Touring - can i use my Kona Cinder Cone for long distance touring?

i bought a brand new Kona MTB recently. it's a mid range one with good specs, however it does have quiet a small 18" frame and suspension forks. these are great for the day rides but would a touring bike be essential if i was going to go touring in Europe (im from Britain btw) on long rides

just wondering if it's ok to use a MTB for touring as well as day rides?


could you tell me the advantages and drawbacks

thanks

randall

Sure you can use it! My boyfriend has that bike, I recently installed a rear rack on it - just for carrying his climbing gear to the crag - but there's no reason not to tour on it. You might have to fiddle around a bit getting the bags back far enough so your heels don't hit them.

A number of companies make racks that will work with disc brakes and suspension forks. Throw some slick or semi-slick tires on it for a paved tour.

It wouldn't be the bike I would choose, personally, just because I strongly prefer drop (road style) handlebars, but there's no reason not to give it a try. I did my first tour on a mountain bike, to see if I liked touring before I invested in yet another bike.

thanks for the reply valygrl thats a big help

i'll order a pannier rack off ebay and get it set up pronto :D

Topeak make a disc-compatable rack.
Chose some pannier bags with a heel cutout to avoid heel clip with shorter chainstays.
A lot of MTB tourists use clip-on triathlon style bars for additional hand holds.
Swap out your knobbly tyre for a touring semi-slick.

I currently ride a department store dual-suspension mountain bike with smooth tires for full-day trips. It sucks in a many ways, but it is do-able. It weighs a ton, I lose lots of energy to the shocks, and I don't have panniers so I have to wear a backpack. That said, a bad day on a bike beats a good day at work.

I spent a lot of time looking at seat-post mounted racks for the back. I even bought one after ensuring that the bottom bracket would have enough clearance even if the main spring compressed fully but I gave up the idea when I took a spill. I noticed that my seat had turned around and that had the rack been installed, the bottom bracket would have gone right into the spokes. Thankfully, my LBS has a pretty generous return policy

Kona bikes have a great handling. I've got a rigid steel Kilauea which I've used with four loaded panniers without problems. There are some at the Fully Loaded Bike gallery:

http://k53.pbase.com/g3/85/557985/2/57240920.GaryGermanyKonaKilauea.jpg
http://k53.pbase.com/g6/85/557985/2/69310550.bRrUhFe8.jpg