What are you riding?
 

..

My 2007 model Trek 520 is still a go-to steady favorite. Pretty much everything other than frame and handlebars have gone through renewal and replacement cycles. I've ridden it ~800 miles this year. Front and rear racks and use it as my "heavy touring" bike.

This year I bought a Kona Sutra. Only ~600 miles so far. The gearing only goes down to 25, so I only have a front rack and use it as my "light touring" bike. For example overnight weekend trips and credit card touring.

Day to day commuting, groceries I use a Trek 4500 mountain bike. I've got rear rack and can use it on trips/tours but mostly use it for utility riding. ~600 miles so far this year.

I also have a second Trek 4500 setup in similar fashion. I rode this one most of my trip across the Americas. The frame cracked and was welded in Argentina. So now it is my backup bike. It only has 50 miles this year.

A few weeks ago I rode a 370 mile tour from El Paso to Santa Fe. First three days were from El Paso to Ruidoso where I have a vacation home. Last four days were from Ruidoso to Santa Fe.

This gave me a chance to ride the first half on my light touring Kona Sutra and the second half on my Trek 520. I can recommend the Kona Sutra for how I used it and the gearing was OK for my two pannier load. There was a day of climbing from 4000ft (Alamogordo) to 7500ft (Alto) and grades were mostly gradual so the gearing was fine. A stretch of 8% at end of the day was tough. So I'm not putting a rear rack on this bike but instead keeping it in light touring mode.

The second half of that trip has slightly more remote bits and I appreciated the Trek 520 setup with gearing and ability to carry a bit more. So this represents my other choice. Even if no longer new, good value in keeping an existing bike going and overhauling drive train, wheels and other bits as they eventually wear out or break.

Tariffs will greatly upset pricing over the next several months, if you see something you like you might want to move quickly.
https://www.renehersecycles.com/tari...first-30-days/

None of my three touring bikes is a model that is still made. So, I can't suggest them. That said, I like all three, Lynskey Backroad, Thorn Sherpa, Thorn Nomad Mk II.

Ones I would consider, below:

I have not seen one, but I have seen positive comments.
https://masibikes.com/collections/adventure

Mev mentioned the Kona Sutra.

Occasionally I see comments on this forum for Windsor Tourist, but have never seen one.
https://www.bikesdirect.com/products...ourist-xtl.htm

I have not seen a Fuji touring for several years, but it looks like they are still around.
https://www.fujibikes.com/collections/touring-1

Considering that two of my three touring bikes are models that were never sold in USA at retail level, I really think you should consider looking at bikes in EU or UK too. One of my bike frames that I ordered from UK (pre-Brexit, they were still in Europe) a decade ago cost me over $100 in customs duty at that time. But now tariffs are higher. Consider Cube, Koga, Santos. I did not look for the links for Koga or Santos, you can do that yourself.

Cube, I have never seen one, but they are popular:
https://www.cube.eu/bikes/trekking

Spa cycles, I have bought parts from them, but never a frame or complete bike:
https://www.spacycles.co.uk/m1b0s225p0/Bikes/Touring

I have bought parts from Bike24, but never a complete bike. They sell bikes. But continental Europe touring bikes usually have upright bars, not drop bars if that is your preference.
https://www.bike24.com/trekking-bikes.html

But once you start considering European bikes, you will find so many it is hard to compare on a computer screen.

If you fly to Europe and bring a bike back, not sure it it would be tariffed on your return or not. If it was dirty and obviously used upon your return, it would have a lower value at that time.

Do you want to tour on a folding bike like the Bike Friday NWT or All Packa?
https://bikepacking.com/bikes/bike-f...-packa-review/

You probably already did this, but did you check the derailleuer hanger?

Wait. You’re looking to replace bikes because one of them is having shifting problems?

What about the Masi Giramondo?

BTW…The DA bar end I had installed last year is still going strong after well over 1,000 miles of touring and around town miles.

Had you gone to your local shop or one more knowledgeable in Salsa would have told you the proper plates for Rohloff exist and there are as of 5/10 there are 38 in stock that your LBS can order. Rohloff is excellent and worth it especially if you can run a belt.

