Wow, thanks for the replies everybody! Some answers to questions:
Originally Posted by
saddlesores
can you provide some more info.....how much weight do you carry, and what gearing does your current bike have? how about your age and physical condition?
My current bike is a 2016 Cannondale Quick Speed 2 with no modifications from the factory setup. I would provide a link, but the forum won't let me until I have 10 posts... but go to the REI website with this path: product/892503/cannondale-quick-speed-2-disc-bike-2016. Silly workaround. I'm not knowledgeable enough to know what the right answer to the gearing question is, but hopefully the bike model name is enough to find out.
The bike with lights, saddlebag, pannier rack, etc, is around 25lb. On the trip where I had the knee issues, I was carrying a single pannier weighing about 10lbs (including the bag itself) mounted on the right side of the rear wheel, and 4-5lbs of water at any given time.
I'm 25 and in good but not amazing shape - I run two miles a day, and bike 20-40 (hilly, SF bay area) miles per week plus biking for commuting to work.
Originally Posted by
saddlesores
also.....what do you consider "touring bikes?" i'm guessing you're looking at the lastest marketing gimmick of "gravel bikes" with higher gearing (and less overall range) than traditional "touring bikes."
Any bike that's suitable for touring I guess
I've seen the Cannondale Topstone and the Trek 520 thrown around as good examples of this category. Maybe the term itself is a bit misleading since what I'm really asking is "what suits my particular use case, which is similar but not identical to the standard touring use case." Though folks on this thread seem to disagree that my needs are different at all, so who knows
Originally Posted by
bikemig
The OP's post has one mistaken asssumption and one questionable assumption.
The mistaken one is that touring bikes are somehow built for "long" but not "steep" rides. Touring bikes have low gears, otherwise they are not touring bikes.
Part of my concern is that I was with a friend on this ride who's in similar biking shape, and he was having a much easier time of it than I was. On day two, we swapped bikes for a while, and it made a big difference. Part of it was probably aerodynamics because he had a handlebar-mounted bag rather than a side bag and a bike with dropped handlebars, but I could also tell that the whole setup was noticeably lighter and required less effort to move even when there was no wind.
Originally Posted by
bikemig
The questionable one is that the OP's knees were bugging him on a 25 lb bike and that the problem will go away with a lighter one. Well maybe not. Climbing 7,000 to 9,000 ft on a regular basis is tough. I'd get the knee checked out and I'd think about how to train for that kind of riding.
That's definitely fair. I was originally thinking, "OK, this is hard, that's what you signed up for," but my friend (in similar biking shape) was doing a lot better, so it made me wonder what was different for me, and when we swapped bikes, I realized how much of it had to do with my setup. I also grant that it's possible that it wasn't the weight in particular, but something else (aerodynamics, internal friction, etc).
Originally Posted by
bikemig
That said, if you want a lighter bike, maybe you don't want a typical touring bike made of steel. There are lighter bikes out there and by going ultralight with frame bags, you can take most any bike you want "touring."
If you're down to dropping weight from the bike, I'm assuming your gear is at a minimum. You might consider short touring on an endurance road bike like the Specialized Roubaix or Giant Defy Advanced 2 (both with 1:1 low ratio from the factory), using bikepacking gear.
Yeah that was one of the things I was looking into. I also looked at the Cannondale Synapse Carbon. Are those going to be significantly less comfortable on roads with meh pavement (not giant potholes, but just kinda rough) than the more traditional "touring bikes"?
Originally Posted by
staehpj1
Oh, and with knee issues, be really sure you have your cleats set up just right for both angle and position (toe in, toe out, forward, back, left, right). Also consider whether you may possibly need wedges under your cleats. Personally I find that careful tweaking over time can often be better than most of the pro fittings I have seen friends pay for, but a good pro fitting is probably best if you actually get someone who knows what they are doing and takes the necessary time with you. Personally I doubt that many folks actually get a decent fitting especially in one session. I tend to think it is more likely to evolve over a little more time and a few sessions.
Ditto for position on the bike.
I think most fitters give folks what they ask for in posture, reinforcing poor posture and bad habits. Still, if you can get a really good fitting from a good pro fitter that may be the way to go. I just see a lot of folks pay for lousy sittings so choose wisely.
No cleats, just normal pedals. I think that in this case, the issue was something more fundamental, as even after a quick seat adjustment on my friend's bike (he's 3 inches taller than me, and it was a very quick adjustment, so I'm sure it was way sub-optimal), it felt much better on his bike than on mine. But agreed, definitely worth a fitting regardless.