Recommendations for a small touring bike

[eofelis]

I don't know what your money situation is but a custom bike is usually not cheap and touring is a very hard life for a bike. They are in all sorts of weather and road conditions, get leaned on everything, fall over, maybe even get stolen. I'm happy to have a cheap and easily replaceable bike for touring (like my LHT), and have a more expensive custom bike for road riding where it never leaves my hands when I have it out.

When I say custom bike I guess I really meant custom frame. If you can find a stock frame to fit you it's pretty easy to put the components that have the gears you want on it. My LHT frame has a full Shimano XT mtn bike drive train on it. Low gear is a 22-34. I live in Colorado and have pedaled it fully loaded up some big passes just fine. I've also done 60 mile (unloaded) road rides in flat terrain on it just fine with that same gearing. I just used the 44-12 gears that day

[murielalex]

I have a custom Gunnar Sport, which is a steel bike made by Waterford, which I bought for the same goal as you. For a touring bike, I didn't want to necessarily have the most expensive as I'm sure it's going to get beat up. Right now, I have it set up strictly as a road bike, without fenders and low-profile aero wheels. In the Spring, I'm breaking out the racks and wider tires (takes up to 32s or 28s with fenders) and doing a six-day tour. It's definitely one of the more affordable, quality custom frames, though they have stock frames for even better prices. I'm very happy. If I were choosing again, I would seriously look at Carl Strong's bikes, a one-man builder of excellent reputation out of Montana: really nice frames made for each rider by purpose, weight, etc. with personal attention you just can't get with the bigger operations. You can get SS coupled, etc. and the price is impressively low for what you get. I'm currently on a waiting list for a custom Kirk Framework's bike that's going to be my everyday and stay-in-Florida speedy bike. Unless I had no money concerns (wouldn't that be nice...), I wouldn't drop the big bucks on a touring bike and feel my heart sink with very ding, scratch and potential traveling mishap that comes. On the other hand, I strongly believe you should get exactly what you want regardless of what anyone else says and love it every time you're on it. My friends and family think I'm a fool for spending what I have and am about to on bikes when there are perfectly good less expensive options available, but I'm the happiest, healthiest fool I know, and there's no price on that. I love my bikes.

[happyscientist]

Surly was my first thought, but I got a tremendous amount of resistance from the bike shops that sell them about switching out gears. Granted, these aren't the LBS where I normally shop because they don't sell Surly, so I don't know if they just don't want to be hassled or if it is a real problem. If I really wanted a Surly, I would ask my LBS if they could switch gears before I bought one. However, I am not the type of person who has to buy a new bike every year. As long as I don't get stupid, it is well within my budget to buy custom.

Murielalex, thanks for the tips. I am going to have to look up some of the companies you mention. The couplers do seem like a good idea since I will be shipping the bike. I am still early in the research process, and I will be in Bozeman next year. I wonder if Carl Strong lets people into his shop. It is funny that you mention the dings, because all of the custom sites sell touch-up paint. I hear what you are saying about people judging the expense. Most of my friends ride, so they don't have a lot of room to talk after dropping $8k on a Cervelo, but people who don't ride can be shocked by the price of bikes. But how much does golf cost? What about the people with boats? Cycling isn't the most expensive thing out there, it keeps me healthy, and I am much easier to live with when I get enough exercise

[indysteel]

Carl Strong + bike = drool. I interviewed him at the North Americn Handmade Bike Show that was held in Indy in 2009. Very nice guy. I know several of his very happy customers.

[happyscientist]

Carl Strong + bike = drool.

Whenever my husband sees me on cycling sites or flipping through catalogs, he accuses me of looking at porn.

[eofelis]

Surly was my first thought, but I got a tremendous amount of resistance from the bike shops that sell them about switching out gears. Granted, these aren't the LBS where I normally shop because they don't sell Surly, so I don't know if they just don't want to be hassled or if it is a real problem. If I really wanted a Surly, I would ask my LBS if they could switch gears before I bought one. However, I am not the type of person who has to buy a new bike every year. As long as I don't get stupid, it is well within my budget to buy custom.

Murielalex, thanks for the tips. I am going to have to look up some of the companies you mention. The couplers do seem like a good idea since I will be shipping the bike.

You can get a LHT frame with couplers! The Long Haul Trucker Deluxe.
I think they run around a $1000 for that frame. Yes, those couplers are very expensive.

Don't let those LBS people bully you into thinking that it's a big hassle to change out gearing, because it's not a big deal. Sounds like they are just being lazy.
Any bike shop can order a Surly bike or frame. They are carried by QBP, which is a supplier for almost all bike shops. Just few LBS carry them. You can order a Surly yourself online too. Many places sell them mail order (Jensen, etc).
You can even get them through REI now too. Do you have an REI nearby?

[Hartmame]

I agree with eofelis, I love my Surly!

"Don't let those LBS people bully you into thinking that it's a big hassle to change out gearing, because it's not a big deal. Sounds like they are just being lazy.
Any bike shop can order a Surly bike or frame. They are carried by QBP, which is a supplier for almost all bike shops. Just few LBS carry them. You can order a Surly yourself online too. Many places sell them mail order (Jensen, etc).
You can even get them through REI now too. Do you have an REI nearby?"

[Sky King]

1. NO YOU CANNOT ORDER A SURLY ONLINE - you can order a frame but not a complete bike. It is totally against SURLY policy to sell a Complete Bike online
2. Yes, anyone with a QBP account can order a Surly BUT do they have any idea how to fit a Surly or help you with your decisions (note the shops who discouraged you)
3. Yes, REI sells some Surly's but please see my comment in item 2 - we have had to "fix" and refit so many surly bike owners that got such a "great deal" at REI
4. When we sell a Frame online, we spend at least 30 minutes on the phone with the buyer before we ever ship the frame to make sure they made the correct size choice

Ok, just had to vent as we spend hours and hours blogging and discussing Surly, We stock Surly and pride ourselves as being Surly Savvy.

I agree with eofelis, I love my Surly!

"Don't let those LBS people bully you into thinking that it's a big hassle to change out gearing, because it's not a big deal. Sounds like they are just being lazy.
Any bike shop can order a Surly bike or frame. They are carried by QBP, which is a supplier for almost all bike shops. Just few LBS carry them. You can order a Surly yourself online too. Many places sell them mail order (Jensen, etc).
You can even get them through REI now too. Do you have an REI nearby?"

[happyscientist]

Sky king, you managed to suck me into your website. Like I need anymore distractions.

Anyway, if a bike shop doesn't want to deal with me, I don't want to deal with them. Unless I was stranded and had to take what I could get. So if the Surly dealers feel they have better things to do than work with me, I am not going to argue. REI is fine for some things, but my favorite LBS has an outdoor store, and there is a running store in town, so there is very little that I need to buy there.

I like to support small business and I love the idea of skilled master craftsman building a bike for me. It is far more appealing than some poor little kids in an Asian sweatshop. I don't get new-bikitis or feel the need to fill a stable, but I can see upgrading my roadbike in a few years or buying a touring bike in 2014. I might go the custom route for those.