Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Madison, WI
Posts: 11,240
Bikes: 1961 Ideor, 1966 Perfekt 3 Speed AB Hub, 1994 Bridgestone MB-6, 2006 Airnimal Joey, 2009 Thorn Sherpa, 2013 Thorn Nomad MkII, 2015 VO Pass Hunter, 2017 Lynskey Backroad, 2017 Raleigh Gran Prix, 1980s Bianchi Mixte on a trainer. Others are now gone.
Mentioned: 48 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3472 Post(s)
You really should look at top tube length coupled with stem length. You can change a stem, but if the top tube is too long you will have more reach than you really want. And some bars have more reach than others.
Most people set up a touring bike so that the top of the handlebar is about the same height as the top of the saddle, I suspect your carbon race bike has the bars quite a bit lower so the reach you want on a touring bike might not be the same as the reach on your race bike.
I find that I like a saddle a bit narrower the further forward I lean on a bike. My point is that you might want a different saddle shape on a touring bike than you have on your race bike.