Touring - spd pedals, drop-bars and skinny rims

Hello everyone,
I'm a rookie forum user, but I hope you'll excuse me for asking a few novice questions. First of all, does or has anyone here used the shimano sandals? If so, which pedal did you use? Secondly, I've never toured using drop bars. Would it be easier on one's neck to use straight bars with long bar ends or even an aero-bar? Lastly, does anyone know how good the Keba rims are as found on the Marinoni Turismo bike? While I'm at it, any insights on the Veloce 10 group on that bike?
Now for the background stuff. I'm about to buy a touring bike, and the Marinoni has struck my fancy. I've never used SPD pedals, though, nor drop bars or 700mm rims. I have, however, toured 7800 kilometers through Europe with my wife. We both used (old, low end) Kona mountain bikes with as the only adaptations a set of Tioga CitySlicker tires each. THis next trip will be different. Hence my questions. Thanks in advance for your input.
Arctic Canuck

My stoker and I have both used Shimano sandals (SH-SD60) on warm/hot summer days, in combination with the Shimano PD-M324 pedals. We're quite happy with them, and we really enjoy the relatively cool breeze.

One word of advice:
Be sure to use original Shimano cleats on the shoes (In our case SM-SH55)!
The cleats are sold with the pedals, not with the shoes or sandals. So if you already have shoes on which you're using the cleats, you'll need to by some extra cleats.
As I owned two sets of Shimano pedals (tandem + regular bike), I had two sets of orignal cleats available. My stoker however bought an additional set of (non-Shimano) cleats and experienced some minor problems clicking in and out of the pedals.

Cheers,
TT

I've never toured using drop bars. Would it be easier on one's neck to use straight bars with long bar ends or even an aero-bar?

I like drop bars for touring because they offer so many varied hand positions--5 or 6 by my count. I think that not only the hands but the whole upper body benefit from frequent changes among these positions.

Thanks for that info! I take it that those same cleats work with other shimano shoes, too. I'll see if I can find those products.
Greetings,
Arctic Man

I used the Lake version of the sandels and Shimanno 324 pedals all summer. I'm not a tourer but use them on my regular rides including a century. I found I could wear them in temps into the 50's with wool socks.

I've bought the Marinoni Turismo too. I did a lot of research before settling on this one, and it's said to be a great bike. (I had measurements taken at a very good bike shop and they're bringing in the bike for me to try.)

I made some changes: Mavic 36 spoke 520 touring rims. Beefy but strong, as I'm 200 lbs and I'll be carrying gear, food, etc. That's something you might consider.

Nitto Dirt Drop handlebars from Rivendell: Lots of width, lots of comfortable hand positions, and flared drops. Added: Brooks B-17 saddle. Also I had the front triple changed and the bike will have bar end shifters.

I haven't decided on tires. I've never heard of Ambrosio tires which is what Marinoni sell.

The only thing that worries me a bit is the carbon touring fork. But I've looked into it and it is very robust. It'll do unless I'm touring off road or third world countries, in which case I'll replace it with a cro-moly fork.

I would be interested to know why either of you have decided to buy a Marinoni Turismo. I too want to buy a good touring bike this year but most of my research leads me to the Trek 520. How does the Turismo match in price and performance to the Trek 520 or either of the Cannnondales? Also, Tkehler, which bike shop did you use to order your bike. I have visited most of the shops in Vancouver and none of them spoke of the Turismo. The only Canadian bikes I saw were the two DeVinci touring bikes.

I've bought the Marinoni Turismo too...

I made some changes: Mavic 36 spoke 520 touring rims. Beefy but strong, as I'm 200 lbs and I'll be carrying gear, food, etc. That's something you might consider.

Nitto Dirt Drop handlebars from Rivendell: Lots of width, lots of comfortable hand positions, and flared drops. Added: Brooks B-17 saddle. Also I had the front triple changed and the bike will have bar end shifters.

tkehler, who is doing all the changes for you? Marinoni or your bike shop? I've contacted Marinoni directly for some info and quotes, and plan to order from them, too (my nearest bike shop is 4 hours away by air in Yellowknife). As well, any idea on the pedals on the bike? Which component group are you going with?
Thanks.

I think you can buy Marinoni directly from the builder in Montreal, or you get get a bike shop to order one in. I went to La Bicycletta (spelling?) on Broadway across from MEC. They build high-end racing bikes and they aren't cheap, but they know bikes and (MOST important of all) they know sizing. They put together about 40 touring bikes a year, all depending on what components etc. people want on their bikes. They have quality stuff there.

I went in to buy a touring bike from them (they deal with a small Italian frame company called Vitali for their touring and racing frames) but decided that I wanted a better steel for the frame. Marinoni has a great reputation for design and attention to detail and also they use Columbus Zonal tubing which is pretty light but also has good lateral strength.

