Newbie
Hello,
I've been trying to figure out which bike to buy that would (almost) fit my needs. I commute to work on a daily basis (25km round trip, mostly pavement with some bumpy spots) on a giant explorer that I picked up for 300 euros. It's a nice bike, but I discovered that it can't carry heavy loads well. Since I have a rather large laptop, and carry quite a few books, papers, ... to work I'm looking for a bike that can easily handle the weight, and then some. My girlfriend and I are planning to try out biking vacations (light touring, no camping, we'd just travel from hostel to hostel), and we've picked up an interest in short biking trips. There is a possibility that I'd go 'heavy' touring with a few friends (camping and being generally self-reliant) but that's not certain.
Given these needs, I figured that a touring bike would be a good fit. I heard that Koga Miyata makes excellent bikes, but the prices are steep. Therefore I looked at second hand bikes, and found a second hand Randonneur bike from 2003 for 700 euros, including 2 panniers (In stores the bike alone costs 1850 euro). I couldn't find much on the randonneur, except that it has a steel frame and Deore LX/XT components. There's a description of the bike here: https://www.koga.com/uk/bike.asp?coll...67&FullSpecs=1
My question (sorry for the long post): is this bike 'overkill' for what I need? My fear is that a lighter bike (eg a cyclocross bike with rack built on) will not be able to handle enough weight. Second, given that the bike is in good condition (I saw a few pictures and everything seemed in order), is the price right?
Many thanks!
I've been trying to figure out which bike to buy that would (almost) fit my needs. I commute to work on a daily basis (25km round trip, mostly pavement with some bumpy spots) on a giant explorer that I picked up for 300 euros. It's a nice bike, but I discovered that it can't carry heavy loads well. Since I have a rather large laptop, and carry quite a few books, papers, ... to work I'm looking for a bike that can easily handle the weight, and then some. My girlfriend and I are planning to try out biking vacations (light touring, no camping, we'd just travel from hostel to hostel), and we've picked up an interest in short biking trips. There is a possibility that I'd go 'heavy' touring with a few friends (camping and being generally self-reliant) but that's not certain.
Given these needs, I figured that a touring bike would be a good fit. I heard that Koga Miyata makes excellent bikes, but the prices are steep. Therefore I looked at second hand bikes, and found a second hand Randonneur bike from 2003 for 700 euros, including 2 panniers (In stores the bike alone costs 1850 euro). I couldn't find much on the randonneur, except that it has a steel frame and Deore LX/XT components. There's a description of the bike here: https://www.koga.com/uk/bike.asp?coll...67&FullSpecs=1
My question (sorry for the long post): is this bike 'overkill' for what I need? My fear is that a lighter bike (eg a cyclocross bike with rack built on) will not be able to handle enough weight. Second, given that the bike is in good condition (I saw a few pictures and everything seemed in order), is the price right?
Many thanks!
ROM 6:23
I love my Specialized Tricross. Took it on a tour and loaded it up with about 30lbs. Bulletproof, fast commuter and can ride some offroad. Check it out.
Senior Member
Koga makes nice bikes, but they're overpriced for what you get. You're absolutely correct that a touring bike would fit your needs great! But start by looking at brands like Trek, Cannondale, Novara, etc. A word to the wise is buy used if you can find one you can ride and fits well.
good luck
good luck
Newbie
Ok thanks alot. I'll look into trek and cannondale bikes (not sure I already saw Novara on the second hand sites - I live in Europe so not all the same brands are widely available here).