Antranik01

Hi there folks! My brother has a 2009 Cannondale CAAD 9 which he loves to death but wants to go on very long journeys and go tour all of california, and then next year, go tour the rest of the country at his own pace. He plans to sell his CAAD 9 and restore a Univega Speciallisimo touring frame and use it to tour with that because it's apparently very comfortable.

It's kind of sad though, to see him sell his nice racing bike. Is there any modifications he can do, to make his CAAD 9 more comfortable/upright, like a touring bike? If there are, maybe he won't have to sell the bike! Any help is much appreciated. Thanks!

Homebrew01

Real touring bikes have all the needed mounts for racks & fenders and room for wider tires. You can adapt some racks to fit on race bikes but it's a compromise and I don't think it would work out for a serious touring trip.

Oostal

Should be possible.

First of all I would make some changes on the bike: wider tires (may be even cyclocross, if there is enough space), more durable rims, more comfortable saddle. May be change the handlebar or stem to bring it closer.

Then I would get one of these:



(...or any other similar product)

One can put quite a lot there, so except for a handlebar bag there wouldn't be much need for more racks or fenders. Of course, extreme climbing could be difficult, but for casual touring it would be my choice.

sced

So long as the wheels and tires are up to heavier loads, he shouldn't have a problem adapting the bike. One can get a rear rack that doesn't need eyelets for mounting, add panniers and a large saddle bag, and a large bag that fits between the handlebars. This is the setup I used that carried enough to camp/tour Europe for 10 weeks with a friend. We split the tools between us.

Chris_F

I rode with a guy who did the cross country route (Pacific to Atlantic) on a CAAD4 C'dale. So yeah, it's totally doable.

Cavemann

Yes, it is possible.....my father did a solo unsupported trip last summer that was ~700 miles while towing a bob trailer loaded with all his camping gear, clothes, etc on his specialized s-works roubaix with sram red. Beefier rims, wider tires, and that was pretty much it.

AngryScientist 

you can tour with most any bicycle, but like everything else, having the right tool for the job makes the whole experience all the better. sounds like your brother wants to get somewhat serious about touring and spend some significant time doing it. he should have a proper touring bike for this.

you wouldnt want your brother to start a career as a carpenter with a very nice baseball bat but no hammer would you? sure he could beat nails in with the bat, but...

coasting 

I've seen on tv people doing epic charity fundraising rides that cross the USA and go right through Europe and they are on regular road bikes. I think it should be possible with the right racks to set it up to carry stuff.

Pscyclepath

I would recommend that only if you're doing a sagged or supported tour. Road racing bikes simply aren't made to haul the sort of cargo that you need on a self-supported tour, starting with the frame design.

Some good, and recent advice & examples from our friends at Adventure Cycling Ass'n:

https://www.adventurecycling.org/resources/201004_TouringBikeBuyers%27Guide_Schubert.pdf
https://www.adventurecycling.org/resources/201004_TheBOBbiesTour_Schubert.pdf

merlinextraligh

Haven't toured across country, but I've pulled a Bob trailer with a race bike and it's no problem.

The Bob trailer takes a lot of the weight, so you don't have to be too concerned about the wheels.

Put a compact crank on the bike, some Open Pro/Ultegra wheels, with 25mm tires and he should be ok.

Not as bullet proof as a true touring bike. But it will also be a lot more fun to ride, particularly if he's in the same place for a couple of days and can ditch the trailer.

chasm54

You can tour on anything, and some of the ultralight tourists are on the road for weeks with just a saddlebag. However, appealing as it may sound, I would not recommend doing extended loaded touring on a CAAD9 even using a trailer to take the load. He just isn't going to be as comfortable, the gearing isn't going to be as satisfactory unless he puts on a triple, and he won't have the clearances to fit the sort of tyres that might help him tackle off-road or poorer surfaces. I'd say his original plan makes more sense.

prathmann

I've gone bike-camping down the Oregon and California coasts on an older Cannondale R900 with their 'criterium-geometry' frame. Just used rear panniers and a handlebar bag which worked fine. Only modification of the bike was to change the rear derailleur to a MTB one and install a cassette with a 32-tooth cog. Couldn't use fenders, but the rear rack kept any spray off my back and I installed a plastic shield under the downtube to reduce the spray from the front wheel. So I'd expect that he could tour quite successfully with his CAAD 9.

But it sounds like he doesn't find his current bike to be very comfortable and that might be a harder problem to fix. Any chance he could keep his CAAD9 and still get a separate touring bike? You lose a lot of the value when selling a bike so it might make sense to economize on other touring-related costs and try to keep the bike.

knobster

Not sure why he'd sell his bike to do a tour. Build up the touring bike and when the tour is over, sell it.

Seattle Forrest

What sort of tour? How long will he be gone, and where will he be going? That should help determine how much stuff he'll need to bring. Any amount of weight will make hill climbing more difficult, and while a trailer of some sort isn't going to help with that ... it will probably mount to a race bike.

Phantoj

Probably has something to do with money.

It's just a common mass-produced bike; he should sell it and buy one that does what he wants. He can always buy another CAAD9, or something even better in the future.

Blackdays