The Trek 520 seems good too. Obviously there are thousands of happy 520 owners out there (many on these boards). I guess I just wanted something a little different. I believe that some of the components on the Trek bike has to be replaced anyhow (rack, triple, seat, maybe seatpost, maybe your own pedals) to turn it into YOUR bike.

To me, the Marinoni seems to be a slight upgrade, even though the price is not much more. And I could get the colour I wanted (metallic blue). I wanted the sloping top tube too, since I've had lots of bikes with a straight top tube already. Also, the Turismo has the neat new mini-V brakes, which I'm dying to try out. Downside? Maybe some might think Shimano 105 hubs and bottom bracket and headset is not good enough. I think it's a great compromise between price and reliability (as a lot of other people think too). The rear derailleur is XT and the rear cassette is 12-32. Another downside, perhaps, is the hub width of 130 rather than mountain hub width of 135. The latter is a bit stronger, but I'm not too worried with 36 spoke Mavic touring rims.

So the only 'problem' is the carbon touring fork. But it's a fork designed and built for touring and has braze ons. It's over half a kilo and it should be bombproof. I'm actually keen to try it out since I don't know carbon. There's a nice guy from Australia on these boards who tours on a Fuji World touring bike which has carbon forks.

My sister in law has a Devinci and swears by it. But I wanted steel and not aluminum. Also, she commutes rather than tours. And she weighs about 100 lbs. The Marinoni is about the same price as the pricier of the two Devinci touring bikes. Basically I think the Turismo is as close as I could get to really high quality without breaking the bank (which I couldn't afford anyhow). And it's made in Canada, with a good price and a great reputation.

"One word of advice:
Be sure to use original Shimano cleats on the shoes (In our case SM-SH55)!"

I don't understand why original Shimano cleats are necessary. I use Time ATC cleats and pedals on my Shimano sandals. Been okay for 2 years.

"One word of advice:
Be sure to use original Shimano cleats on the shoes (In our case SM-SH55)!"

I don't understand why original Shimano cleats are necessary. I use Time ATC cleats and pedals on my Shimano sandals. Been okay for 2 years.

You're right. What I meant to say was that you should use matching cleats for your pedals. I the case of my stoker, she was using Shimano pedals and non-Shimano cleats.

Cheers,
TT

Drop bars can be set up anyplace you want your hands to be. They don't have to be low and far.
The 3TTT Morphe is a good, reliable touring drop.

I've done two real distancey kind of tours - one was with WTB dirt drops and knobbies on 26" wheels, the other was on 26" slicks and flat bars with bar-ends. I didn't notice much of a difference.

I've had the same experience, found that non-Shimano SPD cleats (most are made by Wellgo) don't work as well with Shimano SPD pedals as well as Shimono cleats...though the Shimano cleats generally DO work well w/ the Wellgo pedals.



You're right. What I meant to say was that you should use matching cleats for your pedals. I the case of my stoker, she was using Shimano pedals and non-Shimano cleats.

Cheers,
TT

I could not get my Shimano SPDs to click into a pair of Well Go pedals for the life of me, and ended up getting another pair of Shimano Pedals and gave up on the Well Gos. I figured SPD was SPD and would not be a problem but was proven wrong. Haven't tried the Well Go cleats on the Shimano but all 3 of my bikes now have Shimano so it doesn't matter.

Artic Canuck,

What kind of touring/riding do you plan to do?

Have you looked at Bruce Gordon bicycles? http://www.bgcycles.com . The guy only sells bicycles by mail.

Marinoni have changed their designs in the last few years, but when I looked at them a few years ago, their frames were tight, with short chainstays, and allowed only fairly narrow tires (up to 28 mm, I think, with fenders).

I got a Trek 520, and it allows up to 35 mm front and 42 mm rear (with fenders), and had the bike geared like the Bruce Gordon. Bruce Gordon's bikes allow even wider tires, which would be a plus if you ride around your town or even do a cycling tour in North West Territories or ride off road. If you are not too tall, the 26" bike allows even wider tires... which you simply replace with narrow ones when you tour down south.

In terms of gearing, Bruce Gordon's bikes are geared with what I think is optimal gearing for touring. Other mail contenders are Heron and Rivendell, which have good touring bikes with classical designs (lugs, horizontal top tube...)

