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Fast vs Slow Touring Bikes ?

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Fast vs Slow Touring Bikes ?

Old 08-03-20, 11:43 AM
  #26  
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Light touring? How do you define light touring? I posted a few photos above with road bikes that had bikepacking gear but no racks. You can credit-card tour on just about anything, you can't get lighter than that.

I have three touring bikes, I consider one to be an expedition bike, it will carry a massive load and handle well, but the bike is heavy. The bike I consider to be my medium touring bike is rated to carry something like 30 or 35 kg of weight not counting the weight of the rider.

The bike I consider my light touring bike is the Lynskey Backroad. It is 700c, titanium, the geometry and tire capability is clearly for road, not off-road. But it still can take four panniers. See photos.





But some would consider four panniers to be heavy touring.


Originally Posted by AlanK
... ... the LHT doesn't really 'dominate' the way it used to. For awhile it was very much the quintessential touring bike but it doesn't seem to be anymore and since there are several worthy models: The Kona Sutra, Salsa Marrakesh, REI Co-Op Adv models, and probably many other I can't think of right now.
To add to your comments, when the LHT came out in 2004, it was sold as frame and fork only, you built up the bike with your own parts. At that time Fuji made a touring bike, as did Trek with the 520. And that was pretty much it for touring bikes. A lot of people also toured on the Volpe, but the Volpe was not sold as a touring bike. Touring was an unusual activity at that time, thus not many bikes were made for it.

A few years later, Surly also sold the LHT as a complete bike, I think that was about three years after they first sold it only as a frame and fork.

Over the decade following LHT introduction, bike touring became much more popular, and a number of bike companies started to see a market there so they came out with their own touring models. Surly was lucky to have a model at that time that checked the boxes to meet most bike touring check lists, so they got a head start on the bike touring boom because there was little choice. And since any bike shop that could buy parts from QBP could order a Surly, almost every bike shop was by default a Surly dealer.
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Old 08-03-20, 12:02 PM
  #27  
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Originally Posted by Tourist in MSN
2004 At that time Fuji made a touring bike, as did Trek with the 520. And that was pretty much it for touring bikes. .
Don't forget the aluminum 'dales, been around forever. But point well taken.
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Old 08-03-20, 02:35 PM
  #28  
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Originally Posted by Trakhak
Pakeboi's carbon Diamondback Haanjo EXP pick is probably what I'd go with, too (Pakeboi's link: Here Are The 12 Best Touring Bikes You Can Buy In 2020). But the writer notes that "my other lightweight bike of choice is the flat bar Salsa Journeyman"; aluminum, $800 cheaper. I'd be inclined to take either of those over a steel bike, especially for loaded touring, since I've never cared for the way heavily laden steel frames tend to wallow down the road, especially when pedaling out of the saddle.
Which steel bikes? None of my Surlys wallow. YRMV.
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Old 08-03-20, 02:58 PM
  #29  
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Originally Posted by robow
Don't forget the aluminum 'dales, been around forever. But point well taken.
Thank you for correcting my omission.
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Old 08-03-20, 05:46 PM
  #30  
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Originally Posted by Leebo
Which steel bikes? None of my Surlys wallow. YRMV.
Yeah, I was climbing out of the saddle on my LHT this morning, and it didn't feel at all noodly. Since my most used bike over the years is a Kona JtS, which is quite stiff (but nice with wider tires), it ain't like I'm just *used* to it or anything.
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Old 08-03-20, 09:17 PM
  #31  
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Originally Posted by Tourist in MSN
I have three touring bikes, I consider one to be an expedition bike, it will carry a massive load and handle well, but the bike is heavy. The bike I consider to be my medium touring bike is rated to carry something like 30 or 35 kg of weight not counting the weight of the rider.
We seem to have a different sense of what loaded touring is. To me touring with camping equipment is loaded touring, albeit if you aren't carrying much else it can still be pretty light. For me carrying anything above ~18 kg is loaded touring. To me touring with camping equipment is loaded touring, albeit if you aren't carrying much else it can still be pretty light. I doubt I'll ever exceed ~20 kg. Carrying much more makes cycling onerous rather than enjoyable.

I try to pair it down to the essentials: tent, sleeping bag and pad, a couple days worth of cloths, multi-tool, and a spare tube... that's about it. I don't bring cookware since there are usually plenty of places to eat or get groceries along the way.

Last edited by AlanK; 08-03-20 at 09:31 PM.
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Old 08-04-20, 09:11 AM
  #32  
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Originally Posted by AlanK
...
I try to pair it down to the essentials: tent, sleeping bag and pad, a couple days worth of cloths, multi-tool, and a spare tube... that's about it. I don't bring cookware since there are usually plenty of places to eat or get groceries along the way.
A lot of the decision is based on weather and where you are going and what you can buy if you need it. When I toured Iceland, I started out with about two and a half weeks of food on the bike because in the interior there is not a lot of shopping. I met several other cyclists that had drive train problems or bolts coming loose from vibration. One cyclist had not checked his patch kit before he left home, his glue tube was hard so he could not patch a tube, I gave him two self adhesive patches. Fortunately I never had a mechanical, but during the month I was there I never saw a bike shop anywhere.

But my tour last summer, I knew that there was about a five day stretch without any grocery stores so I bought enough food in advance to get past that. The other four weeks I knew that could I buy groceries every two or three days, so could pack lighter. And I saw two bike shops on that trip along the way.

I can't imagine not carrying cookware, but I suppose if all your trips are to places with plentiful restaurants, that works. Last summer after a few weeks I was getting tired of dehydrated, bought some eggs and never broke a single one.



The tiny little fry pan I brought was perfect for two eggs.



And the ham to go with the eggs.

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Old 08-04-20, 10:45 AM
  #33  
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I think my attitude stems mainly from backpacking roots. Carrying significant weight in a backpack is comparatively more demanding and uncomfortable so my minimalist tendencies transfer to bike touring as well. And yeah, I only carry ready-to-eat food like food bars, dried veggies and meat, trail mix, etc, which means I'm more focused on function rather than taste. The food does get tedious after awhile, but I'm rarely away from restaurants more than a few days so it's doable.
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Old 08-04-20, 11:07 AM
  #34  
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I always carry as little as possible, which on some tours is a heck of a lot.
... or hardly anything at all on others.

I like pumping tyres quite hard, it makes it feel like I’m going faster... even when I’m not

Last edited by imi; 08-04-20 at 11:11 AM.
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