Need help choosing a bicycle
 

Hi,everyone!I need help choosing a bike.What to choose for short 1-7 days bikepacking trips and for long distance self-support marathons 1000-4000km like the Transcontinentsl race, Northcape 4000 or Three peaks bike race?

1)Carbon frame bike, 2)Titanium castom frame bike, 3)or maybe save little bit money and buy alloy frame?

And what type of bicycle?
1)Endurance, or 2) All road Adventure/Gravel?

I have about 2000 euro.

7 days bikepacking is a long time on the bike and more likely to be loaded heavily and get damage and need to be durable so I would of thought steel would also be a good option especially for comfort. I personally wouldn't consider carbon fibre. If you want a competitive frame weight but still high comfort and a durable frame then perhaps titanium. It's all down the bike as a full package though any frame material could be acceptable for that purpose. Maybe compose a shortlist of possible options and then think about each bike for all the uses you intend to use it for. You clearly want a fairly versatile bike rather than a bike that excels in one area only.

You are absolutely right, I need a universal bike. I don’t consider a steel bike because of its weight and appearance.

I'm seriously thinking of getting a fuji jari carbon 1.1 for doing brevets and gravel rides. I've seen it for sale on a few German and other Euro sites now. It's got plenty of attachment points for bags and whatnot. The stock gearing on the Jari is pretty much perfect for me and has all the range I'd want and decent enough steps between gears too. I think it's hard to go wrong with ultegra and hydraulic discs too. The geometry doesn't seem too different from what I ride now so that's why it appeals to me, it seems more road-oriented than some gravel and bikepacking bikes that are going more toward MTB geometry. I know there are aluminum/carbon versions of the Jari as well but I don't know how the geometry differs between them but they might be good options if your budget is really firm or you need to buy bags and other stuff too.

Thank you.This Fuji really nice bike. Yes,I need to buy a lot of things also:bags,tent etc. I also looking on Triban 520 gravel. Nice bike on his price.

The Triban looks like a good bike for this purpose https://road.cc/content/tech-news/25...-rc-520-gravel I have trouble believing that they made a bike that only takes 35mm tires, but that should be fine for most uses. Bikepacking might not work that well with it, hard to say, it depends on the surfaces involved

But for brevets 35mm tyres - enough? 40mm will be better?

I use 32mm on most brevets. I also ride a bike with 40mm sometimes. It really depends on the state of the roads on the route. I was pretty happy to be riding 40mm tires in New Jersey, for example, lots of potholes.

The last two editions of the Transcontinental Race were won on a steel bicycle, so I wouldn't discount steel. The (minimal) weight difference will not hold you back. Appearance is a personal thing.

That's interesting, I think steel bikes are rather rare in ultra racing. What bikes were they? The problem the OP would have with a steel bike in his price range is weight. If he were spending somewhat more, I'm sure there are some nice steel options.

I would check the weight limits on the Triban 520, I think they are the lowest of any major brand. It used to be 100kg total load including everything. It really depends on your weight but you can imagine 100kg total load can be restrictive. The bike with accessories could be 12-15kg so you could be down to 85kg and if you are bike-camping you could add another 10kg or more. You shouldn't really ride bikes close to their weight limits anyway if you want the bike to last a long time. Many comparable bikes allow up to 150kg total load. A weak frame can be a comfortable frame as it allows more flexing. It's important you look at full technical data about a bike and what it has been tested and certified to. I'm a huge Giant fan, they make their own frames and some components and are pretty much state of the art with regard quality. Even at lower end pricing they are offering advanced 6011 frames which are a mixture of 6011 for the main tubes and 6061 for chainstays etc. These are well made in the most advanced bicycle factories. Higher above you get fully 6011 frames. I'd rather have a bike that has at is core a more advanced higher quality frame and drop a groupset rather than a low end frame with a better groupset. A typical Giant frame would be rated to either 125 or 136kg rider weight on its own with up to 160kg total load because they are tested and certified to high limits and not the lowest level which is 100kg I believe which is the minimum required testing.

https://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/CBPXTE...empest-rival22

Frame geo would best suit a rider with an average to slightly shorter inseam and/or longer reach.
The latest frame is the v3 version which has the widest tyre clearance of the three. You'd need to check which version is used for this complete build.

The last winner, James Hayden, rode a Fairlight Strael. Watch .