Quote Originally Posted by madison View Post
hey, well iv been wanting a tourer for a while but have been having a hard time deciding as I really wanted something fast,so i was wondering if a cyclo-cross bike would be comfortable and sturdy enough to tour. I'm into long distances,but im mainly interested in staying in hostels during tours so that i can travel lighter and therefore go faster and gain more mile coverage. I know that cyclo-cross bikes can accommodate panniers and are fast ,but i was wondering about the positioning as its more of a racing position than a tourer and i worry this could cause back problems, and also whether its gonna last me a few years and put up with serious miles.any feedback greatfuly appreciated!,cheers
I have my Surly Cross Check set up so the bike/body contacts are exactly the same distance (e.g. saddle to bars, etc). The Cross bike is more responsive - one of my local wrenches has one, and his feedback on it loaded was that it's noodley when heavily loaded. As long as you're in the 20-30 pound weight range for what you're carrying, I seriously doubt you'd have a problem. Just make sure the bike is set up the way you want it for touring, not the way someone racing would want it. FYI the cross check is my local wrench's only bike AND only transportation.