Touring - touring on a road bike?

I want to go on a week long tour but I have a Schwinn Le Tour III.
How well would this bike work for me in terms of touring?

thanks.

Great! Assuming you have a credit card! That's about the only way you'd get me touring these days. :roflmao:

I want to go on a week long tour but I have a Schwinn Le Tour III.
How well would this bike work for me in terms of touring?

thanks.


I'm not familure with the bike you have. However, you can use almost any bike for touring. A lot will depend on the type of tour you are planning on doing. Also the amount of stuff you plan to carry.

3 budies of mine just did a 1200km ride from Cardston, Alberta to Salt Lake City, Utah on road bikes. They each had a trunk bag. Nothing else. They were "credit card" touring. They stayed in motels each night. This was a 7 day ride too.

You should be ok as long as your not planning on heavy loads.

Should work just fine. I did the Oregon coast of a TREK 1400. We did have a van carry all our gear and meet us at campgrounds.

CQ

I want to go on a week long tour but I have a Schwinn Le Tour III.
How well would this bike work for me in terms of touring?

thanks.
Hi Jane, I have a 1986 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe that I have toured with since new, never had one ounce of trouble, I also have a Trek 520. I'm not familure with the Le Tour lll, Do you know the year of mfg? just curious.

The best way to tour on a road bike is by credit card...but that does not mean you can't put panniers on even though your bike may not have the eyelits for them. Adventure Cycling sells special brackets for eyelitless bikes so that panniers can be mounted at least to the rear. The front could be a problem if you have carbon fiber forks. The only other problem with road bikes is that on extended tours their short wheelbase can become uncomfortable if your not use to riding for long periods of time.

The best way to tour on a road bike is by credit card...but that does not mean you can't put panniers on even though your bike may not have the eyelits for them. Adventure Cycling sells special brackets for eyelitless bikes so that panniers can be mounted at least to the rear. The front could be a problem if you have carbon fiber forks. The only other problem with road bikes is that on extended tours their short wheelbase can become uncomfortable if your not use to riding for long periods of time.


What does tour by credit card mean? I have eyelits on the front and back parts of the bike (I'm still learning bicycle terminology), which I am going to make use of with racks.

What do you mean about the short wheelbase?
As far as being used to my bike over long distances, I'm going to definately train alot before making a trip anywhere.

thanks for your help!

What does tour by credit card mean?

That means you use something the size of a credit card 9and just as thin) to jimmy open the door locks on rooms so you have a place to sleep. :D

Seriously though, it means you're basically staying in hotels and eating out at restaurants rather than carrying full camping gear.



What do you mean about the short wheelbase?

Short wheelbase gives you a lot of performance in terms of speed, acceleration and handling of the bike. However, it generally also translates into a more "race" positioning of the rider as opposed to a relaxed one and thus can be harder on the rider in the long run. This is not to say you can't get accustomed to the position. I've done a few multi-day tours (fully supported) on my road racer without problems.

Jane - if those fittings for panniers are part of the frame (brazed on, actually), then the bike was designed for touring. The rest depends on your own fitness for the terrain and daily distances you plan to cover. If you decide to ride with substantial cargo (vs going the credit-card route), you should try to ride loaded while training, and see how you do on hills. If they're a big problem, your gearing may be too high. A knowledgeable person at your local bike shop can replace rear and/or front gearing and make things much easier. I would also strongly recommend adding fenders.

I'll bet your bike will be just fine for a week's tour. Just ride and enjoy.

Lew

Dear Jane^3,

As long as your Schwinn is in good woring order, it should be fine. Check out this former(?) poster's monster journey on an old Schwinn road bike:

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=32082&highlight=ino
http://www.geocities.com/scosyrev/

Road bikes without super-low gearing are going to be difficult to ride up mountain passes, but I have seen it done. I recommend you look closely at your gearing options before planning your trip.

By the way, I hate to do this, but its FAMILIAR.

BK

Dear Jane^3,

As long as your Schwinn is in good woring order, it should be fine. Check out this former(?) poster's monster journey on an old Schwinn road bike:

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=32082&highlight=ino
http://www.geocities.com/scosyrev/

Road bikes without super-low gearing are going to be difficult to ride up mountain passes, but I have seen it done. I recommend you look closely at your gearing options before planning your trip.

By the way, I hate to do this, but its FAMILIAR.

BK


hey that bike journal was really neat! thanks!

also, thanks lew for that comment about how to tell if your bike was made for touring. :)

I met two cyclists in the Pyrenees, they were going coast to coast
over the mountains on road bike (w/ no low gears, just their
normal road gears) and with hiking backpacks - no racks, no panniers.
They seemed to have no problem doing the tour on road bikes,
and they said they found backpacks easier than panniers.
So, it's possible I guess.

The Le Tour II had a long wheelbase, and I got mine in 1978. It didn't have front braze-ons, but otherwise seemed fine for touring. Your Le tour is a III and probably is a similar bike, with long wheelbase. I think any front braze-ons would likely be on an aftermarket fork. My guess is your bike was made a few years after mine, circa 1980.

hey that bike journal was really neat! thanks!

Wasn't it, though?

Pretty inspiring stuff. I'm sure we'd all dig reading about your journey when the time comes.

Peace
BK