen any there lately (but I haven't been looking). You might check Lee's Cyclery in Fort Collins also.

Salvegetti's had a Jamis Aurora on the floor about 2 month's ago and Turin Bicycles carries Bianchi. I didn't see a Volpe last time I was in but, again, I wasn't looking.

Not much help but let your fingers do the walking;)

And touring bikes are hard to find anywhere...not just here.

valleygirl is in Colorado and tours and posts here. If she doesn't respond to this post, PM her and see if she has any suggestions. I forget which part of CO she's in, but, she might be able to help you. There are others from CO who post here but I haven't seen posts from them recently; hopefully they're out touring.

ha ha, actually, it's "VALYGRL", there's another valleygirl from the LA area....

Boulder has some 520's - there's a 19" 2006 on discount at Bicycle Village, there is at least one 2007 (larger size, i think) at University Bikes, and there's a store up in Longmont called "Hike and Bike" or "Bike and Hike" that has 2 or three 520's, I think one of them was very large. I guess since I have a 520, I notice them.

I'm pretty sure I saw a Volpe somewhere, but can't remember if it was in a shop or on the road. MIght also have been bicycle village - which is a chain, so maybe there is one closer to you, i don't know.

Don't forget to check out REI, as well - the Randonee looks like a pretty decently equiped tourer, and it's REI, so if you get it and it doesn't work, you can return it. Although, the parts pick on the 520 is much higher quality.

ha ha, actually, it's "VALYGRL", there's another valleygirl from the LA area....



oops! sorry!

I'm having the same problem in Toronto. it seems like the only store that stocks a touring bike in more than one size is the Trek store. They had three 520s when I went in there a month ago. I haven't even seen a Rocky Mountain Sherpa yet. And it looks like I have as much chance of test riding a Rivendell Atlantis as I do at getting a date with Scarlett Johansson.

Go to urbane cycles! They have house-brang touring frames, and guess what, a Bleriot as well :D

There is a great deal on an Aurora on ebay right now: Item number 110155849582

It's 55cm and it'll fits me perfectly at 5'11". At the "buy it now" price you can afford to fix anything you don't like. If you get it replace the seatpost immediately. Everything else is pretty decent. I'm very happy with mine and wish I had caught this deal but I paid $850 about a month ago.

REI has a couple models of touring bikes that measure up well to to Fuji and Jamis. Several stores in CO


http://www.rei.com/FindStores?state=CO&radius=900

Bike shops that charge more than MSRP for a bike they have to order aren't very good bike shops and should be avoided at all costs. Special orders are very easy money for a shop.

Having a bike to test ride is tougher-- the shop can only stock so many bikes and it's hard to get the size/model for every buyer.

Hey, there's a bicycle village in c-springs... maybe you could get them to ship a520 to demo from one of their other stores.
http://bicyclevillage.com/page.cfm?pageID=212

Hey, there's a bicycle village in c-springs... maybe you could get them to ship a520 to demo from one of their other stores.
http://bicyclevillage.com/page.cfm?pageID=212

Colorado Spring Bicycle Shop
622 West Colorado Avenue
Colorado Springs, CO 80905
Phone (719) 634-4915

Carries Jamis and Fuji. Check them if you haven't. Here (http://www.xtremelocator.com/visitor/results.php?visitor=90c2fe8c61a813501d929d4cd6f8a85f) are some others within 150 miles of Denver that carry Jamis.

Bianchi, Trek, Cannondale, Surly, etc. have dealer search engines. A very useful resource.

Thanks everybody. I called every Bianchi and Jamis dealer within 75 miles of me and no one had one in my size. And no one was discounting special orders regardless of the price on floor models. Ended up going with a cyclocross bike instead, left over 06 Axis in my size marked down considerably. Was looking at the tourers not so much to tour but to commute and wanted some decent brakes, I think this will do nicely.

