Cream23

I'm seeking a touring specific bike, preferably in the $800-$1200 range for someone 5'-1" tall. This bike will will travel mostly on pavement and some dirt, touring for a week in Northern Michigan this summer and through a few countries in Europe next year. I'm looking for something that rolls at a good pace with a large gear range. Here is my list so far (no particular order):


Breezer Doppler Pro - $745, 2x, no rack, fenders, size 49

Specialized AWOL - $1,200, 3x, no rack, no fenders, size XS

2018 Fuji Touring - $810, 3x, rack, no fenders, size 49

Jamis Aurora - $929, 3x, rack, no fenders, size 47-51

2019 Kona Sutra - $1,200, 3x, rack, fenders and Brooks Saddle, size 46

KHS TR101 - $900, 3x, rack, no fenders, size 49

Surly LHT - $1,350, 3x, no rack, no fenders, size 46-50


Does anyone have experience with any of these bikes and/or have any input?


My friend has a Specialized AWOL and loves it and I have experience with the Surly LHT, but I'm curious about the sub $1,000 bikes and the Kona Sutra because of the great reviews and the stock rack, fenders and brooks saddle, which would be added anyway easily tacking on $250+ to a bike without those features.

KC8QVO

My girlfriend is in the same "short" boat and even 26" bikes are mostly too big for her. We've looked around a bit, not too serious just yet. Her bike is a 24", not anything fancy - older economy bike.

If it were me - the primary focus would be ergonomics and ridability. There are a lot of bike shops that do bike fitting, however I am not too fond of that myself. For someone not knowledgeable on riding ergonomics a fitting session with a reputable bike shop can be well worth the $, though. The main thing is everyone is different and tuning the set up to the person riding it is absolutely critical.

To add to the point - what anyone feels on a bike sitting on it in a shop or taking a quick spin around a parking lot is not what anyone is going to feel after 84 miles in to a tour and half way through day 2...

There are a lot of adjustments that you can make to a bike, but frame size is one of those that you can't adjust for. As to accessories - yeah they are accessories and would be nice to be included in a package, however that shouldn't be a deciding factor at the end of the day. Getting a bike that is going to be the best fit for the rider would make more sense to me than looking at a "package deal".

On the subject of saddles - I would recommend trying a few. You will probably find a lot of people that will share the sentiments that their rear end is the limiting factor in endurance while on tour. A good saddle can go a long ways to helping with that. The converse is also true - a poor saddle design/fit can ruin a ride. To that point - a saddle, to me, that comes with a bike is a moot point. It may or may not fit.

Racks - I wouldn't put too much weight on a bike coming with them or not, however it can be a plus so long as what ever bike you are looking at is a good fit physically for the rider. If not - I wouldn't think twice about another, better fitting, bike.

Another thought on racks - I rode for 3 years with a $15 rear rack from Amazon. I still have it. The paint is wore off in places, but its in good shape. The point is - you can get by with inexpensive options if you need to stretch out purchases. A front rack might be a bit more of a challenge.

Last comment - if buying a new bike is in the cards - have the bike shop leave the steer tube high - like a good 4" above where you have the bars "set" to in the fitting. This does 2 things - it gives you room to adjust the bars (again - 84 miles in to a tour on day 2 things might feel funky) if you need to. I've been there done that a few times on my early rides while I was tuning gear. Secondly - the extra height gives you several new gear mounting options - namely the option of a 2nd stem and dummy bar. This will let you drop a handlebar bag down off the main bar and give another level of bar mounting for a phone mount, bike computer, etc. freeing up your main bar for hand positions.

The tall steer tube was the best idea I got from a riding buddy when I was studying bikes before I got mine. Some say it is dangerous being up high, but I've never had a problem. The extra gear mounting options far out weigh any negatives.

Hope this helps.

schoolboy2 

My wife is petite (~5'1") and rides a 47cm frame Trek Madone road bike. We fitted it with a handlebar bag and a rear rack carrying two small Ortlieb rolltop panniers (<12 lbs. packed), plus a bundle of campchairs, etc. (<5 lbs.) and rode across France and into Germany last summer. It worked for us but I was willing to carry most of the camping gear and food on my LHT. If we tour together in the future I plan to get her an LHT so she will have better gearing.

indyfabz

My ex-GF is 5' even. I once bought her the smallest size LHT. She loves it. Even on dirt.

timdow

I currently have a 2010 LHT, and have had a Y2K Jamis Aurora. I found the Aurora to be too flexy, but newer ones may be better. When I bought the LHT (for 1/2 new on Craigslist), my search for a road touring bike was over - this one's a keeper.

For sub $1000, I read good things about the Fuji Touring. Also for even less, the Windsor Tourist could be a candidate for $700, although it looks like they have limited stock right now.

