woolywammoth

Greetings!

I have just completed a 1200 mile tour and looking to upgrade my tired but trusty hybrid adaption into something more suited.

I am doing LEJOG this summer and next year I plan to ride around Iceland which I have heard needs to be more robust.. Ideally the bike will be able to do both - I have found a Trek X01 Cyclocross bike (2006) that seems to tick all the boxes... Are there any obvious problems people can see with taking a cyclocross bike on both tours? I typically take front and back panniers and will be camping along both trips.

Cheers for your advice.

Sam

sunset1123

I have a Giant TCX cyclocross bike set up for touring... it isn't ideal, but it does work. The biggest issue is the gearing, which may or may not be low enough for you. I can (just barely) work within the limits of a 34/44 compact crankset and an 11-28 cassette. If I was rich, I would either switch to a triple in front or get a new rear derailleur and a 14-34 cassette. The other caveat is that since the frame wasn't built with heavy loading in mind, I use a low rider front rack with mid-sized panniers and tow a trailer. Plenty of room for gear, and I don't have to worry about the frame, the rear wheel, or anything else being stressed outside of it's design limitations.

The best change I made to my cx/tourer is the addition of some flared drops, put right up about saddle height. I am contemplating a 12-30 cassette, but don't know if I want to drop that much coin for another 3 gear inches.

If I were you, I'd look at a dedicated touring bike... it will turn out to be less expensive in the long run, and probably more comfortable.

woolywammoth

Thanks for the reply.

I guess I am just tempted by it's strength, but I hadn't realised the typical xc gearing is so high.

Classic tourer it is then, will see how it does on LEJOG.

Cheers again!

joel2old

I have a soma double cross that I use for everything. I put a 12-34 on and changed the rear d. I pull a trailer and use a rear rack. Use it for road, off road, commute, and tour. Just change the rubber and go!

Doug64

Bianchi Volpe, several modifications--mostly drivetrain. It has been across the US and on several shorter tours.

cachehiker

Bianchi Volpe
Surly Cross Check
Soma Double Cross

I have a 49cm Soma Double Cross, probably the lightest frame of the three. Before the end of the summer it will once again be set up for light touring. I'm not a huge fan of the frame flex I feel when carrying heavy loads but my aggressive riding style on the road probably doesn't help. I don't think it would be overloaded with 45 lbs. on the rear and 20 lbs. on the front but that isn't exactly what it was designed for.

IIRC, the Surly has a shorter, quicker wheelbase and a slightly stronger frame. The Bianchi has a longer, more stable wheelbase and a slightly stronger frame. It's kinda splitting hairs though. I think they're all pretty similar.

freediver

Sunset1123,
Do you have any photos of your rig that you can post?

I have a TCX that I'm thinking about doing some overnight camping trips on (don't have time for a full-blown tour right now) and I was also wondering about the gearing issue. I had been thinking about adding a triple onto the front or change out the rear dérailleur. I'm running a 34/50 on the front right now, but maybe if I drop mine down to a 44, like you did, it might make difference. I think that the front brifter will accommodate a triple front dérailleur, but am not sure. If it will, then it might work out better to just upgrade the front instead of making do with a new rear dérailleur and wider cluster.
I have a rack and some small panniers that fit without any heel strike, but haven't found a handlebar bag that I like just yet. I hadn't thought of using a front rack and wonder what your's looks like.

Thanks,

Jon

sunset1123

These aren't the best pics, but best I could come up with quickly. I'm not prepped for a tour right now, so all the gear is put away, but most of it fits inside the trailer anyways, so you get the idea.

This bike rides really quite well with the panniers on the front. These are fairly large - I mostly put clothes and other things that take up space, but aren't particularly heavy in them.

Regarding the 34/44 combo: it's nice in that the shifting pattern is more compact.

dannwilliams

Here is a picture of a Specialized Tri Cross I came across a while back that is set up for touring.

freediver

Sunset1123,

Have you had any issues with your wheels? I was wondering how they would hold up since the spoke count is so light, but others on here have assured me that they are tougher than they look. Have you had any issues.

Thanks again,

Jon

sunset1123

No issues so far... those aren't exactly lightweight rims. When I'm not touring I throw on some 32mm cross tires and hit some of the local singletrack. I would have expected to at least have to do some minor truing after that kind of abuse, but they seem plenty solid. It helps that I use a trailer, so I don't have any of the issues associated with carrying all the weight over the rear wheel.

