So confused!

[Slowspoke]

I have a Bianchi Eros Donna. Love that girl! I rode her across Michigan two summers ago. I had full support so I only carried what I needed for the day. She was great on nice roads but those ultra skinny tires and geometry were not the best for a tour. I also am not "one with the hills"! I think I needed more granny. I also cannot put fenders on her. There simply is not enough fork clearance.

Now I am looking at a touring bike. I want steel and comfort! I want maximum granny gears! All of those bikes seem soo heavy! I really don't plan to do much with panniers. If I went totally self supported I think I would go with a trailer. What I want is something that will handle the terrible roads of michigan, mostly commuting and errands with some light touring thrown in. I am looking at all the usual suspects: Salsa Casseroll, Surly LHT, Novara Randonee, Specialized Tricross, Kona Sutra and a Raliegh (forget the name). The only one I have found to try so far was the Novara.
Are these overkill for what I want to do?
Would a performance hybred be enough?
What's with bar end shifters on touring bikes?

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

You need to tell us what kind of distances you are hoping/planning to ride for your tours. If you are not packing much for panniers, etc, does that mean you'll be staying in motels or B&B's?

Large range granny gears, fenders, any racks, steel frame, sturdier tires, extra water....all these things will add some weight.
The good news is that if your touring bike winds up being 25-30 lbs (without panniers), your granny gears will help you climb the hills anyway despite extra weight. You will also develop stronger legs to get that bike moving. Most people who like touring are not too concerned with high speed, and pedaling a 30 lb bike on flat terrain is not that much more effort than pedaling a 20 lb bike on flat terrain.

Hybrids are good, tend to be comfy with semi-upright position for long rides...but they often come with straight bars which can be a strain on hands and wrists on long rides (40+ miles). Drop bars allow many varied hand positions- and believe me, after a few hours riding you really are grateful to be able to vary your hand/wrist positions.

[OakLeaf]

I'm having the same problem choosing a commuter (aka sub-55 miles RT, heavy loaded "tourer").

I need 165mm cranks and a sub-50 cm effective top tube on a sub-50 cm frame.
I need a frame that will accommodate a rear rack (steel preferred, but I'd take aluminum).
I really really want R700 brifters, a triple and a 10 speed cassette.
I really really DON'T want bar end shifters or anything other than drop bars.

That doesn't seem like much, does it? It's all available on ordinary run-of-the-mill road bikes... except for those pesky carbon rear triangles, which is a deal killer as far as mounting a rack.

It's not a problem if I spend $4000+ building up a bike on my own. It's not a problem if I buy a $2000 mass-produced complete bike and spend $500-700 retrofitting bars, brifters, rear wheel and derailleur, and/or cranks.

Where does that leave someone who really doesn't want to spend $2500+ on a second/third/fourth bike (depending on which ones you count ), the one that's supposed to be "practical?"

[Slowspoke]

I would be touring light. I can't really see loading more that 30 lbs. My last couple tours were in the 50 miles per day range. I agree that I don't want flat bars. I MUST change my hand position often. My Bianchi is fitted with a rack and I can carry what I need but the geometry is just not right for touring. I also found a Trek 520 that I am going to test out tonight after work.
Sadly, adding another bike is space prohibitive. I will be giving up my Gary Fisher Marlin. Oh, here is thought. Could I fit that bike with handlebars better for touring? Fenders? Hmmm more research. It has a rack, good grannies but 26 inch wheels.

[Zen]

You left out Jamis and the Terry Valkyrie

[uforgot]

I would be touring light. I can't really see loading more that 30 lbs. My last couple tours were in the 50 miles per day range. I agree that I don't want flat bars. I MUST change my hand position often. My Bianchi is fitted with a rack and I can carry what I need but the geometry is just not right for touring. I also found a Trek 520 that I am going to test out tonight after work.
Sadly, adding another bike is space prohibitive. I will be giving up my Gary Fisher Marlin. Oh, here is thought. Could I fit that bike with handlebars better for touring? Fenders? Hmmm more research. It has a rack, good grannies but 26 inch wheels.

Doesn't the Marlin have front suspension also? You definitely do NOT want that. Added weight that is useless on the road. I have a Surly Cross Check and love it. Steel, comfortable and fairly economical. I know a few others that have the Trek 520 and they love it too.

[Slowspoke]

Yes, it has a front shock, but I can lock it out. I could also swap out the fork. So if I get a new fork, new tires, new handlebars, fenders and probably a new seat cuz I love the brooks on my roadie...I am talking about $400. Now, for about $1200 I can just pick up an entry level touring bike. That is a pretty big difference.

I am still calling around to find some bikes to try out. I called one place and he tried to talk me out of a touring bike. He goes, "they are heavy and everyone is going with hybreds nowdays. You won't like that road type handlebar. Besides, they are expensive"!!! LMBO I was asking about an $1100 bike,not a custom seven!!!

