supersport

As many above have said, fit is everything. I'm likely in the 1% that needs a custom frame. For me, it never proved possible to get a stock frame and dial the fit in. I have freakishly long legs for my height, so stock size frames just never fit well. I sprung for a custom Co-Motion Nor'wester Tour. The dealer here in San Diego (Hi-tech Bikes) was fantastic to work with. The difference with the custom bike is amazing. I've been riding bikes since grade school and never been completely comfortable. This is the first bike I can imagine riding all day, every day.

So, if your body proportions are fairly normal, a stock sized frame should be okay. You might have to change the stem or something. But, really, experience riding is what will tell.

Good luck!

twinkles

I have three tents. For a long hike I would use the Six Moons Lunar Solo--a tarp tent that uses a treking pole as support and must be pitched. For a bike trip I would use my Big Agnes seedhouse UL-2; it is self supporting and can be setup on a rock or a road or a tent platform. The Lunar Solo definitely fits the ultra light category, but the Big Agnes is still pretty darn light, a lot more flexible, and feels a lot more secure in a storm.

markf

Good point, a trekking pole wouldn't be good for much on a bike tour.

tacomee

Start with a tour of your local bike shops.....ask about the last time they sold a touring bike, if they have ever toured, (anyone on staff) what they think you should buy. Cannondale, Trek, Jamis, RM, Kona.....lots of major brands make good touring bikes. (although I'm a bigger fan of the Trek and C'Dale bikes...both are very good, not very spendy,). Expect to pay list price for the bike, racks, fenders, panniers, ect....get a good fit and have the bike put together by wrenches. Work with the pros on packing your gear, bike up keep, general riding tips....

If you tell us what part of the country you're in.....I'm sure you'll get replies to steer you to the right bike shop.

Join your local bike club and start logging some miles!

Good luck!

LeeG

Once you get familiar with basic mechanics and maintenance there really isn't much need for a dealership network. My $.02 is that is important for the folks who don't want to do any work on their bike and will come into the local bike shop a few times a year for basic adjustments. The BG would be as good a choice as any in that price range. Back when I got into cycling he and Albert Eisentraut were folks I looked to for good custom bikes.

Regarding fitting you can figure that out on your own with similar amount of reading as you've done so far, you probably went through a few pairs of shoes/boots before you settled on ones that you liked. A similar process will happen with saddles and bar position once you get the ball park figured out but having a shop there to switch stems around in a few minutes helps a LOT. The recomendation for getting someone to fit you comes from a few things but primarily it's the number of people who charge into riding looking at equipment and not understanding the fundamentals. For folks who are on the edges of the bell curve for torso or leg length a good shop will automatically steer you to manufacturers that lean in one direction or another in top tube/seat tube proportions.

When you try out different bikes bring a tape measure with you and mark down the seat/bar measurements just so that when you go and try a new bike you can ensure the seat is at the right height but also so you can correlate riding experience with posture. Oh, and when you compare different bikes it helps to notice tire size and pressure. Comparing a bike with 28mm tires will feel a lot different than a bike with 35mm tires. More importantly if you're actually looking for a touring bike there are handling attributes you will not discover until the bike is loaded so you're probably going to take it on faith that the bike you like riding unloaded around the parking lot will be the one you'll like loaded down, which may or may not be the case. This is one of the reasons I'd suggest a stock bike. Spending bunches of bucks for X when it turns out you like Y gets to be pricey. I owned a small bike shop for 6yrs and before I got into it I never bought very expensive bikes nor did I when I had the shop. I had many bikes over 15yrs but it was primarily to try something different, different didn't have to be expensive.

When I got into racing 29yrs ago the club hired a coach and it was surprising the number of guys who had their seats too low. Out of about eight of us three had their saddles at the right height and the rest needed adusting one guy needed to bring his down about 1/4" but the rest were 1/4"-1" too low. When I started touring at 18 my saddle height went up about 1/8" about a week into the tour and another 1/8" when I got into racing 6yrs later. Different shoes and pedals can make seat height adjustments necessary.

