Rocky Mountain Sherpa 10
 

Hi there, tourists,

I know there are some Rocky Mountain Sherpa lovers out there somewhere, because I've seen y'all sprout up all over the threads here.

I'm interested in having a look at the Sherpa 10, that's the one with aluminum frame & disc brakes. Not the Sherpa 30, which is the Reynolds 853 chromoly frame & Tektro cantilevers. The main thing I'm interested in is commuting with the occasional exploration if I have the time for it. Sure you can call it touring, I call it exploring :D

The reason I'm lookin' at disc brakes is because I'm moving to an area well-known for its rainy weather and wet/damp environment.

Anyway, anybody have any experiences with the Sherpa 10? I'm not digging the aluminum fork, so I guess I'd have to have that changed if the road vibrations get too bad for it, huh?

I say skip it. I hate disc brakes with drop bars-- maybe the hardest brakes to dial in.

But don't take my word for it. Test ride a whole lot of bikes. You'll know what bike is right for you.

The dilemma with a touring bike and disc brakes is that the sort of fork you need to deal with the forces from a disc brake is not going to be comfy like the typical steel fork found on a canti equipped touring bike.

I'm one of the Sherpa 30 fans. I spun around on the Sherpa 10. I think it would make a pretty good commuter. That seems like your main purpose. The disc brakes would do well in the wet and so would the aluminum frame. If I were you, I would post in the commuting forum... see what people there have to say. What you will get here, is a lot grief about the touring capabilities (or inabilities) of the Sherpa 10, and based on your post, it seems like you are mostly after a commuting bike that would do well "in the rain."

Well...yes and no...my tourist will also be my commuter, see :D

I don't think anyone will complain that either the 10 or the 30 are inadequate as touring bikes, or as commuters. After all, people tour on old hardtail mountain bikes. There are plenty of reasons, however, why someone might prefer something else, but you knew that already. :)