Touring Bikes

Had I not gone down the route of a Croix de Fer (which I picked up relatively cheap) I would be looking at the Kaffenback. I discounted it as PX never had them in stock. Now, of course, they've bought out a new version and have it on sale at the moment. Worth noting (as their website doesn't really make it clear) that the Kaffenback does come with road dropouts. I checked with them the other day as it's really not clear.

It kind of looks like you can use interchangeable dropouts - like little dropout plates you can screw on, but then on other photos they clearly show normal ones.

vs.

Yep, it's the "swapout" version. Different dropouts cost something like £14 each (so £28 for a pair if I understand the wording on the PX site) which is what prompted me to ask if the frame came with them seeing as a set is almost 1/3 the price of the frame's sale price!

Here is my LHT last year. She's a whole lotta Rosie. I'm currently looking for info on a Scottish tour between Inverness and Isle of Skye. If any one has any tips.

I've been idly toying with the idea of increasing the size of my bike stable up to a dizzying two recently with the addition of a tourer.

I'm going to try and do this as properly as my budget allows. This will probably be about £500 to spend gradually between now and next summer, I reckon. I keep veering between a second hand Dalesman/Galaxy off eBay on the one hand, and a self built modern affair on the other.

If I go for the latter what do people think of the Surly Cross Check frame as a base? It's solid, has lots of clearance and is reasonably cheap to pick up 2nd hand. I could, if needs be, swap the fork out for one with mounts half way up for a little front rack.

If I'm barking up the wrong tree then tell me. There might be some massive flaw in this plan that I'm overlooking.

I cycled to Istanbul in 2007 on a cross check. Was amazing. Best bike I've ever had! Sadly it was pinched on the return journey on a night train from Bucharest to Vienna. Have since replaced it with a soma double cross which has never seemed to fit as well. I rode with front ortliebs on a rear rack - 15 litres each I think and tent strapped to a nitto m18 front rack. Seemed to be well balanced and never had any speed wobble.

Good tips.

Those swappable dropouts confuse the hell out of me. What are those two holes poking into the rear triangle?

disk brake bosses.

Here is my LHT last year. She's a whole lotta Rosie. I'm currently looking for info on a Scottish tour between Inverness and Isle of Skye. If any one has any tips.

make sure you go to the bakery in Dunvegan.

@Temper_Temper you might have a bit more luck in the Travel and Trips section of the forum

@Temper_Temper you might have a bit more luck in the Travel and Trips section of the forum

I shall go and do that now, cheers.

If you're in inverness make sure you detour up to the black isle, well worth it

Looking into purchasing a Surly LHT its main use being touring. Not sure if the 700c or the 26" version would suit what I want to do better?

I ride a 54cm GOrilla Hattara and from my understanding the LHT only comes in a 54cm in the 26" version and starts at 56cm in the 700c version so I may have just answered my question into which to test ride and consider purchasing?

First trip is potentially going to be cycling the Danube River.

26" wheel will be stronger, give it a test ride at Brixton and see which size suit you better.

26" wheel will be stronger, give it a test ride at Brixton and see which size suit you better.

And lighter+faster

Thanks for the advise, I am organising some test rides on both as we speak.

Neils Wheels in Molesey being my closest Surly dealer

Prop, I went 700c over 26" on the basis I will probably not tour anywhere where I couldn't pick up 700c replacements and mostly on good quality roads. The advantage of 26" wheels is strength and you can pretty much find somewhere in the world that has spares for or sells 26" wheels. 26" tyres are probably more durable. However, I think LHTs with 26" wheels looks fugly and they sure as shit ain't faster. And if you're not going to tour Madagascar and the like then 700c will just get you around easier and quicker.

However, I think LHTs with 26" wheels looks fugly and they sure as shit ain't faster..

make little difference to be honest, it's a touring bike, even with 700c.

Touring bikes can look nice...

I can't provide any visual evidence of that at this specific moment in time, but I assure you they can.

They can!

starting a touring build at the moment, looking around for an old steel touring frame, and operating on a budget of about £600 all in.

up to now I ride fixed exclusively so the groupset thing is a giant mystery, what am I looking for in a groupset for a tourer? presumably something pretty durable? and what is it I am hearing about mixing MTB groupsets with road groupsets?

I suppose after a couple years just riding fixed I am amazed to find out how much groupsets actually cost, so am looking for something reasonably cheap but of a good quality...

thanks guys...

Recently been through exactly the same thing and due to a bargain I snapped up a groupset off here.

Commence essay:

I checked out some sites explaining how touring bikes were typically specced, also checking some well known OTP tourers like Dawes. I initially thought groupsets had to be the same manufacturer and "level" but they don't. I come to the conclusion that I wanted a touring triple chainset, a 9 or 10 speed rear cassette, integrated STI/Ergo/"brifter" combined brakes and shifters and reasonably decent wheels. Many OTP tourers come with bar end shifters but I wanted STIs because I've never had them and they seem cool. The extra speed they afford you in shifting is, I think, overkill for touring bikes. I had the good fortune to pick up a lowish end touring gruppo and wheels as a package of the classifieds on here. Shimano Deore is an MTB groupset which lots of people online recommend for touring builds. I also heard Rigida Sputnik rims are considered good. 36 spoke wheel configurations are pretty much standard for strength.

Looking forward to hearing how you get on. Let me know if you have any more questions, although I'm learning myself.

My groupset is a combination of Shimano 105, Tiagra and Sora BTW. Sora gets a bit of a bad rep for clunky shifting. The rims on the wheels are Mavic A719 which are, I believe OK.

Another bit of advice I've absorbed is to get the best components you can afford and then upgrade when you feel necessary. That's why I feel comfortable with Sora. It's not as if it's gonna cost me any races.

starting a touring build at the moment, looking around for an old steel touring frame, and operating on a budget of about £600 all in.

£100 more will get you this;

Steel frame, mudguard (it's shit but keep you a bit dry), decent range of gear, bar end shifter, rear rack, adjustable stem height, cracking bike for the money, better than a Dawes IMHO.

bar-end is great as it got a friction mode as well, so if the gear isn't indexed properly, just flip the friction switch and trim it.

@doppelkorn

thanks a lot, I was think of getting downtube shifters, as if i'm in some far flung remotre location and they break I can just cable tie the end of the gear cable to the stem or something, STIs seem like if something went wrong i'd be up shit creek

@edscoble
what bike is that? the image doesn't seem to link to anything and it's not big enough to see any decals...
I think I want to build the bike myself, otherwise I save for months and then its over, I just have a brand new bike. i think building it will draw out the fun more!

anyone ever had compatibility issues with MTB and road gruppo parts?

anyone ever had compatibility issues with MTB and road gruppo parts?

Yes, MTB shifters don't provide enough leverage for a downpull road front mech.

Jamis Aurora

The Elite version spec.

– Reynolds 631
– Bar end shifters to all decent 10sp series Shimano parts
– Ok wheels, with good tyres
– NotShit disc braking system

This is actually an awesome bike straight from the box for £1100. I never like OTP bikes!

A carbon fork or DB spokes could improve it but you could argue it's for touring so needs to be a bit over-built/accident-proof.

Want.