My first touring bike was a converted mtb with a rear rack. Rode all over the Colorado high country on that bike with 50 lbs of gear on and off road... repaired countless pinch flats and destroyed lots of wheels. Now I keep the heavy stuff off the bike.

dmeans2anend

Hi Sam,

I don't know the LeJog or Iceland's terrain but maybe my experience from converting a "used" 2017 Motobecane Fantom Cross Team Titanium bike (cyclocross) to a touring bike with adequate gearing for 'climbing' can be something you can do similarly?

I did it to ride the Pacific Coast Route in 2018 from Astoria, OR to San Francisco, CA. I had no issues with the gearing after some modifications made to the bike. The ride was about 900 miles with 30,000 feet of elevation gain to give you some idea of the terrain. My bike performed beautifully on the road. And since it was titanium, the frame was nice and stiff with NO wobble or vibration.

Originally, the bike came with 11 speed Shimano Ultegra 'ROAD' bike components. I believe it was double 46x36 T in front and 11-32T cassettes in back. Definitely not low enough gearing for hill climbing with load. You can check gearing ratio by going to Sheldon Brown's gearing calculator (see link) Ultimately, I kept the double crankset (46x36T), added a Wolf Tooth Tanpan, changed to 11-42T cassette, and change the RD to a long cage mountain RD as suggested. The gear ratio worked great for all the hill climbs and it felt the bike was fast even with load. I had no problems transitioning between gears even with the Wolf Tooth Tanpan.

I was able to buy everything 'used' and got some unbelievable deals even on a titanium bike. Motobecane is made in Taiwan and I have to say that the frame performed beautifully for me but I'm fairly light and petite vs a larger male rider. If your budget is constrained, I would suggesting look at all sources (CL, Offerup, EBay, FB marketplace, Pinkbike, CGOAB, BF, etc) because I've seen some great deals on Motobecane Ti bikes in the past. It doesn't have the name brand recognition as Moots or Lynskey but for the money, it performed incredibly for me. Checkout BikeDirect.com for some ideas on MB bikes.

Whatever you use, make sure you have the necessary 'gearing ratio' for the terrain that you'll be riding with 'load'. You will want enough low gears to get you up that hill with all the heavy load you are carrying and enough high gear to allow you to go as fast as your legs can peddle should you desire to move fast. I personally enjoy traveling light and fast which was why a 'cyclocross' worked so well for me as I knew I would never carry the 'kitchen sink' with me.

Hope it helps. Have a great time on both your trips.


References:
https://www.sheldonbrown.com/gear-calc.html
https://www.wolftoothcomponents.com/products/tanpan

saddlesores

poor sam.
only posted twice.......11 years ago.

suspect sammy never made that trip.
or if he/she/skler did, prolly ended up as dinner,
feasted upon by icelandic zombies.

dmeans2anend

Oh gosh. LOL! Jokes on me. Thanks for letting me know. I never thought to look at the date of the post. I mostly scroll through titles for interesting subjects.

Sam's title "Cyclocross Tourer" especially captured my attention because I was in the same exact dilemma 2 years ago and needed help. I felt the need to Pay It Forward with info.

As is evident, I don't use BF much. I signed on 2 years ago to seek some advice on my bike conversion and received much needed info. I just recently just signed back on.

I'll be sure to verify date next time.

I like to think that Dear Sam made it to both of the tours on his trusty hybrid adaptation. He did so well with his feats that he impressed a beautiful Icelandic gal that is now keeping him too busy to log onto BF.

Tourist in MSN

Lots of bikes will do the job. LEJOG is mostly or all pavement depending on routing. I have not done it so I can't comment on distances between grocery stores, but I am assuming you would be able to find food easily, thus weight capacity should not be too much of a problem. (I am looking at LEJOG in 2022, so I am researching it myself.)

You said around Iceland. You need to clarify, do you mean take highway one all the way around, thus are you on pavement the whole time? Or would some of that include the all wheel drive roads in the interior? Also, some parts of Iceland are far between grocery stores, so you may need more weight capacity for food on the bike in Iceland. Depending on what you mean by "around" Iceland, you might need a more robust bike.

Yeah, you want the tourer. Iceland, there are not many places to buy bike parts, have to have a solidly built bike and an adequate collection of spares for that kind of trip. But, there is good bus service there, so if you had a major mechanical you can probably ride a bus for a while.

