RFC

Perhaps as a result of going through Boy Scouts twice, once through my Eagle and once as a scout master through my son's Eagle, including 13 days at Philmont without showers and carrying 65 lb packs, my days of carrying my lodging for extended periods are over. I love the physical exertion and the adventure. I'm just not interested in sleeping on a foam mat for days on end. Give me a shower and a bed, and I'm ready to roll all day.

As a result, I have been thinking about an extended credit card tour. Let's say 25-30 lbs of gear (tools/maintenance, clothing etc., and a light sleeping bag for emergency or occasional bivouac). I would assume a rack and small trunk bag and paniers.

The question is what would be your bike of choice for such an adventure? Rack eyelets not required because of other rack options on the market.

Thanks

RFC

LeeG

credit card touring could be done without panniers and under 20lbs of gear. For the cost of hotel rooms you can buy an extra shirt or sweater if you need it. Any bike that you like to ride for the distance will do. I see folks with loaded up titanium touring bikes, unload the bike and enjoy the ride whatever you got. Specialized tri-cross looks neat but so do dozens of other sport/tour bikes. The steel Specialized Sequoia I had 26yrs ago was great. I'd get light road wheels and put some 32mm tires on them.

JohnyW

Hi,

my credit card weighs less than 25-30 lbs :-). It depends what you want. Off-Road on a MTB or only on streets or a mix of both?

staehpj1

I'd be inclined to ride something sportier than a regular touring bike, maybe even a full on road bike if the load was light enough.

Dave Nault

Specialized Roubaix comes to mind. The frame is carbon and made to be more compliante than say a Tarmac. This bike would absorb more of the road vibration over the long haul and not leave you feeling the road buzz of riding a very stiff frame. Also, being carbon, it weighs in at around 18~20 lbs. which would be pretty sporty. With some Bar Phat on the handlebars, this could be a luxo cruiser.

valygrl

Your road bike with a triple.

acantor

This summer, I did a credit card tour with a friend. I carried about 18 lbs; he carried about 28. My bike was a dedicated touring bike with drop bars, Brooks saddle, and mountain gears; his was a middle-of-the-road hybrid with straight bars, foam saddle, and with low but not ultra low gears. We travelled (riding + resting) five to nine hours per day, and stayed in motels, cheap hotels, and B+Bs. The terrain was mostly flat, but we encountered stretches with rolling hills and head winds.

Verdict: Every day his fingers were numb, and his bum hurt a lot. My fingers never got numb, and my bum was never sore. He was able to climb every hill, but he worked much harder than me. He found riding into the wind exhausting, whereas I was able to tuck down to reduce air resistance.

There is a lot to be said for "old-school" touring bikes, with drop bars, leather saddles, and a relaxed geometry, even for "easy" tours.

The Smokester

I use a Gunnar Sport with a Tubus Vega rack on the back, Ortleib Sport Packer panniers and a Lone Peak H-100 handlebar bag on the front for luxo cc touring.

Another possibility is a road bike--like the Spec. Roubaix mentioned above--with a Carradice seat bag such as the Pendle Model (11 liters).

BengeBoy 

There used to be a class of bikes called "sport tourers" that are perfect for this kind of riding. There's something to be said for owning a bike that has medium-length chainstays, a comfortable fit, enough tire clearance for 28c tires + fenders, and enough eyelets to easily mount a rear rack and fenders. Useful for commuting, light touring, and winter/wet riding.

It's not a marketing term used as much any more, but, to me, bikes like the Salsa Casserroll, Jamis Aurora Elite, and a number of cyclocross bikes would fit in this niche -- Soma Double Cross, Surly Crosscheck, Specialized Tricross, Kona Jake the Snake.

Bikes like the Gunnar Sport and Co-Motion Nor'wester also fit this fill if your budget can handle it. Rodriguez makes a model called the "Rainier" that is similar to this, too.

I find that over long distances in real-world conditions (especially chipseal roads or roads with dirty/uneven shoulders) it's still nice to have something with slightly bigger tires than a classic "road bike."

vik 

For a long credit card tour I'd still ride my LHT with just 1 rear pannier and a handle bar bag. It's very comfortable and very stable which is nice for a long ride. It's a bit heavier than needed, but I'd much rather be comfortable than ride a bike 8lbs lighter. I could strip off the front rack and use lighter tires, but I'd most likely not bother.

sstorkel

Allow me to recommend against this... I was thinking along the same lines for my upcoming credit-card tour: using my Cervelo RS, a direct competitor to the Roubaix. In the end, I decided against it for a couple of reasons:

1) The bike just wasn't designed to handle well with 20lbs of gear
2) Options for carrying gear, even limited amounts of gear, are limited
3) The bike didn't have the proper gearing for riding with a 20lb load
4) Tire choices are limited; most road calipers make it difficult to squeeze a 700x28 past the brake pads
5) A high-end bike like the Roubaix or RS seemed like it might be a more tempting target for thieves

The biggest problem for me was the handling. I love my RS, but with 6-7lbs in a handlebar bag and another 14-15 in a Carradice saddle bag the bike was a bit of a handful, especially going downhill. The fork on the RS limited me to 700x25 tires, which was also a concern. As much as I love the RS and Roubaix for all-days rides, they just don't make good touring bikes... unless you're truly willing to tour with nothing but a credit-card, a patch kit, and a pump.