LeeG

that isn't what I said. Most efficient power transfer and least rolling resistance is posture and air in tires. You can put good tires on any bike, you can have good or bad posture on any bike. One can pile up a 50lb load on a 25lb $4000 bike or a 25lb load on a 30lb $1500bike and the latter will be easier up hills and just might be "better" because it's heavier and cheaper tubing is less flexy than the lighter tubing on the custom bike that is loaded to it's limits.

I've had fancy high end custom touring bikes that didn't handle as well as cheap heavy bikes or stock touring bike when loaded down. That isn't to say that's the case with all bikes I'm just saying that posture, appropriate wheels and well secured load are more important than the variety of differences that come in a high end bike, that uses parts that really aren't functionally different than a LHT or Trek 520.

twinkles

I am in Atlanta.

njkayaker

This.

While expensive bikes are nice, they aren't necessary. What you need is something good enough. And there are many options at about $1000-$1600 that are more than good enough. And, these would last a life time.

If you [twickle] are made of money, then buy what whatever tickles your fancy.

Doug64

Two Scenarios:
1) I have been touring for over 30 years on a number of bikes. I have ridden most of the major manufacturer's touring bikes (most for just short test rides) including riding one across the country a couple of years ago. There is not a stock bike that is set up the way I want it without retrofit. I've reworked every bike that I've owned. I liked the way the Surly fit (average build), and I picked up a new LHT frame. I selected every part on the bike -- right down to the spokes and spoke nipples. I did not use "Top end" components, just good components that I have experience with. I have a "custom" bike set up exactly the way I want it. It was also in a color that I liked (Black Cherry Red). I have the tools and experience to build what I wanted. Is it finished? No, there are several things to do like cut the steerer tube (maybe), change the stem (maybe), and add racks and fenders. I'll also continue to "tweek" it as time goes by.


2)My wife who also has had several bikes, several thousand miles of loaded touring experience, as well as a heck of a lot of road biking (Triathlons) experience is looking at a new bike. She is one of the only woman I know that can tell the difference between an 8 speed and 9 speed Shimano chain pin. The point is, she knows bikes and bike equipment. She is also retiring this year, and we just happen to live 45 minutes from the Co-Motion shop. She is short at 5'3", and had to make do with the best fit she could get on stock bikes. As a retirement present, I'm getting her a Co-Motion Nor'wester Tour. Again, even custom building (which we are doing) we can not get the bike she wants (Mountain bike drive train, short-reach STI shifters, etc)without going through a shop. By the time the local shop changes almost every major component (if they will even do it) would have been cost prohibitive for me. After talking to the folks at Co-Motion, we decided to get a frameset, and build it up ourselves.

Is it expensive--yes. Is she worth it--yes.

The point of all this BS, FWIW, is reiterating what most folks have already said-- get a good bike, ride it enough to figure out what you really need or want. Then go get it. However, you might be surprised to find out it does not have to the "best". As someone said "it is not about the bike".

njkayaker

This too.

One reason to start out a bit "cheaper" is that you don't know what you prefer until you get experience. If you decide you want/need to upgrade after a year or so, you'll likely be able to sell your first bike and you'll be better able to know what you want.

One advantage of going cheaper is that cheaper is cheaper to replace when stuff happens.

If you have peculiar fit problems, you might need to go custom but, if you don't, many, many riders have proven that standard production bikes are good enough.

twinkles

I ordered a LHT this afternoon.

NOw. Clips or Clipless pedals?

staehpj1

Opinions vary widely on that one too. Me I wouldn't even consider not going clipless. Also shoes are not the place to economize IMO. I recommend checking out the Sidi MTB models.

LeeG

Oh man, you're supposed to get the titanium Rock and Road with handmade italian handle bar fringe. Oh well, guess you're just going to have to ride now.

Shimano M324 and some shoes with nice breathable mesh

mjoekingz28

I like the way you talk.


Well said, what a great way to put it!!!