Help with buying a commuting / touring bike
05-16-08, 12:38 AM
#1
Newbie
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2008
Posts: 2
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Help with buying a commuting / touring bike
Hello,
I've been trying to figure out which bike to buy that would (almost) fit my needs. I commute to work on a daily basis (25km round trip, mostly pavement with some bumpy spots) on a giant explorer that I picked up for 300 euros. It's a nice bike, but I discovered that it can't carry heavy loads well. Since I have a rather large laptop, and carry quite a few books, papers, ... to work I'm looking for a bike that can easily handle the weight, and then some. My girlfriend and I are planning to try out biking vacations (light touring, no camping, we'd just travel from hostel to hostel), and we've picked up an interest in short biking trips. There is a possibility that I'd go 'heavy' touring with a few friends (camping and being generally self-reliant) but that's not certain.
Given these needs, I figured that a touring bike would be a good fit. I heard that Koga Miyata makes excellent bikes, but the prices are steep. Therefore I looked at second hand bikes, and found a second hand Randonneur bike from 2003 for 700 euros, including 2 panniers (In stores the bike alone costs 1850 euro). I couldn't find much on the randonneur, except that it has a steel frame and Deore LX/XT components. There's a description of the bike here: https://www.koga.com/uk/bike.asp?coll...67&FullSpecs=1
My question (sorry for the long post): is this bike 'overkill' for what I need? My fear is that a lighter bike (eg a cyclocross bike with rack built on) will not be able to handle enough weight. Second, given that the bike is in good condition (I saw a few pictures and everything seemed in order), is the price right?
Many thanks!
I've been trying to figure out which bike to buy that would (almost) fit my needs. I commute to work on a daily basis (25km round trip, mostly pavement with some bumpy spots) on a giant explorer that I picked up for 300 euros. It's a nice bike, but I discovered that it can't carry heavy loads well. Since I have a rather large laptop, and carry quite a few books, papers, ... to work I'm looking for a bike that can easily handle the weight, and then some. My girlfriend and I are planning to try out biking vacations (light touring, no camping, we'd just travel from hostel to hostel), and we've picked up an interest in short biking trips. There is a possibility that I'd go 'heavy' touring with a few friends (camping and being generally self-reliant) but that's not certain.
Given these needs, I figured that a touring bike would be a good fit. I heard that Koga Miyata makes excellent bikes, but the prices are steep. Therefore I looked at second hand bikes, and found a second hand Randonneur bike from 2003 for 700 euros, including 2 panniers (In stores the bike alone costs 1850 euro). I couldn't find much on the randonneur, except that it has a steel frame and Deore LX/XT components. There's a description of the bike here: https://www.koga.com/uk/bike.asp?coll...67&FullSpecs=1
My question (sorry for the long post): is this bike 'overkill' for what I need? My fear is that a lighter bike (eg a cyclocross bike with rack built on) will not be able to handle enough weight. Second, given that the bike is in good condition (I saw a few pictures and everything seemed in order), is the price right?
Many thanks!
05-16-08, 10:52 AM
#2
ROM 6:23
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Coastal Maine
Posts: 1,713
Bikes: Specialized Tricross Comp, Lemond Tourmalet, Bridgestone MB-5
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
I love my Specialized Tricross. Took it on a tour and loaded it up with about 30lbs. Bulletproof, fast commuter and can ride some offroad. Check it out.
05-16-08, 11:00 AM
#3
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2006
Posts: 881
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Koga makes nice bikes, but they're overpriced for what you get. You're absolutely correct that a touring bike would fit your needs great! But start by looking at brands like Trek, Cannondale, Novara, etc. A word to the wise is buy used if you can find one you can ride and fits well.
good luck
good luck
05-17-08, 03:00 AM
#4
Newbie
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2008
Posts: 2
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Ok thanks alot. I'll look into trek and cannondale bikes (not sure I already saw Novara on the second hand sites - I live in Europe so not all the same brands are widely available here).
