I have been surfing touring sites for about two weeks now trying to arm myself with the best information I can find. I'll give you some background info so that you might help steer me in the right direction.

I am looking for a loaded touring bike. I don't have any grand visions of a cross country trip at the present, but I am planning on doing some simple local overnighters and an occasional weeklong+ trip. FWIW I am 44 years old and in good physical shape, but do have joint problems with both knees and my right shoulder. I am 5'11" and 170 pounds.

So far I have focused on trying to locate the best bike for my needs. I will want a bike that is capable of going on gravel and dirt forest service roads at times, as well as one that can transport me comfortably on 75+ mile days. I am torn between drop bars vs flat bars w/bar ends vs trekking bars. I have a drop bar road bike now that is more comfortable than my mountain bike w/bar ends. I am also torn between doing a build (I have the tools and know how) and buying a ready made tourer. I don't have any kind of anatomical anamolies that would preclude me from fitting a standard geometry touring bike.

I am in an area where bicycling is not extremely popular and none of the local shops have dedicated tourers in stock. All will gladly order one if I pay for it up front. I'm willing to spend up to $1500 bucks on the bike.

Here's what I have been pondering.

I bought my girlfriend a Trek 7.3 FX hybrid that she doesn't like. I could order an inexpensive hybrid frame and transfer the parts. What should concern me about taking this this route? I realize that some of the bits from the FX are low end, but I could upgrade lots of the bits and still have money to spare. What do you think about the Bontrager 32H rims?

Bicycle Bananas has built LHT's for $899 including shipping right now, and most of the parts are of good quality. Drop bars and gravel roads make me a bit nervous, but I have never tried it. How much do you racon the LHT weighs before adding racks.

I could also buy an LHT and build it myself using whichever handlebar configuration strikes my fancy.

I like the REI Safari. I love the grip shift shifters and the rest of the components are of good quality. The bike seems heavy at nearly 32 pounds. It also has a suspension seatpost. How do you feel about a suspension seatpost to soak up road surface irregularities?

Cannondales T2000 (T1) for 2008 is very well speced for $1500+. I love Cannondale bikes and have a local dealer who would order one for me. I like the stiffness of aluminum frames, but don't know how this would play out on the long haul.

Trek has a Soho urban bike that looks like it would adapt well as a multi-surface long haul tourer.

Specialized has the Tricross Sport with full fender and rack mounts. I have heard of a fork shudder problem with these bikes and at $1300 bucks I'd think they could do better than the Sora deraillieur. Other components aren't worthy of the $1300 price tag. A cross bike in concept seems like a good fit for my needs. Surly also has a cross bike. As built though, it needs new gearing.

There are plenty of mountain bikes that have rear rack mounts and Delta makes a rack that works with front suspension. A front suspension with a lockout could serve my road/improved offroad needs well.

A part of me is of the mindset that I shouldn't worry so much about the bike, that I should find a decent bike load it up and go. Bikes of today are much better suited for touring than those people were using 20 years ago.

It looks like I will have to buy whatever bike I end up with without the benefit of a test ride. I have studied geometries closely and some of the hybrid and mountain bikes have geometries that mirror those of the dedicated tourers.

I don't have any Kona, Jamis, Rocky Mountain, or Fuji dealers around. I do like the Aluminum Rocky Mountain Sherpa and could get one mail order.

I know this is quite a bit to digest, but I'd really like to get some of your informed opinions about some of the ideas I have kicked around.

Thanks,
Paul

If you do a search on each of the bikes you have listed you'll come up with a ton of discussion on them.

If you want to arm yourself with the best information you can find, do a couple of short tours on the bike you have now. Take minimal gear and stay in motels so you can focus on the bike and not all the touring doodads. Pick some routes where you can do a few miles on gravel roads. Seriously, every day of your own experience teaches you more than all the equipment reviews you could possibly read.

