Touring - to bike or not to bike

ok...

i have a full suspension bike, i want to buy the 520 for touring.
my dad says that the 520 is too expensive and not worth it for me to spend 1600 on a bike. he says that i should invest in converting my full suspension MTB to my touring bike with a BOB trailer front paniers and build a rear panier system if it can. what arguments can i use on my dad to convince him?
thank you!

joel:)

your dad may just know what he's taking about.

how can my dad know what he is talking about? he has no clue on biking? my dad is 300+pound person that hasn't reached the 30kph speed barrior on a bike. he has glutiusCarious (big butt from car driving)

A mtb can make a decent touring bike, but I'm all for owning more then one bike :) Since it has lower gearing is good for hills and loaded touring. Is this you're money you are spending or his? A Full suspension though unless you can lockout the shock in the rear atleast you would lose alot of efficience and to put loaded panniers on that I don't know.. YOu can get a bike for less then $1600 to go touring with. Maybe start off on a lower end pickup a used bike.

YOu need a touring bike.. a track bike.. a road bike.. a touring bike.. a cyclocross bike.. a mountain bike.. :)

You can get cheaper touring bikes than the 520. REI and Fuji make good value machines that are well proven. Non sus MTBs also make decent tourers esp on rougher roads, but they are a rare breed these days. Touring bikes are pretty simple and their owners are a trustworthy breed, so used versions are good value.
You can use a full sus machine for touring , but there is so much more to go wrong, and you have all those luggage system problems, that it is best avoided if you can.

If you do go for the 520, then inists on swapping the chainset for an MTB one. Most expedition riders do this.

yes its My money. i don't really want to change my fullsuspension MTB to touring cuz i like to MTB as well. the suspension can't be locked and the rear end sways side to side each pedal stroke. i tune it up, it goes away, but after one bike commute to school it comes back. i was looking into an eclipse touring bike for 999$ that was my alternative, it has aluminium frame with only 1 or 2 year manufacturer warrenty and with sora components. i figured out that since the 520 has better components and have a lifetime warrenty the extra 600$ wont hert.

Look at a Surly Crosscheck. They run around $800. It's a cyclocross bike that can handle road, dirt and touring. The parts spec isn't bad and the bike is solid.

Surly bikes (http://www.1x1speed.com/)

Touring on a full suspension bike would not be ideal.

More bikes = Good.

P.S. Lifetime warrenties are just selling points by a company to get more money and persuade you to buy their product. Don't use it as a factor. They are never unconditional, always something like "if it breaks due to a defect in materials or manufacturing that is our fault. Blah, blah, blah"

Go used young man! You live in one of the greatest recreation areas in Canada, so there should be many used touring bikes/road bikes available. In fact, considering the ridding possibilities in the Ottawa/Gatineau (Aylmer) region you will need a few bikes! With a good used bike, you will be able to learn about the mechanical side of cycling and discover what you like and dislike about bicycles. It is also a great hobby and after you make your first good find you will become a bicycle addict. When you are older, then you can benefit from this knowledge and buy the bike you need/desire and then you can go on a long, long cycling tour!
Here is a few links in your region.
http://www.marinoni.qc.ca/eng_res_vendre.asp
http://www.mec.ca/Apps/outdoorGearSwap/gearswap_listing_Cycling.jsp
http://www.mec.ca/Apps/outdoorGearSwap/gearswap_listing_Cycling.jsp

I can't convice your dad... but what about a used bike?

Since you're in Gatineau, check out the classifieds at Espaces (http://www.espaces.qc.ca/ac/default.aspx?cID=01&cT=A+Vendre) or by doing a search on the sport section of lespac.com (http://www.lespac.com/cgi-bin/pac.cgi?t=1&pac_r=&pac_a=o&pac_a=r&d=0&pac_j=&c=25&lid=805&v=3&x=-27264&y=16356) or the classifieds at velo.qc.ca (http://www.velo.qc.ca/annonces/action.lasso?-Datasource=ads4&-Table=annonces&-response=listeR.lasso&-AnyError=noresults.lasso&categorie=velo%20de%20cyclotourisme&-maxRecords=20&-sortfield=date&-sortorder=descending&-Search).

Good luck!

It's your money, so get what you want. Swaying side to side does not sound good on your Mountain bike though that should not be happening, especialy if just after riding the streets.

I agree with the others check out the Surly cross or even the Fuji Cyclocross might fit your needs well. There are alot of good touring bikes out their also, I would not just look at alot of them see what you find is best. If just the drivetrain you do not like ask the LBS how much to upgrade it when you buy it.

You seem to have researched this a bit already to have desires for a 520. What is its main attraction? The bar-end shifters? Its reputation? Chainstay length?

As said by others, there seem to be plenty of good bikes out there that are touring grade. I have a Fuji Touring that is serving me well -- Cro-Mo frame, etc. I changed out the original road chainrings for a 22-32-44 Deore set and this works well. If you go for the Trek 520 (which has the same original chainring spec) you might need to do the same. The chainstay lengths are important as they determine how much heel clearance you will have.

Most important of all, however, is fit. You will spend a lot more time in the saddle if you tour and comfort will be paramount.

Have a look across the Atlantic at some of the UK models, too. A friend has just imported a Thorn frame and fork for his partner and it is so beautiful in dimensions, finish and countless braze-ons. He's building it up using parts from a Giant hybrid she used as a touring bike.

I started out with a hybrid (flat bars) that I rode across the Nullarbor from Perth to Adelaide almost six years ago. I went the MTB route after that was stolen. The MTB had front suspension. Robust, especially for off-road trekking, but not particularly comfortable. The Fuji has taken time to "mature" as a long-distance ride, but I'm very, very happy with its set-up now.

The MTB (full suspension or otherwise) is always going to be a compromise, There are racks available for rear suspension. But I'd be wary because you will need heel clearance, and that is not a given. The trailer way (esp BoB or Yak) is another option, but this carries its own set of... not so much problems, but considerations. Probably the easier and cheapest solution compared with racks and panniers.

And as others have said, if you have the cash, another bike in your stable can never be a bad thing.

FWIW

R

PS: Like the glutiusCarious description!

I can not understand. Why neither Trek 520, nor Fuji Touring has not got any fenders?

I made the search in the Google and saw the producer's photos of the bikes.

I mean there will be the rain in the tour sooner or later for sure.

That way you can add your favorite fender. I prefer the Stratocaster. The 520 comes with a rack. You would think it's a nice touch but many complain about its poor quality.

Turbonium,

Unless you are very tall, there are many offerings by Québec makers that are fairly interesting. Two that come to mind are Mikado and De Vinci. Their frames geometry is a bit similar to the non-suspended MTB bike (i.e. relatively high bottom bracket) and their largest size is around 58-60 cm. So, those were two big turnoffs for me (I have 35.5" bone height), but as you are coming from the MTB scene, these design traits might actually be features.

When I shopped 2.7 years ago, it seemed more easy to get De Vinci bikes configured the way you want. One way to save $150 is to have STI replaced by bar-end shifters.

Originally posted by Max
I can not understand. Why neither Trek 520, nor Fuji Touring has not got any fenders?

I made the search in the Google and saw the producer's photos of the bikes.

I mean there will be the rain in the tour sooner or later for sure.
SKS fenders do the job very nicely on my Fuji. I'm not sure that I have seen many bikes offered as touring models with fenders/mudguards as standard features. Even UK bikes.

Rowan -
Where did you get your Fuji?

Cheers