Originally Posted by mark48310
i mean OLD old...say 70s to early 80s...that is, if they made good touring bikes back then??? the kinds of bikes that people throw out or sell for $40...
i read something somewhere about a particular 1970s schwinn that's supposed to be good...can't remember where, can't remember which, though...
i'm assuming these older frames can be outfitted with modern components, right? can't imagine why not, but figured i'd ask...
I toured in Europe back in the 50's and 60's and you may find those old bikes around cheap but you will have difficulties with modern groupos. Back then I used 3 speed derailleurs first and then 5 speed. Modern mountain bike wheels are 135 mm and even road wheels are 130 mm. Cantilever brakes were more or less unheard of so you would have to use centre pulls which may not fit. All English frames were designed for 27" wheels but 700C would work as well, albeit with a bigger gap. Unless you came across a purpose built tourer you would have difficulty fitting racks.
You might do better to consider an old mountain bike. My 15 year old Diamond Back has no suspension, a long wheelbase, steel frame, with rack fittings that I got for free - it was going to the dump. I refurbished it with new wheels and tires, drop h/b, barcons and an old Brooks Professional and it worked very well on a ride from Whitefish, Montana to Las Vegas without a problem.
Brian.