My wife and I are going in this direction.
Our hybrids fit well and are light so we don't see any reason to get expensive touring bikes, (at the moment).
As the parts wear out they are being replaced with beter quality, (you'd be suprised how long these cheap parts last)
If they get damaged or stolen no problem go out and buy new ones.
The main reason for choosing a bike should be fit than cost. After doing quite a bit of research I have come to the conclusion that if you're planing on riding for longer that 8-10000 kms per year by all means spend the money. but if you're going to cycle less than you should be able to get good and complete bike set up for touring for less than 1000 euro's
cheers

From another 44 year old named Paul with bad knees (caused by excessive running when I was younger).

I have had no problems with drop bars on gravel or dirt roads at all. None. Nada. Put that worry out of your head. The LHT for $900 is a great deal on wheels. You could probably do fine moving the basic componenents of the Trek FX to a good used touring frame from from Ebay - much better than a new hybrid frame. The FX drivetrain is suitablefor touring but my fiancee had a weird rim failure with a bontrager rim on her trek hybrid and I have a healthy skepticism about them. I would get new wheels, which of course moves the used frame + moved parts up to a $650+ project ($400 for good wheels & tires, $150 for frame, $100 for h-bars, shifters, etc).

Frankly, if you have the budget and prefer new to used/project, I would just get the LHT or, given the fact that you don't plan to do hard core touring, the Crosscheck or a Bianchi Volpe. If you like to tinker and personalize your ride, go for a nice old Trek or Miyata touring frame from the '80s or early '90s and transfer the basic drivetrain from the FX. When you can find a frame & fork for under $200, that leaves a lot of budget for quality parts where it counts (wheels, saddle, racks).

I have already done quite a bit of that. For example, this morning I typed LHT into the search here. I read most of what was there. I didn't see any feedback regarding its performance on gravel roads. I was also a bit conflicted about whether the 56 or 58 would be ideal for me. Since I don't have a local dealer, I'll just have to compare its geometry to the geometry of a bike that I know fits well.

Search is also how I came up with the information on fork shudder on the Tricross.

Frankly, there is rarely a question asked on this site that couldn't be answered through an exhaustive search. There are two problems with that. It doesn't encourage fresh active dialogue and it is very time consuming.

The LHT can take up to 45mm tires so you'll have no troubles on dirt/gravel roads, but the BB is quite low so that can be a problem if you go offroad.

As for the 56 vs. 58 question I'd compare the effective TT on a bike you are comfortable on and then ensure the stand over is not too high. If you don't have such a bike talk to a LBS to get sized.

Here is some Surly sizing advice.

As for the search I'm not suggesting you don't ask new questions just balance the effort req'd for conducting a search against the effort of board members answering the same questions again and again. There is a happy medium in the middle somewhere.

Was this suggestion ignored?

I mean, it's simple and brilliant.

I thought about that, but the bikes I have now are pure road bikes that can handle 25cm tires (wouldn't work on gravel) or a full suspension mountain bike.

I take my pure road bike (23mm tires) on gravel, it's not easy, but it builds bike handling skills. Just sayin', it can be done.

Maybe plan a route that has no or minimal obstacles for a short tour or two?

I looked at the Surly sizing advice link. It is pointing me toward the 56cm. My Trek 1500 is a 58 and fits wonderfully for aggressive road riding. I think the biggest problem will be finding a seat that loves me. My bony butt can't handle a brooks or any of the other no to low padding seats. The Surly is at the top of my heap right now. Thanks for the link.

Can't help with the bike or touring. I am trying to get there myself. I am planning on getting the Tricross this spring. I am going with the comp instead of the sport though. There have been no reported problems with the comp and vibrations. Plus it has a 10 speed cassette.

The knee problems, I may have a little advice.

GLUCOSAMINE

It is a vitamine you can get at any X-Mart. One a day and in a week you will feel like new.

Try a Selle Anatomica Titanico.

I've got a bony butt and comfy on it and on a Brooks Champion Flyer.

I have got to try the glucosamine. I have heard too many people giving it glowing endorsements.