Though I have to wonder why the shifters have failed and what is going on to make them fail? A Dura Ace shifter is unlikely to fail easily and wonder if it is install issues or cable issues? Given the hanger issue I have a feeling maybe the shifters are fine and just need some tuning or new cables and housing and proper install.

The bikes should last a long time but if you are riding these often and want something of quality Co-Motion is a great option especially considering you have one and probably already know that. Maybe not super cheap but well worth it.

I had to chuckle at the newer shifter performing poorly. I am quite happy with my 3X8 drivetrains on two of my touring bikes. Deraileurs from the 1990s, bar end shifters from the same era.

The one below I built up in 2017, but after the photo was taken two years ago I replaced the 24T granny gear with a different chainring of the same size. New titanium frame setup with a drivetrain based on decades old technology works great.

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...df8686c956.jpg

If you decide to build up a Rohloff bike, there are several of us on this forum that can provide advice. I bought my Rohloff hub in 2013 from Bike24 in Germany. I paid no tariff on it but you may need to now. I use chain drive. My frame was designed for Rohloff only with eccentric for chain adjustment, no derailleur hanger, below:

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...a199405d00.jpg

I tour on a custom, which is surprisingly affordable in today's world of $15,000 bicycles. Everything is relative.

If I had to buy a touring frame today, I might consider the below. But then again, at that price I might as well get another custom.

https://ritcheylogic.com/bike/frames...tback-frameset

If that Salsa uses ther "257" derailer hanger, it is probably bent. Buy a couple extra and keep them handy. That is the reason I converted my 2013 Fargo to singlespeed. I got tired of changing them out, and wasn't really touring on it anyway, it is just a mountain bike.

Relatively new (newer than the mid 90s) shifters don’t really “wear out”. Shimano has some issues with lubrication that can make shifters a bit sticky. The picture below is of an exploded taken from this site. Granted it is a flat bar shifter but the mechanisms are basically the same with some orientation differences. The part that is problem is the holding pawl (green arrow) and the holding pawl pivot. The holding pawl can get sticky and won’t freely swing during shifting. You need to get some lubrication on the shaft to free its movement. The pawl is easier to get to with a flat bar shifter but you can spray some WD-40 into the guts of the STI shifter and get enough lubricant into the shaft to free it up. I’m running Shimano 105 3x9 shifters which makes them late 90s to early 2000 and they are still going fine.

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...0d520ec9b.jpeg
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...604b42510.jpeg


Salsa was founded in the early 1980s but was sold to Quality Bicycle Products in 1997. QBP has owned them ever since and still owns the brand today. They change their line all the time. It appears that the Marrakesh was only recently discontinued.

In all honestly, manufacturers have never really gotten into touring bikes in the first place. No, there isn’t that much of a market for them and touring bike owners tend to hang on to their bikes for far longer than other bike riders do. Mountain bike riders change their bikes often. Road riders change bikes often. Gavel bikes have even taken up most of the oxygen for touring bikes and is impacting mountain and road bike sales. Touring bike owner tend to hang onto their touring bikes for decades. I’m as bad as any in that I have a touring bike from 2011. My previous touring bike was from 2003 and, to be honest, the 2011 used the parts from the 2003 bike simply because I wanted a different color. Before that my touring bike was from 1983. If people buy touring bikes…which are only a tiny fraction of the bicycle market…only every 20 years, there’s just not going to be much of a market for them.

I hope nobody judges you to harshly for that one. I know you were just trying to court the OPs favor with your discovery. But we all witnessed this and it might be hard to bailiff you made such an error. However in your defense you might have just needed some rest your honor so we won't enter this in as evidence. :roflmao:

Thank you thank you, I will be here till Thursday!

I used to think the same about the scarcity of touring bikes until I idly looked up Koga-Miyata one day last year to see whether they're still in the business. They're now called Koga and have a current lineup that includes about eight touring bikes, priced from the equivalent of $2,000 or so to double that and more. I guess touring must still be popular in Europe.

Too bad you've got all the bikes you're likely to need for the foreseeable future, cyccommute. I could see you on a Koga.

