amckimmey

So I'm thinking of planing a tour for next summer, I kind of just started thinking about it tonight. I was thinking I could maybe do England.

One thing is I don't have a touring specific frame. I was thinking I could just buy something over there. Get something I cant get in the USA. I don't really know any company over there though. I would buy it there for a big reason of not having to bring one with me, & then when I come home I would have a sweet frame.

Any Ideas for this, I'm kind of tired right now so sorry if it does not make sense.

nun

Call Mercian and get them to build you a bike. You can pick it up in Derby, tour England on it and then come back to the States with it. Look at a King of Mercia or a Vincitore


www.merciancycles.co.uk

sunburst

That certainly has a lot of appeal, but personally I'd be more at ease if I took a bike that I had totally checked out and ridden quite a bit, so as to get the fit totally dialed in.

I also like the idea of having worked on a bike so I know the thing pretty well before I hit the road. I just bought a used touring bike and am going through it: cables, brakes, tires, saddle, handlebars, etc. I feel like it will be close to optimized when I'm done, and that I will be able to fix a few things on the road as well.

Schumius

Unless you're thinking about moving to the UK or staying there for 6 months it doesn't occur to me as a good idea to buy a new bike at your destination and then go home with you for some future tours. A new bike needs adjustments here and there and that takes time, when you're on the road one thing you don't want to do is staying in town waiting for someone to fix your rig, it's time wasted.

For a tour next summer you have plenty of time to put together one where you live, go for a ride around town or some small trips, and then make the adjustments. By next summer you'll have a touring bike that suits you. Flying is actually a minor issue compared to building a new bike.

wahoonc

Bob Jackson and Thorn Cycles are two that come to mind...and I am sure there are others.

Aaron

TheBrick

mercian are excellent bike but everyone I know who has had dealing with them says that their time lines are, lets say flexible. First workmanship, but to order a bike for date x could be difficult.

late

The way the dollar has dropped it would be pretty expensive. I have never actually seen
a Waterford touring bike on the road; have you? You could also have someone make you a Ti touring bike. That'd be different.

Brains

I second a vote for a Thorn

They will build to YOUR spec and YOUR size and deliver whereever you want. UK or USA

One thing to keep in mind is English bikes are built for English roads (ie driving on the proper side) so for an American the brakes and gears are the wrong way around. Just make sure you spec them the right way for you.

MichaelW

I think the best touring framebuilder in the UK has to be Roberts. His speciality is fillet brazing which looks really good.
Mercian and Bob Backson are good for frames. Thorn is good for complete bikes.
Waterford can stand comparison with the best of these and they make a lightweight English style tourer not just the US expedition style.

Magnolia_Fan

So I did a very similar thing last year in Belgium/Holland. I went to Europe for a conference, and made plans to stay an extra two weeks to bike around. I didn't want to bring my bike from home with me since the conference was in Bulgaria and a several hour drive from the airport.

Anyways, I got myself to Brussels, where I bought a used bike, some sort of Puegot, from a bike shop there and rode it to Amsterdam. I brought my own rack, pedals, and Brooks saddle with me. It worked out quite well, I paid something like $150 euros for the bike. Here's a pic of the setup:

https://picasaweb.google.com/patrick....06768274954530

It was actually the first time I'd ridden such an upright bike, but it was really nice for touring!

n4zou

+1
Purchase a Surly LHT and take it over with you. Ride it and then sell it just before you leave. Considering how much import and VAT taxes are your Surly is worth a lot more there than what you purchased it for here.

TheBrick

^^^ Best advice. Surly bikes over here are in general over priced. for what they are. You'll prob beable to nearly get your money back on a LHT over here.

BengeBoy 

+1

Also, if you buy a Thorn in the UK, they will charge you VAT. But if you are traveling as a tourist and bring it back to the US there is a process you can follow to get the VAT back when you fly back through the airport. Thorn will likely know how to make sure you get and keep the proper paperwork.

I think though even taking the LHT to the UK would be the most economical option, arranging to purchase and pick up a Thorn in the UK would be a great experience and the "souvenir" of your trip that you bring home would last a lifetime...