For myself, I would be leery of a hybrid as a touring bike. I think of hybrids as "mountain bike lights". Okay, all you hybrid lovers can attack at will. But I thought hybrids were for people who wanted an upright seating position, a triple chainring, smooth-rolling 700 tires, maybe lightweight suspension forks for a plush ride, and an overall-lightweight bike (light because it doesn't have to be overly strong.) That's great for recreational riding on pavement and crushed rock trails. But carrying a load and humping it up over steep roads puts a lot of stress on a bike (doesn' it?) I know people have toured successfully on hybrids and they work great. If you have a hybrid, don't be afraid to tour on it, it will probably be a fine choice. But if you are thinking about purchasing a bike with loaded touring in mind, I think you'd be better off buying a touring bike. You'd know that the frame, wheels, and components were selected with (hopefully) loaded touring in mind.

I'm not sure there's a bike that will be perfect for both gravel and dirt forest service roads and also normal touring on paved roads. I think you'll either need two bikes (expensive!) or some sort of compromise.

I often ride on rough roads with my LHT. It's not a big deal. I have to expend more effort on watching where I put my wheels, and be really careful in loose gravel, but it's doable. Having bigger tires helps. I have Schwalbe 32's. If I were on 23's I'd need to be way more careful. However, when I'm carrying a full touring load I'm really leery of rough surfaces. The worst problem I've had on tour is broken rear spokes, and I don't want anymore. I'm paranoid that I'm going to hit a bump and hear that horrible 'PING' sound.

You can also tour successfully on a mountain bike. I'd prefer a hardtail because you wouldn't need the added weight of rear suspension for touring. A bike with no suspension at all might be even better for the same reason. Anyway, put some narrower tires on your mountain bike, some bar ends for more hand positions, figure out a way to attach racks (or use a trailer) and you're good to go.

So, either way, it's a compromise. Get a touring bike which will be great on pavement and okay on gravel, or a mountain bike which will be great on gravel and okay on pavement.

If I were going to tour on a lot of gravel and dirt roads, I think I'd either take my mountain bike or a trailer. The mountain bike is strong, has even fatter tires, and the 26" wheels are a bit stronger. The trailer distributes the load over two wheels (the bike's rear wheel and the trailer's wheel) and is less likely to break a spoke (or so I've been told; I've never taken my trailer on a tour on dirt roads.) I might even opt for the BOB with suspension, although they're awfully expensive.

For $1500 you might be able to get a complete LHT for paved roads, and an old no-suspension mountain bike off Ebay for dirt roads.

One other consideration (there are many others, but this is one.) You can make a lot of changes with wheels, tires, gearing, brakes, saddle, stem, handlebars, etc. You can really dial things in the way you want. You can't do anything about the frame. You can't make the chainstays any longer. If you have big feet and your heels hit your rear panniers, your only option is to slide the panniers back further on the rack, which doesn't help your handling. You also can't make the bottom bracket any higher, although I can't see that being much of an issue. Maybe I'm wrong, but I can't see myself touring anyplace where I'll be riding over boulders, fallen-down logs, etc. And you can't make the frame any stronger. I think breaking a frame is rare, but I've had to deal with a bike that shimmied terribly at speed with a load. It was scary because I felt like I might lose control, and I was also worried that something might vibrate loose or break with all that whipping from side to side.

There are lots of things to consider, but having $1500 to spend gives you options. Will part of that sum be going to racks, panniers, etc? That will change things a bit, though there are inexpensive but acceptable choices.

With that kind of budget, you have lots of possibilities.

All of the stuff on her hybrid would transfer to a touring frame just fine. The wheels are a little weak...36 spoke would be better...but would do for a while. You could put the stuff on an LHT frame and go with the flat bar. Changing over to a drop bar would be slightly more expensive...you need new brake levers and shifters.

That's a hell of a deal if they still have them. Drops on gravel aren't too bad since you spend most of your time riding the hoods anyway. The only issue is that the bars are very narrow compared to a mountain bike bar. If you got a load on front, the steering is dampened anyway.

I'm not a big fan of the Safari. Too heavy. I've hefted one at my local REI and felt I had to go schedule an operation You can do better.

