Originally Posted by
cyber.snow
As "another Noob" to touring, I have been trying to figure out whether to invest the ~$5K in a custom bike or buy one of the mass produced products and ride it. When I compare geometries of several bike frames, I am finding that the fits are within mm of each other, so it seems that the "fit" could be adjusted by shifting position of the saddle and handlebars without a lot of trouble...as long as you started with the right size frame. When I narrow down my choices there is a huge span of dollars between the two ends. On one side, there is the TREK 520 which is currently on sale for around $1300 and on the other side is the Bruce Gordon which will cost right at around $5K for a finished bike. While there does seem to be differences between the quality of parts, is Deore quality adequate for a touring bike? Also, is there a way to tell if you will be able to fit fenders and racks on a bike? Also how do you tell if there is enough space to run 28-42mm tires? I am sure that a lot of you are going to think "elemental, my dear Watson", but it is all greek to me.
If you are new to touring, why spend $5,000 on a bike? That makes no sense at all. You might not like touring. Or you might decide that you need another size frame. Plus, don't forget that you will also need to spend money on racks, panniers and other gear. Trust me, a decent production bike like a Trek 520, Soma Saga, Surly LHT or Jamis Aurora will get the job done -- in style. If you later find that you really like touring and would like a nicer bike, you should be able to sell the less expensive bike easily, and put that money toward your dream bike. Of, if you buy something like a Soma Saga with good to high-quality components, you could later buy a custom frame and just swap parts from the old bike to the new one.