Originally Posted by
bobbycorno
Just outa curiosity, why the World Tour instead of one of their Audax series? Seems like the WT would be designed for carring mondo luggage for months at a time, and wouldn't be a particularly lively, inspiring bike to ride.
SP
Bend, OR
Yeah, good question and I don't have a super rational reason. Am really stuck on the idea of canti's as well as low-rider braze-ons for front rack - just in case. At some point, going more toward a sport geometry starts to beg the question of getting another bike at all. I have a competent road/race bike and am hoping to augment it with something different. Something more about looking around and enjoying a long trip rather than just getting there. Some fork rake, good trail.
Based on looking at geometries, weights, etc I segmented things like the Surly LHT, vintage Specialized Exped/Miyata 1000LT, Rivendell Sam Hillborne on one end of the spectrum (heavier, stouter a bit longer wheelbase, more for true LT) and the WT kind of in the middle of things (mostly due to Reynolds 631 and option for a threadless headset).
Stuff that called to me included: Cannondale T1/T2 frame, Velo Orange Rando, Box Dog Pelican, the Rivendell SamH and a few others. The SamH is nice because it's trad lugged, but they recommend a minimum 32mm tire and GP specs out stouter, non-butted tubing.
I would hope to end up with a 22-23# bike, 28mm tires/maybe 32 spoke wheels, that's relaxed but still reasonably responsive unloaded. As well, the WT frame is at a pretty fetching price for what it is.
None of that really answers your question well though. :-)