The Cannondales are great touring bikes. Yes they are stiff but that stiffness helps when loaded. I'd choose a T800 (T2) over the T2000 however. The T2 has a 9 speed group which is a bit better than the 10 speed group on the T2. The crank on the T2 is limited to a 24 tooth inner while the T1 uses a mountain bike crank that can go down to a 22. There are a few other things that make it a better buy in my opinion as well.

The Soho wouldn't be bad but discs can make mounting racks difficult. Not impossible but more challenging.

Cross bikes tend to be too short for touring bikes. The short frame can lead to heel strike problems and handling problems. I'd be concerned with the Tricross about the carbon bits. A diamond in the rough...touring bikewise...in the Specialized line is the Globe. The frame is long like a touring bike should be (it's slightly longer than the Trek 520), it has fork mounts and the thing is incredibly cheap...$500. About the only thing I don't like is the integrated headset. But for that much, it's worth a look.

Another option would be to pull a trailer with a mountain bike. I don't like trailers much but for use with a mountain bike, they are about the best way to go. A trailer is going to cost you $300 to $400. You could buy a very sweet Rockhopper with the rest of the budget. Or you could consider the trailer as an additional cost (panniers and racks will cost about what the trailer does if you get good ones) and pick up a nice Stumpy. You know you want one.

Good luck.

Cycco, thanks for the well informed response. That's just the kind of info I was seeking. I had looked at the Specialized Globe on paper and thought it might work, but haven't made it to the dealer to see one in person.

As it stands now, the LHT is speaking to me. Anyone know where are Surly frames made?

Big Blue I set $1500 as an arbitrary limit for the bike only.

Taiwan.

I just went through the exact same process your are going through now. I wanted a bike for light/credit card touring. After extensive research on here and other forums I narrowed my final choices down to a Bianchi Volpe, LHT, Tricross, Novarra Randonee and Trek 520. I decided on the Volpe and have been pleased with the purchase. Fortunately I live in an area where I was able to ride all of the bikes (except the LHT) prior to purchase. The decision to go with drop bars was easy for me because I just find them more comfortable than flat bars. After riding the bikes the Volpe just felt the best to me. The main reason I did not go with the LHT was due to the bar end shifters. I just like brifters better. Also the LHT is more of a full on tourer. The price point was good and I feel like I actually got better components on the Volpe than on the Tricross, for example, for less money. The only regret I have in the decision is that I did not get to ride a LHT for comparison. I hear such good things about them. I also should have negotiated to get a smaller granny ring (24 instead of 28) at the time of purchase. Given your budget you might want to consider the Volpe and you can use the extra in your budget to buy some gear such as saddle and saddlebags or panniers. Believe me that part can add up quick. I really don't believe you can go wrong with any of the options you have. Do your research, test ride if you can, then pull the trigger. Then get out and ride and enjoy your new bike. Good luck in your quest!

Based on specs, the Volpe looks appealing. I have a few Bianchi dealers within a couple hours of me. None stock Volpes. In fact, I don't think there is a touring bike in any store within 200 miles of me. That's why the info I get here is so critical. I'll probably not be lucky enough to get to try be for I but. Thanks for the info.

Well, I made it to the Specialized dealer and made it home with a deeply discounted Globe.



It's a pretty good tourer right out of the box. I have already upgraded the seat and put on riser bars with full wrap around bar ends. I put heavy foam grips on the bars and ends. I put about 35 miles on it Friday and can honestly say that I have never fit a bike this well before. It comes with integrated lighting with a generator front hub and a very stout rear rack. I have added auxilliary lighting. All I need to do to tour is put on some good pedals, a front rack and a computer.

Anyone have any recommendations for a front rack that does not require the low rider braze on in the center of the fork?

Congratulations on the bike!

Here's wishing you some good touring.

I have a theory shorter cranks may also help the knees but others may disagree, and of course try to use a lower gear, higher cadence.

There are usually workarounds, like clamps. Some racks (like Old Man Mountain) have a different mounting system.

Jandd Expedition racks are heavy, but well designed, useful, reliable, and reasonably priced.

Bruce Gordon racks are beautifully made and very sturdy.

Tubus also make fine racks.

Surly's racks are also worth a look.