mikeshift1

Allright, given this is the most important choice in my bicycle touring career a little help would go a far way. so first of all let me paint you guys a picture. I'm looking to do the classic TransAm trail this summer (VA-OR) and i've saved up a few pennies to buy a bike. I work at an Eastern Mountain Sports here in CT and we have a bike shop with some qualified bike techs but they really dont know much about bicycle touring. Since i work at EMS i can get some good deals on bikes and stuff through QBP and prodeals from other companies. i've got all my camping gear (i hiked the AT last summer) and can fit all my gear in my 30 liter backpack with 3 days of food and 2 liters of water. I'm 23 years old and weigh 145 IBS wet, and consider myself in very good shape. I'm looking to do the TransAm 'light and fast style' (maybe 45/50 days?) I've looked at the classic surly LHT but think it's way overkill. the crosscheck looks a little bit lighter and more nimble, and I definitely dont think i need a front rack... i could lighten it up some with a carbon fiber fork and some other nice components... or i've been looking at the salsa pistola which is an awesome bike, but no rear braze on's for rack, i'm confident i could get away with just a seat clamp rack but dont know if it's the best way to go. Theres also the Salsa casseroll, which is a nice looking bike aswell. There's some nice Scott bikes out there to, but seem more race oriented and more $$$. or is my request somewhat unique and i should just look into getting a frame/fork and work with the bike tech's to get me suited up. So to sum it all up.... i need a bike that will take me the length of America in an efficient manner, something vaguely comfortable, and something that will take a little abuse. I'd prefer to get something through QBP, or Scott, or Rocky Mountain as i get good deals through them, but I'm always keeping my eye out on ebay/craigslist.
Thanks so much with any insight!
mike!

LeeG

sounds like you could do this without panniers with gear within the airstream of bike. Actually a small front rack would be a good idea for a 12liter sized drybag to balance out the weight somehow strapped/secured between rack and handlebars near the head tube than cantilievered out like most handlebar bags. The ability to carry LOTS of water will be important so the front bag/rack will be another place to strap a 20oz bottle besides three on the main triangle.
When I was your age and weight I toured down from SF to LA then took the train up to Redding then road down to Tahoe and back through the valley backto SF, with about 15lbs of gear all on a road bike that didn't have eyelets or fenders. But then it never rained and I didn't take a tent.
I rode with 700x28 tires. I don't think there will be much benefit to making the bike superlight or spending money on "nice components" given that the biggest difference for moving fast and light will be the amount of gear. I'd go for fast 700x32 tires just for the comfort of smashing through any rough roads.

Machka 

Check out sport touring bicycles (i.e. the Marinoni Ciclo) or Audax or Randonneuring bicycles ... check Thorn, Rivendell, etc. They are a cross between a racing bicycle and a touring bicycle and can handle carrying some gear, but in general they're a little lighter and "faster" than a traditional touring bicycle.

Waterford might be another option: https://www.waterfordbikes.com/site/designs/st.php

Here's Thorn's site ... check Thorn's fast touring selection:
https://www.thorncycles.co.uk/models.html

chrispe

I wouldn't go for the carbon fork, but thats just me. I would be afraid of it failing if I hit a large bump or pothole but I'm parinoid about those things. I would recommend the salsa casseroll it looks like about what you want and a really nice all around bike and comes with some nice stuff so I wouldn't change the parts. I don't have experience with this, but I've heard people say that bikes ride bad if you load them up much in the back with nothing in the front. The cross check would also probably fit your needs. I wouldn't completely forget about a regular touring bike the the lht or rocky mountain sherpa though.

Machka 

It's actually not that bad. I've ridden with my panniers on the front and with my panniers on the back and there is a difference, but I wouldn't say that one was better than the other. I've removed my front rack and don't miss it.

Newspaperguy

You can get fairly lightweight touring bikes. Mine is an aluminum Devinci. Unloaded, it's light and responsive, but it can carry a fairly heavy load without problems. Devinci is a Canadian company from Quebec. Considering the value of the Canadian dollar against the U.S. dollar, you should be able to get a good price for a well-built bike.

Don't try to switch to a carbon fibre fork. You'll get some weight savings but the difference will hardly be worth the price you pay for the switch. You'd be much better off sticking with the stock frame and keeping your gear load light.

On another note, I'd personally be hesitant to carry the gear in a backpack. Even if you keep it light, your back will hate you within a couple of days. You're much better off with a rack and panniers. This keeps the weight low and more importantly, it keeps your back happy. Backpacks work well when hiking but on the bike, you're in a different position.

