Lasue

Hi guys,

I want to tour. I have 2 bikes and no $$ or space for a third. Both bikes are old school. I want to do a week or more tour. Maybe camping along the way. I am a backpacker and a gram weenie so have lightweight camping gear and tend to want to be a gram weenie on my bike touring.

One is a Specialized Rockhopper that fits great and I've had forever. It has a rear rack and fenders. It needs new tires anyways so I could get slicks but it also needs a new front derailleur, chain, cassette and crank. I think I can get some used Deore reasonably priced though. She has a super heavy Rock Shox fork on her. I have H20proof panniers and a caboose bag that fit the rear rack on this bike. This bike is great for commuting, has low gears and is soft going over bumps but she weighs a ton and is a beast. I can barely lift her with weight in the panniers.

My other bike is an older Giant TCR2 road bike. It has 9sp Shimano 105 (so 18 sp). The crank is I think 52-39. It does not have the mounting holes for a rack. It also needs new tires. The rims are Mavic Open Pro and currently have 700x23. I think I could maybe put 700x28 on these rims...I want to anyways b/c I live in Boston and 700x23 are painful due to the awful roads. The components are in excellent condition. She is super lightweight. Has clipless pedals.

So here is my predicament... either I replace all the components on the mtn bike and maybe the fork and just deal with the fact that she is a beast or I buy a rear rack on an extra long skewer and some smaller panniers (my panniers weigh 6.5lbs empty) for the road bike. I'm not sure about the gearing on her really...nor how she'd handle with weight on the back. I've read a bunch of posts about how to convert a road bike but I've also read some that say you're better off with a mtn bike to tour on... I'm a small but strong 115 lb woman if that makes a difference in your opinions regarding going light or using my beast!

Ready for some opinions...I will be going up hills on my tour btw and like I said, possibly camping some.

fietsbob

Popular option: Bike trailer behind a road Bike , if that is the bike you cannot wait to ride the next Morning ..

BoB, 1 wheel, or Burly, 2 wheel, https://www.biketrailershop.com/..

The MTB Will be slower , but if you tour to see the places that you are going through , no need to hurry..

people used the compact double 50-34, is a crankset cassette rear D change OK?
you can set up a 1:1 low gear with a 34t on cassette and crank.


Hundreds of cycle tourists do the coast, or end up here at the end of a west to east ride,

& even the transcontinental race from west to east were in town here , or passing through.

chasm54

Yes, you could use a trailer with the TCR. I wouldn't recommend it, though, your problem with the TCR is the gearing. For loaded touring, whether the load is being carried or towed, you need much lower gears than you'd use on your road bike.

i'd suggest putting a rigid front fork on the Rockhopper - saves weight and avoids wasting energy - and do the other repairs/upgrades you describe, including the slick tyres. Then you'd have a practical touring bike.

Lasue

Hi guys,

Thanks for the prompt reply. I should have mentioned that I won't tow. I really don't like trailers at all.

So you think the TCR is out? It has an 11/32T in the back. Even if I could find used components and such, it seems like the investment in the Rockhopper would be about the same as buying a lower end used touring bike... (front derailleur, cassette, chain, fork, tires, crank).

chasm54

I don't think it is out, exactly - you can tour on anything. But a lot depends on what sort of touring you're doing. Ultralight, credit-card touring would be fine. But if you're camping, you're going to find a 39/32 low gear pretty tough going on the climbs, and of course ypu have to jury-rig a rack to allow you to run panniers, accomodate your tent etc. Some of the ultralight tourers on here might have a different perspective, I'm sure they'll be along in a while...

prathmann

I wouldn't rule it out. I've used my Cannondale 3.0 crit-geom. bike for a considerable amount of touring incl. the Pacific Coast and your TCR seems at least as suitable. Mine is limited to 25mm tire width without fenders and the gearing is similar to yours: 53/39 rings up front and a 7-speed 13/32 cassette in back. Plenty of rear racks are designed to work with bikes that lack eyelets and as long as you keep the weight of the camping load reasonable you shouldn't have any issues with a rack and panniers on the TCR. [My panniers/rack/camping gear weigh in at about 20 lbs. although I'll sometimes be carrying a little extra weight in food/water supplies in areas with limited places to refill them.]

mstateglfr 

What exactly is wrong with the crank on the rock hopper?
I get a front derailleur breaking and needing a new chain, but a new crankset too?

