shelbyfv

Squeezebox

I have a Trek 5200, before the Madone, It's a nice Carbon road bike. But the gearing is too high for touring, even bike packing. I also have a 7 speed around town bicycle.
I would like to have a touring bicycle to do gravel and such, maybe even do some of the Great Divide trail.
I would also like to have something for light touring, USA or Europe. I don't plan on doing Africa or Tiero del Fiugo.
Your advice would be appreciated. I'm looking at a mid-range budget.
Currently the Trek 720 and 920 remain on the list. But as someone said it might be easier to get a 920 set up for the road, with narrow tires etc, than putting the fattest tires on a 720 and taking it on serious gravel. I just can't afford both.
Someone mentioned getting a used mountain bike and trying it out for a while.
So I'm still confused!!

PolarBear007

Since you already have a road bike and are wanting to do some touring, you're getting some good advice with the Trek 900.

Honestly, I would source a used Trek 520 and make sure it's in good working order. It will easily accommodate your gravel/limestone needs as well as morphing to a good, full-on touring mount.

Squeezebox

The used Trek 520 just might be the way to go right now. It would give me some time out there on roads, trails and gravel. Next year I'ld know more about what I really want.
Besides Craig's list & Ebay where should I go to find a used bicycle?

Rob_E

Same. I started out, I think, with 32s. Tried 28s. Back to 32. Then 35. Then 38/40. 38/40 are a tight fit under the fender, so I may spring for new fenders at some point because so far, I have not regretted going wider. Although my touring bike will likely be limited to primarily pavement rides as I'm now in the process of switching to a Troll with 2.15 inch tires, maybe some 2.5" for mixed terrain touring. So, yeah, I say go as wide as you can within the limits of your current set up.

mstateglfr 

What?!?!
A 520 is made from 'cheap' unbranded butted chromoly steel. It has 'low end' components like Deore and in house Bontrager. Itll have a triple crank, 36h wheels, and is meant to carry weight traditionally thru racks.

This is all quite literally everything you have railed against and put down for months now.




You have been riding for 50 years- go to your favorite shop, tell them what you want, and see what they have to offer.


...spring cant come soon enough.

saddlesores

i suggest you put down the latest issue of bicycling magazine,
and throw out those grrrravel grrrrrinder brochures. it's mostly
just marketing....the latest fads.....you're buying the lifestyle.

you wanna ride on dirt or gravel or trails or up mountains.
gosh, that's like what mountain bikes were originally
designed for! you really think you need a special bike
just for gravel? that's just hype for the sheep who think
saying "29'r" sounds really cool.

go buy a used mtb.....a nice steel frame with longish
chainstays and bowcoop mounting points. choose
tires to suit the riding surface. carry stuff in panniers
or frame bags.

is not rockette science. is just a bicycle.
go ride.

and about that 7-speed around town bike.
what is it? could be used off road?

DropBarFan

Also, Surly Disc Trucker 26"/559mm version fits tires up to 2.1"/53mm wide if one desires a bike w/drop bar. OTOH, Truckers have a long wheelbase with inherently softer ride so that when surface conditions permit a narrower tire the bumps are still easier to absorb than with some other touring bikes.

Trek 920 looks pretty sweet w/lots of nice features ie alu frame, tire clearance & hydro brakes--not amenable to S&S but that's a fairly minor point. OTOH has some weirdness like (AFAIK) 28-spoke wheels & 42-tooth big chainring? Trek 720 comes with 28mm tires, not sure max width allowed. Gearing is not ideal either. Also Trek's 720 page has an apparent error: fork is carbon but one pic shows the "low touring mounts" on a steel fork?

Squeezebox

You're right. So pass me another plate of crow.
But like I said it would give me time to find out the better bicycle that I would want. And I could pass it on to my son, who is not into bicycles. Sometimes cheap is okay. Most LBSs are full of 20 something racers, I was one. It can be difficult to get decent touring info. Everyone want me to go to a LHT or a Trek 520. I know there are other things out there. So biding my time for a while might be the thing to do.
Saddlesores: I could see taking the 7 speed on the Katy trail for a day or 3, maybe bringing my son on his mom's hybrid, Wouldn't get very far, 30-40 MPD. It's a Giant momentum.

dbg

You may have seen some of my previous posts. I have an 04 Trek 5900 Superlight which wouldn't fit anything bigger than 23's. Not great for touring. I built up some very nice 650B wheels (and extended brakes) for it and now ride 32's --and I love it. It's great for touring and no problem on gravel. I only do light touring and have several other steel tourers --but I find myself going back to the Superlight with 650B 32's because it rides like a dream for me.

fietsbob

Again Continental travel contact 622-37 for riding past the end of the paved roads on adventures.