Cave

Assuming you can pack light and compact:

Salsa casseroll
Soma smoothie ES (need to build it up)
Specialized tricross comp triple
Surly crosscheck or maybe pacer

If you go a mass-market road bike, make sure the gearing, riding position, toe and heel clearances, carrying capacity and ruggedness of the frame are adequate for you. If you're going fast I guess you'll be on 28mm tyres, maybe 25 or 32. Make sure your rear wheel is strong.

Cave

Also look up Nun's sub-20-lb packing list and do a search for (I think) Igor Kvose (sp?) who has crossed central Asia, Australia, Europe on a Giant alu road bike with carbon fork and about 6 kg gear (no cooking or camping though)

Rowan

As far as carrying stuff is concerned, think about a Carradice Nelson longflap that fits to the loops on the back of a Brooks B17 saddle (that is, if you choose a B17, but the Carradice can be adapted to other saddles).

The longflap can stow a helluva lot of gear, plus stuff on the outside if needed, and doesn't need a rack at the back (which may be an issue if you choose a bike on your current shortlist that doesn't have rear braze-ons).

Matched with a decent-sized handlebar bag and the additional support frame for the bag, the Carradice might enable you to avoid the need for a backpack, unless you want rehydration. And you could probably do a Carradice/bag frame/Brooks deal with Wallingford Cycles.

You need to look at the geometry of a bike as well as its componentry. For what you want, the suggestion for a randonnee-style of bike is a good one -- a good lightweight steel (look for Reynolds or Columbus) frame and fork, with reasonable-length chainstays (430 to 450mm) for a comfortable ride, would seem more important than going the expense of installling a CF fork (I like CF as a frame material, by the way, so I am not dismissing it as an option, but the weight-saving probably wouldn't be significant versus price).

I wouldn't consider anything less than a 25C tyre -- I am around 85kg (187lb) and I do a lot of riding on 25C tyres, and find them good for speed and, at moderate pressures of between 80 and 100psi, comfortable.

Speaking of tyres, the other strong items you will need are wheels. They are often overlooked until they let you down. I have Velocity Aeros on one bike, and these mid-weight rims have proved to be durable. At your weight, a good build with Ultegra hubs and 32H Mavic Open Pros might be a good, durable option -- certainly the roadie guys like that spec for their almost unchallenged durability for their weight. I would suggest avoiding anything less than 32H wheels, and 36H might be even better to have.

You will likely presented with a few options in gear shifting. Shimano STIs are proving to be very reliable these days. I wouldn't consider Dura-Ace because of its expense. I like Ultegra, and I have had excellent service out of old Tiagras. 105 also seems to get a positive from many.

You might have bar-end shifters as an option. I'm not into them myself (yet) and I likely won't ever spec them on drop bars.

For the journey you are considering, comfort that evolves from good bike fit will be paramount. It shouldn't be just "vaguely comfortable". There is no point in having speed if you are crippled with pain at contact and other points of your body at the end of each day.

Unfortunately, choosing a suitable bike is that much more difficult if you aren't able to test ride them any longer than around the car park. I don't think I saw mentioned in your post the type of bike you ride right now, as a comparison or starting point.

One thing you will need to do after acquiring your choice of bike is to get to know it intimately from a riding perspective (from a mechanical perspective, too, if you are so incined). That means probably doing a few extended weekend trips away with the gear you intend to carry the way you intend to carry it. You will fairly quickly find out (a) if there are fit issues with your bike so you can fix them and (b) functional issues with your gear.

Good luck, and don't forget to look up at the scenery from time to time... it's easy to get the head down in the name of speed and not appreciate what's around you.

martianone

IMHO- as well stated above bike fit and comfort is really important .
Distilling these suggestions- have your EMS bike store order a CrossCheck frame,
build it up with great quality 36 spoke wheels, LX level components, a mtn bike
crankset with 28 & 40 chain rings, 11-34 cassette, Schwalbe marathon supreme tires,
get a nelson longflap or camper seat bag, lots of water bottle holders, a handlebar bag, make sure you can change a tire and be able to make minor mechanical adjustments to your bike. Once built up
commute to work with it as much as possible. Then go ride across the US, but don't race do take some time to enjoy the sights.
tire

staehpj1

Traveling light makes the trip more pleasant in many ways, but even when traveling light I don't think minor differences in the bike have a huge impact either way on the touring experience. Better components and carbon forks will make very little difference in the overall experience. Still if you make 5 pounds of difference in bike weight it will be pretty noticeable especially when climbing, so yeah a more road bike type bike may work well if going very light gear wise.

Be sure you have wheels that will stand up to the demands, a comfortable for you riding position, and low enough gearing and all else about the bike becomes not such a big deal. In the end the bike is a minor factor as long as it is reasonably suited to the task at hand. Throwing more money at it won't enhance the experience much.

