BigAura

Pack as light as you can. If you and your equipment & supplies is less than 200lbs you should be fine. If it's greater than 220 lbs I'd think twice.

300ps

I did a 30,000 kilometer (about 20% off-pavement) trip on an aluminum bike, heavily loaded w/5 bags and at times large supplies of food and water for unpopulated areas, and I still ride that bike. Rim toughness/quality turned out to be way more important of a consideration, I destroyed 4 during the trip.

GamblerGORD53

I bet those busted rims were NOT Velocity Dyads and had eyelets.

BigAura

The aluminum frame is very stiff and instead of flexing like a steel bike, it may have vectored more impact to the wheels. Nicely over-built wheels and fat-tires would be they way I'd go.

300ps

I don't doubt that that was a factor. It's hard to overstate just how bad many of the "roads" were on this trip, basically mountain biking without the mountain bike (and heavily loaded to boot). I wouldn't recommend this setup to someone embarking on the same kind of journey, but I think it shows that aluminum frames can be quite strong and certainly sufficient for a paved road trip in the US (at least for the frame I used, I feel like it deserves a spot in the hall of fame).

bradtx

@BigAura, I think a modern steel touring bike's stiffness is very close to an aluminum framed touring bike. I could be wrong, but none of us want a bike that flexes under a load.
@GamblerGORD53, Wheels used for touring are under a lot of stress, but perhaps less so than those used on a cargo bike or a tandem. FWIW I tend to stress build quality more than the individual components. Even with the best parts and the most skillful build, there are no guarantees WRT longevity.

Brad

skookum

I'm a Steel is Real guy, but I think all this stuff about harsh aluminum frames is way overdone. The harshness of a ride has more to do with geometry, tires, saddles, suspension than frame material. I wouldn't hesitate to use an aluminum frame bike for touring, there are lots of good ones out there. If the bike fits, can carry the gear needed and has the appropriate gearing, then go for it.

As others have pointed out, if you have a heavily loaded touring bike, you don't want too much flex in your frame. Bikes made for expedition touring, like some of the Thorn bikes, are steel but very stiff so they don't flex with heavy loads.

BigAura

I do tend to agree with you, in that the factors you point out are key. But frame material does factor in. I my experience I have have owned and ridden three aluminum-framed bikes, and toured on two. I toured on an AL-REI-Safari and with 2.0 tires and definitely found the ride to be harsher than my steel tourers with the same 2.0 rubber. By far the harshest tour-riding-experience I've had was on my Tri-Cross and I suffered some hand numbness for two weeks after completing the tour. Setups were never identical to my steel-tourers, so I can't say it was only the aluminum.

BUT on the non-touring front, I switched from an AL race-type-bike to a carbon with almost the identical setup, and can say absolutely aluminum is a hasher ride!

poopmypants15

So I guess that's another question. If I stick with the Fuji, should I invest in some better 'touring' rims? If so, are there any recommendations, knowing that I'll be traveling super light and on an aluminum/more road frame. I already know I'll throw on bigger tires regardless.... probably 28mm continental gator skins or 28mm schwalbe marathons.

Snuts

Your 3500 miles touring, were you using your current rims?
If so, and you are going with a similar weight set-up, Why?
You might take them in to get trued, and TENSIONED. But if it works, why "fix" it?

Hope this helps,

-Snuts-

john_mct

I would at least bump the tire size up to 30-35mm and high tpi like the vittoria voyager hyper or the like. Back to back long days in the saddle benefit from some cushion

Squeezebox

If it ain't broke!!
Why spend the money on new wheels if you are not having any problems with the current wheels? What width tire will fit on your bicycle? People do tour on 28's.
Relax and enjoy!