Old 04-03-15, 08:06 PM
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Porschefan
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Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: Albuquerque, NM
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Bikes: 2015 Trek Domane 4.3, 1989 Schwinn Circuit, 2010 Yeti ASR 5, '80 Vitus 979 (being refurb'd)

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Originally Posted by likebike23
I hope I'm not being a jerk, but sometimes you just have to take a chance on something. I've had quite a few bikes and I've never felt that I've found "the one". I've had fun just picking up bikes that fit a basic idea of what I think I want at that particular time, fixing them up, riding them, and selling what wasn't really suitable.
I certainly don't think you're being a jerk in any way shape or form. To the contrary, you've made some good points here, and IIRC, in other threads where I've asked questions.

At some point I'm sure I'll take the plunge. I would have bought Steve W's Voyageur, but I hesitated just a bit. As I've noted, if I had an immediate plan to do a tour, I'd already have the Randonee in the garage--at it's price, there's hardly any way I could lose anything even if I didn't like it.

There has been a lot of good advice here with lots of good recommendations. The thing is, everyone came to those conclusions based on first hand experience. If I had to guess, I'd say many of the other posters bought bikes that just didn't work out for them even though they " knew" what they wanted.
Absolutely. I've learned quite a bit just from this thread. And I appreciate all the contributions!

I am of the mind that there are many bikes that would work for what you have in mind. First you need to decide if you want vintage or more modern. Vintage is a little tougher for the novice to modernize due to rear spacing, braze ons, brake drilling/boss placement, 27 inch wheels, etc. Not saying it can' t be done, just more involved and can get pretty expensive. Another thing to consider is whether or not the bike is one you truly love to ride. It's not worth all of the effort to modify a bike you dont love, believe me, I've made that mistake.
Maybe you could look for a bike with decent tubing, long chainstays (+/- 17 inches), dropout eyelets, rear rack eyelets, stock triple crank, in your size. You can then fix it up, ride it, dial in the fit, and figure out if it's a keeper. Provided it has the basic elements of a tourable bike, it should be fine to do what you talked about.
One of the attractions of Steve's Voyageur, or a bike that Doc Cannondale has prepped is that it's already refurbished, maybe modernized, etc. And those come up from time to time. Given my level of experience I'd really hesitate to take on a project unless it were a good frame and dirt cheap. On the vintage side, I'd be far more inclined to buy something like this. With all the points made about the pluses of a modern bike, I'm giving the Randonee another thought--there's still ONE available.

But you are entirely correct that there really isn't any substitute for actual experience/trial and error. And even that should be a lot of fun.

STP
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