Other thoughts: as you have to take planes to go beyond your town, it might be wise to invest either in:
- S&S couplers -- see http://www.sandsmachine.com/ -- that are only available on a few high end bikes. Your bicycle is a real full-size bike that handles as such, but it can be disassembled and re-assembled in 30-60 minutes. The disassembled bike fits in standard-sized suitcases, which means less hassles in planes, trains and busses, and no extra fees.
- a Bike Friday. -- http://www.bikefriday.com -- It seems they handle quite well, and I have heard good comments about their NWT (that's for New World Tourist). The BF is probably less suited for a month-long tour where you travel 5000 km on your bike, but for shorter distances, tours that involve a combination of transportations, etc. it might be the best. It's much more compact than a traditional bike and folding is anything from 0,5 to 20 minutes. depending on how compact you want it. The 20" wheels are not suitable for a lot of gravel, but handle surprisingly well on asphalt.

Artic Canuck,

What kind of touring/riding do you plan to do?

Have you looked at Bruce Gordon bicycles? http://www.bgcycles.com . The guy only sells bicycles by mail.

Marinoni have changed their designs in the last few years, but when I looked at them a few years ago, their frames were tight, with short chainstays, and allowed only fairly narrow tires (up to 28 mm, I think, with fenders).

I don't know what Marinoni model you looked at, but are you sure it was a touring bike? The Turismo has a long comfortable frame, and can handle up to 38 mm tires with fenders

I don't know what Marinoni model you looked at, but are you sure it was a touring bike? The Turismo has a long comfortable frame, and can handle up to 38 mm tires with fenders

Edit: Sorry, I meant to say, 'the newer versions of the Turismo.'

What kind of touring/riding do you plan to do?...

... Bruce Gordon's bikes allow even wider tires, which would be a plus if you ride around your town or even do a cycling tour in North West Territories or ride off road. If you are not too tall, the 26" bike allows even wider tires... .

Hi mgagnonlv,
I will be sticking mostly to pavement this trip, and while I'd love to get in shape up where I live, I won't be mounting a bicycle until I get off school in June and fly to Edmonton. (I'm a school teacher.) As well, I am tall and will towing my two year old daughter, so I will need a sizable frame. Therefore...I looked away from Marinoni, as much as I liked their design, and actually ordered myself an extra-large Cannondale T2000. I can't wait to see it!
In regards to what I ride up here? Well, I just started my Yamaha Raptor (ATV) today, and was the first guy in town to be out on something other than a snowmobile. I am the "early bird" kabloonak-white person-because I just sold my snowmobile. My ATV is for sale, too. Why, you wonder? Because after five years of isolation it is travel time again, and my wife, daughter and I plan to cycle from Edmonton to Mexico, and perhaps further.
P.S.:Thanks for everyone's advice on this thread.

I think it's a very good choice. The Cannondale T2000 has a very rigid frame, which will be especially important when you tow your daughter. As for a child trailer, I have very good experience with a Charriot 2-children trailer that I bought second hand.

If you tour with the child, I would suggest that you get a single-child trailer (unless you plan for a second child soon), and that you get one of the models where there is some cargo space behind the child. You will appreciate the 6-inch difference in width when you travel along the road (especially on narrow roads) and when you face a head wind. Even with the newer models that have a meshed child back support, the trailer is a bit of a parachute, so the narrower it is, the better it is.

Back to the bike, some people have had problems with wheels. I think they are under-tensioned, so building good and even tension in the spokes should help them last a long time. Current gearing is decent (48-38-28 or 26, and 11-34), but unless you have strong legs, I would suggest replacing the small chainring with a 24. Your derailleur will take it and your legs will like it.

Good luck with your new bike.

Regards,

I think it's a very good choice. The Cannondale T2000 has a very rigid frame, which will be especially important when you tow your daughter. As for a child trailer, I have very good experience with a Charriot 2-children trailer that I bought second hand.

If you tour with the child, I would suggest that you get a single-child trailer (unless you plan for a second child soon), and that you get one of the models where there is some cargo space behind the child. You will appreciate the 6-inch difference in width when you travel along the road (especially on narrow roads) and when you face a head wind. Even with the newer models that have a meshed child back support, the trailer is a bit of a parachute, so the narrower it is, the better it is.

Back to the bike, some people have had problems with wheels. I think they are under-tensioned, so building good and even tension in the spokes should help them last a long time. Current gearing is decent (48-38-28 or 26, and 11-34), but unless you have strong legs, I would suggest replacing the small chainring with a 24. Your derailleur will take it and your legs will like it.

Good luck with your new bike.

Regards,

I'm with mgagnonlv, the Cannondale is a good choice. I looked at several models, though ultimately I wanted steel and bar end shifters (also in Vancouver a Cannondale is a thief magnet). By the way, check out Adam K.'s (adamk.ca) pages for info by a smart bike guy who has toured LOTS in Canada and in the States on a Cannondale. He's also helpful if you email him. He's in Victoria.