Tourist in MSN

Do not rule out a non-touring bike, there are smaller mixte or step through frame hybrids that you might be able to adapt for touring.

If she is used to road riding with drop bars, a hybrid would likely not be the best option but if she is not already accustomed to drop bars then a hybrid might work well for her.

If you could find one with 26 inch wheels instead of 700c, that would be better.

Many communities have bike charities that take in donations, fix them up and re-sell them. I have seen some nice mixte frame bikes with steel frames that would work well for touring. They lack the mounts for front low rider rack, but otherwise would work well for touring.

Or, if you both already know that she enjoys cycling, perhaps if you can boost your budget, a Bike Friday folding bike? That could also be a plus if you flew somewhere later.

djb

my wife is in this height range, and she loves her Surly Troll XS
As mentioned, 26in wheeled bikes have the advantage of not having toe overlap in small frames, but either a LHT or a Troll or a Bridge Club (27.5 wheels) are not cheap bikes, so dont know if its out of the price range.
A good quality bike is always a plus long term anyway, so in the long run I believe its worth it.
None of the bikes I mention are light though, although riding comfort etc tends to be more important, and my wife really likes how her Troll rides on all kinds of surfaces.

there are of course 700 wheeled bikes in XS sizes, but you're going to probably always have some toe strike going on, which may or mayt not be an issue for the rider.....

KC8QVO

I was going to mention a folding bike also, however I highlighted the pertinent segment below from the OP:

Unless you go modifying a folder, it is very uncommon to see a large gear range in these. For dealing with any hills (climbing namely) a folder on tour wouldn't be my suggestion off the bat.

However, if the terrain is relatively flat with mild hills and you can get by with walking the tougher hills - you can certainly get by with a folder. I got a Dahon Mariner D8 last year as a travel bike and enjoy it a lot. For lighter touring it will hold up with 2 panniers and a handlebar bag. However, it does not do well climbing hills of any size.

On a side note, the folding bike variety can be quite "twitchy" when compared to a regular size bigger wheel bike. I find when I load mine it actually gets better riding as the low weight (panniers on the rear namely) give the bike more inertia that absorbs the twitchyness. That helps when cruising down hill, though I still don't like to go too fast on any bike. Down hill at 25mph with an unloaded bike (mariner in this case) is a bit scary. Down hill at 30mph loaded is much more comfortable.

Doug64

I have 2 daughters who ride Surly LHTs. One is 4'11 or 5' and rides the 42 cm, and the other is 5' 5" and rides the 50 cm frame. They have toured 1000s of miles on those bikes, and are very happy with them. I also ride a LHT, and am happy with mine.

The 50cm LHT frame is in the back, and the 42 cm LHT is in the front. My 5' 3" wife is in the middle, and is riding a custom built 47cm frame.

Tourist in MSN

I fitted a Sram Dual Drive to my folder because i could not fit a triple crank, there was no way to install a front derailleur. The Dual Drive is no longer sold but it is my understanding that Sturmey Archer makes something similar to the Dual Drive.

If you are not familiar with one of those, it is a three speed internally geared hub with a freehub that can take a cassette. More info here.
https://www.bikeforums.net/folding-b...ual-drive.html

I am running a 39T chainring on my folder with 24 inch wheels, an eight speed 11/32 cassette. The Dual Drive makes the drive train equivalent to a bike with a triple with the gearing equivalent to a triple that is approximately 53/39/29. Note that the high gear on the Dual Drive is an overdrive. Thus, my folder has gearing very similar to my rando bike that is running a road triple of 52/42/30 and that same eight speed cassette. But, having 24 inch wheels, it is geared slightly lower than my rando bike which is 700c.

I have not researched the Sturmey Archer equivalent to the discontinued Dual Drive, so maybe there is a reason not to use one, but if it is just as good, I would think it is perfectly adequate for touring.

KC8QVO

This one:
Sturmey-Archer | CS-RF3 Silver

For 135mm dropouts. The Mariner has 130mm. That isn't to say a little bending couldn't be done to accommodate the extra 5mm. But it is a consideration - that isn't a "drop in" solution, in other words.

Interesting idea though.

indyfabz

Uh... I own a BikeFriday NWT. Bought it when I had to commute to flat NJ most days. The thought was that I could more easily get a ride to the train if the weather went south. It’s poorly geared for flat terrain. Aside from the few hills on my route, I would ride in the big ring and far down on the cassette. People ride mountain passes with those bikes. In 2000 I ran into a guy who climbed Logan Pass in Glacier National Park pulling a trailer on his way to Alaska. Also climbed Hoosier Pass above Breckinridge, CO, with a couple on a BF tandem. They were riding across the country pulling a trailer.

