Building a touring Bike, Converting my MTB

Hi guys i have recently relocated to London and im planning to use this base to do some serious touring, im going to start off easy with London - Brighton, then maybe London - Newquay and certainly London - Paris in March

i posted recently asking for travel trips - thank you very much for the replies

i dont have a touring bike in ym quiver but i do have a custom built MTB that i would like to convert/utilise, its redundant since i got an NS core freeride MTB,
ive included pictures; i was hoping you could help me by telling me how i should upgrade/replace, i dont want to spend a fortune and i dont want to buy another bike,
straight off im thinking solid carbon forks, full set of mudguards and rear rack/pannier, new tires (which?), refit the big ring (currently got a bash ring),
a different set of handle bars, i know its not conventional but i think 'aero' bars look as if they would have a lot of useful poisition, straight to a slight drop then the bullhorn ends what do you think?
i also dont find the exisitng saddle overly comfy so will take the chance to replace
should i fit a front disc or will shimano lx v's be fine?
should i replace my dmr flat pedals?
the bike has been well cared for and given a service is rideable.
let me know ure advice and product reccomendations
cheers
Dave

I took my MTB touring in the Summer.
I replaced the rigid forks I had on it.
Fitted a rear rack using these fancy things from SJS, and a front canti-mounted rack from SJS to support my messenger bag loaded with food / map / jacket etc..
Got a massive bottle cage which can hold 1.5 litre PET bottles (easily available).
Used the same old SPD shoes and fitted some CST touring slicks I got off ebay.
If you need touring kit info there are a lot of places to get it, mainly crazyguyonabike.com.
Have fun!
Massive Pic Linky

I took my MTB touring in the Summer.
I replaced the rigid forks I had on it.
Fitted a rear rack using these fancy things from SJS, and a front canti-mounted rack from SJS to support my messenger bag loaded with food / map / jacket etc..
Got a massive bottle cage which can hold 1.5 litre PET bottles (easily available).
Used the same old SPD shoes and fitted some CST touring slicks I got off ebay.
If you need touring kit info there are a lot of places to get it, mainly crazyguyonabike.com.
Have fun!
Massive Pic Linky

awesome thanks man, how do those clips from SJS work with the rack? is it because MTb's dont have the necessary hols in the dropouts for the the onventional rack spats
are PET bottles just normal coke/fanta etc bottles
whats yuor advice on handlebars/ pedals

I'd stick with V brakes (easier to look after/ less to go wrong)

defo get some clipless pedals. time atac's and some comfortable mtb shoes.

bar-ends at least, not sure that aero bars would be comfortable.

I wouldn't bother with disc brakes.. might be tricky to find replacement pads, for example.
I used a cheap rack and panniers
Tyres - Big, smooth, thick = good. You're touring not racing and not having to repair punctures is better than faster rubber imho
I would use SPD pedals not flats and carry other shoes (or have mtb spd shoes that you can walk in).. but that's me.
If you are going to swap the saddle, do some riding on the replacement before you start touring!

The clips fit round the seatstays - My frame was similar to yours in that it had threaded holes in the dropouts, but no other rack mounts. I carried 2 filled panniers + tent happily using this rack system.

PET bottles are just plasic bottles. it means you can refill your big cheapo bottle, and if there is no chance to refill, then simply buy water from anywhere you pass. It was a lifesaver (also carries wine.)

I did 80-140k a day, and had no problem using riser bars. Apart from looking a bit out of place, my bike was already setup perfectly for long distances and I had done some 4-6 hour rides on it offroad already. Fit is important!
As a starting point just try riding a lot and figure out what you need to change for comfort.
Risers have 2 hand positions, normal, and holding the dip (good for riding into the wind)

Get some SPDs. You won't regret it if you live.
EDIT - @hippy: Slack rack.

I adjusted the rack once it was in England.. added guards and bottle cages, lights and a bell too.

I've done the same thing.

Keep the v brake

buy some clipless pedals

I'd vote for some cheap bar end too but that's just me. I love riding on the hood on a road bike and the bar ends emulate that for me.

one of those big water bottle things of prav's look excellent too.

I bought some marathon plus tyres from cycle basket. Super puncture protection.

also, eggpie has built a pretty substancial tourer from a MTB and may have parts left over..

Hippy - if you only had 2 panniers for food, what did you eat for dinner?
THESE are the tyres I bought - If you have ££s go for Schwalbe marathon or similar.
I found them excellent value for money. highly recommended.

awesome im defo going ahead with the conversion guys, some excellent info thats given me the confidence
im going for bar ends will save cash too,
regret putting that bash ring on in my naieve youth now

This is what i rode to Spain on two years ago ....

Just put a rack on back - and a front bag thing. pumped the forks as hard as i could. . . Worked a treat.

the soft alu bottle holder is bendable and took a 1.5 litre water bottle - (bring lots of "sport" caps from the UK with you if you go france - they seemed to be harder to find there... - and mostly scre onto larger bottles)

this is it about half way through the trip....

^^ Living dangerously, sandals & 20 spoke front wheel!

Hippy - if you only had 2 panniers for food, what did you eat for dinner?
THESE are the tyres I bought - If you have ££s go for Schwalbe marathon or similar.
I found them excellent value for money. highly recommended.

haha :P
credit card baby! the panniers were just for the bits in-between restaurants/pubs/etc :)

^^ Living dangerously, sandals & 20 spoke front wheel!

That was when we just boarding a ferry... those old Rolf Wheels have stood the test of time... i have the matching rear - but didn't use it with Panniers.

also, eggpie has built a pretty substancial tourer from a MTB and may have parts left over..

er..theres not much left over that'd be useful :(

+1 for the schwalbe tyres. I also switched out the rockshox fork for a rigid one. The Surly Long Haul Trucker fork comes in a 26" version with rack eyes etc thoughtfully included. The gary Fisher also had rear rack eyes already, which is partly why I chose it. I quite like that bottle cage though. Ive seen similar things before, but I'd been relying on a couple of standard cages and a spare bottle in the panniers..

Ive also weirdly gone for the drop bar/cantis/bar end shifters combination, which also required a less-than beautiful 45degree riser stem. I'd definitely go with the bar ends though. The extra range of hand positions is well worth it. The drops make mine look more like a twisted Thorn style tourer than an MTB any more, but it rides pretty well and scores well for cheap and strong..

Very interesting thread as I am thinking about doing the same. I will use the fact that one of my disc breaks has leaked as an excuse to buy some v brakes!