Touring Equipment

There's an abandoned bike with porteur style bars behind the Tescos express on Shoreditch Hight Street if you're in London. That style works quite well with bar-end shifters.

Not quite what I mind, advice-wise... but thanks for the heads up!

If you've got the dorrah I think Freshtripe do a good selection in that area.

I had the Nitto B483 but I think the rise is a bit much for a tourer.

Thanks doppelkorn.
Does anyone else have any proper touring experience of other nitto / vo / etc bars? Obviously comfort is the main thing...

The trouble I'm having is basically that my frame doesn't fit very well: too small on the seat tube, too long on the top tube. It's an 80's Galaxy... I've searched and searched for something that would fit me better, but touring bikes all seem to have long top tubes (presumably for long wheelbase stability). The ones I've seen that have the right size seat tube just have even longer top tubes...

Anyway, I'm finding it hard to get a riding position that doesn't put too much weight on my wrists or stretch me out too much...
I've seen other tourists with wide riser / swept back bars and would like to know how people got on with them over long distances, etc.

Dawes tourers are stupidly long. I had a 52st Horizon with a 56cm top tube. I just couldn't get it to work. Bought a surly LHT instead.

I have the same problems with my dawes galaxy and super galaxy... I use really choady stems but still my wrists feel it a bit, I am thinking of putting clip on aero bars so that I can transfer the weight to my elbows, anybody done that on a tourer?

My Kaffenback is pretty compact. Havent got it out on a long ride yet but a few local rides have proved to be very smooth. I am using mtb bars and bar ends which give a good upright riding position. I may change to drops next year. Giving the mtb bars a go this season first. I went for the medium size frame, could have prob managed the large. But medium fits me fine. They are a good price too as are the pompetamines.

Sounds like I'm not alone then...
Not sure about using aero bars. I tend to keep my map / bar bag up front anyway, but even without that issue, it might be a little unstable to ride like that when you're fully loaded...

Maybe I should just keep looking for a new frame and do things properly. I'd love to get a Disc Trucker one day.

Aero bars would just melt anyway.

If you got too much pressure on your hand due to a long top tube, then aero bar wouldn't really help if you want to move your hand a little bit every now and then rather than looking all wiggo on a binge.

Moustache handlebar is a good solution for a long top tube, my girlfriend's road bicycle have a too long top tube, but with the VO porteur handlebar, she can comfortably ride a long distance on it without discomfort, you just need to make sure your saddle is at a right angle* (and set back the idea distance from the BB) as well as the stem length.

There's no reason why a moustache handlebar wouldn't be as comfortable as a drop/flat bar, unless you set it like a dutch bike.

*wardy, play with your saddle angle, fore and aft position first, if it's too far forward/nose down, it'll put weight on your handlebar due to little support on the saddle.

I want to get a basic dynamo hub and a USB charger thingy to power a phone. What are my options?

Cheap shimano dynamo hubs, and the e-werk*.

*unless you want to do a DIY which is cheaper and not as diffcuilt that is.

You got me interested what is the DIYer option since the ewerk is nearly $200.

There's a handful of them on the crazyguyonabike forum, least I remember it's there where I read some DIY option.

It would seem the USB-WERK from the same people that make the E-WERK does what I want. Only $100 - just does USB charging no variable voltage controls - plus still has support for lights.

I didn't went for those because I want to adjust the power accordingly, otherwise it'll take 5 hours to charge my phone to 20%.

Wonder if it work just as well.

You make a good point, but it seems that its made to adhere to the USB charging spec so that should not be the case. The forum you pointed me to has lots of people using them.

The other thing I am trying to work out is which bar end shifters I should get. Getting a compact Tiagra 10speed drive train on this light tourer build I'm putting together. I have seen the Ultegra 10speed ones - what other options are there?

Willing to consider other brands.

I like the look of the retroshifters that Ed has posted before elsewhere - but decided that bar end is a better look for the bike.

Kinda obvious TBH, Shimano as usual, unless you want the friction lark.

Or replace drivetrain with 8/9 speed cassette, chain and bar-end shifter for reliability, strength and cost (8/9 speed chain are very cheap).

Doesn't look like they are doing any 9-speed parts in this years Tiagra.

You don't need a 9 speed Tiagra specifically, just any 9 speed chain, cassette and shifter.

I'm swaying back in the direction of downtube shifters. Originally planned for my new touring bike to have modern sti shifters but these seem less practical than on the downtube. I've never really needed to quickly shift gears on my touring bike, like I would do on a road bike.
Hmmm.

Get the old Dura Ace 9 speed downtube shifter then (if that what you have), they have an index and friction mode.

Downtube feel like you're going backward if you're used to Sti, but while touring, you don't really need to change the gear half a second quicker to get to the next hairpin bend.

Exactly, also I'm used to touring with the DA 9sp downtube shifters.
Kind of ruined my 'modern' touring bike idea. But in the end it's all about comfort and convenience I guess.

Should've seen my "modern" audax bike then.

I'd suggested bar end shifter, but having both kind of shifter, I'd go for downtube for being a lots less complicated (and much lighter too).

Plus being able to change the handlebar easily is a great plus.