Touring - Touring bike info request

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touringaddict
04-06-08, 06:37 PM
Greetings all,

I'm looking for information on touring bikes. Any info on bikes to consider, bikes to avoid, etc. would be appreciated.

I have not done any touring since 2002 while I still lived in WA. The bike I had then was a Novara Viaggio that I bought in '99 for a ride from Seattle to San Francisco. The bike was more than adequate for my first tour and the subsequent shorter tours I did around WA and BC, Canada. I used it until I moved to Texas but no longer have the bike. When I purchased the Novara I really wanted the Cannondale touring bike (forgot the model) but I wasn't sure how well I would like touring so I bought the Novara on clearance at REI for about $450. As luck would have it, I loved the Sea-SF ride and the other tours!

I'm being way too wordy for my simple request - Please throw any touring bike info my way.

Thanks in advance,

touringaddict

Bacciagalupe
04-06-08, 07:05 PM
H'm... I'd start by considering two things.

1) What kind of touring do you plan to do? Road, offroad; camping, hotels; 1 week, 2 weeks, 3 months etc.
2) What else do you plan to use that bike for? e.g. Commuting, long distance rides, fast riding etc.

Anyway, Cannondale is fine, Trek 520, Surly LHT, Thorn, REI Novara Randonee or Safari, maybe Jamis Aurora or (for slightly sportier use) Aurora Elite. I'm gearing up to use my Surly Cross-Check for touring as well. Plenty of modern-day hybrids will be good for short tours. 80s MTB's are good if you can do your own wrenching. And don't forget the Brooks saddle.

I think that pretty much covers it. ;)
raybo
04-06-08, 07:26 PM
This page has a list of 20 links to forum discussions and other web pages about touring bikes (http://www.biketouringtips.com/searchTips.html?country=&state=&place=&id=Bike%20Touring%20Equipment&subtopic=17.1).

Ray

touringaddict
04-06-08, 08:35 PM
Thx Bacciagalupe. Sorry for the short details about my biking needs. I plan to do road, across Europe (possibly into Russia and China) mostly camping and a few hotel/hostel and relatives along the way. I'm planning a minimum of 180 days with an undetermined maximum. The bike will be for touring only as my other biking needs are already met. I want something to support loaded front and back pannier racks, a back rack and possibly a front rack.

I think this covers everything.

touringaddict
touringaddict
04-06-08, 08:54 PM
Thx for the link, Ray. Great stuff.

- touringaddict