Alan@TreeFort

Any problems with heel clearance for racks/panniers?

kaliayev

There are some early to mid 90's steel hybrids that make decent touring bikes. Trek 7XX series and Specialized Crossroads for example.

badamsjr

+1 I just bought one for $240, and am in the process of getting it ready for the coming touring season. I already had a couple older road frames, but they do not allow the tire size I want to run--700/32, with fenders. The 720 does, and has two mounts on rear for rack/fender, with mid-fork mount on front. No pics yet, but soon.

tacomee

Unless you're really good with bikes.... just buy a new Surly and be done with it. the LHT is the best bike value ever.... new or used.

sculbertson

Not my list...I found it on this site if I remember correctly. A good list to start your search.

Classic 80’s Touring Bikes

Bridgestone RB-T
Bridgestone T-500
Bridgestone T-700
Centurion Pro Tour
Fuji Touring Series IV
Fuji Touring Series V
~~~FUJI SARATOGA~~~
~~~FUJI GRAN TOURER~~~
~~~FUJI GRAN TOURER SE~~~
Kuwahara Caravan
Lotus Odyssey
Miyata 610
Miyata 1000
Nishiki Continental
Nishiki Cresta GT
Nishiki International
Nishiki Riviera GT
Nishiki Seral
Novara Randonee
Panasonic PT-3500
Panasonic PT-5000
Panasonic Pro Touring
Panasonic Touring Deluxe
Raleigh Alyeska
Raleigh Kodiak
Raleigh Portage
Raleigh Super Tourer
Raleigh Touring 18
Schwinn Paramount P15-9 Tourer
Schwinn Passage
Schwinn Voyageur/Voyageur SP
Specialized Expedition
Takara Overland
Trek 520
Trek 620
Trek 720
Univega Gran Tourismo
Univega Specialisima

kaliayev

Or not.

cyccommute 

Missing from the above list are the Cannodale touring bikes. Cannondale has been making one, and most times two, touring models in each model year since 1983. These aren't sport touring bikes but full on load 'em up and cross the country touring bikes. They would compare very favorably...and often are superior... to any bike in the above list. The only difference is that they are aluminum...but there's nothing wrong with that.

mickey85

Here's my recent acquisition. Just stripped and cleaned/greased. New cheap-o tires to get it rolling, crap bar tape and a saddle I had lying around. With better rubber and tape, I'm planning on taking this to the other end of Indiana next summer. Not super long, I know, but I've only got a week to work with...



Just took it on a 30 mile shakedown right after this photo. I really like it. Kinda heavy (30ish lbs), but once it's loaded down, that isn't going to really matter much...

Alan@TreeFort

Nice! That looks great.

mickey85

Thanks!

BTW, does anyone have any suggestions for decent 27" tires? I'm thinking Schwalbe, but would like some input. It'd be more for daily riding than loaded touring, but I do plan on doing some 500ish mile "tours" this summer as well.

badamsjr

You can get Continental Ultra Gatorskin's in 27". I have some on one of mine, and they are pretty good for puncture resistance and wear well.

djb

thats a good recommendation. I have looked at that bike and thought the same thing, that its a fairly decent bike. Gearing is a bit high (especially as it states that it COULD come with a 52/42/30 OR a 50/39/30, which with the 32 cassette, is a tad high for loaded up. I guess one could change out the 50 for a 46 and the granny to a 26 (notsure if doable) so that the fd would still work within its range.

for someone starting out, it would probably be a good buy, leaving money for panniers, tent, sleeping bag etc.

scozim 

I've been using some Bontrager 27" on a couple of bikes and they've held up quite well. Can't remember the model name but they retailed at the LBS for $20 - $30 depending on the specific tire.

Alan@TreeFort

The Panaracer Pasela comes in 27" and is a good commuting tire with decent puncture resistance (not bulletproof like the gatorskins, but definitely better than average) and rolls very well. Also has gumwalls so would look great on that Nishiki IMO!

surfrider

I'll throw this 'oddball' into the mix: Trek FX 7.3

I bought one of these in 2006 to get back into bicycling. Got interested in getting back into touring last year (my Cannondale tourer got stolen in 2000), but wanted to do it on the cheap since I ws looking at short/credit card trips. I noticed my Trek had all the eyelets and mounts needed for front and rear racks and fenders and bottles, plus a longish wheelbase (450 MM BB to rear axle centers), so I tried using it for some overnighters in 2010. It worked great!. I've since modified it with close-out deal parts from on-line bike shops and will probably keep using it through 2011 until I find a touring bike that I really like.

The Cannondale Touring bikes: They stopped making them in 2010. I'd really like to get another of these, as I prefer their ultra-stiff aluminum frame vs the more traditional steel touring frames. That stiff frame worked great as an unloaded reacreational long distance riding bicycle, too.

mickey85

Thanks for the tire suggestions guys. I have paselas (non TG) on the fixed gear (700X25), and like them a LOT. I'll probably end up getting the tour guards.

LeeG

you can get decent heel clearance with some chainstay dimensions if you don't go for deep panniers. Given that you're looking at some bikes that are close to road bikes with caliper brakes consider a small front rack like this for a compression bags worth of stuff

https://store.velo-orange.com/index.p...ess-steel.html

and then smaller panniers like these

https://www.jandd.com/detail.asp?PRODUCT_ID=FSBP

I toured for a month with that size of panniers, a medium sized handlebar bag(which could be the compression bag size on the minifront rack) and the rest on the rear rack. If you put all that amount of gear into big rear mounted panniers on a sport bike the handling is a bit funky.

sculbertson

Good catch on the missing Cannondales...I should have known better as my wife has a 1990 ST600 and my daughter a 1990 ST400. They also made a ST1000 which was their flagship tourer.

mickey85

I'm still a bit gunshy with the idea of a loaded aluminum touring bike...having worked in metal fabrication with my dad (part time) for a while now, I know the catastrophic failures associated with aluminum, and don't know if I could stomach the idea of a 20 year old bike built from aluminum holding my fat butt and 50 lbs of gear...but I do love my Black Lightning. Maybe I'll have to start looking for a Cannondale Touring bike to add to the stable, even if it's for distance (i.e. brevet) cycling.

Cannondale is slowly turning my mind around about aluminum bikes. I guess I'm just not there yet...

LeeG

It's all a matter of design. Lots of steel bikes out there where rack eyelets have sheared off, chainstays and down tubes have cracked. Also lots of airplanes held together with aluminum spars that are older than 25yrs. If that custom 20yr old steel bike was underdesigned and overloaded it could be in more delicate shape than a stock Cannondale with big tubes designed for touring.

tacomee

Cannondale touring frames are very strong... maybe the toughest to break. But then most bike frames never fail, no matter what kinds of loads are piled on them or how many gazillon miles they are ridden. The frame is the most durable part on a bike. The part that fails most on bikes are the wheels. A good touring wheelset with good tires runs around $300-500 and it's the most important thing to have. Any bike with single wall rims, non stainless steel spokes, or freehubs isn't really up to 2010 standards. Ride whatever you have of course, but I wouldn't plunk down good money on EBAY for an old touring bike with old weak wheels.

Plus its hard to beat a getting new frame for free! Just head down to your nearest Trek or Surly dealer for the details. You read that right.... Get a free LHT frame! (with purchase of build kit)