KC8QVO

I won't disagree with your statements, however:

Your Bike Friday options are more in the $3000-3500 price range - 3x what the OP is looking to spend.

So with that taken in to account, the sub-$1000 price range of folding bikes gets you in to the usual Dahon range. My Mariner was around $650. So with that having been said, it would even be well within the realm of possibilities in the price range to upgrade to more gearing options. However, boosting the gear range on a folder isn't going to be a "drop in" part replacement or "stock gear swap". It is going to require some fabrication and "making things work" to get there. That would be within the realm of a suitable bike shop that is up to the task, or if the OP has the means, skill, and "go at it" attitude to tackle it him/herself - all the better.

Things to consider when adding gearing:
- New wheel set (the Sturmey Archer hub mentioned earlier) - either an entire wheel set or just the hub + original rim (if the same hole count, of course new spokes too)
*also to take in to consideration here is the rear dropout width. If it doesn't match the desire hub modifying the spread would be required, the more the change the harder the mod is to the frame
- Front double or triple chain ring (if triple - the short chain length may cause driveline angle issues spanning all 3 chain rings = hard shifting an excess side loading on the chain/ring causing quicker wear of the teeth)
* requiring new parts = crank set, chain rings, perhaps a new BB if the crank set doesn't come with or isn't compatible with what is there
- FD mounting if using multiple chain rings - this is very likely to require custom fabrication


Lots of options, but ordering a small wheel folder set up for the task is going to be pricey. Or - find a used one on Craigslist etc. and take a chance on condition, unless it is local and you can see before you buy.

If the smallest LHT will suit I highly recommend it. Some days I wish I got a 26" as you can go wider on the tire clearance than you can on a 700c. For road/hard surface touring it is a bit of a moot point, but if you get in to trails - dirt, gravel, converted railroad bed, etc - wider tires (55mm or so, not sure what the 26" frame LHT clearance is though) will be awesome to have. I max out on the 700c at around 43mm and that just doesn't cut the mustard a lot of times.

I met a fellow rider from Duluth, MN last summer up in the UP of Michigan that was on a small LHT. I don't recall the frame size, but he was much shorter than I am. They are very popular bikes - all sizes. They might be the most common "touring" class bike out there. Trek 520's are quite ubiquitous also, but you don't get the flexibility in size that you do on the LHT's.

Although there are ways around this, one of the nice things about the LHT's is the braze-on selections front and rear. You have a lot of options for gear mounting. Although, I will comment that with the combination of fenders you may need to get creative for getting everything to "fit". Case-in-point - I have fenders front/rear. The front fender takes up one of the two pairs of holes in the front drop-outs. The rack goes in the other. However, you can not get the rack flange to clear the axle skewer. So you have to add about 10mm space. I did this with 2x 1/4-20 galvanized nuts. The trick - getting a long enough replacement cap screw or bolt. I want to say I needed a 20-25mm thread length and of all the bike shops in town I found one that had some in the shorter portion of the range. They work, but cutting it very close. If you do not have the mounting locations on a bike stock there are ways to add braze-ons where you need them with clamp-on styles, however if you can get a frame set with them already there (like the LHT, among other Surly frame sets) then there is a lot less to figure out and make work.

Lots of options!

Tourist in MSN

I mentioned above the option of touring on a non-touring bike like a hybrid. On my five week tour in Canadian Maritimes last summer, I was surprised that more than half of the other bike tourists I saw were on hybrids that were not designed for touring, and several of them were women. They were mostly larger sized bikes than what the OP is looking for but it certainly is a viable option in my opinion. An example is the gal I met on Cabot Trail in the photo, she had ridden that bike from Toronto, through Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia before I met her.

indyfabz

I wasn't addressing price, but since you brought it up....A stock NWT retails for less than $1,400, which is about what an LHT (I have owned two) goes for these days.

Wilfred Laurier

Mrs. Laurier is about 5'3 and rides a 47cm road bike with 700c wheels. I would expect a 26" wheel touring bike (like the LHT) in its smallest size to be worth a look for someone 5'1".

Wiggle

My wife is 5'3" as well and rides a Rocky Mountain Sherpa - I believe the frame size is 48cm and it has 700C wheels. If anything I'd say she could almost go down a frame-size.

Nyah

I have a Kona Sutra in size 46. Kona has really understated the size of this bicycle. It's probably equal to the next size up of another brand. I wouldn't be surprised if your 5'1" friend can't stand over it comfortably. If your friend is set on a 700c bicycle, I think the REI Co-op Adv 1.1 should be considered as well. It's speced with hydrolic disc brakes but, I found a nice pair of cable-actuated calipers when I checked out the bicycle in person. To me, it's a better buy. I would've bought it instead of the Sutra, had REI speced it with cable-actuated disc.