Perhaps some adjusting and cleaning is just needed? Or a ring swapped out on the crank?



Get a new riding fork and chain. See if the front derailleur can be adjusted instead of replaced.
Fork is $80. Chain is $10. Front derailleur is $15 maybe.
Basically, $100 if you do the work yourself and more if it's from the bike shop.
...unless your crankset really is toast.

Meanwhile, a rack and all for your road bike would cost what? And it will still have less than ideal gearing.


Being weight averse, go with the road bike.
Being comfortable, go with the specialized.

clasher

If you're gonna be doing a lot of gravel riding or trails I would suggest a rigid fork for the rockhopper, or if you'd want to really load up with a lot of touring and camping supplies. A basic chain and cassette shouldn't run you too much money if it's 7 speed, they are pretty cheap these days. The crank shouldn't need to be replaced unless the teeth are pointy. An acera front derailleur would probably work with your crankset. Since you live in Boston and probably have a couple of options for bike co-ops or even used parts on craigslist you could probably snag a good used MTB fork and might even find some other deals on parts.

If you'd be more interested in lighter, faster touring I would consider buying a compact crank(50/35) or even a cyclocross (46/36) crank for your roadbike and get a framebag setup or one of the seatpost racks. I think mavic open pro are pretty solid rims, I'm a big guy and I've been riding them for 5000km without any problems. There's a lot of posts in this forum about people that do lightweight touring, so check out some of the different configurations people run to see if they appeal to what you think you might wanna do. Either bike you have could work for a week-long trip, just depends on what kind of riding you see yourself more likely to do.

Either way I would check out some of the Boston community bike shops so you can save on labour costs and learn anything you might wanna know about your bike if you don't know already.

Tourist in MSN

You said the Rockhopper fits great. For the first trip use that and:

- Crank. If your reason for saying that the crank needs replacement is a worn out chain ring, get a new chainring, probably pnly the middle one is needed.
- Chain and cassette, get new. I buy the cheapest KMC chains, you do not need to spend lots for the fancy names.
- Front derailleur. Some older bike shops that have been around for a few decades have a box of used parts you could dig thru and find one for a fraction of what you would otherwise pay.
- Tires. If your tour would be on pavement, I assume the wheels are 26 inch, get some Vittoria Randonneur or Schwalbe Marathons in 1.5 width. You probably would have to buy on line, these are not common in local stores. A good search may find some good sale prices.
- Front fork. For the first tour, live with what you have.

You mention a caboose bag, I assume that is a rack top bag. You might be better off getting a dry bag that you can strap on top on the back, maybe 20 liter or so.

Go have a great time and keep notes on what you want to upgrade later.

seafoamer

Most people who tour can't or wouldn't want to lift their touring bicycle with weight in the panniers. Sounds normal.
If I were you, I'd make the very minimal amount of changes to the Rockhopper and just get out there and tour. You'll get first hand feedback which will translate to more meaningful decisions for yourself about future gear this way.

CliffordK

I like road bikes, but it depends on whether you're doing road or gravel touring.

I see front eyelets, but on rear eyelets on the Giant??? Strange????

Anyway, attach a rack with P-Clips to the rear lower seat stays, and either p-clips, or a brake bridge mount on the upper stays. You should be fine for moderate loads.

Or, as others have mentioned, anything can be repaired. Start tracking down good usable parts for the Rockhopper. Perhaps used co-op parts?