I'm still riding my 1995 Bruce Gordon. Back then he called it the "Rock 'n Road", now it would be called a "gravel bike". Fashion has gone a full circle! It's back in style again! One re-powdercoat in 30 years, it's about due for another.

I found my perfect fitting frame, Bianchi Volpe, and built them up with my preferred components and wheels.
Currently I have three (two rim brake and one disc brake).

If I was ever to upgrade it would probably be a custom frame with the same geometry as a Volpe but able to fit wider tyres.

Koga-Miyata makes touring bikes but they really aren’t all that large in the bicycle market. Yes, they have touring bikes but I really doubt their production exceeds a few thousand per year. They have a single dealer in the US. They are more widely available in Europe but the US market is even smaller in the US than boutique makers. All in all, however, touring bikes have never been that much of the bicycle market.

Is that dealer still a dealer? I remember years ago reaching out a few times trying to get answers and they never responded and neither did Koga Europe.

Just going by the website. I didn’t confirm that they are still in business.

If Koga is out of business, that is news to me.

I think the question pertained to whether the U.S. dealer was still in business, not Koga.

By the way, I'm a little puzzled at cyccommute's speculation that Koga probably doesn't sell many touring bikes. Their touring offerings include bikes with CUES, Deore XT, or Rohloff drivetrains, e-assist, and front suspension. They even have a configure-your-own-version option, the Koga Signature. If they weren't selling many touring bikes, they would hardly maintain such an extensive array of choices.

In my foreign travels, I have met several Koga owners that were quite happy with thiers.

I never met this owner, but he likes a Koga too. But when you are sponsored, you are obligated to like it.
https://www.cyclingabout.com/koga-wo...r-30000km-use/

Regarding lack of a local dealer in USA, I had not even considered that as an issue. One of my touring bikes, I bought the frame on-line from the UK, installed a Rohloff hub on it that I ordered on-line from Germany. That bike company (Thorn) has never had a dealer in USA as far as I know. My other Thorn touring bike, I bought that frame used from a Canadian, but he worked in USA while he lived in Canada, he shipped it to me from USA to avoid border issues.

But I am unusual in that I built up most of my bikes from parts. I can understand where most people would need a USA dealer, or better yet, a USA distributor and a local dealer when they buy a bike.

I bought my road bike as a complete bike, but not through a dealer, got it from Amazon.

My trusty touring g bike has been a Surly LHT with rim brake5and 26" wheels. But am building a new frame base on the same geometry but I am making it with a severe sloping TT. Also I am adding sliding dropouts in case I want to go with a Rohloff.
Here is a pic of it in my shop.
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...d795589609.jpg

That might be the tallest mixte frame I have ever seen.

Bikepacking is kind of a thing now, and there are many options for bikepacking rigs. Many of the gravel bikes on the market have all the necessary eyelets and mounting points for racks, bottles, and other stuff. What's more, they are very flexible when it comes to driveline options. I put together two, long-haul bikes. The first is an All City Space Horse, which is a beautifully made bike. Mine is fitted with a GRX 820 12 speed driveline, and gravel drop bars. I find it to ride similar to my old Schwinn Voyageur touring bike, but disk brakes and modern shifting make it much more pleasurable to ride. My other bike is a GT Grade Carbon, which is a gravel bike, but which I have set up to ride in the Tour Divide. It is set up with an XTR 9100, 12 speed driveline, suitable for the 50,000 meters of climbing on the Tour Divide course. But like the Space Horse, it comes with a number of mounting points for racks and accessories, making it very suitable for rugged touring. With a suspension fork, it rides like a magic carpet.

Employing modern ultralight backpacking gear and modern textile clothing, a heavy-duty traditional touring cycle is perhaps no longer optimum?

In a pencil study, 2025 self-contained touring dunnage could weigh ~⅓ of my 1975 touring dunnage.

It isn't just lightweight bikepacking that has shown heavy-duty steel touring frames to be unnecessarily weighty. In fact, it could be argued that Cannondale's first bike model, the ST400, already did that in 1985.

The all-steel touring bike might be mostly a U.S. thing. One telling point about the aforementioned Koga loaded-touring bike models: all of them are built with aluminum frames and aluminum forks (both rigid and suspension). No steel frames or forks in the lineup.