MightyMike0

I used to ride BMX for a long time until I got into high school and played sports at school. Long story short I'm a senior and just had to have my hand operated on basically ending any chance of playing a school sport. About a month ago I got back into riding. My dad has a road bike and every time he isn't riding it I am. So I've been looking around for an inexpensive bike and found an ad for a touring bike. I looked more into touring and have decided that this is the style of biking for me. I love backpacking and with my reborn love for biking I can do both while touring. I'm readng up on articles but really don't have much to spend as my parents think I should work for everything I have(as they should). The tour bike I found was a Plateau Ex "Blue Max" with 28" wheels and Shimano 100GS shifters for 50 obo. I was wondering if this sounded like an ok deal. It needs some TLC but I have always been a tinkerer and I do plan on upgrading it so that it will be sufficient to take touring on a coastal trip Summer 09. If anyone has suggestions about the bike or anything about touring just let me know!

JamieCompos

I don't know anything about the bike you've mentioned, but they say that you can tour on just about any bicycle with sufficient tinkering and a creative willingness to improvise. I met a guy riding across the country who just burned through bikes he bought at Wal-Mart. Although it's not the easiest way to go about touring, you can theoretically make just about anything work. Just wanted to pass that along, and say good luck and welcome to the "sport." :-)

IntoThickAir

Dear Mike,

I googled the bike, "Plateau Ex "Blue Max", and found the actual Craiglist ad you're apparently responding to. It's hard to judge from the photos, but it certainly looks like it worth $50. And it even comes with a rear rack!

But is it good enough to tour on? I've met people on worse (e.g., a Shwinn Varsity) coming down the California coast, and yet they looked happy enough. You're lucky enough to be in fine riding country (assuming you're near Morro Bay, where the bike seller lives), so you'll have easy access to test rides. I think you should get the bike, find a pair of panniers and a handlebar bag, and take off. If you avoid busy roads, you're backpacking experience will take you a long way. I bet you love it.

Yours,

MightyMike0

I believe the seller actually commutes between there and the valley where I live because he posted an ad in Dinuba, a town near mine, and I am going to check out the bike next week. Although the trip I am already planning is in that area. I'm also glad to hear that I will at least get what I'm paying for and that even something so inexpensive will be able to provide me with the adventure I'm looking for. Hopefully I'll get some pictures up in the near future

BigBlueToe

I also Googled and found the bike in Morro Bay. It's hard to tell much from the pictures. I'm curious about 28" wheels. I'm not familiar with those. In the old days road bikes had 27" wheels, but 28? It's also possible that the seller doesn't know much about bikes and posted an incorrect size. I can't tell you how many mountain bikes I've seen listed on Ebay with a frame size of 26" because someone saw 26" on a wheel or tire and posted that as the frame size.

Anyway, when I started touring I was a really poor college kid and rode a bike that wasn't the best and I had a blast! My advice is to start with shorter tours - 2 or 3 days. Get the bugs out of your rig before you try a long, multi-week tour. Watch out for broken spokes. I don't know how heavy you are, or how much you plan on carrying. When I started my gear was too heavy because it was all I had. I'm fairly large, and I had a real problem with broken spokes. I think one of the first places to spend money when you have it is on the rear wheel. But there are so many other places to spend money on touring equipment that it might be daunting. Don't let that stop you; get out there and try it. I predict you'll have a blast like I did.

MightyMike0

That's what I'm planning to do. There are some national parks around that would be great to take some small tours and I'd like to get aquainted with all the new things I'll need before I take a tour along the coast. Thanks for the advice about the rear wheel, I'm mid size(~200lbs) and that sounds like something that could happen to me.

Edit:Also Jim you are my new inspiration! I've looked at all your photos from your trip and I am in awe! I just added your book to my list of books to buy.

BigBlueToe

I weigh about 205. in 1992 I took my first big tour from Seattle, Washington to San Luis Obispo, California on a mail-order touring bike from Nashbar. It had 36-spoke wheels so I thought I was okay. Granted, I was carrying too much weight, but I broke my first spoke around the time I entered California. By the time I got to Santa Cruz, I was breaking spokes almost every day - sometimes more than one! I aborted the trip in Santa Cruz and took Greyhound the rest of the way.