Arvadaman

Here is my opinion. Iam an old, fat guy so bear that in mind.
I would go with the Rockhopper. I would remove the knobbies and add a touringtire. REI sells Vittoria RandonneurCross tires for $35.00 each. Otherwise,use the touring tire of your choice.
I would remove the RockShok and move the crown race to a rigidfork such as a Surly 1x1 fork. Depending on the brakesand travel of the suspension shock, this will drop between 1.3 to 1.9 pounds ofweight from the bicycle. I would leavethe steering tube uncut on the new fork and get additional spacers to raise the level of thehandlebar. I would replace the flathandlebar with a trekking handlebar. That allows the shifters and brake levers tobe transferred directly without any changes.
I would then replace the worn parts of the drivetrain. If you plan to ride lots of hilly terrain orpasses, I would go with really low gears and the Specialized is alreadyoutfitted for that. This gives you theopportunity to adjust the gearing to exactly what you want. Depending on the wear, replace the individualchain rings or the entire crankset. Ispend a lot of time with my granny so I would go with very low gears.

My two cents.

bradtx

Lasue, I suggest using the mountain bike. You need to replace bits on it anyways, right?

I used my mountain bike for touring before I built my touring bike. The suspension fork wasn't an issue at all. I do have the dampening set pretty firm to prevent bottoming out when diving off of a 3' table top so pogo'g wasn't a problem. I also used my Continental Double Fighter tires (Which reminds me I need some new ones.). While it looks out of place while riding single track, I even left the rack installed. FWIW, the mountain bike is my heaviest bicycle. Fortunately I rarely have to lift it and pedaling is just fine. Without using the rack from one of my touring bikes, I can't really load the light duty Blackburn too much, but 20 lb. hasn't broken it. More capacity could be attained with a frame bag and/or a handle bar bag.

Brad

max5480

Get a new fork (check out Thorn Touring bike forks or Surly forks if you want cheap) for the Rockhopper. It will be a much better fit. Then put a Surly Open bar on the front, and some Compass tires. Then you have an unbeatable touring bike! Touring is all about dirt roads - less cars and more adventures.

Lasue

Alright guys, you've given me food for thought. I really wanted the TCR2 to work b/c I like light things but you're all correct...comfy is more important. I'll dig around for some new components but won't bother with a new bar or fork (unless I get them super cheapo somewhere). I already have a rear rack and the panniers and all. The rig will weigh more than me but what are you going to do about it? If I get into touring more, I'll invest in a proper touring bike.

BTW, I had intended to tour on the roads of the East Coast. I live in Boston and the leaves will be changing soon so lots of opportunities to head up to NH or VT on little country roads... I appreciate your feedback! Have a great one.

ironwood

There are a lot of used bikes in Boston; Bikes not Bombs in JP has a lot for sale, and there's Craig's List. If you go to the Classic and Vintage Forum there is a thread for CL and EBay bikes. Yard sales are great places to find bikes. Sometimes they are free in town dumps.

I'd look for a touring or sport touring bike from the eighties.

Lasue

Hi guys,

Wanted to update you. My friend gave me a triple ultegra crank and shifter for the TCR for free (awesome friend) and in my size (165)! I'll be changing the front derailleur and got one for $30. Now I've got extra gearing for touring! Also, my entire baseweight FOR CAMPING revolves around 10-12 lbs FYI (then put food + water on top). That means that the TCR should be able to carry that weight. I won't be on gravel so the 700x25 will work.

The crank on the mtn bike does not have replaceable rings. I'd have to change the entire crank and yes, the crank needs replacement. I've been looking for a 165 or 170 square tapered 7sp crank online but haven't had luck yet finding one. Means either I buy a lower end new one (I've only seen really low end cranks for sale new that are 7sp) or a used vintage deore (ideal). Those don't come around a lot. I've been looking on ebay, pros closet, etc, but haven't had any luck yet so will continue looking but in the meantime want to get to touring...

So if I just get a nice bikepacking saddle bag that clears (my bikes are so small that this is always a problem), I should be able to pack everything I need and use the TCR asap before winter sets in.

I know this is against your recommendations but since I was given an amazing triple crank & shifter, the cost is going to be much cheaper and faster than getting a new fork + crank for the mtn bike. Also, I don't want to buy another bike. I have these two and a folding bike and all fit well. That is more than enough bikes and finding bikes in my size used is just as difficult as finding 165 cranks.

Tourist in MSN

I bought a Vuelta compact double crank for one of my bikes, been quite happy with it. I assume their triple would be good too.

Amazon.com : Vuelta MTB Comp Crankset : Bike Cranksets And Accessories : Sports & Outdoors