Can I use this as a touring bicycle?
04-08-09, 12:19 AM
#1
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Can I use this as a touring bicycle?
99’ Mens Raleigh Road Bike R-500
with Shimano 105 crank and front derailer, RSX thumb shifters and rear derailer, 7005 Butted Aluminum, with Ultra 2000 tires 700c
Would this be an okay bike to use as a touring bike for long trips?
thank you
with Shimano 105 crank and front derailer, RSX thumb shifters and rear derailer, 7005 Butted Aluminum, with Ultra 2000 tires 700c
Would this be an okay bike to use as a touring bike for long trips?
thank you
04-08-09, 09:09 AM
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Does it have braze-ons for a rack? Sometimes road bikes do, sometimes they don't. If they don't, it can mean the chainstays are short enough that even a small load will compromise the bike's handling. It can also mean the designer thought braze-ons were expensive and kinda Fred. You'll see bikes with chainstays that range from about 38cm to 47cm.
I *personally* wouldn't put a rack on a bike with chainstays that are shorter than 42cm. I'm not the greatest at bike handling, and chainstays that short would mean I have a tough time to begin with. Making the bike handle worse by overloading the rear wheel is a great way to set myself up for an accident. This is a real YMMV area tho, and other riders will have their own ideas of what's a smart limit.
I *personally* wouldn't put a rack on a bike with chainstays that are shorter than 42cm. I'm not the greatest at bike handling, and chainstays that short would mean I have a tough time to begin with. Making the bike handle worse by overloading the rear wheel is a great way to set myself up for an accident. This is a real YMMV area tho, and other riders will have their own ideas of what's a smart limit.
04-08-09, 11:00 AM
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not optimum, it's more of a road bike than a tour/sport tour bike. I'd want to be able to have 32mm tires for a touring bike, can't tell from the pictures if it can take them but it's got 15.9" chainstays. It's a road bike with a triple.
04-08-09, 01:52 PM
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You Can.
I did it on a road bike.
Enjoy the tour.
Get a seat post rack.
I did it on a road bike.
Enjoy the tour.
Get a seat post rack.
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Fred "The Real Fred"
Fred "The Real Fred"
04-08-09, 03:42 PM
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Mechanic/Tourist
I don't see why not - remember that many, many people toured before there were "touring bikes" generally available (and still do w/out such bikes). I never toured on wider than a 1 1/8 tire (28mm) and did a 5000 mile tour in '76 on a bike with 10 speeds. A LOT of it depends on your age and fitness. Very little bothered me when I was touring in my 20's and 30's - things are a bit different now as I approach 60. You can mount a 28mm tire on those rims and though the 16" stays will pose somewhat of a challenge for heel clearance it's still doable. My biggest concern would be the 32 spoke wheels - depends on the weight you're carrying and road conditions.
Last edited by cny-bikeman; 04-08-09 at 03:52 PM.
04-08-09, 05:04 PM
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I wanna order this for my roadbike https://treefortbikes.com/#product.as...31&parent=a141 , i'm putting on 28's for my tires(not sure which brand) any input from personal experiences would be great!, I have 36 spoke mavic open pro, dtswiss spokes and dura ace hubs.,and i'll do a handlebar mount bag to distribute weight (somewhat.) I went to the bike shop and asked them, while they said they would love for me to spend the money on a touring bike, they said my roadbike would be sufficient with my planned setup.