You might try Cycle Analyst in Denver. They carry Fuji and Surly. I've seen Fuji touring bikes on their floor before but I don't know if they have any now. The REI flagship store in Denver used to carry Cannondale and they have the Randonee which is similar to the Jamis. but I haven't seen any there lately (but I haven't been looking). You might check Lee's Cyclery in Fort Collins also.

Salvegetti's had a Jamis Aurora on the floor about 2 month's ago and Turin Bicycles carries Bianchi. I didn't see a Volpe last time I was in but, again, I wasn't looking.

Not much help but let your fingers do the walking;)

And touring bikes are hard to find anywhere...not just here.

Touring bikes are hard to find because of the perceived limited demand. You can pick one to your liking up on the 'Bay though. :(:eek:;)

Touring bikes are hard to find because of the perceived limited demand. You can pick one to your liking up on the 'Bay though. :(:eek:;)

Not really. They are hard to find because we skinflints hold on to our bikes for 20+ years and wonder why they don't make more of them;)

Personally, I suggest them every time someone asks about commuting bikes and someone else invariably suggest a cross bike.

I recommend you do what I did, to test ride all the Cannondale and Trek's I needed to, I drove wherever I had to. I actually drove 1,000 miles one day but it was worth it! I got two hours of test riding bicycles and then drove home. It sold me on my T2000 and I never regretted it doing it. There is no substitute for test riding a bicycle.

We sell buttloads of touring and 'cross' bikes at the shop I work at in the Northwest to dediated bicycle commuters that want wide tire capacity, rackability, fenders and a comfortable ride.

Trek 520s, Bianchi Volpes, Rocky Mountain Sherpas, Redline Conquests, etc.

Not only that, but you can find Long Haul Truckers built up as floor models at likely a half dozen shops locally.



I think the Redline Conquest is one of the most popular 'rain bikes' i.e. winter, here in the NW.

Sorry to hear Colorado is so far behind the touring/everyday rider curve.

We sell buttloads of touring and 'cross' bikes at the shop I work at in the Northwest to dediated bicycle commuters that want wide tire capacity, rackability, fenders and a comfortable ride.

Trek 520s, Bianchi Volpes, Rocky Mountain Sherpas, Redline Conquests, etc.

Not only that, but you can find Long Haul Truckers built up as floor models at likely a half dozen shops locally.



I think the Redline Conquest is one of the most popular 'rain bikes' i.e. winter, here in the NW.

Sorry to hear Colorado is so far behind the touring/everyday rider curve.

I think you guys are just ahead of the curve. I've been in all kinds of bike shops all over the US and seldom see a touring bike. Even in shops along Adventure Cycle routes. In fact, some of the shops didn't even know that they were on an Adventure Cycle route:eek:

I'm having the same problem around the Houston area as well. I'll probably end up with the Randonee or the Cannondale T800. I was thinking about ordering the T800 and try it, through REI and if that doesn't work I'll probably buy the Randonee. I called Cannondale last week to see if I could get the bars up to 42" from the floor. I'll probably find out next week, I hope. If any of you guys has an extra large T800, do you think, if I put an adjustable stem on I could get 42" from the floor to the top of the handlebars?

When I asked about touring bikes, my LBS pointed me to a Klein racing-style bike (I forget which one) they got a while back. :I

It can be tough for those of you who don't live on the Left Coast. Out here touring and 'cross bikes are easy to find!

I had that problem. Had to buy my touring bike sight unseen. Glad I approved of the ride after delivery. A good source to check out critical reviews of Touring bikes. Adventure Cycling Magazine. Not one shop in my old county carried so much as one touring bike at the time i was searching for one.

The Left Coast does appear to be keeping an eye on the touring market. Within ten miles of my house I was able to check out the Novara Randonee at REI and the Trek 520 at my LBS (both in my size!). A few stores also carry Surly but I didn't do an extensive search for an LHT. I wouldn't be surprised if there was one not too far away, though (provided they could keep it in stock long enough for me to see it).