In the end, I bought a cheap Nashbar double-butted aluminum touring frame and built it up with some components from the parts bin. 24lb bike, 5lbs water, and 22lbs of gear and it handles surprisingly well. Shimano Deore 26/36/48 trekking crank allows me to climb hills without too much difficulty.

Barrettscv 

A Habanero titanium frame with a steel touring fork & Ultegra 6700 3 X 10 speed STI Brifters and a long cage rear derailluer, Shimano Ultegra Crankset with non-standard 46-39-26t chainrings & 105 triple front derailluer, 11-28 Ultegra 10 speed cassette. Mavic A719 rims with Marathon Supreme HS 382 700 X 32 tires.

https://www.habcycles.com/cross.html

This would also be my touring bike with ultra-light camping gear in rear panniers and a frame bag from Epic. No front rack or panniers would be needed.

mtclifford

Honestly for a CC tour I would take my carbon road bike, I wouldn't even bother with the triple, not when traveling so light. I would get an extra large seat bag from a place like Jandd mountainsport and keep one set of clothes and some very basic repair items. Then stay in hotels where you can do laundry every night.

I saw an article where 2 guys went from Vancouver to Tijuana this way.

FlatSix911

It all depends on the credit limit of the card ...

staehpj1

Different strokes, but I wouldn't carry any where near 20 pounds of gear if I were credit card touring. It is possible to self supported tour with 20 pounds of gear. Getting down to 10 pounds would seem to be very doable if leaving home tent, sleeping bag, soap, towel, wash cloth, sleeping pad, pillow, cook set, stove, plate, bowl, cup, utensils, and other stuff not needed for credit card touring.

LeeG

I finally redid my 26" wheeled "sport touring" bike with a new stem and bar height now that I'm officially middle-aged with a gut and that's exactly what it's got. 1.5" tires provide a heck of a lot more cush than 32mm tires and with less weight than 700x37mm tires.

Dave Nault

[QUOTE=I find that over long distances in real-world conditions (especially chipseal roads or roads with dirty/uneven shoulders) it's still nice to have something with slightly bigger tires than a classic "road bike."[/QUOTE]


The Paris / Roubaix race IS real world conditions and that is exactly what the bike was desiged to ride in. This race is famous for cobble stone roads that go on forever and it takes a special bike (and rider) to ride it.
This suggestion is a little tongue in cheek as I can't relate to doing a total CC tour but thats just me.
You could put Gator Skin tires on it with no problem or Specialized Armadillo tires. A little heavier but they would do the trick. As far as weight, What exactly do you need to carry for a CC tour? A jacket? Some sun screen? A patch kit? Anyway, I'm sure you could get down to sub 10 Lbs of stuff without much problem and carry it in a bag that fits inside the main triangle.

Barrettscv 

I'm surprised at the number of "no need to carry anything" suggestions.

What about tools & spare parts, including tubes, some chain and other items?

Food & water?

A change of clothes & street shoes?

Warm & cold weather clothing?

Rain clothing/protection?

Michael

Dave Nault

I agree with your views on this but in theory, CC touring is just that, a credit card and not much else. The assumption is that you don't carry 20 lbs with you. I don't think tires are that much of a deal breaker as road races are done on the same kind of roads that are toured on. The theft issue is a big one. Unless I could have an eye on my bike at all times, I wouldn't feel comfortable either. I ride a Tarmac and I never leave it even for a second because it's fast no matter who's on it (me or the thief):0

Dave Nault

I think most of us are assuming a cc tour of a few days and not months. I don't know of anyone that is is CC touring Mongolia.

Barrettscv 

That in no way answers the question. Are you planning on a circular route in front of a bike shop with no change in weather?

mtclifford

The one thing I have heard from others who own the Roubaix is they don't like the curve in the top tube.....that combined with the fact that on the models I have seen there is a cable that goes diagonally across the bottom of the top tube.....both of these factors made mounting a pump difficult, especially a studier/longer one.

As far as CC touring goes, I think most people assume it is a spectrum as far as how much you bring with you. You can get away with as little as the clothes on your back for quite a while if you plan well and are willing to except inconvenience should something go awry. Or you can pack 20 pounds of gear and be more versatile. No right or wrong just different types of CC touring.

mtclifford

I found the link finally:

Vancouver to Tijuana....on carbon roads bikes, with a bare minimum of gear.

Dave Nault

OK so what does a rain jacket weigh? They make clothes that unzip arms and legs for temp changes. A spare tube fits under the seat. If your going into uninhabited parts of the world for days then you might want to re think a CC tour.

On Crazy Guy you can find tourists that have used this kind of bike for a CC tour. There are too many unknowns about this intended tour to really get into specifics. Can it be done without all the things you list?.......Maybe CrazyGuyonaBike proves that everyday.

Determination is the only real necessity.

positron

A fast, light-gauge steel rando. bike with either a large handlebar bag or a large saddlebag. Grand bois 650B hetre (42mm, cushy and fast) tires.

I would carry: a basic tool kit, patch kit, wool jersey, windbreaker, rainlegs, and spare underwear and socks. I would also have room for two banannas, a sandwich and coke, a phone, keys, a small cable lock, a snickers bar and a spare set of clothes for when I am washing my bike clothes at the hotel.