Touring - where to buy

ok i am preparing my first tour of new zealand that starts in october, and I would like to purchase my first bike. ive been told lots of good bikes to get and i have not been serious until now because i was moving. Now im all settled in should i just roll to shops or dare buy one off the interwebs?

Shop in person, the most important aspect of a bike is fit.

Shop in person, the most important aspect of a bike is fit.

+1 says someone who bought a bike online that would fit better if it was one size larger.

Pay for a professional fit, then buy the bike you want in the size you need through the shop or online. You won't find an LBS that has a selection of touring bikes in your size that you can test and it's not likely that you'll find anyone working in an LBS that is knowledgeable about touring. The more you learn here and the more you can make informed decisions for yourself, the happier you'll be and remain being with your purchase.

i went to a shop today and talked to the owner for an hour about touring and whatnot and he showed me this

http://www.mybiketinley.com/2011-Specialized-Tricross_p_24269.html

do you guys have any info? pros? cons?

I wouldn't buy it, for loaded touring. how do you put racks and fenders on it. Depending on the terrain gearing may not be low enough.

I have one, but last years (or in Canada anyway) had 50/39/30 and a 11-32 cassette, 9 speed. Lower gearing than what your link shows.

this one has 8 speed, 52/42/30 and 13-26.

it is still not a pure "touring bike" , but I like it a lot, but I do like the lower gearing. Perhaps the next level one up still has the 9 speed and wider cassette.

i dont think i want a pure touring bike, so this might be good for me. and there are spots to put racks on it front and back, not sure about fenders though. so now the issue is gearing you say.

If you plan to tour full-on in which you carry all your gear, I suggest buying a bike designed for touring and heavy loads. I know there are many proponents of carbon frames and forks, but I don't recommend a carbon frame or fork for a bike that will carry heavy loads over long distances.

There have been a number of recent posts about gearing, and many who have toured in hilly terrain can vouch that a mountain platform of 44-34-22 or something similar for the crank is nice to have, and a cassette with max of ~34T is helpful.

If you plan to do credit-card type touring in which you carry a minimum load on the bike, then the bike suggested may be fine.

If you want ideas for dedicated touring bikes, again, there are many recent threads of such bike suggestions.

http://www.fujibikes.com/bike/details/touring

i think i found what would be best for me!

http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/windsor/tourist.htm

Some have reported this bike to be similar to the Fuji; may be worth considering.

you could buy a bike, racks bags etc in New Zealand, check with air line fees ,
only having return costs of a bike fee , cuts that in half..
NZ VAT would be refunded as an export.

http://www.raleighusa.com/bikes/steel-road/clubman-11/

i found one of these at my local bike shop and he will give me a deal on it, so i am just wondering if any of you have it and what you think about it. its not a super heavy duty touring bike but its more then a light touring bike from what i have found out so far.

Gearing is WAY too high for loaded touring in New Zealand.

http://www.fujibikes.com/bike/details/touring

i think i found what would be best for me!

You still might serve yourself well with a smaller small chainring. But since you never explained what type of touring over what type of terrian you plan to do, it's hard to tell. If I were riding fully loaded over in mountainous/hilly areas, I would want at least a 26x34 low gear.

http://www.raleighusa.com/bikes/steel-road/clubman-11/

i found one of these at my local bike shop and he will give me a deal on it, so i am just wondering if any of you have it and what you think about it. its not a super heavy duty touring bike but its more then a light touring bike from what i have found out so far.

Better than the Specialized but not as good as the Fuji. Have you looked at the Surlys? LHT or even the cross check.

what if i had the gearing on it changed to lower gearing?

I'm sure you will be crossing a mountain pass in New Zeland? 7 miles long x 7% grade? If so you will want lower gearing if you are carrying a tent, sleeping bag, sleeping pad, rain suit....etc.... I'm not sure what "light touring" really means.

I bought my bike where I started my trip. The bike shop even picked me up at the airport because I called ahead and told them I was buying a bike from them. This saved money.

I bought a hybrid Trek with 26 teeth on the crank and 34 on the cassettee. Wish I had a 22 tooth on the crank. I'm assuming the New Zeland mountain passes are similar to Rocky mountain passes. My bike and gear weighed 60 lbs. Hope this helps. It looks like a great bike! Except for the low end of the gearing. (p.s. A real touring bike is not required if you don't take too much weight. My $400 hybrid made the trip without breaking a spoke or anything.)

http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/windsor/tourist.htm

Some have reported this bike to be similar to the Fuji; may be worth considering.

It is exactly the same frame manufactured in the same factory.