***

I wrote all of the above before I realized this is a decade old thread.

balto charlie

DO keep us in the loop as you plan that trip. I have toyed with the idea as well. I don't do CGOAB anymore, is this where you gather info?
I am sure we have all answered zombie posts

Tourist in MSN

So far my planning is a few hours here and a few hours there on a computer. So far I have found lots of different GPS tracks, put several on one map. It looks like there is a general corridor to follow but no official single route.

I often look at Crazy Guy just to get a feel of the place by looking at trip logs from others, but otherwise usually just do my own research.

I am retired, thus am not limited by employment limits on vacation length. Pre-retirement the longest I took for a vacation was nine days. But now I find that about a five week long trip is about right, have gotten used to a place by then, but not yet homesick. And looks like I could do LEJOG easily in that length of time, plus some sightseeing here and there.

I usually stay at a hostel for a couple days at the start and again at the finish of my trip, somewhere with bus service from a hostel to the airport. Gives me time to not feel rushed in assembling and later packing my bike, grocery shopping, picking up maps, finding stove cartridges, a bit of sight seeing, etc.

I usually travel in June and early July, starting the first week of June. I like to get in and out of a place before the tourist season gets rolling, less traffic on roads and always room in campgrounds when I start early. Plus, I would rather have cool weather than hot weather. But often starting early means it is wetter. But in this case, might get lucky and find it is the dry season.
https://weatherspark.com/y/147786/Av...dom-Year-Round
https://weatherspark.com/y/36422/Ave...dom-Year-Round
https://weatherspark.com/y/38145/Ave...dom-Year-Round

Am undecided if I should buy a book, this is one of many:
https://www.amazon.com/Lands-OGroats.../dp/1502385503

This forum is quite useful, I have not registered or posted there but gleaning data out of it from others:
https://forum.cyclinguk.org/viewforu...97dbddb769f09a

So far it looks like camping could be a bit tricky, I think I would have to buy a membership in a club.

Found two useful sites for camping:
https://www.ukcampsite.co.uk/
https://archiescampings.eu/

From what I am seeing on-line, most people and most guides are oriented around sleeping indoors. But I usually camp with a few hostel stays thrown in. I have no clue if hostels are still going to be a thing in 2022, I suspect covid is stressing their finances. But there are lots of hostels on the map:
https://www.hihostels.com/destinations/124423/hostels

That is where I am so far.

balto charlie

Lots of good info, thanks so much. You are very organized!! Well done

I went to the UK cycling forum and the first post was a cyclist trip planning for the LEJOG. He plans to do it in 7 days,YIKES! back to back to back centuries+(most double metric centuries!). There is a reply from another that has LEJOG broken down into 11 days, still spicy but much more doable.

SapInMyBlood

My friend used one to cross South America down to Tierra del Fuego. IIRC he was running 38's on it too

Tourist in MSN

On that forum, most people appear to be sleeping indoors. Same with several of the guidebooks that I considered buying (did not buy any, ... yet). And lets face it, sleeping indoors gives you a lighter bike that goes up hill with less effort, when you do not have to set up a campsite or tear it down the next morning, those are hours that the indoor sleepers could be on the road.

I would plan on doing it on a leisurely pace. I like to be able to say, wind looks bad tomorrow, I think I will stay here another day.

balto charlie

Hostel sleeping is often easier and sometimes cheaper than camping in many countries. I don't know about England.
I like your attitude when traveling, best way to go. Often I feel I need to finish a tour at a certain time/day and that is not the best way to tour.

Tourist in MSN

Yes on hostels. My Iceland tour, one rainy day I had a tail wind, hate to waste a tailwind so instead of stopping at my destination, kept going to the next campground. But could not find the campground. There was a HI Hostel there, stopped inside to ask where the campground was and after being indoors for about 10 seconds, I instead asked if they had room for one more that night.

My Canadian Maritimes tour, I was sitting on the ferry to PEI, they had wifi so I was trying to figure out where to go and where to plan for Canada Day weekend since I would probably need a reservation at a campground for a busy weekend. But looked at the forecast first, saw five consecutive days of rain and instead made a reservation for three nights at the hostel in Charlottetown for Canada Day weekend. And on that tour stayed at two other hostels too.

I have always found a lot more campgrounds than hostels, so I considered hostels to be more of a one off sort of thing. But the UK map has a lot of hostels on it. I just do not know if they will all still be there a year from now, I am sure Covid is stressing their finances.

And, sometimes hostels are full. I usually make a reservation for hostel stays a couple days in advance but almost never make one for campgrounds.

I probably will stay at more hostels on that trip than I usually do, but would still plan to camp at least two thirds of the time.