Touring frame options for 26" wheels
 

Hi, everyone.

My next long-term project is going to be a touring bike that I plan to use on camping trips in northern Oregon, as my weekend road bike (leisurely 30-40 miles) in the winter, and also haul some full grocery loads 3-4 miles. I imagine I might be using a trailer for at least some of that. I have months to plan this, so I'm in no rush, but as I've ridden a few different bikes over the past year, I've learned a few things about what i want:

Must haves:

• Steel frame
• Drops
• 26" wheels
• Racks! Racks! Racks!

Nice-to-haves:

• Lugs (I know I don't need them, but they're pretty, and my road bike has 'em!)
• Disc brakes (ugly, but really nice in wet grime)

Undecided:

• Shifters (I love my STIs, but I think bar-ends make more sense for a tourer if I can get used to them!)
• Saddle (I kind of love my C-17, and it's waterproof, but B-17s have the right look for touring, and I feel like they might last longer)
• Pedals (leaning toward platforms with a toe clip option, or maybe platforms with one-sided SPDs)

So with all of that said, the best off-the-shelf complete bike for the money seems to be a Surly Disc Trucker (minus the decals, which aren't my speed), particularly since I have stubbly little legs, and with a 52cm frame, 26" feels right and stable with loads. I can't seem to find anything else in the price range with 26s. If I start with a frame, there's Surly, some high-end stuff like Rivendell that's probably out of my price range, and ......anything else? I can't seem to find any vintage American frames with 26-inch wheels. Maybe Euro or Japanese?

Thanks!

You could do a drop bar conversion on a mtb.

At least some of the Bridgestone XO series were 26 inch wheel road bikes.

I have a year to buy the "ideal" bike and your stipulations are mostly the same as mine, if it's steel ok.....if not ok.

So far unless something else pops up its the Co-Motion Pangea to win and the Soma Saga to show.

But, I doubt that on the road there really is no justification for the pricing differences. I'd bet on the Saga to take the lead, for the win, when it's time to enter the AMEX number.

Intec M1 from Bike24, the German site. It's a flat bar Euro style trekking bike, but you could get a smaller frame or use a shorter stem.

Thanks! I hadn't heard of them. And the long top tube shouldn't be an issue. My short legs mean a VERY long torso. My inseam is 29.5", but I'm 5'10". My beater / city bike is a 53cm frame with an absurd 58cm top tube, and I'm thinking about putting drops or flat bars on it so I'm not sitting straight up like Mary Poppins. :)

If you don't mind a long top tube than a vintage mtb is probably going to work very well; they typically have long top tubes relative to the seat tube since they are designed around upright bars. The high end production vintage mtbs are nice frames.

A vintage, rigid fork MTB frame could work well for you, I agree. It's the cheapest path to a lugged frame for 26" wheels. Look for a high-end MTB if you want a light-ish frame and decent components; they can often be had for cheap if you keep an eye out. But, it won't be disc-compatible.

You won't find a vintage Japanese or Euro touring bike with 26" wheels, except maybe a '90s or later Koga Miyata.

Honestly, disc-compatible and lugged are at odds with each other; I can't think of a modern production frame with lugs and discs.
There are a couple disc touring bikes with a TIG-welded frame, but with a lugged fork crown:
Soma Saga Disc
Soma Wolverine
Surly Disc Trucker

And some non-lugged disc touring bikes:
Velo Orange Piolet
Surly Troll

Rivendell sells several lugged, non-disc bikes with 26" wheels (at least in the smaller frame sizes), but they are more expensive:
Clem Smith
Hunqapillar
Atlantis
Joe Appaloosa

In that price range, you could get a custom touring bike from many makers (Gunnar Grand Disc, for one example), but it wouldn't have the fancy lugs.

If you are limited in budget to a disc trucker, don't even look at the Thorns.

Since you are considering a bike in the price range of the Co-Motion, don't rule out a Thorn Sherpa (derailleur) or Thorn Raven (Rohloff).

Thorn touring bikes and tandems

Thorn Nomad is also a 26 inch touring bike but it is probably overbuilt for typical touring, it is more of an expedition bike.

I have been very happy with my Sherpa and Nomad, but I do not have a Raven so I can't answer any questions on that model.

If you decide to order a frame, I think I paid about 6 percent for customs duty on the frame I ordered from the UK. But I think the customs duty on a complete bike might run 10 percent. So, factor these numbers into your budget.

If discs are important, I think Thorn will not put discs on their front forks. My Nomad can use either rim or disc on the rear, but rim brakes only on the front.

Not lugged but Bruce Gordon BLT-X is a 26" wheel touring bike. For a big up-charge he can built a lugged one, custom.

disc brakes , adds some more cost over rim brakes as standard ..


As I read it Thorn has MTB disc brake forks they are straight blade,
they wont build a bent for rake fork with disc brakes ...
braking force, theoretically at least, un bends the fork on 1 side when you apply the brakes.

German Tout Terrain uses an oversize left blade on their better disc brake fork,

thicker wall tube fork blades is another approach.

what about the Surly Straggler, it comes with compact gearing, maybe they would change to LHT equipment.
Does a longer stem fix your long torso issue?

The Bruce Gordon looked very nice, and at $4K for virtually a custom bicyle, particularly for someone with a non-standard body build.

I was unaware that they now build a fork for discs for MTBs. I should have been more clear that it was not designed for their touring bikes.

Check out the Masi Giramomdo.

The Straggler is a nice bike, but it comes with 700c or 650b wheels (not 26", as the OP was asking for)

That said, the 650b Straggler may feel right; the wheels are only about 1" larger in diameter than 26" rims.

Actually 'They' is probably MaxWay in Taiwan .. Thorn is one of the many companies using their services ..

Soma San Marco is lugged construction. Pretty but completely unnecessary for touring.

OP, SDT is your best bet, don't waste too much time looking for alternatives with desired features because there are none outside custom. Erickson at rodbikes can build you a fine lugged tourer with disc brakes.

Have a look at the end of this list for 26" Bikes. I went with a Specialized AWOL personally, but a nagging part of my brain says I will need an N+1 26" expedition touring bike before too long.

Complete List of Off-Road Adventure Touring Bikes with Pricing | CyclingAbout

Thanks! My sister lives in Ireland, so the next time I'm over there, I'll ride some of the Euros.

Man, that Atlantis is pretty...

The Atlantis is just beautiful, but a "poor-man's" version can be made fairly easily with a Long Haul Trucker frame, which is what I may well do one day. Retro-grouch aesthetics are at war with modern practicality in my soul :).

OP ; sounds like there are plenty of folks that tour with STIs. If you really like them there really is no great reason to switch to bar ends.

A poor-man's Atlantis made from a LHT will still handle like an LHT: sturdy, but slow and dead feeling. Rivendells, like many other high-end steel frames, deliver a much better ride than the LHT.