Road Bike for touring HELP!!
 

Hi, I am attempting a long distance charity cycle this summer (1000 miles +) and looking into getting a bike for it. I am a student and therefore very low on money so can not afford a cyclocross bike or tour bike. Can anyone who knows more about bikes look at this bike and light me know if it will be acceptable for light touring (1 rack at the back of the bike) as we will be staying in hostels.

Thanks Ali

http://www.discountcyclesdirect.co.u...source=message

PS, I also know the best thing when getting a bike is to make sure it fits , however as i am in the position of having to go as cheap as possible I will be taking a small gamble and hope its okay.

Bike looks good.

Will there be a truck or van to carry you stuff?

Ride it 100 miles before your tour to work out any kinks. Verify the rated puncture resistance of the stock tires. Replace if indicated. Have fun.

How light is light?

For really light loads I'd like it better than a touring bike myself. A few folks pack light enough to make that work well when carrying camping and cooking gear, but if you don't need to camp and cook it should be easy to keep the gear and clothing weight below 20 pounds. At that weight it should be fine, but you will want lower gearing.

If you have van support it is a slam dunk.

I agree that it should be fine for a light (<20 lbs.) touring load which should be plenty if you're not camping. The gearing isn't very low and may be an issue if the route is quite hilly. But that's easy to change with a different cassette or small chainring. Get the bike early enough so you can do some extended training rides on it before your tour. And on at least some of those rides carry everything you'll be taking - best to sort out any issues with your rack and bags before the tour starts.

Personally I would much much rather have a good used bike than a cheap new one. If you live in GB there are a lot of older bikes up for sale that would be ideal for your needs.
Something like this : (might end up a tad high though)
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Dawes-Gala...#ht_676wt_1185

+1, if for no other reason that you can ride it first and know it fits and is comfortable before buying it.

Having small feet helps .. road bikes have short chainstays.
and rear racks bags and feet may be interfering with each other..