Is five gears enough for touring?
#51
Senior Member
Thread Starter
I have another update!
I decided not to buy the Dawes Fox as at the end of the day it's just a pub bike and not suitable for what I need it for. I took some of the comments on board - thanks!
The guy that bought the Ellis Briggs has done me a good turn. He has offered me a Dawes 301 Discovery and a Claude Butler 531 Criterium £200 for the both of them. The only snag is the Discovery is only 19" and I am 5" 11 and the Criterium as a bit of surface rust on the frame. The top tube on the Discovery is 21". When I stand over the frame of the Discovery there is about 3cm clearance. I'm currently trialling the Discovery for a few days and if I like it it will be perfect for touring.
I decided not to buy the Dawes Fox as at the end of the day it's just a pub bike and not suitable for what I need it for. I took some of the comments on board - thanks!
The guy that bought the Ellis Briggs has done me a good turn. He has offered me a Dawes 301 Discovery and a Claude Butler 531 Criterium £200 for the both of them. The only snag is the Discovery is only 19" and I am 5" 11 and the Criterium as a bit of surface rust on the frame. The top tube on the Discovery is 21". When I stand over the frame of the Discovery there is about 3cm clearance. I'm currently trialling the Discovery for a few days and if I like it it will be perfect for touring.
Last edited by Wozza2014; 01-31-19 at 08:28 AM.
#52
Banned
Hope you did not get yourself too small a size.. but its a start..
Next is the expensive part , racks bags and everything that goes in them , dont cheap on survival ..
you can always buy another bike & add that gear, racks and all on the next one ..
If you don't like how it works for the purpose you bought it for.. then go shopping for a better, over a kilo Quid, bike ..
....
Next is the expensive part , racks bags and everything that goes in them , dont cheap on survival ..
you can always buy another bike & add that gear, racks and all on the next one ..
If you don't like how it works for the purpose you bought it for.. then go shopping for a better, over a kilo Quid, bike ..
....
Last edited by fietsbob; 01-31-19 at 11:20 AM.
#53
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Elevation 666m Edmonton Canada
Posts: 2,483
Bikes: 2013 Custom SA5w / Rohloff Tourster
Mentioned: 7 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1237 Post(s)
Liked 322 Times
in
249 Posts
This bike is PATHETIC. There is ZERO chance you can tour on this mini mouse. It would barely fit a 5'2" girl.
Last edited by GamblerGORD53; 01-31-19 at 11:23 AM.
#55
Senior Member
Where in the U.K. are you? Link to your local CL? Maybe someone here will be nice enough to look around for you.
Last edited by 3speed; 01-31-19 at 08:17 PM.
#56
Senior Member
Thread Starter
No, he didn't do you a good turn. That Ellis was a more valuable bike. You should also probably punch him in the mouth for being a jerk and screwing you on that bike. Now he's taking you for a fool and trying to pass off two bikes he doesn't want and get 200 out of you. You'll pay for his Ellis and he'll have 50 to spare. This guy is screwing you. Keep your money, walk away, and keep looking elsewhere. You need to find someone near you who you can actually trust who knows about bikes. That or you need to slow down for a minute and do a lot of reading before jumping into another purchase. The Classic and Vintage forum here would be a good place to start. Just to put things into perspective some for you, I sold an Ellis-Briggs 531 frame, Just the frame, for $250. It was a little nicer than the bike you were looking at, but you get the point. I'd have trouble selling that Dawes hybrid for $100. That guy screwed you. Anyone who would go buy a bike out from under you is Not someone you should be trusting. Think about it.
Where in the U.K. are you? Link to your local CL? Maybe someone here will be nice enough to look around for you.
Where in the U.K. are you? Link to your local CL? Maybe someone here will be nice enough to look around for you.
I want to tell you what a top bloke he is. He went all the way to Wales to pick up the Dawes Discovery and he planned to ride from Wales to the NW of England to show me this bike as I said I wanted a tourer. In the end the weather prevented him from riding all way and he got public transport some of it, but if you've seen the weather in the UK recently that is some journey he made just to show me the bike and after riding it for a few days I know it's going to be perfect for me with a few upgrades. He also knows I want a racing bike so he as offered to sell me his Claude Butler with a 531 frame for £100 which I think is a very good bargain as it is fully ridable as it is. So I have killed two birds with one stone for £200. Considering the Dawes Fox at the beginning of this thread was £140 I think I have done more than OK with this deal.
