Touring - Setup for a touring/commuter Raleigh Clubman

Hello everyone,

I am looking to get into some light touring in addition to the daily commuting and seasonal tours I already do. I have been very attracted to the Raleigh Clubman but have a concern regarding the drivetrain:

It comes stock with a Shimano Tiagra 2 piece 34/50t Crankset. I planned on switching that out with a triple to get a granny gear. What I am not sure of is what else will need to be switched. Bottom bracket? Front dérailleur? How about the STI shifter?

If anyone has any idea what I can expect from the LBS regarding what kind of work will need to be done, I'd appreciate the info.

Also, if there are any other bikes similar to the Clubman that I should take a look at, that would be great, too.

Thanks in advance for the help.

Touring:
http://www.rei.com/product/806826

Touring:
http://www.rei.com/product/806826

Yeah, I know that the Surly is one of the best bikes for touring but I don't think it will be too great for commutes nor do I really plan on doing heavy loaded tours. The only real deal breaker with the Surly are the bar-ends which I imagine will be more of an inconvenience. But I might be wrong?

I would be fine with commuting on any of the main touring bikes that people in this forum ride.

If you plan on touring and commuting on the same bike, buy a touring bike.

Well you can always buy the frame and built it yourself. However, a lot of people have LHT these days and the club man is very nice looking.

thats a sharp looking ride. bit pricey in my oppinion... then again i'm told i'm quite cheap.

Well you can always buy the frame and built it yourself. However, a lot of people have LHT these days and the club man is very nice looking.

I actually really like the way it comes.. except the crankset. Again, I can easily get my LBS to swap it out but I just want to know if they will have to swap anything else out other than just the Tiagra 2 piece.

According to the Shimano site, the Tiagra 9 STI is "2/3 speed". Does that mean it comes in both 2 and 3 speeds or that it is compatible for both? I have also been told that the bottom bracket should remain but that the front dérailleur needs to be changed. Can anyone confirm this?

For my purpoases, the Clubman is not at all a suitable platform for touring:

- wheels have only 28 spokes; I'd need to change those.
- relatively high gearing -- you've mentioned you want to change to triple; I think you'll also want to change the rear cassette
- the chainstays are too short for me -- I'd have trouble getting my feet to avoid hitting the rear panniers.

Not clear to me why you think this is a good touring bike. There are a couple of stickies here that list multiple bikes that are better candidates.

I actually really like the way it comes.. except the crankset. Again, I can easily get my LBS to swap it out but I just want to know if they will have to swap anything else out other than just the Tiagra 2 piece.

According to the Shimano site, the Tiagra 9 STI is "2/3 speed". Does that mean it comes in both 2 and 3 speeds or that it is compatible for both? I have also been told that the bottom bracket should remain but that the front dérailleur needs to be changed. Can anyone confirm this?

To answer your questions, if you want to change the compact two pieces crankset with triple then you need new front brifter and new front derailleur (for 3 sp) and some adjustment with your outer bb.
But then alternatively to get lower gear, you can use 9 sp mtb sprocket and a little training to get used to it.

Get a suitable frame and build it up with your desired component choices. Salsa Casseroll, Surly Crosscheck, Soma Doublecross, are among your potential options.

To answer your questions, if you want to change the compact two pieces crankset with triple then you need new front brifter and new front derailleur (for 3 sp) and some adjustment with your outer bb.
But then alternatively to get lower gear, you can use 9 sp mtb sprocket and a little training to get used to it.

No, the Tiagra brifter does not have to be replaced...and it's not clear that the FD needs to be replaced either.

You can probably tour on the Clubman but take a look at the Sojourn (http://www.raleighusa.com/bikes/road/sojourn/), very similar bike but much better suited for touring/commuting in my opinion. I don't know what the price difference is, but I bet there won't be much difference after you get done swapping components around on the Clubman.

Aaron :)

buy a clubman, do the mountain derailleur/ mountain cassette in either 9 or 10 speed, whichever the bike is setup with, without monkeying around at all with the crankset, shifters or front derailleur. If you put a SHADOW rear derailleur you can go to 36!!! in the back, with the compact double that is fairly low gearing.....like mid 20s gear inches for crawling up hills.

What is the cost difference between buying a pre-built setup versus building it yourself, assuming you get all the same parts?

$500 to $800.

Just a guess.

Look for all the parts online, add up the costs, and compare the differences. Don't forget to add the price of the tools you don't own and will need (headset press?) and/or price to have a shop to do the bit you don't feel comfortable doing on your own.

It's not clear to me, though, what you need that can't be found in a stock bike.

Trucker makes an awesome commuter, I bought it for that reason, mostly commuting with some touring thrown in. Clubman looks to be a nice commuter but not built for touring, wheels won't take it and the front fork has no mounts for front racks. Drivetrain I leave to others, shifters, you can switch the barends to brifters on the LHT and not have to change anything else on the bike. seriously a touring bike makes a great commuter, the average commuter bike does not make a great touring bike.