Touring - Going on a coast to coast road bike trip need to get a bike!!

This summer I am going on a bike trip across the country(on the road). I recently road 200 miles in Tennessee with a FUGI road bike. I borrowed that one and I need to get a road bike. If you could help out on what brands are good. My price range is $500 max (US). So if you could help me out that would be great

You might be able to find a Raleigh R300 for around 500-600. It's a touring bike with all the appropriate braze-ons for panniers. Comes with mid-grade shimano derailleurs and cantilever brakes which have better stopping power with a load. In my search for info on this bike, I found this site biketrip.org (http://www.biketrip.org/documents/equip_r300.php). It might turn out to be a good resource for you.

Keep us informed as to your how your plans evolve, that's one major undertaking your thinking of doing. Good luck :)

Originally posted by Moose
You might be able to find a Raleigh R300 for around 500-600.

He'd have to find a 2001 leftover, since it's been discontinued (along with its clone, the Diamondback Interval).

It would be helpful to know more about how far the guy's riding and what he'll have to carry. $500 isn't much if he needs racks and panniers as well. Actually, it isn't much anyway, especially for a road bike that's ready for loaded touring.

Personally, on long trips my biggest concern is durable wheels, properly tensioned and stress-relieved when new. Very few machine-built wheels on inexpensive bikes are going to survive a 2000-mile trip (if that's what we're talking about) without being gone over by a good wheelbuilder first.

And that assumes a bike that actually fits well. I shudder to imagine what it would be like to be forced onto a poorly fitting bike by budget constraints and then have to pull 75-100 miles a day on it.

But then, maybe somebody with young knees and robust recuperative powers would do better. I don't remember any more.

RichC

Well I'm not going solo. I'm going with a group of people and we won't be carrying anything on the bikes. We will have a some guys in a support van goin too. And we're talkin $400-500 for the bike only...not for the other stuff

I doubt that any $400 bike is capable of lasting the 3500 miles that a loaded tour will entail. Touring bikes generally start at $1000, especially the ones which have the heavy-duty componentry needed for long, loaded tours. Buy a cheap bike, and you will probably get stranded in the desert with a broken hub or BB. Since the cost of a 2 month long tour will certainly be more than a couple thousand dollars, why are you cheaping out on the bike?

String,

Why don't you look at used? Try to find a $1000.00 bike that's in good shape, that someone wanting to trade up will sell.

Your trip sounds like a great experience.

Good Riding!