scottz

Hi, anyone on here have any experience touring with one of these bikes? There's plenty of owners raving about them, but no one seems to mention what they use it for. I am really looking for a bike that can go the distance comfortably and handle a rack with a chunk of weight, in conjunction with my 230lbs. The fact that these bikes seem to be built like rocks is a good sign - but my concern is that they're more for racing than touring. Anyone got experience/thoughts on that? Can these bikes take a rack and fenders? I can't even find a single pic of one with fenders and a rack...I am 6'7" with a 39-40 inch inseam, so these bikes and their long cranks are appealing to me, but I'd like a bit more info before taking the plunge sight unseen.

Bike details here, geometry here.

Thanks all!

bikemig 

Looks like a fine bike but would not be my first choice for a bike I want to take touring. If you are planning on bike packing with a minimalist set up, this bike could work as could almost any bike at that point. But the fact is you want a rack and you are probably planning on take more than a minimalist amount of gear. That's knock no. 1. Knock no. 2 on that bike is the gearing. It's not terrible but I'd want lower gears than this has.

If I had a $2,000 budget (which is what the KHS costs), I'd get a bike like this novara randonnee for touring at $1200:

https://www.rei.com/product/875004/n...onee-bike-2016

The bike has very solid wheels and a good component choice.

If I were looking for something that could be used for touring but was also a "faster" day rider, I'd look into a cross bike like this soma doublecross:

Double Cross | SOMA Fabrications

There are other good choices out there and others will chime in with their favorites.

You do want to cut through all the clutter and stay focused on three things. (1) Does the bike have the gearing you need? If you are going touring, you want wide ranging gearing. You will be doing some tough riding on long days when you're legs aren't as fresh as they could be. You also want to save wear and tear on your knees. (2) Can you run a reasonably fat tire on the bike? I'd want a bike that can run at least a 700 x 32c. A little fatter tire will beat you and your wheels up less. The KHS is limited in terms of tire size to probably 28c. The thing to keep in mind is that you can run a 28c on a bike designed for a 32c or wider tire. (3) Does the geometry work? Traditionally that meant longer chain stays so you would avoid heel strike with your panniers and so that the center of gravity was more or less centered properly over the center of the rear wheel. You may not need chainstays as long as on a traditional touring bike but I'd suggest getting them a bit longer than a road bike. The KHS isn't bad here with a chainstay of 16.5 inches. But if running a traditional set up with a rear rack and panniers, you may well want a longer chain stay.

Darth Lefty 

If the guy is looking at the 747 then you need to start your list with 0) is it really big?

bikemig 

Good point and the OP did mention his height and this is a Leonard Zinn designed bike. Still the other factors are worth thinking about in a touring bike.

Surlys come in a 64 cm (both the cross check and LHT); the smaller of the 2 KHS 747s has an effective seat tube of 65, https://www.bigandtallbike.com/KHS-Fl...ike_p_375.html

scottz

Thanks bikemig for the helpful comments, I've yet to try the LHT but I'm not sure about it just yet...was also thinking of the Fuji Touring in 64cm...any thoughts? Thanks,

bikemig 

The fuji touring is the best deal out there on a touring bike. There's nothing not to like about the bike at the MSRP of $770. This is a well thought out touring bike.

scottz

Ya eh? I am getting that sense...also looking at the Novara Randonee or the Masi Giramondo (though the seat tube is short)...decisions, decisions...thanks!

saddlesores

what do you plan to use that there bike for? what does "touring"
mean to you?

i saw a review somewhere that said that bike did NOT have
eyelets for fenders, owner complaining he could only use
clip-ons.

scottz

Touring right now means short trips, a few days to a week, with a tent for camping, mostly in north america. Future uses could include multi-month trips. Trips outside the continent might also be an option but I recognize I might want a different bike for that. So basically, short and long trips mostly on paved roads. Do you know where that review was? Thanks,

Darth Lefty 

I took a closer look at the geometry. The largest LHT is about the same overall size as the XXL 747. However the seat tube angle is slacker on the LHT, which moves the entire cockpit an inch aft back over the crank to sit the rider more upright. This is what you'd expect from a touring vs racing bike. The same size Cross Check is more or less in between them. The largest Fuji Touring is effectively a size smaller than any of them. Soma Saga DC has a 66 size but it's sort of short length and taller. The XXXL 747 is just huge. Here they are sorted by reach.

[TABLE="width: 362"]
[TR]
[TD]Model[/TD]
[TD]reach[/TD]
[TD]stack[/TD]
[TD]effective
top tube[/TD]
[TD]st angle[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Fuji Touring 64[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]398[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]610[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]590[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]73[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Saga DC 66[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]403[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]667[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]615[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]72.5[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]LHT 64[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]406.1[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]658.4[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]620[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]72[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]CC 64[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]424.5[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]630.9[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]630[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]72[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]747 xxl[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]430[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]635[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]620[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]73.5[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]747 xxxl[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]433[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]676[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]635[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]73.5[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]

scottz

Thanks Darth, that is helpful. I'm partially realizing it also comes down to the kind of fit I want and find more comfortable - I think what makes me lean towards the Fuji is that the fit is closest to what I ride now (too small and very upright). And since I'm mostly leg, I think stack is my main concern here - though reach should probably be around 400 and ETT 620. But there's the ideal fit on paper and the ideal fit for me, yknow? If only more stores stocked the massive sizes...