I suggest that you figure out what works for you when it comes down to riding position rather than just following either a roadie approach or a "standard" touring approach. I find a road bike like position to be most comfortable for the long mileage days. Others insist on bars at or above the saddle. Figure out what works for you.

What ever you do with regard to bags, I would say to avoid using a backpack. On our TA we had many consecutive 100+ F days and anywhere clothing rubbed us a little we got heat rash. I can't imagine how miserable a backpack would have been.

A few things to keep in mind are that you will need to carry enough water for at least 80 miles in possibly 100+ heat and that there will be some fairly long sections of very rough pavement due to road construction. If you could be sure of good roads and are traveling as light as you plan, I would say use skinny tires if you want, but given the roads we had at times I would advise at least 25-28mm tires if going ultra light gear wise.

Oh and be sure to enjoy the people and places. A fast pace and long miles are OK, just don't forget to enjoy the trip too.

Edit:
You mention 3 days of food... No need to carry more than the days food and an extra emergency meal or so. Most of the time you can buy food as you need it. Either stop at the store before making camp or ride there after. On the TA it makes sense to stay in town most of the time. The TA maps will list city parks, churches, etc. and staying in them works out well for the majority of the trip. There were some places in the west where we stayed in unmanned forest service camps that were kind of remote, but not often at all.

hockey

I'll second the Devinci. I purchased a Devinci Destination a couple of years ago and traded out the aluminum fork (too stiff, vibration, etc.) for a carbon touring fork. Works great and the bike is lighter and even quicker.
Hockey

cyccommute 

I have to disagree. Heavily loaded front bags are far superior to heavily load rear bags, especially on something like the CrossCheck. Moving the bags to the front wheel with a lighter load on a rear rack would solve all kinds of issues with the shorter wheelbase of the Crosscheck. Handling would be better at all speeds and issues with heel strike would be nonexistent.

BengeBoy 

The fact that you can buy at a discount through QBP (Salsa or Surly), Scott or Rocky Mountain is pretty important. You have at least 5 good options without going for an all-out tourer:

- Salsa Pistola
- Salsa Casseroll
- Surly Crosscheck
- Rocky Mountain 'cross bike
- Scott 'cross bike

If I were your age and size I'd seriously consider trying to make this work with the Pistola, which is a pretty interesting bike, IMHO. If you can follow some of the gear-hauling advice above (seat bags, handlebar bags) and are willing to travel really light it would be a great bike to own after the tour is over as well. Another option that people use with lighter-weight bikes is traveling with trailers - the Bob or Extrawheel, though that might be overkill for your trip. You can read up online about the advantages/disadvantages of traveling with trailers, but one of the advantages that might be attractive to you is to that it gets the extra weight off your bike's wheels, so you could take a trip like the one you're planning without having to worry so much about getting a heavyweight set of wheels for the bike.

If you get the Pistola, even traveling light you might want to consider outfitting it with a triple instead of the compact it comes stock with. And see if you can put on bigger tires - like 28c's.

Just to be clear, though - I think w/a bike like this you are emphasizing the "fast" and "light" vs. the comfortable - the Casserroll would be cushier (and a bit heavier), the Crosscheck even more so, especially cause you could increase the tire size to 32's or larger.

Full disclosure - I don't have any experience with a trailer, but have looked at them for shorter tours using a bike kind of like the Pistola. Have read a couple of online journals written by folks traveling with lightweight 'cross bikes using trailers and it seems like it might work for you if you want to ride a lighter bike, haul stuff (and deal with a trailer, which has its own set of advantages/disadvantages).

cyccommute 

While I don't want to rain on your parade, there are a couple of points you haven't thought through yet. While I feel a Camelbak is a necessary item while touring, I wouldn't want more then the few pounds that mine weighs on my back for more than a day, much less 50. Borrow a bike, load up your gear in the backpack and go for a 50 mile ride. You'll be wanting to leave it on the side of the road by mile 30

I'd council against seatpost rack too. Most of them are designed for very light loads...<20 lb...and your seatpost isn't a very strong member either. Putting a lot of load on a seatpost on rough roads could lead to either bending the post or breaking it.

As for comfort, touring bikes are made for it. No other bike is built and designed for that specifically. Race bikes aren't usually meant for comfort. They are built for speed. An LHT may be heavy but on day 21 of your ride, you'll appreciated the Cadillac comfort. You'll also appreciate the stability.

The LHT is heavy. You could go a little lighter (a few pounds) by looking at a Cannondale T2 (used ones are the T400, T700, T800 or T2000). The bike is reasonably zippy but still comfortable with a load. It actually shines with a heavy load.