[canonsue]

When I was shopping for my touring bike, I found it amazing how many LBSs did not carry them and were a bit clueless about them. And yes, I had one store who wanted to put drop bars on a hybrid for me.

I ended up buying a Surly Long Haul Trucker from a LBS that actually had one in their store (of course not my size), but hey, they at least had one to look at.

-Sue

[bikerHen]

Have to chime in here with a plug for a heavy touring bike. I have a Surly LHT. It is a heavy sucker! I have a front mini rack w/bags, full fenders, 1 1/2" x 26 tires and assorted odds and ends. Bet the bike weighs close to 30 pounds. I pull a trailer when in touring mode. This bike is my foul weather daily commuter and will get me through anything. I recently did a VERY hilly organized ride and choose the Surly over my carbon fiber road bike. Yes I generally ride 1-2 mph slower with this bike, but with the mountain bike gearing I can get up and over almost any hill/mountain while pulling a fully loaded trailer. About this time every year I switch to my speedy road bike and I have a very hard time giving up the Surly as my daily rider. It's a very comfortable bike to ride and while I'll never set a land speed record riding it, it's not a lumbering slug. In my opinion speed is highly overrated when it comes to touring. It's the journey, not how fast you get there. The LHT is built to ride all day, after day, after day. And that how you should judge a touring bike. My 2 cents! bikerHen

[shootingstar]

You need to tell us what kind of distances you are hoping/planning to ride for your tours. If you are not packing much for panniers, etc, does that mean you'll be staying in motels or B&B's?

Large range granny gears, fenders, any racks, steel frame, sturdier tires, extra water....all these things will add some weight.

The good news is that if your touring bike winds up being 25-30 lbs (without panniers), your granny gears will help you climb the hills anyway despite extra weight. You will also develop stronger legs to get that bike moving. Most people who like touring are not too concerned with high speed, and pedaling a 30 lb bike on flat terrain is not that much more effort than pedaling a 20 lb bike on flat terrain.

Well, true that not dragging around camping gear, lightens the load abit for a credit card bike touring ride. But, I couldn't help giggle ironically here...when a bike touring trip, has near the beginning or in the middle of it, a work-related conference it does mean more baggage. Has it ever occurred to anyone that the weight of clothing for someone who is 5'1" is lighter than clothing for one at 5' 10"? Presumably the lot taller person is stronger, but not always. There's just more fabric required to cover a taller person, ergo more weight.

I agree that one shouldn't over-rate the speed of a touring bike trip that is loaded with panniers, but it is nice somehow to have a bike that has some lighter weight (but not necessarily always the lightest materials) components to still go over hills, different terrain...which isn't always beautiful smooth pavement, etc.

Have fun Oak, in the bike/component shopping. We wanna see photos of the final baby!

[tpb]

How about a Bianchi Volpe? I have one that I use for commuting and light touring - and I love it. I don't have fenders so I don't know how that would work.

I have made a couple of upgrades (rear derailleur, seat) as well as adding a rear rack, lights, etc.

Enjoy.
TB

[tpb]

I forgot to mention. On the way to finding my Volpe, I rode the Specialized Tricross. For me at least, it just was NOT comfortable. Also, if I remember right, it's not steel...

-TB

[ginny]

I tried the bianchi volpe and while I also have an eros donna as my road bike, I didn't like that bike as much. I ended up with a LHT for my daily commute, grocery shopper and touring bike. It is heavy - particularly as compared with a sassy little road bike. Also, to be honest, I'm not particularly stoke on how I 'sit' the bike. I feel much more stretched out on it than my road bike... in retrospect, I maybe should have saved up for a custom bike... have you thought of that? Lunas are really nice, as are um... those ones named after elves... rivendell... does Seven make touring bikes? Don't get me wrong, I like my surly and plan to ride it to death... then maybe I'll get a custom bike. If I had saved for the custom bike, I wouldn't have been able to commute by bike this winter / summer, and I wouldn't have my new job (got it probably because I ride my bike every day).

[susan.wells]

You left out Jamis and the Terry Valkyrie

I'm on a 10 day tour and just finished the fifth day on my Terry Valkyrie. We did Skyline Drive and are now on the Blue Ridge Parkway. I am quite pleased with both the fit and handling. Very solid feel (meaning no shimmy) descending. I'm packing light because we have a sag vehicle. The gearing has been wonderful for the climbs. I've been able to spin up all so far with a cadence of ~82 rpm. That keeps my 50+ years old knees happy!

[rosetwig]

Curious to find out what folks think about converting your Gary Fisher Marlin into a touring bike. I'm also attempting to buy a touring bike, and being rather short, it's a little tricky. (The smallest Surly Long Haul Trucker is really the only one where I have any standover room.) And I have a Marlin also, though it doesn't have front suspension. What might converting it entail? Or would it even be worth it?