2011 and earlier Cannondale...for those who aren't stuck in the past Although Cannondale has been making touring bikes since 1983 which is a fair piece into "the past".

The current Touring 2 is an okay touring bike with some warts. The frame is a good platform but the components need some work. It's geared too high (50/39/30 crank with an 11-30 cassette), it has 32 hole wheels (not that good for loads) and it could stand a rear derailer with a wider range. I'm not a fan of the discs either.

But, still, if you want to march to a different drummer, it's a great alternative to the hohum offerings.

The Kona Sutra is listed. I am surprised more attention is not paid to this model. All I needed to add were bags and bottle holders. Compared to other offerings, $1400 seemed like a great deal for the money.

I agree. There is a lot of generally good natured jabs between those that ride aluminum touring bikes and those that like steel bikes. Both materials have served well for a zillion miles of service.

A good touring bike is one that will dependably handle rider weight, the touring load, and a variety of road or path surfaces... For every inch of your tour. There is a lot of planning and bicycle preventave maintenance that also is part of a successful tour.

I have a pair of Cannondale touring bikes. I've reduced my loads to the point of being able to use a road bike in some situations. Generically an expedition level touring bike will cover all aspects of touring excepting hard core off road situations, but there are designs for that touring style as well.

If the OP clues us in a little better as to their touring plans WRT to weight to be carried, typical riding condition, and forth we can offer better suggestions. At the moment the big three are the Fuji Touring, Trek 520, and the Surly LHT.

Brad

Just nitpicking here, but it's the 520; the 420 hasn't been in their lineup since the 90s, I believe.

Totally agree. You can get a sweet Trek 930, outfit it with the very best components - suitable for the job, not necessarily the most-expensive or lightest - and still come out the same cast as an "off the shelf" tourer. The upside to doing it this way is that you get everything and anything you want.

Here's the one I built for The Missus:

Oops, typo went right over my head! Th

anks,
Brad

my titanium Firefly with low trail work for front load ..

+1 Well to be more specific, my Long Haul Trucker

friend of mine:

"""As a Surly owner I can assure they don't go quick; surely not uphill nor fully loaded which is why the lad is standing - the blur is panning not the bicycle"""

"""Don't believe anyone who raves about Surly they ride dead & uninspired. They get the job done but ���� and plumbing pipes are the truth. Mickey D's vs restaurant"""


)))

I always understood it to be gas pipe. Is that the same as plumbing pipe?

Buy a Paris - Roubais style bicycle. Send it to a custom carbon shop to have rear eyelets added. Electronic shifting a must. Lots of carbon bits and pieces. particularly wheels. Consider tubulars, they ride so nicely. carbon shoes $400. The $700 1.5 lb tent. Custom Dyneema fabric bags. And of course a power meter to tell you your gain in efficiency.
I'll let you know when I win the lottery!

Look at all the ridiculous crap people waste money on. This would still be cheaper than many peoples second car. and a lot more fun.

"Gas" or plumbing pipe are the same. Most people making this kind of comparison are thinking (natural) gas lines or some water lines. It usually comes in two types, black for natural gas and galvanized for water, although galvanized has fallen out of favor to other tubing materials. "Tubing" has a different diameter and wall thickness from pipe.

However "gas pipe" isn't in use in bicycle manufacturing. "Gas" pipe is schedule 40 pipe which has a wall thickness of 0.14" (3.5mm). Even a heavy bike like the LHT uses frame tubes that have a 0.8mm (0.031") wall thickness at the butts on the end of the tubing.

I hope Nashbar still sells it! I ordered one the other day at a 30% discount, and it's supposed to arrive tomorrow. I used to do a lot of cycling and want to get back into it at some level...

The best touring bike is the one you actually ride.

- Cpt. Bob

26" wheels, steel frame, full suspension, Rohloff Speed-hub, front hub Dynamo, hydraulic brakes, Brooks saddle, Mavis Rims with Schwalbe tires. With or without a BaFang 750W motor.

A bike that fits; that is one you can ride comfortably for hours and days. Beyond that it depends on the type of touring you plan to do. Credit card, hostelling, camping , or expedition? Then where are you going? US or Europe? Mongolia or Kyrgizstan? Epic voyages have been made on three speed roadsters, and then there are people who buy the latest CF or Titanium bikes to ride the local rail trails.

This right here. You hit it on the head 110%. I laughed through the whole explanation because that is what happens on these forums, even if someone says please don't get off subject. haha. Now back to the thread to read everything that wasn't supposed to happen but did.

I have a 1994 Touring/Trekking bike from now called VSF Fahrradmanufaktur. They are further down on the list of the 100 best touring bicycles. Just overhauled some parts and the bike is still running strong.

I loved my '85 Raleigh Alyeska, but I broke the frame after a few decades (the weld where the right seat stay meets the seat tube).

It was near the bottom of Raleigh's touring lineup at the time. The next step up was called something like Portage and the Kodiak was the top of the touring lineup. I have no experience with those two bikes, though.