I think the problem was due to cheap wheels that had been laced by a machine. I didn't know much back then. Each time a spoke broke I'd put on an emergency spoke, true the wheel as best I could (not very well), loosen the quick release on the brake, and ride to the next town with a bike shop. Then I'd stand around waiting while the mechanic found time to replace the spoke and true the wheel, pay wildly varying amounts for the job, and get back on the road. If I had it to do over, once spokes started breaking I'd find a good mechanic and have the entire wheel respoked.

A better plan would be to get a rear wheel you could count on before the trip - one that has been hand-laced by someone who knows what they're doing.

Before my next "big" tour - west from Portland and down the coast to Crescent City, CA. - I went to my local mechanic, told him my woes from the previous tour, and told him to build me a rear wheel that wouldn't break spokes. He did, and I made it with no problems. On the next "big" tour - from Seattle north to Highway 20, then over the North Cascades to Omak, WA. - I took the same wheel to the same guy and had him tune it up. Again, no broken spokes.

Before my last tour - from Omak, WA to Glacier Natl. Park in Montana - I tried something different. I built my own rear wheel, based on Sheldon Brown's instructions. It was an expensive option, because not only did I have to buy the parts, and I tried to buy excellent quality, but I also bought a Park truing stand, a Park spoke tension meter, and a Minoura dishing tool. I brought the finished product to my guy to have him check it out. He said, "Not bad for a first attempt," and pronounced it tour-worthy. Again, no broken spokes.

There are some wheelbuilders with websites who guarantee their wheels won't break spokes, such as Peter White.

One last spoke-related tip: Even though I've had three tours with no broken spokes, I'm still paranoid. For that reason I carry a couple of extra spokes, a kevlar emergency spoke kit, and a Stein Hypercracker (plus the spoke wrench on my multitool.) All that doesn't weigh much, and I can replace my own spokes on the road - no more stopping at bike shops and waiting around.

Good luck, may your touring experiences all be positive, and may you never break a spoke!

Newspaperguy

I'll echo the thoughts about starting with the short tours. Carry a notebook and record everything about each day of the trip — how far you went, what the roads were like, weather conditions, how often you stopped and what you ate, how your gear performed, etc. There are a lot of things you'll learn quite quickly if you keep notes.

MightyMike0

Thanks for the notes idea! I'm also planning on keeping a photo journal. The guy sent me close up shots and I'm going to go look at it in person early next week. What would clean up rust and not damage anything? Would it be safe to ride it with rust or should I replace everything that is rusty? Does it still look like a good deal? Or should I keep looking?

delver

https://www.sheldonbrown.com/harris/rims.html

on this page it says that 28 inch wheels sometimes refer to 700c.

But I have a tire in my basement that says 28 on it that will not fit a regular 700c rim, It looks so close but its to big.
When you see the bike, look at the inside of the rims for a wheel size, that may be a better indicator of what it actualy is than the tire, if thats where the seller got his info.
Just be really sure before you get it that the tires are going to be something that you can replace without lots of hassle. Also make sure that it fits you. well enough to spend long hours on.

If you get it and want to work on it yourself go to the library and get all the books you can on bike repair.
The best reason to clean up rust is to see whats under the rust. then you can decide if it needs replacing. If you have to replace to many things, it could get expensive.

MightyMike0

After talking with my dad he doesn't think it would be worth it because of all the damage. I did however find another, much more expensive, touring bike on CL. If I don't have enough though my dad said he could help me out as either a christmas present or I pay him back when I get my paycheck. I also might be able to get a schwinn mtn bike from my uncle and get road tires for it. It's coming along slowly but it's coming along! I'm planning my first tour for christmas break, expect pictures of some beautiful sequoias!

antokelly

yeah you done wright walking away ,steel rusts from the inside and looking at that frame around the headset ,it would not be long before it falls apart.keep looking there's a bike out there somewhere with your name on it .