Originally Posted by
babarn00
So I am a newbie eager to get everyone's opinions. I am a hiker trying to turn biker. I have done the two of the US's big three hiking trails for almost 5000 miles, so I know about long adventures, pain, and the value of good gear.
I am trying to now sort through different ideas for a cross country bike trip.
I am debating getting a classic touring bicycle (Kona Sutra, Cannondale Touring 1, etc.) and pack on the panniers as is customary, or take the advice from a bike store employee who suggested I get an average cyclocross bike (Cannondale Cyclocross 5, Giant TCX 1, or Salsa Casserolle) and just tow a Bob Trailer. I see advantages of both and would like to hear what touring cyclists think about the merits of both ideas.
Thanks
I prefer a touring bike, because it is made for the job. You can find that sometimes even proper touring bike are not sturdy enough, and the gearing are not correct.
If you go with cyclocross you will get lighter wheels (for competition) and the gears will be more for competition.
If you put the trailer on a cyclocross wheel, it will break eventually. If you put a strong wheel, this will solve the problem.
Touring bike in general will have heavier and stronger wheels and MTB gears.
People here ride cyclocross for touring, but I guess they already know the pace and their strength in a tour.
I recommend you to spend here some time and read some past threads about touring bikes.
Don't rush into buying a bike, because after you learn about touring bikes, you will defenitly know where you want to travel and what is the bike for it.
You are a hiker, so I guess your tour will be on rough roads. If so, you will need to avoid a 700c wheels and go with a tourer that looks like MTB with 26'' wheels, as an example.
I think you should open new thread with your question, and also specify what tours you want to do, and if you will use the bike for other things.
Cheers,
Kfir