DebW in the 21st century?

[Veronica]

My Rambouillet I think fits the bill of what you want to do with your new bike.

It's suitable for fast road riding, with the right tires and wheels it can go off road, and I used it to pull a trailer last year in Nova Scotia. So geometry wise I think you can get all the things you want in a custom.

Gearing - why switch from your friction shifters? Maybe go to bar ends. We went up one hill in Nova Scotia that I could barely get up with the trailer (70 ish pounds) and I have a a 24 inner chain ring and a 27 in the rear. I guess if you're never going to haul the kids anywhere hilly.

Wheels - I'd never go off road with the Mavic Ksyriums I have. But my first ride with my hand builts we went wandering off on a new fire trail.

Good luck and happy planning!

V.

[DebW]

Thanks, V. I appreciate the pounds vs gear ratio. Hard to figure that out until you do it. My only touring experience was in my 20s when I'd swap a 14-24 for a 14-28, swap the rear derailleur, add a few chain links, attach the paniers, and tour for a weekend on a 45-52 double.

I think the fat-tire touring/off-road 26" wheels will definitely be hand built. The 650 or 700c road wheels could go either way.

I am a fan of friction shifters. But this is a good chance to try the newer options before I make a decision. I would feel better with an 8- or 9-speed chain than a 10-speed. The bike shop wants to push the new stuff - probably because it's in stock.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Deb, you sound like you have long legs and very short torso/arm reach. Be aware of getting a "larger" frame because of your legs/standover height, and then having reach problems because of the top tube length on a large frame. Might be a bigger problem for you especially if you choose 700 wheels (which require a longer bike to avoid toe overlap. Because of your shorter reach, you might wind up having to get a really short stem in order to feel balanced. Keep the proportion between standover frame size and top tube reach in mind when planning your bike, because your proportions are quite different than a typical man your same height.

[DebW]

Deb, you sound like you have long legs and very short torso/arm reach. Be aware of getting a "larger" frame because of your legs/standover height, and then having reach problems because of the top tube length on a large frame. Might be a bigger problem for you especially if you choose 700 wheels (which require a longer bike to avoid toe overlap. Because of your shorter reach, you might wind up having to get a really short stem in order to feel balanced. Keep the proportion between standover frame size and top tube reach in mind when planning your bike, because your proportions are quite different than a typical man your same height.

That's why I'm going custom.

[emily_in_nc]

Hey DebW,

Just a data point on gearing....I toured with four panniers in upstate NY in fall of 2004 on my Bike Friday. I wasn't super heavily loaded since I'm so small (DH carried the heavy stuff!), so my load was mostly clothing, plus the weight of front/rear racks and Arkel panniers and front bag, some food, camera, etc. We toured in a very hilly area around the Finger Lakes. I needed every gear I have -- a 30" front ring and a 34T rear (XT derailleur). With the Bike Friday's 20" wheels, I believe that was something like a 19" gear. I am not a super strong hill climber by any means, but I had trained well for the tour and was in very good shape (for me) at the time, or so I thought! By about the fourth day, a couple of steep hills had me in my lowest of granny gears. There were even two hills near the end of our longest day (nearly 80 miles) that I had to walk part of even with my ultra-low gearing, because I was spent -- just needed to use different muscles for awhile.

So....with the load you're talking about, I'd definitely recommend mountain gearing in the rear. I'd also probably go with Shimano just because they are by far more common/popular than Campy, so easier to find parts and shops that can help you on the way, if disaster strikes. Don't get me wrong, I love Campy (have Chorus on my Aegis Swift), but not for a touring bike, just for practical reasons. I also went with bar-end shifting for the same reason when I had my Friday built and was very happy with my choice, despite initial skepticism. I went with 9-speed.

Have a blast building your custom bike!

Emily

[mudmucker]

geometry - Peter's advice is to design the bike for the way you use it most often, which would lead me to more of a sport geometry than a touring geometry. OTOH, I want the option for touring and expect to have this frame for 20-30 years (if i live that long), so well into retirement.

My Rambouillet I think fits the bill of what you want to do with your new bike.

It's suitable for fast road riding, with the right tires and wheels it can go off road, and I used it to pull a trailer last year in Nova Scotia.

I'm happy with the older steel bike I just revamped for light errands. It is a road bike with mt gearing.

But I'm also playing around with getting a frame, similar for a use that DebW wanted for her custom - with an option for touring, but also with a geometry that can offer some go fast.

What is it in the geometry that you really want to look for, for that kind of use - a more sport geometry than touring geometry, which isn't road geometry?

I've been considering a Surly Long Haul Trucker frame because many people seem to be very happy with them. Would the Surly be too sluggish, if I want some go fast (knowing that of course I would not expect it to perform like my carbon fiber Ruby)?

[Blueberry]

I've been considering a Surly Long Haul Trucker frame because many people seem to be very happy with them. Would the Surly be too sluggish, if I want some go fast (knowing that of course I would not expect it to perform like my carbon fiber Ruby)?

My feeling is that the Surly will be pretty sluggish. But....folks use and love them on brevets (from what I've been reading). I have a cross check and can firmly say that any sluggishness is the engine, not the bike But I'm not sure about the wheel size difference. Both my Cross Check and my Trek 520 have 700c wheels. One of the major limitations is that there aren't very many (any?) 26" tires narrower than about 32c.

CA