Touring - newbie here.thoughts???

i bought these 2 bikes at garage sale cheap.gold one is like brand new and the yellow one is a little used.are these good for long distance???http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p298/cbooch/mel010.jpg

well many touring bikes have mtb frames to accommodate the extra load. get some road tires on those rims and it would be very road worthy.

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p298/cbooch/mel009.jpg

Booch,

As long as they are comfortable to ride day in, day out for many miles at a time, they make an excellent touring bike. For all the threads in here about all sorts of stuff, comfort and fit is what really matters in a touring bike... not components, gearing, frames, weight, etc.

I dunno if I'd tour on the gold bike's wheels. They're for racing, and if you broke a spoke the wheel would be mega-wonky almost immediately.

I agree that the gold bike is not a tour bike. The suspension will absorb a lot of your energy, and the wheels are not strong enough for that kind of beating.

The other bike is much more serviceable. Can you tell if it has eyelets for racks, and perhaps fenders?

Tour bikes are homely looking. A lot of bike sales, like these ones, are of the latest trendy look, the coolest new suspension design, the big knobby tires. Most people buying a bike for looks would not know to select a real touring bike. The practicality of it is something you will recognize once you have spent at least a week touring.

Howard

I agree with the previous posters. The Klein seems more suitable. Make sure that you adjust the stem so that you can stay comfortable for longer periods of time. It seems a bit low to me, but maybe it's just me.


Nice bikes though, all I ever see at garage sales are ugly curtains, rusted toolboxes and broken toys.

Does the gold one have suspension that can be locked off? If yes then it's Ok, I have Fox Vanilla on my Thorn for touring

then just stonger wheels, and pedals, I would definitely recommend pedals LOL

george

The second bike looks like it would make a good touring bike. If you have eyelets for fenders or racks, you can set it up for panniers front and rear. From the picture, it looks like you could add racks without any trouble at all.

You should be able to set the bike up for a tour without spending much money.

thanks for the replies.i like the yellow bike much more than the gold one....its much more comfortable and has eyelets for a rack.both bikes fit me well......someone told me these were very expensive bikes....i guess i got lucky finding them..

I agree with the previous posters. The Klein seems more suitable. Make sure that you adjust the stem so that you can stay comfortable for longer periods of time. It seems a bit low to me, but maybe it's just me.


Nice bikes though, all I ever see at garage sales are ugly curtains, rusted toolboxes and broken toys.

Um...they are both Kleins. I doubt the gold one has rack mounts. Use it as a mountain bike...it's a pretty good one... and convert the yellow one. It won't need much more than drop bars.

well.after riding both bikes about 15 miles each over the weekend and searching these forums ive decide to get some schwabe big apples for both bikes.(the yellow one has specialized nimbus tires and are very rough riding ....my back is killing me).....im leaving the gold bike as is (except for tires.i dont ride offroad and the tires on it are really knobby)its a great speeding round town bike.very responsive and fast.actually a little more comfy than i thought.no way to mount a rack on it.but im looking at the topeak qr rack and bag....as i say i am new to all this but really have been bittin by the bug to ride as much as i can.....im 44 and out of shape but feel great after a ride.except for the sore muscles that im sure will go away after time.thanks again for all of your input.

Um...they are both Kleins.

Oops. I meant the yellow one.

no way to mount a rack on it.

If you wanted, here is a way:

http://www.oldmanmountain.com/

IF you got the second one cheap I would consider ebaying it. That Klein is a bit of an old classic and properly marketed could give you a good profit. Then use the money to but another bike.

Just an idea.

i was thinking about ebay...might be able to get a surly lht.....

i was thinking about ebay...might be able to get a surly lht.....

I'm not going to criticize - I have an LHT and like it a lot. However, I don't think you'll get a lot for the yellow and red bike and a new complete LHT is $900. You'd probably get more for the bronze one, but still not enough, and I think it'd be a shame to get rid of it; it looks pretty sweet to me.

Are both these bikes for you, or is one for your significant other? If they're both yours I'd do what cyccommute says: keep the bronze one for a mountain bike and go touring on the yellow and red one. Put a couple of racks on it and you're ready to go (provided the wheels are sound; you can't tell from the picture.) The Old Man Mountain rack will fit on the front without brazeons. He says to put drop bars on. I don't think that's necessary. It's a pain to make the switch and I see plenty of people touring with straight bars. The bar ends will help by offering different hand positions. Of course, I tour with drop bars and prefer it that way, so it's certainly something to consider - just not obligatory.

The gold Klein Attitude Race is a very nice bike that cost over $2K - probably still worth $800-1000 used if it hasn't been butchered. Meaning, does it still have the Bontrager race wheelset (looks like it) and the XT/XTR derailleurs? No dents in the frame? You scored big time.

It's a shame you're not a mtn biker - that is a nice, light hardtail racing bike. Put it on Craigslist and you should get enough to buy whatever you want in a mid-range touring bike.

the attitude race is bassically brand new.not a scratch and all original..i did some research on bipiedia.i was shocked at the price of this bike new.i bought them both for myself .the person i bought these from hardly rode them and i was in the right place at the right time....i really like the attitude the more i ride it......the yellow one is called a pinnacle for what i paid i think i will keep both and set the yellow one up for my wife.....

....i guess i got lucky finding them..

major understatement ;)

I thought you wanted to tour on these. To me, the gold one is just unsuitable, because you'll be putting a considerable amount of energy into suspension losses. From what my LBS's have said, no suspension fork has a lock out that should be used all the time. If you try and do it, you end up with premature suspension failure.

The yellow one's definitely better for touring because it has sturdier wheels (as long as they're not thrashed) and no suspension. You can put some fast-rolling tires like Panaracer Pasela 26x1.25 and be good to go. Those tires have high enough volume to absorb most of the road chatter you're likely to encounter. To maximize both speed and comfort, you want to pump them up so that when loaded with "their share" of the weight of you and your luggage, they have about a 15 percent drop. Too soft and you lose energy into tire deformation (and risk pinch flats); too hard and you lose a lot of momentum from normal road irregularities, which your tire doesn't deform around, and so instead it has to lift your bike, you, and your luggage up and over the irregularity, absorbing a lot of forward momentum in the process.