Hypno Toad

Everything is SOOOOO different. I ride a ton of non-paved surfaces. Most dry crushed limestone in my area is great with any tire (I'm happy with 700x25); my wife rides her 700x23 slicks on limestone and is perfectly happy. Spring thaw on limestone is totally different story, anything less than 4" tires you're sinking in and very unhappy (fatbikes love the stuff).

Gravel is another story too. I've been doing gravel grinders over the last couple years. I did the 2014 Westside Dirty Benjamin in pouring rain on 700x28 T-Servs and was totally happy (wet but packed gravel). I took the same tires to the 2015 Almanzo 100 and hated life (fresh, deep, loose gravel).

For the 2016 gravel grinder season, I have some 700x35 Clement X'PLOR USH.

mstateglfr 

Interesting tire- rave reviews on Amazon. Time to add another tire to the list of possibilities for this upcoming year to replace some cheap heavy Kendas.

Leebo

I'm ditching my bike with the skinny 26x1.75 tires this summer to go fatter. Planning on using the Karate Monkey with 29 x 2.3 slicks. Should work well for my dirt roads and paths in NH.

JerrySTL

I use 700x32 tires on the Katy Trail. I put about 65 psi in them. I weigh around 215 lbs.

Banzai

Look at some old pictures of Le Tour. Some of those mountain roads look like what we now call "gravel grinding". Their tires look wider than 23mm, but they don't look monstrous.

jonc123

Go test ride a LHT or DT at Big Shark on Delmar, they usually have a couple in there. Forget about the quality of the components and focus on the riding aspect.

It's a popular touring bike for a reason, maybe find out why. You can always replace components when they wear out. You'll probably change seats, tires, etc. anyway on any bike you get. Go sit on one. If your going to look at the 520, might as well look at a Trucker and you can probably do it locally. Give them a call and see what they have. They are nice folks.

I like pavement. I use 1.6", 41mm Marathon Supremes unloaded or fully loaded with 2 racks/4 panniers. I would go wider for non-pavement.

LeeG

You might consider a Cross-Check. Rides nice, w fenders I've got 42mm Mondiales. Not what I'd use for heavy loads but perfectly fine for light/med touring. Without fenders 47mm will fit.

jjtheprince

Best bike/tire combo I've used on the Katy Trail was a Trek Superfly 7 on 2.20" tires.

That trail is very hit or miss and it depends on weather and a lot of other factors. In some places the limestone is so packed it's nearly like pavement, especially when it's been dry for a while. Other places and at other times the limestone is very loose.

I went over a loose section on a Trek Emonda ALR with 700x23 tires & it was a bit scary, definitely got bogged down. I won't ride that bike again on Katy, the XC hardtail is much, much better on it.

Recycle

My wife has 32s on her Jamis Aurora and regularly rides crushed stone trails and gravel roads with 35 lb in rear panniers. That includes an Clinton to St Charles trip on the Katy a few years back.

Squeezebox

There's a lot of stuff like that out there like that . A 34 front 32 rear gives a 30" gear. The LHT and Trek 920 are at 22" Front racks might be a consideration. The cross check? If I went up that road I'ld try to afford a carbon frame with 105, maybe the best option for road touring. But then I'ld miss the short steep Ozark hills in the national forest. What to do??

LeeG

Your thread is about dirt road riding, you're looking at a "mid priced" $2000 Trek 920 implies dirt/road riding, er, gravel, so larger tires than road riding. Again you don't give your weight but just telling you that for an average weight person the CrossCheck w 47mm tires would feel good on those surfaces. Gearing can be whatever you want it to be. If you want the ability to carry 50-60mm tires then the Ogre/Straggler/920 etc genre makes sense.
I have a CrossCheck with a 44/30 double up front and 12-32 8spd on the rear. The double is actually a triple with a bash guard in the outer position with middle and inner taking up the rest. I would have no problem getting lower gears. I would not consider the 700c LHT optimum for fast dirt road riding. Seems to me you're not clear about the intended use of the bike.