I hope your joking dude. It's a 19" hybrid, which is suitable for up to 5" 11. It rides well and that's all that matters at the end of the day and if I feel that it won't be cut out for the tour my dad said he wants it so I can't lose.
Last edited by Wozza2014; 02-02-19 at 04:48 AM.
#57
20+mph Commuter
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Greenville. SC USA
Posts: 7,517
Bikes: Surly LHT, Surly Lowside, a folding bike, and a beater.
Mentioned: 31 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1434 Post(s)
Liked 331 Times
in
219 Posts
All you need is a bike that is in decent repair. It's not rocket science. YOU are generally the weak link on a bike tour and the stupid weather plays a large part in the enjoyment of it.
#58
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: Left Coast, Canada
Posts: 5,126
Mentioned: 24 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2236 Post(s)
Liked 1,314 Times
in
707 Posts
You have to take some replies with a grain of salt on forums as there is no consequence for saying crazy stuff. After a while you learn to ignore it.
#59
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Elevation 666m Edmonton Canada
Posts: 2,483
Bikes: 2013 Custom SA5w / Rohloff Tourster
Mentioned: 7 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1237 Post(s)
Liked 322 Times
in
249 Posts
For the MATH challenged.... 19" = 48.26 cm. 23" = 58.42 cm. The black bike is likely 54 or 55 cm, likely could fit ok.
WhoTH is going to ride a 48cm bike?? I am 5'8" and have had FOUR bikes 23" or bigger. The seat has no adjustment, but that's OK with me.
The proper bike in this thread for the OP fits is the first one.
My first trip to Vietnam, I just wanted to putter around the city unloaded, so I just bought whatever in a SS for $75. So they were weenie girl loop bikes. I jacked up the seat and HB, put on a basket and rode. I forgot all about the minimum insert. I was wondering why they came loose several times. Only when I saw the photos, did I see how dangerous it was. But I never went up or down any hills either. Looking at the OP 3rd bike, I can see the same mistake happening.
WhoTH is going to ride a 48cm bike?? I am 5'8" and have had FOUR bikes 23" or bigger. The seat has no adjustment, but that's OK with me.
The proper bike in this thread for the OP fits is the first one.
My first trip to Vietnam, I just wanted to putter around the city unloaded, so I just bought whatever in a SS for $75. So they were weenie girl loop bikes. I jacked up the seat and HB, put on a basket and rode. I forgot all about the minimum insert. I was wondering why they came loose several times. Only when I saw the photos, did I see how dangerous it was. But I never went up or down any hills either. Looking at the OP 3rd bike, I can see the same mistake happening.
Last edited by GamblerGORD53; 02-03-19 at 05:52 PM.
#60
Banned.
Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: France
Posts: 1,030
Bikes: Brompton, Time, Bianchi, Jan Janssen, Peugeot
Mentioned: 6 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 598 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 5 Times
in
5 Posts
You cycled in V!etnam? Great country, but HCM takes some guts. Mind you, so would the road between Da Nang and Hué, if for other reasons.
By the way, my touring bike there was a Brompton - 6 gears only, so, to the OP, yes 5 gears can be fine, depending on the terrain.*
To those non-UK habitants, do bear in mind that Dawes has a good name in the UK and is reasonably common. As to cycling in France, there's a good mixture of mountains, river valleys, bike paths and, of course, quiet roads with usually good support for cyclists not too far away. 5 gears should be fine for a lot of the country, depending on where you want to go.*
By the way, my touring bike there was a Brompton - 6 gears only, so, to the OP, yes 5 gears can be fine, depending on the terrain.*
To those non-UK habitants, do bear in mind that Dawes has a good name in the UK and is reasonably common. As to cycling in France, there's a good mixture of mountains, river valleys, bike paths and, of course, quiet roads with usually good support for cyclists not too far away. 5 gears should be fine for a lot of the country, depending on where you want to go.*
Last edited by avole; 02-03-19 at 02:52 AM.