Sharpy96

Hey there, Just coming up to finishing my school years and next year I plan to start touring Europe, both to see some sites, get some fresh and improve fitness. Despite this I have no idea about what type of bike is good, I've done a lot of research on Surly, and Kona and a few others but despite this im still feeling lost. I think I will have a budget of about £1500 for the bike ($2400), what could i do with this sort of money?

Latif

Sounds like your buying in Europe? Love my Salsa Vaya, the Surly and Kona bikes sound like great bikes. What do you have available where you are? $2400 should get you set up nicely I believe.I've got about $1800 into my Vaya including pedals, rack, rear panniers, fender, computer and lights.I'll be swapping out the 30t small front ring for a 24 which should be another $50 or so.Would also like to get a handlebar bag, not sure about front pannier setup. Of course if you need a tent, and related camping gear it's another story price wise.

fietsbob

Just get some kit together and go for a ride. Touring is the activity

no need to over-think on the perfect bike , yet.

ChroMoly Tubus racks are adaptable , you can keep them and change bikes under them ..
so that investment will be used for decades .

what bike do you already own?

Sharpy96

Yep buying in Europe, really not much available around me so I will be relying on the internet a lot. Have you any experience of custom builds?, I feel that I could benefit from doing one + they have the Surly LHT frames for a decent price online, the only thing that puts me off is my lack of experience in building a bike from scratch, but i guess there's a first for everything! In terms of clothing bags etc. I havnt included that in the $2400 so i dont have to worry about that just yet? Is there any manuals, guidance for putting a bike together?

Thanks

fietsbob

Koga.com they put together a complete turn key touring bike .. if you spend a bit more they will add your name in the paint.


Koga // Bikes > KOGA Signature then its shipped to a dealer , https://www.koga.com/en/find-dealer


Koga // Bikes > Trekking > Collection this sells at that 1500 https://www.koga.com/en/bikes/trekkin...er.htm?frame=H

generally as you see the surly lacks the racks mudguards lights those are all the extras
that you have to then buy ..

just offering a Known Alternative ..
I got a 2nd hand Koga , in the States , and they dont really sell them here ,
so sort of fluke.

Latif

I've not built a bike from scratch. That was my idea with the Salsa but it was going to cost way more than buying a prebuilt even considering that I'll be changing some stuff, mostly drivetrain related. Would still like to build up a bike someday. I haven't seen any books specific to building up.
I wish you luck in your search.

staehpj1

I'd advise just buying a complete bike. The ones aimed at the touring market come with components that are well thought out, work well together, are cheaper than building up from a bare frame. Over time you can upgrade any components that you choose, but riding a box stock bike is fine.

Don't get too wrapped up in the bike itself. When it comes right down to it as long as it fits and meets some minimum standard of suitability, differences in the bike have a pretty minor effect on the total touring experience.

LeeG

I have had custom frames built specifically for me and built many frames up from parts. The reason I did it, was that I enjoyed fiddling, had a collection of parts and accumulated a sufficient number of tools. What I started with was a couple of low and mid priced brand new bikes over three years, accumulated tools, the first bike was sold to help pay for the second and the second had half the parts to build up the third. After that things kind of exploded when I started touring and racing.

My $.02 as a long time cyclist and past owner of a bike shop is that buying retail parts for a retail production frame is as useful as going into a shop and saying "I'll take this bike and give you 50% more for it and another $250 for specialized tools to rebuild it"

take advantage of the complete package, load it up and ride it around for a few days from your arrival city to make sure it's all together, check back with the shop to give the bike a go over then off you go.

staehpj1

A good way to put it and quite accurate IMO.

Sharpy96

Astute advice, thanks. With me being a student and not having the most experience a full package bike would be beneficial so looks like I'll go for one of them.

Thanks