If you do go with a more race oriented bike, try swapping out the fork for one that will take a front rack. The load on the front wheel will help with handling as I've posted. Or go with a trailer but those have their own handling issues.

bedian

Check out the Jamis Aurora Elite 23.50 lbs

https://www.jamisbikes.com/usa/thebik...roraelite.html

wrk101

I would start watching the used market. This time of year, good deals are going to be available, with little or no competition from other buyers. Craigs List is a good bet. Just because you have enough for a new bike, there is nothing wrong with saving a little/most of that money.

Nothing greener than recycling and reusing. Most bikes don't get ridden much, so used bikes often have a lot of life left in them. And with your access to talented bike mechanics, you should be able to correct or upgrade any deficiency.

I have picked up five touring bikes in the last several months (Novarra Randonee, Trek 520, Trek 620, Univega Gran Turismo, and Fuji Touring Series IV). Four were off of Craigs List. One is a keeper, the others are flip bikes. Thrift store bikes are even cheaper, but take a lot of time to find a good one (for every decent thrift store bike you will see at least 50 junk bikes).

staehpj1

That is the conventional wisdom, but I seem to put less and less stock in it the more I ride. The fact that my current road bike while it has a very aggressive cockpit also is THE most comfortable bike I have ridden on long rides. I base that on how I feel after a century ride on it versus a century ride on a touring bike. That may not be the best criteria and I am not saying any of this is conclusive, but it has made me begin to think differently about comfort. As a result my touring bike preferences are becoming at least a bit more road bike like with regards to tire selection, saddle selection, cockpit setup, and frame geometry.

Just another crazy opinion... feel free to ignore or take with a grain of salt.

Bekologist

the long haul trucker is not 'overkill' for lightly loaded touring. hardly. Unless you are credit card touring or being sagged, it's the weight of the gear not the bike that makes any real difference.

I'd urge you not to overthink this, get racks to distribute the weight of your gear on a LHT or a novarra randonne or trek 520 or a raleigh sojurn or any of the other 'value' out of the box loaded touring bikes

and go!

you can put the hammer down while covering a lot of miles daily in style and comfort on a lightly loaded long haul trucker.

rugerben

Mike- This sounds like a good job for the Jamis Aurora Elite. An excellent bike by all accounts, and from you are describing, the perfect tool for the job.

BengeBoy 

Given that the OP can purchase any of these bikes at a discount, why should he look anywhere else?

(QBP = Surly and Salsa).

Rocky Mountain: Rocky Mountain Sherpa, and at least one cross bike that would work.

foamy

I'll throw in the third vote for the Jamis Aurora Elite. I believe it fits your critieria to a "T." And it'd be a great bike to own after the ride is done.

staehpj1

The not over thinking comment is probably a good one, but I would quibble a bit on a couple of your points.

On the 'overkill' comment... Weight is weight. Especially if the rider and gear are light enough why ride a heavier than necessary bike. If the difference winds up being 5 pounds I consider that a huge difference in the mountains.

Maybe it is just me, but I would avoid the Raleigh Sojourn.

If the user weighs only 145# and actually manages to pack less than 20# of gear why carry 5-10 pounds of extra bike and racks over every mountain pass. Five pounds makes a big difference to a big guy like me with a fairly heavy load, a 5-10# difference must be huge for a 145# guy with less than 20# of stuff.

BengeBoy 

I guess I'll point out one more time that the OP has a number of choices he can buy at an employee discount (anything from Salsa, Surly, Rocky Mountain, Scott).

Is the Jamis (or Trek or Cannondale or Devinci or REI Novara) really that much better than the options he can buy at a discount?

If a friend came to me, and said, I'm working at bike store X, and can buy any of these bikes at a discount for a tour but nobody else at the store knows much about touring, is there something here that would work for me?... I'd work pretty hard to help him take advantage of the discount he has available.

I think it's an interesting question whether he'd be happier with a full-blown tourer (e.g, Surly LHT or Rocky Mountain Sherpa) vs. something lighter....but I wouldn't see why he needs to pay full price for anything given the wide range of options he has to save some $$. Remember since he can buy anything from QBP on a discount he could buy a Surly or Salsa frame and build up with components as well.

Nigeyy

I think it has to depend on the bike geometry and your physique with its centre of balance, etc. Put me down as another person who has rear panniers only and has been very comfortable at slow speeds and at speeds over 40mph (though admittedly I do use a high flat top front rack that takes my tent and a couple of other lightweight bits and pieces -point is, I don't know if I'd unequivocally state that front panniers are superior to rear panniers or vice versa). I think it's just what works for you and the bike.