C. Law

Thanks for the link!

C. Law

I really want to try out a LHT. They've been recommended almost nonstop, but no one in town carries the Long Haul or the Disc. I could just buy one, but it feels dangerous without riding one first!

riverdrifter

C. Law

Thanks to everyone posting about the low gears. I am keeping that in mind as one of the most important factors.

DropBarFan

Kona Sutra & Salsa Marrakesh look pretty good IMO esp in re components. Marrakesh looks to have a fairly short stem; easy to swap in a longer and possibly riser stem. One nice thing about buying a frameset & building up is that sometimes they give extra length on the steerer tube (as with Trucker) so one can ride it for a while & then have the tube cut as desired. Marrakesh available in frame only but I don't see steerer tube length listed. Many bike tourists like a highish handlebar position. Relying on a riser stem to get that is sometimes problematic, available ones are mediocre quality & limited angles. With my Disc Trucker I ended up leaving more steerer tube than I had expected but handlebar has fairly deep drop so I'm fairly aero when I want. My Diamondback Haanjo EXP Carbon required a riser stem; height is good but should be 1" more forward.

Sutra & Marrakesh are limited to 40mm wide tires w/fenders. Many folks would find those wide enough for 100's of miles on dirt/gravel but not me. I agree it's a risk to buy a bike sight unseen but perhaps if you found the Salsa a bit too short in reach, the Trucker might fit well (it's known for the long top tube). If you have a current bike that's comfortable you can measure things to get a fairly good idea as to what would fit. Building up a frameset isn't hard, LBS can install the headset & bottom bracket. It can be fun to choose components as desired.

cobalt123

b_young

+1 for the Kona Sutra. Not the LTD model just regular Sutra.

Trevtassie

OK, what you would be looking for is a mid to high end steel MTB from the early 90s. Specialized, something like that. You are looking for Deore LX or DX level gear if you can find it. It'll probably be 8 speed, but that's OK. Ideally threadless 1 1/8" steerer, though you might need to go mid range in a later model to get that with rigid forks. You'd change the bars to something like a butterfly, VO crazy bars or Jones Loop. Front racks you'd need to look at clamp on mid mounts for the forks. Basically you are aiming at a cheap Surly Troll.. My first touring bike was my 1991 Kojima Climax, I then "upgraded" to a $70 Shogun which I rode Vancouver Island along every logging road I could find, then down to San Francisco.
Don't get sucked into the disc brake hype, I currently ride discs, but mostly because I got a set of cheap wheels. Before I got them I rode V brakes and they were just as effective, with the added bonus of not fading when going down big hills slowly. Main thing is to spend the money on decent pads, with replaceable rubbers. Discs work OK when you have good airflow over the discs, but go slowly down a steep hill while heavily loaded and they'll cook.

dinoo

Hi guys! I have found "authier ferraroli" MTB i think from early 90's steel frame, deore xt... Have pictures but can't post it (new user). What do you suggesting/changes to transform it into descent safe touring bike?

djb

while its great to suggest using an older mtb, one has to be realistic about someone who has little bike knowledge or mechanical knowledge, getting into the used bike thing.
Its hit and miss already, and sure it can work fine, but it also can be a can of worms depending on the bike, the condition etc.

its not a black and white easy answer it all Im saying,and sometimes just getting a new or newish proper touring bike is going to be the best route for lots of people.

Trevtassie

Or you could buy one of these https://surlybikes.com/bikes/troll Already has everything you need except the racks. Pretty well what I ride now except I've got a Rohloff and ATS speed drive because why not carry 2kg of extra weight. Anyway, apart from the racks all you need to change would be the cranks, to a set with 22-30-40, that will get you some nice low gearing.
Looking at pictures of that Authier it looks like a very nice bike if it's in good condition. Do you have access to a good bike mechanic to look at it? If good it would need servicing, repack the hub bearings, change the bottom bracket to a Shimano UN55 sealed unit, or if you put some octalink 22-30-40 cranks on it, an octaliak BB. In terms of touring the main thing you need to do is change the handlebars to somethiing touring orientated, probably the VO crazy bar, as you could re use the stem and they are nice and wide for gravel work.

gugie 

This may sound odd, but start by chosing your tires. You'll have more issues with tires on a long tour than any other component of your bike. For example, I know of a few people who are going with the Rene Herse (Compass) 26 x 2.2" Rat Trap tires for touring, and buit their bikes around them. I would definitely NOT use those on the trip you're planning, as they have very thin sidewalls and not much tread. I'd sacrifice the ride and fast rolling of those tires for something much beefier, since you'll be on a lot of rough gravel. A 26" tire is often stated as the most easily found emergency repair size. I'd get something wide - 2" minimum, which will give you comfortable ride and good traction on gravel. And make sure you have room for fenders with lots of clearance.

Trevtassie

Nah, ditch the Authier, see if you can find one with V brakes. The canti brakes on the front make swapping the handlebars more problematic, since I realised the stem doesn't have a split face to install bars with protrusions, and the canti's mean youd have to fiddle around finding a cable stop to fit the stem you replace it with. Reasonably easy, Problem Solvers do them, but anyway V brakes are much easier to maintain in the fieldanyway. You could still run butterflies and keep the stem, but you'd need to find a wide version of them for gravel work.
What Gugie says about tires is true. For a trip like you mention Marathon Mondial are about as strong as you can get. I like the Extra Terrestrial style 2.5 balloon tires for touring now, they just roll over everything, pavement, gravel, sand. The ETs themselves are a bit flaky quality control wise, I had one chew out in less than 1000 miles due to a molding error. Surly gave me a new one and some swag for my troubles however. Great tires if you could rely on them.Next tires I might try are the Schwalbe Moto-X.

seeker333

Salsas Journeyman frame is aluminum.

Salsa Vaya frame is steel, and has been for 9 years now. Up until last year the base model had a steel fork, now carbon fork is the only offering.

DropBarFan

I agree, in fact for several years we've seen a trend of touring bicycles allowing wider tires. However I feel some are still limited too much esp with fenders. A bike that allows wide tires can always be fitted with narrower tires if desired. Wider tires can be safer too by eliminating some front-end bounce on bumpy descents.

gugie 

Another thing that makes wider tires safer is that you don't need too be as cautious riding on the gravelly shoulder of country roads - a plus when a car goes whizzing by. You have the confidence to move away from it into the gravel if you need to.

djb

From someone who has ridden and toured on 28's to 50's, this is actually an appreciated factor, but your tire width choice does depend on various factors, load weight, road surfaces. I have found 37mm to be that reasonable tradeoff of still good speed, but handles rough and sketchy surfaces much much better than 28 or 32---but on good roads, a lighter tire and lighter load and bike is fine too.

And then of course, different tire models differ greatly, but a lighter wider tire will always be nicer on any rough stuff.